by Wilder, L.
It was almost six on a Friday night, and I’d been at it since daylight. I hadn’t even stopped to eat lunch. I was just starting to wind things down when Caleb tapped on the paint room door. As he stepped inside, he asked, “Hey, you hungry?”
“Starving. Why?”
“T-Bone and I are about to go grab a burger at the 8-Ball.” He was out of his work overalls and back in his t-shirt and jeans, along with his Satan’s Fury cut, and he was looking all kinds of good with his day-old scruff. “Thought I’d see if you wanted to join us.”
We hadn’t spoken much in the past couple of days, so his offer took me by surprise. If I hadn’t been so hungry, I might’ve considered telling him no. “Can you give me a minute to wrap this up?”
“Yeah. We’ll meet you out back when you’re done.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
I rushed to finish the front fender, then once I’d put away all my equipment, I pulled off my painter’s suit and gloves. I went over to the sink and did my best to wash up. After I was done, I grabbed my keys and went out to meet T-Bone and Caleb. They were already sitting on their bikes, and a big smile crossed T-Bone’s face as soon as he saw me walking in their direction. “Come on, woman. I’m withering away over here.”
“I’m coming. I’m coming!”
A big goofy smile crossed T-Bone’s face as he snickered. “Yeah, that’s what she said.”
I shook my head as I got on my bike. “How old are you? Twelve?”
“I’ll show you twelve.” He grabbed his crotch as he taunted, “Twelve hard inches.”
“T-Bone,” Caleb fussed.
“What?” T-Bone’s brows furrowed with dejection as he motioned his hand in my direction. “She said she wanted to be treated like one of the guys.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“It’s fine, Caleb,” I interrupted. “I can handle it, besides...I know as well as you do, the only thing T-Bone has that’s twelve inches is that seat he’s sitting on.”
“Damn, woman. That’s fucking cold.”
I giggled as I told him, “Only because it’s true.”
“What are you two waiting for? Let’s go eat.”
With that, the guys started their engines, and I followed them over to the 8-Ball. Just like the night when Caleb and I had gone there for a beer, the place wasn’t very busy, and we had no problem getting a table. I was feeling a little skeptical as I placed my order for a cheeseburger and fries, but T-Bone leaned over and whispered, “Best fucking burger in town. Swear it.”
“I’m so hungry right now I’d eat the heel off my boot as long as it wouldn’t make me pay for it later.”
“I’m not promising that this burger won’t hang with you for a couple of hours, but trust me. It’ll be worth it,” he assured me.
A pretty young waitress with long blonde hair, large breasts, and long legs brought over our drinks. Her eyes roamed over Caleb as she placed his beer in front of him, making it clear that she found him attractive. “Hey, y’all. I’m Crystal. I’ll be your waitress tonight.”
Biting back the unexpected twinge of jealousy, I gave her a slight smile. “Hey, Crystal.”
With her focus still trained on Caleb, Crystal placed her hand on her hip and smiled. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No.” Seeming unfazed by her advances, he replied, “This should do it.”
“All right, then. I’ll be back as soon as your order is up.”
When she turned to leave, T-Bone leaned to the side for a better view of her ass as she walked back to the bar. “Damn, brother. That chick is smoking.”
“Um-hmm.”
“What? Look at the fine ass on that chick. It’s all kinds of fine, and she’s totally into you, man,” T-Bone pushed. “You should hit that, brother.”
I felt my stomach twist into a knot as I watched him glance back over at Crystal. I could see the wheels turning in his head, and I found myself holding my breath as I waited for him to respond. After just a brief moment, he turned his attention back to T-Bone. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Damn, brother. I give up.” Caleb shook his head, then looked over to me. He held my gaze as he reached for his beer, and my eyes dropped to his mouth as he brought the bottle up to his lips. Damn. I needed to get a grip. I turned to T-Bone and was thankful when he asked, “So, how you like working at the garage so far?”
“It’s been good.” I could’ve sworn that Caleb was staring at me, but when I glanced over in his direction, he was studying the label on his bottle of beer. “I’ve really liked some of the projects I’ve been working on.”
“The job you did on that ’58 Duo was something else.” He let out a small grunt of air. “Makes me think I might need to get something done to mine.”
“Really? What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. Something simple, understated…but packs a punch.” He cocked his eyebrow and smiled. “Something like me.”
Caleb chuckled as he told him, “You are anything but understated, brother.”
Caleb wasn’t wrong. From the moment I’d met T-Bone, I could tell that he was one of those larger-than-life kind of guys, and it had nothing to do with his enormous size. It was all about his boisterous sense of humor, always laughing and cracking jokes, rarely being serious about anything except the club, and it was impossible not to like the guy. I held back my giggle as a soured expression marked his face. “What? I can be simple and understated.”
Before Caleb could respond, Crystal returned with our food. Again, her eyes were trained on Caleb as she placed our plates down on the table. Once she’d finished, she arched her back slightly, pronouncing her very large assets right in Rider’s face. “Can I get you guys anything else?”
I thought T-bone’s eyes would pop out of his head as he stared across the table at her cleavage. His lips curled into a lopsided grin as he replied, “You could get me your phone number, darlin’.”
“Oh, well...um,” she stammered, clearly surprised by T-Bone’s request. I watched as she looked over and studied him for a moment. When I saw that flicker in her eye, I knew her response even before she said the words. “Sure thing, handsome.”
She walked closer to where he sat, wrote her name and number on a napkin, and gave him a sexy smile as she offered it to him. “Give me a call sometime.”
“Plan on it.”
He never took his eyes off her as she turned and headed back to the bar. Caleb glanced over to me and chuckled under his breath as he reached for his burger. “Yep. Definitely not simple or understated.”
“No.” He motioned over to Crystal as he boasted, “But simple and understated wouldn’t have gotten me her phone number.”
“Probably not,” Caleb scoffed. “What do you think of your burger?”
When I realized he was talking to me, I quickly finished the bite I had in my mouth and swallowed. “You guys were right. It’s actually really good.”
“I told you,” T-Bone mumbled through his mouthful of food. “Best fucking burger around.”
We continued to banter back and forth as we ate, and I really enjoyed myself. While they were both members of Satan’s Fury—an MC known for its tough-as-nails bikers, they were also just two regular guys who liked to let loose and have a good time now and then. It was nice seeing this side of them, and I hoped I would get more of it in the future. As soon as we’d finished eating, T-Bone looked down at his watch and announced, “Damn, we better get back to the clubhouse.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Caleb stood and placed a couple of twenties on the table. “I’ll meet you back there in about an hour. I’m gonna follow her home first.”
“What?” I argued. “Haven’t we been over this?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact we have.”
I could tell by his tone that there was no sense arguing with him. He’d follow me home whether I wanted him to or not. I trailed behind them out the door, and as we got on our bikes, I called out to T-Bone, “Had a great time.
See you on Monday!”
“We’re having a get together at the clubhouse tomorrow night. You should drop by.”
Since I’d never been to an MC gathering, I asked, “What kind of get together?”
“The kind where there’s too much food and beer,” he chuckled with his response.
“We’re celebrating Gunner and August’s engagement,” Caleb added. “You should come. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay. I’ll try to make it.”
T-Bone was the first to pull out of the parking lot with Caleb and me following close behind. Since he knew where I lived, I decided there was no point in trying to be clever and losing Caleb on the way. Instead, I just enjoyed the beautiful night’s ride back to my place. It was just dark enough to see the stars, and the air was just cool enough to keep me wide awake. From time to time, I glanced over at my rearview mirror and felt oddly comforted by the fact that Caleb was right behind me. He remained there as I pulled up to my trailer and parked next to my truck. I was expecting him to simply give me a quick wave and head back to the city, but instead, he parked his bike right next to mine. When he started over to me, I took off my helmet and said, “Well, I made it. Safe and sound.”
“That you did.”
I’d never been one to get nervous around men, but something about the way he was staring at me sent a shiver down my spine. Hoping to lighten the mood, I smiled and said, “You know, instead of coming all the way out here, you could’ve been following Crystal home tonight if you hadn’t let T-Bone snatch her up.”
“T-Bone was welcome to have her.”
“Why? Was she not your type or something?” I teased.
He remained silent for what seemed like an eternity before he finally said, “Actually, there’s another girl I’ve had on my mind lately.”
“Oh, really?” His declaration caught me off guard. I hadn’t even considered the fact that he might have a girlfriend. I had no idea why the thought hadn’t entered my mind. Caleb was an attractive guy. It only made sense that he would be involved with someone. I didn’t want him to notice my disappointment, so I tried to think of something playful to say in return. Unfortunately, all I could muster was, “I had no idea.”
“Hey, I better get going.” He turned and walked over to his bike. He threw his leg over the seat, and just as he got settled, he looked over to me and asked, “You coming tomorrow night?”
“Maybe. What time does it start?”
“People will start rolling in around eight, but anytime is fine.”
“Okay.” As he slipped on his helmet, I called out to him, “Oh, wait a minute! I need to talk to you about those cameras!”
Ignoring me, he started his engine and gave a slight wave as he backed out of my drive, leaving me with no choice but to stand there and watch as his taillights disappeared into the darkness.
Rider
Gunner and I were standing in the doorway of Shadow’s workroom, watching as he tried questioning him again. It had been days since we’d brought him in. His clothes were soaked in blood, his body and face swollen with bruises, and yet he’d given us little to no information on the Disciples. Shadow had managed to get him to tell us that his birth name was Anthony Bonds, but his gang called him “Little Ravage.” He was twenty-two and had been with the Disciples since he was thirteen. That wasn’t much to go on, and we needed answers—now. Knowing what was at stake, frustrations were growing high among the brothers, especially with Shadow. As our enforcer, he’d dealt with all kinds of men—big and small, young and old—but it had never taken him this long to break someone.
Anthony was bound with his arms stretched out away from his body in a standing position, and he was barely conscious when Shadow dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. Anthony raised his head with a gasp and groaned, “Fuck!”
“Welcome back,” Shadow growled. “You ready to talk?”
Anthony shook his head. “You know I ain’t gonna tell you shit.”
“I know that’s what you keep saying, but I know something you don’t.” Shadow grabbed him by the throat, forcing him to look at him. “Every man has his breaking point, and sooner or later, I’ll get you there.”
“Good luck with that.” Anthony mustered what was left of his strength and forced himself into a standing position. “It’s only a matter of time before they come here looking for me, and when they do, you fuckers are as good as dead.”
“Damn. You’re dumber than I thought,” Shadow scoffed as he released his throat. “Let me lay it out for you in terms you’ll understand. Even if you die in here, without telling us a thing, we’ll make them think you ratted them out.”
He inhaled a quick breath. “Go ahead. You don’t know shit.”
“We know that KeShawn’s trying to build his numbers by tying up with the Red Knights. He’s hoping they’ll give him the extra manpower he’d need to take us down.” Shadow stood in front of Anthony with his arms crossed, talking in a low monotone that would make any man unnerved. “Also know that he thinks he’s been trailing one of our brothers by using some fucking tracking device they put on his truck, and he just got in another shipment of automatic rifles delivered out to his place.”
“But how—”
“Doesn’t matter how we found out any of it. We’ll make them think we got the information from you. Once we’ve convinced them that you’re a fucking snitch, we’ll dump you on their doorstep.”
“You can’t do that, man!” Anthony cried with panic.
“Now, you’re getting it.” Shadow took a menacing step towards him as he sneered, “Talk or don’t talk. Either way, you’re fucked.”
“And if I tell you what you want to know?”
“They’ll never know you said a word,” Shadow assured him.
I knew in that moment Shadow had him. Anthony didn’t want his crew thinking he was a snitch and was willing to be tortured for days on end to keep that from happening. Shadow was smart enough to use that against him. Anthony cleared his throat, then opened the vault. “Slayer wasn’t even planning to take on Fury. He just wanted to make that fucking nurse pay for killing Genocide.”
“So, this is all because he thinks she had something to do with his death?”
“Yeah. He knew she fucked around, wasted time, and let our boy die, but he thought it was ’cause he was nothing but a street rat or some bullshit like that. It wasn’t until he saw your boys watching her that he put two and two together.”
A confused look crossed Shadow’s face as he asked, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Slayer knows you put your girl up to killing Genocide as some kind of message from your club to ours. That’s why he sent a message of his own at your drop-off. That hit the other day was just the beginning.” My back stiffened as I listened to him say, “He’s going after your garage, that diner you guys hang at, and even this here clubhouse. He’s looking to find out where some of you live, so he can get to you there. You better get ready, ’cause shit is about to get real around here, man.”
Shadow glanced over in our direction, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. There was no more guessing if we were gonna have to deal with further bullshit from the Disciples. We now had proof that they were planning their attack. It was just a matter of figuring out what we were gonna do about it. Shadow turned his attention back to Anthony. “You got any idea when he’s planning on making these hits?”
“If he had it his way, he would’ve already done it, but he ain’t stupid. He knows he’s gotta have more than just our crew to take you fuckers down.” Anthony glared at Shadow as he told him, “He’s already got the Red Knights on board, but he’s still working to get more backing from the Dark Angels. They’ll come around though ’cause Slayer isn’t gonna stop until he gets his fucking way. You can count on that shit.”
After Shadow questioned him for a few more minutes, Gunner and I followed him down to Gus’s office to let him know what had transpired. When we walked in, he was sitting at his desk
talking with our VP, Moose, and Blaze. Shadow stepped forward and said, “The kid finally cracked.”
“And?”
“Looks like we’re about to have one hell of a war on our hands.”
He spent the next few minutes telling them everything that Anthony had told us. As soon as he was done, Moose shook his head. “Damn, Lewis has always been a loose cannon, but fuck, I never thought he’d take things this far.”
“Losing a kid is hard. Knowing he’s responsible can break him. Lewis is looking to shift the blame so he doesn’t have to admit the truth.” Gus ran his hand over his beard and grumbled something incoherently under his breath. “We need to end this thing before it gets any more out of hand.”
“Don’t disagree with you there,” Blaze growled. “I say we take the fucker and his gang down tonight. End every last one of them.”
I wasn’t surprised by Blaze’s reaction. After all, it was his ol’ lady who was under the highest threat. Gus was fully aware of how he felt when he told him, “We’re going to handle this, brother, but we’re not going in with blinders on. We gotta know what we’re facing.”
“Gus is right. If Lewis is trying to build his numbers, then we need to find out for sure if the Red Knights have joined up with him and who else is considering it,” Moose added.
