4. Shane
4
SHANE
M y phone started buzzing and I headed out to Ruby’s parking lot.
Since we’d come to town, the bar’s regular crowd had thinned. Gloves’ mom had expressed concern about that a few times, but I told her the word would spread, and we’d be taking off. The regulars would return, but she also needed to remember we were sharing about her place to the other charters, other bikers we knew. They’d produce a decent amount of revenue for her bar, so this would be something she’d need to get used to.
Stepping out to the back, I could see only a few people at the tables. I answered the phone, stepping down and starting through the bikes. “Yeah.”
Maxwell Raith, the Red Demons’ national president, was on the other end. “How’s it going out there?”
“Good. We’re squared with Gloves’ family, except for the older sister.”
“The older one? I wasn’t aware she was there.”
“Neither were we. I’m not sure if Gloves knows or if he was keeping her away from us, but she’s here. She’s not married either. Working in a grocery store.”
“Really?”
“Of all of them, she’s the one I’d worry about. The dad gave us a pass. The mom’ll be under our thumb, and the other sister, she’s been cozying up to Roadie.”
“Cozying up?”
“Yeah. He’s having fun, but she wants more. I’ve seen the look before.”
“He’s not interested in an old lady?”
“No.”
He grunted. “Right.”
Sometimes that happens—girls who want more than a fun-time, want the old lady status, and don’t take to a guy’s no. An old lady was the equivalent to a wife in our world.
But she was local, and we’d be heading out, so she shouldn’t be a problem.
“This older sister. What’s she like?”
My gut tightened.
The Kali from high school wasn’t the Kali in that grocery store. That girl was long gone.
I needed to not give a fuck.
“She’s smart.”
He cursed. “You laid the terms out to her?”
“I did. Her favor is for us to leave her brother alone.”
Another low curse from him. “Yeah. She’s smart.” He cleared his throat. “What’s her situation? Why’s she back in Indiana if she had a good life in New York?”
“I asked Roadie to hit up the sister about her, and there doesn’t seem to be a relationship between them. The mom too. Ruby got cagey when I brought her up earlier.”
“That’s really not good.”
I sighed. “I’ll make some calls. I don’t want to approach Gloves about her. That could backfire. I do know she’s down on her luck and not biting at getting a handout. That should tell us something.”
“You knew her back in the day?”
My gut tightened again.
I ignored it, again.
“She was pretty back then. Ran with a small group, loyal to each other. I’ll look them up, see if she’s kept in contact with them. Already told you she was smart. Gloves worshiped her back then, and the feeling was mutual. She’s got a different dad; he’s an attorney.”
“What kind of attorney?”
“Had our computer guys do a search. Attorney in Chicago.”
“You think we should move on the dad? Could take his firm on retainer.”
“I don’t think so. We approach her dad, she hears about it, and that could backfire too.”
“You have them look into her?” he asked.
When I didn’t respond, he added, “You set our computer guys on the dad, but not her?”
I stilled.
I needed to tread cautiously here. “I knew her in school. Respected her. She was chased by a bunch of the jocks, but she knew what they were like. Saw through them, but handled them smart. She never had a problem.”
“You have a thing for her?”
My hand tightened on the phone. “Back then? Yes.”
“You got a thing for her now?”
“I don’t know her now.”
“You want to stick your dick in her?”
I didn’t answer that one.
He laughed wryly. “If you need to move in on her, you willing to do that?”
“I’ll do anything for the club.”
Another dry chuckle came from him. “Let’s pretend that’s what I was asking for.”
“What Gloves is going to do is for the club, so it would be for the club.”
A long sigh came over the line, followed by a yawn. “Okay. It’s been a long day. I have another situation for you to handle, but let’s wait for now. Do what you need to do to move things in place on the sister. You know what I’m talking about. If she’s a problem down the road, I want you to pull on whatever strings you have to take care of her. Can you do that?”
My gut was so fucking tight now, I felt like he had a grip on my balls. And I didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
“Yeah,” I bit out. “What’s the other situation?”
“Got a call from the Frisco charter. The president is in prison, but he reached out. He’s worried about some of his members, got a bad feeling and feels like he got set up.”
I frowned. “You want us there to help sort it out?”
Sometimes that was a good idea. Usually it wasn’t. Charters got along for the greater good, but on local territory, they liked to rule it the way they ruled it. If there was a difference in opinion, or the wrong personality took root, that could be a problem. A big one. And that could spread to other charters. The whole club was always affected when that poison took hold and was allowed to grow.
“Yeah, but it’s twofold for me,” he explained. “We’re leaving the Goose, and I’m thinking about backup. There’s a family from Canada looking to move south. Might be an issue for us, or could be a solution. I’m not sure yet.”
There was only one family in Canada I knew that had that sort of reach. “Bennett.”
“You go, handle the situation there and we’ll figure the rest out later.”
“I’d want ten to go with me,” I said.
“That’s what I was thinking. With ten, you’re beneath their numbers. But you’re the national VP. I want to send Stripes to help you. He knows the area.”
Stripes had been an inmate at Potomahmen. He’d helped us out of a spot, and he’d been with our guys on the inside ever since. He was smart, but he was the sneaky/crafty kind of smart. He got out of prison a year ago, had been riding with our charter ever since, and he was officially patched in a month ago.
“What are my orders for now?”
“Stay put. Do what I said on the sister, and start compiling ten guys to go with you.”
I amended my question. “I’ll make eleven. Stripes will be twelve.”
“That’ll keep you guys one below the local charter. You okay doing what you need to do on Gloves’ sister? Considering I know how tight you and he are, and if you liked her in school… Those feelings might still be there.”
I loved my club.
I’d joined after coming home from three tours overseas. I grew up in foster homes and had no family. Gloves had given me my first semblance of family. My unit gave me my second brothers. The club was my last family.
Prez was right about Kali. He was fucking smart, which made sense since he was nearing his sixties and ran the Red Demons the way he had. He was ruthless, but a mastermind. He was also the sniper in our group. He’d set up a mark and wait months, if he needed to, before he hit it.
Me? My job was to wade in like a ghost—get in the thick of it, get things done, but leave no trace. Both our roles were vital to the club, but right now, I was cursing the role he played, and I wasn’t much happier about mine. Still. For the club . That was our motto for a reason.
“I’ll handle her, but not in a way that’ll hurt her. I can’t do that, Prez. Not to Gloves. He doesn’t deserve that.”
I knew how he wanted things handled, and usually I was on board with it. Not this time. I was pushing back, and I rarely pushed back.
He sighed softly.
He was giving in. I could already hear it.
“You’re right,” he said. “Find a way to handle her, but do it right. I’m giving you free rein on this one. It’s your call.” After a pause he added, “It’s the least we can do for Gloves.”
The very least.