Page 42 of Trip

A sound cut through the room. Almost like a feral growl but not. Whiskey stumbled over himself to add. “If I was in the market for one. Which I’m not. Not at all.”

“Why are you looking at him, that’s my sister you’re talking about, asshole.” Trip gave Whiskey a shove.

“Enough,” Pound shouted. “Prez still has the fucking floor.”

“As I was saying, Trip, convince her any way you have to. It’s only temporary if that helps. As soon as the threat is neutralized, she can go back to her life. Next order of business. Ripley has a proposition for us. I’ve given a detailed proposal to Trip and Priest, but the skinny of it is a day slash date with a biker. It is not the usual kind of thing I would even bring to the table, but it’s for a great cause, and well, I think we should consider it. The money is going directly to a local Air Force family with a very sick little girl. No percentage off the top to CEOs or assholes running a charity like a money-making business. All cash, all directly to the family. And if Hex’s projections are correct, it could bring in enough to significantly impact their life.”

Granite didn’t even need to wait for a vote, it could be stripping at Tails and it would be all yays from them. Military and kids were soft spots for the Phantoms, so a military kid? Well, they were doing A Day with A Biker.

“Before we vote, there will be some ground rules in place. We can’t have a civilian with an all-access pass, but the deal is to make it feel like it is. The finer details we can discuss later but the Maidens will handle all the business aspects and promotion of the event. We need to do our part in promoting and pick a single brother for the date-a-biker event. The Maidens are putting up Barbie for the Day With a Biker.”

“Why are we treated like giant hunks of man-meat and the ladies treated like it’s a take-your-kid-to-work day?”

Trip rolled his eyes. “Taps, you have never had a problem being treated like that. Hell, you’re ready to get up on stage for Pipes Night and shake your little Taps for all the world to see.”

“First off, it’s Carlos, and he’s not little, it was just cold when you met him. Second—”

“Enough about Taps’s dick. First off, society as a whole is the one that has a double standard for men and women.” Priest had always been a fierce advocate for equality. “Selling tickets for a date with a woman is viewed in a wholly different light than one with a man. There are a lot of people who would love to spend the day with a biker to learn about some of the ins and outs and the perception is a female would be less threatening or intimidating. On the other hand, there are tons of women who would love to date a biker. According to Hex, a major source of income for their club are the MC romance novels Sin writes.”

They knew Sin was a pretty famous author, but no one else did. She wrote under a pseudonym, and the general population didn’t have a clue who Charisma Chase really was.

“Sign me up. Ladies love Carlos.”

“Not up to you, Taps. Last I checked I’m still president, so let’s vote. All in favor of partnering up to help a military family in need?”

All yeas as suspected.

“Good, Priest, you’re up. Handle what needs to be handled and let Ripley know you are on the auction block, so to speak.”

“Me? Why me? Taps or Pound would be better suited to that sort of thing.”

“Again, this patch says you are up. End of discussion.”

Priest wasn’t happy about being man-meat as Taps put it, but he was even less happy to be mincemeat, which is what would happen if he kept arguing.

“That’s all I got. Anyone have anything else they want to bring to the table?”

Granite looked around but no one moved a muscle. Everything that could be discussed, officially, had been.

“Alright then. I say we call it. Trip, as soon as you have an ETA for Meri and the twins, we’ll head out to Reno and haul what needs hauled. I’ll also get with Trixie about making the clubhouse more kid-friendly during daylight hours so they feel comfortable coming for group meals and whatnot.”

Granite gaveled the meeting closed and shouted “PHANTOMS.”

“My blood, my brothers, my life.”

The last syllable had barely slipped past their lips when Blast opened the door and let a frantic looking JJ into their inner sanctum. The look on her face as she held out his phone sent ice shards through Trip’s veins.

“Prez, it was warranted,” Blast said by way of explanation for interrupting them.

“I’m sorry, but it was in the basket and ringing and it wouldn’t stop so I answered it. It’s on speaker, it’s Meri.”

Trip snatched the phone from his woman with one hand and wrapped his free arm around her. She was shaking like a leaf.

“Meri, what’s wrong.”

“Trip. Oh my God, they’re in the house.”

“Who’s in the house?” Pound interrupted and shoved his way through the gathering Phantoms to be right next to the phone.

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