5, We will have her back
Nash
I looked at Tite. Had she just volunteered to come back with Bones and me? Why on earth had she done something so stupid? Then it hit me she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into. She hadn’t been here when we had explained the trouble our club was in. For some reason she didn’t want Ulf to go with us and had volunteered to take his place without knowing the background. I wanted to speak up, I wanted to tell her it was out of the fucking question. But I was a guest here, it wasn’t my place.
“Tite,” Ulf said.
“No, brother. For once you need to listen to me. You are needed here. I’m not. I will go,” Tite insisted. Brother? If Ulf was her brother, that meant… I felt my insides go cold. Fuck, that could have been bad. Suddenly I was happy Tite had turned me down. I did not need to deal with the mess of me fucking the Prez’s daughter.
“Tite, this is not something you can just decide,” her dad said. She turned to look at him.
“I’m just stating the best solution, Alpha. I leave the decision making to you,” she said and walked away. I had seen the small flinch Jacob had made as she had called him Alpha. We all followed her with our gaze as Tite walked back to the bar and continued doing what it was she was doing. Ignoring all of us. Fuck if I didn’t find it hot as hell. That woman had a temper I would love to explore. I pushed the thought out of my mind. Down dog, I thought.
“Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea,” Ulf said. We all moved our focus to him.
“You can’t be serious,” Jacob said.
“She isn’t a child anymore,” Johan, their vice prez, or Beta or whatever, pointed out.
“She is still young,” Jacob said.
“You had me running raids when I was younger than her,” Ulf told his father.
“It’s not the same,” Jacob insisted.
“I have seen her take down some of our runners,” Gunnar said. At this point Jacob responded with a grunt.
“Is someone going to point out that she is a woman?” Bones asked. The way the rest of the men looked at him, I knew we had crossed a line. Fucking great.
“Why would that matter?” Ulf asked. His voice had gone frosty.
“No offence, but the club back home will be expecting a member. I understand she is your daughter, Alpha. Even so, she isn’t an old lady, she isn’t a sweet butt, so there will be some confusion,” Bones tried to explain.
“Please remind me what the second paragraph of the statutes say,” Jacob asked Bones. If it was anyone but Bones, I would have been worried. But the old man knew those statutes like running water.
“All persons who contribute to the club may ask for, and be granted, membership. Regardless of sex, race or sexual orientation,” Bones said. Jacob hummed.
“So what in this section gives you the impression a woman can’t be a member?” Jacob asked.
“Um. Well, I guess we just haven’t got as far,” Bones said.
“If you are ignoring that paragraph, are there others you ignore as well? Have you strayed back into old habits, my friend?” Jacob asked. All friendliness was gone. He looked almost predatory as he watched Bones.
“No, Alpha. I swear to you, we are not up to any fucking illegal shit!” Bones exclaimed. That was how it all had started. Back in the days, the club had been into some illegal shit. They had ventured too deep and got tangled up in the cartels. Their only way to stay alive had been to seek help from other clubs. No one had been willing to stand with them, not until the old prez and Bones found Jacob. He had agreed to help them as long as they became a subchapter to his club. That had meant no more illegal shit, a new name and new statute. They had said yes and since then the club had stopped the illegal things. We weren’t exactly on the straight and narrow. But no drugs, no trafficking, no robbery, no kidnapping, and no blackmail.
“Are you sure? It would explain the issues you are having?” Jacob asked.
“I’m sure. We have been honest since we took up our new patch. Sure, there were some whining about the inflow of money slowing down. But once everyone saw the peace and how it allowed us to settle down and grow, there haven't been any complaints,” Bones said.
“What he said is true. I joined seven years back and I have never seen anything indicating the club would be running shit like that again,” I told them. Jacob hummed again, leaning back in his chair.
“You think she can do it?” he asked his son. Ulf huffed.
“Have you met her? She could fucking move the dessert two miles to the right just using her stubbornness,” Ulf said, glancing over at his sister.
“And if she gets hurt?” Jacob said. He hadn’t asked the question to anyone in particular.
“We will have her back,” I said without thinking. Fuck, I needed to keep my mouth shut and my attention off Tite. Or her family of very large, very fit men would probably chase me down and beat me to a bloody pulp. I had no illusions about being able to take all of them down.
“Let me talk to her. Just check where her head is at,” Ulf suggested.
“Fine. You have always been able to talk to her,” their father agreed. I could see the look Ulf gave his father. Something was going on in the family. But Ulf nodded and got up. As he walked over to his sister, the door to the kitchen flung open and a horde of people, men and women, came walking out.
“Stay safe,” Tite called out from behind the bar.
“We will, Tite. Make sure we have some cold beer when we get back,” someone called back.
“Ray, it will be early morning. I will make sure to have some nice warm milk ready for you,” Tite answered and the group making their way outside laughed.
“Fuck you, brat!” Ray shouted and Tite laughed. Just as the horde of people were all gone, the door to the outside was pushed open and a new horde of people came inside. This was accompanied by the door by the bar opening and people came in that way as well.
“Shift change on our border patrol,” Gunnar told me. “The ones who have been out patrolling all day will get some food and beer. For an hour or so the families will join in. Then the pu… the kids will be taken home and the adult time begins,” he explained as I saw children flood in and seek out parents. It looked like a family restaurant. People were bringing out bowls of chilli, the bar was crowded and the sound level had gone straight up. Two women joined our table. Gunnar scooted so one of them could sit down between him and Johan. Johan smiled and kissed her. Apparently his old lady.
“Where is Amber?” Jacob asked.
“She went to join in Ulf’s and Tite’s conversation,” Johan’s old lady said. Jacob nodded.
“Someone should help Gus behind the bar, the talk might take a while,” the other woman said. “And it won’t be you, sweetums. You will drink more beer than you’ll serve,” she added to Gunnar before he even had a chance to volunteer. Everyone around the table laughed.