Page 8 of Dutch

I held my smirk. "Damn, Deebo, chill," I said, turning my attention to Saint. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it here."

His jaw clenched, but he nodded. "I still think you're putting the crew at risk. You know who she is."

Makari bristled next to me, but I kept my focus on Saint. "I know what I'm doing, and Makari is now under our protection."

"Since when have we protected outsiders, especially ones tied to Jahlil's crew?"

The tension went up another notch as Jahlil's name hung in the air like dirty fog.

"I'll explain club business later, not here, not now," I stated, my voice carrying enough edge to make Saint take notice.

Saint held my glare. I could tell he was torn between his duty to the club and loyalty to me.

"Your call, Prez, but I pray you know what you're doing."

Makari let out a breath as he walked away.

"Are you good?" I asked.

"Look, this is a bad idea. I can handle myself," Makari insisted.

I chuckled defiantly. "Trust me, this is no longer your battle. It's ours."

Makari slid off to the side and sat alone at a table. Her hands twitched as if she were itching for a cigarette or a paintbrush, something to keep them busy.

"Listen up. Our guest is under club protection. Any problems are to be brought to me. Are we clear?"

I locked eyes with a few of the more expressive members and heard an ensemble of. "Yeah, Prez," and "Yeah, boss," as I dared anyone to speak up.

"Good, now let's show Ms. Makari how the Sons of Shadows throw a welcome party!"

I got a few chuckles out of the crowd, and tensions eased. Makari was still on guard, but she relaxed a bit.

I headed her way. "I told you, nothing to worry about. They're going to love you."

I caught a quick smile, but Makari rolled her eyes. "They'll love me like a fox stalking a henhouse."

I laughed. "You're the most dangerous thing in this henhouse."

I sat down, and one of the servers brought us a couple of beers with bourbon chasers. "Thank you, darling, put it on my tab," I instructed.

"No problem. Will do," she replied and headed back to the bar.

I took a gulp and eyed Makari, sipping her beer. "What's up between you and Jahlil?"

Makari tensed, flashing me a look. "Nothing, it's ancient history."

I arched an eyebrow. "Ancient wouldn't have gotten your place trashed."

Her jaw clenched, and she looked around, weighing how much to tell me.

"Listen, you have secrets. Everyone does, but if Jahlil is coming after you, that puts my club at risk. I need to understand what we're dealing with."

She met my glare, defiant. "Your club is offering protection? Because you aren't exactly on the right side of the law last I checked."

I couldn't help but laugh. "In this world, there is only survival. There is no right side."

I was piecing things together as I watched her. There was something with this Jahlil. I could tell by the way she reacted to his name.

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