Chapter 13
Ryan
“Buck,I have to talk to you.” I hated what I was about to do, but I needed to just get it over and done with. I knew it was right, knew I was going to be happier for it, but part of me was dyinginside.
We sat alone in the back room of the barn. “What’s up,kid?”
“Cass is pregnant. I’m going to be a father.” I pulled my cut off, took out my knife from its sheath in my boot, and started to cut the stitching that held my vice president patch onto the worn-out cut. Buck sat in silence while watching me. One by one, I cut each of the patches off of the leather until the skull and bones were all that was left. Nothing that said Killeen or contained the Unacceptables’ name could befound.
Buck put his hand on mine as it shook a little. There was a knowing in his eyes. “We have to call a vote, but if you want to patch out, I understand and support your decision. You have to do what is right for you and yourfamily.”
“She said she’ll marry me. I have to do this for her. She deserves for me to choose her and put her first.” I gripped the patches in my hand as I stared down at my clenchedfist.
“You’re making the right decision. Cass is worth it, and we will always be your family. You’ll be under our protection for the rest of your life. You will always have a homehere.”
Buck made a few calls and within a few minutes, every chair at the table wasfilled.
I stood to address my brethren. “This decision was not made lightly, but I must ask you all to vote me out. I need to leave the Unacceptables. I can no longer effectively do my duty to the full extent that this organization deserves. Buck will also be talking to you all about who will be taking myplace.”
I set my patches down in the middle of the table, in the center of the skull and bones that had given me back my life. As I walked out of that room after hugging each one of my brothers, I knew I was making the right choice for me. Yes, it was for the best for everyone involved, but for the first time in my life, what was best for me and the choices I was making were also right for everyone I truly cared about. I was moving forward. The Marines and the Unacceptables had been stepping stones to make me the man I had always wanted to be for Cassidy. Without them, I never would have deserved her. In that moment, I truly understood that, and I was grateful for the journey and for my past. I was excited to see what the future had in store for me and myfamily.