Page 4 of Ravage

“Came straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“He’s still recovering.”

Stone had taken two bullets during a drive-by. One had torn through his chest, and the other had damn near put him in the ground. It would be days later before we discovered the Coyotes were behind the shooting, but once we did, we took them out.

Every last one of them.

Our brothers in other chapters did the same.

They were gone, but their attack had temporarily left us without a president. He’d spent the past few weeks recovering, and while he was making gains, I wasn’t sure he was ready to take on a ride like this. “Not a good idea.”

“You know how Prez is.” Knox shrugged. “Once he puts his mind to something…”

“Yeah, I know, but that doesn’t mean I gotta like it.”

“I get it, but you can’t blame him for wanting to get back on his bike. Hell, you’d be the same fucking way.”

“Yeah, I would.” I knew none of us would be able to talk him out of it, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t concerned. And I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one who would be. “What about Ace? Does he know that he’s planning to go?”

Ace was our VP, and he leaned toward playing things safe. Not because he was a coward. Because he never failed to think three steps ahead and always put the club first. That was usually a good thing, especially when you help run a club filled with brothers who tended to charge headfirst into trouble.

Needless to say, I was surprised when Knox answered, “Yep, he knows, and he’s all for it.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah, it’s official,” Knox scoffed. “Hell’s freezing over.”

“Clearly.”

“I best get to gettin’.” Knox stood and started for the door. “You should do the same.”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“You’ve always got work to do.”

“Someone has to keep this place up and running.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t make it without you,” he scoffed. “By the way, Emery’s coming by later this afternoon.”

A familiar knot settled in my stomach at the sound of her name. I looked up from my paperwork and said, “Why?”

“Needs her brakes changed… I told her I’d fit her in between jobs.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Didn’t think so.”

Before I could respond, Knox was out the door, and it clicked shut behind him. After a few aggravated curses, I went back to my paperwork, but my mind wasn’t on the numbers anymore. It was on her.

I’d known Emery for most of her life, ever since she and her brother had come to live with Knox.

I’d watched her grow up. I’d watched her graduate high school and go off to college. And I’d watched her come home and make a life for herself. I’d watched her grow into a woman. A beautiful, independent woman.

Yeah, that wasn’t something I should’ve noticed, but I did.

I had enough problems to deal with. I didn’t need to add Knox’s niece to the list, so I shoved the thought aside and reached for the next invoice. Soon after, I found myself thinking about another concern.

Stone and tomorrow’s run. Prez joining the run meant one of two things.