Empire of Savages (Savage Hunt MC #1)

35. Nick

Chapter 35

Nick

When I pulled up at the clubhouse, prospects were guarding the gates once more, waving me through. Vox’s bike was already parked under the small awning off to the side, and I pulled up beside it. Jaxon was coming out the door, a woman following behind him. For a moment, I wondered where Karter was, but when I saw the woman’s outstretched arm behind her, I knew he was trailing them.

Jaxon grinned at me as he passed. “Where the fuck were you? You missed out on all the fun.”

“Where’s Rixon?” I asked.

“Sitting at the bar.”

Inside the clubhouse, my senses were immediately overwhelmed by raucous laughter, the sound of bottles clinking together, moans of pleasure, and the pounding of a hammer. Like nothing had happened tonight. Turning the corner, my eyes drifted up the Dead Wall. Mac was halfway up a ladder, three nails balanced between his lips as he held up the end of an upside-down Chaos cut, positioning it.

He glanced down at me. “How many did you get?” he asked, his question muffled by the nails.

“None,” I replied as I scanned the bar. Seeing Rixon’s hunched over form, I beelined straight for him. “We need to talk.”

He turned his face to me, his eyes bloodshot. His gaze slightly unfocused. There was a bottle of bourbon missing a fifth in front of him—no glass. “Nick,” he said, swallowing. “Son.”

“We need to talk,” I repeated, grasping him by the upper arm. “In your office.”

With a resigned nod, he slid from the stool and followed me through the bar and down the hallway. As we moved through the sea of Hunt members from multiple chapters, Eli pulled up beside me.

“Everything okay?”

“Come into the office,” I told him.

Rixon walked in first, pulling another bottle of bourbon from his desk drawer. Slumping into his chair, he brought the liquor closer and cracked the lid. Eli eyed him as he took a seat in the chair in front of the desk, positioning himself so he could see both of us.

“Where were you tonight, Nick?” Eli asked after I took a seat on the couch.

My gaze flickered between the two presidents. Resting my elbows on my knees, I leaned forward, clasping my hands together. Hands that had killed. Hands that had maimed. Hands that could cause pain when I wanted to, but also hands that could bring pleasure to Alex. They curled into fists at the mere thought of almost losing her in that fire, but also the possibility that my honesty had done more damage than good.

“Gunnar is dead,” I said. “By my hand. He admitted to killing my brother. Said it was all part of his initiation into X.”

“X?” Eli asked. “What the fuck is that?” He looked over at Rixon, who gave him a blank stare.

“Gunnar didn’t say,” I replied. “But he said killing my brother and pinning it on La Croix would get the result they wanted.”

“Which was what?” Eli asked.

“Getting me out of the way.”

Rixon brought the bottle to his lips and tipped. His throat worked down the amber liquid, but he stayed quiet.

Eli said, “So, he pins the murder on La Croix. You go after him then what?”

“Then the Chaos kill me in retribution.”

He frowned. “That seems like a lot of work to get rid of you.”

“He wanted me gone without getting his hands dirty.”

“Gunnar did?”

I looked over at Rixon, unsure whether he was tracking the conversation at all. “Kaash.”

Eli let out a low whistle. “Kaash is running this shit?”

“From what I can tell. Gunnar said that if La Croix was out of the way, then Kaash could install someone who was sympathetic to his needs.”

“What needs?” Eli asked.

I cleared my throat. “Kaash is running women through Muse.” I kept my attention on Rixon, waiting for any reaction that my words were registering. “He’s selling them to international buyers. And I think his ultimate goal is to take over the presidency of the club and use that to expand his operation.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eli muttered, flicking a worried glance in Rixon’s direction. But Rixon was staring at the bottle, at his fingers wrapped around the neck.

“Rixon was right about Kaash. He’s gathering allies. Maverick is running the books for the strip club and is complicit. I don’t know who else Kaash has influence over, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“Molly?” Rixon said softly.

I jerked my head toward him. “Her death was a mistake. The bullet was meant for me. The attack at the cemetery was also targeting me.” My hands curled into tight fists. “They even targeted me while I was inside. Some fucker named Rios tried to shank me a couple of years after I was put away, but I got the better of him.”

Rixon blinked—a spark of… something… in his eyes. “Kaash killed Molly?”

“I think the bigger problem at hand here is the fact that Kaash wants to take control of the chapter,” Eli said. “And what the fuck you’re going to do with Nick. He killed Gunnar. People will start asking questions. Kaash will want to know where his right-hand man has gone.”

“I think Kaash wanted me to take him out,” I confessed. “He was the one who told me it was Gunnar. When I confronted him, Gunnar just confirmed it.”

Eli’s brows dipped. “If that’s true, Kaash has more machinations than we probably know about.”

I nodded, then looked at Rixon. He was staring at me hard—a lucidity in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in days. “Kaash will want your head for this.”

“It doesn’t matter what Kaash wants,” I replied. “ You’re the president, Rixon. You’re the one who has the final say.”

Reaching forward, he grabbed the bottle and took another swig. “Any power I may have had is gone, Nick. For all intents and purposes, Kaash is running things.”

My heart dropped. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I can’t protect you anymore.”

Anger flash boiled in my blood at the sound of defeat in his voice. “You’re giving up.”

His fingers tightened around the bottle, his eyes downcast. “I have nothing left to live for.”

“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it,” I growled.

There was a sudden, sharp knock on the door. Kaash strolled in without waiting, a beer in his hand and a smirk on his face. “Church,” he announced, looking down at the bottle in Rixon’s hands with a sneer. “If you’re fucking sober enough to preside, Prez .”

Eli stood up, squaring off with Kaash. “Watch your fucking tone, boy .”

Kaash’s blue eyes hardened to ice chips, but he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Chill, Eli. I was just delivering a message.”

“The only person who can call an emergency session of Church is the president.”

“And if the president is indisposed, then the VP has the power to call a meeting.” Kaash’s severe eyes swept over Rixon like he was a piece of shit on the bottom of his boot. “Clearly, he’s not sober enough to run shit, so it’s up to me.”

Kaash turned, knocking into Eli’s shoulder as he went. Before he left the room, he turned his attention to me, made a gun shape with his fingers, and pulled the trigger.

Eli shut the door behind him, folding his arms across his chest and blowing out a breath. “Rixon, you’ve got to pull it together. If you let that bastard take control now, you’re going to lose all your support. Is that what you want?”

“It’s not a matter of when I lose control. It’s gone. I’ve lost control of the club.” Rixon stared at Eli for a long minute, then turned his attention to me. “I want you gone, Nick.”

“The fuck?”

“Kaash wants your blood. My control is slipping. I can’t protect you.”

“Rixon—” I started, pleading for him to see there had to be another way. There had to be.

Ignoring me, Rixon turned to Eli. “You’re my witness in this. I’m exiling Nick.”

“Rixon!” I shouted, feeling like my world was unraveling. First it was my brother. Then Gunnar—the man who I’d known since I was a kid—had betrayed me. Molly. Gone. My dog had been shot. I didn’t know where I stood with Alex, and now Rixon was throwing me out of the club. “You can’t do this.”

He looked at me with regret in his eyes. “Please, son, this is the last act of power I have. Please respect it.”

“You can be a nomad instead,” Eli said. “Base yourself in Columbus.”

“I don’t want to base my-fucking-self in Columbus. This is my home. This city. This chapter.”

“And you’ll have a chapter against you too soon. What do you think Kaash is going to do with this information?” Eli said. “He wanted you gone. After a number of attempts to kill you, exiling you— separating you from Rixon—is the best he can hope for.”

Hands shaking, I pulled out my tobacco pouch and started to roll a cigarette. I knew what they were both saying was right. Being a nomad was better than being exiled completely, but if I accepted, I knew I could never return to Detroit. If Alex chose not to come with me, that would be it. I would’ve lost everything. All of it would’ve been for nothing.

Eli turned to me. “It’s probably better if you leave while everyone is in Church. Get out clean. Ride south and don’t stop until you get to the clubhouse. Everyone else is leaving tomorrow afternoon so we’ll see you late tomorrow night.”

“Please, Nick. I can’t lose you, too,” Rixon pleaded.

It was those words that finally spurred me into action. Standing, I looked at my president and said, “Only because I respect the hell out of you, Rixon.”

With that, I stuffed my tobacco pouch back into my jacket pocket, nodded to Eli, and left the room. Inside my bedroom, I packed whatever I could fit into a rucksack, making sure to stuff Dimitri’s dog tags into the front pocket. With one last look at my room, I headed out and left the clubhouse, sliding onto the back of my bike, and took off into the night.