Page 119 of 12 Months of Mayhem

“Sit.” My father motions for me to sit at the opposite end of the table that he is at, leaving Theo a chair to my right. The fact that this is the first time I’ve been invited to sit at the table isn’t lost on me and Theo’s slow exhale tells me he’s feeling the same weight of the significance of this moment.

My father looks like hell. I haven’t seen him in a long time. Any contact I’ve had with him has been quick and all about business and over the phone. It’s strange to see how hard life can fuck a person out of their youth and strength in only a few years. It looks like he’s aged twenty-five years in the four that I’ve been gone.

“I’m dying.” My eyes meet my father’s the instant his words weigh down the room. “Look around this table. These old fucks are not far behind me. I’m not dead enough to not know I need to do something for the club to be able to survive for generations to come.” My eyes are drawn to the years of club loyalty in the room. I can’t imagine what they’ve all seen and how hard it has to be for each of them to watch my dad give me the position they all most likely hoped would be theirs one day.

“I’m putting Zayne at the head of the table. He’ll need all of you to help guide him through the changes this move will make for the club. I want him to choose the men who’ll sit next to him but until then you will all be there for my son, just as I have been there for you.” Two heads bow and I watch as a room a savage men fight back their own tears. “Son, you’ll respect the men at this table until their dying breath. They are to be honored in this club as legacies just as I expect will happen with you and your entire table in many years when you’re doing the same.

“You mentioned you’d only take the position if I let you have Theo at the table too. It’s your choice on who you fill this table with. But Son… the men you pick have to be someone you’d trust with your life, because that is exactly what they’ll be protecting.

“Theo is my number one and I’ll need time to fill the rest.” My father doesn’t say anything else and the room immediately seems too quiet as everyone looks to me to say something else. I take a deep breath and start asking the obvious questions.

“I know you’ve all hoped one day you’d be sitting in my father’s chair. Does his decision today offend you or do I have the same loyalty you gave my father?”

“Until my dying breath.” Vinn speaks first.

“Even in the afterlife.” Ace is next.

“We never wished for his seat. The men you sit with should understand that’s not an option. The only hope for a club is order and understanding of the hierarchy that’s required to run a successful organization.” Pappy has always been one of my favorite elders. I can see why my dad kept him close. “The single most important decision you’ll make in your life is who you allow to sit next to you. So, choose wisely. We will be here for everything until we can’t.”

“How much time?”

“They said two months. That’s if I let the cancer take me out.” He starts coughing hard and I watch him wipe blood on a handkerchief and wince in pain when he swallows.

“I’m going to change a few things.”

“I want you to take the club in the direction you want to. I know you’ll bring some new life to the way the club runs.”

“I’ll be doing it with my ol’ lady nearby.”

“We already knew she’d be around.” My father starts coughing again. None of the others seem to react except Ace. I see his smirk before he hides it from my father.

“I need to know one more thing… why did you make me leave when you knew I’d one day be sitting in your spot. Wouldn’t it have been better for me to be around and watch the club run… create bonds with the guys and have a full team ready to take the reins?”

“She would’ve made you soft. You had to prove that you could crawl through the fuckin’ trenches and still be loyal to the club.” This time Ace answers and even though he’s referring to his daughter, I know he’s right.

“You already know how I feel about bringing a woman into club business.” My father has always been clear about his feelings on the matter. I never knew my own mother because of his belief on the subject.

“I know. And look at you now, dying alone.”

“That’s one perspective. The way I see it, I’m far from alone. I have a fuckin’ empire that’s been here the entire time and will still be here long after I’m gone.”

“Does that keep you warm at night?” As long as Charli is around, my father and I will not agree on this but I just want to know if he thinks it was all worth it.

“Even close to death, your old man doesn’t have any problems keepin’ warm at night.”

“Do we have any club business that needs handled in the next few days? Half of the guys are out at the lake for the annual 4th of July party.”

“We had a hit on someone who showed up in Crowder recently. He’s a Road Captain in the Alabama charter of the Deuces. We have surveillance on him and we’re watching him closely.”

Theo sits up in his chair, his interest peaked. “What’s his name?”

“Trevor Pierce.”

“Does he know someone that’s here? Where’s he been staying?”

“The Hill Mansion. Looks like he came in for the wedding of Nora’s youngest.” I stand before Vinn is finished speaking.

“Fuck. Charli has been talking to some fuck that’s been staying out there. Name is Bryce Long. Do you have anything on him?”

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