Free Proven (Motorcycle Club Romance): Axel and Paige 3 (Fallen Idols Motorcycle Club Book 8) by Savannah Rylan Page B

punching bag used to be. I guess the irony fit. As the club members filed passed, and headed into the church to place the final vote, each spit at Rocco’s feet. Pops and I were the last two to go in.
     
    As I moved passed his limp form, I sighed, spitting at his feet as the others had done.
     
    Fuckin’ Rocco.
     
     

 
    TWO
    AXEL
     
     
    I took my seat next to Pops at the table before glancing around the room. Everyone looked ready to boil over, and I had no doubts as to which way this vote would go down, not after all the evidence Trista found, and Rocco’s confession.
     
    Rogue spoke up. “We know why we’re here. Just so everyone is one hundred percent sure about their vote tonight, Trista’s gonna go over a few pieces of information.”
     
    Trista nodded and stood. “A lot of shit went down in the last forty-eight hours. As you can see, Rocco isn’t at our table tonight. That’s because he’s strung up under the stairs.”
     
    Pops looked at her confused, “Why?”
     
    Trista smirked; girl had a thing for pain when it was deserved. “Turns out, Black wasn’t after Ace, they wanted Rocco. He’d been selling the parts to them all along. And then, they had the stupidity to go around and sell again, right on our turf. That Red Dragon guy with the Lexus? It was ours. But he bought it from Black, and had no idea where it came from.”
     
    Rogue sighed, “And, how do you know this is all true? That they’re not turning us on ourselves?”
 
    “Red Dragons wouldn’t play that way. Plus, we caught Rocco in the act. He was planning on heisting one of the cars we just grabbed from the show. We found him at the warehouse hotwiring the car. Preparing to drive away and never come back. Dirty fucking thief. He admitted he stole the engine, the cars, everything. Said it was time for someone else to run this club. Black pays more than Chen apparently. He wanted us to lose our connection with them, and he would have Black step in, all while pocketing the profits. That’s the last I heard from him, though.”
     
    Bones squinted at her. “Why?”
     
    She cracked her knuckles. “Because that’s when I started hitting him, until he couldn’t speak.”
     
    Rogue let out a weighed breath. “Alright. You all have the information you need. We’ll go around the room. Say your piece. It needs to be unanimous.”
     
    He turned to Trista. “There’s nothing more to say. Aye.”
     
    Ryder followed, his head lowered. “I agree with Trista. Nothing left to say. Aye.”
     
    Around the room the vote went, with everyone voting in the affirmative, myself included. Finally, it got to Pops.
     
    He sighed. “You know, normally, I’m all about second chances. I mean, we all fuck up. I know I have.” He scrubbed his forehead with his hand, rubbing his hands down his face and beard. “But this wasn’t a fuck up. This was intentional. And we can’t give a second chance here. My vote is aye.”
     
    Rogue stood. “So be it.  Ace, take him out to the back of the shop.”
     
    Pops stood, resting his weight on the table. “No, Rogan. I’m the Sergeant at Arms. This is my responsibility.”
     
    “No, Pops…” I tried, but he held up his hand to silence me.
     
    “You sure?” Rogue asked.
     
    Pops nodded once. “Yes. This is my job. The one I was voted to do all those years ago. And it’s the job I will continue to do now.”
     
    As much as I hated that the responsibility fell to Pops, I knew there was absolutely no way of talking him out of it. Loathing grew deep in my gut, burning a hole as memories of the years we spent ridin’ together, all the summer barbeques and nights drinkin’ together flashed through my mind.  We followed as Ace dragged Rocco outside, Pops and Rogue bringing up the rear. This was on me. I was the one who fuckin’ vouched for him when he wanted to patch in. I trusted him. Believed and fell for all of his lies.  His betrayal wasn’t just to the club. It was to me. That’s