Jackson #2
“This morning, Blitz’s ‘Ol Lady and his daughter left the clubhouse to go shopping. Two prospects were sent with them for protection. On the way back, they were surrounded by Iron Reapers. They shot the two prospects and forced the girls out of the car. They took Blitz’s daughter, and left Jaz there so she could come back and tell us.
We’ve been dealing with Reapers’ bullshit for years, but now they have started a war.
” Red stops and sighs, taking a break so he can try to rein in his anger.
Iron Reapers have been trying to move into our territory for years.
They mostly deal in drugs and skin, and are trying to get them into Hidden Hills.
Our chapter got out of the hard stuff decades ago.
We do have a grow house, but we stick with pot, and the closest we get to skin is the strip club that the club owns.
If we’re running anything anymore, it’s some random gun deals for a contract that we have with another club a few times a year.
We try to get income without having so many Brothers in jail.
“We sent Buck to collect the prospects, and we’ll be taking care of their arrangements.
Our biggest focus now is finding out where they would have taken her, and coming up with a plan to get her back.
They have a big territory, so we’re going to have to try and narrow it down.
Until then, we are on lockdown. Everyone call and get your families’ asses on the property as fast as you can.
We already had one of ours attacked, we don’t need more.
Meet back in 15 minutes.” Red hits the gavel again and everyone leaves the room to call their families.
“This shit’s crazy,” Flame says next to me, rubbing his forehead, which I’m sure is pounding after how much he was drinking at the party last night before I left. We both stay seated since we don’t have to worry about a family.
“This is bullshit. It’s one thing for them to try to fuck with our members—this is our issue with them.
But to take the National President’s kid is starting a war with an entire club?
They’re either that stupid, or they want to die,” I reply just as Blitz walks back in the room after stepping out to call his own VP and to console his ‘Ol Lady.
The Brothers all make their way back into the room after sorting their shit.
Red hits the gavel again. “I have prospects at the gate to let your families in and help them if needed. I’m not sure if they’re stupid enough to take her back to their clubhouse or another location,” Red says, looking at each of the members, seeing if they have anything to say.
Buck comes through the door at that time, done with taking care of the dead prospects.
“They probably have her at the clubhouse. I know they have a basement to hold people. It’s probably the most secure since their members would be hanging out there after they got her,” Buck says as he takes the seat that was left empty for him.
“Do you think they knew Blitz and his family were visiting and planned on targeting them, or do you think that they were just going after anyone that was wearing our colors?” Flame asks.
“I think the second option. How would they know they were leaving the clubhouse and where they would be? They had to have been stalking around for a while, waiting for an opportunity.” Finally, Griz speaks for the first time.
He seemed off when I saw him last night at the party.
Usually, he’d be ordering around the prospects, telling anyone who would listen about how the MC was “going soft,” and practically dry humping every club girl that showed him any attention.
Instead, he stayed quiet at the bar, staring at the label on his beer bottle, deep in thought.
But I can’t seem to give a shit anymore.
He can go fuck himself for all that I care.
“Unless they got a tip-off from someone close to the club,” I add, and everyone looks at me in shock.
“I’m not saying it was a Brother, but between the club girls, hang-arounds, and the families, there are a lot of people that are not loyal to only us that have access to our clubhouse and our basic details.
I’m just saying that now that things are escalating with the Iron Reapers, maybe we need to start tightening up our circle.
This was done too perfectly to be them just waiting around for someone important to leave the clubhouse.
They were surrounded by Reapers, and it’s over an hour’s drive to get here from their territory.
They were waiting because they knew someone important was out, and it was going to be their best chance.
” I finish my thought, straightening my back, bracing for the tension that is getting thicker with every word.
It’s quiet in the room as reality sets in for everyone.
“We’ll look into tightening up security after we get Sophia back.
For now, let’s figure out our best options to go in and get her,” Red says once he snaps himself out of his thoughts.
I know he was quickly trying to go through the people that were here for the party last night who knew why we were celebrating.
“I think our best chance is to go to their clubhouse at night. We can bring the van in with the first round of guys to try and surprise them. If we all show up on bikes, they’ll hear it or get a tip the second we get into their territory.
After we take out the guys that will be at their perimeter of the property, we bring in more guys on bikes to take on the rest of the club.
It’s going to be messy, and we’re going to have to fight our way in there,” Griz says, looking between Red and Blitz.
Blitz has been sitting quietly, taking in our plans; he’s someone who listens to all of the information before charging in.
That’s why he makes a good National President.
He doesn’t come into another chapter and override their President.
He’ll have the final say in this matter because it’s his family, but he lets us speak in our own club.
“We don’t even know for sure if that’s where they’re keeping her.
How long have you been having problems with this club?
” Blitz asks out of nowhere. Usually, National only cares about territory disputes if we have too many member casualties, or if the club’s losing too much money and it affects paying our dues to National.
“They’ve been trying to sell in our territory for five years now.
They took theirs ten years ago. We started on good terms since we were so close together, but the new President wanted to start moving into Hidden Hills once the new businesses started going in.
The town has grown a lot in the last few years, and they want to start selling the hard stuff to a higher-traffic area.
The relationship we had with them started to turn hostile after the third warning of us sending their dealers back barely walking.
They were hang-arounds, mostly. They never sent actual members so they wouldn’t start a war,” Red tells Blitz, who takes it in for a moment before responding.
“So, you’re telling me that in five years of having issues with this club, you haven’t decided to collect more intel on them?
Look at their finances? Try to figure out who they’re doing business with?
Wouldn’t gathering information about a possible threat to the club fall under the Enforcer?
Maybe the VP? I think five years is a long time to understand a club that is so close to your territory,” Blitz states, glancing between our current club officers, who look like they’re trying to hold back their justifications and not argue.
“They’ve never shown an act of aggression, so we just kept an eye on the situation,” Red says diplomatically. He probably doesn’t have anything else to say to defend Griz and Buck. They did drop the ball.
The club has been floating by, making our money and becoming accustomed to being the biggest club in the area.
We thought we were big enough to not have to worry about anyone being stupid and trying to take us on, but we fucked up.
We forgot that we are a 1% club, and threats could pop up at any time, trying to take our comfortable life in a small town.
We move on to making a plan based on the very limited information that we have on the Iron Reapers. It all hangs on the assumption that they’re keeping her in their clubhouse, which is located at the furthest point of their territory, and that they have not grown that much in the last ten years.
When we first met with their Pres when they settled their territory, they were a small club.
That’s mostly why we had an okay relationship with them; we never would consider them a threat.
But after the new Pres, Jackal, took over, all communication between clubs ended.
As tension rose with them and they started getting into harder shit, we stayed out of their territory and informed the families to stay away, too.
We even re-routed the paths that we take for our runs to go around their territory instead of through, like we used to.
We’ve been finalizing the plan for a few hours at this point.
A prospect knocks on the door, breaking our concentration.
He looks scared, and I assume it’s because they know not to interrupt Church unless it is a matter of life and death.
We all look over at him as he starts to speak, but before he can say anything, Jaz pushes him out of the way and locks her wild eyes with her husband’s.
“Jaz, you know you can’t come into Church. I will let you kno—” Blitz starts, but Jaz holds up her hand to silence him.