Wrath Chapter 20 #5
His gaze landed on me. Up until then, he’d been staring at Panther.
“Wrath, I’m sorry for the tricks I pulled and how I acted toward you and your club when I tried to get Jae back home and accept a Fiend as her old man.
I refused to see that she was in love with you, that you were her only choice, and vice versa.
From what I can see, you take wonderful care of her.
As a father, I have no complaints. As an MC member of an outlaw club, I’ll work to understand and respect our differences.
Wrath, I don’t care what my punishment is for what I did.
I deserve it. My only hope is that I don’t die so I can work to regain my best friends’ and daughter’s forgiveness.
I need my Jalisa Marie in my life. She has been my constant source of love and affection since she was placed in my hands after she was born.
I want a place in her life, no matter how small.
Panther and Scooter have been my best friends for longer than Jalisa has been alive.
I love them and my club brothers. I know I betrayed that trust and love. I’m at their mercy.”
There was a long, drawn-out silence when he quit speaking.
I had no idea where it would go. I’d told Panther it was up to him and his guys to settle on a punishment.
I wanted Psycho to see the error of his ways, and if they didn’t take his patch, he’d never do it again.
Jalisa confessed to me that she was terrified he’d be kicked out of the Fiends and that he would just waste away.
They were the only life he knew. He had joined them as a young man.
“Psycho, you are one of my two best friends. I thought I could trust you with anything. To discover that I couldn’t, no matter your reasons, hurt like a motherfucker. I was counting on you and Scooter to help Cougar navigate being president. Now, it’ll all fall to Scooter.”
My head came up. His tone implied that Cougar’s taking over the helm was imminent.
“My surgery is this coming Tuesday. The cancer isn’t responding to treatment, so they’ll remove what they can, and then I’ll have radiation and chemo.
We’ll see if that helps. Regardless, I may not have much time left.
I want to spend it with my wife, son, and brothers, but I can’t carry the mantle of the president.
It’ll be too much. It was decided in church on Thursday.
Cougar will become president as of Tuesday.
It will not be as the acting president. He will be the permanent one.
” Panther stopped. He was pale and breathing a little hard. Scooter took over.
“With that all said, we spoke to Lion. We had a long discussion about you, Killer, the Greensboro chapter, and other topics. We’ve come to a decision.
You won’t be kicked out of the club if the following conditions are met.
One, for a year, you will be a nomad. However, you won’t wander from chapter to chapter of the Hell’s Fiends.
You will be assigned…” Scooter paused, and Panther took over again.
“You will be assigned to work directly with Lion and his national officers. You will help them eliminate those who continue to carry on the trafficking business. You’ll be theirs to command.
If they report that there has been no problem with your attitude, work, or anything like that, you’ll be allowed to return to the Athens chapter at the end of the year.
However, you will not be the enforcer. You’ll be a regular member like I will be. ”
I watched the hope slightly die when he was told he’d be a nomad for a year with the Outlaws, but it flared a bit to hear he could come back, though not being an enforcer was a mixed blessing for him.
The room got quiet. It took him several moments to say anything.
“I understand and agree to go nomad and work with Lion and his people. I’ll do my utmost to do the work to their satisfaction.
I can’t say how relieved I am not to be out bad or worse.
And while coming back not as an enforcer is a good thing in a way, I’ll have to get used to having no authority.
That’ll be hard, but hopefully, the year with the Outlaws will help.
Can I ask who’ll take over as enforcer?”
“You can. It has been decided that Shotgun will assume that role. He’s helped you a lot and seems to have the right mentality for the work,” Scooter told him.
Psycho nodded. “He’ll do well. He would’ve been my choice. Okay, I can handle this.” He turned to me. “Wrath, what’s your punishment?”
“Psycho, I let Panther and the Fiends decide your fate. I have nothing to add to it. Only know when Jalisa forgives you, if you ever abuse her trust again, you’ll have no contact with her or any grandchildren.
You’ll be removed from our lives and never see them again.
She’s mine now, and I will defend, protect, and love her with my last breath. ”
His mouth was opening when Lion spoke up.
“You’ll be extremely busy as part of your acclimation to our team.
During the first three months, you won’t be allowed to have contact with anyone from your club or your daughter.
The only exception would be if they contact you for an emergency.
If you break that rule, you’re done. You need to feel what it would be like not to have any of them in your life. ”
Psycho paled at that part. I had to wonder if this might be worse for him than if they’d beaten him and taken his cut. As far as I knew, all his friends were part of the club. He would have no one from his old life for those three months. It would be hell.
“Is there more?” I asked. I got headshakes. “Would it be acceptable for his no contact to begin after you leave tomorrow? Or should he be asked to go now?”
“It can wait. I’d say my goodbyes between now and then,” Lion said gruffly. It was a shaky and pale Psycho who rose to his feet. As we exited church, I wasn’t looking forward to telling Jalisa what he had to do, but she’d be relieved he wasn’t out bad.