Reese tried to reason with his wife. “Baby, we need to tell your brother.”
“Jett will do something stupid. Promise me you’ll handle this, Maccon.”
I looked back at her through the rearview mirror as I sped to the closest emergency room. Her pleading, bloodshot eyes ripped through me as I responded, “I promise.”
It wasan undertaking I was glad to fulfill. Katherine was right—her husband and brother were both too emotional to deal with the problem objectively. Either one of them would have ambushed the douchebag in a crowded bar or on the street. I was more patient, more methodical.
The Renegade Kings had never been on our radar before. They kept to themselves and so did we. Now, though, with the tides turning, a peaceful rivalry had twisted into two armies of adversaries who would stop at nothing to protect their clubs and families.
I walked out of the isolated cabin hideout into the muggy Arkansas air. With every trudge of my boots down the front steps, the weight of the situation lifted. I had done my job well.
* * *
“It’s done,”I stated, sitting down at the head of the Unacceptables’ war room table just as all of my men took their respective seats.
“Was he alone?” Reese, my number two, radiated bloodlust as he eyed me. Katherine was still understandably shaken up from what the villain had done only a few days before, and I knew Reese would stop at nothing to make every member of the Renegade Kings pay for one member’s sins.
“He was,” I confirmed. “Foolish mistake.”
Reese’s tattooed hands fisted as his jaw clenched. “That it was,” he snarled.
“What do we do next?” Jett glanced over at me, scowling. He was my right hand and one of the best men I knew, but he was also a wild card we had to watch out for. A slight twitch came to his eye, and I knew he wouldn’t sit idle for long. Without a clear path, he’d take matters into his own hands. It wasn’t just our brotherhood he needed to protect—Katherine was his little sister and the only true family he had left. He had almost lost everything to save her once before, and I knew he’d risk it all again for her without question.
Pulling in a sharp breath, I knew my response was not going to be received well. “We wait and let the other charters know what’s going on here. We might need some backup depending on what their next move is, but we’ll be ready.”
I looked across the table to my old man as he nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. His approval meant everything to me.
The president’s flash wasn’t something I felt ready for, but it was my cross to bear. Once my father had decided to step down in his old age, the seat was my birthright to fill.
“How can you agree with this, Hawk? How can we just sit on our hands and wait?” Jett slammed his fist onto the worn mahogany. “All of those fuckers need to pay for what happened to my little sister! This isn’t just some cut slut we’re protecting here.”
“My son is right and you know it,” my old man seethed as he stood to address the tense room. “The piece of shit who hurt Katherine has been taken care of. Our end of the bargain has been upheld. Those assholes know who we are and what we’re capable of. They know where to find us when they want to, something I am sure will happen sooner rather than later. We will stay on high alert and let them come to us. We have to be smart about this. We can’t afford to have mass casualties from hasty stupidity.” Hawk’s low voice thundered into my men as they all nodded in agreement.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew the guys thought I wasn’t ready to hold the gavel, and it was my responsibility to prove to them I was worthy of being their leader.
“Aye, boss.” Jett glared at me. “I’m with you, brother.”
That was all I needed to hear.
I slapped Reese on the shoulder. “Go home and take care of your girl. It’s been a long couple of days for all of us.”
Once the meeting adjourned, I pulled out my cellphone. There was one call I needed to make on my own.
As I stared down at the contact lighting up the screen, my father slowly approached.
“You good, son?” he asked, standing over me with a concerned look only a father could give.
“Yeah, Pop. It’s time for the Butcher to come home.” Furrowing my brow, I looked my old man in the eye as they narrowed at me.
He sucked in a long drag from his cigarette before responding. “I think you’re right.”
I waited for my father to join the rest of the guys in the lounge room before making the call.
“Yeah?” a gruff voice answered quickly.
“Ravage?” I choked out.
“Maccon? Is everything all right?” Rave’s voice was low.