35. King

Chapter 35

King

One Month Later

I look at the wall we've been putting up inside the huge lobby. I've been staying in North Carolina for the last month. It has been a good move for me. I've been helping the Saint's Outlaws redo the old amusement park—Ghost Town in the Sky. The Feral Kings MC could have had a great place, but they didn't put forth much effort to do anything here. Then again, they were lazy, evil fucks.

The club and I have reworked the main building at the base of the hill. It practically looks brand new with all the repairs and changes. We even had a crew come out to fix the sky lift. We left an enormous room for the main part of the club, added a long dark walnut bar along one wall, and put in a couple of pool tables. There are even a few old school pinball machines and big screen televisions spread around the room. It looks really good. A few bedrooms are here for some of the members, but the hall has a steel door at the end. It opens to a breezeway which leads to the garage that we added. At the back of the garage, there are a lot more bedrooms. There will be enough rooms for all the members with three extras, in case we have guests. On top of the hill— which we refer to as topside —where the amusement park is, Hangman is following Blade's orders and having the rollercoaster and other carnival rides fixed. It was surprising, but Blade has been in a maximum-security facility for almost five years. He should have whatever the fuck he wants. There are also bedrooms up there. The place where the women were held hostage, we tore down. That was my suggestion. I couldn't stand the thought of Gabby ever having to see that building. I didn't tell the men that. I did tell them that since Dragon is an ally now, if he and Nicole visited, they probably wouldn't want to see it. So, we've put all new buildings up. Blade asked that we build a house here. I don't know why he wants it. I have a feeling Hangman does, but I didn't question it. There's been a construction crew working constantly, and it's almost done. It's a brick structure and all one level. It looks out of place, but I'm not the president, nor a member, so it's not my concern.

In my spare time, I've been helping to search for Breaker. It has been over a month now and there's still no sign of him. We found his billfold on the cliff he rolled down. It apparently fell out of his pants pocket. With every day that passes, it's not looking good. Bull and Sky come down and join in the hunts. Dragon and Dom have, too. Things are still a little tense with us, but that's slowly changing.

Hangman told me about my mother being their president's old lady and how they never knew she had a kid. If they had known about me, they would have demanded I join her. That was a hard pill to swallow, but for some reason, I didn't doubt Hangman at all when he told me.

He also explained how my mother and Bear began to have problems. Turns out my mother began dipping into the drugs that floated around in the club. Bear warned her that if she didn't straighten up, he was shipping her out. He didn't want an old lady who stayed blown out of her mind on coke. It got so bad that their fights were legendary.

My mother knew her days were numbered. So, when they went on a trip to Dragon's club, seeking an alliance, she got the bright idea to rekindle an old flame. It didn't seem to matter to her that Dragon was married. She was going to drug him, and then play her ace in the hole— me.

It's hard to accept that everything you've ever been taught was a lie. My mother was kicked out once they returned from Kentucky. She somehow ended up with the Feral Kings as a club whore, selling her body for the free coke until she overdosed. There was no car accident. Everything I've ever known was a lie. When I confronted Ramona, she finally spilled her guts and told me the truth. I still haven't processed how I feel about it. I'm mostly ignoring it at the moment.

"Hey, King! Do you have a minute?"

My gaze jerks over to Hangman and he's standing by the double doors that lead into a big conference area where we have church—or club meetings. Standing at the door are Hangman, Viper, Cross, Money, Spider, Grifter, and Dawg. Looks like it's a meeting with all the officers. Damn.

"Shit, boys. Are you all getting ready to run me out of town?"

They laugh and walk into the room. We have a huge glass conference table with luxury leather seats. There's a smaller bar across from the table and beside it is a huge console that has a television hidden in it. The cabinet houses our security feeds. We can monitor it from in here—as well as the new control room topside.

Once we are all sitting down, Hangman clears his throat. "So, I've been talking to Ford, and he indicates you're not ready to move back to Virginia. He kind of hinted that you weren't sure if you ever would."

I rub the back of my neck. I didn't really want to talk about this shit, but I do need to talk to the club about it, I suppose.

"Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm not planning on freeloading off the club. I've been trying to do my part here. I just would like some time to figure things out."

Hangman shakes his head. "That's the thing, King. You're doing more than your fair share. Truthfully, you've been a big asset to the club. So much so that we'd like to offer you Ranger's position in the club as Sergeant of Arms."

"Come again?" I asked, shocked as hell.

There's assorted laughter around the room, but I can't take my eyes off Hangman. I didn't really expect this at all.

"The position has been empty since we discovered the asshole's betrayal. We'd like for you to think about taking it and moving here becoming a Saint's Outlaw."

"Don't you have members up for promotion that want the position?"

"Well, I'm up next, but it's not a position I want. In fact, I don't really want an office. I like things the way they are. Hell, none of the men are eager to step up right now. The only one that might be upset about the move is Gravel," Dawg explains.

"Yeah, but fuck, none of us want him in control of anything. He has anger issues and the last thing we need is someone pissing off a rival club and buying us all trouble."

"I should probably talk to Ford," I hedge—already wanting to agree.

"I figured. I told him what we were going to offer you. I wasn't going to go behind his back, but King you can take your time. We're not in a hurry to fill the position and if it doesn't go to you, we may not fill it at all. With our club's history, we have trust issues. The truth is, we've seen you in action and we like and trust you. You fit in well here. Still, we know it's not a small move for you. We get that. You have a life back in Virginia. We're just asking you to consider it."

I think over his words and decide to lay my cards on the table. "Honestly, I want the position. I just want to talk to Ford first."

"Then get to talking. We'll have a patch in party to celebrate in a couple of weeks."

"Sounds good," I tell him, and I'm feeling like a giant weight has been lifted from me.

The guys stand and begin slapping me on the back and welcoming me to the club. I can't deny it. It feels really fucking good. I don't know what's coming in the future, but I feel at home in North Carolina. For the first time in a long time—maybe ever—I think I'm right where I belong.

For some reason, I think of Gabby. I haven't spoken to her since I woke up alone in her room with Ford and T banging on my door. I kind of miss her. I hope she's doing okay and that she somehow finds the moment I'm having right now.

A feeling of being where you belong.

I shake my head, and let go of thoughts of the broken, blonde-haired wildcat with the eyes so beautiful you can't define them to one color. She's not for me, but somewhere out there, she'll find a man to appreciate and protect her. That thought comforts me. Gabby deserves that.

She truly does.

Turn the page for a sneak peek of the next book in the series, Craving Her.