“I figured he would’ve been next in line to take over. I’ve been wondering if he’s upset you landed in what he might have assumed was his spot.”

Huh. I’ve been too busy trying to run downstate to spend a lot of time worrying about Shadow’s feelings. I took him at face value when he said he was happy I was there, which probably wasn’t my smartest move. The fact that he didn’t bother to mention this Viper issue when I initially sat down with him doesn’t help either.

“Well, I’m not gonna stroke his ego to make him feel better.”

“I didn’t think you would.” She reaches over and gently touches my arm. “Are you happier being president instead of VP?”

She seems to be asking because she genuinely wants me to be happy. Not because she thinks being with an officer of the club will give her some power, like most women who associate with MCs.

“Not really. I don’t mind the responsibility. Trust me, Rock keeps me plenty busy. Downstate are my brothers too, but it’s not the same.”

“So, Upstate is your immediate family—brothers and sisters. Downstate is more like the cousins you only visit on Thanksgiving and Christmas?”

The comparison draws a chuckle out of me. “Yeah, something like that.”

“But Rock doesn’t seem like he’ll ever retire. There’s no chance for you to move up if you stay at your club, right?”

Again, there’s nothing in her voice to suggest her question is about anything other than concern for me. “It’s not about that. There is no “moving up” as far as I’m concerned. We’re each in the role that serves the club best.”

“Oh.” She’s quiet and seems to be thinking that over. “Murphy’s your Road Captain, right? What’s his specialty?”

“Well, he supervises the maintenance of club vehicles.”

“Ahhh…I remember Hope saying something about Murphy taking care of her car and I didn’t understand why. Now I get it.”

“That’s not all. He plans our travel routes when we go on a run. He’s the enforcer of the road rules on a run. Executes the commands when we ride in a larger pack.”

“So, he’s good at that stuff.”

“The best.”

“Wrath, I understand why he’s in his position. No explanation needed.”

“It’s more than just scaring the shit out of everyone. He helps steer our meetings, enforces the club bylaws—”

“You have bylaws?”

I grin at her. “Yeah, sweetheart.”

“What else?”

“Our jobs overlap in places, so we work together a lot. He hands out punishments when a member breaks a rule—”

“Punishments?”

“Can be anything from a fine for missing a meeting without a good excuse or a beating for showing another member disrespect.”

“Wow. You actually beat each other up?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”