Rock Bottom

by Manda Mellett

  Prez ends the call, allows a brief pause before snarling. “I want the bastard that did this. I’m prepared to start with the fucker who delivered the bomb. Yeah, Mouse?” Prez looks up. Mouse has been tapping away on his laptop furiously while Paladin’s been speaking. Something about his expression suggests he’s got something to say. “What have you got for us?”

  “Hoped it would be easy, but it wasn’t, Prez. False plates, fake name as I said before.”

  “Not unexpected,” observes Peg.

  Prez sighs. “Does that mean it’s a dead end?” He’s carefully watching the whiz with computers. “All we got is a fuckin’ photograph?”

  Chapter 30

  Rock

  Mouse looks smug. “When have I ever let you down? Darcy found the VIN on the engine. She let Marcia have it, and she’s just messaged me what she’s found out. She’s traced it and got a name and address for the registered owner of the car. It’s not been reported as being stolen.” It’s useful to have an ex-cop as Heart’s old lady.

  Drummer’s eyes open wide. “Fucker wouldn’t have used his own car, would he?”

  Mouse shrugs. “Hadn’t owned it long. Old banger. Perhaps he’s stupid enough to think we wouldn’t be able to trace it with the wrong plates.”

  Prez holds out his hand. Mouse places a piece of paper in it. “Bo Brayden,” he reads aloud. “What the fuck kind of name is Bo?”

  “Maybe his parents were Bo Diddley fans,” Peg suggests, earning himself a glare from the prez.

  “Well if this Bo is the fucker that lit up our shop, he ain’t gonna have any worries about his handle anymore,” Blade cuts in, his knife coming to a stop and pointing at me.

  I watch it, wondering how this asshole’s connected to Hawk. “Where is he, Prez?”

  “Casa Grande.” Prez reads more from the note. That’s useful, it’s about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix. An hour’s ride or so.

  “What are we waiting for?” I ask, half standing up. “I’ve got some fuckin’ questions to ask him.” Including whether anyone’s out to take my woman.

  “Sit the fuck down, Rock,” Prez growls. “Have you forgotten about Slick?”

  “What d’you want us to do, Prez?”

  Drummer thinks for a second before answering the VP. “Blade, you okay to go check it out? No point us going mob-handed to find the fucker’s not even there. If he’s sensible he’ll have gone underground, and it might take a while to find him.” As Prez pauses, waiting for Blade’s eager nod, I notice the strain showing on his face. “Next, I want some volunteers to stay here and see what can be salvaged at the shop. So that means Viper and Bullet are needed here to assess how quickly the rebuilding can be done. Don’t want to remind you, but we lose good fuckin’ money the longer the shop stays closed.”

  Hyde puts up his hand. “I don’t mind stayin’ to help.”

  “Whoever else wants to can go to the hospital. See what’s going on with Slick.”

  While my palms are itching to get hold of the man responsible for putting Slick there, I want to be near my brother, and there when he comes out of surgery. I brought Becca here, so I feel responsible.

  Drum must see me nodding, as he quickly stops me. “Not you, Rock. Want you with me. You too, Wraith.” At my raised eyebrow, he continues, “Got a meet with the dom. I want to know exactly what intel they’ve got about this. Didn’t have much time for more than the headlines earlier. Need to know the right questions to ask this Bo when we’re face to face with him.”

  I frown. “Becca?”

  “Can go to the hospital. If I know anything about women, that’s where she’ll want to be.” He studies me for a moment. “She’ll have the rest of the brothers with her. She’ll be safe.”

  Peg leans forward, looking down the table at me. “I’ll take her in the truck. I’ll watch her like I’d watch my own woman.”

  I won’t have too many worries if she’s with the sergeant-at-arms. It had been easy to see how guilty she’s feeling about Slick. Keeping her here on the compound, who knows what thoughts she’ll build up in her head. Letting her be with the other old ladies will be good for her. Fuck knows, most of them have put the club through some shit in their time, they won’t let her take misplaced responsibility. And knowing her, she’ll probably like to catch up with Beef once she knows what’s going on with Slick. I nod my thanks to Peg.

  Drummer bangs the gavel. “What you fuckers hanging around here for, then?”

  Outside in the clubroom Becca’s sitting at the bar while Matt’s tidying up from the party the night before. As I expected, she’s looking worried. As soon as she sees me she slides off the stool. “Matt’s just told me Slick’s in surgery.”

  “Yeah, know that darlin’.” I pause to allow myself to take a look at her, realising how far she’s come from the woman I first met in the cellar, but what a long way she still has to go. I still have to be careful not to put too much on her. “Hey, I’ve got to go do something with Prez. Peg’s gonna drive you to the hospital. You can check up on Slick for yourself and go visit Beef while you’re there.”

  Her hand comes out to touch my arm. As she does, I notice she’s trembling. “You going to be okay, Rock? You’re not doing something dangerous, are you?”

  The events of the morning have shaken her. Have reminded her what being in an outlaw MC is all about. Quickly I reassure her. “Nah, just going to have a chat with some friends. I’ll be fine, and it shouldn’t take long. I’ll come to the hospital afterward and bring you home.”

  “Ready to go, Becca?”

  As she starts to move toward Peg, I take her arm and pull her back. “Not before you kiss me,” I tell her, wanting, needing to feel her lips against mine once again.

  “Hurry it up, will you?” Peg’s tossing his keys and catching them impatiently. I flip him off and continue what I was doing. Then watch as my woman follows him out, throwing just one more concerned glance at me over her shoulder.

  Fuck. I was the one longing for more excitement in my life. Needing it to feel I really was in a one-percenter club. Aggrieved that the brothers with old ladies and kids wanted to keep life calm and steady, something I had translated as boring. Now things have livened up I should be happy, but I’m not. All I want is for everything to get back to the status quo with both Beef and Slick home. To show my woman that she can feel safe here and not worry every time I go out on the road. How my outlook has done a one-eighty. I’d laugh at myself if things weren’t so fucked up.

  “Rock? You with us?”

  Similar to Peg, Drummer doesn’t waste time hanging around. Wraith’s already waiting at the door, holding it open. Giving myself a mental shake, I follow them out to the bikes, Matt tagging along behind.

  It’s not far to the meet, which is halfway between our two clubhouses, a typical biker bar, quite busy on an autumn Saturday afternoon. While weekend warriors are wandering around outside admiring each other’s rides, we park ours up where the Wretched Soulz’s prospect is already guarding three bikes. Leaving Matt with him, we make our way inside. We find the people we’re meeting in the dark depths at the back, their prez, Chaz, with his back to the wall.

  A hand in the air brings drinks to the table, first ones for us, and refreshers for the men we’ve come to see. Drum pays the tab.

  “Prez.” Drummer salutes him raising his bottle.

  He raises his chin in acknowledgement, then starts without preamble. “Spoke to Stub. Got another update for you.” We lean forward, better to hear what he has to say as his voice drops. The table is set apart from the rest, but we’re still wary of listening ears.

  “Go on,” Drum prompts.

  “So, Hawk got intel that you killed his woman. Then you met Stub and he passed on the info she’s alive.”

  “Know that. But how he got his initial info is what I want to know.” Drummer’s brow creases.

  Chaz continues as if Drummer hadn’t spoken, summing up what we already knew. “Week or so back he got word that y
ou took out the Chaos Riders. That message included the face that a body of a woman was found in the cellar. Everything pointed to the dead bitch being his wife. He ordered a hit on your clubhouse in retaliation. When he heard his old lady was alive, he wanted to stop the attack in case she got hurt. Got a real hard-on for her apparently. Stub didn’t fill in the background, as by the time he managed to speak to Hawk the attack was imminent, as you now know. Hawk said he couldn’t get the word out to stop it in time.” He pauses to have a swig of his beer. “D’you find anything?”

  “Lost our shop.”

  “Fuck, sorry man.” There seems to be genuine regret there. “I got to you as fast as I could.”

  “Appreciate the warning. Could have been worse. Got a man in the hospital as it is.” As the prez of the Wretched Souls raises his eyebrow, Drum adds, “Slick.”

  He shakes his head. “Good man. Hope he pulls through. Think you’ve got more problems on the way. Might need to pull in some of your support.”

  Drummer’s eyes narrow. “What makes you say that?”

  “Hawk. Stub doesn’t like him. Felt something was off. Got the feeling Hawk’s in with a crew he can’t quite control. And who can be quite ruthless. Violence for violence sake, you know? That’s why he sent the warning. Didn’t sound like he could stop the bomb being planted even if he got in touch with his contact. Sounds like it’s an ugly crowd. And, the problem at the moment is we don’t know who.”

  Hawk’s in with some ugly types alright. The treatment he allowed to happen to Becca shows that.

  “What do you know about the Chaos Riders, Chaz?”

  The Wretched Soulz’s prez shrugs. “Not much. They asked permission to set up in Tucson. Couldn’t argue with their charter or rules and regs. They did it all right. We don’t have trouble with your lot, Drummer. Thought we’d leave it to you to sort them out if there was a problem.”

  “Which there fuckin’ was. A heads up would have been nice, Chaz.”

  “Noted and agreed. But you handled it. You know our position. We don’t get involved unless we have to lay down the law. Knew you could take them if there was a need.”

  Drummer takes another drink, then picks at the label on the bottle. He’s giving himself time to think. Chaz also downs more of his beer, his eyes never leaving my prez.

  “What’s going on, Drummer? Why were the Chaos Riders such a problem?”

  “The Herreras tried to involve us in gun runnin’,” Drum says at last, his eyes shooting up to meet Chaz’s straight on.

  The Wretched Soulz look at each other. “They’re upping the trade? Or lost their own mules?”

  “Fuck knows. But they were going to give it to us or the Chaos Riders.”

  “You couldn’t just leave the Riders to get on with it?”

  “Not a fuckin’ chance. They made a play for our compound,” Drummer growls.

  “Can’t blame them,” the VP, Bull, says. “Got a nice set-up there.”

  “We like it,” Prez tells him firmly, leaving him in no doubt we wouldn’t give it up lightly. To anyone.

  “So, the Herreras.” Chaz beckons that he wants more.

  Drummer seems to change the subject. “We might have come across something interestin’.” He glances at Wraith, who nods his head. Reaching into his cut, Drummer pulls out a piece of paper, sliding it across the table.

  Chaz picks it up, reads it, and I watch his eyes open. “This?”

  “Yup.”

  “Who’s?” He passes it to Iron, his sergeant-at-arms.

  “The fingers all point Hawk’s way.”

  Chaz’s eyes squint at Drummer. “How’s Hawk moving it now he’s put away? His crew dealing with it?”

  Drummer shifts. “Way I see it is the Chaos Riders were doing his carryin’ for him.”

  “And they moved to Tucson to expand their business, maybe join with or take over from the Herreras. Over-confident cocksuckers.” Chaz fits the pieces together.

  “Exactly. Javier may have invited a snake into his camp.”

  Chaz suddenly sits back and laughs. “Hawk’s locked up and his mules are all dead. Satan’s Devils have got right up his ass. Got his woman, and,” he points at the paper he’s still holding, “presumably you’ve got the stash too. Christ, haven’t heard a joke like it for years.” He exchanges amused looks with Iron and Bull.

  “He’s still got somebody workin’ for him. Else Slick wouldn’t be on the operatin’ table right now,” Drum says grimly.

  Chaz sobers. “Yeah. You’re right. But if you’re correct and no one’s touched his stock, he’s fucked up his pipeline.” He pulls the paper toward him again, his eyes gleam.

  “You want that lot?” Drummer asks, seeming to sense it’s the right time.

  Chaz seems confused. “You don’t?”

  “Fuck no. Not getting back into that shit.” Drummer puts down his empty bottle. “I don’t want that lot gettin’ into the wrong hands. I suspect they’re headin’ south of the border, and want to see them on their way. Don’t want shit like that in this town.”

  “Need a smoke.” Chaz rises, his sergeant-at-arms and VP stand too. I slide my chair back to give them room to get out.

  “Chaz doesn’t smoke,” Drum says conversationally when they’re out of earshot.

  I get in another round, with three extra of course. By the time I return Chaz and his men are back. The Wretched Soulz’ prez wastes no time getting straight back into business. “How much do you want for them?”

  “Your help. No money passes hands.”

  Chaz studies the prez, his surprise marked by his narrowed eyes. “Gotta know what I’m committing to here, Drummer. Man could make a lot of bank moving that product. Need to make sure I’m not paying over the top for it.”

  “First I need info from Hawk.”

  “That we can do without payment. Our brother Stub’s got nothing to lose and gets bored out of his skull without doing the odd favour.” Chaz has a silent conversation with his VP, then a few muttered words I can’t hear with Iron. “I’ll be asking Stub to talk to Hawk myself. Like to know more. Such as where the guns came from and who’s expecting them. You can take it to the bank that someone is.”

  “My feelin’s exactly.” Drummer nods.

  “You want this Hawk taken out?” Chaz’s mouth twists. “As I said, Stub gets bored.”

  “Yes,” I rush in, interrupting him with my one heartfelt word that’s been my only contribution to the conversation.

  Drummer looks at me sharply. “We need to have words about that.”

  Chaz leans back lazily on his chair. “What’s he done to you, Rock?”

  My face grows dark. “That woman he calls his? Well she’s mine now. She would have died before he got released. He deserves death for what he did to her.” Drummer goes to stop me, but I’m on a roll. “She married him legal, was forced to. She needs to get free of him. From what you say, the fucker won’t agree to a divorce, and I don’t want him hangin’ over our heads for the next couple of years.”

  “You’re right.” Chaz nods. “Stub said Hawk went apeshit when he thought she was dead. Was keeping his nose clean, looking for early parole. Got the word and fucking lost it. Needed six guards to control him. There’s no fucking way he’d agree to a divorce.” He’s only voicing what I thought. His eyes rest on me a second longer, then move to the man on my right. “Okay, Drummer, Hawk taken out, guns removed, and you keep your hands clean. That’s the price you want us to pay?”

  Drummer takes a good long swig from his bottle, then puts it back down. “Not exactly.”

  Chapter 31

  Becca

  Peg’s got this gruff manner about him. I certainly wouldn’t want to get on his wrong side. Although having seen how he is with his old lady I suspect underneath he’s one of the good ones and has a heart of gold. It means a lot that he’s driving me to Tucson, though I’m worried why Rock can’t take me. The Satan’s Devils are not men to let the person who planted a bomb on the compound off l
ightly, and it makes sense they’ll be doing everything they can to find the culprit. They might be doing that right now. Is that where Rock’s gone? Is he in danger? But if that’s so, why haven’t they taken their sergeant-at-arms with them, the man who the old ladies have told me is responsible for the safety of the club? There’s no point asking Peg. Well, I’ve tried, but only got a dismissive grunt in response.

  It’s strange to think I’ve never worried about losing anyone before. Maybe that makes me shallow, but I’ve never loved anyone in my life. My parents I was dutiful to, gave them the respect they thought they deserved. I would have said I’d felt the right emotion for them, but anything was killed stone dead when, showing no remorse, they’d handed me over to an abusive man. Hawk, well, as my pastor I liked him enough, but from the moment we were married I’d come to hate him. Detested him for forcing me into a life I didn’t want. Where nothing I ever did was good enough.

  Every man and woman on the compound already means more to me than anyone else I’ve ever met. Rock? Rock’s at the very top. I don’t know how I’d survive were I to lose him now. I’d told him I loved him. While I might not have experienced that emotion before, I know it’s the truth.

  Peg leaves me alone with my thoughts as we drive into Tucson. Once at the hospital he walks at my side, his eyes ever flicking back and forth as though seeking out any possible danger. Unscathed, we walk up to the emergency entrance and find Viper outside, having a smoke.

  “Brother?” Peg nods pointedly at the cigarette held between Viper’s fingers.

  “Still no news, Peg. It’s got to me, alright?” It’s only then I realise I’ve never seen Viper smoking.

  Peg claps his hand on his shoulder as Viper gives us instructions where to find everyone.

  As I enter the full waiting room behind Peg, I see Sam sitting on one side of Ella, Jayden on the other. Ella’s openly crying, but silently. A crushed tissue in her hand is dapping at her red, swollen eyes. Sam’s murmuring to her quietly, but she looks up and locks her eyes on mine as I enter. As a pastor’s wife, I know how hard it is to give support under these circumstances, but suspect Sam inherently knows the right things to say. I suppose giving comfort has been ingrained in me, as, though I know Ella the least, I find it impossible to keep my distance.