SAVAGE LOVE (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) by London Casey, Karolyn James

We have more power, more respect,
and more ability. We don ’ t
abide by the law. ”
    “ Truth, ” Gaige said.
    “ This
is about protection now, ” Miller said. “ We have to
protect ourselves and this entire club. He ’ s
not going to divide and conquer. We will wait him out and find the right time
to strike. ”
    “ How
long? ” Nate asked. “ I know me and Griffin tangled
more than once …”
    “ His
death will be avenged, ” Miller said. “ We all knew Griffin and we all knew he was a patient and anal man. ”
    “ I
love anal, ” Blaine said.
    “ Christ, ” Jace said.
    “ Taking
it? ” Gaige asked with a
smile.
    “ Hey, ” Blaine said pointing two
fingers holding a cigarette at Gaige. “ I
tried something a few times, okay? Each time was with a woman and she was the
one …”
    “ Goddammit, ” Miller said. “ I don ’ t want to hear any of this. ” He sighed. “ What
I ’ m explaining is that Griffin was a patient and understanding man. A lot of us are hot heads and would have
pulled the trigger already. I don ’ t
know what happens after the reaper gets us and our bodies are thrown into the
ground. Maybe Griffin is floating around above us. Maybe he ’ s watching us. ”
    “ Jesus,
I hope not, ” Blaine said. “ If he saw what I just did
to some reliever in the bathroom …”
    “ We
wait, ” Miller bellowed over
Blaine. “ We fucking wait.
Jerry is trying to be mentally strong. We ’ re
stronger. The second he is officially broken, that ’ s when we strike. ”
    Silence moved through the entire
room. Miller could see it in their eyes. They all fucking knew about Ella and
Beck being in the clubhouse. They were probably all gossiping about it like a
bunch of teenage girls.
    “ Yeah,
I took in his wife and kid, ” Miller said. “ Anyone have a
problem with that? ”
    Gaige waved his hand. Landon and
Erik did the same.
    “ Sorry, ” Erik said. “ It ’ s
just …”
    “ I
appreciate the honesty. I won ’ t
punish you for being true. But nobody here understands the situation. And I ’ m asking you as my brothers and
commanding you as the President of this MC that you all respect her and make
sure she ’ s safe. Jerry is
an unstable man. And he ’ ll
kill her. And the kid. I don ’ t
need that shit on my conscience. Bad enough I ’ ve
had to bury a brother. ”
    Landon lowered his hand. “ Any chance she knows something
we don ’ t? ”
    “ No, ” Miller said. “ Jerry had met with Coast Road in his house a few times. And the judge had been there. But not lately. ”
    Everyone had a good chuckle.
    “ We
need to play this carefully, ” Miller said. “ And I think
it ’ s time we talk about the
seat. ”
    “ Griffin ’ s ” Gaige asked.
    Miller nodded. “ I know, it ’ s too goddamn early for that. I
get it. Respectfully, for Griffin, that seat should stay empty for a while. But
look at what we ’ re dealing
with. The table has to be whole. We need eyes, arms, bodies, muscle. We need to
be ready for everything that can go right and everything that will go wrong.
That chair needs to be filled. ”
    Slowly, Miller walked around the
table to the empty chair. He put his hands to it and pulled it away from the
table. No way in hell he ’ d
sit there though. Neither would any of the other guys. Just a little dumb
superstition. Hell, to get someone to sit there would be a chore in itself.
    “ I
can ’ t allow anyone to
object, ” Miller said.
    “ He ’ s right, ” Gaige said. The VP stood tall. “ Leaving that seat empty is a
reminder. And Jerry knows that. Coast Road knows that. That ’ s our weak spot. We fill that
chair with a nasty motherfucker, the game will change. ”
    “ So
we vote in someone new, ” Blaine said. “ Take a ballot? ”
    Everyone started to nod.
    “ No, ” Miller said, shutting the table
up.
    The normal way to do this would be
for everyone to sit and think. For everyone to write down a name or two. Then
they ’ d put it into a