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Barracuda sat at the head of the table, and I was back in my spot to his right.
No one spoke.
This was our first church since Mitzy’s accident and Barracuda appearing out of thin air. Things had been pretty fucking hectic, and we hadn’t been able to sit down as a full club until today. Well, a full club minus Tank. Fucking B+ average. Barracuda had come to the hospital to see Mitzy, but she had been sleeping when he visited. This was the first time I had seen him for more than a minute since he came back.
“You get Mitzy home okay?” Barracuda asked me.
I nodded. “She’s home and resting.” I had tasked one of Skinz’s security guys to stay at the house with Mitzy until I was done with church. “Feisty as ever.”
Silence again.
No one knew what to say.
For months, we had searched for Barracuda, and he just came back on his own. We all wanted an explanation of what the hell happened.
“The Bastards have been my home and family for the past fourteen years. I joined when I was in a bad place. I had lost everyone I cared about, and I didn’t have anything to live for.” Barracuda looked around the table. “Until I sat down at this table and found my new family.”
Playboy grunted.
Barracuda turned to him. “You got something to say.”
Playboy glanced at me. I knew what he wanted to say. We had all thought it, and now it was our chance to say it out loud.
“Family doesn’t just disappear without a word and then waltz back in as if nothing happened,” I drawled. “Family stays no matter what.”
Barracuda rested his palms on the table. “What happens when the demons of your past are stronger than family?” he growled. “What happens when your demons come back to rip apart the ones you love, one by one?”
A sense of sadness settled over the room.
“Fifteen years ago, I thought my life was exactly what I wanted, and in one swift second, everything was taken from me.” Barracuda closed his eyes. “People who were once close became enemies, and the one person I thought I would have for the rest of my life was gone forever.”
Charlene and Menace.
Barracuda opened his eyes. “I know you all know what I’m talking about.”
I tipped my head to the side. “We couldn’t find you anywhere, but somehow, you were keeping tabs on us?”
“I have loyalties that run deeper than you know. I was able to stay well below the radar while still knowing what was going on here.” Barracuda sat back in his chair. “Though, I have to say, you guys did some good digging to find Mick.”
“So that’s it?” I asked. “You leave, keep tabs on us the whole time, and now you’re back? Just like that?”
I had said time and time again that I didn’t want to be prez, but I also didn’t want to go back to being VP to only have Barracuda disappear whenever shit got too tough for him. Yes, Leona was gone, and it was because of shit in his past, but why couldn’t he have his club at his back while he tried to take out Menace.
“I had to figure shit out. There were fucking days where I didn’t want to live and days where I wanted to destroy everyone in the world.” Barracuda leaned toward me. “You know those feelings you had when you saw Mitzy stuck in that car? Possibly close to death? Your heart dropped from your chest and your stomach in your feet? The feeling of dread weighing down on you like a weighted blanket?”
I breathed deep and curled my lips. “Yeah.”
“Now multiply that by one hundred, and feel it.” Barracuda spat. “Not once, but twice. Charlene was taken from me by some jealous asshole because I stole his girl. Again, when a woman with a bright light shining from within her literally falls into your lap, and she’s gone in an instant, killed by the same man. Feel that, and then come talk to me. I left because I wanted to die, all while taking the whole world with me.”
“We would have helped you carry that burden,” I roared. “You put that shit on your family, and you let them help you. You let them help hold you up when you can’t stand anymore. You let them burn the whole fucking world down for you until your pain subsides just a little. We are your family, and you left us when you needed us the most.” I shot up and pounded my fist on the table. “We are family!” My chest heaved, and spit spewed from my lips. “Family does not run away when things are hard. When the past comes back to haunt you, you gather your brothers and face it together.”
Barracuda slowly stood. “This is why I knew I could leave and knew my family was going to be okay. You are the reason why I didn’t worry.” Barracuda sighed. “You are also the reason why I came back.” Barracuda raised his finger and pointed it at me. He turned slowly and pointed at each guy. “You all are the reason why I knew I could leave and come back. I shouldn’t have left, but I’m back now, and I’ll never make that mistake again. Grief clouded my faith in you all, and it almost took me out.”
“But it didn’t,” Rebel called. “We may not have been physically there with you, but we were with you. You didn’t punk out because you knew your family was here. Waiting.”
Jet laid his hand on the table. “I’m fucking pissed you left, brother, but at the end of the day, we just wanted you to come back. None of us know what you’re going through, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help you.”
Barracuda closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay. I didn’t know what to do other than go.”
“But you’re back now,” I grunted. “You’re back now, and you’re here to fucking stay. We’re gonna take out Menace, and you’re gonna be the one to pull the trigger to put that piece of shit in the ground once and for all.” It was gonna take me a bit to get over the fact that Barracuda thought he had to leave, but at the end of the day, family is family no matter what.
No matter what.
I grabbed the gavel from in front of Barracuda and slammed it on the table. “All in favor of Barracuda taking his chair back?” I thundered.
Every hand rose, and a chorus of “ayes” went up.
I grabbed the gavel by the head and handed it back to Barracuda with the handle toward him. “This is yours if you want it, brother.”
Barracuda looked down at the gavel. He grasped the handle and took it from me. He slammed it down on the table. “Family forever,” he whispered.
Family forever.
*
