Page 34 of Towles

“I will.”

Although the club parking lot was full of cars and bikes, no one waited outside. We heard the party inside when we got out of the car.

Ethan took an urn from Rose and put his arm around me. I didn’t wait for Rose to own what was happening.

“I’m going to go inside with the others.” I glanced at Rose. “You and Rose need to talk before you come in. She has a lot to tell you.”

Ethan looked suspiciously at Rose. “What the fuck is going on?”

“She’ll explain everything, babe.”

Ethan grabbed my ass and buried a deep kiss on my lips. “Love you, babe.”

It was as if someone had hit me with a sledgehammer. I stared into the eyes of the man I’d only met a few days ago.

“Go on inside,” he said. “We’ll talk tonight.”

12

Towles

We never really know how fucked up our life isn’t until we talk to someone with more problems than our own. You'll find one if you look for a silver lining long enough and hard enough.

Rose wiped her eyes, and I stared at the three urns. It would have been nice to hear my father say he was proud of me—my mother never shied away from such words—but I needed to focus on Rose's problems.

“What’s his name?” I asked. "Do I know him?”

“Randy Glover. The club calls him Tyson.” Rose cringed. “He’s a psycho son-of-a-bitch, Ethan. He’s dangerous.”

“You going to tell me why they call him Tyson?”

“Why do you think? I’m sorry, Ethan. I really am. I should have dealt with this shit on my own.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Rose.”

She stood and took a few steps away from the picnic table. She crossed her arms and turned. “Most men he hits he kills. He intentionally didn’t hit Dad hard enough to kill him. It was a warning to me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I held up a hand. “Wait. You think I should be scared of this guy?” I got up and stood in front of her. “One thing you can be certain of. I’m not afraid of anyone, Rose. You think this asshole is in town?”

“I’m sure he is now. He wasn’t when Mom and Dad were killed.” She put her hands on my arms. “I don’t want you to die, Ethan. If I go back home, he’ll go back home and leave you alone.”

“That’s not something you need to worry about, Sis.” I walked her to the door. “I can take care of myself. You don’t leave the club without me or an escort.” We went inside, and I handed Rose off to April. “Keep an eye on her. She goes nowhere without a club member with her.”

Beast took me and the other officers into church. He closed the door, and silence filled the room. “We need a new VP. I wanna hear from you guys. Who you think can fill Cinder’s shoes. We’ve got a lot of shit to deal with. ”

Big Kentucky was the first to speak up. “I like what I’m doing. Road Captain is where I belong. I’m willing to make a recommendation.” He looked at me and I just about fell out of my chair. “Needs to be someone with new ideas who can think about the club's future. Not just about now.”

“Watcher?” Beast said. “You next.”

Watcher shook his head. “Not me. I’m way too fucked up between the ears. I’d get someone killed.” He patted his cut where it said Sgt at Arms. “I’ll keep my position. I agree with Kentucky. Someone young with bright ideas.” Watcher stared at me.

Beast nodded at Mario “TexMex” Sanchez. “TexMex, you’re Secretary, the next man up.”

TexMex shook his head as well. “Not me. I’m not ready.” He nodded at me and said what everyone else thought except me. “Brainiac. He meets all the criteria. He fucking loves the club. Gets plenty of pussy.” They laughed and agreed.

Everyone beat on the table and then unzipped their pants. They laughed as they laid their dicks on the table. Beast raised his gavel and hit the table, not allowing me to decline. I couldn’t decline. It was an honor and something I’d do with every ounce of dedication in my body. I think they all knew this. The club meant more to me than my own life.

Beast pulled something from his cut pocket and slid it across the table. It was the VP patch. “Wear it proudly. You deserve it and the shit that comes along with it.” He smiled the way a father smiled at his son when he was proud. The way I imagined my father smiling at me if he’d found me before dying.

---