Chapter 15
DRIFTER
It was my first night at the Vault, and I have to say, I was impressed.
It didn’t matter how loud the music or crazy the crowd, the place had its own rhythm.
The guys stood watch, maintaining every ounce of control, while folks gathered at their various tables, drinking and cheering the girls on.
There was undeniable tension that hummed just under the surface, but I had no doubt that the brothers could handle whatever came their way.
I was at the back, monitoring the rear entrance and the main bar with Memphis and Goose. Memphis stood off to my left with his arms crossed and eyes sharp, while Goose was at my right, leaning against one of the beams like he was just there to keep us company.
Memphis gave me a side-eye and smirked, “I see you broke out your cut.”
“I did.” I rolled my shoulders, feeling the old, familiar tug of the leather. “Figured it was time.”
I’d learned early on that there were fewer questions when I went without it, so I’d always kept my cut stowed in my rear saddlebag. Didn’t mean I didn’t think about it. I’d spent the better part of my life wearing it, and while it had been a while, the damn thing still fit like a glove.
Felt good to have it on again, made me feel like I blended in with the boys, and that wasn’t something I’d done in ages. Memphis gave me a nod and said, “Once a brother, always a brother.”
His attention was drawn back to the crowd, and I followed suit. We hadn’t been standing there long when Goose leaned in and announced, “Couple of Coyotes were spotted driving by here last night. We need to keep an eye out and make sure the assholes don’t get brave enough to actually step inside.”
“That’ll be a mistake they only make once.”
“No doubt.” Memphis glanced over to me and said, “I’ve been meaning to ask, how you liking it over at Dad’s place?”
“It’s nice.” I ran my hand over my beard. “Too nice. I’m used to roach motels and truck stops. Not used to a place with more than four walls. Hell, I slept on the sofa last night, so I didn’t fuck anything up.”
“Glad you claimed it,” Memphis announced. “He’s been pushing Antonia and me to move in, but we want a place that’s just ours.”
“Hey, man. He didn’t say anything to me about all that. I don’t want to overstep…”
“No, no. You did me a fucking favor,” Memphis cut me off. “I don’t want to move back into that house. It’s beautiful and all that, but it holds a lot of memories that I’d just soon forget.”
“Well, if you change your mind…”
“I won’t,” Memphis assured me. “We’ve found a place we like and will be making an offer at the end of the week.”
“That’s great. Glad to hear it.”
“You didn’t tell me that you guys found a place,” Goose said, sounding wounded.
“It’s a new listing. We went to see it yesterday afternoon, and we really liked it.”
“So, you saw it yesterday?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Hmm. So, it’s like that now.” Goose shook his head. “After all these years, I’ve been replaced by a chick. That hits deep.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Memphis huffed. “You didn’t even tell me when Pres moved in, and you sure as hell didn’t tell me when you put a ring on her finger.”
“I think you two might need some counseling.”
“We tried,” Goose answered flatly. “It didn’t work.”
“Do not lie to this man,” Memphis snapped. “He has no idea that you’re full of shit.”
“Oh, I picked up that from day one.”
Memphis scoffed, then changed the subject by saying, “On a serious note, we should probably go over some of the basics.”
“Okay. Let’s hear it.”
“You have to remember that running this place is a team effort.” Goose was watching another group as they weaved through the front door and added, “If one of us goes down, we all go down.”
“Got it.”
Goose gave Memphis a look, then turned his attention back to me. “So, the girls… they’ll be about as friendly as you want ‘em to be… Some will go out of their way to help ya let off some steam or give a hell of a rub down.”
I glanced over at him, catching the grin he didn’t bother hiding, and Memphis caught it too. Memphis shook his head and grumbled, “Says the man who’s got a woman at home that will literally have his balls on a platter if he even thinks about letting one of the girls touch him.”
“There you go being difficult again.”
Memphis shrugged. “Just statin’ facts.”
“Not like Antonia would be any different.”
“Hell, no. She’d be fucking worse.” Memphis’ eyes furrowed. “She’d take my balls and my right hand.”
“That she would,” Goose chuckled. “But this isn’t about you or me. It’s about him, and he looks like he could use a little TLC.”
I might’ve been on the road for the past four to five years and hadn’t put down any roots, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still a man. I spent time with women, plenty of them, but I kept it clean. I never gave my name, never asked for theirs, and I sure as hell never went back for seconds.
That wasn’t something I could do here, even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. I shook my head and cleared my throat. “I’m good.”
“Well, if you change your mind…”
“I won’t.”
I huffed a quiet breath, shaking my head as I kept my eyes trained on the crowd.
They kept going back and forth, making sure I had all the ins and outs of how things worked, giving each other little digs every chance they got.
But neither of them missed a damn thing.
They clocked every face that walked in and every movement on the floor, making sure nothing got by them.
“Don’t get tunnel vision,” Memphis warned. “Most of the trouble starts off-stage. The tables, the backrooms, or even the bar. They’re all hot spots for stupid shit.”
I gave a small nod, letting them know I was taking it all in.
But I didn’t need the lesson or the warnings.
I was the enforcer for almost five years.
It was my job, my responsibility, to keep the clubhouse and my brothers out of harm’s way.
I knew what to do and not do, and most of all, I knew how to spot trouble a mile away.
My gaze moved slowly across the room, and I let my instincts take over. I wasn’t looking for the loud ones. I was looking for the shift in the air.
And I found it.
Two guys were sitting at the front right, near the stage.
The table was right in the thick of the action, but the two men were too busy arguing to even notice the hot little blonde twirling in front of them.
One of them leaned forward, and he looked pissed as the other continued to mouth off.
I don’t know what he was going on about, but clearly, it wasn’t landing right.
I glanced over at Memphis, and as expected, he was watching the same two assholes. “You seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Yeah.” Memphis turned to Goose and motioned his head. “Front right table.”
“Yeah, I see ‘em.”
The tension at the table ticked up a notch, and the first guy shoved his chair back an inch while his friend’s hand came up like he was making a point. That’s when I saw it.
A small leather holster that appeared to be holding a 9mm.
It wasn’t against the law to conceal carry in most states, Arkansas included, but concealing in a bar was a big no-go. My gut went tight. Before I could point it out, Memphis leaned in and announced, “I see it.”
“I see it, too.” Goose’s friendly grin vanished and was replaced with a fierceness I wouldn’t expect from a guy like him. “It should’ve been caught at the door.”
“Well, they missed it.” There was no missing the agitation in Memphis’s voice when he said, “It happens. Now, we gotta get a hold of this guy before he does something stupid.”
“How you wanna handle it?”
“We don’t want to spook ‘em. We go in slow and easy.” Memphis cracked his neck and started forward as he announced, “I’ll take left.”
“I got the right.” As Goose started forward, he looked over to me. “You coming?”
I gave him a quick nod, and a familiar calm settled in as I followed behind. We didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention, so we didn’t rush. We took it nice and slow, weaving through the crowd like we were just making rounds.
Goose eased to the right while Memphis drifted to the left, and I hung back half a step, letting the angle play out like it needed to.
The two guys didn’t notice us at first. They were still locked in whatever argument they had going on, but they both fell silent when Goose stepped up to the table. “Evening, fellas. How’s it going?”
“We’re fine.” The guy on the left looked annoyed as he leaned back and said, “Just having a friendly discussion.”
“Why don’t you take your friendly discussion outside?”
“I said, we’re fine.”
“Yeah, we heard you,” Memphis answered, trying his damnedest to keep his calm as he approached from the other side. “But you’re getting a bit loud.”
The one on the right shifted in his seat, and I spotted the gun again. He clocked Memphis. Then Goose. His eyes lingered a fraction too long, and I knew he was about to do something stupid. He pushed his chair back like he was about to stand as he said, “Man, I ain’t going nowhere…”
His hand dipped, and that was all I needed.
I moved.
Two steps. That’s all it took. I was behind him, sliding my arm around his neck. With the V of my arm pressing at his throat, I locked in tight. His hands flew up, trying to grab at my arm, but I already had the hold set. And I had him tight enough to shut him down quick.
Memphis stepped in, catching his wrist before he could get anywhere close to his weapon, and warned, “Don’t be stupid.”
The guy struggled for a second, but it was already over.
His body started to go slack, and then, he was out.
I eased him back down to his chair, and Memphis took the weapon from the holster, quiet and efficient.
I took a quick glance around, making sure there wasn’t going to be any backlash from someone we hadn’t noticed.
Music was still thumping, the girls were still dancing, and drinks were still being poured.