For the first time in his life, Anthony wanted to speak. He wanted to reason with his father, but knew he had to be silent.
Gritting his teeth, he fucking hated this. Staying silent was his fucking armor. It was easy. Now all he wanted to do was argue, to make his dad see reason.
“I know it’s what you want to do. You want to make the Monster Dogs nothing more than a fleeting memory. All of them dead and gone. It can happen. I’ve seen it.”
Anthony knew of the Savage Brothers MC. It had been done. There were other clubs as well, but none had been done quite as well as the Savage Brothers MC. The only surviving members of that club were Butch and Lacey.
“Every single person in that club would have to die,” Lash said. “The men, the women, all the kids. All of it would have to go, to be wiped out. None of it could come back to The Skulls. You may see me as a weak prez, Anthony, and to be honest, I don’t give a fuck if you do or not. I’ve known true loss. I’ve looked death in the face more times than I can count, and I’ve had to bury brothers as well as women. You were a kid. There is a choice here. The right one and the wrong one. You want to take on the Monster Dogs MC, and I know you do, but doing them the wrong way will cost in the long term. Imagine a life where Daisy doesn’t exist.”
Anthony’s hands clenched.
“I’ve sat by your mother’s bedside too many times and had to think about that. I’ve lived through her attempting to take her own life. Trust me, Anthony, when I say this. I will make sure you never see Daisy again before I let you take the club down a path that I know will destroy us all. This isn’t about you. It isn’t about Tabitha, and it isn’t about revenge. This is you and me, and you will either fall in line or I will have to make a choice. Do not make me make that choice. You will not win. Not against me.”
Chapter Eleven
Lash sipped at his hot chocolate. He probably should have had a hard whiskey, but Angel had presented him with her famous hot chocolate, and he wasn’t going to deny himself the treat.
This was what he loved about Christmas. Angel didn’t need a sad moment to bring out her hot chocolate. It was pretty much a given during the festive season.
The kids were in bed. The candy rampage they had been on had brought them all crashing down very early. Angel had been able to get some dinner inside them, and after a carefully organized shower and pajamas, a Christmas movie had been played. Half of the kids had fallen asleep and had to be carried to bed.
It had been a good day.
He looked across the room and saw his son. Threatening his son on Christmas Eve wasn’t what he wanted, but he also knew Anthony was stubborn.
The boy was a law unto himself, and Lash needed to make sure he kept him on the right path. Lash knew all too well how easy it was to fall down that rabbit hole of revenge. It never ended well. There were always consequences. His time at The Skulls had taught him that.
He watched as Daisy moved toward Anthony. She placed a hand on his back, and the two left the room. He refused to worry about that. Daisy was responsible. She was levelheaded, and she often made the right decisions when it came to Anthony.
Finishing his hot chocolate, he walked to the kitchen. It was empty, but the kitchen counters were full of preparation for tomorrow. He washed his cup, knowing someone would be pissed at him for not doing it. The women had certainly found a way to keep their men in line. He couldn’t help but smile when he looked around at everything.
There were potatoes soaking in large bowls full of water. He saw the stuffing already prepared and waiting to go in the oven.
He couldn’t resist taking a little look inside the fridge, and sure enough, an abundance of food greeted him, just as he knew it would.
His wife had everything under control. Like always.
This Christmas was going to be a good one. He felt it.
Lash looked outside to see snow falling once again. He couldn’t resist as he took a moment to step outside. As soon as he did, he was on high alert, which quickly evaporated as he saw it was Lucius having a smoke.
“I didn’t want to be rude, smoking indoors,” Lucius said.
“Some of the guys still do it. Just not when the kids are around.”
“That’s what I figured.” Lucius placed the cigarette to his lips and took a deep inhale. “I always promise myself that I’ll quit, but then I figure, what the hell. I’m going to die someday. Might as well enjoy it.”
Lucius’s chuckle was forced, and it didn’t sound particularly happy.
“It was good to see you come,” Lash said.
“I don’t know why I did. My life isn’t part of any of this anymore. It’s not with the Nomads, either.”
“You’re breaking away?”
“I’ve been away on my own for so long now. The road is the only salvation I’ve got.”
“Dude, this is not what your … friend would want.”