CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mouse
“This will be the last run for the month,” Iron said as he sat at the head of the table and went over everything. “And we have a drop with the Irish next week, too. Mouse, want you up high. Knight and B-ry, you’ll take lead on this one. Get Blade and Dade to go with you and one of the prospects.”
I knew I’d be there, I almost always was. I was the one up on top of the stacked shipping containers with a rifle and a scope. I more or less trusted the Irish and the Russians, but that said, I kept my eyes open at all times. You never knew when shit could go sideways.
I was a little surprised that he put Ky on the run and not me, though. I figured since Ky had Ingram here, Iron would let him hang back some especially since I was available to go. That said, you wouldn’t catch my ass challenging him on it. Iron knew what he was doing. Maybe he thought I needed a break since I’d pretty much been on ninety percent of the runs over the last year. I wasn’t complaining. Hell, I’d asked to be on most of those.
“Alright,” Iron said and I knew there was going to be something important to follow. “Think most of us know that Moon Hill has been trying to go legit for a while now. Things got a little mixed up when we decided to take over down here.”
I nodded. I knew that Moon Hill had been wanting to get out of the game for years now. Cal handed the table over to Axe even though he hadn’t been able to make it happen. Though it hadn’t been said, I had a feeling that Axe eventually wanted to follow through with that idea.
“Now, I get they are the mother chapter and it might make things a little complicated,” Iron went on. “But we’ve been working out the details. Still gonna take some time but I wanted to let you know what was going on. Have a feeling that Gray Fort might follow them but I don’t think Brass and his table have made up their minds yet.”
I held back my eye roll on that one. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the shit out of Brass and everyone back home, but I didn’t think it mattered how many legit businesses they owned, they would never fully step away from the guns. It just wasn’t who they were. I wasn’t saying that there was anything wrong with that. Hell, I didn’t think we’d ever be able to entertain that idea here at this chapter. Which I was completely fine with.
“For now, things will stay the same. But I’m thinking that eventually, Moon Hill will not handle any more of the trade-offs and drops.” Iron looked around the table. I couldn’t tell if he was lost in thought for a moment or not sure what to say next. “Just puttin’ this out there because I feel this is the way it might go, but I think that one of the other chapters might take over as lead as far as the guns go. Have a bigger feelin’ that chapter is going to be us, since we are the fuckin’younginsand all.” He actually rolled his eyes at that.
I held back my chuckle. It was kind of true. With the exception of Iron and Mason, all of us were pretty much under thirty. Though some of us were toeing the line.
“Want you to really think it over. It’s going to mean more on us. I want the table to decide if it’s something we want and can handle so I know how to answer when the time comes. Keep it in the back of your minds and we’ll revisit it soon.”
With that, he ended the meeting.
I thought about it for a few minutes before I got up and left the room. I wasn’t the only one.
I thought it was something we could handle. And I didn’t think I’d mind the extra workload. I wasn’t ready to leave the guns behind. Maybe it was a little bit of a falsehood, but I felt we were the ones controlling where they went. Axe had been good at vetting the people we worked with. Most of them were much like us and bought them to mostly to protect their clubs and families. And I trusted them enough to work with them.
In short, I didn’t want the club as a whole giving up the docks. I felt like all of us here had a pretty good judge of character and could find new people to work with no problem without getting deep into shit that we didn’t want to.
A few of us went downstairs to grab a beer, though I stuck to soda. It felt good to hang out and I was glad that my mood had turned around the last few months.
Ingram was definitely on my mind. Truth was, there were very little times when she wasn’t. I tried to hide it most of the time because I didn’t want to fuck this up again. I really didn’t. I needed her and Chry in my life. There was no way around it, I was in love with Ingram and I had a good damn feeling that I’d been for a while now.
But sadly, I was still kind of on the outside. I saw her a few times a week but we usually hung out around people. I didn’t mind that because I’d take any piece of her that I could get. I wasn’t trying to rush anything and I knew it would take her time to get back the trust I broke.
I wished more than anything I could take that moment back. It wasn’t like it really did any good.
“You’re thinking about my sister, aren’t you?” Ky’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Uh. Ermm.” I wasn’t sure what I should say here.
He actually chuckled at that.
“As long as she’s wearing clothes in those thoughts, then it’s okay,” he told me with a look that could kill.
“All of the clothes,” I assured him but he didn’t look convinced. “Full snowsuit and all. Even wearing one of those floppy sun hats and pink fuzzy slippers.”
Sadly, that image did nothing to take away from her sexiness. I could see her looking adorable and cute in just about anything. Which was only one of the things about her that turned me on so fucking much.
“Yeah…” he said with a few slow shakes of his head. “Hey, listen. I need a favor.”
“Yeah. Anything.” I sat up straight and gave him my full attention.
“I got this ride now next week and I told Ingram I’d watch Chry one of the nights I’d be gone. She has an inventory or some shit that night and will be there late. Chris is working that night too. I’d get him to see if he could switch but it happens to be on Thursday.”
I nodded because I got it. Right now, Chris was the only person on staff available to work that night.
