A New Ride Begins

Chapter 22

TOMMY'S POV:

Patton sits in front of me, a cigar hanging from his lips as he counts the money I brought in. I lean back in the hard, wooden chair smugly, a satisfied smile on my face.

Patton winds a rubber band around the bills and drops the bundle in his top drawer with a thud before relaxing in his own chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have to admit, Jimmy. You've surprised me these last few weeks. I didn't think you'd be able to hack it here with the big boys, but you've proven me wrong."

"I told you I was good for it," I respond as I lean forward in my chair.

This is it. I know this is the moment I have been waiting for, the moment they allowed me into the folds of their club. It takes everything in me not to pump my fist in the air in victory. This bullshit is almost over. I'll get to go home. To my new family. To Ellie.

"So, you did."

Patton seems to study me a minute, his fingers pulling gently on his untrimmed goatee.

"We're going to hold a vote tonight. If the boys think you're ready, then we will patch you in. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like it's about time," I reply with a grateful laugh as I reach out to shake his hand.

*~*~* CHIBBS POV*~*~*

The last thing I want to be thinking about as Valencia, head crow-eater, bent her thong adorned arse in my face, is Tommy Teller Padilla. Yet as my phone vibrates against the couch cushion some fucked up intuition tells me that it's Tommy. And damn it all to hell, looking over at the flashing screen, I see that I'm right.

I reach out and grab Valencia's hips, pulling her into my lap as I nuzzle my face next to hers, my voice deep in her ear.

"I'll need just a minute, love. I need to take this call."

Valencia ground her ass into my lap before standing up, as if to show me what I'd be missing while she was gone- Like I don't already know. I grab the phone and press the answer key, cursing Tommy in my head like I've done a million times before this moment.

"See you got the phone," I answer in lieu of a typical hello.

"Know what else I'm getting? Patched in," Tommy replies in a hushed tone.

"When?" I ask- my interest piqued.

This meant this whole charade was almost over. I won't have to live with the immense guilt that eats away at me every day knowing I've put Jax's boy in the line of fire for club business.

"They're voting now. It's a done deal, Chibbs. It's almost over."

"Don't do anything stupid until you know where their lab is. No club tattoos. No initiations. We need to plan this right without getting you too far in."

"I'm already pretty fucking far in."

"Too bloody far if you're asking me."

"I wasn't."

"Listen boyo, just keep your head clean. Keep me updated."

The line goes dead on the other end just as Tig walks through the door.

"Saw V outside waitin' on you. Didn't know you were still tappin' that keg."

"Show some respect, man. You're speaking about a lady."

"If that's what you wanna call her," Tig laughs. "Anyway, you seen Cal around? The tool's been MIA all week. I'm starting to think he might've gotten in trouble."

"I'm sure if he was in trouble, he'd call us to bail him out."

Tig seems to think this over, scratching the side of his graying head of dark, curly hair.

"You're probably right."

"Sure I am. Now get the hell outta here and send Valencia in."

Tig laughs, shaking his head as he walks through the door and whistles for my girl. She walks passed Tig with a scowl- They'd never much liked each other- And then saunteres her way over to me as the door closed.

"Now, where were we?"

CAL'S POV*~*~*~

I have been many things in my day. A drug dealer. A theif. An adulterer. A woman beater. A drunk. But one thing I have never in my life been is a pussy.

I knew as soon as Tig and Chibbs chose that son of a bitch Tommy over me, that being a SON was not in my future. These weren't my people like I had thought they were. They would always be considered Teller trash- All of them- Because even a dead Jackson Teller had more control over their lives than they did themselves.

Bunch of pansies.

But not me. I made a decision the first night that piece of shit sauntered into my town and side swiped me like a coward. I was going to take Thomas Teller down, one way or another. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that this will be the best way to ensure his demise.

"What do you want?" A small, scraggly guy asks as I wait patiently in the doorway of the only place people knew these guys to be.

"I need a meeting with Patton. I have some information that I think he's going to find particularly interesting."

"Oh yeah? Who's asking?"

"A sinnin' SON."

The man looks thoughtful as he pulls back the side of his vest, revealing the handle of a gun on his hip. Then, he chuckles as if finally getting the joke.

"You wait right here," he says, before disappearing behind a heavy metal door.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," I reply, truly meaning every word because revenge, my friends, is fucking sweet.