Church
1572 Words
(Ridge)
The meeting room was already full when I walked in. Twelve members sat around the long table, patches on display, beers in hand. This was church. The only place where we were all equals, where every voice mattered.
Except mine mattered a little more. That's what the president patch meant.
Crash sat at the end of the table, looking sober now. Good. He needed to be clear headed for this.
I took my seat at the head of the table. Dane sat to my right, VP patch visible on his vest. To my left was Knox, our Sergeant at Arms. Built like a tank, covered in tattoos, the guy you wanted on your side in a fight. Next to him was Priest, the Road Captain, already looking at maps for our next run. Across from Dane sat Leo, our Treasurer, with his laptop open and spreadsheets ready.
The rest of the table filled in with full patch members. Axel and Jace, the brothers who were always arguing about something. A few others whose loyalty had been proven over years of service.
"Let's get this going," I said, banging my fist on the table once. Old tradition. "We've got three things on the agenda tonight. Security contract renewal, expansion vote, and a situation with one of our own."
"Crash?" Knox asked. As Sergeant at Arms, discipline was his territory.
"Yeah. But we'll get to that last." I looked around the table. "First up, the Dawson Plaza contract. They want to renew for another year but they're asking for a rate reduction. Ten percent."
Leo shook his head, already pulling up numbers. "That's a forty eight hundred dollar annual loss. Not worth it. Our costs haven't gone down."
"Agreed," Dane said. "We've kept that place clean for three years. No incidents. They should be paying us more, not less."
"Tell them fifteen percent increase or we walk," Knox said.
I nodded. "That's what I'm thinking. All in favor?"
Hands went up around the table. Unanimous.
"Good. I'll handle the negotiation." I pulled out my phone to make a note about the contract, then caught myself staring at the screen for too long.
I put the phone away and refocused on the meeting.
"Next item," I said. "Expansion into Ridgefield County. We've been approached by three businesses there looking for security services. Good money, but it means adding territory and probably bringing on two new prospects to cover the area."
"Who approached us?" Priest asked.
Dane answered. "A strip mall, a concert venue, and a car dealership. All vetted. All legitimate."
"What's the monthly take?" Leo asked, already typing.
"Combined? Around thirty grand."
Whistles went around the table. That was good money.
"Prospects are expensive though," Axel pointed out. "Training, equipment, paying them until they're full members. That eats into profit for the first year."
Leo nodded. "First year costs would be about fifteen grand total for two prospects. Gear, training, stipend. But year two and beyond, we're looking at solid profit margins."
"True," I said. "But long term, it's worth it. We expand our footprint, bring in steady income, and we're not relying on just Crosswell contracts."
I was saying the right words. Making the right arguments. But my mind kept drifting back to The Spoke. To Mira standing behind the bar with her arms crossed, telling me it was never going to happen.
We'll see.
"Ridge?"
I looked up. Everyone was staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"I asked if you had potential prospects in mind," Dane said. He was giving me a look. The one that said he knew I wasn't paying attention.
"Yeah. There's a couple guys who've been hanging around. Good workers. I'll reach out to them tomorrow."
"You okay, Prez?" Jace asked. "You seem distracted."
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About the new waitress?" Axel grinned.
Knox leaned forward. "Can we focus? We've still got business to handle."
"Right," I said. "All in favor of the Ridgefield expansion?"
Hands went up. Another unanimous vote.
"Good," I said. "I'll start the paperwork tomorrow. Priest, start scouting routes to Ridgefield. Leo, work up a detailed budget for the expansion."
I paused and looked at Crash. "Now we need to handle what happened tonight at The Spoke."
The mood shifted. Everyone knew why Crash was here.
"Crash," I said. "You want to speak first? Tell the brothers what happened?"
He nodded. Stood up. "I was drunk. Five beers. Got stupid with it. Made comments to Mira I shouldn't have made. Disrespected the Prez when he called me out. It was wrong. I'm sorry."
He sat back down.
"Anyone have questions for him?" I asked.
Knox spoke up. "You been warned about this before, Crash?"
"Yeah. Once. A while back."
"And you did it again anyway?"
"Like I said, I was drunk. Wasn't thinking."
"Being drunk isn't an excuse," Dane said. "We all drink. We all know when to shut our mouths."
Crash nodded. "You're right. No excuse."
I looked around the table. "Crash, step outside. We'll vote and call you back in."
He stood up and left without argument.
Once the door closed, Knox spoke first. "He's been with us four years. Good worker. Never caused problems before tonight. But this is the second time he's been warned about the same shit."
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"Suspension. Three weeks minimum. No patch, no club business. Sends a message."
"I agree," Dane said. "He crossed a line. Disrespecting you in public, Prez, that's disrespecting all of us."
"Anyone think we should go harder?" I asked.
Silence.
"Anyone think we should go easier?"
Axel raised his hand. "Two weeks instead of three. He apologized. He gets it."
"Noted," I said. "All in favor of three week suspension?"
Most hands went up.
"Two weeks?"
A couple hands, including Axel's.
"Three weeks it is." I looked at Knox. "Bring him back in."
Knox opened the door. Crash walked back in and stood at the end of the table.
"Three week suspension," I said. "Starting now. No patch, no club business, no showing up at club events. You come back when the three weeks are up and you've proven you can control yourself. Understood?"
"Understood, Prez."
"Take off your vest."
Crash's face went pale, but he didn't argue. He took off his leather vest, the Devil's Reach patch visible on the back, and handed it to Knox.
"You'll get this back in three weeks," Knox said. "Don't make us regret giving it back."
"I won't."
"You're dismissed," I said.
Crash left. The room was quiet for a moment.
"Anyone have anything else?" I asked.
Priest spoke up. "Next club run is in two weeks. Thinking we head up to the mountains. Three day trip. Who's in?"
Hands went up. I should have raised mine too. I always went on runs.
But I didn't.
"Ridge?" Priest asked. "You coming?"
"I'll let you know," I said.
More looks around the table. The president always went on runs. Always.
"Then we're adjourned," I said, standing up. "Good work tonight, brothers."
Everyone started filing out. Knox clapped me on the back as he passed. "Don't let her mess with your head too much, Prez."
"I won't."
But I already was.
Dane stayed behind. So did Knox.
"You want to talk about it?" Dane asked.
"Nothing to talk about."
"You were distracted the whole meeting," Knox said. "And you're thinking about skipping the run. That's not like you."
"I handled the meeting, didn't I?"
"Yeah. But barely." Dane leaned against the table. "Whatever's going on with you and Mira, you need to figure it out. Because right now, it's affecting your focus."
"I know."
"So what's your plan?"
"Keep showing up. Keep proving I'm different. Keep giving her reasons to stay."
"And if she runs anyway?"
"Then I'll find her and bring her back."
Knox raised an eyebrow. "You're serious about this."
"Yeah. I am."
"The club's not going to like it if you get distracted," Dane said. "We need you focused."
"I am focused."
"You weren't tonight," Knox said. "And you're thinking about skipping the run. Brothers are going to notice."
He was right. I hadn't been focused. My mind had been at The Spoke the whole time.
"I'll handle it," I said.
"Make sure you do," Dane said. "Because if you can't balance this, you're going to have to choose. Her or the club."
"It won't come to that."
"It might," Knox said. "And when it does, you better know which one you're picking."
They both left. I stood there in the empty meeting room, thinking about what they'd said.
Her or the club.
It shouldn't be a choice. The club was my life. My family. Everything I'd built.
But Mira was different. She made me want things I'd never wanted before. Made me think about futures I'd never considered.
I walked out of the meeting room and headed to my quarters. The east wing was quiet. Most of the guys had gone back to their own places or were drinking in the common room.
I went into my bedroom and sat on the bed. Pulled out my phone. Stared at it for a moment, then tossed it on the nightstand.
Tomorrow I'd go back to The Spoke. I'd see Mira. I'd keep showing her that I meant what I said.
We'll see.
Yeah. We would see.
I just hoped when the time came, she'd choose to stay.
- Writer
