“It’s not that,” he says, with a huff.
I lean back in my chair, resting my arms behind my head. “I’m losing my patience here, brother. What’s the problem?”
He pulls on his lip ring, studying me. “She’s so good, so innocent. I don’t wanna be the reason she becomes damaged or corrupted. She’ll want a relationship, because normal chicks do, but after Rachel, I have nothing to give anyone. My trust is gone,” he admits.
I’m not sure I can get what he’s going through completely. Harper always knew this life and unfortunately was not innocent. Ivy is a sweet and sassy girl. I think she’d be really good for Kace. She is the opposite of anyone he’s ever been interested in. He normally goes for tall, leggy, blondes. Ivy is a short brunette. Don’t get me wrong, she’s definitely beautiful. Her brown eyes are soft, her skin is ivory and I’m pretty sure untouched by any tattoos. She’s got an amazing body, curves in all the right places. Kace just needs to work through his trust and commitment issues.
“That’s bullshit. Stop thinking of yourself as not worthy. I know Rachel messed you up, but don’t let that stupid bitch dictate your happiness now. If you want to be with Ivy, stop being a pussy, man up, and talk to her,” I say, smiling. “I’m definitely not a relationship expert. I’m still terrified everything with Harper is going to blow up, but I know I’m happier when I’m with her. If Ivy makes you happy, let the rest fall into place. It's not like you’re starting a war.”
We both laugh. “Let’s get this shit taken care of before I start worrying about that.”
He’s a fucking idiot, but I’ll let him do it his way. Although, I do like the idea of his full attention being on this situation.
“What the fuck are you two doing here already?” Porter asks, walking in.
“We need to have a meeting,” I say.
He looks between us and pulls up a chair. “What’s going on?”
I slap his shoulder and grin. “We’ve got a lot of club business to discuss. Why are you here so early?”
“Came in to do the books and payroll. Brooks is up my ass to get it done, so I figured I’d do it now.”
Brooks seems to be up everyone’s ass about something. It infuriates me because I’m not just a member of this club, I’m his fucking nephew. We’ve been at each other throats for a while, long before Harper came back into
the picture. I just can’t figure out what started it all.
“How’s Harper?” Porter asks, lighting a cigarette.
“She's good,” I say, with a smile. “Physically anyway. All this shit is weighing on her mentally.”
He sighs, shaking his head. “That girl deserves peace.”
“You said it, brother.”
We talk a bit longer, but he eventually gets up to start working on payroll.
“I texted Riley, told him to stop for some food. I’m fucking starving,” Kace says.
“I’m pleased to see everyone here so early,” Brooks states. He turns his hardened gaze on me. “Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” He crosses his muscular tattooed arms, keeping his ice gray eyes on me.
I finish off my smoke and smash it out, smoke circling around us. “I wanted to talk to you, but this is club business. I would never do that without the entire club here,” I start. He rubs his chin and motions for me to continue. “I don’t understand what’s going on with you. You’re the president of this club, but you aren’t acting like it.”
“Watch it,” he growls, fisting his hands.
I lick my lips and grin. “Why aren’t we actively looking for Kingsley? Why do you dismiss the threatening notes to Harper? And why the fuck have you all but forgotten that the Vegas Kings attacking our innocents? What the hell is going on?”
The deafening silence in the room, has me on edge. I’m not sure if it’s because they are stunned at my questions or if they are just as intrigued as I am. I’m fucking hoping it’s the latter of the two.
His eyes are wide, and he cocks an eyebrow. His jaw is ticking, as he runs his hand through his brown hair that is showing signs of his age with a bit of gray on the sides. Sometimes when I look at him, when he’s not looking like he wants to kill me, I see my father. They share so many of the same features, from the strong jaw, gray eyes, and wide shoulders. He even has the Shattered Souls tattoo on his upper arm, just like my father had. But the anger vibrating off of him, was not something I ever saw from my father. “We do things when the time is right, Z. We aren’t going to look like goddamn fools with no plan. We are waiting for Kingsley to show his face, the notes are a dead end, and when we get Kingsley, we’ll get answers to why his crew attacked our innocents. Stop fucking questioning my leadership. You have no idea what it’s like to sit in this seat,” he hisses.
“Zane, I know you want this shit to be over, but we can’t rush things,” Enzo says.
I look between both of them, settling my angry gaze on Brooks. “Maybe you can shed some light on something that’s been bothering me since the night Harper was shot.” He doesn’t say anything, just leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Why would Kingsley tell Harper that Shattered Souls stole his daughter and his drugs?”
The room is no longer silent. Everyone is throwing out questions or cursing. Brooks runs his hands through his hair, turning to look at me with pure hatred in his eyes. I widen my eyes and lean forward toward him.
“How the fuck would I know?” he yells out.