Gray, who sat next to him, glanced his way with a frown. “Have you seen those trees lately?” Joker’s silence was enough of an answer, so Gray went on, “They’re massive, and they have this strange, sweet odor coming from the flowers. For all we know, they might be poisonous. We’re not really sure what we’re dealing with, so it’s best to remain cautious.”
Jake shrugged. “I also think drawing attention to ourselves right now wouldn’t be the best policy. There are five of those trees, and the local paper wrote about some biologists coming to Brecon because of them. If we overstep, there’s gonna be a shitstorm coming our way before we finish the job with all of them.”
Beast chewed on his lip. “I think going with Magpie’s suggestion and making the removal semi-legal is the best course of action. He’ll get us some heavy machinery, so that we don’t have to risk our hides by getting too close.”
“We could still see if we can remove a couple of branches on our own after midnight,” Knight suggested.
The vote went through unanimously, and Beast was glad to progress to more mundane topics. The trees were a priority, but that didn’t mean all the other club activities ceased. Lizzy had complained about a broken speaker at his last concert, and a whole new crew of builders would be coming to work on another part of the building that had been burned two months ago.
The cell phone vibrated again, but Beast just pretended it wasn’t happening. “Now, the last thing we need to discuss. Fox’s boy wants to prospect. He doesn’t need much introduction. You all know him. You all know he’s clean. But just to be formal, Fox, are you vouching for Nick?”
Fox stood and placed both his palms on the tabletop. “That’s his only interest. He wants to be a part of what we’re doing, not just as a hangaround but as a member. I’ve lost hope that he’ll finish high school, but he is smart and dedicated when he puts his mind to it. He needs discipline, so if you all agree to give him a chance, don’t hold back and teach him how tough life can be. He needs to learn the hard way being a patch isn’t all booze and orgies,” he said and sat down to the sound of snickering.
“Who’s in favor?” Beast asked, raising his own hand, and everyone else followed his lead. When the verdict came through, Fox went limp in his chair, as if he’d actually wondered how the vote would go.
Beast slammed his hand on the table three times and got up. “Jake, prepare that prospect cut, will you?” he said before shaking Fox’s hand.
Jake nodded with a grin. “We need the fresh blood.”
And they needed all the help they could get from people they trusted. Jake had stepped up, and he’d taken a big load off Beast’s shoulders by dealing with party preparations. Beast still had the burden of making sure their illegal activity stayed hidden, but at least he could delegate.
Jake was perfect for it. The friendly all-American face of the club. His cut and bike added a flavor of danger to his presence but it caused excitement rather than fear. Vars would surely offer his help too, as well as Joker, who was always up for crazy party ideas. If Beast was to deal with the trees and his future role as a father, he needed to pass on some responsibilities that were his. After all, it didn’t matter who did the job as long as it was getting done.
Beast left the meetings room, already dreaming of a moment to himself. One whistle was enough to make Hound follow. There was way too much on his mind, and ten, maybe fifteen minutes of peace were a necessity if he was to be functional for the rest of the day. The sound of hurried footsteps following him was like another brick landing on his back, but he knew his duties and turned around.
“How’s Elliot?” he asked Knight, pushing away any demands his friend had.
Knight stalled. “He’s… doing okay. Just needs lots of help. It’s something else I wanted to ask about. My sister, Lana, she’s been having boyfriend trouble. Can she move in for a while? She won’t be any trouble.”
Beast exhaled. He knew Lana as a nice enough person, and since in his experience ‘boyfriend trouble’ more often than not meant domestic violence, he nodded. “Yeah, fine, but you need to deal with it. Or have one of the girls prepare a room for her.”
Knight smiled and scratched Hound behind the floppy ear. “Maybe you and Laurent will learn a thing or two from her.”
Beast frowned. “What?”
“The baby I told you about, my newest nephew? It’s hers.”
“Are you saying she’s coming here with a baby?”