I chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, Prez. You know damn well I’ve got it covered.”
“I know.” Then his eyes narrowed. “But I’m also not real interested in letting some other MC get their hands on you.”
My brows pulled together. “What the fuck does that mean? I’m not gonna patch with another club after I leave the Redline Kings.”
The office door opened before Kane answered, and Edge sauntered inside like he owned the damn building. Which, technically, he partially did. His hair was still damp from a shower, and his cut hung open over a fitted black T-shirt that stretched across his chest and broad shoulders. He took one look at my face and smirked.
“Leaving the Redline Kings isn’t on the table either,” Kane stated.
“Oh good,” Edge drawled lazily. “Looks like Kane skipped right past easing you into it.”
I stared between them slowly. “Into what?”
Edge dropped onto one of the chairs across from Kane’s desk, stretching his long legs out comfortably. “Brother, you’d make a damn fine president.”
The room went quiet for a second.
“Of what?” I asked, still confused.
“A motorcycle club,” Edge said slowly, like he was talking to someone who didn’t understand English.
I barked out a short laugh and shook my head. “Absolutely the fuck not.”
Kane’s expression didn’t even twitch. “You already run most of our financial operations, half the underground infrastructure, and every major expansion we’ve built. You’ve been helping me build this empire since almost the beginning.”
“That’s different than starting my own MC.”
“Not really,” Edge countered dryly. “You already act like leadership. You’re just grumpier about it.”
I flipped him off automatically without looking away from Kane, who shook his head. “Told you. Not gonna let another MC have you. Even one you founded.”
“Then what…” It clicked. “A West Coast chapter?”
“Yep,” Kane confirmed.
That word sat there heavily because deep down, I knew exactly what they were saying, and hope burned in my chest. When I moved to California with Cecily, I wouldn’t have to walk away from the Redline Kings. I’d still be part of this family and the empire we built together in a way I’d never expected.
Kane leaned forward slightly, his forearms braced against the desk. “So we’ll expand Redline Holdings west. Tracks, teams, and operations. But alongside that…we establish a Redline Kings chapter in California.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered under my breath.
Edge grinned slowly. “Yeah. That was basically my reaction too.”
My brain immediately shifted into logistics, territory maps, alliances, and rivalries—then one glaring problem slammed into the front of my mind.
“It’s Black Crowns’ territory,” Kane murmured, somehow reading my mind.
I nodded. “Yeah. Most of Southern California.”
Edge tilted his head thoughtfully. “They’re military-based, right? Mostly black ops guys and ex-special operations?”
“Mostly,” I confirmed. “I served with a few of them before I got out and joined the Kings. We’ve kept in touch.”
“You know their president, right?” Kane asked.
“Yeah. We served on the same team. I can give him a call.”
Edge leaned back in his chair, thoughtful now instead of amused. “You think they’d allow us to claim territory near theirs? Maybe even some overlap?”