CLINT
T he drive to Rawlins left me half frozen despite my hoodie sweatshirt, club vest, and leather jacket. I even wore a helmet to protect myself from the drizzle. In the past, this cold weather wouldn’t faze me. Of course, back then, I wasn’t leaving behind a sexy blonde.
With dawn a few hours away, I struggled to remain mentally sharp. The dark roads and roar of the motorcycles were notorious for making minds wander.
To remain alert, I imagined my life in a year. I wanted to believe the Void was a nonfactor. They had the entire world to destroy. Why bring their trouble to Arkansas?
If I shoved aside my worries about the Void, my future was clearer. Ivy and I would be married by next year. We’d still live in the condo. She’d know how to drive. A kid might be in the works. My chest unclenched when I imagined Ivy viewing Little Memphis as her home rather than just mine.
But where would the club stand by then? That question kept coming back to me. A month ago, I thought my biggest issue was keeping Tricky from growing his club to an unsustainable size. My meeting with Zodiac left me seeing threats everywhere.
Eventually, I guided my people past the police barriers. We parked as a group on the side of the road behind a fire truck. Up ahead, the drug house still smoldered. Pieces of the building were spread out across the road and nearby fields.
A meth house blowing up wasn’t startling news, but Oz claimed gunshots were heard and security footage showed an attack. Four people were dead. I didn’t know the men, but their deaths might be a message to the club.
Climbing off my motorcycle, I couldn’t stop shivering. The ride had dug past my clothes and gotten into my joints. My mind flashed to my warm bed with Ivy cuddled against me. Nothing could compare to that comfort.
When Rock noticed me trying to warm up, he muttered, “People are looking. Pull yourself together.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you over your chattering teeth.”
Rock smirked at my comment and then glanced back at our people climbing off their motorcycles. The cops stood nearby, drinking coffee and ignoring us.
Rock inherited his six-foot-five height and wide shoulders from his dad. Oz Savo currently stood outside a black SUV parked nearby. His dark, wavy hair was hidden under a knit cap. He shivered despite his heavy jacket.
Hiding from the cold inside the SUV was Rock’s mom, Ginger Jones. I only saw her face and a bit of her blonde hair since she was so bundled up.
As Rock walked over to his parents, I scanned the rural road. Former croplands spread out in every direction. A few homes were visible in the distance.
I considered whether anyone could be hiding nearby, watching our reaction to the attack. An ambush situation wasn’t impossible.
I imagined my people in an assassin’s rifle scope. The hardest part of my job was knowing my friends and family were at risk. That was the life we chose. Most days, everything went so smoothly that I didn’t need to face how I could lose someone close to me.
Today wasn’t most days, and the burden sat heavy on my shoulders. I checked my phone to find Stevie had sent a picture of Ivy sleeping in Vanessa’s bed. I didn’t dare smile when I wasn’t sure who was watching. Yet, knowing Ivy was safe centered me. Just in time, too.
I heard the motorcycles before I saw them. Soon, Tricky, Jagger, and half a dozen of their boys rode past the police barriers.
“Were they following us?” I asked Rock.
My VP glanced at his dad. “Did you call Joker?”
“Sure.”
“Why?” I asked, forgetting to hide my irritation.
“To soothe my frightened heart,” Oz sneered at me before shrugging and smiling at Rock. “Out of habit, mostly.”
“What’s the problem?” Ginger asked, poking her head out of the window. “Are you boys fighting? Should I talk to Tricky’s mom about setting up a makeup playdate?”
Rock kissed the top of his mom’s head and gestured for her to get back in the warm car.
“Don’t maneuver me, boy,” Ginger muttered.
“You need to stay safe.”
“He’s right, woman,” Oz grumbled at Ginger. “Behave, will ya?”
“I’m going to kick all your asses,” Ginger said despite getting comfortable back in the car.
“Before we left, I texted the Black Rainbow club,” I told Oz. “Zodiac might send someone to check things out. Tricky is bound to pitch a fit over that.”
Oz shrugged. “Well, if things get dicey and punches are thrown, I’ll be sure to hide behind Ginger.”
“Don’t talk to me,” Ginger snapped at her husband. “I’m pissed.”
Oz leaned into the car and said something that made her laugh. Rock must have overheard what it was because he frowned like they were being nasty.
“Tricky might only be here to stalk Cher,” Rock said to me and gestured at our club sister currently sitting on the curb with her face hiding against her knees.
“Hey, butt-blaster, get behind the line!” Sabrina yelled at Tricky. “You don’t have clearance to pass!”
Tricky got in Sabrina’s face, trying to intimidate her with his size. She instantly shoved him while Vanessa threw out her leg to trip him. He yanked at Sabrina’s hair and attempted to do the same to Vanessa’s. Once Sabrina ran her shoulder into his rib cage, Tricky gave up.
“I’m not looking to get hurt for real, dumbass,” he muttered at Sabrina who bowed in reaction to the applause she received from our club and the local cops.
Irritated now, Tricky stomped over to me. “Anything you know, I need to know. Why are you keeping secrets?”
Without missing a beat, I lied, “I knew you were right behind us, so there was no reason to tell you anything.”
Tricky narrowed his gaze, smelling my bullshit. He glanced at Oz and nodded.
Before Tricky bitched again, Oz asked, “How’s your dad?”
With Tricky preoccupied with Oz, Rock had me walk with him away from the SUV.
“A few strangers showed up yesterday. They were dressed in slick suits and driving blinged-out SUVs. They drove around town, making sure people noticed them. They rolled out of town with eyes on them. Then, before midnight, locals heard shots here and an explosion. The meth lab’s security footage showed four masked men storm the location before the footage went out.”
“If they rolled out of town with eyes on them, did they do this?” Tricky asked, having sneaked up behind us.
“Of course. Who the fuck else would do it?” Rock growled at Tricky.
I didn’t waste time tugging at Rock’s leash. He wasn’t a man I wanted controlled. Tricky felt like he knew me inside and out, but he didn’t have such a casual relationship with Rock.
“This might be the Void,” I announced and watched Tricky for recognition.
He instantly demanded, “Why the fuck would you think that?”
“Whoever did this wanted us to know this was the work of outsiders. If you or I planned to wreck a drug house, we’d slip in quietly at night, take people out with minimal noise, and burn the house to the ground. No one would know anything was happening until we’d left town.”
Tricky nodded. “But they made a lot of noise to ensure everyone got out here quick. Think they’re watching us now?”
We looked around the area. The sun had broken across the horizon, illuminating the smoldering house and surrounding fields.
“We should assume someone is watching.”
“Why not hit Little Memphis?” Tricky asked.
The possible answer to his question filled the quiet morning with the sounds of more approaching motorcycles. Members of the Black Rainbow Motorcycle Club rolled past the barricades.
I glanced at Tricky to find him ready to attack. “They did it,” he sneered and frowned at me. “How can you not see that?”
“They wanted an alliance to push back against the Void. If they’re working an angle here, you flipping out will play right into their hands. Be cool and make Zodiac wonder if we’re onto him.”
Tricky, of fucking course, didn’t heed my words. He instantly rushed toward the bikers climbing off their rides. While Jagger wasn’t as quick to follow, the younger LM Jokers members ran over to back up their president.
I held back with Rock, watching shit play out. Zodiac wasn’t a child. He could defend himself against Tricky. Besides, I didn’t wholly trust either man.
“You have a lot of gall showing up at the scene of the crime!” Tricky hollered, rushing at Zodiac.
The older man only grinned at Tricky. His people weren’t as chill. Exile nearly tackled Tricky before getting waved off by Zodiac.
Ignoring Tricky yelling accusations in his face, Zodiac walked toward Rock’s parents. He looked more like a biker president than a lounge singer this morning, but he still strutted like a showoff.
“Oz Savo,” Zodiac said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Did you hear that, Ging? I’m fucking famous,” Oz announced while shaking Zodiac’s hand. Sizing up the other man, Oz said, “I’ve heard you’re charming. Say something that’ll light my panties on fire.”
Zodiac chuckled at Oz’s taunting while Tricky stood back and eyed Jagger. They were arguing as usual. The men ought to be well matched, like Rock and I were. My VP was the scary badass who distracted our enemies while I was the sneaky asshole taking the kill shot.
Within the LM Jokers, Jagger was the brains, pondering issues to death while Tricky ran on instinct and rarely gave plans a second thought. Right now, they couldn’t figure out how to play Zodiac, who treated them as bystanders.
Despite Zodiac’s cool, Exile looked pissed as he approached Rock and me.
“How many people did you lose?”
“Four,” I said, wondering about the dead men still in the smoldering house.
“Any leads?”
“None I trust,” I lied. “My gut says this might be a personal beef with one of the guys who died.”
Exile frowned. “The Void is testing you.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. A meth lab exploded,” I muttered and pulled out my phone. “Shit happens.”
“Are you fucking kidding?” Exile growled at me as I typed into my phone. “Your people are under attack, and you’re texting like a teenage girl.”
“I’m checking on my woman,” I replied calmly while I actually texted Cher. I asked her to use her charms to distract Tricky before her ex-boyfriend got into a fistfight with Zodiac. Once I finished texting, I told Exile, “You need to calm down.”
Exile opened his mouth to give me shit. I felt him struggling with his temper. I wasn’t familiar with Exile’s background besides he wasn’t originally from Baton Rouge. Oh, and he wore a cowboy hat all the time.
“How do you keep that thing from flying off when you’re riding?” I asked while gesturing at his hat.
“That’s not a real question,” he sneered before noticing Zodiac strolling over.
I glanced back at Tricky, finding him distracted by Cher, who seemed to be whining about the cold and her fatigue. Tricky kept glancing at us, wanting to blow off Cher and come after Zodiac. Once she asked for a hug, he gave up and cuddled her shivering body.
Next to them, Sabrina, Vanessa, Moe, and Xandy were working their magic on Jagger. I also spotted Rowdy chatting with the Black Rainbow members.
“Slick move sending the green-haired one to distract Tricky,” Zodiac told me. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring your sister along to pull the same move on me.”
“Would that have worked?” I asked, still rolling with my feckless bitch routine. “I assumed you were faking interest in her to mess with me.”
“How did you get here so fast?” Rock asked Zodiac. “You arrived nearly as fast as we did.”
“It’s called speeding, Rock,” Zodiac replied and offered a sneering grin. “You might want to stop following traffic laws and see if you get places faster.”
“My mom raised me to follow the rules,” Rock lied. “She’s not a woman to disappoint.”
Though Zodiac smiled at Rock’s bullshit, Exile remained irate as his gaze scanned the woodlands. Though the Black Rainbow VP could be putting on a convincing show, I sensed he really did think someone might be watching us through a scope.
“So, this here,” Zodiac told me as he had us step away from our VPs, “is a test run. The Void did it to our club a half dozen times in Baton Rouge before they were ready to hit us in a more personal way.”
“And how did they hit you personally?”
“Exile’s sister took a bullet to the back as she put groceries in her car. Real cowardly yet personal shit.”
“How’s your sister?” I asked Exile.
Still irritated, he only muttered, “Alive.”
I turned my focus to Zodiac. “Are you saying five more attacks are coming before someone shoots my sister?”
Zodiac lost his grin. “Don’t kid about your fine sister getting fucked up. I don’t have the heart for such things. Let’s hope it’ll be one of your cousins.”
Ignoring how quickly he was willing to throw the rest of my family in front of a gunman, I realized Zodiac might actually have a thing for Elle.
“I appreciate your insight,” I said and patted his shoulder. “You’re a wealth of info, man, but you told me this thing was personal for a member of the Void. He’s gunning for Little Memphis. So, what happened in Baton Rouge isn’t what’ll happen to us. Besides, it could just as easily be Tricky’s sister who gets shot. Joker ran Little Memphis for a long time. If someone has a grudge, wouldn’t Tricky be the bigger target?”
Zodiac didn’t respond immediately. My words seemed to hit him wrong. I suspected Zodiac wouldn’t lose a lick of sleep if Tricky and the LM Jokers went down in flames.
That made me wonder if he was behind this morning’s attack. He assumed it was directed at my people since a handful of my members grew up in Rawlins. Zodiac would be right to believe that if someone hit this town, I’d show up while Tricky wouldn’t.
Plus, I was suspicious about why Zodiac made an appearance today rather than sending a few of his guys.
“I’m not fully convinced this was an attack on the club,” I told Zodiac who shouldn’t yet know about the slick-suited fuckers in their blinged-out SUVs. “Rawlins has been rowdier since Boone got locked up. He and Goldie kept things chill here. Without them kicking asses in town, I figure someone took a personal beef up a notch.”
I studied Zodiac who glanced at the smoldering house. Exile followed his president’s gaze. I couldn’t tell what they were thinking. I suspected Zodiac figured I was being a moron.
“Since we have so many people out here, how about we spread out and look for clues?” I suggested. “If this was the Void, I’d assume they left a calling card to ensure we knew it was them.”
“What about the cops?” Exile asked when Zodiac only glanced back at my people getting aggressive with the LM Jokers.
“This isn’t their problem. Once we leave, they’ll call in the local press and dismiss the entire thing as a meth lab mishap. The deaths will be brushed off within a day. If anyone solves this thing, it’ll be us.”
Zodiac studied me with the shadowed eyes of a man who’d crossed enough red lines to no longer see them. Glancing at the yelling behind us, Zodiac muttered, “Your people are getting rowdy.”
“They don’t like the Baton Rouge rejects,” I replied and started walking.
As the sun warmed the ugly morning, I felt myself torn between Zodiac and Tricky. They both wanted me to prove my loyalty. Unfortunately for them, I didn’t trust either one, and I wasn’t proving shit.
“Rowdy!” I called out over the arguing between Sabrina and a new guy in the LM Jokers. “We’re fanning out with the Black Rainbow club to look for shit left behind by the killers. Get your people organized.”
Tricky finally stopped falling for Cher’s bullshit and hollered at me, “Wait, here, fucker! You can’t trust them not to hide whatever they find!”
“How do I know this wasn’t you?” I asked Tricky, getting in his face since the jackass was irritating me. “You sure got down here quick, didn’t you?”
“It’s them,” Tricky hissed back, now close enough for me to head butt.
“Prove it,” I replied and stared into his eyes. “If Joker was making accusations, he’d have something to back them up.”
Tricky backed off, sneering at me even as his insecurities came to the surface. My friend lived in the shadow of his father in a way I never did with Ford. My dad laid out the facts when I was young.
“You’re too soft to be me. All your mom’s loving will keep you from becoming a monster,” Ford said while we were at the batting cages. “So, if you can’t be me, be someone better.”
His words left me unburdened by the issues currently plaguing Tricky. Jagger suffered from the same problem. Rather than succeed on their own terms, they forced themselves to become pale imitations of better men.
While Tricky seethed nearby, Rowdy organized the Crimson Guard into three small units, putting local boys Ben and Nine in charge of their own groups. Sabrina stopped threatening members of the LM Jokers long enough to follow her brother.
Zodiac saw his chance to annoy Tricky and instantly got his people organized, too.
Soon, all three clubs walked in one direction, searching for anything left behind by the killers. Rock understood this activity was pointless, but he didn’t say a fucking word. He knew Tricky and Zodiac were working angles with a single goal—forcing the Crimson Guard to back down and play second fiddle to their clubs.
An hour later, though, I’d gotten what I wanted from the exercise. Zodiac could behave, even if someone else was calling the shots. Tricky, though, wasn’t as patient. He gave up halfway through and said the entire thing was stupid.
I still wasn’t sure if the Black Rainbow MC staged the Rawlins' attack. However, if I were about to go to war with a shadowy group, I knew which club I’d rather have at my side, and it wasn’t run by my childhood friend.