Page 109 of Truck Up
“Man, you don’t want to do this.” I push against Liam’s chest, but he doesn’t budge. “He’s the president of the MC. You can’t touch him and expect to live.”
Liam shifts his eyes to me, and I see the resolve in his expression. He knows I’m right. Starting a fight with Edge will not end well for anyone. Edge may be holding his men back, but they won’t forget this if he doesn’t back down. Liam will be marked for the rest of his life.
The air crackles with tension, charged and heavy. I can almost taste the fear in the air. It’s suffocating, each breath a struggle. Edge’s men, their faces hardened, step closer to us, their unease palpable. Liam is unpredictable and volatile—rightfully so—and they’re not convinced he’ll back down.
“Stand down,” Edge says. His voice is deep and gravelly. It sends a message of authority, and his men relax. Then he clamps his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. No one is getting hurt.”
I stare at Edge, studying his expression. There’s truth in his eyes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Edge over the years, it’s he’s a man of his word. If he says no one is getting hurt, then he means it.
I nod. “It better stay that way too.”
“I promise,” Edge says. “He’s right to feel the way he does. I’d do the same thing in Liam’s position.”
“Do you even understand my position?” Liam spits out. He’s calmer than he was when he first arrived, but his anger is still evident.
“I do.” Edge steps closer and lowers his voice. “Have you ever heard the story about my wife and two sons?”
My eyes widen in disbelief. Edge doesn’t talk about them. Ever. Very few people even know the truth behind their disappearance. I’ve often wondered if they had something to dowith Edge’s secret side business of saving lives, but I’ve never found the courage to ask.
Liam shakes his head. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with this.” He rests his hand on Liam’s shoulder and points toward his office. “Let’s go talk.”
Liam hesitates and looks at me for an answer. People outside of the club rarely get invited inside Edge’s office. And if they do, it’s not a good sign. But that’s not the case this time.
“It’s okay,” I say to Liam. “You can trust him.”
He nods, and Edge turns toward the table of men we’re playing poker with. “You’re going to have to continue this game without me.”
No one objects because it’s Edge. This is his bar and his game night. He does whatever he wants and no one can say anything about it.
He heads toward his office with Liam right behind him when one of his men speaks up. “You sure about this, boss?”
Edge spins around and looks the man in the eyes. The question came from Spider, one of his high-ranking members and Edge is pissed. Spider should know better than to second guess the decision of the club president.
Edge’s expression is hard and reeks of power. Under different circumstances, this situation would have resulted in punishment. It still might once we’re all gone, and Edge is alone with his members.
He may have cleaned up the club and stopped most of their illegal operations, but that doesn’t change member expectations and potential punishment for questioning the authority of the president.
“Yes,” he growls.
Then he spins around and takes slow, deliberate steps toward his office. It’s a power move. One that exudes strength anddanger. When the door shuts behind them, I take a deep breath. I hope Liam knows what he’s getting himself into. We may not be members of the club, but once we know club secrets, the same rules apply to us.
Talk and you’ll pay with your life.
It’s been aboutthirty minutes since Edge and Liam disappeared into his office. They’re still there. I hope this means Edge is telling him the truth about Hannah and Cameron. If Cameron really is his son, he deserves to know what’s going on.
Liam can be trusted. Clearly, he can keep a secret. We’re all still shocked that he and Hannah were together around the time Hannah married Charlie. I don’t know if it happened before or after the wedding. Liam isn’t talking about that.
To distract myself from my brother, I glare at Badger. Fucking Badger. He’s sitting in the corner talking with some friends. I should pretend he doesn’t exist, but I hate the smirk on his face, like he has the upper hand. He doesn’t have shit, and he never will.
“Raise,” Garret says before he tosses a few chips into the pot, raising Linden’s bet. I snap out of my thoughts and refocus on the game. Letting my anger toward Badger distract me is pointless.
The game has gotten more interesting since Edge bowed out. It’s a close call between Linden and me as to who has the highest earnings. Tanner has already lost all his money. He’s been out for the last three hands.
Garret, however, is still hanging in there.
I peek at my cards and grumble. This might be the shittiest hand I’ve been dealt all night. “Fold.”