Children of Fire (Complete)

seventy-three

Gideon

I wasn't comfortable with leaving Emerson alone at home, especially with only three men there to watch after her and make sure nothing happened. Of course, I knew she would be well taken care of in my absence, but the uneasy feeling in my gut never seemed to leave me these days, no matter where she or I was. I didn't expect this uneasy feeling to go anywhere until the problem at hand was taken care of, and that was the destruction of Callahan. The entire drive back to the clubhouse my mind was occupied with the usual shit, and I barely noticed how beautiful the scenery was. That was something I hoped I would never grow too busy for, taking time out to enjoy the things around me. I had been so wrapped up in everything going on lately that I had barely enjoyed the things I normally would-- lounging around with Emerson, the beautiful town I had grown up with, and the relationships I had built with my brothers. Right now, I'm making a promise to myself to not take those things for granted, because if I've learned anything over the past few years it's that time is short and I don't ever want to miss out on anything.

I pulled into the crowded clubhouse and made my way straight into Chapel, slamming the door shut behind me. It wasn't that I was in a bad mood, I just needed some time to clear my head, as if the ride here wasn't enough. The serenity that I could find in this room was something incomparable. Sure, there had been a lot of things happen here, a lot of bloodshed, sweat, and tears, but this was the room where me and my brothers had come to the decision on a lot of things. This was the room where I had claimed Emerson as my old lady, the room where I was patched in as President, and the room I had grown up admiring. I loved this room as if it were an actual member of my own club.

Things had gone surprisingly well the past few days. After the meeting with Maria, Jennings, and Mark, we also had confirmations from a few other associates. By now, we had more than enough people on our side that could help us to take out Callahan, but the name that was lighting up my phone screen at this moment was one I hadn't expected.

"Jonathan?" I asked, my eyebrows flying up. Jonathan had been working with Callahan for as long as I could remember. The two of us had graduated high school together, and had even been friends. I had no idea why he would be calling me now, unless someone had betrayed us and let it slip to Callahan what we were planning. My heart fell into the bottom of my stomach at the thought of Emerson being at home right now, and I had the strong urge to jump on my bike and hurry home to her.

"Hey, Gideon. How have you been?" He asked. Jonathan had never been one to second guess himself, always overly confident in anything he had ever done, so the anxious sound in his voice was something I definitely wasn't used to-- was it cause for concern?

"Okay. Not to be rude, but what are you calling me for?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my seat and digging in my pockets for a pack of cigarettes. I pulled one out and lit it, watching the smoke swirl around in the air.

"Okay, don't hang up on me... alright?" He asked. I did not like where this was going already, but I was intrigued so I remained silent and listened to what he had to say. "I know what you're planning."

Fuck. We were fucked. I had to get home now.

"I want in."

Wait, what? Was this some sort of fucking joke? Was he playing with me right now? I couldn't let him know how anxious I was right now, because if he was fucking with me it would give everything away. Everything we had worked so hard on the past few days would have been for nothing.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said simply.

"Cut the shit, Gideon. Maria and I have a certain level of trust. I overheard her conversation with Jennings, and told her I wanted in. She didn't tell me anything, but I put the puzzle pieces together and knew you were behind everything." Jonathan said simply.