Page 85 of Tank’s Weakness

Taking a life doesn’t affect me like it does some people. For me it’s just another thing that needs done, and I don’t lose any sleep over it.

“I’m sorry. None of this should have come onto us. I’ve been putting this off when I shouldn’t have,” I tell my brothers, looking each of them in the eye.

“Killing him would cause issues. The cops would immediately know where to look,” Bear says thoughtfully.

“Fuck it. I can go to jail. We just need to make it look like self-defense.” I shrug.

The thought of being away from my girl for any time makes my heart ache, but I could do it.

Besides, they have conjugal visits and shit, right?

Smoke runs his hands over his face. “I can’t have you being locked up. Your role with the club is too important for you to check out for a couple of years if you were convicted.”

“Someone could always take the fall,” Fox muses.

I shake my head. “This is my mess. Someone else shouldn’t have to do the time for my crime.”

“Stop being noble and shit. We can’t lose you,” Gunner grumbles.

“Fox, were you able to get the cops any information? Last I asked, they were stalled trying to get information from the porn sites,” Smoke asks.

Fox nods. “I sent them reports anonymously, but that doesn’t mean they will use them. That’s the tricky thing about evidence. They can’t be handed it but have to find it themselves to verify it.”

I turn toward Smoke. “Just let me take him out. I can make it look like an accident, and then all this bullshit goes away.”

“That’s not true. The footage would still be out there of you and your girl. She would still be without a job. Kelly’s trial would still happen. I would still be under investigation. Both Kelly’s and my reputations tarnished. There’s too much red tape for it to be that cut and dry,” Crow says quietly.

Guilt eats at me.

How do I fix this?

“This isn’t all on you. You know that, right?” Preach murmurs.

“If Delaney had never came up to me…” I trail off, unable to let the words leave my mouth.

“Is she worth it? Is she worth all the bullshit, and does she make you happy?” Smoke asks.

“Yes,” I say with no hesitation.

“Then stop apologizing. This isn’t on either of you or any of us,” Smoke says.

Taz clears his throat, making us look his way. “I think we should lock down and close all the doors. Give this dickhead no more access to hurt us. At least until we can make our move.”

“That’s not a bad idea. If he can’t find us and we have our heads to the ground, he can’t reach us,” Gunner says thoughtfully.

“The girls will hate it. The kids will love it, though. Any excuse to skip school,” Mac muses.

“Is everyone in favor of locking down?” Smoke asks.

All of us say, “Aye.”

“Then that’s settled. Let’s go break it to everyone. Then once our families are here we can reconvene to figure out how to safely kill this guy without Tank having to be locked up,” Smoke says.

“I’ll do it. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but we do,” Smoke says before banging the gavel.

“Good luck convincing your girl to pack a bag and move in here for a few days.” Bear chuckles.