Page 114 of Shadow's Surrender
“So when are we gonna teach them not to mess with an Insurgent?” Blade asked.
“When they get back. I’m gonna need each of you to sign up for stakeout duty. I want two or three checking on each of the fucker’s residences.”
“Someone should watch out for Shadow. I don’t trust that the private investigator kept his mouth shut. There’s too much money he can make for selling information,” Animal said.
“And if this Huntington asshole gets wind that Shadow knows he killed his mom, the fucker will go after him,” Helm added.
“I don’t need a damn babysitter! What the fuck? I can take care of myself,” Shadow scoffed.
Several of the brothers voiced their objections to Shadow’s statement, and when he jumped up to his feet, he crumpled just as fast back down on the seat as a wave of nausea hit him.
Another bang of the gavel against the block.
“Calm the fuck down! All of you!” Banger yelled. “I’lldecide what’s necessary.” He glared at Shadow.
“I’m not gonna stand for it,” Shadow mumbled. “I’m not some pussy.”
“No one’s saying you are. It’s just a precaution. I’d order it for any of the members. You still got your balls—no worries there.” Banger folded his arms over his chest and held Shadow’s stormy gaze.
“Anyway, we’re just in the talking stages about it,” Hawk said, but Shadow caught the look the vice president and the president exchanged, and Shadowknewhe’d be getting a damn babysitter assigned to him.
“So, are we all on this?” Banger asked.
Shadow’s chest swelled with pride as a resounding “Yea” reverberated around the room.
“Good. We’ll call another church once the details are ironed out and the fuckers are back in town. They can’t stay away forever,” Banger said.
“And if they do, we’ll track them down. There’s no way they’re getting away with this.” Throttle tipped his chair back, his nostrils flaring.
Hawk nodded. “Agreed.”
“If there’s nothing else, then we’ll call it a wrap.” Banger dropped the gavel down for the third time.
The scrape of chairs, the thud of boots, and the chatter of voices filled the room as the members filed out and made their way to the main room. Not moving an inch, Shadow fixed his gaze on Hawk and Banger, waiting until the place emptied.
“I don’t want anyone watching out for me,” he said.
“Noted,” Hawk replied without looking up from a clipboard.
“I’m serious.” Shadow pressed his fingers to his temples.
Hawk glanced up. “I know. You had your say, now shut the fuck up about it.”
A frustrated sigh escaped from the back of his throat, but Hawk and Banger didn’t look his way. They huddled together talking in low voices. The table groaned when Shadow slammed his fist on it, then stormed out of the room and walked down the hall to the patio. He wanted to be alone, and his stomach twisted at the thought of alcohol. His boots clumped on the grass and then the dirt as he trekked over to the river. Kneeling down at the river’s edge, he cupped his hands and splashed the cool water on his face several times. Shadow sat back on the sun-warmed grass and watched the mists from the river eddying around the banks. A small shoal of minnows darted in the water, their shiny blue scales glittering in the sunlight.
The sound of his phone’s ringtone startled him and seemed out of place among the stillness of the landscape. Shadow glanced at the screen and the corners of his mouth turned up.
“Hey, baby,” he said.
“Hi. I just wanted to hear your voice,” Scarlett said.
“Yours is just what I needed right now.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Hanging out back by the river. I tied a few on pretty good last night, so my head is a fuckin’ mess.”
She chuckled. “What was the occasion?”
