Page 10 of Brooks (Dirty Misfits MC 1)
I nodded slowly. “Ah.”
Finn smiled, and his teeth practically gleamed in the sunlight. “It’s great to meet you, Brooks. I’ve heard so many stories.”
I pulled my hand away and wiped off the sweat. God damn, how sweaty could a boy’s hand get?
“Thanks. I think,” I said.
Porter slapped my back. “Give him a chance. I know you used to be in control of new prospects and who to let in, but he comes highly recommended by yours truly.”
Finn smiled brightly. “Yep! Porter directed me here and I’ve been willfully stuck ever since.”
My eyes fell down his body. “I suppose that means you’ve got some balls, then. Porter doesn’t associate with wimps.”
Finn snorted. “Oh, the stories I could tell you. Like the time I killed my stepdad! Well, I mean, not killed. Not technically.”
I leaned back and whispered, “Is this kid a psychopath?”
Porter whispered back, “Abusive dad that used to beat up on him and mom.”
I licked my lips and leaned forward. “Well, good to have you.”
Tanner hopped down the steps. “All right, Finn, let’s not crowd the man now that he’s just gotten back home. I’m sure he’ll want a mug of my coffee right off the bat anyway. Oh, and don’t think I didn’t hear you taking credit for me, Porter. You know good and well you would’ve never met Finn had it not been for me.”
I chuckled as I packed my helmet away. “Get over here, you damned barista.”
I hugged Tanner and clapped him on the back before the rest of the guys filed out. One by one, they came out to greet me with smiles, hugs, and little tidbits of information I needed to know. Cole, our resident veteran of the military and combat medic extraordinaire, made a beeline for me as I walked up the steps to the front door. I picked him up and swung him around, causing him to growl as I set him back on his feet.
“You know I hate that shit,” he murmured.
I cupped his cheek. “Cheer up, sweetheart. Daddy’s home and everything’s going to be okay.”
Then, the hardened voice of the man that was now our president sounded. And I didn’t like what he had to say one bit.
“You gonna get in here or are you gonna keep drawing attention to yourself outside?” Chops asked.
I gave Archer, our treasurer, a quick pat on the back with a promise behind my eyes to talk later. Archer and I had always worked hand in hand closely on extracurriculars for the club, and I wanted to pick his brain about a few things. But with the way Chops eyed me, I needed to keep my attention on him for now.
So, I walked up to him and shook his hand.
Chops smirked. “Welcome home, Brooks.”
I nodded. “Good to be home. And nice to see that our V.P. stepped up to the plate when necessary.”
He snickered. “Wouldn’t have had it any other way. This club is my life and when Hyde passed away, I knew he would’ve wanted me stepping up to lead everyone through our trying times.”
“Right, right. So, uh, what do I need to be filled in on?”
Chops dropped my hand and shrugged. “We’re actually about to hold an informal church meeting. Figured you’d wanna join.”
I blinked. “Informal church meeting? The fuck’s that?”
Chops grinned. “It’s a new thing I’m doing. Every week we have a formal and an informal, meeting. The formal is for business, the informal is for pleasure, so to speak.”
“So, you guys get together, sling back beers, and bitch about your problems like women?”
Chops snickered. “More like, we get together, throw back a few beers, then go create more women problems at the clubs.”
Archer walked up beside me. “Yeah. Chops has started taking us out on the club’s dime for a night of fun every week.”
Chops nodded. “It helps boost morale, especially when we’re working stressful runs and all that.”
I narrowed my eyes. “On the club’s dime? Since when did the club start holding back money from its men?”
Chops’ grin faded from his face. “Since I took over as president and decided that things needed to be a little more even-keel around here.”
What else did you change, you son of a bitch? “Well, I can’t wait to figure out what else there is that I need to re-learn.”
Finn jumped into the fray. “We do more than just the chop shop now, too! We’ve opened up a mechanic shop down the road that I work in. That’s how we get some of our cars sometimes. It allows us to pull in money and clock people with the nicer—”
Tanner elbowed the big mouth in his ribcage and that didn’t sit well with me.
“A mechanic shop?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Chops chuckled, gripping my shoulder. “Come in and settle down. I can brief you on all of the changes that affect you once you feel a little more steady on your feet.”
