Benny was a low-level drug dealer—just a cog in the multi-billion-dollar drug industry. He had a full-time minimum wage job that barely paid child support for his two kids and the day-to-day bills. The Night Rebels paid him for information in regard to drug selling, gun smuggling, or whatever else he heard on the streets. As long as Benny didn’t fuck with them, they let him deal in dime bags to the locals. Chains and the other brothers understood the dealer’s plight: not enough money from honest work to live a somewhat decent life.
Benny had friends in Pueblo who worked in the lower rung of the drug ladder for Los Malos. The Night Rebels offered the dealer a good chunk of money to find out why the fuck Los Malos were in on the drug deal a few weeks before.
Chains opened the screen and knocked on the red-painted door. Strains of punk music filtered out from the trailer, so he pounded harder once more.
“Someone’s in there,” Scorpio said, jerking his head toward the window.
Chains stepped back and saw the curtains move as if someone was peeking out at them. “Open the fuckin’ door!” he yelled as he kicked at it, then stood off to the side just in case someone inside wanted to take a shot at him.
The music stopped, then hinges creaked as the door slowly opened and a dishwater-blonde-haired woman peered out.
“Whaddaya want?” she asked, her voice scratchy and hoarse. She pushed open the screen and stepped onto the small porch.
She wore skinny jeans and a crop top that hung loosely around her boney shoulders. It looked like too much meth and too many nights partying had stripped the flesh off her bones, making her into a breathing skeleton. She stood in the doorway staring at them while picking at scabs on her face.
“Where’s Benny?” Chains asked.
“And we’re not in the mood for any bullshit,” Scorpio added as he walked up to the steps.
“I don’t know.” She looked over them. “Maybe he’s having food. He’s always wanting food.” A large smile revealed blackened teeth.
Before they could question the woman further, the sound of tires sounded behind them. Chains went for the gun in his waistband, and Scorpio followed suit as they both crouched low and made their way to the picnic table.
“That’s him now,” the woman said.
The bikers waited until a black Honda Civic parked next to the mobile home. The door opened and Benny slid out.
“Hey, guys,” he said.
Chains lifted his chin and Scorpio tipped his head.
“Sorry, I’m late. I had to wait for someone to show up.” Benny glanced over at the woman. “Bring out three beers.” She nodded, then disappeared inside the trailer.
“You selling shit other than weed?” Chains asked, his gaze fixed on the smalltime dealer.
Benny shook his head vigorously. “No way, dude. I know that shit isn’t tolerated in the county.” He laughed nervously. “I don’t want to get on you guys’ bad side.”
“Where’s your woman getting the meth from?” Chains said.
“Uh … I … uh … make it.” Benny waved his arms toward the screen door. “Melinda’s been using for a long time. I’d rather she get shit I know is good and pure.” He glanced down at the dirt and then back at the porch, avoiding Chains’s intense stare.
“And you’re not tempted to make a few bucks by selling some baggies?” Chains took a few steps toward him. “Do we look like fuckin’ idiots?”
Benny stepped back, his hands raised in front of his chest. “I don’t sell the shit in this county. If you heard anything—it’s bullshit. I sell in Pinon County and beyond—not in this county.” He held Chains’s gaze. “I swear on my dead brother’s grave, dude. I’m not fuckin’ stupid. Why the hell would I bullshit you guys—the Night Rebels?”
“If we find out you’re dealing in Alina, we’ll come for you,” Chains said.
“And it won’t be an easy death,” Scorpio added.
Benny’s small eyes bugged out. “I’m not dealing anything but weed.”
“Then you’re good.” Chains glanced over at Melinda as she walked down the stairs. Benny was in his late twenties, and he was pretty sure Melinda was around the dealer’s age but she looked like at least twenty years older due to her crank habit.
“Yeah, I’m good.” A smile spread across his face as his shoulders slumped forward.
“Here ya go,” Melinda said to Chains as she handed him a bottle of Coors.
“Thanks,” he replied as he twisted off the bottle cap. He took a long pull of the beer.
Melinda handed a bottle to Scorpio, then to Benny. “You need anything else, baby?” Benny shook his head, so she turned around and went back inside.
“So what’s the word on the streets of Pueblo?” Scorpio asked before bringing the beer to his mouth.
“Los Malos have worked with that dude Eric before.” Benny motioned the bikers to sit down at the picnic table.
“In Colorado?” Chains asked.
“No—in Kansas, Oklahoma and, I think, Missouri. The old man didn’t want them involved, so when he does a deal, he keeps them out. The old man and his son, Eric, have butted heads on this before. Eric likes the muscle Los Malos gives him because he’s fucked over a few buyers in the past.”
“Did Los Malos know this was a Night Rebels’ deal?” Scorpio said.
“My contact says the word is, they didn’t.”
“Fuckin’ bullshit. I don’t believe it for a minute.” Chains took another swig of beer.
Benny shrugged. “Maybe they’re just sayin’ that ’cause they don’t want no trouble with you guys. But that’s the word—Los Malos didn’t know.” Benny’s gaze went between Chains and Scorpio. “The word is that you iced Eric and a few of the Malos.” When he brought the beer bottle to his mouth, the bikers saw the dealer’s hand was trembling.
A tense silence fell between the trio. Benny drank the beer in a single gulp and proceeded to let out a long, sustained belch.
Pulling at the label on the amber bottle, he said, “Los Malos was promised a third of the weed.”
“Who the fuck did they think they were meeting up with?” Scorpio said.
“Some two-bit drug dealers?” Benny replied.
“In our county? Bullshit—they knew. You got anything else?” Chains asked.
“They’re playing like bigwigs, but they’re scared as shit of you guys and the other biker club you’re affiliated with.”
“The Insurgents definitely will want to know what the fuck’s going on, especially since they were on our turf trying to fuck us over.” Scorpio tossed the bottle into a large metal drum near the porch.
“You bikers stick together, huh?” Benny said.
“Damn straight.” Chains stood up and threw his bottle into the drum, then nodded at Scorpio.
The well-built biker slipped a hand inside his cut and pulled out three hundred-dollar bills. “Thanks,” he said, handing them to Benny.
“If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.” The dealer shoved the money into the front pocket of his shirt. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
Chains grunted, lifted his chin, then turned around and caught up with Scorpio.
“Do you think he told us everything he knows?” Scorpio asked.
Chains nodded. “There’s no reason for him not to, but there’s no fuckin’ way those Malos assholes didn’t know we were the buyers.”
“I agree. We’ll see what Steel wants to do. Since the ATF has been sniffing up our asses, I’m sure he’ll wanna lie low for a while. The old man shouldn’t have sent his fuckin’ son.”
“And Gary knew he was dealing with those Malos losers, and they’re in Colorado. Bad move,” Chains said.
“Maybe he wanted to get rid of the asshole, and he let us do the dirty work.” Scorpio stopped in front of the diner. “You wanna get some chow before we head to Durango?”
“Only if I wanna get my damn stomach pumped. We can grab something at Leroy’s.”
Scorpio chuckled. �
�I haven’t been inside this place in years.”
“Well it’s a fuckin’ dump.” Chains glanced down at his phone. “We gotta hustle. Let’s just go to a drive-through instead.”
“I’m feeling like tacos. You up for that?”
Chains nodded. “Taco Bell’s on the way to the highway.”
The bikers were going to Durango to pick up Eagle, who had finally gotten cleared from the doctor to go home. The local hospital hadn’t been equipped to deal with Eagle’s raging infection, so he was transported to the nearest city that had an infectious disease doctor. Eagle had been in ICU for almost two weeks before being transferred to a regular room for three weeks.
“I bet you’ll be glad not having to haul your ass to Durango every day,” Scorpio said as he slid into Chains’s Tahoe.
“It wasn’t so bad,” he replied as he pulled onto a two-lane road.
Durango was roughly sixty miles northeast of Alina, and depending on traffic, it could take anywhere from an hour or two to get there. After placing their order, Chains steered the car onto the freeway and headed out of Alina.
Two hours later, Eagle rested in the back seat as the bikers made their way to the clubhouse.
“I bet the first thing you do after downing a few shots of Jack is fuck your way through the club girls,” Scorpio said as he handed a joint to Eagle and then to Chains.
“Damn straight. My dick’s pissed as hell at me.” Eagle chuckled.
“Just be happy you still got a cock that can work,” Scorpio said.
“You don’t know that yet.” Chains joked.
“My cock’s working just fine. I kept getting a damn hard-on every time this cute nurse bent over me and dabbed my forehead with a cool damp cloth. And that perfume of hers … fuck.”
“You getting hard now?” Scorpio let out a hearty laugh.
“Fuck you,” Eagle grumbled.
Chains took out a lighter and lit the joint, then inhaled deeply. “The women will be glad to see you—they’ve missed whatever you’ve been giving ’em.”
Eagle flashed the middle finger, then turned sideways and looked out the window.
“We paid Benny a visit before picking you up,” Chains said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Los Malos claim they didn’t know it was a Night Rebels’ buy.”
“I say that’s bullshit,” Scorpio said after blowing out a cloud of smoke.
Eagle shook his head. “I don’t know. If they knew it was us who was selling the stuff, why the fuck didn’t they come with more members? When I first saw all the SUVs heading toward the adobe, I thought we’d be overrun, but then there were only three or four assholes per vehicle. It doesn’t make sense.”
“We’ll see what the other members think about what went down. Steel and Paco are calling church tomorrow.”
“Until then, we’re gonna party our asses off,” Scorpio added.
“Have you been partying?” Eagle asked Chains.
Scorpio smacked Chains on the shoulder. “This dude hasn’t fucked a club woman in forever. Ruby’s horny as shit, but he’s not putting out.”
Chains shook Scorpio’s hand off him and gripped the steering wheel.
“Did you go and fall for that vet doc?” Eagle asked.
“Yeah,” Chains said as his knuckles turned white.
Scorpio jerked back in the seat. “Did you just say you’ve got a woman? A citizen?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled.
“I knew you were a goner. When are we gonna meet this lady?” Eagle asked.
Chains shrugged. For the past week, Autumn had been asking to see where he lived and meet his friends, but he’d resisted. He wasn’t sure how she’d react to the members and especially to the club girls. She’d been on his mind a lot that day, and he wanted to be with her in the worst way, so he was planning on dropping by her office after he had a drink with Eagle when they got to the clubhouse.
“You can’t keep her hidden forever,” Eagle said.
“I wanna see what she looks like. Is this the chick Jigger’s been talking about?” Scorpio asked.
“It is,” Eagle answered.
“Glad to have you as my fuckin’ lawyer,” Chains grumbled. “I’ll bring Autumn by when I do. End of conversation.”
Eagle nodded as smoke billowed around him. “I’ve decided to buy a new bike. I thought about it while I was bored outta my fuckin’ mind in the hospital. After going through what I did, a new Harley is the sweet reward.”
The rest of the drive home, the conversation centered on everything to do with motorcycles: old models versus new ones, customizing them with artwork and more chrome, adding illegal, altered exhaust systems so the bikes made more noise, and, of course, road stories.
In no time, Chains was back at the bar in the clubhouse, making a toast to Eagle before downing a shot of tequila. The members gathered around their brother, clasping him on the back, pulling him in numerous bear hugs, and bumping fists with him. The club girls buzzed around him, rubbing their barely clothed bodies against him. Lila sat firmly on Eagle’s lap while Ruby and Kelly massaged his shoulders. Chains chuckled when Eagle glanced his way: the dude was enjoying this way too much.
As Chains slipped outside, he bumped into Steel, who was hurrying across the parking lot.
“How’s Eagle?” the president asked.
“Loving every fuckin’ minute of the attention he’s getting, especially from the club women.”
Steel laughed. “I bet he’s been dreaming about this for the past five weeks. You heading out?”
“In a bit.” Chains held up the phone. “I gotta make a call.”
“Okay. Oh, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about teaching that online class. It’s not going to work, especially now with this Los Malos shit the club’s got going on. I just need all the members available all the time. Committing to teaching a class ties you up.”
Chains nodded. “I came to that conclusion too. I’m thinking of offering an online video class or something. My wom—” He stopped and kicked at the dirt with the toe of his boot.
“We all know you got a woman.” Steel chuckled. “It’s been the main gossip at the club for quite a while. Who is she?”
“She’s Thor’s vet. Autumn’s her name. I think she’ll fit in with the old ladies real good—especially Breanna. She’s so damn smart …” His voice trailed away.
“Can’t be that intelligent because she’s with you.” Steel joked.
Chains flipped his president the bird, then laughed. “I can’t say I haven’t thought that myself.”
“All kidding aside, you’re no dumbass. Sometimes it’s scary how your mind works. I’m just surprised you went for a citizen.”
“Me too, but you know how it is,” Chains said.
A grin spread across his face. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Breanna just slipped into my life and blew me the fuck away.” Steel gripped Chains’s upper arm. “Good luck with it. If she’s the one, don’t let anything”—he jerked his head toward the clubhouse—“or anyone pull you away.”
“I don’t plan to,” he replied.
Steel nodded. “I’ll see you at church tomorrow.” Then he walked toward the club’s entrance.
Chains tapped in Autumn’s number as he walked to the Tahoe.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey.”
“Did you already pick up Eagle from the hospital?”
“Yeah, and he’s doing a great job on getting shit-faced. Whatcha up to?”
“Just going over some tests. It’s been kind of quiet here today, at least for me. Thor’s doing great—he’s stretched out next to the window because of the draft coming through it. Siberians love the cold.”
Chains chuckled. “He’s gonna love what’s blowing in tomorrow. They say the San Juan Mountains are gonna get twenty-four inches dumped on them, which means we’re gonna see about eight or ten inches of that.”
“Thor will be in heaven. I’m glad you have your friend back with you.”
“You’re finally taking me on the back of your Harley-Davidson? I’m speechless.”
“That’s a first.” He teased.
“Oh, you.” A giggle rang through the phone. “I’d love to go. I can sneak out early.”
“I’ll see you soon, baby.”
Anxious to see her, Chains stepped on the gas, slowing down only when the phone rang. His mother’s name popped up on the screen, and he grumbled under his breath while bringing the cell to his ear.
“How are you, Mom?”
“I’m okay. I need to ask you something. Remember the day you came by to take the box you wanted from the garage?”
“Yeah—I don’t need it anymore, so I’ll bring it back.”
“You can have it, but did you take more than the one?”
“I picked up a few more. You can have them back.”
An audible sigh of relief came over the phone. “I’ve been tearing my hair out wondering where I’d put them. They’re full of old photographs and memorabilia of Bret’s and Amelia’s school years.”
“I didn’t look through them. I’ll return them sometime next week.”
“I’m still reeling over Autumn breaking off the engagement.”
Chains narrowed his eyes. “Is that what Bret told you?”
“He said she didn’t want to go through with it.”
“And you believed him, like you always do.” Chains slammed on the brakes and the driver behind him honked. He cut his gaze to the rearview mirror.
“Why would he lie about that?” Vexation accented his mother’s tone.
“Because he’s a liar and always has been. You and Dad just never see it … or don’t want to.” He pounded his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. “Is he back in town? I’ve gone to his condo a ton of times, but he’s never there or at any of his friends’ houses.”
“What’s going on with the two of you? He told me you’re dating Autumn. That can’t be true.”
Chains snorted. Bret already had their mother on his side, making Chains out to be the bad guy and Autumn the heartbreaker. What a fuckin’ asshole. “Bret’s the one who called off the wedding, and before you start denying it, the dipshit contacted me and asked me to do it for him.”
Chains Page 23
