Chapter 14
“Hey,” Petra said as they dismounted and removed their helmets.
“What’s up?” Paul looked at her in concern.
“I’m not drinking alcohol here.” At his look of confusion, she looked at the people around them, and when he really looked, he nodded.
“Duly noted, I’ll stick to water. What are you going to say if anyone asks about where our club name comes from?”
Petra grinned, as she laughed. “Tell them it’s a play on our heritage. You know, Vikings and our ancestors did some things throughout history that tainted the shield they carried representing our families.”
Paul laughed and hugged her, then kissed her quickly on the lips, staking his territory before they even went up to the crowds.
He knew she would probably kick his ass later, but he wanted to stake his claim before they even left their bikes, letting everyone there know that they were a couple.
“I like that idea. Who’s going to actually research that. ”
“Exactly.” Petra giggled, then shook her head as he started unraveling his log chain from the sissy bar. For some reason, the way he carried it there never interfered with her riding, and she only shook her head a second time. “You’ll give the warning if need be?”
“Just listen for the whistle.”
“I will.” They walked forward to join Sally and Warren, and were stopped several times as Warren saw people he knew and made introductions.
When they got up to the table to pay their entrance fee, Paul paid it, then asked where the bar was.
They made their way there, and he ordered four waters, and paid for them.
He passed them out, and they stood off to the side observing everyone in attendance.
“Shit,” Paul whispered and turned his back to the crowd to talk to Petra so no one could read his lips.
“What is it?” Sally asked.
“The guy at the bar with the bright green hat on backwards.”
“What about him?” Petra asked.
“He’s the guy that tried to attack me at Warren’s bar last month.”
Warren laughed and grinned. “The guy that pissed his pants when Paul leaned down and said something to him. Then he ran out of there like his ass was on fire. I still don’t understand what you said, but I liked the results.
” He downed several swallows of his water, and nodded. “He walked in the other direction.”
“Is he wearing colors?”
“No, his back is bare.”
Paul nodded, and the four of them left the beer tent in the opposite direction from what the guy went. They hadn’t gotten far before Sally swore.
“What is it?” Warren asked when he saw his sister’s expression.
Sally turned to look at the three of them, and looked directly at Petra as she talked. “Remember the day of your interview? I hired you on the spot because Paula called off?”
“Yes, what about her?”
“Look over my shoulder, at your eleven o’clock.
See that young woman with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash attached to a tree?
” She waited until they looked and then back at her.
“That’s Paula.” She turned to Psycho. “Don’t quote me, but I am about ninety-five percent sure that the man you pointed out in the beer tent is her old man.
When she worked, he would show up toward the end of Paula’s shift.
I can’t tell you how many times I had to tell him to leave if he wasn’t going to order anything. ”
“I remember now,” Warren snapped his fingers and picked up the story.
“Sally told me about Paula and her boyfriend. I didn’t know him, and he was never seen on security cameras in the diner.
Legally, I couldn’t do anything, because he wasn’t really breaking the law.
Loitering really isn’t an arrestable offense.
I did have a talk with him, but I could tell it went in one ear and out the other.
” He looked at Sally with a frown. “How long ago was this?”
“I’ve been working for Sally for six weeks now,” Petra said as she discreetly looked over at the woman tied to a tree like a pet. “I don’t know how long before I arrived that this happened.”
“A few weeks, by the time you came, she was calling in more and more. I was about to fire her when she never showed up again.” She sighed and shook her head. “As much as I want to run over there and rescue her, I don’t want to cause any problems for her.”
“I understand,” Paul said. He pulled his phone and looked at Petra. “Stand beside Sally, and I’ll take your picture.”
Petra knew immediately what he was doing, and it didn’t take long for Warren to catch on.
As he snapped their photos, he was able to move his phone and get several shots of Paula.
When he returned home, he would start a file on her.
It would be good to have it in case something terrible happened to the young woman, and her body was found somewhere.
What little he knew of these guys, and have seen so far, he wouldn’t put it past them to do something that evil.
They walked around and became more observant of their surroundings.
All four of them took photos with the guise of taking pictures of each other, when in reality, they were getting photos of the people in attendance.
At one point, Paul was able to get several illegal activities on film.
They continued to walk around, and at one point, Warren stopped them to speak softly.
“Straight ahead, the guy with the long ponytail, black leather vest, no shirt, dirty blue jeans.”
“What about him?”
“That’s Ted, he’s the President of Iron Men.”
“The club the guy that tried to take me out wants to strike for?”
“Yes, the guy he’s talking to, is Scot, his street name is Road Rash.
” Warren grinned at Psycho’s snort. “Yeah, he laid his bike down once and ended up with his entire left side, from ankle to shoulder covered in road rash.” Warren shook his head sadly.
“He was only wearing sneakers, shorts, and what people call a wife beater. This was when he was young, like sixteen or seventeen.” Warren grinned.
“His first bike out on the road. The name stuck. Now he’s the President of the Vultures. This is his event today.”
“And the bald guy?” Psycho nodded to the people Warren talked about, and watched as another man joined them.
“Fuck,” Warren said and turned to look directly at Psycho, with his back to the people they had been discussing.
“What?”
“The bald guy is Larry Emmerson, he’s the President of the Bastards MC.”
“Bastards?”
“Yeah, and believe you me, every single member of that club are bastards, so the name is fitting. We, my task force, have tried for years to get something on them, but it always falls through.”
“Do you think someone on the inside is tipping them off?”
“Yeah, I was thinking about it since we talked a few weeks back. I haven’t told you yet, but I never went to my superiors about you.
I want to see what you can do, and if we can leave them in the dark, then I feel we might have a chance to get these guys.
I know this is going to be a marathon, and not a sprint, I’m good with that.
I want to make sure we get the evidence against them to make it stick.
I know I should have talked to you about this, but I thought with you being at the federal level, you can get better responses than I can. ”
“I understand, and I’m glad you’re with us. If you suspect anyone in your organization, just get me their information and I can run it.” He looked over Warren’s shoulder and nodded. “Incoming.”
Warren turned and plastered a platonic smile on his face. “Gentlemen,” he nodded to the three presidents to different clubs.
“Mott,” Emmerson said with a nod. “What brings you here?”
“Free country, this is open to the public, nice weather, thought I could get a ride in with my friend.” He pointed to Paul. “Psycho.”
Paul held out his hand and nodded to the three men. When they shook his hand, he felt better.
“Do you belong to a club?”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here. I’m starting my own club and wanted to see if I could get permission to ride in the area.”
“What type of club?” Scot demanded.
“Where?” Ted asked at the same time.
“Over between Fort Dodge and Fonda. I’m the only one here for now. I’m expecting others to arrive shortly. We’re nothing bad, all weekend warriors. I have a motorcycle shop, so we’ll be working there. Once the others arrive, we’d like to have different events, like this.”
“No dealing drugs? Will you be dealing guns?”
“No, just a bunch of good ole boys that love to ride and want to share the experience with others.” Paul held his breath as he watched them closely, and sighed in relief when they didn’t question his intentions any further.
“What’s the club name?”
Paul grinned. “Tainted Shield MC.”
“Why?”
Paul chuckled as he remembered what Petra had said. “Back in my family history, there have been some Vikings. They were notorious for doing things that caused their shields to be tainted.”
“Oh,” the three said, and when Paul noticed something, he sighed heavily.
“Do you guys know who the fuck that asshole is?” He turned and pointed to the man from Warren’s bar from weeks ago.
“Fuck,” Ted said and looked at the others, who gave him a nod.
“What?” Psycho asked in confusion at their response to his question.
“He’s a fucking asshole. He’s trying to strike for all of our clubs. His name is Eddie.”
“At the same time?”
“Yes. Since you’re going to be running your own club here, you might as well know that our clubs aren’t always above the law.
I won’t tell you everything, but I’m sure you get the idea.
We’ll do almost anything except pedal human flesh.
This guy, Eddie, treats his old lady like a dog.
Literally.” Ted used his beer bottle to point to where Paula was tied up to a tree.
“Is there a chance he’ll get into any of your clubs?” Psycho had to be sure he hadn’t offended any of them from his actions when he had first met the guy they were discussing.
“No.”