Page 72 of Glacier

With a few final mutters and the scrape of a chair, the brothers finally settled.

I turned to look at them. “We need to check your cuts.”

A cacophony of questions erupted, their voices overlapping.

I held up a hand, cutting through the noise. “Shut the fuck up. I’ll explain, but only after Zero’s checked them. Line up. The quicker we’re done, the faster I can fill you all in.”

The brothers lined up for Zero. He checked them one by one, his expression unreadable as he worked.

Another two bugs were found and disposed of.

The brothers they were discovered on paled, their expressions fearful at what it meant. I knew exactly how they felt. I had that same sinking feeling, but mine was tempered by red-hot rage.

“Right.” I dragged a hand down my face, then squared my shoulders. “Now that Zero’s found the last of the bugs, let me fill you in on what’s been happening the last few days.”

I told them everything—from the moment we found the first bug to now.

They were angry. The room was thick with testosterone and temper. They were baying for blood—blood I couldn’t give them because Roberta was still in the wind.

Raising my hand for silence, I wait until the noise died down. “I get it, brothers. I do. I was pissed as hell when I found out we’d been compromised.” Pausing, I let my gaze sweep the room. “Trust me, I know. But until Zero finds more information on Roberta, there’s nothing else we can do.”

A few of them shifted restlessly, but they listened.

“Now, you all know about the meeting we had with the Grave Prowlers, Saint’s Outlaws, and Queens Wraiths. You know what to look out for. If you see anything the slightest bit suspicious, you bring it to an Officer. We’ll handle it like we always do.”

I let the silence stretch for a beat before asking, “Why?”

I didn’t have to wait long before they erupted, their voices shaking the walls. “Because we’re fucking Kings and—”

I nodded once, sharp and satisfied.

“—Nobody fucks with the Kings.”

“That’s right, brothers. Nobody fucks with the Kings. Now, we’re down several Tarts. What do you want to do about it?”

I was surprised to see Tramp lift a hand. The brother was ex-Amish, and as far as I knew, he didn’t use the Tarts. Not sure where he went for relief, but it wasn’t here.

“Pres.” Tramp cleared his throat. “I think I can speak for all the brothers when I say we don’t trust the Tarts. At least not until Zero’s done a thorough background check on Wanda and Vera.”

His chair creaked as he shifted his weight. “And I’d suggest that, going forward, we take a leaf out of the Saint’s Outlaws’ book and have all future Tarts vetted. A full background check before they even step foot on the property. It might not have prevented this, but I’d rather know we’ve done everything we can to mitigate something like this happening again.”

He paused before adding, “I’d also like to put forward that you officially put Rita in charge of them. I know she already runs the clubhouse and the Tarts unofficially, but it would be better for any new girls to know who’s in charge.”

“Thanks, Tramp. Let’s vote. If you’re good with his suggestions, or if you’ve got a problem with them, now’s the time to speak up. Otherwise, we’re voting.”

I swept my gaze around the room. The brothers stared back, stoic and angry. Their silence spoke volumes. The anger in the room was palpable.

I tipped my chin at Bet. “Take the votes, brother. It’s an aye from me, with one amendment: we pay Rita a better salary.”

Bet made a note.

I angled my chin towards Lawless.

“It’s an aye from me,” he rumbled.

We continued around the room until every vote was logged. It was unanimous.

The Tarts would be vetted, with full background checks carried out. Something we should have done from the start. Rita was promoted to clubhouse manager. It was what she already did, but now she had the official title and the pay to match.