Page 35 of Gotta Dig Deep
Already left to run home, tail between his legs.
A shiver danced up her spine, goose bumps raising on her arms as she thought about what could have happened.
Nothing but hot air.
Somehow the reminder wasn’t as reassuring as she’d hoped it’d be.
***
Horse
“No, brother. I’m happy for him.” Horse shook his head as Blackie continued to stare at him as darkness fell. A small fire started by prospects cast a glow around the area. “How can I be unhappy when Marian is the happiest I’ve ever seen her? I might not want to trek out to Baker again for a bit, and by that, I mean I will if needed, just won’t be raising my hand for volunteer trips. At least for a bit. Let them get settled into themselves.”
“That’s a real healthy attitude, my friend.” Blackie’s fist rattled Horse’s bones as he pummeled his bicep. “Better than I’d have expected, knowing how gone on her you were.”
“Ow, Jesus. Fucking hell, man, why are you punishing me?” Horse moved closer and wrapped Blackie in a one-armed clinch, disarming his attempts at continued playful—but powerful—punches. “Gonna leave a mark, asshole.”
“That’s president asshole to you.” Blackie’s arms tightened as he made to lift Horse from the ground.
“Put me down. Jesus, what’s gotten into you, brother?” Horse kept his feet underneath him when he landed, barely.
“Peaches is preggers again and she greenlighted me telling you.” The smile that split Blackie’s beard was brilliant, transforming his normally glowering visage into a beaming, proud father-to-be.
“Congrats, man. Sincerely.” Horse pulled Blackie close again, fists thudding the middle of their backs as they embraced. “Happy for you. That’s awesome, brother.”
“It really is.” Blackie stepped away, never losing the smile that had brightened his face. “She’s over the moon, and I’m right there with her. Randi’s gonna be the best big sister too. Three years is a good split between siblings, so says Peaches. So happy, brother. So fuckin’ happy, man.”
“Nobody deserves happy more, Blackie.” Horse reached into a cooler and pulled out two bottles, opening both and handing one to Blackie. “To babies making a house full of love even fuller.”
“Amen.” Blackie lifted his bottle and took a healthy swig. “I told Peaches we had three more rooms to fill with babies and she nearly decked me.” Laughing, he rubbed his jaw playfully. “She was sick a bit in the beginning, and I see now I should have waited for the glow to share my plans.”
“Pick your battles where it comes down to timing, for sure.” Horse tipped his bottle up as more men filtered into the backyard of the clubhouse. “You doing a general announcement?”
“Yeah, thought I’d throw it in at the end of our meeting tonight. Something good after all the regular shit.” The delight on Blackie’s face dimmed. “Skyd let me know there’s been pressure on a couple of their chapters to change affiliation. We’re going to have to snip that back, aiming for castration if needed.”
“You target any one of us that direction and we’ll fly true.”
“I know and am proud of what we’ve all built here. Sometimes, we just gotta fight for what’s ours. Put people in their fuckin’ place. I don’t want word to get back to Bane right away, because rumor mill is churning names, one of which is MDMC.” Blackie’s lips twisted. “Motherfuckers are a long way from Jersey, if they think to come here and stir the pot.”
“That’s bullshit, and they know it. If it is them, they’ll be expecting us to hit them back. The biggest challenge with them is they don’t seem smart enough to back down. We’ll have to pick the men we use carefully, because that shit leaves a stain.” Horse grimaced. “I’ll hope that the news settles out so it’s someone else.”
“Hope all you want, still won’t change the outcome if it is.”
“Oh, I know, Prez. I know.” Horse drained his beer and motioned to a prospect, holding it out. He gave a headshake when the prospect indicated a cooler, turning down another beer for now. “It’s about time to call shit to order. You doin’ general out here first, then officers inside?”
“Yeah, keep it normal as possible for now.” Blackie smiled again. “Love you, asshole. You’re family, I hope you know that.”
“Awww.” He pretended to wipe a tear from one eye. “I’m touched, brother.”
“In the head,” Blackie taunted, reaching out to smack Horse’s bicep one final time. “Brothers,” he shouted, angling his head back to get more volume. “It’s time to pull everyone with a patch, including prospects, into the circle. Hangarounds, you’re dismissed.” Standing upright, Blackie indicated the back gate of the fence. “Off you go, we’ll see you next party. Don’t let me catch you dawdling either. Scoot on outta here, assholes.” Four men made their way towards the gate, hands lifted in farewell. “Prospect, make sure that’s locked up tight like, yeah?” Two prospects beat feet towards the opening, scuffling to be the one to close and lock the gate. “Yeah, buddy, put some hustle on it. That’s what I like to see.”
The general meeting went as expected, with congratulations all around and cries for shots to celebrate Blackie’s news at the end. They gave the process a few minutes, then Horse gathered up the officers and they all headed inside, Blackie at the head of the line.
As soon as the door was closed on the room, Blackie leaned back in his chair, his gaze latching onto each man at the table in turn. “All righty. Hard shit now. We’ve got some interesting developments with the IRMC chapter north of Longview. They’ve had three—count’em, three—visits by an unpatched rider who’s offered them various renditions of doom and gloom if they don’t drop their support patches.”
“As in plural? They’re wanting them to pull RWMC as well as ours?” This was news and Horse wondered why Blackie hadn’t been clearer earlier.
“Yeah, got a text from Skyd while we were outside. He’s up at that chapter and they had to run off a new guy this evening, after he’d handed a letter over. He’s going to send a copy of it to everyone standin’ here.” Blackie’s features tightened. “Hear me now, I want to keep this close. Nothing to any other chapters, especially Baker. Whispers are running that this is coming down from the Monster Devils, and every man jack of you know how Bane’ll react to that. After the shit that’s happened, we protect our own. Yeah? We want to make sure of the intel before we distribute it.” He looked around the table again, getting nods from everyone. “This is need to know, and I’ve told everyone who needs to know. Zip yer lips.”
