Chapter 2
Josiah
“Oi! Hand me the wrench, pussy!”
The motorcycle shop is noisy as usual as the boys work together to fix their bikes. We had a bit of a clash yesterday, so there’s quite a bit of damage to repair. Everyone’s still a bit on edge after all the excitement from the night before, but I’m pretty calm. Unlike the others, I found the fight relaxing. It’s been a bit since I was able to bash some heads.
“Who’re you calling a pussy, asshole?”
The insults draw my attention to the guys working near me.
I’m the third in command in our gang, “Sins of Man”. I know all of the men under me and I quickly recognize the two talking as Neil, a veteran fighter with seven grotesque scars from close shaves over the years, and Robin, a clean-skinned, baby-faced newbie.
“Of course I mean you,” Neil continues. “You think I didn’t see you cowering yesterday?”
Neil laughs and bumps the arm of another veteran next to him. “You should have seen the kid last night, Randy. Had his face in his hands, whimpering and everything during the duel.”
Oh…
I understand what they’re talking about now.
Robin’s face and neck go red with shame, and he splutters as he tries to defend himself. “How is that my fault?! I’m not a pussy! You saw me take down five men by myself! I’m not scared… Boss Tanner is just…”
The newbie shivers lightly, as if remembering the fight. “Boss Tanner is a bit too much…and that was my first time!”
He’s not wrong. Things got a bit out of hand last night.
Here’s the thing. Our club is run very strictly. There are three bosses in Sins of Man.
Rueben Blake, the founder and leader.
Tanner Smith, the businessman and second in command.
Then there’s me, Josiah Cane. Third in command, and the muscle.
Especially between Tanner and me, we keep out of each other’s tasks. Whenever there’s a fight, my boys and I are deployed. When it’s something to do with business, we leave it all to Tanner and his team. We both report to and take orders from Rueben, who took us in and gave us purpose.
Yesterday’s excitement came from a smaller gang called “Steelheart”. We’ve been quiet lately since we’ve been busy, and that’s why I haven’t been able to fight much.
I don’t know what possessed those idiots at Steelheart, but they seemed to think that meant we were weaker…?
It’s so dumb. I don’t even want to think about where they could have gotten that idea. They ambushed some of our men around our territory borders and killed two. They sent the rest back with a message that they challenged us.
Anyway, Rueben didn’t let their stupidity slide. We razed through them like a field of grass. I got to bash a lot of heads. It was fun.
Well, it was fun, until the leader thought he was a wise guy and called for a duel instead of an indiscriminate attack. Rueben agreed. It’s a waste to kill all those men when just killing the leader can get the rest of the men to surrender.
See, this is why I can’t be the leader. Those rules are a bit boring for me, even though I know they’re wise. I just like chaos more.
Rueben’s not like me. So he gave that guy a chance. I mean, he was screwed anyway, no matter who he picked, but he fucked up.
The idiot probably thought Tanner couldn’t fight. I mean, I can’t blame him. That sadistic bastard probably does it on purpose. Despite being in a motorcycle gang , the sicko wears suits. He’s the shortest of the three of us, at six foot two. He also has his hair long, in a ponytail that reaches his shoulder blades, and wears glasses he doesn’t even need.
Any idiot would misunderstand and think he’s not a fighter. Big mistake. The newbie is right; Tanner is too much. I’m a sick fuck, but even I know setting Tanner off is not a good idea. He beat the man’s skull into the ground with his bare hands.
“It’s true though. Boss Tanner is a bit…scary,” Randy says, voicing my thoughts and vindicating the newbie.
“See?! It’s not about being a pussy! I’ve just never seen something like that before!” Robin jumps in to defend himself.
Neil is still unimpressed. “Pah, you’re still a pussy. Which one of our bosses isn’t scary? That’s why we follow them.”
All three glance in my direction discreetly. I roll my eyes. So I’m scary now, huh? I hope I’m still scary when you come by to get your allowances this month.
I’m in charge of taking care of the boys under me, so while I know they sort of fear me, they’re also much closer to me than the others in the gang.
“Has anyone actually seen Boss Rueben fight?” Robin asks. He seems genuinely scared.
“The boss? Have you seen the way he looks at people? I don’t think he fights… I think he just reaps souls through prolonged eye contact or something. His kill count is the highest, you know?” Randy answers.
I look away from them so I don’t chuckle. Rueben is an odd one for sure. It takes a lot to unsettle me, but that guy unsettles even Tanner.
He might not actually be human. He’s six feet five inches of lean muscle and pale skin. Every inch of him is covered in black tattoos, right up to his ears and underneath his chin. The only part of him that’s spotless is his face. That’s probably why he appears even paler, but it’s scary. His eyes are black and bottomless. I’ve always been a wild card, but I listen to him without question. He’s not someone to fuck with.
I’ve always thought that if Rueben wanted to run the biggest gang, he could. If he can get Tanner and me under control, there’s no one he can’t subdue.
“Sir Cane?”
The sound of my name being called so strangely draws my attention to the front of the shop. The boys go quiet as well, and we all turn to look at the man in a suit by the door.
Right. That’s one of Tanner’s men. Weird fucks. You’d think he was an intern at some company running errands to a different department. Only Tanner’s men talked proper like that, calling us by our last names.
His eyes light up when he sees me, and he lowers his head slightly in greeting. “Sorry to disturb you, sir. Mr. Smith would like to see you for a meeting. He says it’s about the mission.”
I waste no time getting up. “Lead the way.”
When I get to Tanner’s office, Rueben is already there. “Hey, boss. Tanner. Am I late?”
Both of them seem a little troubled already, so it seems they’d been talking before I arrived.
“A bit,” Tanner mutters. “I’ve got news from the spy I planted in Flames of Hell. The old cop had a daughter. She knows where the stash is.”
I blink once in shock. For the past three years, we’ve been looking for clues. A daughter with information out of nowhere?
“What?”
“That’s not all.” Rueben’s dark eyes rise to mine. “She’s being sold to Flames of Hell as we speak.”