Page 36 of Paladin's Hell

I sink into the chair, hugging the phone to me. Unable to process the words. My son’s safe. He’s alive. And so, it appears, is Hell.

“Glad I had this opportunity to talk to you first. Got to tell you, Mo. I offered to step down.”

At last I find my voice, not sure what I think about that. Put the stress my old man carries on the shoulders of my son? “He take you up on it?”

“Nah. But I told him to consider the offer. The VP’s got to have confidence in his prez. Now he knows I’m a liar,” Hell seems to have trouble over that word, “told him he needs to at least think on the option.”

Once again Hell’s showing what a good man he is. Putting his son’s, no, his brother’s needs in front of his own. As I put my phone away, I start to wonder how the relationship that now is out in the open, at least between us, will affect the dynamics of the club.

“Well?” Jeannie asks expectantly as I return to her.

I let out a big sigh of relief. “Demon’s come back. No blood seems to have been shed.”

“Thank fuck!” She looks just as pleased as I am.

“But, Jeannie? Not a word, okay? This is Demon’s story. Up to him whether he tells anyone else.”

“Mo, sweetheart. You and Hell? Couldn’t have been better parents to that boy. He’ll know you’ve always done your best for him. He couldn’t have wanted for anything more. You’re right. Serve fuck all if it came out now. Most of the members don’t even remember what it was like or weren’t around in those days. No point rocking the boat now.” She purses her lips. “They won’t hear anything from me or Bomber. Don’t want them to think there might be other secrets waiting to be dredged up from the past.”

She’s right. It’s not just Demon who could lose confidence in Hell as the prez, but the club in general. Trust. Such an important word in the brotherhood. If Hell lost that? He’d lose the club completely.

My man wants to keep the patch on his back? We’ve got to act like nothing’s happened.

I wonder if it’s possible for Demon, hell, us, to do that.

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