BREAKING THE RULES: Forsaken 99 MC

by Evelyn Glass

  “Okay… but what if he does do something stupid? Then what? If he crosses Washington, then you guys are going to be in a world of shit. Washington holds a lot of sway in this town… you know that.”

  “I know. That’s what worries me.”

  “So, do something about it.”

  “It’s not that easy, Rachel. I have to let this play out. He put this deal together years ago so maybe he can convince him.”

  “Yeah… but Todd has changed lately. He’s gotten more… hard ass, I guess you could say. Especially in the last couple of years. He was never as approachable as you are, but now he’s a lot worse.”

  “Yeah. You’re not the only one that has noticed that either.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Nothing. Nothing I can do without making it worse. He gave me another task to do tomorrow. Will wants in. I have to run the checks on him.”

  “Will? He’s my brother!”

  “I know. And nobody expects any trouble, but it’s what we do. And it’s part of my responsibility. If I shirk that to force myself in on Todd’s deal, that’s going to look bad. The club will think I don’t trust him, and that will be bad for club.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “He can go off without thinking sometimes, but I don’t think he will do anything to harm the club. And sometimes he’s right. Like hitting the cartel. If we had done that when he first wanted to, Fish and Bell might still be alive.”

  “You don’t know that,” she said softly.

  “I know. But it has been quiet since.”

  “It has, and I’m glad, but are you sure it is because you hit the cartel?”

  “What other reason could there be?”

  “I don’t know. I just remember how it was, and I can’t see the cartel backing off like that. It makes me nervous.”

  “What would you say if I said it made me nervous too?”

  “I would say you are thinking straight. But you didn’t exactly answer the question.”

  “I know,” he said then smiled. “I think that is because I don’t know for sure myself. I want to trust him… but he has been making some bad decisions lately. But don’t worry. I’ve got this. If he crosses the line, the club will vote him out.”

  “Okay. Listen, while we’re back here, can you do something for me?” she asked with a smile.

  “Sure, what?”

  She didn’t say anything but tapped her lips with a finger, mimicking his gesture from the night before.

  Jules grinned. “I think I can do that,” he said as he moved in and took her lips.

  The kiss started out chaste, much like the one they had shared in the bar earlier, but it didn’t stay that way. As the kiss progressed, it became deeper as their mouths opened so their tongues could dance. Finally they parted, a slow separation, punctuated with sighs as Jules touched his head to hers.

  “That was nice,” she whispered as she offered her lips again, lips he took with a sweet and gentle kiss.

  “Yes,” he agreed just as softly as he held his head to hers.

  “We have to get back.”

  “I know.”

  “I will see you tonight?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I’m worried about you, and the club. Without Forsaken 99 I’m afraid Vallecito will go back to the way it was… with the drug and violence. But I don’t want to trade one problem for another. What Todd said worries me. If Forsaken 99 turns into a bunch of hoods…”

  “Don’t worry… I won’t let that happen.”

  She pulled him to her and held him tight. “I hope you can.”

  “Shhh… I can. Todd was just pissed off. He’ll cool down. And if he doesn’t… he can’t do anything without a vote from the board. It’ll be okay… and I won’t let anything happen to Will,” he added for good measure in case that is what she was worried about.

  She stepped out his embrace. “I know. Let’s go before someone comes looking for us.”

  Jules smiled. “Yeah… what will people think? I have my reputation of purity to uphold.”

  Rachel grinned and slapped him playfully on the arm as she opened the door.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Jules bounded down the half dozen steps leading into the police station. He had paid an informal visit to Assistant-Chief Medina to have a quick background check run on Will. It was an arrangement the club and the police had worked out so that Chief Council could maintain plausible deniability that Forsaken 99 was using police powers to aid them in their endeavors. He didn’t expect any problems, and none were found. No one that had wanted to join the club had ever been anything other than what they seemed, but considering what they do, checking to make sure a potential prospect wasn’t a plant never hurt.

  He was reaching for the handle of his truck when his phone buzzed in his pocket while emanating its jaunty ditty. He pulled the phone out but didn’t recognize the number. “Jules Rivera.”

  “Jules. Charles Washington. I was just paid a visit by Todd Webber. I don’t know who the hell you people think you are, but I don’t take kindly to being threatened.”

  “Threatened? Todd threatened you?”

  “You bet your sweet ass. Told me I needed to rethink pulling our support from the Forsaken or bad things might start happening.”

  Jules first went cold, then hot. Goddamn Todd! “I’m sorry about his Mr. Washington. I’m sure there has to be some misunderstanding. He must have meant that the mules might start slipping through again.”

  “That’s not what he meant, Jules, and you damn well know it,” Washington sneered.

  “Let me talk to him, Mr. Washington, and get this straightened out. Forsaken 99 appreciates all the support you have given us over the years and we would never do anything to jeopardize our working relationship. I’m sure Todd didn’t mean it to come across as a threat.”

  “You do that, Jules. But that asshole is no longer welcome on my place.”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Washington. Understood. I would appreciate a chance to straighten this out. I’ll talk to Todd and let you know what I find out, okay?”

  Washington was quiet but Jules waited him out. “Alright, Jules. I hope your right and this is all just a big misunderstanding.”

  “Thank you Mr. Washington,” Jules said with a sigh of relief. “I will talk to Todd right now and let you know something as soon as I can.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Jules. I knew I could depend on you to get this straightened out.”

  “Thank you for giving me the chance, sir.” Jules said before he hung up. The moment the call was terminated, he tossed the phone into the truck, crawled in and slammed the door hard. He started the truck, backed quickly out of his space and then trod hard the throttle, the truck’s rear tires howling in protest as he raced away.

  “Where’s Todd?” Jules snarled as he bailed out of truck at Webber Diesel Engine Repair.

  “He’s not here. I think he went out to the Washington Ranch. Why?” asked Lloyd, another member of the club, who worked for Todd.

  “I need to talk to him. When he gets back…” Jules began but trailed off when he heard the roar of an approaching Harley. He turned and waited until Todd pulled into the parking lot and dismounted.

  “Jules,” he said in greeting.

  “I got a call from Charles Washington. You threatened him? What’s the matter with you Todd? Why would you do that… after all he has done for us?” Jules asked, working hard to keep his voice level and calm.

  “I didn’t threaten him.”

  “Horse shit! Did you tell him if he pulled funding from Forsaken 99 that bad things would start happening? That sounds like a threat to me!”

  “He can take it however he likes,” Todd said as he moved to step past Jules.

  Jules grabbed Todd’s arm and spun him around. “Are you fucking stupid? If you turn Washington against the club, he will turn the entire town against us!”

  Todd yanked his arm from Jules’s grasp. “You f
orget your place. This is my fucking club. I don’t give a shit what Washington thinks. If he pulls the funding, then what? How will the club survive? We need that money, Jules.”

  “It’s going to hurt, I agree. But threatening him is the wrong way to go about this.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time the town started paying for what we do for them.”

  Jules stared at Todd like he had grown another head. “I can’t believe you just said that. Is that what we are, Todd? A bunch of thugs that run a protection racket?”

  “Think what you want, Jules,” Todd sneered. “The fact is, times are changing, and you had better get with the program. Maybe the town needs to understand what we do for them. If that protection were to suddenly stop… ”

  “This is bull shit, Todd!”

  “You listen to me, Jules. This is my fucking club, and what I say, goes! Got it? And if I say the town is going to start having to pay their way, then that is what is going to fucking happen! In fact, I think I will pay a visit to that sweet little honey at HNH. Let her know she is going to have to start paying for our protection. But I’m sure I can work out something if she can’t come up with the cash—”

  Todd never saw the blow coming. As he went to the ground on his ass, Jules was driving in, fully intending to beat Todd to a pulp. He got in another solid punch before Lloyd hauled him off. “That’s enough!” Lloyd bellowed.

  Jules struggled a moment then stopped, but still seethed. “You are not doing this without a vote! I want a board meeting, tonight!”

  Todd slowly got to his feet, wiping at his bleeding mouth and spitting blood. “You’ll get your fucking vote,” Todd said with deadly calm. “But this isn’t over between us. One day, Rivera, you’ll get yours.”

  “Anytime you want to go, old man,” Jules sneered. “Fucking let go of me!” he growled as he shook Lloyd off. The moment Lloyd let him go the stormed to his truck and started it, slammed it into gear, and threw rocks everywhere as he slung the truck around and headed for the street.

  ***

  “Okay, here’s the deal,” Todd began after calling the board to order. They were standing in front of the charred remains of their clubhouse. “Old man Washington has pulled his funding for the club, and the other ranchers have followed suit. I talked to him today and I couldn’t convince him to restore the funding.”

  “Let’s be clear,” Jules said, interrupting. “You threatened him. You told him that if he didn’t restore the funding, ‘bad things would start happening.’ Isn’t that what you said?”

  “Because we need funding to operate, I think we are going to have to have the businesses of Vallecito de Grande pick up the slack,” Todd continued as if Jules hadn’t spoken.

  “And if they won’t?” Jules asked again. He would be damned if he would let Todd sugar coat what he was suggesting. “Then what?”

  “What are you suggesting, Todd?” Spence asked, picking up on what Jules was driving at.

  “All I’m suggesting is that if they want our continued protection, they are going to have to pay for it,” Todd said reasonably, but he stared coldly at Jules as he spoke.

  “And if they don’t pay?” Marsh asked.

  “Then we fucking make them pay!” Todd roared. “You guys seem to think this is some kind of fucking game! Well it’s not! We have to have that money! There is no other option!”

  “Protection money,” Jules said, his voice dead and flat. “That’s what we are now? A bunch of two-bit thugs shaking down businesses?”

  “That’s not what I’m suggesting!” Todd objected.

  “Sounds like it to me,” Jules said.

  “Goddamnit! You’re twisting my words!”

  “Then tell us, Todd. How are you going to get the businesses to pay if they don’t want to? Explain it so we can understand.”

  “I’ll make them understand that our protection has costs! They’ll see it my way!”

  “And if they don’t?” Jules pressed. “If they say no, then you will back off and not pressure them?”

  “We have to have the money, goddamnit!”

  “I think we have heard enough,” Jules said. “Let’s vote it.”

  “What are we voting on,” Marsh asked reasonably, trying to defuse the situation.

  “On whether we want Todd to talk to the businesses of Vallecito about funding our operation.”

  “Yeah,” Todd said, his face red and his breathing hard.

  “Nay,” Jules said almost instantly.

  “Nay,” Marsh added just as quickly.

  “I’m sorry, Todd. But I didn’t sign on with you to run a protection scheme. Nay,” Spence said.

  “Todd’s right. If we don’t have the funding, we can’t protect the town. I trust him, and I believe the businesses will step up. Yeah,” Gigolo said.

  “Gigolo is right. Yeah,” Dwayne added.

  “Nay. We cleaned up the town before with shaking anyone down. We can do it again if we have to,” Duck said looking at Todd.

  Jules knew that was how the vote was going to go to this point. Now the two newest members were going to have their say, and they were the wildcards.

  “Nay,” Hugh said. “I’m not comfortable demanding that businesses pay for protection. That smacks of the mob… or the cartel.”

  “Nay,” TC added without further comment.

  “Motion is defeated,” Jules said as Todd turned and stalked back toward his bike. “Todd! I know you don’t like it, but the board has voted!”

  “Fuck you, Rivera!” Todd snarled as he straddled his bike. “I’m still the President of this fucking club… and this isn’t over.”

  “Shit…” Jules muttered as Todd started his bike and rode away. Dwayne and Gigolo moved toward their bikes as soon as Todd started his, and followed him.

  “This is some bad shit, brothers,” Spence said to no one and everyone.

  “What the fuck is Todd thinking? Did he really threaten Washington?” Marsh asked Jules.

  “How would you take what he said?” Jules asked.

  “Shit. What are we going to do?” Marsh asked. “If he goes through with this, the whole town will turn against us.”

  “I know,” Jules said. “I don’t know why he can’t see that.”

  “What if he doesn’t care?” Hugh asked.

  “Then we’re fucked,” Spence said.

  ***

  “Want another Hefeweizen?” Will asked as Jules dropped into a stool at the bar.

  “No. I need something with a little more kick. Jack, neat. Make it a double.”

  “Coming up.”

  “What happened?” Rachel asked as she greeted Jules.

  “Todd. He’s gone off his fucking rocker. Honest to god, he was talking about extorting protection money from the businesses in Vallecito.”

  “What?” Rachel asked in surprise as Will sat the drink in front of him.

  “Yeah. We slapped him down hard. 6-3 against. He didn’t take it well. I know where he is coming from, but he is going about it the wrong way. Thanks,” he said as he picked up the drink and took a sip.

  “Well, you did the right thing,” Will said.

  “Yeah. That would piss off the entire town,” Rachel added. “Do you think he will abide by the vote?”

  “He has to. It’s binding,” Jules explained. He looked around the nearly empty bar. “Slow tonight.”

  “Yeah. Wednesday’s are tough. Sometimes I wonder why I even open except for Friday and Saturday. That’s why I want to open a restaurant too. Smooth out my business.”

  “You’re opening a restaurant?” Jules asked in surprise. “Where? And when?”

  “Here. I’m going to build on. And when… whenever the damn bank gives me an answer on my loan.”

  “No kidding? What’s it going to be called? He’s Over Here?”

  Rachel burst into giggles. “No, but that’s a pretty good name. The working name is just Wallace.”

  Jules looked at Will chatting up a girl that had come in. Count
ing himself, that made eight customers. “Do you think you can tear yourself away early tonight? If you’re not too busy that is.”