“I’ll always have his eyes.”
“Hey.” She lifted my chin with her finger, making sure our gazes met. “I’ll get over it.” Her rasp thickened. “I promise.”
“I should have killed that motherfucker myself.”
Her head shook. “I did exactly what I was supposed to do. All I want is that patch so I can help get that bitch and end her like I ended him.”
“You liked the feeling? Is that what it is? You’re on a killing spree?”
She dropped her finger. “Liked? You think I killed Rush before you did it because it felt good?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. It hurts me to see you like this. It’s like I’m looking at someone I’ve never known.”
Her palm rested on my heart, sending a sweet chill down my back. “I did it for you, Dusty.”
Wincing, I held her face in my hands. “Why?”
“When you killed Roar thinking he was your dad,” she whispered, “you never got over it, no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself and me that you did the right thing to save me and had no regrets. The last night we were together before the assault, you blamed me for it.”
“Cammie, I—”
She put her finger on lips, shushing me. “I’m not mad. I know you didn’t mean it, but you can’t help it. I will never forgive myself for what happened to Annie, and I’m not the one who put a bullet in her head. That kind of burden weighs on you so heavily sometimes it’s too hard to fucking breathe. I didn’t want it on you, Dusty. It was a relief to know that when you took Roar’s life, it wasn’t your dad’s. I didn’t want you to carry that burden again. Call Rush whatever you want, but he was your father. That’s whyIpulled that trigger, and whyIwill be the one pulling the trigger on Beth.”
My shoulders slumped in defeat. I didn’t know what to say to this.
“Give me my patch, Dusty. Let’s get it all over with and move on.”
CHAPTER 36
Dusty
Shaking my head, I gave up. “Fine. You wanna run the fucking place, be my guest.”
I opened the door. Then I gestured for the brothers to come back in. “Tell my ol’lady everything about the titty bar, the whores, the dope, the guns, the fucking Italians, Wrench and the other rivals,” I spat, hoping to intimidate her.
Cameron didn’t bat an eye.
“That’s a lot to dump on your ol’lady in one sitting,” Owl mumbled.
“I’m right here, and you don’t see me complaining. I’m all ears,” she said.
“But you’re not a member of this club,” he said. “You don’t ride, and you have no miles. Not to mention, you have no colors whatsoever. I’ve been running for the Skulls for years and I only earned my patch and a right to this table a few months ago.”
“Beth didn’t have any colors either and yet she had the same rank you hold now, Owl? Hasn’t this chapter always beenlenientwhen it comes to Prez’s ol’lady? At least, this ol’lady didn’t betray the club or run away, not after she’s been tortured, assaulted and raped by two formermembersand had to have blood on her hands to stop them because no other brothers did.” Her eyes darkened, and she swallowed before she added, “Not even after she…lost her baby, the Prez’s baby, because of it.”
If she’d stabbed me with a blunt knife for every word she said, it’d have hurt less. I lit another cigarette and let the smoke prick my eyes. “After you fill her in on the business, we’ll cast a vote.”
My men stared at me in silence. What else would they say after she showed us all how much we failed to protect her and my baby?
“Nothing you’re gonna tell me about the business is gonna change my mind or push me away,” she said. “Since Roar took Annie, I’ve had a pretty good idea about the nature of your activities, and I’m aware of all the properties the club owns. As for the Lanzas, I’m friends with their capo’s wife. They owe me one, by the way. You know when I went to them for help, and they didn’t tell me my sister was already dead then left me to spiral for months instead and almost lost my life because of it. Yeah, that can come in handy if you want to pull favors.” She crossed her legs with a smirk. “I’m ready for your votes now.”
I had no more cards to play to save her from the darkness that had dug its claws in her. I knew how stubborn she was, how much pain she was in, and how nothing but ruin would satisfy her. “Cameron Delaney, road name yet to be chosen, asks to patch in the Night Skulls, San Francisco chapter. What do you say?”
All except Owl said yes.
“In the matter of appointing a new VP,” I blew out a long puff of smoke, “I name Cameron for the position. What do you say?”
“Yea,” Skid said.