He follows me into my office and closes the door.
“I know what you’re gonna say, Leo, but I’m done with her.”
“She’s your family, you do whatever you gotta do, but I have to tell ya, that the trouble she’s brought with her, I can’t let the fact that she’s your sister affect my decision for the club.”
I wish I felt bad for him, but the fact is, I don’t. Any decision I make will be made without any influence from Lily.
“In Lily’s defense, we ran into shit with the Hog fucks long before she came back.”
“True but we didn’t have them at our gate. Slade, I don’t take this lightly, but I’ve warned you all that no one gets away with coming for us. Lily has been around club life for most of hers, the second she learned who Hopper was, she should’ve turned away, but she didn’t. She took up with him and made a fuckin’ life with him. She knows exactly what she’s doing, no one’s gonna have sympathy for her.”
He leans forward and hangs his head in his hands. “What if I get her out of town? Make sure she knows she can’t ever come back.”
I sigh. “You can take her as far as you can, but like I said, any trouble comes for our club, I’ll hunt her down. This is how it’s gotta be and I’m not gonna apologize for it.”
He narrows his eyes and tilts his head. “Leo, at the end of the day, she’s still my sister. She’s my blood.”
“I’m not heartless, Slade. It’s not like I’d make you take her out… if that’s what it comes to.”
The silence that follows could be cut with a knife. It’s not like I want to make enemies with my brothers, but I couldn’t have made it any clearer when I said no one gets away with bringing trouble to the club. If I go back on my word, I look weak. Not that I’m concerned about what people think of me, it’s the principle.
“Your dad…”
“My dad would’ve made the same call, Slade, and we both know it.”
He has nothing else to say and rises from his chair. “I’m gonna get her out of town, that much I can do for her.”
“Like I said, do what you’ve gotta do, but don’t lose your shit when I do the same.”
I lean back in my chair as he leaves, and I sigh. Lily is going to be a problem until the day she dies, and most likely even after. No doubt she’ll end up in a ditch by one of our enemies and Slade will want us to seek revenge. She’s a fucking headacheand I’m tempted to deal with her myself just to make sure there aren’t any blowbacks on the club.
Leaving the office, I head outside just in time to see Grim and Nora arrive. The pain in my chest returns tenfold and anger spikes through me at the sight of her.
She jumps down from the passenger side of Grim’s truck, and I can’t get a read on her face as she collects their kid from the back seat.
I light a cigarette and exhale a long stream of smoke. It doesn’t help with the anxiety. I don’t know why I keep expecting it to.
Grim notices me and walks over. “Hey, Prez.”
“Hey yourself,” I mutter. “Didn’t you think to call, let me know you were close?”
His brows knit together. “Didn’t think I had to.”
Of course he didn’t. He’s not spending every day fucked up over a wrong decision. He’s obviously not giving a shit.
“Does she know about the missing person’s report?”
“Yeah, she freaked but she’s got her shit together.”
Freaked? This doesn’t make my anxiety lessen. My face must give me away.
“She was only worried for me, for the club,” he explains.
“I’m sure you’ve assured her that isn’t her concern.”
“I did. We’re only here to bury her mother and then we’ll head back to Mercy.”
I glance across the lot and Mason is sat on his motorcycle keeping his eye on Nora.
