Chains smiled. “I’m not mad. Thanks for taking care of him. I appreciate it.”
Ruby looped her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you, baby,” she said softly.
Gently, he pulled away. “Tonight’s crazy down there. If any of the out-of-towners don’t treat you right, tell me or one of the other brothers, okay?”
Confusion glazed her face. “Sure. Don’t you want to relax before you have to go out on club business?” She stepped toward him, but he walked away.
“I’m taking Thor for a walk, then decompressing before I head out with the others.” He looked over at her. “Nothing personal, okay?”
Ruby slowly nodded and shuffled to the door.
“Thanks again for watching Thor. I’ll take you to Leroy’s one night next week for some chow.”
A smile as bright as the morning sun lit up her face, and she rushed back over and hugged him, planting a soft kiss on his chest. “I’d love that.” She bounced out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Chains slumped against the window sill, looking at the mountains in the distance. Thoughts of Autumn filled his mind, and he couldn’t wait to be with her again. He felt a nudge and looked down, smiling at Thor as he put his paw on Chains’s knee.
“Hey there, buddy,” he said, giving Thor a good head scratch before bending down and hugging him close. “Your doc’s got a hold on me.” Thor whined. “Yeah … I can’t fuckin’ believe it either.” He stood up and snapped his fingers. “Let’s go.”
As they stepped into the hallway, a cacophony of noise enveloped them: laughter, squeals, moans, hard-punching metal music. Not wanting to take Thor through the great room, Chains walked to the back of the club and went out into the yard. Several men and women were fucking in the open while others were dancing to the beats of the music coming from large speakers attached to the fence. He hurried through the area, and soon they were far away from the madness behind them.
“Dude, wait up.”
Chains heard footsteps pounding behind him. Thor barked, his tail wagging briskly.
“Hey,” he said to Eagle as the biker came up to Chain’s side.
“You out for a walk?” Eagle handed Chains a joint. “This is the premium stuff we’re selling tonight.”
Nodding, he put the joint between his lips, and Eagle flicked the lighter and held it out to him. Chains bent forward, cupping his hand around the flame, then pushed back as he sucked in the smoke.
“After we get shit done tonight, we can party. I need to stay focused.” Eagle blew out a column of smoke. “I’ve got a bad feeling about the meeting.”
Cocking his head to the side, Chains said, “Why’s that? Those dudes are pretty straight. I checked and double-checked them out.”
Eagle ran his fingers through his light brown hair. “I don’t know, but I’ve learned not to ignore this shit when it hits me. We gotta go in easy and slow.”
“Agreed. We need to be there at least an hour before to scope out the area and take our positions.”
“Having some more members would be a good thing. I spoke to Paco about it.” Eagle tilted his head back and stared at the sky. “No moon or stars helps.”
“Always does, that’s why we plan it this way.”
Looking sideways at him, Eagle said, “Where the fuck were you last night? Thor was going crazy until Ruby slept in your room.”
Chains stubbed out the roach between his index finger and thumb, then shoved it in his pocket. The grass was pretty dry since the first snow hadn’t yet fallen, so he didn’t want to take any chances of a wildfire. “I got tied up.”
“With a citizen? Who the hell is she?” Eagle faced him, arms crossed over the chest.
“Just a chick,” he replied.
“Bullshit. It’s been so long since you hooked up with a citizen that I’ve lost track. So this—”
“Why the hell are you even keeping track?” he said, annoyance lacing his voice.
“’Cause I’m always looking to win some dough on different bets we have going on.” Eagle chuckled. “I lost a chunk of change on you—Paco, Goldie, and Army did too. We didn’t think you’d go as long as you did without fucking a citizen, especially at Sturgis last year. This sweet piece must be pretty special to have brought you down.”
“Don’t fuckin’ call her that,” he grumbled.
Eagle’s eyes widened. “Fuck, dude, you’re in deep.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just having fun.” But as he said the words, he knew he was full of shit, and by the way Eagle looked at him, Chains knew Eagle thought he was full of crap too.
“You planning to bring her around?” his friend asked.
Chains shrugged. “Not thinking that far ahead. What time do you got?”
Eagle snapped his fingers. “I bet you’re screwing around with Thor’s doc.” He busted out laughing. “Jigger was fuckin’ spot on. Am I right?”
“I asked what the damn time was, not whether you wanted to play question and answer.”
Chains whistled between his teeth and Thor came running.
“This doc must be a looker for you to piss all over your ‘no citizens’ rule.” Eagle glanced at the phone in his hand. “It’s nearly eight.”
“We should get going.”
Suddenly, Eagle’s ribbing stopped, and Chains saw his jaw clench. A serious and dark mood descended upon them as they made their way back; the only sound were boots crunching down on dried grass and leaves.
Chains lifted his chin at Paco and nine other Night Rebels—four more than had been originally scheduled to go. Three members from Fallen Slayers MC were standing by Paco’s SUV.
“Hey.” Knuckles, Fallen Slayers’ sergeant-at-arms, drew Chains into a bear hug. “It’s been too long, bro.”
“How’ve you been?” Chains asked.
“Good. We just sold a bunch of bike parts to a fence over in Larkspur. He did good by us. We made a mint.”
“It’s fuckin’ awesome to steal bikes from those damn weekend warriors,” Tats said. Another Fallen Slayers’ member, Tats was known to be precise and ruthless in executing a mission.
“They’re nothing but a bunch of wannabe outlaws,” Goldie said, disgust lacing his voice.
“Damn pussies—the lot of ’em,” Army added.
“It’s time to roll,” Paco said. He pointed to a black minivan. “I can fit nine in there”—he waved his hand at a brown SUV—“and the rest can go in Diablo’s cage.”
“I’ll be right back,” Chains said as he rushed into the clubhouse with Thor at his heels.
Once he gave Thor his treats and settled him down, he weaved through the crowd until he was back outside, then hurried over to the waiting cages. Jumping into the back seat of Diablo’s car, Chains slammed the door shut and the vehicle drove out of the lot into the darkness.
Chapter Seventeen
The cars bounced down the rough dirt street before turning onto Yellow Feather Road. Diablo and Paco killed the headlights on their cages, and the cars slowed down to almost a crawl as they approached the adobe.
Chains held the assault rifle in his hands as he scanned the area for any movement other than black-tail bobcats, lizards, and cactus mice. The adobe was on flat ground, but mountain lions were known to wander down from the nearby mesas and San Juan Mountain range when looking for food.
Diablo stopped, and Chains jumped out to pull open a large door, then the two cars drove into the garage. The bikers slid out of the cars and walked out of the garage after having shut the door. The wind—a biting, icy one—nudged them forward. Chains listened to the rhythm of boots on the gravel and to his breathing. Eagle’s right—something feels off. Chains felt his gut tighten, and a sixth sense whispered across his skin, raising the hair on the back of his neck. Darting his eyes around for the umpteenth time, he fell in beside Aztec.
“Do you feel it?” he asked in a low voice.
“Fuck yeah—something’s not right,” Aztec replied. “The others have gotta sense it too.”
&
nbsp; Paco gestured for Chains, Aztec, Eagle, and Knuckles to go around back as he pointed to the others to cover the sides and front of the adobe.
The house, the yards, the surroundings … everything was seeped in darkness. Chains carried the assault rifle over his right shoulder and the Kill Light—a large industrial flashlight—in his left hand as he trudged gingerly over the small rocks and sand.
Slowly, Eagle opened the back door, hinges creaking loudly in the inky quiet. Adrenaline surged through Chains as he followed his friend into the house; Aztec and Knuckles were so close behind him, he could feel their breath on his neck.
Once inside, the men paused and listened for movements in the adobe—the click of a gun, shuffling footsteps, low whispers—but they heard only silence. Chains motioned with his light that he was going to check out the room to the left. Eagle gestured that he’d join him; Chains nodded, then ventured into the space.
Fuck, it’s dark in here. He wished he could use his flashlight, but Chains didn’t want to risk it. Something about this transaction was off kilter. His gut—rarely wrong—told him that this deal would go very bad. No matter how hard he tried to shake that thought, it stuck like fly paper.
“I’m gonna clear the closet,” Chains whispered to Eagle, who softly clucked his tongue.
Standing to the side of the door, his rifle pointing toward it, Chains raised his foot and kicked it open. Eagle switched on the flashlight, illuminating the empty closet.
“Clear,” Chains said in a low voice.
From the sound of heavy boots on the floor and against the wood, Chains knew the other members were simultaneously checking the nooks and crannies of the house.
“Nothing’s fucked up here.” Paco’s voice echoed through the adobe.
The men gathered in the main room, and Diablo and Knuckles stood sentry by the front windows that looked out at the road.
“Tats, Crow, Brick, and Shotgun are gonna stay hidden in the brush to watch the outside. I want Diablo, Chains, and Eagle with me in this room.” Then, Paco directed Army and Knuckles, “Take the back room”—he pointed to Muerto, Goldie, Sangre, and Aztec—“and two of you in each of the other rooms. I got a feeling shit isn’t gonna go down the way it should.”
The men mumbled their agreement, then dispersed to the positions the vice president had assigned. Fifteen minutes later, the crunch of tires on gravel rang out.
“The fuckers are early and driving without headlights,” Diablo said as he stared out the window.
“Definitely planning to rip us off,” Chains said.
“Damn straight,” Paco replied as he stood by the side of the window. “We’ll check ’em for weapons when they get inside. I’m not takin’ any fucking chances.” He looked over his shoulder at Chains. “These assholes checked out okay?”
Chains blew out a breath. “Yeah. The only snag was that the old man has a son.” He snapped his fingers as he tried to remember the guy’s name, then it hit him. “Eric, that’s it. Anyway, the take on Eric is that he’s a greedy fucker who doesn’t negotiate straight. I brought this up at church, and Steel said that the old man was gonna be the one making the deal tonight.”
“I got a feeling the old man pussied out and sent in the heavy,” Eagle said.
“If it’s this asshole Eric, he’s gonna be in for a big surprise,” Diablo replied. “There’re three more cages coming. Fuck, they’re looking for a fight.”
Every muscle in Chains’ body stiffened as he walked over to the window and peeked out. Four SUVs approached the adobe.
“Fuck, we shoulda brought more brothers,” he said.
“We can handle them. No doubt the fuckers got strong firearms, but I brought some grenades just in case we have to use them,” Paco said. “We can’t check all of them for weapons since we’re outnumbered, so we only let three people in. The others will have to wait in the car. If they don’t want to, I’ll give the signal to Crow and Shotgun to nuke them. I don’t want to lose any brothers.”
The doors to one of the SUVs opened, and three men filed out and walked right up the steps to the front porch.
“Are they that fuckin’ stupid? Maybe this is gonna be real easy,” Eagle said.
“And they only had three people in the cage. What the fuck’s that all about?” Diablo said in a gruff voice.
“Maybe they don’t know those cages can fit seven assholes,” Paco said, and the bikers chuckled. “They’re almost at the door, so let’s take our positions.”
Diablo stayed in one corner of the room, Eagle took the opposite one, and Chains and Paco stood at the back; all men had their weapons drawn. Muerto, Goldie, and Army stood in the doorway of each room with assault rifles ready to fire.
The door creaked open.
“Fuck, it’s dark in here. The old man’s losing it,” a deep voice said as a medium-sized man walked into the room. “Put on some fucking lights.”
One of the other men groped along the wall, but before he found the light switch, Chains flipped on the solitary bulb overhead.
“What the fuck?” the medium-sized man said, his deep-set eyes scanning the room.
“Where the fuck’s Gary?” Paco growled.
“My dad’s sick. He sent me. I’m Eric.” The man extended his hand, but none of the bikers took it, and he let it drop limply down by his side. “Did you bring the weed?”
“The rest of your people keep their fucking asses in the cars. If anyone gets out, the deal’s off,” Paco said.
Eric’s eyes narrowed. “No fucking way. I’m not sticking around here without some backup.”
“Why do you need backup?” Chains asked.
The vein in Eric’s right temple bulged. “Because I’ve never done business with you guys. I don’t know if you’re going to rip me off.”
“If you did your fuckin’ homework, you’d know our reputation,” Diablo grumbled.
“This isn’t negotiable—either they stay out or we’re done here,” Paco said.
Eric glared, his gaze bouncing around the room as he fidgeted in place. “At least put those guns down.”
Chains grinned. “No fuckin’ way.”
“We’re here for business, not talking. Do you have the money?” Paco asked.
“Yes, but I want to see the product first.”
Paco nodded, then bent down with his gaze still fixed on Eric and the two men behind him and unzipped a duffel bag, taking out several large bags of pot. “We got four hundred pounds of pot, a hundred and fifty pounds of edibles, and fifty pounds of hash oil. That’s what the old man ordered.” Paco stood up, his gaze narrowing. “Now show us the fucking money.”
Eric licked his lips. “It’s in one of the SUVs.”
Paco’s remote radio crackled, and he brought it to his ear. “Yeah?”
Crow’s deep voice hissed over the remote. “There’re about ten fuckers getting outta the SUVs.”
“Hang on.” Paco turned to Eric. “Tell them to get their fucking asses back in the cages, or things aren’t going to turn out so well.”
Eric paused.
“Do it now, asshole,” Chains said.
“And you better show me the fucking money, or this deal is off,” Paco gritted.
Eric held up his hands. “Okay, take it easy. I just wasn’t sure what was going down so that’s why—”
“What the fuck does that mean? We made a damn deal with Gary. Your old man was cool with it. What the hell are you saying?” Chains took a few steps toward Eric. “You’re stalling and that can only mean one thing—you don’t have the fuckin’ money.”
“Or all of it,” Eagle added.
Beads of perspiration rolled down the stocky man’s face. “I think I’m going to be sick,” he groaned as he bent over.
The light caught the shine of a gun as Eric took it out from under his jacket. Suddenly the two other men whipped out their weapons as well.
“It’s war!” Paco said in the remote before throwing it down on the duffel bag.
F
our burly men busted through the front door, and Chains noticed that they wore the colors of the Pueblo, Colorado, gang, Los Malos. Outside, the sound of gunfire punctured the silence of the night.
“You fuckin’ asshole! You’re dead,” Chains yelled to Eric.
The bikers dropped to their bellies and slithered out of the room while Muerto, Goldie, and Aztec had their backs. When Chains saw Eric slip out the front door, rage burned through him.
“The fucker’s trying to leave. I’m gonna get him. You okay without me?” Chains asked Paco as bullets lanced in the air around them.
“Go get him!”
The rounds of ammunition flying around the house sounded like a war zone. Shotgun and Tats were running toward the front door, while Crow and Brick had guns pulled as they grabbed three guys out of one of the SUVs. Chains saw several downed Malos writhing on the ground, their weapons nowhere to be seen.
Dust scattered beneath Chains’s boots as he ran toward his brothers. He saw Eric point a gun at Eagle. Chains’s heart raced and his breath quickened.
“No! Eagle drop down—the fucker’s got a gun on you!” Chains screamed, but it was too late. The first bullet hit the biker in the chest. Eagle looked up, surprised, then the next bullet hit him, and he crumpled down to the ground.
“Eagle! Fuck!” Chains yelled.
Eric then aimed at Crow, and with the strength of a panther, Chains leaped and fell on top of the asshole, knocking the gun out of his hand. Eric bucked and pushed up, but Chains backed him against the door of a silver SUV.
He grabbed the front of Eric’s polo shirt and slammed him against the car door several times while screaming, “Brother down!”
Eric tried to kick Chains, but the biker hit him in the groin—hard. The man’s breath rushed between his lips in a whoosh of spent air.
“You fuckin’ double-crosser,” Chains gritted.
“I … I got the money!” Sputtering and panting, Eric gasped for air. “I was going to get it—I swear.”
“You shot a brother, motherfucker! A brother!”
“I thought he was going to kill me. It was self-defense.”
“Fuckin’ liar! You ambushed him—he didn’t even see you.”
Chains Page 19
