Themis hovered over the clubhouse for a moment, unsure of what she was expecting to happen. The affair smelled fishy, but she couldn’t hear anything from the outside. No shouting, no gunfire, no blinding sirens or blaring radios. There was a brief deliberation about checking on Carmen and Katrine, but in the end she decided that they could probably handle themselves. Besides, she had been given orders. She returned to the bar, where Odin was waiting for her at the far corner.
There was music playing from the speakers, and a girl was on the stage swirling the pole. She was short but stacked with cute teardrop shaped tits and beautiful wide hips. Her puffy nipples were exposed, her bra thrown off stage to Odin’s lap. She turned around and Themis caught her gaze following her shapely ass, barely contained by her tiny G-string that was riding so far up between her cheeks it might as well not even be there. Odin was sporting a bulge, and Themis politely ignored it as she knew she was not far from one herself.
“Take a seat,” the President said. And so Themis did. Odin rummaged through her jacket for a moment, before taking something out and shoving it against Themis’ chest.
She picked it up, finding it to be a loose envelope filled with a stack of bills. How much she couldn’t say exactly and counting them there felt like bad manners. But it was certainly a substantial bunch.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Your sister raised some funds,” Odin said. “From all of us. To get you back on your feet.”
“Thanks. Who’s the girl?” Themis asked, glancing at the stage.
“Fresh blood. I’m holding tryouts today.”
“Oh yeah? What happened to Candy?”
“She goes by Justinia again,” Odin snorted. “She cashed out and went back to school. Working on her PhD.”
“On what, slipping out of her bra without hands?”
“Heh, neuroscience.”
Themis shut her mouth, suddenly feeling bad for the joke. She only knew Candy from the neck down, and always admired her from afar. They had barely talked at all while Themis and Artie prospected. She dreamed of a lapdance from her, or more. But prospects don't get lap dances. She was lucky they even let her watch. Still, Candy was nice and hot as all hell. She would be missed.
“Good for her,” Themis said.
“Yeah. Anyway, we got to talk,” Odin said.
“You and I?” Themis asked.
“You see anyone else here?”
Themis gestured at the stripper, on her knees with her back turned, twerking. But Odin dismissed her with a hand gesture.
“You just got back from doing time,” Odin said, sternly. Themis did not need to be reminded, but she shook her head without saying anything. “You are at a crossroads in your life, Themis. I’m sure you don’t see it because you are young and stupid, and you think you are invincible. I know what that's like. Believe it or not, I was young too once.”
She took a pause, staring Themis down. The younger girl was unsure on whether she was expected to say something back or not. Finally, Odin took her glasses off and fell back against her chair.
“I knew your father, you know,” she sighed. “Before you were born. We were young, the club was new. We needed money quick. We stole his truck, me and Katrine.”
“Is that supposed to be-” Themis tried to say.
“Shut the fuck up,” Odin cut her off. “I’m trying to teach you something here. The romance ‘Ride free or die’ bullshit… It’s just that. A pipe dream. This ain’t no Sons of Anarchy, no Easy Rider. We break things. We hurt people.”
“I know,” Themis said.
“I know you know,” Odin sighed. “I’m just saying. It’s easy to hurt a stranger. Someone who’s trying to hurt you, or yours. But sometimes we hurt people who don’t have it coming. People with families, like your father. With children, like you. That ain’t easy. Not everyone can do it.”
“What are you saying?” Themis cocked an eyebrow. “You think I can’t do what needs doing?”
“I’m trying to spare you from the responsibility of having to do it. Hurting people, killing. It’s not good for you. It messes you up. The old guard, we know it well. You, Artie, Jess, you think you know it. But you don’t know shit about fuck. I had to learn that the hard way, I didn’t have a choice. But I’m giving you one, right now. You did time. If you go down this path with us, you will need to do more, sooner or later. I need to know that you are absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, sure that you can do it. If not, I don’t want you taking pro bono work with Carmen. I don’t want you taking any work, period. You understand me?”
“No, I don’t understand,” Themis exclaimed, slamming a first against the arm of her chair. “Are you asking me to quit? The day after I earned my patch?”
“I’m not asking you to quit,” Odin said. “I’m asking you how deep you want to be. How far you are willing to go.”
Themis did not need to think things through. She had been doing nothing but thinking while she was inside. She thought back to her youth when she was alone, a scared little girl butting heads with the world. The sisterhood of the club, the work they did for the people, for the city… It was everything. And she’d do everything for it.
“All the way,” she said, looking dead at Odin’s eyes.
The older woman sighed, and dismissed her with a wave of her hand, getting up shortly after. She whistled to the stripper, and gestured at her to get down. Then she walked away, pausing as she started climbing the stairs to her office.
“The patch on your back,” she shouted from across the room. “It’s not a shield. It’s a target.”
Themis looked back at her and sighed. “Understood,” she said, her lip tense.