Running my fingers through the tip of my short beard repetitiously, my eyes follow him. “Yes, I vividly remember all of those things. You’re not the first man to suffer through their woman’s pregnancy and you won’t be the last. I still came to this clubhouse every day, and kept my head straight.”
Stopping mid-stride, he turns his head in my direction and tilts it to the side. While he contemplates what he’s gonna say to me his look turns into one of disbelief. “You have got to be shitting me. Am I on some sort of hallucinogenic here? That is not the way I recall things, Pres. I remember you tossing back a bottle of booze on a daily basis. Ranting and raving about Rora and her crazy hormonal imbalances. You’d be cussing us all out if we so much as walked the wrong way through the clubhouse. One day, I remember like it was yesterday, you came storming in here like the hounds of hell were on your heels. Oh yeah, why was that again? Yeah, it’s because Rora changed the color she wanted painted in the baby’s room. You threw a damn temper-tantrum better than any two-year-old I’ve ever encountered.”
Taking to my feet, I place my palms on the desk in front of me, leaning forward. “Is that so? Tell me, brother, exactly how many times have you had to change the color of paint on your child’s nursery walls?” His eyes glare at me and I can see his lips thin. “Rora changed her mind not once, not twice, but three times. If Harmony hadn’t been born a few days after the last time, I’m sure that number would be much higher. Taping, bedding, and painting ain’t no easy chore.”
“Exactly, I rest my case. You were just as exhausted and ready for the whole thing to be over with, same as I.” He places his hands on the opposite side of the desk, mirroring my stance; almost as if to challenge me.
Barreling through the door, both of our eyes quickly shift to see who’s entered. “What in the hell is going on in here? Sounds like two women bickering and bitching at each other,” Sledge implies, his hand still on the doorknob.
“And when did knocking become a thing of the past?” I inquire, but making sure to keep my tone even as I do not want to prove him right.
“Who says we were bickering?” Bane’s tone is as calm as I attempted to make mine.
“The fucking echoes of you two could be heard throughout the entire clubhouse. Hell, Inferno grabbed a glass and was about to sit outside the door with it glued to his ear so he could hear more clearly. I mean, even though we all know exactly how many times Rora wanted to repaint Outlaw’s room now,” he says through a sly grin as if he’s got something to hold over my head now. Rat bastard.
I gesture for Bane to hand me the bottle grasped tightly in his hand and he complies. After taking a swallow, I respond, “Sledge…” I pause, hoping Bane will look my way and he does as I encourage him with my expressions to go along with my explanation. “Bane and I weren’t arguing. We were simply… having a spirited conversation is all.”
Bane nods before turning to Sledge. “Precisely. You know Pres and myself are loud by nature. It’s why we are the leaders of this club, because our tone alone demands everyone’s attention.”
Mentally I fist bump Bane. “Yes, now unless this has to do with any new information from Coder, please see yourself out.”
“As you wish. I’ll let you two girls continue,” he taunts as he pulls the door closed.
I grab a pen from my desk and launch it over Bane’s head and watch it shatter into pieces after making contact with the door.
“You showed him,” Bane harasses.
“Oh, fuck off. I’m done sparring with your ass.” I take back my seat and prop my feet up on the desk. “This thing with the mole within our club has got us all on edge. We need to stick together now more than ever. A broken club only invites the potential for more bullshit; and quite frankly, I’m ready to find the fucker and make this a distant memory.”
Bane takes a seat in a chair across from me. “You’re right, Pres. Me, too.” He reaches across, takes the bourbon and a nice long swig before putting the cap back on and placing it back on my desk.
“Pres!” Coder comes blasting through my door, once again bringing both Bane and me to our feet. “I think I might have something.”
“Well, goddammit, get the fuck over here and tell us for fuck’s sake! But close the door first.” He shoves the door closed with the heel of his boot. “I traced the money back to an IP address from a couple of towns over. Now, here’s where things get a bit tricky. The trace led me to a deceased man of over two years now. I’m thinking it might be a family member of his? I need more time to do a thorough search on each one of the man’s last known relatives, though.”
Chapter Four
Rogue
The silence within the walls of this clubhouse are deafening, and it’s gonna drive me to the point of no return if something isn’t found out soon. I miss my girls, and I know my brothers who have old ladies and kiddos miss theirs too.
While I’ve spent hours thumbing through the paper documents, Coder has been searching digitally. Thank fuck for the advancements in technology these days. My frustration is growing by the minute. There has simply got to be something we’re missing here. And yet, no matter how many times I go back through my records, nothing. How in the hell is this even possible?
“Had some pizza delivered.” Bane barges in, advising me as he chomps obnoxiously on a slice of pizza. I can feel myself becoming angered once again, but I stop myself from lashing out at my brother and VP; reminding myself that if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be aware. We’ve never had such an infiltration of this magnitude. But it is teaching me a lot. About myself and how not only I react, but how my actions during a time like this affect the club as a whole.
Even though I’m not alone in this room, I feel as if the walls of loneliness are closing in on me, trapping me inside of an endless loop of despair. I need to spend some quality time with my little girl. I can see the sadness in her eyes each day that I leave and don’t come home until after she’s closed them for the night. “I’m thinking that since our rat isn’t necessarily inside of the club, or so it’s beginning to look like, I should spend some time with Harmony. A day of fishing and sunshine is calling my name. I need some time to decompress and see the smile shining from my daughter's eyes.”
“Yeah. Coder seemed confident that it isn’t someone working from the inside out, at least that’s the way it sounded. I don’t think a day away from the club is going to hurt anything, Rogue.”
“Then I’m gonna head home, grab my poles and some bait then grab the kids from your house.”
“You should take a couple of men just in case,” Bane advises me as a look of forewarning passes over his face.
“Are you worried about something happening in my absence?” I ask him, wondering if he’s aware of something I’m not.
“Nah, brother. Just worried about Harlow. She should be taking things easy since she’s closing in on delivery. She’s always volunteering to watch the kids; I wish she’d just take one day to put her feet up and relax.”