Page 82 of The Originals
It was a risky move that could backfire and would come with severe consequences.
“Where does that leave us with the Underground?” Mick took a drag from his cigarette, eyeing Jack.
It was a fair question. But he wasn’t sure the club as a whole was going to like the answer. When they made the decision and took the vote, all members were on board with taking on riskier runs for Sal. The payout was great, and everyone was enjoying the perks. However, aligning with the Underground was a much bigger operation.
“They’re gonna want us to align with them. Just a matter of time,” Jack said. “We’ll have to make a choice which side we’re gonna be on.”
“Why is this even a vote? With the Underground, we’ll make the money,” Mack snapped.
But at what cost?
His outburst got a few of the brothers riled up and backing his statement. Jack understood it. The problem was they weren’t looking at the whole picture.
“Right now, we get to choose which jobs we take. Weigh our options of risk versus reward. We partner up with the Underground, we’d be working for them.” Jack arched his brow. “Underthem, which means if they give orders, we have to follow them. It gives us a shield and backup, but we’d be trading in our freedom. The jobs we’ve done for them so far are only a sliver of what we’d be involved in if we go with Sal.”
The room was drowned in silence. Finally, everyone was seeing what was at stake for the MC.
“Not taking a vote tonight.” Jack stamped out his cigarette, clasped his hands, and rested his elbows on the table. He glanced around the room, looking at all his brothers. “We all get a choice here, and we’re either gonna be all in or all out. Same as we’ve always been since I started this club. But you need to think hard about what your vote will be. ’Cause once we move forward, there’s no going back.”
Jack ended the meeting.
The members filed out of the room. Jack remained silent. Grain, Tully, and Mick hung back, but none of them spoke until the room had cleared out.
“How bad is this gonna get, Jack?” Tully asked.
Jack cupped his mouth. “I don’t know yet.”
There was a long stretch of silence.
“Which way are you leaning?” Mick asked.
Jack knew what he was asking. While everyone would be given their own vote, they’d ultimately look to Jack. And then Grain confirmed it.
Grain slapped his hands on the table and stood. “We trust you. You’ll do what’s right for the club. Every one of these assholes knows that.”
Jack snorted, shaking his head. Grain had never been eloquent, but he’d remain loyal, following whatever path Jack chose for the club. That weighed heavily on his shoulders.Ghosttown was his club. He’d started it. There were others who’d been with him since day one, but it was Jack’s vision.
Grain walked out of the room with Tully following. When Jack got up from the table, Mick walked toward the door, waiting on him.
“He’s usually full of shit, but everything Grain said is true. The club will back whatever decisionyoumake.”
“Yeah.” Jack gave a curt nod. “Just need to make the right one.”
Jack walked down the hall out into the main room where everyone had already started to party. This was the distraction he needed, and he headed straight to the bar. There were several brothers gathered, the prospect filling drink orders but clearly shorthanded. He scanned the room in search of the dark-haired siren.Colleen.
Jack had made a point of steering clear of her for years. She’d been young when she’d first showed up at the club looking to party. She’d been too young, and technically he was too married at the time. Even with his suspicions of his ex, he’d never stepped out on her. He’d taken the vows and honored them. Until he’d confirmed she was inviting other men into his bed. Jack kicked her out of his house so fast, she’d never seen it coming.
When his single status was reinstated, he’d enjoyed all the perks of the club whores, but still kept Colleen at an arm’s distance. She was beautiful, sweet, and a good time, but starry-eyed. Colleen had no idea what the life entailed. For an old lady, it meant sacrifice, blind loyalty, and at times, a lot of heartache. It took a good brother to make the life worth it for a woman. He’d tagged her years ago. Colleen was different from the others. She was the type of woman a man could really fall hard for. Jack refused to fall into that trap with a woman ever again.
“Bourbon, Jack?”
He slowly turned back toward the bar, but at the last second he saw a couple near the stairs. Dunn had both hands wrapped around Colleen’s forearms and seemed to be pulling her. Her head jerked back and slammed against the wall. It didn’t stop Dunn from dragging her farther down the hall. Jack had never seen anything firsthand, but he’d heard rumors of Dunn getting rough with her. The mark on her face tonight had only added to his suspicions. Without a second thought, he weaved through the crowd, making his way to the hall.
“Fucking bastard,” Mick said under his breath. Jack hadn’t even realized Mick had followed him. Now they were both bearing witness to Dunn manhandling Colleen and her obvious protest.
There were few rules in the club. The whole reason for starting it, beyond the ride, was living life on their own terms and not answering to anyone. However, there were standards. Hitting women wasn’t tolerated. It seemed Dunn had missed that memo.
“The ring out back set up?” Jack asked, watching Colleen cower slightly when Dunn leaned closer.