Page 88 of Allegiance
“I didn’t cross shit. Only four or five members want the shit Hammer’s doing.”
“He’s the VP. You also knew that I okayed the protection money.”
Tank looked away and saw Lena sitting on a chaise lounge on the back patio. “I didn’t agree with it,” he said.
“It wasn’t your decision.”
He focused back on Raptor. “The club didn’t vote on it. It’s in the bylaws that we need to vote on shit like that. Hammer made the decision and you let it go because you didn’t want to deal with it. I get your son’s sick, I really do, but you turned your back on the club … and you fuckin’ know it.”
Raptor rubbed his chin, looked out the window, and nodded. “I own it, but you gotta own that your allegiance to the club shifted to your woman.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Did you tell her what’s going on?”
Tank jerked back. “No—I’m not fucked in the head.”
A smile ghosted the president’s lips. “No, you’re not.”
“I couldn’t let Cougar hurt her. It was a matter of time before he did. And the whole protection bullshit—it’s what you hated the most when your old man was president and the thing you fought the hardest to abolish.”
“Yeah. Love makes all this shit a whole lot more complicated.”
Tank sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Am I out of the club?”
“No. I was pissed and so were some of the members, especially the old timers, but the vote, for the most part, was to keep you in.”
“What did you vote, or you aren’t saying?”
“To keep you in. How could I vote any other way? I chose my son over the club. Like I said, love blurs the lines.” Raptor jerked his head in the direction of the patio. “You gonna make her your old lady?”
“We’re not there yet.”I don’t even know if she wants anything to do with me after I’m back on my feet.
“She’s a keeper. The way she fought for you, well, most women would’ve run away or stay in the background cowering. Trisha would never have done that.”
“I know.”
“Did you come here to tell me my ass almost got kicked out?”
“No. I came to tell you the coup is over. After what happened to you, all hell broke loose at the club. The end result was that Hammer, Cougar, Rubble, Fire, and Demon got their colors taken from them and their asses thrown out. What happened with Flannigan was fuckin’ bullshit.”
“Yeah. Do we have any hope with working with him again?”
“We do now. Flannigan knows we kicked those fuckers out. Cougar was the one who killed one of Flannigan’s men, and Demon offed the other one. Now that they don’t have the club’s protection, they’ve got a target on their back that Flannigan’s gonna hit.”
“And Hammer?”
“He’s a dead man. He’s the one who ordered the hits.”
Tank nodded. “I figured as much. But damn, I would’ve loved to have been there to smash the motherfucker’s face.”
Raptor chuckled. “Yeah, we missed you. In the end, all but four members sided with Hammer. The ones who were with him in the beginning, abandoned him.”
Pride surged through him. “I knew when push came to shove, the brothers would stand as one. So who’s VP now?”
“Reaper. Axle is sergeant at arms, and Snake is president.”
“And you’re good with it? I know you said you were cool with an interim president, but it sounds like Reaper’s permanent.”
