I hold out my hand and he shakes it quickly. “Appreciate that, Rooster. You’ve been a true brother since I’ve been down here.” I glance toward the hallway. “And I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t walked up on them tonight.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I was coming out to look for another girl for my three-way.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “You could’ve kept that to yourself. Makes it less heroic now.”

The playful smile slides off his face. “I’m nobody’s hero, brother.”

I’m pretty sure Lilly disagrees, but I nod and thank him again before going inside.

The somber tone of the room washes over me as I step over the threshold.

I take my place at the head of the table and look around the room. There’s no need to bang the gavel or even raise my voice. I have everyone’s attention.

“I’ve spent more than twenty years wearing our skull and crown on my back. This club is a brotherhood. Our brotherhood. Our family. We always have each other’s backs. That’s how this works. Otherwise, we might as well be any other band of assholes wearing leather and riding a hog.”

“Amen, brother,” someone says. Murmurs of agreement fill the room, but I don’t stop to acknowledge the comment.

“The Lost Kings’ patch means everything to me. My brothers and this club mean everything to me. Doesn’t matter if it’s Upstate, Downstate, Mississippi, Washington, we’re all brothers bound by a common thread. It might not always feel that way. Priest coming down here and imposing his will prickles against everything we are. Some days our trust in the brotherhood can be tested.”

Now the guys are looking at each other. As if I’m about to scold them.

“Our common desire to live outside of the rules of regular society doesn’t mean we’re savages without honor. The code we live by might be skewed by society’s standards, but it’s our guiding compass.”

Now I have everyone’s attention.

No one moves or speaks.

“Honor, loyalty, respect. Those words might not mean much to others anymore, but they are values this club lives by.”

And Shadow broke all three of them tonight. I don’t need to say it. If they’re listening, they’ll get there all on their own.

“Those patches some of us wear ‘Brother’s Keeper’ and ‘Respect Few, Fear None’ aren’t empty sayings.” I slap my palm over my own patches. “We’ve shed blood. Done hard time. Protected our brothers to earn those patches.”