Page 59 of Duke

I finish my smoke and hang my head, hating the position I’m in. I never wanted to be king. But maybe my old man is up there somewhere, proud as shit that despite turning my back on everything he built—I’m gonna be the one who takes it back to its former glory. I’ll make the MC right again, bring it back into a brotherhood that can’t be fucked with. Fill it with good men that know right from wrong—men with the code of honor in their blood. Sure, we still might do some illegal shit on the side—but nothing like the shit Zach was pulling. Christy will have no worries with me and after a few years of setting things right; just maybe Shanna and I could have a chance then. If she’ll wait for me. If fate is sweet. But I’m old enough to know that unicorns and rainbows and happy endings only exist in the storybooks read to young children. But maybe, just maybe, a bastard like me could get one too.

I should be exhausted, but adrenalin’s been pumping through my veins for hours. My heavy boots thump against the wood kitchen floor to the coffee machine on the counter. Fuck it. Turning away from the pot, I open the fridge and grab a beer. Popping the cap off, I walk to the sliding glass window to my deck and once again watch the first rays of the sun reach across the sky. But this dawn really does bring a new day, one that might make me Creed’s new king.

“Shanna? I’m sorry baby. Sorry I haven’t called sooner… I. Fuck. I—”

“Just say it. Say whatever it is.”

“I need you to know,” I inhale sharply taking my time letting the air out of my lungs, “that I meant every word I ever said to you.”

She’s silent, waiting for me to say the words that will destroy her dreams of us.

“I’m back in the club. I swear to you baby, I never wanted to be. I ran from this life the first chance that I got. But fate is fate. Maybe inheriting the throne was always mine.”

“What’s going on? What happened?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“I’m just gonna tell it to you straight and hope to god you understand.”

I pull out my lighter and pack of Marlboro Lights. With the butt pressed to my lips, I light it taking a deep drag. “The Prez here in LA kidnapped two girls from a rival club. A few of his men worked ‘em over pretty good. They were days away from being sold to a cartel in Mexico as sex slaves. ”

I inhale, looking east as the first rays of the sun stretch over the skyline. “I had to do it. Step in and save those girls, but Shanna—Zach knows about you. Either someone was tailing me, or we have a snitch in Springdale. I’m sending extra guys to protect you. I need you to be careful baby doll. This isn’t a game.”

“No. It’s not. And it’s about time you, Pops and Meat stopped moving me around like a piece on a game board.”

“God dammit Shanna!” I roar, punching the wall, “What is it with you and the constant need to prove you’re some tough girl? He’ll rape you and sell you. Is that what you want? Just stay put and under guard until I can come for you.”

“And how long will that be?” She replies dryly.

“I’m not sure cherry. The official vote’s tonight.”

“What vote?”

“The one on making me, Prez.”

The line’s silent. Then her breath comes in fast puffs. “No. No, Duke. TELL THEM NO! It can’t be you. The club life is not the life I want.”

“I know. But it has to be me. What if I could make it different?”

“I don’t see how. Please don’t do this. There’s nothing I want more than to get out of this town… away from everyone who knows me and out of the shadow of being Colin Flynn’s daughter. I can’t leave one shadow just to step under another one. I won’t be a club lady. Can’t you understand?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose closing my eyes. “That’s the damn thing. I do understand Shanna. It’s what I ran from all those years ago, and yet here I am. I think maybe this is what I’m meant to do. I need to make shit right for my old man—for your Ma. I can’t go back and say so many things… share so many regrets. But I can set the club he dedicated his life to right. It’s his legacy, and I need to protect it.”

“Where does this leave us? Over before we could even begin?” I hear the pain in her voice; as she realizes the dream, we both had of being together just vanished.

I grip the phone hard hanging my head. For the first time in years—maybe ever, my heart cracks into shards of glass; cutting itself into pieces that bleed onto the floor. “I won’t be selfish enough to string you along; expecting you to wait for me to get everything here straight. I want you to enjoy senior year. Go to football games, frat parties—you know, live the normal life of a college student.”

“How? With a gang of tatted members trailing behind me?”

“Zach will be dealt with soon. But setting the MC on a different path is gonna take time. I gotta amend some relationships and sever others. You're gonna be safe, baby doll. That’s my first order of business.”

“This is complete bullshit. I hate you. I wish you never walked into my bar that rainy day and made me love you.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t think that. Please,” I reply hoarsely.

“I need to go. I have an exam to study for.”

“I’ll be back for you. I swear it. I don’t know when but one day I’ll come for you. If you’re married and happy, I’ll ride out into the rain knowing you found what you were looking for. But if I come back and you're still behind that bar and slaving away at the house. I swear to God, Shanna—I’m taking you with me. Fuck the club life. To hell with everything, if we somehow find our way back to each other—I’ll never let you go.”

“I won’t be waiting. Pretty words, Duke. You paint a dream with just words and I can’t—won’t buy into it anymore. Goodbye.”

“Motherfucker!” My hand swipes everything on my counter to the floor. My hand squeezes into a fist, and I vow to make losing her worth it. Zach is going down. I’m setting shit right and going back for her. One day. One day we’re gonna ride out into the sunset. I’ll make her believe the dream again.

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