Chapter Fourteen

WITH KATRINA TUCKED safely in the bedroom, Jagger sat at the head of the table in the clubhouse after explaining the long history and involvement with Ruger's daughter to his men. The reactions were a mix of disappointment, anger, interest, and disinterest.

He ignored the emotions around the table. He needed to stay focused on running his club until they voted him out of his seat. The only person he'd hand his life to was Ruger. But he wasn't going to remove his patch or quit his club.

It was how his dad had ruled over Havlin all those years ago and the way he wanted to run his club. These men meant everything to him. The bylaws ruled their lives. There was no need to change anything.

He'd put his life on the line more times than he could count to ensure every member had his support. Every family was safe. Every man belonged.

"As I've broken the bylaws, Ruger has the right to inform the mother chapter and name the punishment. I stand before the club, admitting my crime and not stopping Ruger from taking what he wants from me. As is protocol, the Seaglass Cove Chapter of Havlin now must vote if they want me to step down or retain my seat at the table." He met Bane's gaze. "I'll turn the meeting over to the vice president from here on out to carry the vote."

He stood from the table and walked out the door. Before he could take two steps, Camhead stopped him.

"Sorry, Prez. Bane wants me to watch you." Camhead ducked his head. "He needs you to stay on the property."

"I'm not going anywhere." He pulled out a cigarette, leaned against the building, and lit his smoke.

He held out his pack to Camhead, who turned down the offer. Exhaling into the sky, he noted dark clouds in the distance. There was a storm coming in off the ocean.

"Looks like the rains will be here before tonight." He pointed to the sky.

"I tipped all the caps that were left out, just in case." Camhead dug his heel into the gravel. "I sure get tired of the rain."

Inside, the men were voting on his life. Without the club, he had nothing.

"What do you want out of your life, son?" he asked.

Camhead was only twenty-one years old. A kid compared to him. Some would say Katrina was too young for him at twenty-four, but she was raised within the club. There was a big difference between a club kid and someone trying to find a home.

"I'd like to ride for Havlin, sir." He met Jagger's gaze. "I worked real hard to get my Harley."

"I see that."

"I want a family." Camhead's Adam's apple bobbed. "I only have my aunt, and she's in assisted living now."

"Who sponsored you?"

"Rush."

He nodded. "Good. He'll do you right."

Camhead grinned and stood taller. Jagger liked to touch base with the prospects. Their eagerness had a touch of innocence that experience would kill off. Sooner than they realized, they'd become hardened men willing to die for their brother and club.

He stubbed out his cigarette and flicked it into the bucket of sand by the back door. The vote could take hours or minutes. All he had to do was wait until the others decided his fate.

His phone vibrated. He took the cell out of his pocket and answered. "Yeah?"

"How long do I have to wait?" asked Katrina.

"Until I come and get you." He looked at the time. "You didn't sleep long."

"I kept tossing and turning." She paused. "You haven't seen my dad, have you?"

"No."

"Oh."

Katrina was pulled in two directions. She wanted Jagger and needed her dad. While she was too young to remember when Ruger went to prison, he remembered how close she was with her dad.

She'd follow Ruger around like a shadow. On the shy side as a toddler, she'd cling to Ruger's leg when he hung around talking to the other members. After a while, he'd pick her up, and she'd fall asleep on his shoulder. The two of them were inseparable.

But that all changed when Ruger walked out of prison. Eighteen years behind bars changed a man. He couldn't blame Ruger for how he dealt with life and his daughter because Jagger was responsible for those changes.

Ruger would've done anything for his daughter.

But while Ruger was incarcerated, Katrina had grown up. Sometimes, Jagger wondered if Ruger had any idea about his grown daughter. He wanted to protect her like a child who couldn't care for herself.

He couldn't blame Ruger for holding on to the past. He'd been robbed of watching Katrina grow up. He never got to experience the different stages she went through.

Jagger had. Every single one.

"I'm gonna call Cora and see if she knows where Ruger went," said Katrina.

He grunted. Cora always hit a dead-end when reaching out to her brother.

"I'll let you go. I know you're in a meeting."

"I'll come let you out as soon as I can." He waited until she disconnected the call and returned his phone in his pocket.

She had no idea they were voting on his livelihood at the moment. It was a good thing he'd locked the door, or she would run into the meeting to try and save his job.

That's the kind of woman Katrina was. The kind that would make a damn good ol' lady to the president.

He lit another cigarette, wishing he had a shot of Jack to take the edge off waiting. It'd been a hell of a week. It couldn't get much worse.

The back door opened. Dio stuck his head out and whistled.

"Looks like they're ready for you, Prez." Camhead rocked back on the heels of his boots, unaware of what was happening inside the clubhouse.

He looked down at the long line of motorcycles. These were his men. His club. He'd worked his ass off to grow from a handful of members willing to branch off from the mother chapter to over one hundred members in the Seaglass Cove Chapter. They were an asset to the Havoc-Lincoln Motorcycle Club.

He squared his shoulders. Taught to respect the bylaws, he set an example to his men. But Katrina was family. Not only part of his family but also the club's family.

Walking to the clubhouse, he went with confidence. They would never find someone better, with his experience, to run the club. It wasn't a line of bullshit. He'd stand behind it.

As he walked to the table, he stopped at Bane's chair because his vice president had stepped into the role of president. He remained standing, refusing to sit in a position he had no interest in.

He wasn't handing over the president's patch. They'd have to rip it from his vest.

"We followed the bylaws set before us to deal with the transgression and had the five officers vote. If it was not unanimous, we then had twenty percent of the chapter in attendance that would give us the majority." Bane stood. "But it never came to that. The vote was unanimous."

The pressure in his head intensified. If he had his life to live over again, he'd do the same damn thing. There was no life without Katrina in it.

His only regret was that he tried to do the right thing and put distance between himself and Katrina. He'd wasted a lot of years with her.

Bane stepped away from the chair. "Take your spot, Prez."

Relief hit him in the gut. He changed positions with Bane. Looking around the table, he nodded at each officer. He received the loyalty he'd drilled into the club from the beginning. He would not let them down.

"When Ruger gets back, he'll have the final say in the punishment. Whatever outcome comes afterward, Bane will be here to handle everything." He sat and exhaled. "Katrina, in the meantime, is staying with me. If someone has a problem with that, speak now."

His heartbeat filled the silence.

Picking up the gavel, he hit the table.

Chairs scrapped back. The men left.

Bane, Dio, Wire, Cord, and Rush remained sitting. The clubhouse cleared out quickly, giving the officers time to talk privately.

"Appreciate the support." Jagger leaned back in the chair. "I trust that each of you will hold up your responsibilities toward the club when the punishment is handed down."

"Fuck, Jagger." Dio leaned forward. "I understand the need for the bylaws, but I don't see Ruger docking your pay or taking your seat from you. That motherfucker will take the option to kill you without losing any sleep."

"Katrina's an adult." Cord pulled on his beard. "It doesn't seem right that you're punished for loving her when she's old enough to make her own decisions."

"My mother raised her. I was in her life daily as she grew up. I've loved her whole life." He shrugged. "She's twenty-four years old, and I'm forty-six. I started sleeping with her when she was eighteen—that's not a crime. What I did was personal against Ruger. He asked me to protect her, and I broke the bylaws getting emotionally and sexually involved with her without seeking my brother's permission first."

"At least you waited." Rush stretched his arms out and tilted back in the chair. "Half the fuckers standing outside wouldn't have waited. Hell, Ruger's one of them. He's stood in line to fuck the bitches in Beaverton at more parties than I can count. He sure in the hell wasn't asking to see their driver's license to make sure they were legal age."

"It's his daughter." Jagger stood. "He's got the right to do what he wants with me."

"He took off." Dio thumped his fist against the table.

"He'll be back." He walked away from the table.

The others could talk about his problem until they accepted what would happen. As for him, he was done. Katrina was waiting for him.