Page 8 of Patchover Fright Night
He’d stopped just behind me, so I turned, because whether I was being brave or not, there was smart and there was dumb as fuck. I didn’t like him behind me, even now.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.” I frowned at him and he shrugged one shoulder. “This was for your own catharsis or closure, and I get that, but you let me say stuff that I needed to say to you, for so fucking long, so I think I’m kinda getting some closure too now. You’ll always be safe here, I promise you that.”
Huh. I watched him walk away, and realised that this conversation did more than I realised. Yes, I got my moment to talk, I got my moment to look him in the eye, and see if he regretted his actions, but also, I learned something really vital. He’d definitely changed, and grown, and I think Lissa mighteven be right. He wasn’t a monster anymore. Just a harassedinterimclub president, who was having a bad day, but still took the time to listen to me, and did his best not to scare me.
“Baby, you okay?” Has took my hands, and stared into my eyes, like he was looking for some signs of trauma, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“I really am. He’s nothing like he was, Has, my god, I feel like a weight’s been lifted. I feel like I can let go of that fear now, and truly put it behind me. He’s… he seems really nice now.”
Chapter Four
Give Micro his due,he really tried to get things set up for a successful ceremony. Okay, so the bourbon all got destroyed, and the weird beer delivery from Don Rossi was confirmed as genuine, even though it wasn’t the kind of shit we liked to drink. We still had a dozen fucking kegs lined up at the back by the storage building, and stacks of disposable glasses, and once the ceremony was done, we could drink our fill of those.
“Okay, so we’ll keep this short and sweet. Every one of you has proved, over the last six months, that you’re ready to take the next step, and become Phoenix MC members. This club, the former Rogue Riders club, is defunct now. A new Phoenix MC Chapter rises from the ashes, and brings us a new family, a new band of brothers, and I know that we’ll have each other’s backs, will work to keep to the Phoenix ethos, and ensure that we grow and thrive here.”
I nodded at Stitch, because this was a two part ceremony, and this wasn’t just my club, it was ours.
“As Reacher has explained, we’re patching over this club, and creating a second chapter of Phoenix MC, and we’re looking forward to a long fruitful future together. When we started out, Phoenix MC was a dream. It was the home we were both looking for. It wasn’t just a way of life, itwaslife. It was somewhere to belong, a family, a future. We never foresaw a second chapter back then, but this is the right time, and this is the right place to do it. Every one of you has exemplified yourself, and gets to shed those cuts for the last time.”
Ryder and Torch lifted the replacement cuts from their boxes, and waited with them, as I nodded and gestured for them to cast them off. They shed their old cuts, and laid them on the bench table beside the firepit. Rocket, Stag, and Grease would be keeping their existing cuts, but we would be adding a new chapter patch to each of them. Everyone else’s was redundant.
As the new cuts were handed around, and the members gave them the once over, and slipped them on, I felt a rush of peace, of satisfaction, because like Stitch said, it had never been the plan to expand, back when we first began with building a club out of the ashes of the Godless Warriors. This was like a gift we’d never expected to be receiving. A chance to bring another club into the fold, and revitalise it, freshen it, and fucking resurrect it.
“Phoenix MC Hampshire Chapter is now your new home, brothers. The prospects will hang the new sign for you, and get back to work when they’re done. Stitch?”
Stitch nodded to me, and gestured to the one cut we’d held back, the one cut that would be worn by the new club president, not that he realised it, but I’m sure he wondered why the fuck he didn’t get a cut with the others. Maybe he thought we were ditching him, now he’d done what we sent him here to do.
“Micro, step forward.”
He looked nervous, afraid even, but he’d done everything we’d asked of him, and he’d worked his ass off to make amends. Noneof us had missed that chat he had with Elise, and from the way she was smiling, and seemed to have that light back in her eyes after, I knew it’d given her what she needed. He could have been an ass about it, but he didn’t.
“Brother, you’ve come a long way. You’ve had to dig yourself out of the fucking ashes, but we put you here to do a job, and you did it. You did everything we asked of you, you cleaned house, you rebuilt this place from scratch, and you delivered us a club we can proudly put our colours on. I think it’s time we made things official.” Stitch handed the President cut to Micro, who stood blinking at it, like he couldn’t quite believe what was happening.
“This… this is for me? You’re really… no more interim?”
Stitch burst out laughing. “No more interim, I promise. Get your cut on, President, and let’s get this party started. I’ve no doubt you’ll be wanting to make something else official, first chance you get.”
Rocket nudged himself past the others. “I can set up right away, Pres.”
Micro
President. Club President.No more interim. They were fucking trusting me to officially take on the mantle of power here, and run the club for them. They were putting a President patch on my fucking chest.
“Micro?” I slipped the cut on, feeling like I’d just grown a few feet in height. Once upon a time, I’d been destined to beClub President, but of a very different club. An unworthy club, as it turned out. Who knew that one day I’d still get to wear a President’s patch?
“Sorry, I was just uh… yeah. Thank you. Thank you both, for putting your trust in me before, and for giving me this honour now. I’m ready to continue doing you proud, and keeping this club one you can be proud of.”
Sophie practically threw herself at me, and I pulled her against my chest as I continued.
“Thank you. And you’re right. Someone here needs an old lady tat, and I want my club ink back.It’s time.”
Reacher nodded, reaching out to fist bump me, while I still held my woman, the one about to be my old lady.
“We’ll talk tomorrow about VP options and stuff, but for now, son, enjoy the party. I hear you’ve got some kegs set up ready.”
Fuck me, thank god for those kegs, since everything else had gone to shit. I kissed the top of Soph’s head, and paused, when I heard a sniffle from her.
