Page 118 of Merciless

“Always.”

Him and Ax say their goodbyes, then I hang up and pocket my phone back in my leather jacket.

“You ready for this?” Ax asks me.

“Long past ready.”

He nods and leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the arm. “Where’s Charlotte at?”

“Thought you were keeping tabs on her?”

“I am. On both of you. I ain’t heard no reports from the boys today yet, because I’ve been on the phone with Spartan all morning, way before you came in for this battle summit call. Been putting things in place for this coming war.”

“Roxana invited her to go look at the Rise project in the heart of town. She’s down there with all the girls now.”

“Rox has really pushed that project along.” He rolls his eyes. “Won’t take my help on it neither.”

“You know how possessive she gets when she takes something on. She was the same way with Roxana’s Interiors for a good long while, before she finally asked you for some help.”

“Yeah, I know.” He shifts his weight in his chair. “I’m gonna send Tanner in to supervise the self-defense training aspect. Just waiting on the right moment, for Rox to be more open to me getting involved.”

“Vicky ain’t gonna be happy about that, but I think it’s a good idea. The guy’s ex-military, highly-trained and skilled. He’ll be a great asset and somebody they can learn from. Also gets him out there connecting with the town, helping him settle into his new role and all that. Nice, strategic move.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what I’m all about these days.”

“Spartan’s influence. Yeah, I know.”

“Nah, not Spartan.”

I cock an eyebrow. “Who then?”

He shakes his head with disbelief. “You really have to ask?”

“That’s what I’m doing, so, yeah, guess I do.”

“It’s you. Your influence.”

I frown at that. “You saying this because you think I ain’t gonna make it out of this battle against Priest and the Gatekeepers?”

“What? No. Of course you’re gonna make it out, especially now you’re over holding back and toning it down. You’re gonna run right over Priest. I got no doubt.” He pushes out of his chair and rounds his desk. Leaning against the edge, he folds his arms across his chest and tells me, “You don’t see it? It’s been you since the beginning. Hell, as I now know, even before me being Prez was even on the horizon. You were pulling for me, guiding me. Then when I lost Rox for all those months, you were there supporting me and advising me when I first took on the Prez role. You’ve been a friend to me, an ally, and a mentor. Yeah, we might disagree sometimes, but I know you’re always there having my back through everything. It ain’t something I take lightly, Dealer. So, I wanna thank you, really fucking thank you for all of that, for being there for me and Thorns all this time.” He smiles and holds out his hand. “Couldn’t have done none of it without you, old man.”

Well, damn.

I push out of my chair and take his hand. A handshake ain’t enough after what he’s just put out there, so I use the hold to pull him into me, wrapping my arm around him. “It’s been a hell of a ride, Ax.” He holds me to him and I feel the urgency and pain in it, how much he’s straining under all the stress and bullshit lately. “As long as I’m damn well breathing, I’ll always be here with you.”

“Right back at you.” He slaps me on the back and we pull apart.

There’s a rap on the door in the next beat, cutting through the moment between us.

“Yeah?” Ax calls out.

The door opens and Mullet walks in, his long, dirty-blonde hair sprinkled with gray flinging about his shoulders from the rush of air through the opening. He grasps his big-ass skull belt buckle over his well-worn jeans as he steps on through.

“Dealer,” he greets me with a rare smile. Guy’s got a soft spot for me, though he’ll never admit to nothing like that with nobody. I brought him into the club all those years ago, so he should.

“Mull,” I return, clapping him on the shoulder of his oversized white t-shirt.

He grins, then turns his attention to Ax, telling him, “Maverick’s here looking for you. Says you’re gonna show him some things in the surveillance room.”

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