Fucking Kincaid ruining all my fun with her witchy shit.
She follows Jonesy without uttering a single word. But I know she knows. And she knows that I know that she knows. We’re all fucking knowing here, except for Bear. He can’t figure this out or I’ll lose my money, and that ain’t happening.
“Kincaid, Jonesy, stand in the back.” Hoops is all professional and shit, sitting in his chair like a fucking king.
I cross my arms over my chest, making Jonesy feel really fucking uncomfortable while the other brothers avoid all eye contact.Pussies. Those motherfuckers will break out into a laughing fit if their gazes so much as cross each other.
All a bunch of amateurs. Except Boner. He’s lighting up a joint and avoiding eye contact with me at all costs.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Prospects don’t come into Church unless it’s necessary for planning an attack and we need all hands on deck, so Hoops asking this is vague as fuck.
“No, Prez, I got no idea.” Jonesy’s entire world is crumbling at his feet with Hoops’s clipped tone. In his mind, we’re about to boot him out for something he can’t even remember doing. I know this because we’ve all gone through this shit. It’s a stupid tradition, but tradition nonetheless.
“Maybe.” Fucking Kincaid is going to ruin this, isn’t she?
“What are you thinking, prospect?” Bear is the one to ask because he’s too smart for his own good.Dammit.
“Nah, it’s not my place to say. I’d rather Prez tell us.” She makes eye contact with me, brief enough that nobody suspects anything, but I know. She’s probably sniffed out all of the things, including the bet. If she thinks I’m going to split my earnings with her, she’s got another thing coming.
“Fair enough.” Hoops stands, voice grave, face somber. “Give us your cuts, you’re done here.” Jonesy recoils like he’s been physically hit but doesn’t argue. With hunched shoulders and a face that makes me regret half of my life choices, he shrugs offhis cut and places it on the table. Bash takes it and brings it to Hoops, who flips it over and rips off the prospect patches in front and back.
Everyone turns to Kincaid. With her eyes narrowed just a fraction and her head tilted slightly to one side like this whole thing just became a mathematical equation, I can tell she’s got doubts. Her spine isn’t as straight and her posture is lacking her signature confidence.
Silly wabbit. As if kicking them out was ever an option.
Finally, she pulls her shoulders back and lets her cut fall before catching it with her hand and placing it where Jonesy’s was a second ago. No one speaks. We let the moment weigh down on us like we’re sorry to let them go but have no choice.
Once Hoops repeats his earlier action, he holds his hand out to Sledge without saying a word. Jonesy and Kincaid follow his movement like even the thought of blinking is too much for them.
As soon as Sledge places two new patches in Hoops’s hand, they both breathe out in relief. It’s collective, which means I win the bet because Kincaid really did think, at the end, that she was about to be kicked out of the Sons of Khaos.
“You’ve paid your dues as prospects for this club. Proven your loyalty and given everything you have to us. We are proud, Jonesy, to call you our brother.” Poor kid does a little whining sound like he’s fighting not to break down and cry when Hoops hands him his new and improved cut. “Kincaid, we are proud to have you as our first sister member. Hopefully the first of many.” He hands her the new cut, and for the first time since I’ve met her, I sense a lot of fucking emotions in her. Like…a lot.
Is she…having a moment?
“This is more than a job, more than a marriage contract. This is for life and this club chooses you. Ride, die, and bleed for speed. Welcome to the Sons of Khaos.”
We all cry out our motto and welcome our new members with slaps to the back and a couple of bear hugs.
“Pay up, motherfucker!” I hold one hand out to Bear and the other to Sledge for my payday.
“She knew!” Bear shakes his head as he points to Kincaid.
“She suspected, not the same thing, brother.” Narrowing his eyes at me, he huffs out a breath, then slaps a twenty in my hand. Cheap fucker. Meanwhile, Sledge gives the other brothers their money back.
“What the fuck, Sledge?” Why am I not feeling the weight of the cash in my hands?
“They all bet against Bear.” My grin spreads wide across my lips as I watch our big, bad, Bear deflate and distribute his money to all the brothers. Good thing we only bet twenty bucks or else this guy would be broke.
My work here is done.
“Now, to be clear, you lazy fuckers, I’ve jumped off the choo-choo cum-train but…” I stare down all the single members and point an accusing index finger at them. Boner grins, knowing exactly what I’m about to say. “You motherfuckers need to keep the dream alive. So, let’s party and someone better get the cum-train to the station.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Spencer
It’s been three months since Parker and Grinder sat me down and told me she’d killed Bryson. As luck would have it, it was also around that time that I’d decided on a date for my MCATs and I’ve been singularly focused on passing them. My life has pretty much been work, study, and spending small increments of time with Grinder and Parker, either at the beach or in the compound chilling out.