Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Francis

Sitting in Brick's office, I've come to the realization that I had no fuckin' idea the extent of bullshit our prez handles on a daily basis. Son of a bitch, I'm drowning and I'm just trying to step up and give a hand.

With Emmie finally being released after almost a week in the hospital, it goes without sayin' that Brick is gonna be home with her. After her surgery an infection set in, and she was moved to ICU for two days on very strong intravenous antibiotics. Grace was at her side while trying to put Brick's mind at ease, which no matter what my woman said, he wasn't buyin'. He for sure thought his woman was gonna die.

Thank God the drugs brought the infection to bay. With that said, Emmie is extremely weak and has a long road ahead of her. Between the women and Brick there is always someone with her right now. The biggest concern is depression, especially with her hormones all over. Emmie desperately wants to be a mom and have kids with her man. Grace went into great detail explaining to Emmie she still has that opportunity. It just isn't penetrating, so the club family is gonna keep an eye on her and the situation.

Grace and the girls decided that until they felt she was on the road to recovery, they would make sure she wasn't left alone. And Brick being the dominant alpha he is also decided he needed to be available at all times for his woman. So that left the club in chaos. What one man managed is taking all his brothers to muddle through.

Trying to concentrate on the shitload of papers in front of me I hear a commotion right before the door bursts open and Fury storms through, fire shooting from his eyes.

"Stitch, get your goddamn ass out there before I kill Beast. That asshole is getting on my last nerve. While we're all busting our asses to cover our prez, this club, and our personal shit, he is out there drinking beer after beer not a care in the fucking world. And from what I'm hearin', he isn't even taking care of his kid or woman .

"Rumor has it he moved them from that halfway decent joint across town to some dump apartment complex. What the fuck is up with that asshole? And since Emmie's situation, what's he done to give a hand or step up? I'll tell ya, brother, not a goddamn thing. He's barely here anymore and when he is it's to get drunk and flop out in his room. Of all the others, never thought Beast would be such a useless piece of shit. And get this, right before I walked in here to get ya, he had a sweet butt all over him. Now I know some of the brothers believe that is cool and don't believe in having an anchor around their neck, but Cathy has been with that dick for years, not to mention she gave him his son, Rider. I want to wring his goddamn neck, brother."

Looking at Fury, I can see the rage pouring out of him. His already black eyes are glowing with such force even I take a step back. When he loses it, he could scare the motherfuckin' shit out of anyone. His mind is runnin' all over and it is fuckin' overwhelming me. I know he is worried about the club without Brick at the helm.

Fury is our vice president. A position that suites him well. He works well with Brick and they complement each other. Saying that, Fury needs his space and privacy. Even I don't know a lot about him, except he isn't from the streets, doesn't do drugs, and can handle just about anyone and anything. I've got a ton of bulk on him and he scares even me. Something in his eyes isn't right when he is pissed. And he always appears in control, even if he is anything but that.

"Fury, okay, okay, dude, I will go talk to the dickhead. I need your help, brother. Take a minute and look at these invoices. I'm lost and not sure if these are normal or not. And here are the next couple of runs coming up in the next few weeks. We need to get the route and crews scheduled, so everything is ready to go. Fuck, never knew all Brick handled before. No wonder there is always a bottle of Jack in his bottom drawer. Review this shit, brother, I'll go and handle Beast."

He grabs my extended hand, giving it a squeeze as he gives me a couple of brotherly pounds on my back. As we switch places, he takes a seat at Brick's desk as I head out to handle a brother in crisis.

Only problem is, I don't know what his exact issue is. Hoping for once my skills will be able to draw out whatever is fuckin' with Beast. Otherwise, we will have another problem on top of all the bullshit we are muddling through now.

"Get out of my face, Stitch, you asshole. I don't owe you anything, least of all an explanation of what is goin' on in my life. You ain't my father or preacher. If I want to drink, fuck pussy, or play pool, I'll do just that, motherfucker. Now get out of my way before I land you on your ass, jagoff."

Hearin' the words coming out of his mouth, my mind struggles with what is going on behind the scenes. Beast is desperately trying to hide something from me. Me , of all people. Does this dumbass not realize I can get into his head, not to mention interpret his emotions, which currently are all over the board? He clued in years ago about my skills. What is overwhelming my brother that he could have forgotten what he knows.

The heat that starts at the back of my neck and moves to the top of my skull informs me of his extreme emotional distress. The sweet butt up on my brother looks my way but her eyes are blown. She's high as a fuckin' kite. Which is infuriating me, as drugs are a definite NO in this club. After the shit we went through years back to get rid of that shit, there is no leeway allowed for it.

"Beast, come on, brother, ya need to calm the fuck down. Too much is goin' on, we need to get a handle on this and move forward. We need you right now. Got to stand strong until Prez can get back into the groove. Talk to me, bro, I'm here ready and willin' to help ya. But I gotta know what is goin' on for me to help. There isn't nothin' I wouldn't do for you, Beast, and ya know it. Explain what's goin' on? And, bitch, get the fuck away from him. In fact, get gone right now."

The sweet butt gives me her scared eyes before she longingly looks at Beast, who just motions with a head nod toward the door. She huffs her way to and through said door. Well, at least he used the right head to get rid of that problem.

"Stitch, I know shits flying around here. I'm here for whatever you need. With sayin' that, I got my own shit coming from all directions. So sorry, man, that I wanted to lose myself in some drink and pussy. I just need a moment to myself. See now this isn't the place I'm gonna find it. If I'm needed just reach out. I'm out."

Then to my utter surprise he lifts up, slaps my shoulder, and lumbers to the door without a glance back at me. Fuck, that did not go like I thought it would. But with so much shit on Fury's and my shoulders, unfortunately Beast's crap is gonna have to go to the back burner for now. We have a club to keep afloat. So with these thoughts I turn and head back to Brick's office to give Fury a hand.

Rubbing my hands through my hair, my head is fuckin' killing me. I reach for my phone to let Grace know I'm gonna be late. No way can I leave, as we are about halfway through the shit all over Prez's desk. Waiting for the phone to go through, I glance to my right to see Fury is also on his phone. Probably giving his woman, Abby, a call. That is a one of a kind situation I don't get. Not my place but what a unique pair.

"Hey, Dad, Mom is not available right now."

"Damien, what's goin' on? Where's your mom and why are ya answerin' her phone, Son?"

"Dad, her and Aunt Abby are with Auntie Emmie. She is having a bad day. Uncle Brick is losing his shi...I mean his mind, so Gramps Bubba and that prospect, Dingo, are with him in the backyard. Do you want me to go get her? I can if you want."

"No, Son, just let her know I called and that both Fury and I are stuck at the clubhouse. Not sure when we will be done. Also tell her if she needs anything to reach out okay, kid?"

"Will do, Dad. Hey, if you pull those papers off of Uncle Brick's desk on the right side, you will see duplicates of those two bills you can't find. Talk to you later. Bye."

Hearin' him disconnect, I put my phone down, not a fuckin' clue what Damien is going on about. I look to the right pile of papers, and there under the top page are the two invoices we just spent a couple of hours trying to decipher. Holy shit. I must be throwing off some major vibes for him to feel my frustration and be able to figure out what two grown men couldn't. I hold the two pages up and waggle them in the air. Fury leans over and grabs them. Shaking his head, a smirk on his face, he glances up at me.

"How the holy hell did you find these, Stitch?"

"Damien told me to look to the right so I did and found those invoices."

"Well, I'll be fucked, next time let's reach out to him in the beginning. It will save us time and the bullshit of bumping our heads against each other."

As we both shared a much-relieved laugh, we sit back and finish this shit. Fury reaches to the bottom drawer and pulls out the Jack and two glasses. Gonna be a long night and we both can't wait to head home to our families.

Entering our home much later that evening, I'm exhausted. Fury and I managed to finish everything. We even took some time and just talked. I have a new respect for my brother. Fury is very private and I'm honored he shared some things with me. He's totally hooked on Abby and her boys. He doesn't speak much of his past but is definitely looking to their future as a family.

Speaking of family, I glance around and realize my family is probably in bed. Another long fuckin' day. I go to the fridge and see the note by the handle, informing me a plate is warming for me in the oven. I turn and open the door, immediately assaulted with smells that remind my stomach how hungry I am.

Reaching for a dish towel I pull the plate out and remove the foil. Three slices of meatloaf surrounded with mashed potatoes and peas. Damn, how did Grace know I had a cravin' for her meatloaf?

I plop my ass at the table and dig in.