Chapter 14
Rooster
“Exciting run?” Hawk asked as he sat at the head of the table in our Church room.
We weren’t officially having Church, but there was no eavesdropping of that room. Eagle hadn’t gotten back from work yet, Red was with us, and the other officers were in Jersey still.
“Mmhhmm.”
“So, the Hellbound Heathens aren’t gone after all?” Hawk asked as he leaned back in his chair.
I cleared my throat. “Seems that way. Not sure if they just moved to Cincy or if there’s others.”
Red stared me down with a shit-eating grin.
Rolling my eyes, I growled. “What?”
Red threw his hands up. “Hey man, just can’t believe you’re so chatty. So, she’s here?”
“She is.”
“Is she staying?” Red asked.
“You can catch up on your schoolgirl gossip after we’re done,” Hawk interjected. “I checked in briefly with Petrov and Keys is doing a little searching but we may need to do some recon.”
“I didn’t recognize any of them.”
Hawk tapped his fingers on the table. “Kristie’s apartment’s being cleared now.
They said nothing else seemed out of sorts, but Keys has the video from her complex.
He found when two of them showed up there but the cameras don’t go to her door, just outside the building.
I’ll need you to review it, see if it’s the same ones that ambushed the truck. ”
I nodded in agreement.
“That’s it for now, but be ready to ride out after the others get back,” Hawk said.
“Ride out to where?” Red asked.
“Cincy. With a little luck, we can find their operations. We only need one of ‘em to squeal like a pig,” Hawk said. “I’ll update the guys outside of Indy. The COC is unaware of any Hellbound Heathens.”
If the Confederation of Clubs had no knowledge of them, they weren’t organized, and likely not a club at all but just a random gang of bikers who used cuts to identify each other but had no loyalty or code.
Doing recon could be just a couple days, but it could mean longer.
Exactly how long would depend on what we found, if anything.
Kristie wouldn’t be happy. I dragged her all the way down here and I’d have to leave soon.
As much as I didn’t want to do that, I had to stay true to my brothers.
Plus, I wanted to know who the fuck these assholes were and what they were up to.
We thought once our rat was out of the picture, the Heathens were gone, too.
If these guys were set up not only in Cincy but other cities, they may not be tied to the trafficking ring, at least not how we thought.
Which again, made sense if they were just a gang.
Plus, it would explain why they’d helped a trafficking ring here and a band of unscrupulous ranchers in the Midwest. They were basically modern-day pirates on bikes, plundering and dealing with anyone and any way to make a buck.
But that also presented an opportunity for them to grow.
“I’ll let the others know when they return, but we aren’t moving on them,” Hawk said.
“Strictly recon. Until we know more, we don’t need an ambush to create a war.
We need to know what we’re dealing with first. Like I said, if we can corner one and get some intel that’s great, but otherwise just trying to get eyes on their hideout.
” He banged his fist on the table and stood.
Red and I stood as well, following Hawk out. As we made our way down the hall, Red nudged my shoulder. “I need the story.”
Shrugging, I said, “Not much to tell besides what I’m sure you already know.”
“I know about the Heathens, I know about the rancher, but I don’t know how Kristie ended up back here.”
“What difference does it make?” He was annoying.
But he was my partner back then, my co-rider in the truck.
He made excuses for me if I dipped out to see her while we were supposed to be resting.
And he was the one that probably felt it harder than any of the other guys after I’d broken it off with her.
I never was loud or outgoing, but I went quiet and dark after that, even when riding alone with him.
But none of the guys ever gave me shit about it, even him.
They kept me busy, gave me tasks, more responsibilities, and eventually my evergreen state of melancholy was the norm.
Those rides to Jersey had to be boring as shit for him but he just cranked up the tunes, made sure I ate, and we handled business.
“Just surprised is all man. And worried.”
I stopped walking, turning to him. “I appreciate that, brother. But it’s not like things could get any worse.”
Red eyed me for a few beats, then said, “I guess you’re right. Just hated to see you go through that. Hope you don’t again.”
“I don’t intend to let her go this time, Red. Maybe you should start worrying about your own lady issues and less about mine.”
Red crossed his arms, lips drawn into a thin line. “That’s different and that’s fucked up, man.”
Sighing, I said, “You’re right. I’m fucking tired, I’m hungry, and I now I gotta tell her I’m leaving in a few days.”
Red didn’t uncross his arms, but the tension in his shoulders relaxed a little. “Good luck with that. Let’s get you some grub. And don’t get your panties in a twist when I speak to her.”
Red and Kristie were always friendly. I wasn’t any more possessive than the other guys and knew he’d never betray me.
And even though she still seemed on the fence about everything, I didn’t think for a second she’d try anything with any of my brothers, especially Red.
“Shut the fuck up and go speak to her before those chickens scare her away. I gotta go see Keys real quick.”
I turned to head towards Keys’ lair as Red continued to the bar. After knocking, Keys yelled out, “Enter.”
“Hey,” I said as I closed the door behind me.
Keys, who normally kept his nose down to this keyboard, slowly turned in his computer chair. “Did you just say hey?” He asked as he pushed the blond waves off his brow.
“I did. You ever gonna get a haircut?”
He rolled his eyes. There used to be a girl who came around that was going to school for hair and she’d give him a trim. He usually kept it short, but she stopped coming around right around when Raven was killed. Keys didn’t really leave. But who was I to judge? I didn’t talk for a long time.
“I heard Lacy is starting school soon for cosmetology. I’m sure she’d help.”
“So, you’re going with deflection. Got it. Anyway,” he said, turning back to his keyboard and tapping away, “here’s the video. Hawk wanted to see if you recognized them from the ambush.”
Leaning down, I watched as two Hellbound Heathens parked, then crept around the parking lot before they disappeared into Sparrow’s building. “Can you skip until they come back out?”
Keys tapped a few times and the video sped up, then he stopped it once they walked out and froze it, zooming in a bit. “This is the best view of their faces. Look familiar?”
Shaking my head, I said, “No. They weren’t there for the ambush.”
“Will Kristie need replacement IDs?” Keys asked.
“What? No. And don’t talk about her like you know her.”
He turned again, crossing his arms over his large chest. Even though he stayed hidden in his computer lab, he clearly still made time to work out.
“Well, Daisy could’ve just asked me and instead got kidnapped.
So, I was just trying to help. And of course Hawk had me look her up when Falcon explained what happened the other night. ”
That made sense. Plus, Hawk was already a member back then. He got to ride his bike on those runs, but he knew I was seeing a woman, and he knew what happened afterwards. “And?”
“Hey man, with everything going on lately, he just wanted to be sure she was clean. I noticed a separation letter in her email. And Hawk said something about her being a doctor, but I didn’t find that. She’s smart as hell, but no doctorate.”
“She was going to school to be a doctor when I was seeing her before. Not sure what happened. But she mentioned getting fired.” Why didn’t she get her doctorate? Was it my fault?
“Not sure, but she was doing some crazy work. She’s probably torn up over it. I hope you understand I had to check her out. I gotta do what Hawk asks.”
Nodding, I said, “I know. We’re good. Thanks, brother.”
Heading out of the computer lab and toward the bar, my head spun. Had I somehow messed up her path when I was trying to save it?