Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“We all know I could take this news very poorly,” I go on. “The only high-level Titan who isn’t here is Kai. He has plans with Kayla and doesn’t need to be here for this. I can make the message clear without him. Blood has been spilled over less. The most fucked-up shit imaginable has been done to people when it comes to family and…”
Love, I almost say, but this room is filled with hard men. It’s better to keep the talk practical. “Relationships,” I go on. “But you all need to understand something. Without Kai…” I wince as my wounds try to make me sit down, but I won’t let them. Pain meds pump through me. “Many of us wouldn’t be here today. We all know Kai’s got a dog in him. We all know that, without him, those bastards might’ve taken more of us. Don’t get me wrong, fellas, we would’ve won either way…”
Some of them nod at this. Personally, I’m not sure it’s true. They might’ve overwhelmed us if Kai hadn’t come home and led the final charge against the Bribones,
“But Kai ended things quickly,” I growl. “He’s a good man. He’s like a brother to me.”
Jimmy picks this up right on cue. Dad taught me something else. “A good leader doesn’t gather his men unless he’s almost certain how the meeting will go.”
“Doesn’t that make it worse?” Jimmy says, like we planned. “He’s your righthand man, and he went behind your back.”
“But he didn’t go behind my back,” I growl. It’s a lie, but it’s necessary. “Before anything happened between him and Kayla, Kai did the right thing and asked for my blessing. He offered up his own life. He said to put a bullet in his head if I felt he’d betrayed me.”
Respect gleams in the men’s eyes. Part of me wonders if Kai should’ve done this and asked me upfront, but I know more about their relationship now. It was sudden and intense. The need was immediate. Kai told me it was like being struck by lightning. He tried to fight it, but he couldn’t. He told me he loves her way too much for that. It’s genuine love, and Kayla feels the same.
I wish I could tell the men simply this: “I’ve never seen either of them happier. I’ve never seen Kai smile in such a carefree way, even when we were kids.”
“Maybe some of you, especially those with sisters, think I should’ve taken him up on his offer,” I go on, “but this is Kai. He’s saved all of our asses more times than we can count. He’s a good man. He’s loyal, and he made something clear. He intends to marry Kayla and make an honest woman of her, and Kayla feels the same. That…”
I slam my hand on the table, ignoring the agony it sends twisting through me.
“Means that, one day soon, Kai and I are going to be family. He’s going to be my brother-in-law. This makes the club stronger, fellas, not weaker. Kai is a good man who will do his best by Kayla. I’ve given him my blessing. When they return…” I don’t mention where they’re going, but I have to say the purpose. “It’s very likely they’ll be engaged to be married. If any of you have a problem with this, I want to hear it now.”
I take a step forward, looking over at the men. Thankfully, none of them seem like they’re going to cause a problem. In fact, a few of them are smiling.
“Nobody?” I say. “Because, injured or not, I’m still ready to draw a circle about this.”
That gets a few laughs from the more experienced members. It’s a callback to the days when my old man ran the club. If two members had a problem, they’d draw a circle with chalk and swing knuckles until one of them quit and left the circle. It’s been years since anything like that went down.
When it’s clear nobody will cause problems, I gesture to the door. “All right, good. Get back to work.”
I wait until everybody but Jimmy is gone and sit at the table, letting out a long, shaky breath.
“You okay, boss?” Jimmy says, sitting opposite me.
“Painkillers are a joke,” I tell him, “but I’ll be good. Just need a couple of weeks.”
Jimmy nods. “I don’t doubt it, but I meant… about Kai and Kayla. Are you really good with that?”
I look at him closely. “Earlier, you said you were happy for them.”
“I am,” he replies. “Kai deserves some joy in his life, and so does Kayla, especially after your dad passed, but I have to be sure you mean it for the club’s sake. There’s going to be no fallout over this?”
I get it. Jimmy’s on the older side. He doesn’t want any more war.