Page 55 of Devil's Marker

He reached down to his right, opened a bottom drawer, and withdrew a member patch. “Kid’s graduatin’ tomorrow at meeting. Before you go out.”

Win nodded his approval. “That’s good. Your security is phenomenal by the way.”

“Yeah. He deserves this.” Boss waved the patch in the air. “Probably overdue, but I’ve been distracted thinkin’ about fuckin’ S&B.” His eyes crinkled around the edges. “Heard you boys went to some trouble to get prettied up.”

“It’s a new level of dedication.”

Boss’s smile returned. “We appreciate your sacrifice.”

The Marauders always ended every week with a Friday night clubhouse get together intended to be both business and pleasure. Saturday nights were reserved for debauchery, hang arounds, friends of the club and so forth. But Friday nights were family dinner. After wives, old ladies, and kids went home, members stayed for a mandatory-attendance meeting in the conference room to report on how the various business interests and/or workaday jobs fared. Boss’s philosophy was that a problem caught early is usually a small problem and easily solved.

Catcher was told that he was invited to sit and eat fried cod and chips with the members as a ‘last supper’ kind of thing. He took some teasing about his hair, but he was able to take it with a laugh because he looked good and he knew it.

When the members adjourned the meeting, Boss held Win back at the door. “Think since you’re the one who stepped up for the kid, you ought to be the one to bring him in. Put these in your pocket.” Boss handed him the member patch for the front of his cut and the bottom rocker for the back. “Wait five minutes then go get him. Tell him somethin’s come up that needs to be discussed.”

Win nodded as he looked at his watch.

“Leave that seat at the end empty, recruit.”

At exactly five minutes, Win left to find Catcher.

“What did I do?”

Win felt a little bit bad about the fact that the kid sounded worried, but mild hazing was just part of what guys do in clubs. “Nothin’ comes to mind?”

“No. Nothin’. “

Win gave a single cut of his head to the right. “No idea.”

When they reached the conference room, Win mimicked Boss by telling Catcher, “Sit yourself down right there.”

Catcher sat and looked around at the faces like he could glean what had gone wrong telepathically.

“What did Garrett say to you about why you’ve been summoned?” Boss asked.

“He, uh, didn’t say.”

“No?” Boss asked again.

“No.” Catcher shook his head.

“You mean he didn’t tell you that we brought you in here to discuss why we think you ought to be a full patch member?”

Since Boss managed to make that sound like both an accusation and a pronouncement of guilt, and since all the members kept blank expressions frozen on their faces, it took him a minute for the words to bleed through the worry.

The corners of his mouth twitched like he was unsure what to do. “Why I ought to be a full patch member?” he repeated.

“That’s right,” Boss said. He looked at Win. “You do the honors, recruit.” To the room he said, “Gentlemen, the new guy is the one who spoke up for our prospect. Truth is, this is overdue. Welcome your brother.”

Win turned Catcher to face him, grasped the edge of the prospect patch and jerked hard enough to rip it off. He pulled out the new patches and placed them on the table in front of Catcher.

“Know how to use a needle and thread?” Win asked with a smile.

Catcher seemed a little choked up, but managed to nod to applause and slaps on the back.

“Normally we’d celebrate with alcoholic beverages, but these two…” He pointed at Win and Catcher, “are working tonight.”

Win leaned into Catcher. “Ten o’clock.”

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