Page 30 of Embracing the Consequences

Another ripple of murmurings circled the table. For once it seemed the club was on the same page.

A moment later, the four prospects stood with a scuffing of their chairs. “Buckley was right about you,” their pseudo leader shot at Marcos with contempt.

Marcos glared through a smirk. “I could give a shit what you’ve got to say, bro.”

“That’s not what your sister said.” He smirked.

“The fuck you say?” Marcos shouted. He shot out of his chair and lunged for the shit-talking dead man.

Dagger reached the fucker first and slammed him face-first on the table.

Marcos pushed his friend away and grabbed the prospect by the collar of his shirt before he reared back and landed a punch to the asshole’s face.

Blood rushed in his ears, and his vision narrowed to the asshole he started to punch over and over. Someone was yelling; hands grabbed at him. He fought them all off as he continued to beat the prospect’s face.

“Marc!” Stone shouted in his ear.

Someone bear-hugged him from behind and physically lifted him off the prospect. He was tossed back against the doorsleading into church. Dagger got in his face. “He got the message, brother.”

Marcos panted as he caught his breath and let his temper simmer down. The motherfucking prospect was a bloody mess, sprawled out on the table. His chest rose and fell, but he was otherwise unconscious. Marcos cursed in Spanish and walked back to his seat at the head of the table.

Dagger and Stone hauled the prospect off the table and shoved him at the other three. “Take that with you,” Stone snapped.

Marcos sat heavily at the head of the table and met the stares of his brothers as they settled back in their seats. “We vote on the prospects,” Marcos said, not wasting any time.

“Aye.” The group voted almost immediately and unanimously.

Marcos nodded and slammed the gavel down. “Next course of business: Buckley.”

“He killed a patched brother,” Stone ground out.

“He’s been erratic for a while now. Coke’s been out of hand,” Bear rumbled across the table.

Marcos nodded once at his brother. He appreciated the old-timer’s speaking up against the latest indiscretions.

“He pulled us into a war with the Ravager Knights without a vote,” Axel added.

Marcos leveled a stare at Axel. He wasn’t close with the man. Axel, Blaze, and Phoenix were their own tight unit, kinda like Stone, Dagger, and Marcos. The two groups didn’t hang out much at all, outside club shit.

Marcos nodded once. “I’ve spoken to most of you lately about my feelings on the club and Buckley as president.” He motioned around the room. “Axel, Blaze, Phoenix, we haven’t had a chance to speak yet, but I’m changing that now. Too much has gone down tonight, and recently with Nickle,” he nodded at the man, “to ignore. Buckley is not acting in the best interest of this club.He has been using this club as his personal army to fight a war that shouldn’t be club business, period.”

“What do you mean?” Axel spoke up, his low voice rough and gravelly. His dark eyes narrowed under the baseball hat he wore.

“Buckley has been working with Vince Carmichael, of Carmichael and Associates, on a forty-year vendetta against King Taylor. Back in the day, they both loved the same woman. Turns out the woman was my mother,” Marcos explained.

“Holy shit,” Bear and Jerry muttered.

Axel, Blaze, and Phoenix looked on with stony faces. Trick and Ransom observed in disbelief.

“What the fuck?” Nickle asked.

Marcos nodded. “For those of you that don’t know, my sister Kara has been helping the Ravager Knights with Mac Taylor’s case against Vince Carmichael, her father.”

“Holy shit,” Blaze whispered in awe.

Marcos nodded and continued. “Yeah, she’s been digging through years of files from her father’s law firm and came across a paternity test from forty years ago. Turns out my father was Mac Taylor.” Marcos sighed and looked around the room. Shocked and dismayed faces returned his gaze.

“Holy shit,” Bear grumbled.

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