What's Your Poison

19 - Past Unraveling

Mission

I rolled my neck to the side, trying to dissipate the tension that was building inside of me. Jade kept talking, and the more she said, the tighter my fists got. Iron had already threatened to throw me out once if I didn't pipe down and be quiet.

"So what you're saying is, you lied right to my face and brought danger to my club's doorstep? Tell me why I should help you instead of throwing you out on your ass."

Jade didn't shrink in her chair, not like Dixie did. Iron leaned over his desk and stared down at them, nostrils flaring. My girl had been a part of Savage Sons. That club had a reputation for brutality and treating women like property. But how did Jade end up here, and what did they want with her?

"Tell me why I shouldn't call them to collect their wayward daughters and make a deal to keep trouble off my doorstep?"

I wanted to jump in and demand Iron put the full weight of the club behind the two girls. My jaw cracked from having to clench my teeth so tight.

"You should, but it won't stop them from retaliating. That club is as rotten as Grey Hogs and they won't hesitate to burn down another club." Jade snapped back, and I wanted to cup my hand over her brazen mouth. Iron reared back with a shake of his head.

"Another club?" His lips were a thin line.

"I didn't tell you because the last club I sought help from ended up a burnt out husk. You ever heard of Skullcrushers?" Jade crossed her arms over her chest as her sleek hair brushed her shoulders. "I had a half-brother called Zach, and he ended up defecting to Skullcrushers, because he didn't agree with how Savage Sons ran their club. They tried to go up against Savage Sons and got torched. Another huge club tried to save two young girls and look where it got them? Half their members turned to ash and everything destroyed. I wasn't going to stick around to find out what happened next. I ran and you can give me shit. Tell me I brought trouble to your door, but I won't apologize for trying to survive."

I slumped against the wall, hard. Jade had always kept her history under wraps, and I never questioned it because I was doing the same thing. Iron tugged on his beard, his ass hitting his chair. There were so many unanswered questions crowding my tongue. As soon as we were out of this room, I was going to make her tell me them all.

"Why?" Iron asked, soothing my rabid curiosity as well.

Jade let out a sharp exhale and exchanged a loaded look with Dixie. Whatever passed between them made her shoulders slump.

"Savage Sons made a deal with the devil. They intended to use Dixie and I as payment. The deal fell through when I ran, but Dixie thinks they may have wrangled another chance. You don't mess up with these people twice, and they know it, which is the only reason I can think he's coming for us so hard."

I bit my tongue, wanting more than the vague non answers they were spouting.

"So they're desperate. Which means my club is in danger of being attacked by not one, but two clubs and you were just going to stick your head in the sand and hope, what, it all blew over? You should have told me this the second you knew they were sniffing around. And you." He pointed at Dixie. "I vouched for you because I thought you were Roosters, but that was a lie too, wasn't it?"

Iron was clenching his back teeth, his voice soft and deadly. Iron was Prez for a reason, because he was a natural leader and he wasn't afraid to make hard decisions. Brutal decisions. And the icy rage freezing his eyes told me he was leaning towards something I couldn't allow.

These two girls had betrayed the club by keeping their secrets. They'd brought danger to our door. My throat closed, and I struggled to suck in the oxygen I needed.