Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Roll With Your Role
D ick Rundle pulled at the cuffs to create a sharp pain in Linc’s wrists. He grinned as he did so.
“Fucking try that again and I will knock you the fuck out,” Linc growled.
“Touch me and your ass will be stuck in a cell for a long while.”
“Get to the fucking point here, Officer Dick .”
“Chief,” Dick Rundle said. “Remember that, kid.”
Linc hated when anyone referred to him as kid . Even if Dick Rundle had been bugging his ass since he was a kid. It was Dick Rundle who chased Linc and Javen through down town on their bicycles after blowing up Mr. Poppinickel’s mailbox. It was Dick Rundle who chase Linc and Javen after they got their first motorcycles and were riding in and out of traffic, crossing the yellow line, and acting reckless for no reason at all.
It was also Dick Rundle who tried and fought like hell to keep Javen out of prison…
They paused at Dick Rundle’s office door and he looked around to make sure nobody was looking before opening the door and pushing Linc inside.
After shutting the door, Chief Rundle took the cuffs off Linc’s wrists. Linc flexed his wrists, walked to a clean leather chair and sat down. He picked up the name plate on the desk and smiled.
“You’re such a cocky asshole,” Linc said.
“Got to own what you have,” Chief Rundle said. “Also have to keep up appearances.”
“Fuck you. You enjoyed that way too much.”
“Arresting an outlaw in public? That was great, Linc. Just great.”
Chief Rundle sat down in his large leather chair and folded his hands on his chest.
“What do I owe the honor?” Linc asked. “I was in the middle of something.”
“Beautiful woman,” Chief Rundle said.
“You should remember her. That’s Novaleigh Vida. Remember chasing us around?”
“Ah,” Chief Rundle nodded. “Wow. She blossomed, huh? I know about her mother. Gail. That woman is a mess. Loves to drink.”
Linc debated for a second bringing up Nova’s missing brother. Except he didn’t want anyone else involved. He wanted Nova to himself.
“Why are we talking right now?” Linc asked.
Chief Rundle reached for his top right drawer and opened it. In a casual motion, he tossed a small baggie across his desk and then folded his arms. Linc took one glance at the baggie and then looked at Chief Rundle.
“ Yellow bunny .”
“I can see that,” Linc said.
“Ask me about my morning.”
“No. You can tell me about it though.”
“I’ve got a couple deputies who understand how this process works. You don’t need to know who they are. I have to keep myself protected.”
“Spare me the righteous talk, Dick.”
Chief Rundle flexed his jaw. “Car accident out on Wallus. Abandoned. Found plenty of that shit in the car too.”
Linc looked to the baggie of yellow bunny again. Both men sat in silence for a few extra seconds. Both deep in their own thoughts.
“I hate to be the one that repeats himself,” Chief Rundle said.
“Then don’t.”
Chief Rundle reached forward, picked up the baggie and tossed it toward Linc, forcing him to snag it out of midair.
“That was in this town, Linc. Right here. Understand? That’s not supposed to happen. We have perimeters. We have boundaries. We have rules. Agreements. Need I go on?”
Linc stood up. “Fuck yourself with your speeches, Dick. You don’t think we’re not tracking as much of this shit as we can? Tell me someone else knows about this? Huh? An accident in town with drugs in the car?”
“I handled it.”
“Handled it. How?”
Chief Rundle sat back in his chair. “Put the fucking car in neutral and eased it over the county line. Now it’s Bradmen’s problem. Not ours. They’ll find it. Find the drugs. They’ll be in a world of shit over it. Let them find out who was driving and go from there.”
“Fuck,” Linc said.
“Best option, Linc. You know it. We might catch a little heat here but all we’ve got are clean streets. Right?”
Linc didn’t respond. Didn’t nod.
“Let the guys up in Bradmen deal with this. They’ll call me. I’ll talk to Harry and settle up. Let him know we have nothing here. Offer to help out. Play the game, right? We all have roles here, Linc. And now you know yours. That yellow shit cannot be floating around.”
“For all we know the driver could have been passing through. Did you run the plate?”
“Of course I did. I even wrote down the address for you.”
“For me.”
“This isn’t my issue, Linc,” Chief Rundle said. “If you want it to be my issue, I’ll have to do things a certain way.”
“The vague threats are weak, Dick,” Linc said. “I’ll handle this. Now do you need to cuff me again and put on a show or are we all set?”
“You’re going to tuck that shit into your pocket and take the address and put it in the same pocket. Then we’re going to the door and I’m going to call you a few choice names and send you out of here. You need to turn your head and spit at me. If you hit me, I’ll arrest you. I’ll have no choice. Then you’re done.”
“I have to walk back to my ride back at Piggy’s?” Linc asked.
“Well…”
Chief Rundle grinned. Linc tucked the yellow bunny and the address into his pocket. He turned and put his hands behind his back.
A ride from the chief back to his motorcycle meant another walk through the station in cuffs. Good for appearances. Everyone played their roles.
All Linc wanted to do was get to the clubhouse and see Nova.
Linc parked his ride in the spot between Cyrus’s and Priest’s and ran into the clubhouse as though flames were shooting out of the roof. He found Nova sitting at the bar with two glasses in front of her.
“Getting her nice and drunk for you, Linc!” Maggie called out.
Nova turned her head and Linc saw her sweet, sexy, innocent eyes. Fuck. She should not be here. Linc looked around.
Priest and Darrow were shooting a game of pool. Slade sat across the bar, folders open, paperwork in front of him.
He looked up and nodded at Linc. Linc needed to meet with Cyrus. But first…
He walked to the bar, right behind Nova, and took his place. His arms around her, hands on the bar, making sure anyone who saw knew that Nova was to be left the hell alone.
“You okay, darling?” Linc asked.
“Sure,” Nova said. “Only had one gun pulled on me so far. That’s a win, right?”
“Who the fuck pulled a gun on you?” Linc growled.
“It was when I first showed up. Guess they thought for a second I was someone bad. Slade told the guy to leave me alone.”
Nova pointed at Slade. Slade stared at Linc.
“I’ll be right back,” Linc said.
He started to walk and Nova reached for him. She sucked in a breath and looked at Maggie. Nova just maybe signed someone up to get killed. As Linc hurried around the bar, Slade hurried to stand up.
“Talk to me, brother,” Slade said.
Linc grabbed for Slade’s left shoulder. “You helped her out, right?”
“She said she was with you,” Slade said. “Got her parked. Brought her in. Kept Priest away from her. Maggie’s been giving her water and vodka. She’s nervous at hell, Linc. Who is she?”
“Who pulled a gun on her?”
“Ah, fuck, brother…”
“Who?” Linc growled.
“She was circling around the block,” Slade said. “Three different times. Amos called me and—”
Linc shoved Slade back.
“Linc! Don’t!”
Too late. Those two words rang through Slade’s head, Nova’s head, and Linc’s head at the same time.
Amos was a patched in member but not part of prayer. He didn’t have a spot at the table. He didn’t have a vote either. In dire times, he’d get a seat in a chair for prayer, just to listen. Maybe once or twice his opinion was needed.
For Linc, it didn’t matter who it was. Even if it was Cyrus— the President himself —Linc would have done what needed to be done… Linc grabbed a pool stick, which seemed to be the lesser of all the weapons racing through his mind.
“Where the fuck is Amos?” Linc asked Priest.
“Taking a shit,” Priest said.
Linc ran for the bathroom. Slade thought about trying to stop Linc, but he saw the rage in Linc’s eyes. Slade knew instantly whoever this Nova woman was, she meant something to Linc. Just as Linc got to the bathroom door, Amos stepped out. He quickly tucked his cellphone into his pocket.
“You pulled a fucking gun on Nova?” Linc asked.
“Who the fuck is Nova?” Amos asked.
Linc jammed the end of the pool stick into Amos’s stomach. Then he swung and brought the pool stick down against Amos’s lower back. The stick broke.
“You ever pull a gun on Nova again and I’ll cut your fucking hands off!” Linc roared. “You understand me? She’s with me.”
Linc kicked his right foot, hitting Amos in the chest, sending him up and around to his back on the floor.
“That’s enough, Linc,” Slade said, finally jumping in. “He’s a patched in member. What’s done is done. The word is out, okay?”
“Fucking asshole!” Linc roared and he spit at Amos, hitting him right in the face.
“Hey!” Slade yelled, pushing Linc back.
Linc had enough anger in him to pick up the entire clubhouse, shake it and throw it a mile.
“It’s okay, Linc,” a voice said from behind him.
He felt a hand touch his back. His leather cut. Pressing against the large SOFRAW logo. Linc spun around and through the red haze of anger, he saw Nova standing there.
“I did circle around the block a few times,” Nova said. “I was nervous. I still am nervous, Linc.”
Her jaw quivered. Linc touched her chin.
In their hearts they both knew this was the absolute last chance for Nova to leave the clubhouse, drive away, and never ever think about Linc or SOFRAW ever again.