“Nay,” Owl objected.
That left Big Gun’s vote.
My Enforcer stared at me for guidance. My brothers and I understood each other without words. He must have known how fucked up I felt to be in this position. If he said yes, she’d be the VP. If he objected, it’d be a tie, and it’d be all on me to make that call. I made a deal with Cameron. I wouldn’t be able to say no.
It didn’t really matter who sentenced her to her coveted doom. Whether I was the one to announce it or someone else, it was me who dragged her down to hell right from the start.
“Nay,” Big Gun finally said.
Cameron held my gaze in challenge. “We have a deal, Dusty.”
It was tempting to say no. It didn’t matter if I pissed her off about the deal. My only concern was that she was crazy and stubborn enough to break out and go find Beth herself. She’d be in danger without me protecting her. I’d never let that happen again. “There’s no going back from here, Cammie. You sure this is what you want?”
Her stare didn’t falter. “I’m all in.”
I put out the cigarette, looking down at the table, my heart in shreds. “Owl, if you need help with the books, VP is your gal.” I glanced up at her. “Congratulations.”
She smiled, her eyes sparkling in triumph. “Thank you.”
“When you’re all done filling her in, someone better fucking tell me what happened to the scaffolds and why there’s a mattress lying outside my porch.”
CHAPTER 37
Dusty
Cameron’s arm was more fucked up after she’d rescued Carter. It didn’t stop her from anything or even slowed her down. She thrived as the VP. In a matter of a week, she was running the brothers better than Rush himself. Skid was in debt to her for saving Carter. Owl already treated her like his daughter even when he was never on board with having her anywhere near the business. And Big Gun… They had become besties after going on her first raid.
“Your old lady is a badass.” He had to tell me that when they returned that day. I didn’t need to hear the details to know her sadist side clicked with his on the spot. Fuck, even Chain and Serial were kissing her boots when she let them off the roof.
It was the whores she had trouble with. They were jealous, and they hated her. She was too strict on them, and I was sure she hated them back.
I didn’t give a shit about it, though. What really concerned me was how every day with every plan she made and every raid she went on, a piece of her died.
When all of this was over, would there be anything left of her heart or soul? Would there be enough to start a life away from all the blood? To be able to look at me again?
The questions spun in my head as any kind of a future together away from all the darkness seemed out of reach. She sat next to me in Church while explaining her new plan to find Beth.
“Beth isn’t contacting her whores as we hoped. Every lead we got ended in pulling useless prospects’ teeth and gutting junkies. Even the bounty on her head resulted in shit. This isn’t working,” she said.
“She is not in Detroit, if that’s what you’re saying” Skid said. “I spoke with Wrench myself, offered him a lot than he could refuse. If he had her, he would have given her up by now.”
“Same with all the other chapters,” Owl added. Today was his first day out of the doghouse. I liked the motherfucker, but he had to be punished for not listening to Cammie and putting her life and the kid’s in danger.
“I don’t think she’s in Detroit. From what you’re telling me, Wrench isn’t that stupid to keep her there. That doesn’t mean he’s not protecting her either,” she said.
“What are saying, Claws?” Big Gun asked.
I fucking hated that road name. She wanted to go by Ninjaneer, but when everybody started laughing, she settled for Claws. Something Owl said to her once or some shit like that.
“Beth is either hiding at a rival gang or the son of a bitch is paying a lot more than our bounty to lace our dope, protect the bitch and buy everybody’s silence,” she answered.
“Prez?” Skid asked.
“It’d make sense if Detroit, like Chicago and the Midwest, wasn’t ruled by more Italians. The Bellomos. Tino Bellomo is the Lanzas’ strongest ally in the country. He won’t sabotage Cosimo’s operation. Our crack comes from the Lanzas, who get it directly from the cartel.” I glanced at Cameron with a smirk. “As you may know, Carlos Alfarez, yourfriendand Cosimo’s father-in-law, facilitates the whole thing.”
She rolled her eyes, twisting her lips. “I haven’t spoken to the guy since he got you out of my bunker, and as far as I know, he got out of the business and they let him because of Bianca, but if you want me to speak to him to see what he can find...”
“You can, but that’s not my point. The point is Wrench doesn’t have the money or power to go over Tino Bellomo or the Lanzas. He can’t be the one lacing our crack. The rival MCs on the West Coast aren’t stupid to mess with us either. Our chapter owns this part of the country, and the Night Skulls have more chapters than all of them together. Besides, we’re the club operating for the Mafia. Even if they dare piss in our shit because of the recent shakes and betrayal, thinking they can swoop down on us, they won’t dare mess with the Italians or the cartel.”