Chapter Seventeen

"I know it's not much, but this is what we have so far," I tell the guys as they pour over the documents that Killer, Fang, Binx, and I have put together.

"No, this is good," Reaper says.

"It didn't take you long to break that suit," Wrath muses.

"Yeah, it was a little disappointing to be honest." I chuckle, making the other guys laugh.

Earlier, the guys followed me to Killer's warehouse so we could get to work. Fang stayed at home to watch over Natalie, Kaitlyn, and Kolby. When we left, Natalie was down on the floor with our son with hearts in her eyes. I have a feeling it won't be that long until she convinces Reaper to give her a little one, if that look is anything to go by.

"So this Danvers guy tried to join your club, huh?" Killer asks.

Reaper's jaw clenches. "Yeah, he was a piece of shit then and has only become a bigger thorn in our sides."

"Dude's like a cat and has nine lives, we should have killed him by now," Wrath mutters.

My phone rings, and I pull it out of my pocket.Loyal's name flashes across the screen.

"What's up?"

"Hey, sorry for bothering you, but one of those guys on the list I gave you, Herc,is here, and something isn't right," he says quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, man, it's like he's looking for something."

"Okay, I'm on my way." I hang up and drop my phone back into my pocket.

"We rollin' out?" Midnight asks as he stands.

"Yeah, one of the names Loyal gave me is there and something is off. I better go check it out."

"Then let's go," Wrath says as he and Reaper stand.

We head outside, and I get on my bike while they jump into the SUV they rented, and they follow me to the Lotus clubhouse.When we pull up, Loyal approaches.

"Where is he?" I ask as I get off my bike.

Loyal's eyes dart over my shoulder as the guys get out of the car.

"Hey, eyes on me," I demand.

Loyal shakes his head. "Sorry, he went into your dad's room. I tried to keep him out, but…"

"I got this." I slap him on the shoulder and pass him.

I hear the guys talking to each other as they follow me into the clubhouse. Heads turn our way, but no one stops us as we stomp down the hall.

I walk into my father's room and find it trashed. Moving, I grab the guy by the shoulder and spin him around, pushing him against the wall and placing my forearm on his neck.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing in here?" I hiss.

"It's none of your business," Herc chokes out.

I chuckle darkly and apply a little more pressure to his neck. "That's where you're wrong. This is my father's room, and it's not a place for you to ransack. Now tell me, what the fuck were you looking for?"

"Man's turning purple, Colt, let up a little."

I do as Reaper says, and Herc gasps.

"Now answer my man's question, or I won't be able to stop him next time," Reaper tells him.

"Stuff. I'm looking for some stuff," the man says between gasps.

"Stuff." I look over my shoulder and shake my head. "This guy really thinks stuff is an acceptable answer."

"It's our club, not yours. We can go wherever we want," the guy snaps.

"Young and dumb. My favorite. Let me have a little fun with him, will ya?" Wrath says as he cracks his fingers.

"Nah, I have a better idea."

I peel the dumbass off the wall and march him into the main room of the clubhouse. I shove him down to his knees and whistle, getting everyone's attention.

"As of today, I am your president. Anything you do will be run through me. Since my father died, you guys haven't had a leader, and it shows. That ends now," I declare.

Baldie steps forward with his arms crossed. "You aren't part of our club. You can't come in here and make demands."

"That's where you're wrong. My father was the president, and with his death, the title transferred to me."

"He's right, the spot is rightfully his. We could still put it up for a vote, but I don't see why we would when no one else wants to step in for the job," Spock, one of the old-timers says.

"That's not true. Tiny wants it," another old-timer says as he starts to laugh like he said a joke.

I let go of Herc and hold my arms out. "Anyone want to fight for it?"

The crowd murmurs, but no one steps forward.

"That's what I thought. Now clean this place up, it's a fuckin pigsty," I demand.

I turn and find Reaper standing behind me with his arms crossed.

"You plan on staying?" he asks quietly.

"I don't know, but something needs to be done. I couldn't just let them flounder anymore."

Reaper nods. "Let me know when you figure it out."

"I will."

"Looks like someone needs to speak to you. The guys and I will go back to your old man's room and start looking around," he tells me before walking away.

"Colt."

I look over my shoulder and see my cousin Savage.

"Hey, I didn't know you were here," I tell him as I hit his fist with mine.

He shakes his head. "I just got back into town. Look, man, if I knew about your pops, I would have come home sooner."

I shake my head. "Nah, man, it's all good. I know you were taking some time after getting out."

When my cousin was nineteen, something went down that pissed him off. Instead of taking off to another club, he joined the military. Now, after five years, he's home and ready to face his past.

"Let me know if you need anything," he says, and he starts to walk away, but pauses. "And Colt? I think you'll make a great president, and this club is lucky to have you."

I shake my head. "This isn't my club, I'm just doing what needs to be done."

"We will see," Savage says before walking away.

Sighing, I look around the room and watch as the guys reluctantly do as I told them.

Fuck.

This is not how I expected my day to go.

And how in the fuck am I going to explain it to Kaitlyn?

"You seriously have the cutest baby ever," Natalie says from where she sits on the couch.

"Thanks. I think so too, but then again, I'm biased."

"Well then, I'm glad I could confirm it for you."

"How was the hotel last night?" I ask.

After we all caught up, Natalie and the guys she came with went and crashed at their hotel. I offered to let them stay with us, but they had already made reservations, which is probably a good thing considering I don't have enough beds.

"It was nice. The bed was comfortable, and the water was hot, which is enough for us." She shrugs.

"Good. You never know what you will get when you book online, and I don't remember if I said it, but thank you for coming. I know Colt appreciates you guys dropping everything and coming down here."

"Colt's family and we will do anything for family. Besides, if they are right, the guy who's causing problems down here is the same one who's caused us problems." Natalie makes a face. "Trust me when I say that for Reaper, it's personal."

"Oh?" I ask as Kolby starts to fall asleep in my arms.

"They think it's my ex," she blurts out.

"Excuse me?" I say, completely off guard.

"My ex." She shakes her head. "Let me explain. There was this guy back when the guys were teenagers who tried to prospect at the same time. Needless to say, he wasn't accepted into our chapter. Fast forward to roughly a year ago, and I was dating him. To say he was abusive would be an understatement. When I finally got away from him, I went to Reaper." A soft smile plays on her face. "He took me in, and we ended up falling in love while he was trying to fix my problem. Only William, being the slimy bastard he is, got away. This is the first real lead we've had on him in a while."

"Which is why you guys were so quick to get on a plane." I nod as I connect the dots.

"Don't get me wrong, the guys still would have come down here immediately. They just would have rode their bikes," she says with a smile on her face.

I laugh, shaking my head. "They really do hate being cooped up, don't they?"

"Right? I swear they pout every time they can't ride."

"Men," I muse as we shake our heads.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask after a few moments of silence.

"Sure," she says as she curls her feet underneath her.

"You said that you do girls' night at the club. What's up with that? I've never heard of that before."

"When I first got to the clubhouse, I hated how everyone treated the sweetbutts. It just felt so toxic, and after leaving the situation that I had just been in, I couldn't take it. So I got with Reaper. and he let me make some changes to how things worked with them, and that was one of the things I wanted to do. It's not perfect, and we still have our moments, but it's way better than it used to be."

I shake my head as I try to find the words. "That's amazing. Really. I grew up in a clubhouse, and I can definitely tell you that never happened here, and trust me, it could have helped. I've seen more than my fair share of catfights over the guys. What else did you change?"

Natalie's cheeks turn pink. "Nothing much, I just made sure that the women had access to the healthcare they need and that the club covers birth control."

"Damn, woman, are you Mother Teresa or something?" I ask, making her laugh.

"No, I'm just a pathological people pleaser, and I want to make sure that everyone's needs are met."

I shake my head as I think about everything she's said. If that's how they run their chapter, no wonder why Colt wants to go back. Every time any of them talk about their club, I can't help but become more intrigued.

It can't really be that perfect, right?

"Well, I won't lie, I can't wait to see what your club is like."

Natalie's eyes light up. "I can't wait for you to come see it. Reaper told me not to push because you guys haven't decided anything yet, but seriously, I know the girls can't wait to meet you." A look of devastation crosses her face. "I only wish you could meet Elenore."

I frown as I try to place the name. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Colt's told me about her, but I don't know who that is."

"She's one of our older members' old ladies. She's the absolute best."

"What happened to her?"

"She was in an accident and is currently in a coma. It doesn't look promising," Natalie tells me as tears fill her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I'll pray for her."

"We will take all the prayers we can get."

Once again, it hits me how different their club is compared to the one I grew up in. I can't imagine my mother ever shedding a tear over one of the club members' old ladies being seriously hurt or dying.

My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Shit…" I mutter under my breath as I try to lean forward without waking a sleeping Kolby to grab my phone off the coffee table.

"I can go put him in his crib if you want."

"Would you?"

"Of course." Natalie gets up and takes Kolby from me.

My kid barely startles when she takes him and doesn't make a peep while she walks down the hall.

Reaching forward, I see my mother's name on my screen.

I bite back an internal groan as I answer. "Hey, Mom. What's up?"

She scoffs. "Take you long enough to answer your phone?"

"I'm sorry, I was a little busy."

"I need you to come over."

"I'm sorry, but I can't right now."

"Why not?" she demands.

"Because I have a friend over right now, Mom." I sigh.

She scoffs. "You don't have friends. Now tell me, why can't you come over?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to rein in my temper. "I'm not lying, Mom. I really do have someone here. Now just tell me why you need me to come over."

"That's something we can't discuss on the phone."

I hear some murmuring on the other side of the phone. "Who was that?"

"What? Nothing. I have to go." She hangs up before I can even say anything.

What the hell?

That was odd. Even for her. What could she possibly want? Should I call my dad and ask if he knows what she's up to?

"Hey, is everything okay?" Natalie asks as she comes back into the room.

"Yeah, everything's good. Did he go down okay?" I ask as I let it go.

I'll deal with my mom and her drama later.