by Sarah Osborn
“Shit. I've been trying to reach out to Fox, but he's off the grid.”
“You think he's got something? Surely if he did...”
“I don't know, Tiny. You were supposed to be the one to make him talk.” Vince sat opposite him and squinted. “You sure he didn't say anything?”
Tiny forced himself to meet his President's eyes. “Yeah. I'm sure.”
Vince stood so abruptly that his chair crashed to the floor. “Fuck. All you had to do was get a name.”
“He was unconscious, boss. I'm guessing he had a punctured lung. Nothing I could do.” Tiny sighed. “Dunno why you were so sure he'd have anything. I ain't even sure Serpiente hit that run. Billy said...”
“Don't give a fuck what Billy said. We've got a rat, an' I want you to flush it out.”
“And when I do?”
“Kill him.”
~oOo~
Tiny had no idea how he was supposed to flush out this rat. Unlike other chapters, the nomads rarely planned routes in advance, and would split up and ride in groups of two or three. While this meant they were more vulnerable if attacked, by doing this, at least if they were hit, part of any cargo they were carrying was likely to get through, and according to Fox, only he and maybe Samson would know the routes they'd likely be using.
Shit. Time and time again, Samson's name kept cropping up. Despite this, Tiny didn't believe he could be the rat, but someone sure as shit wanted him to. He needed to talk to Fox – it had been him and two other nomads, Will and Ace, who picked the Serpiente prospect up – but he'd dropped off the grid. Both Will and Ace insisted that the kid had said nothing, but was awake and lucid when they left him. Mac had confirmed this; according to him, the prospect had deteriorated shortly after being left at the farmhouse.
Fuck it. He'd spent days going over this and was still no nearer to the truth. He was going to have to talk to the man himself. But first, he was going to spend some time with his family.
FIFTY-FIFE
Something was very wrong with Joe. Even as he sat at Sophia's kitchen table, playing cards with the kids, Beth could sense how distracted he was. She glanced at the clock. “I think it's time for bed, kids. Go and give your grandmother a kiss goodnight.”
“Aw, Mom. Can we stay up? I want another game.” Luke gathered the cards up into a pile. “I haven't seen Dad for ages.”
“Sorry, Luke. You have school in the morning. Your dad will be here for a few days.” She glanced over at Joe, who nodded. “Come on, it's getting late.”
Joe stood and lifted Alice onto his hip. “I'll take 'em up. Go and sit down. C'mon, kids. Who's gonna choose the story?”
Sophia looked up from her book and smiled as Beth sat down. “I think I'll turn in, too. Give you and Joe some time alone.”
“You don't have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. You've hardly seen each other these last few weeks.” Sophia patted Beth's knee. “Try and get him to talk. It's not like him to be wound this tight.”
Beth knew that getting Joe to open up would be like getting blood from a stone, but when he joined her on the sofa, half an hour later, she knew she had to try. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head on his chest. “What's going on, Joe?”
“Just club shit.” He picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.
“You want to talk about it?” She knew it was a stupid question – Joe never discussed the club with her.
“Nope.” He sighed. “Gonna head up to Seattle next week, got some stuff needs dealing with.”
“Oh, maybe we could come with you.”
“Not this time.” Beth could feel the tension running through his body. “It's business.”
She didn't like the sound of that. She knew the 'business' Joe specialized in, and if he was going up to Seattle, it probably meant it was internal. “Isn't that something Samson could take care of?”
“Nope.” He turned up the volume on the TV.
“Joe...”
“Subject's closed.”
~ oOo ~
The household was still asleep as Beth crept down the stairs. Ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her that she shouldn't be doing this, she picked up the phone.
Samson picked up on the second ring. “Hey, baby girl. What's up?”
“I don't know. I... I shouldn't be calling, but I'm worried about Joe. He's...” She searched for the word. “He's not himself.”
“Not himself how?” Samson laughed. “I dunno how he could be anyone else.”
“Something's worrying him. You know how he is. He always leaves his patch at the door, but he's snapping at the kids, and he was tossing and turning all night. I wish I could explain it better.” She sighed. “He said he's heading up to Seattle. I think it has something to do with that.”
“I dunno why he's coming here, Beth. He ain't said nothing to me. I'm guessing it ain't a social call.”
“No. He said it was business.”
“You want me to talk to him?”
“No.. No, he won't say anything in any case.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. Forget it.” The sounds of the kids waking up filtered down the stairs. “I have to go. Take care.”
“You too, baby. And don't worry. Tiny knows what he's doing.”
Beth hung up with a sigh and looked up as Joe walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Did you get any sleep at all last night?”
“Not much. Got shit on my mind right now is all.”
“Please talk to me, Joe.” She touched his arm.
He sighed. “You don't wanna know.”
“You know I won't judge you.” Beth ran her hand down his arm and linked her fingers with his. “I don't know what that makes me, but I trust your judgment. You'll do the right thing for the club and your family.”
“You've got more faith in me than I have right now.” His laugh lacked any humor. “Ain't sure there is a right thing.” His cell buzzed, and he picked it up. “Vince. What d'ya need?”
FIFTY-SIX
“Fuck.” Deke leaned on the kitchen counter and ran his hand across his head.
Emma wiped Lottie's face and lifted her out of her highchair. “Problem?”
“I'm not sure.” He'd learned over the past few months that keeping things from his ol' lady just made bad situations worse. “I've got a feeling shit I did in Vegas is gonna come back and bite me on the ass.” Lottie trotted over to him, and he picked her up and kissed her curls. “It might be a good idea if you an' this one stayed with Felix for a while.”
“Come back and bite you how? Shit, Deke. What did you do?”
He shrugged. “What I thought was right at the time.” He put Lottie down and watched as she and Genghis began an assault on the cats' bed.
“And now?”
“I dunno, baby girl. I was trying to prevent a war.” He snorted. “I fucking failed.”
“You're just one man.” She felt so good as she slipped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him. “And who knows. Maybe it would've been much worse if you hadn't intervened.”
“Maybe.” Reluctantly, he pushed her away. “I'm gonna head out. Pack a bag. You should be okay here for a day or so, but I want you to be ready to leave if the shit hits the fan.”
~ oOo ~
“You can't be sure that's why Tiny's coming.” Bugs led Samson into his living room and, sitting down, switched off the TV. “There's nothing to tie you to Moretti, and even if Vince gets wind of you talking to De Luca, what can he prove? And Tiny won't act without the club's sanction.”
“I think you're underestimating Vince, Bugs” Samson rolled his shoulder – it always ached more when he was tense. “He's wanted me gone for a long time, and he won't think nothing of getting Tiny to do the deed.” He grinned. “In fact, I reckon that'd give him a real kick.”
“Tiny isn't stupid, brother, he'll know if he's being played. An' he loves you.”
&n
bsp; “Maybe.” Bugs' cat jumped onto his lap and purred loudly as he ran his hand along its back. “But it wouldn't be the first time he's killed a brother for the club.” Samson sighed and stretched out his legs, allowing the heat of the roaring log fire to warm his muscles. “I hope I'm wrong, but if I ain't, take care of my girls, okay?”
“Of course. But it won't come to that.” Bugs sat up a little straighter. “I'll call Tiny.”
“No. You don't need the chapter getting sucked into this. As far as anyone's concerned, I was acting alone. It has to stay that way.”
“For now.” Bugs conceded. “Just watch your back, brother.”
~ oOo ~
Tiny made his way through the empty clubhouse to where his President was waiting at the makeshift bar. “Vince. What's this all about? I gotta check in at the shop. The new kid's okay, but I wanna make sure he ain't lost me all my customers.”
“Got a call from Fox. He says that prospect gave up a name.”
Shit. Tiny kept his expression impassive. “Who?”
“Samson. I want you to deal with him.”
“Not until the club votes first, boss. This is Samson we're talking about. An' I wanna talk to Fox”
“Fox is in Mexico, he'll be here in a few days. As for the club, if you insist, we'll put it to the vote. But you know how it will go. Samson's been working for De Luca – stupid arrogant fuck thought I wouldn't get to hear – I want his patch, an' if Fox is right, I want him dead.” Vince lifted his chin. “Bring him in, let's hear what he has to say. Then we'll vote.”
“And if he refuses to cooperate?”
“Don't give him the option. He comes in, or he dies.”
There was part of him – a huge part – that wanted to refuse, that wanted to tell Vince to give the job to someone else. But Tiny knew that if anyone could persuade his brother to come back to Bay View and defend his alleged actions, it was him. “Call everyone in for church tonight. Samson ain't ever gone against the club before, an' I don't mean any disrespect, Vince, but this ain't your call. If the vote is to bring him in, that's what I'll do.” He pushed himself away from the bar. “I ain't prepared to take a man's patch, much less finish him, on hearsay. I got things to do. I'll be back tonight.”
~ oOo ~
To say she was scared was an understatement. Emma stuffed things she and Lottie would need for a few days into a bag and dumped them, and a bag of kibble for Genghis, into the trunk of her car. She hadn't been eavesdropping, but it had been impossible not to hear the phone call Deke had received. Tiny was coming, and Beth was worried. Deke was worried, too, and that meant he was coming on business. She wasn't entirely sure what Tiny did for the club, but she had a pretty damned good idea, and she guessed he was coming for Deke.
Fuck! What asshole would expect him to do that? Who would test a man's loyalty to the club against his love of his closest friend? Emma was terrified for Deke, but she was terrified for Tiny as well. No matter what he chose to do, he was going to get hurt. She slammed down the lid of the trunk and headed back into the house, her hatred of the club growing with every step.
Lottie looked up from where she and Genghis were sitting in front of the fire in the kitchen, and grinned before continuing her babbling chatter to the dog. Emma swallowed the lump in her throat and quickly looked away. Maybe Deke would give up his patch without a fight to save himself and ensure that his little girl would grow up with a daddy. Or maybe Tiny would let him walk away, even start a new life somewhere else. Emma loved it here... loved the world that they'd created, but she'd sacrifice it in an instant if it meant they could have a future together. She blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall and took a deep breath, then turned back to her daughter. “You want to go out and play, sweetheart?”
~ oOo ~
She looked so beautiful, all wrapped up against the biting wind, making mud pies with Lottie. Deke killed the engine but stayed where he was, watching his wife as she and Lottie played in the dirt.
Emma looked up and smiled. “Hey. You wanna come and join us?”
“Sure.” He swung his leg over his bike and hung his helmet on the handlebar, then, pushing the dog off him, wandered over to the little muddy patch that Emma had decided was Lottie's garden. “What are we making?”
Lottie looked up. “Choccie pie.” She held out a trowel. “Daddy do it.”
As he crouched down, his eyes met Emma's. “I...”
“Don't. Let's just have a nice afternoon, okay.”
“Emma...”
“Please, Deke.” She touched his cheek with a muddy finger. “We can talk later, when she's asleep.”
Would losing his patch be so bad? Lottie chattered away to her beautiful mom as they dug into the mud, and Genghis contributed by digging a hole of his own. He'd been a Freak all his adult life and he'd be lying if he said it had always been easy. He'd sacrificed his freedom more than once, done things that gave him nightmares. Emma had been – he swallowed – Emma had been raped. Didn't she deserve the chance of a normal life? Didn't Lottie?
He'd known, when he'd killed Moretti, that, should he get found out, the price would be high, but he didn't believe that the Bay View chapter would vote for him to pay the ultimate price. And it was beginning to look as though all out war between the Serpiente and the Freaks had been averted. There had been a few skirmishes, and things weren't exactly peaceful, but it had stayed localized, and apart from The Dirty Rats, who'd never been friends of the Freaks, allegiances and treaties with other clubs had held. They may not be as strong as before, and some of the smaller clubs had needed some persuading – Freak style – but De Luca had a lot of influence; he had made it clear that he didn't want to see a biker war. And no one had wanted to fuck with his family.
Vince was pissed that his ambitions had been thwarted, but if everyone kept their heads, all the clubs in California and Nevada could concentrate on the business of doing business without getting their asses killed. Maybe Emma was right. He hadn't prevented a war, but maybe he'd stopped it from spreading. He didn't much like the idea of losing his patch and being remembered as a traitor, but if he'd saved one life, it would be worth it.
Even without his patch, and with his ink blacked out, in his heart, Deke Samson would always be a Freak. And nothing anyone did would change that. He ducked to avoid flying mud, and again his eyes met Emma's as she laughed. He grinned. “I think it's going to be okay, baby girl.”
FIFTY-SEVEN
Tiny looked around the table and waited for Vince to speak. There could be no doubting that his President was a charismatic man who was used to getting what he wanted. Since returning to Bay View, Tiny had struggled to form close bonds with his brothers. This was a still a small chapter of only thirteen patches and two prospects, but the feeling of family that he remembered from his young days was no longer there. As SAA, he felt he should be closest to his President – he'd certainly been close to Wolf – but this should never come at the expense of the club, and he was beginning to think that Vince was taking advantage of his loyalty. And the loyalty of his brothers.
Vince sat up a little straighter. “We all know why we're here. No one wants to do this, but we need to vote on how we deal with Samson.”
All eyes fell on Tiny – everyone in that small room knew that the two of them were close – but he stayed silent. He wanted to gauge the feeling among his brothers before he spoke. Mac leaned forward. “I'm not sure how we can do anything. Maybe when we hear what Fox has to say....”
“I've heard what Fox has said.” Vince scowled. “It's no secret that Samson has been working for De Luca, and it can't be coincidence that Moretti and his business partner both died within days of him showing up in Vegas.”
“That doesn't make him a rat, boss. That prospect was Serpiente, but the hit on the nomads didn't fit their MO.”
“So they got someone else to do their dirty work, Mac. Fox said that prospect gave up Samson.” Vince looked around the room. “Why would he lie?”
“Where is Fox?” Tiny watched Vince carefully and continued. “I've been trying to reach him, but his cell's off, and none of the nomads have heard anything from him for over two weeks.”
“I told you. He has business down in Mexico.”
“Doing what?”
“That don't matter. We're here to discuss Samson.” Vince leaned back. “Is there a case to answer? Do we bring him in, or are we already decided that he needs to be dealt with?”
~ oOo ~
His orders were crystal clear. Samson would be brought back to Bay View. Only when he'd had the chance to explain himself would there be a vote on his future. Vince had been very emphatic; Tiny would under no circumstances warn Samson that he was coming. Neither would he contact the Psycho Twins. The big nomad wasn't going to be given the chance to run – something Tiny thought of as inconceivable. Samson wouldn't run. He wasn't a coward – Tiny would never directly disobey an order, but Vince hadn't said anything about calling Emma. If his brother put up any fight, it would be seen as an admission of guilt, and there was no question that if it came to that, only one of them would remain standing. Emma was Tiny's friend—he loved that smart-mouthed, fiery little bitch, and he didn't want her or Lottie in the firing line.
FIFTY-EIGHT
“Emma. I don't pretend to know what's going on, but Deke was very clear. You're to stay here.” Felix took a drowsy Lottie from her and stood in front of the door. “So you might as well just stop fighting me on this.”
Felix may have been determined that Emma was going to stay put, but she'd been living with a big bad biker for a long time, and he really was no match for her. Emma pushed past him and smiled. “Take care of Lottie and Genghis.” She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “And don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid. I just want to be with my man.”
“You do know that Deke will hurt me if I let you go.”
“No, he won't.” She pulled open the door. “I have to go, Felix. I wish I could tell you more. I..” She took a deep breath. “I need to go home.”
