Page 51 of Greedy Grizzly
I guess I’d find out soon if Bridget was finally living her dream life.
13
GRIZZLY
Being back at the clubhouse, I felt safe, and yet, I didn’t. Nothing on the surface had changed. LGBTQ+ hadn’t magically appeared on my forehead. It wasn’t like my hair turned into the colors of a rainbow now that the truth about me had been revealed. In all my years in the club, nobody had ever questioned my orientation. So why was I so worried?
Church was about to begin. I was seated behind my computer in the corner, as always. I’d done this thousands of times, but today was the first time I felt exposed.
Storm knew about Toby.
Toby was standing off to the side to listen. Since he wasn’t a member, he couldn’t have a seat at the table. He could easily see me as I could see him. After our very hot kiss, we hadn’t spoken. I’d behaved like an immature teenager and avoided him. And he had given me the space I needed.
But now that we were back at the club, I knew I would have to talk to him. I just didn’t know what to say.
Storm hit the mallet on the table. “Let’s get started.”
The room quieted and all attention went to Storm. He’d gone straight home when we arrived at the compound and hadn’t stepped foot into the clubhouse until now. It was understandable after viewing the destruction at his dad’s club inSouth Dakota. Prez had needed time with his wife and kids to center himself.
We all needed time to pull ourselves back together. The death of so many was painful, especially for the innocent like Megan and her friends.
Just because we were one percenters and never expected to live until we were eighty, didn’t mean death didn’t bother us. Sure, we had a thirst for war and challenged fate. Or more like my brothers did. A computer nerd like me preferred peace over violence. But I’d known exactly what I’d signed up for, when I became a member, along with everyone else in the club.
But the children of members had no choices. They’d been born into the harsh and deadly MC world, and that made the loss of a child so much harder.
I hated thinking about Megan and her friends. It dragged up memories from my past, memories I wished could be deleted forever.
The things done to me.
The murder I’d committed.
The lies I’d told to preserve my mental well-being.
Everything was rising to the surface and I knew without a doubt that my whole world would blow up and all my secrets would no longer be secrets.
“I won’t drag this out. I know those of us who went to my dad’s needs some recovery time after what we saw.” He swooped his intense gray eyes around the room. “It hasn’t been long since we had our own war in our territory.” He was talking about last year with Dorian Adrienne.
We’d seen a lot of shit over the years. There were the Dirty Hunters. The kingpin, Casso Campbell. Rat Brotherhood. Twin City Vipers. But Dorian had been our most recent enemy.
“Just because the explosions weren’t here in Minnesota doesn’t mean we aren’t affected. It doesn’t mean we’ll sit backand do nothing. The Knight’s Legion MC is all of us, no matter where the chapter is. We will do everything humanly possible to catch the fuckers who killed my sister, and make them pay!” Storm’s loud voice rattled the walls and the vibration shook my spine.
Every member at the table pounded his fist on the solid wood to show his approval. We were a strong brotherhood devoted to each other. Hell, we loved each other like family because we were just that, family—a found family. DNA didn’t make us brothers—the Knight’s Legion MC did.
Except there was one person not pounding his fist and that was Toby. His fists were rolled tight at his sides but he couldn’t pound them like the others because he wasn’t a member. Still, he’d helped the club many times. He was liked and respected.
Our eyes connected in that moment. I couldn’t read his thoughts. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to. What was the benefit of being together? Wasn’t it purely selfishness? I had a wonderful woman who cared deeply for me. Libby would make me happy for the rest of my life. I didn’t need more than her. But I wanted more. I wanted Toby.
A throat cleared. “Grizz did you hear me?”
I tore my gaze off Toby and found my president and brothers staring at me. If the floor could open up and swallow me whole, I’d be ever so grateful.
“We’re still working on it,” Toby said. “Getting closer and should have something for you in the next day or so.”
What was he talking about?
“Good.” Storm gave me a short nod. “Time is of the essence. We don’t want these fuckers to go underground.”
I felt like an idiot. Far too often I got trapped in my thoughts. Probably, because I hadn’t properly dealt with all the shit in my past. My mind would wander a lot if I wasn’t hyperfixated on a task.
