“Rock’s going to take some up to the Harley store in Phoenix as well. I rang them today and they’re happy to assist. Oh, and I’ve got the prospects delivering them to the other chapters.”
“It’s going good, girl.” Though tired, Sam manages a smile. I don’t think any of us knew what we would be taking on when we agreed to manage this. The club has already had to find room to store the donated prizes.
“Glad to find you here.” Dollar, the treasurer comes over. “Had an idea. Young Tyler’s story is one that would touch a few hearts. Reckon we should set up one of those Just Giving or Go Fund Me accounts. Want me to look into it?”
I bite my lip. A poker run is one thing, but asking strangers to donate? And so far, we’ve kept the details of who it’s for and why out of it, just in case it gets back to Ron. “It’s a good idea, Dollar, but that makes it public. Surely we’d have to put details of Tyler’s sickness and identity up?”
He looks at me sharply, opens his mouth, then snaps it shut fast. He looks around the room, then turns back and pats my hand. “An idea we’ll revisit shortly.” And with that enigmatic statement, he gets up and leaves.
Sam raises her eyebrow and watches him go. “He knows something we don’t.”
“He does that,” I reply, thoughtfully.
Drummer appears from the direction of his office. “Alex? Got a moment?”
“I’ll watch Tyler,” Sam offers. “I was just going to get Amy from Jayden and give her some lunch.”
Thanking her, I go to see what Drummer wants. As I enter his office, he directs me to sit down.
“Sam tells me that the arrangements for the poker run are going well.” After making his statement he examines me. “And you, Alex. You healed up now?”
The stitches have been removed, and now it’s just a waiting game for the last remaining soreness to go. “Mostly, yes, Drum.”
“We discussed before you doing some of the management activities at Satan’s Angels. Are you ready for that?” His fingers toy with his beard. “Road’s getting into a bit of a muddle. He’s okay with the money side, but the girls are running rings around him, all wanting the best slots or take the same time off, and he’s unable to say no.”
I suppress my smile. I might not have been there long, but I had gotten to know the girls a little. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Later in the evening when drink has loosened the men’s wallets, the tips can be bigger. No one wants to go on in the earlier slots if they can help it.
I really don’t mind helping them out. As long as I keep my clothes on, that is. There’s only one concern. “What about Tyler?” Before, when I was working, I had no concerns leaving him with his aunt.
“I’ve spoken to Sam. She’s happy to watch over Tyler while you’re at the club. Scheduling can be done before the club opens, and you don’t need to stay there late, just long enough to sort out the girls. And, Alex, I’m hoping this won’t be for long. You’ve heard about Heart?”
Of course I have. The girls all miss Crystal and have told me about her, and of her husband who’s yet to come to terms with her loss. He’s Amy’s father, but sadly he’s had nothing to do with her since the accident. So I just nod.
“Well, I’ve just had a conversation with him. Heart’s coming back, and I want him to replace Dart at the club, and the work ain’t physical so it won’t be too taxing. It will do him good to have some focus again. He’ll be back next week, so this will only be temporary. If you can work this week, and then until Heart knows enough to take over.”
Actually, I’m relieved this won’t be a permanent position. “That suits me fine, Drum. As the date for the run comes closer, it’s going to get really hectic.”
“Of course it is. And I don’t want Sam overdoing it. Fuck me, she’ll be more than six months pregnant by the end of January.”
“I’ve noticed her looking tired, Drummer. I’ll watch her more carefully and make sure she’s not doing too much.”
“Appreciate that, Alex. Fuckin’ appreciate that.”
There’s no point in delaying, so I decide to start my new job that afternoon.
Aware eyes might be on the club looking for me, I drive down with Road in a discreet SUV and park around the back. That first step into Satan’s Angels is harder than I expected, and the prospect puts a comforting hand on my shoulder as I stop dead, my eyes going to the poles on the stage. While I hadn’t enjoyed taking my clothes off in public, I had loved the freedom that twirling around the pole gave me, and have to admit, had been inspired by the adulation I’d received. It was the one thing I could do, and now that had been taken from me.
As I stand, unable to move, realising I’ll never again be entertaining people and showing off my pole dancing skills, Road squeezes his fingers.
“Tomorrow we’ll come earlier,” he says. “Bring a leotard or something, you can dance and take some time on the pole. Keep your hand in, at least.” Today I’m dressed in a skirt and blouse, wanting to give off a managerial vibe as if I know what I’m doing, whereas in truth I’m banking on my brain to get to grips with work that I’ve no experience with.
I gaze up at him in amazement, surprised he’d so quickly determined how I was feeling and the reason for it. “I’m not sure I can do that yet.” My hand gently rubs at the still healing scars on my chest.
He turns me to face him. “Whenever you’re ready. Hell, anytime you want, I’ll open up for you and you can dance to your heart’s content.”
His caring offer puts a smile back on my face. “Hey, I think we’ve got work to do. Want to show me what I’m supposed to be doing?”
His mouth turns up at the corners, and he does a mock bow to show me the way. “After you, boss.”
While we’re not open, it’s safe for me to go anywhere I want in the club. When the customers come in, I’ll make myself scarce and stay in the office. Acquainting myself, I quickly find the scheduling is indeed in a mess, and quickly have a plan for the next few days. Then, when the girls come in, I present it to them, to a chorus of protests and excuses.
“Hey, I can’t do the first spot tomorrow. I’ve got to go to the parents’ evening at the school.”
“And I need to leave early tonight. My kid’s got tonsillitis.”
Now that one I can slap down. “Bambi, your son had his tonsils out last year.” I clearly remember her telling us in great detail. She’s more likely got a hot date tonight. “And Karma, if you needed time off, you should have told us in advance.” No wonder Road had such difficulty with the girls.
But I’m firm with them. I leave them sulking, but sense I’ve gained their respect as soon as they saw I wasn’t going to back down. They definitely need someone who’ll keep them in line, and I hope Heart’s up to the job when he takes over. Having heard the girls talk about him, he’s got a reputation for being a big softy. If he is, they’ll run him ragged. Knowing Heart was so named for his big heart, I do have to wonder how he’ll get on deflecting the excuses the girls fling at him. I look forward to meeting the man and finding out.
Dart laughs when I tell him next time he calls and seems pleased I didn’t take their nonsense. He’s also over the moon when I tell him Heart’s coming back, but like me, he has some concerns about how he’ll adjust to being back in the place he last lived with his wife.
Chapter Thirty-One
Dart…
I don’t get much sleep Friday night. In my head, I’ve been going over and over our plans, trying to think of everything that could go wrong, and if it does, what we can do to manage it. I’d been worrying most about getting Thompson to the destination we’d planned, but Lost was the one who’d come through on sorting that out.
Unlike the Tucson chapter, where we avoid having anything to do with the cops and have none on our payroll, Snake had decided to pull a couple into the San Diego fold. For now they’re still getting a retainer, remaining ignorant that the new president is considering cutting them loose. He’s managed for one to arrange to repor
t a sighting of Alex directly to Thompson. He’s sure to believe another cop, so we’ve little doubt he’ll be hot off the mark to follow up on that lead. Thompson should be given the info just after eleven. We’re leaving at ten to be at the Valley Center location well ahead of him.
As I enter the clubroom brothers are already milling around, and there’s an air of excitement about the run later today.
I reel as Lost slaps my back. “Look at this, VP. Brothers are already awake and getting their shit organised. You made a good call. Needed something like this to make us feel like a family again.”
Yeah, from the general atmosphere, it’s all looking good. Even Scribe’s grinning as he talks to Brakes, and Dusty is laughing at something Token has said. Seeing Salem walking in through the door, I check my phone. Time’s getting on, it’s almost ten o’clock now. When Pennywise enters, pushing the three prospects in front of him, I go to join them.
I feel like I’m stripping naked as I slide off my cut and hand it to Al. Salem gives his to Lloyd, and Pennywise's goes to Dave. If anyone checks any CCTV later, they’ll see the right number of bikers, and if they look closely enough, all the patched members’ cuts.
“One scratch on my bike and you’ll never patch in,” I warn Al with a growl.
With equally serious faces, Salem and Pennywise issue similar dire threats of their own. Then we all pass our bike keys over. If everything works, my reward will be a world without Thompson in it, and Alex a free woman later today.
“Good luck.” Lost comes over, and that’s all he says. No one but he knows the detail of what we’re doing today.
And then that’s it. With no fanfare, we quietly leave.
We’re silent in the truck. Having gone over the plan so many times before, there’s no need for further discussion. We drop Pennywise off and then continue up to the empty cabin Salem had found, hiding the truck in a hidden-away parking spot he suggested. Using a handy tool, I disengage the lock and go inside the cabin. Putting on latex gloves, I then proceed to make it look like somebody’s been staying here. Once I’m happy, I carefully place a pamphlet from the hospital Tyler used to go to, and an appointment card for this afternoon in a not too obvious place. It’s the bait to get Thompson chasing back to the city.
Then I go outside and prepare to wait with Salem.
We were right. The tip-off’s got Thompson responding fast, obviously not wanting to lose Alex again. He arrives minutes before we expected him to. We grin at each other and place bets on how long it will take. Salem wins. Thompson was faster than I thought, running out of the cabin and back to his car, which tears out of the driveway, spinning gravel and dust. Once he’s away, I run back inside to check, before making my way back to our truck.
Thompson’s found the lure I’d left and plainly swallowed it up.
With no need to follow him, I wait until he’s out of sight before pulling the SUV out of its spot.
Salem’s grinning like a loon as he picks up his phone. “Phase one completed, Brother. And he’s coming your way fast. Best get yourself in place. He’s speeding.” He then tells him the colour and make of the vehicle Thompson’s driving.
As he ends his call, I frown. “That shot’s not gonna be easy.”
“Pennywise is fuckin’ good at this. He’ll make it okay. Spot he’s chosen is only five hundred yards away. Piece of cake, VP.”
I wish I had his confidence. After everything, if Pennywise misses, all our planning was for nothing.
“And anyway,” the enforcer continues, “the speed we saw him go out of here will increase the chances that tyre blowing out has the results we’re looking for. That’s a dangerous road to take fast, Brother.”
I need to know for certain and see with my own eyes. I increase the speed, but keep to the limit, not wanting to draw any attention today. Ten minutes later and Salem’s phone rings. “I’ll tell him.”
Unable to discern anything from the tone of his voice, I slap my hand on the steering wheel and demand impatiently, “Just tell me already.”
“Worked like a charm.”
And fuck me, we’re coming up on the evidence now. The guardrail’s bent where the car must have clipped it when it went over. It’s a long fucking drop. There are no other cars around, so I allow myself to slow.
Salem’s craning his head out of the passenger window. “Can’t see the car, but there’s black smoke billowing up. Car’s burning up, Brother. Couldn’t have asked for a fuckin’ better result.”
Burn well enough there won’t be anything left to investigate. Best fucking outcome I could have asked for. I’d like to have made sure, but the likelihood of Thompson surviving the crash was extremely small. And we can’t stop or hang about.
We go on to the pick-up point and pull over. Pennywise is nowhere to be seen.
“What the fuck?”
Salem’s phone rings again. “Okay, we’ll stay put.” He turns to me. “Got your wish, Brother. Pennywise decided to jog down aways to check it out. Thompson was thrown clear, and from the way he’s landed, he obviously broke his neck. No fucker can survive with their head facing backwards.”
I’m still letting out a deep sigh of relief as the back door opens and Pennywise gets in. He’s panting from exertion having had to run a third of a mile and then back.
As soon as he catches his breath, he tells us, “It’s burning up fast. Best get out of here in case someone comes to investigate. Oh, and, thought you’d want this, Dart. It was in his pocket.”
As a piece of card flutters onto my lap, I see it’s the appointment card I’d left as bait. The fake evidence that could have exposed it wasn’t an accident. I don’t have the words to thank him. He shrugs it off and tells me to get moving.
He doesn’t need to tell me twice. As I shift into drive and put my foot down, I almost can’t believe it. Thompson is dead, and Alex can come out of hiding.
“Fuck, that was fun, VP. He must have been doing a hundred or more. Didn’t have a fuckin’ chance when that tyre blew up.” Now breathing easier, Pennywise seems hyped up.
Salem and I exchange grins.
When we draw up at the beach, we find the prospect, Lloyd, who’s been left on duty watching the bikes. As we draw to a stop, he runs to the truck and approaches us carrying our cuts reverently in his hands. While we slide them on, he also hands over our keys.
Salem goes across and inspects his bike. “What the fuck!”
Lloyd goes pale.
Stomping back over, the enforcer’s face is thunderous. Then he smirks. “Just fuckin’ with ya, Prospect.”
I double over, chuckling at the look on Lloyd’s face. I think he was close to shitting himself. When my mirth fades and I straighten, I see a man checking out the bikes. There’s a Harley that’s not one of ours a little further along the beach, an older model Sportster. The man’s wearing jeans and motorcycle boots, but no cut.
Lloyd notices what I’m looking at and steps forward with a scowl.
“I got this,” I tell him. As Salem and Pennywise head on down to the beach, I walk to join the newcomer. He’s a tall man, probably my height, and has muscular arms which are covered in tattoos. As I get closer, he notices me approaching and raises his hands as if to show he’s no threat.
I lift my chin and flick my wrist, signalling that he needn’t be concerned. He waits for me to get close enough to speak, and now in range I can read some of the writing on one of his arms, Live to Ride, and above that, the words, Semper Fi.
I nod toward his bike. “Early 90s?” I admire it. It’s in factory state, hasn’t been altered or customised at all. Hard to find a blank canvass like that.
“Yeah, I’ve just gotten it. Fucker who owned it kept it in fairly good shape. No gimmicks at all, just how I like it. 883 bored out to 1200. Didn’t take much more than a service to bring it up to scratch.” He jerks his head toward our Harleys. “Nice selection here.”
“You ride with a club?”
He grins and looks around him. Yeah, p
retty foolish question as there’s no one else there. “Only clubs that I know are into too much shit for me. Or are just full of weekend warriors.”
Well, we were into shit, but we’re now trying to stay clean. “We’re having a cookout on the beach. Wanna come join us for a bit?”
He steps back and looks at me sharply, obviously thinking I’m setting him up to walk into a trap.
Ignoring his reaction, I continue, “Satan’s Devils is all about the brotherhood. We eat, live and sleep bikes.” I’ve become pretty good at summing people up, and something tells me that might interest him.
“And what else are you into?” he asks, suspiciously.
“Earning an honest wage.”
He looks incredulous.
“Some of my brothers work in the auto-shop. We’ve got a lot of custom work going on.” I point to his arms. “Nice work, there. We’ve also got a tattoo shop, and a strip club.”
His face relaxes into a quick grin at the last. Yeah, he’s just as much a man as the rest of us.
“Hey, what say you come join us? Grab a bite to eat, talk bikes with the boys?”
I’ve almost got him, but then he steps back and makes a move to his bike. When he walks, he favours his left leg. I want to keep him talking, so I wave my hand toward it. “Get that overseas?”
He sees where I’m looking and pulls up his pants, allowing me to see a prosthesis, similar to the one Peg wears. “Nah, stupid fuckin’ woman knocked me off my bike when I was on leave. Compounded her error by running over my leg. I was going to be a lifer, but they gave me a medical discharge.”
“Noticed the tattoo. Marine?”
“Yeah.” He looks into the distance, and regret passes over his face. It’s easy to see he misses being part of a team.
“Look, I’ll be straight with ya. It’s up to you, but I reckon you’re looking for a home. A brotherhood to belong to. If I’m wrong, I’ll apologise to ya.”
He shrugs, and there’s that look of longing on his face again. “Can’t say you’re wrong.”
“Then come join us, see if we’ve got something you like. Won’t lie to ya, we don’t accept new members easy. See that guy there?” I indicate Lloyd. “He’s happy to do that shit job of looking after the bikes. We may, or may not, let him down for some food. He’s a prospect, and given all manner of shit jobs for a year or so, until we have sufficient confidence and trust to vote him in.”
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