Page 19 of Going Home

"Don't think this is over," he says as she stands and rolls her shoulders. "What's up, Jennings?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He shrugs at Lex while Venom walks over and sits at the table. Lex takes the seat Colt vacates, and he walks towards the office. "Sure."

Jennings shuts the door behind him and sits behind the large desk in the small room. With nowhere else to go, Colt sits on one of the chairs in front of him. Aside from a filing cabinet, there's not much room for anything else. How the hell do Jennings, VP, and his dad meet in this small space with a much too big desk?

He can't help but feel anxiety even though he's done nothing wrong that he's aware of. It feels exactly like his grade school years when he'd get called into the principal's office. The only difference is that he usually knew what he was getting in trouble for then. Here? Not so much.

"How are things going?" Jennings asks.

The question catches him off-guard. "Um, they're good. A little hectic, but that kind of comes with the territory of being in Griffin's Beach. We've taken in two teenagers after finding them squatting, and Lex has something going on. Then there's Lacey getting knocked up, and I think that's about it."

The words come out in a rush, and while he's never been nervous around Jennings before, he certainly is now. He's judging Colt.

Is he going to tell me that letting us patch in here again was a mistake? That I don't measure up to some expectation or standard I don't know I'm being compared to. Why does he keep staring at me like that? Is he really scrutinizing every move and word? It's fucking unnerving.

"Lex hasn't told you what's going on?"

Colt shakes his head. "Says she can't yet because whoever she talked to asked her not to tell me. As much as I want to know so I know how I can help her, it’s part of who she is to be loyal, and I can't really fault her for that."

"It doesn't bother you that she won't tell you?"

Is he worried I'm going to go all dark and stormy on them? What's with this interrogation about my marriage, man?"I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't bother me, but it's not so much about knowingwhatas much as what she needs from me. I hate that she does everything on her own. I'm trying to do more where I know I can to help her out."

"I know what it is, Colt, and I can't say anything, either. It's not club related. Not directly. I kind of wish it was because at least it would be a problem we could fix, but I think it's good you're keeping an eye on your wife. I know she's going to break eventually under the weight, and when that happens, she's going to need you."

If it's not club related, why the fuck do you know but I can't?"How bad is it?"

"Just shy of parents dying, I think," he says. "For the record, I don't agree with her keeping this from you, but she was asked not to say anything. Even to you. I only know because I have to. I have to respect her for keeping her word, though. Most people consider spouses an exception to the secret rules."

Now Colt's confused. If it's not club related, why does Jennings need to know? "Is that what you wanted to talk about? To make sure I'm there for Lex? Because I promise you, Jennings, what happened in Black Valley will never happen again. I've learned from those mistakes, and I'll do damn near everything not to repeat them. I won't risk losing my family again."

"No, I'm not worried about that. You left your home to start fresh for your wife, but when she said you had to come back without telling you the reason why, you did it without any hesitation. You've grown up a lot the past couple of years."

"Thank you."

It's strange both Jennings and VP have commented on how much he's changed. The scrutinizing look changes into something else, and Colt relaxes. He has no idea what's going on, but he doesn't feel like he's in trouble anymore.

Licking his lips, Jennings sighs. "Has your father talked to you about anything recently? About the club?"

TK? "No, why? Is something wrong? Have we made a decision who we're going to work with as a supplier?"

"No, not yet. Um, we're looking at mixing things up around here a bit."

"What does that mean?"

"It's time I step down."

Colt gapes. He knows he looks like an idiot in front of the man he's known as the President for his entire life, but he can't help it. It was always inevitable that Jennings would one day hand over his title of President, but this feels sooner than he'd ever imagined. For some reason, picturing the Drifters without Jennings at the head of the table feels wrong.

"Are you okay? Are you... Are you sick?"

"No," Jennings says with a laugh. "It's just time. VP and your father are also stepping down. It's time to let a new generation take over and lead."

Wait, you, Dad, and VP? What the fuck happened while I was gone?

"Dad never said a word about this. This is... Wow."

---