I couldn’t help but notice. Her long hair was pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head. Her makeup was thick and dark, and I could tell it was hiding bags under her eyes.
“Didn’t sleep well?” I asked.
“What’s it to you?” she snapped.
“Hey, I was trying to be civil.” I held up my hands. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. Truce?” I held out my hand.
“Go fuck yourself, Tony!” she said and marched away from me.
“Well, fuck you too!” I yelled at her.
“Seriously? She’s obviously a bitch in heat, so why don’t you go put her out of her misery. It will be for the better of the club,” Austin said, having apparently been right there the whole time. Go fucking figure.
“I got to go call Sophie. Let Kara cool down.” I went to my room, flipped through the old rolodex, and found her number. “Sophie, it’s Tony. We need to talk. Call me.” She wasn’t available, so I left a message. I knew I had said we shouldn’t, but now I had tried to be kind to that bitch and she didn’t give a fuck. There was no getting through to her.
It was childish and spiteful, but having Sophie in on this would be the ultimate revenge.
The entire MC came and gathered at the clubhouse. It had been a long time since every member had been present for something. There were men and women of all ages, and several children of various ages now ran around. It was chaos, and it was getting crowded fast, but still, I couldn't help but notice the decrease in warm bodies. Too many had deserted or had become turncoats. We didn’t have the numbers we needed. There was no way we could survive an all-out attack by the Shadow Order or the Blue Diablos.
Thank God for Kara getting the Crypt Keepers because they had the numbers.
Not that I was going to say that around her. Her head was big enough for both of us.
“Hey, listen up. You’re about to vote on who should be Prez. While I will give Tony time to speak his case, I think you should remember that it’s my birthright. I have a personal and professional score to settle with my father, and I ain't going to rest until it’s settled. Also, I am the one who got us allies when all hope was lost. This here is Eric. He can testify to the alliance we now have with the Crypt Keepers. He’s their Enforcer.” Kara turned her head to the Keeper she’d likely fucked to make this happen.
“Crypt Keepers got the backs of the Midnight Saints as long as you got our backs in turn.”
“Yeah, we got your backs in turn,” Seth spoke up. “Before Tony speaks, can I just say something? I’m sick of the fighting, and I have a proposal. I say we vote them in as a team of Prezs. Let’s let them both be Prez. Two heads are better than one, and while Tony is out being a fool, getting into scuffles, Kara can be here running things from home.”
“Hell no!” Kara said. “I want in on the scuffles too. I ain't going to be a backseat leader, Seth, but that’s not a bad idea for both of us to be Prez.”
“Got anything to add to that, Prez?” Seth asked me. I cursed under my breath.
“Cat got your tongue, Tony?” Kara teased.
I wasn’t taking that in front of my own club.
“Will you just shut up? You guys know how I handled the shit that went down recently, I think I did a decent job, so if you agree, vote for me. If you don’t, vote for her and fuck off.”
“Okay, let the voting begin,” Kara said with a grin.
I was ready to wipe it right off her fucking pretty face. “Wait, there’s one more name that should be in the ring. The vote will be held tomorrow. I need to reach out to one other person who as I see it has just as much claim to this as Kara does.”
“Who?” Kara demanded. “You can’t possibly mean my bitch fake-ass sister. She has no claim here.” Her voice wavered, but I didn’t let the guilt stop me.
What could I say? I was an asshole.
“She does,” I argued. “If you want a claim, then she gets a claim too.”
“She’s not his real daughter. She was a fucking charity case to replace me, and you know she thinks the whole MC thing is fucked up. She would disband us before protecting us. You’re fucking crazy, you fucking asshole!”
“You fucking bitch!” I yelled back.
“Just fuck already!” Austin and Seth shouted together.
Chapter 7
Kara
I flipped them off and marched off to slam my bedroom door. Maybe it was childish, but I had to make a statement.
You’re acting like a fucking child. Why would anyone vote for you to be their leader? I scolded myself. I had to calm down and stop letting Tony get under my skin. I had to not let Sophie get under my skin. Anyway, what was I really worried about? There was no way she’d become the Prez.
I took a few deep breaths, then I opened the door and walked back to the room.
“You got this, Kara,” Mom said, patting me on the back as I passed her. That gave me a boost of confidence.
“Where is Tony?”
“On the phone,” Seth said. “You two need to figure out a way to get along, seriously. Austin is right— if you just fucked, I think this frustration and heat between you would cool off.”
“I’m never fucking Tony, Seth. You and Austin need to cool it off with that shit. It just riles Tony up. I’m not interested and neither is he.”
“Okay!” Seth held up his hands. “I won’t say it again.”
“I will,” Austin said, “because you two are full of shit.”
