Chapter 14 #2
Bran straightened slightly and began talking. “Viper’s planning another hit. There is an independent club called the Desert Rats. They’ve got a small club of about twenty brothers and have been quietly doing their own thing for about five years now, up near Hope Ridge.
“I know about them,” Storm interjected. “They keep to themselves and don’t do rallies or council meetings. I don’t even think they have allies.”
Bran nodded. “You’re right on all counts.
The part about them not having allies is the reason Viper is targeting them.
His strike team goes in at night, does enough damage to scare them, then Stolen Oath shows up a day or two later and offers to patch them over.
” He paused long enough to take a breath and started talking again.
“I know the timeline, how many are on the strike team and the route they’re using. ”
“That’s pretty fuckin’ handy. If his intel is good, it means we can ambush them on a long, lonely stretch of highway or even alert the Desert Rats and lay in wait for them.”
As always Storm’s sharp mind immediately came up with a plan. “We let the hit happen. That’s our play.”
Celt’s head jerked up to look at his cousin. “The fuck? You think the play here is to let them attack an independent club?”
Storm’s expression changed to one of cautious excitement. “This is the play for two reasons,” Storm said, counting the reasons with his fingers while talking. “We show up and inform Viper’s crew that we’re standing down, which if you remember is the third favor. That gets Viper off our back.”
Celt shot back, “He ain’t gonna accept that and you damn well know it.”
“He can pound sand for all I fuckin’ care,” Storm stated darkly.
I could see the anger boiling just beneath the surface. I already knew that Storm could be dangerous when he’s provoked.
Celt responded hotly, “Do you really want to risk those Rats’ lives just to get that last favor out of the way?”
Storm explained, “We’ll warn the Desert Rats,” Storm said.
“Make sure they’re prepared. But we don’t stop the attack.
We just let the Savage Legion and Sons of Rage provide backup.
The genius of this plan is that we do the last favor in form if not function and deny them the victory in the end anyway. ”
Jasper’s response was warm, excited even. “That’s a fuckin’ brilliant plan. The best part is you won’t be there looking over my shoulder telling me to shoot at their knees.”
Storm’s voice was thoroughly exasperated. “Don’t fuckin’ kill them. How are they gonna let Viper know the third favor is over if they’re all dead?”
Siege shot Jasper an amused look. “It only takes one to pass on a message.”
That’s about the time I decided they were messing with Storm.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. “I like the plan, except that part of forcing the last favor. That sounds like a damn good way to get my old lady into a mess of trouble.” I continued quickly before anyone could object, bringing the fuckin’ conversation full circle by pointing out, “The whole reason we got involved in the first place was to save Winter from being trafficked. What you’re suggesting is just gonna make Viper try to take her back.
He warned us not to try anything shady.”
“Fuck Viper,” Storm ground out. “If he tries to take her, I’ll put him six feet under myself.”
“We take them alive,” Storm added. “We bring them in front of the council. Captured men wearing Stolen Oath ink who attacked the Rats. Let every club Viper has fucked over, hear about what they’ve been up to.”
Jasper said, “I wouldn’t want to be around when the clubs he recruited figure out the attack that drove them to him was his operation all along.”
“His recruitment pipeline will die overnight,” Storm speculated. “Every club he absorbed under false pretenses will know they’ve been had. His numbers will collapse because it’ll be clear it’s all been one gigantic head game. Ain’t no man with any pride gonna stay after learning that.”
Siege pointed out something we hadn’t considered. “The risk is Bran, here. If anything goes sideways, if Viper gets wind of the trap before it closes, Bran’s cover is gone.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m smarter than I look,” Bran interjected quickly. “I’ve already planned an exit strategy.”
Siege studied him for a moment, then said, “If you have it covered, I’ll stop worrying about ya.”
“Then we have a plan,” Storm said triumphantly.
Bran was escorted out by Breaker and the conversation shifted to planning out all the details that it took to pull off a job like this.
I parsed through the situation over in my mind.
This plan would test everything from my ability to not jump the gun to how much trust we could put in Jasper’s inside man to the very alliances our clubs had built with one another.
If we were successful, Viper was finished and my old lady would never have to look over her shoulder or be scared of leaving the clubhouse again.
***
I found Winter at the bar around nine. Things had settled down after the prospects finished grilling steaks for dinner. The club girls were fluttering around trying to find a hookup for the night, like always. The jukebox was pumping out tunes, but nobody was dancing.
I pulled her away from the bar by the hand. “C’mon, come sit with me,” I told her as I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and steered her towards one of the two-tops in a quiet corner of the bar.
Winter came willingly but protested, “I’m supposed to be working,” she said. “Are you sure it’s okay if I just nope out like this?”
“It’s fine. Rosie’s got it. I need to talk to you.”
She looked over her shoulder at Rosie. The pretty redhead made a small shooing motion with one hand and then went back to pulling a draft for her old man. Thunder was gazing at Rosie like they were still newlyweds.
When she looked back to me, she was all smiles. “This is a pleasant surprise. I guess I will have a drink,” she said.
“Two,” I countered.
She craned her neck, trying to get a look at the bottle I was holding down by my side. “What are we drinking this evening?”
Holding it up for her to see, I answered, “Whiskey. It’s the good stuff, top shelf. You’ll love it.”
She studied me with an indulgent smile. “Is this a date? I feel like it’s one.”
I unscrewed the top off the whiskey and held it out for her to smell. Her eyes lit up and she murmured, “That smells amazing. I’ll bet you’re right about it tasting good.”
Rosie brought two glasses without being asked. She set them down quietly on the table before strolling back over to the bar.
I poured a bit into each glass and pushed one across the table.
Winter picked up the glass and held it up to the light, turning it around to watch the amber liquid moving around.
“Are you leaving me tonight?” she asked. “Is that what this is, a break-up over drinks?”
I choked on my first swallow, and it took me a second to recover before I could answer her. “Fuck no!” I croaked out. “What the hell gave you that idea?”
She took a drink and closed her eyes as she swallowed. I admired the way her throat moved as she swallowed the whiskey.
“I don’t know. I thought you and your club might be tired of me and all the problems I brought. It occurred to me today that getting rid of me is worlds easier than dealing with Viper,” she explained. Then, after a beat, “Sometimes, I just worry that I’m too much.”
I pointed at her with one finger while still holding my glass. “That right there is crazy talk. I already told you that you’re my one. It’s you or nothin’.”
A soft smile slipped onto her face. She took another sip of her whiskey and rested her chin in both hands. “Alright, tell me what this is all about. I’m all ears.”
Looking her in the eyes, I did my best to explain the situation without alarming her.
“We’ve got a man on the inside of Viper’s crew.
He showed up with enough intel to tie Viper up for good,” I told her.
“Storm came up with a rock solid plan. If this all goes off without a hitch, we’ll get the last favor out of the way and Viper will be taken care of.
That means this whole sorted situation will finally be done.
You won’t have to worry about Viper or his club ever again.
” I held her gaze. “Don’t you think that’s worth drinking to? ”
She was quiet for a moment before she nodded. “Yes, but only if you come back safe and sound. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I snorted a laugh before sitting up straight. “You don’t have to worry your pretty head about me, sweetness. I’m fuckin’ hard to kill. And Viper couldn’t take me down on his best day.”
Her expression brightened. She picked up her glass again and took a sip before responding, “Now that you mention it, you do have a bit of a dangerous look about you.”
Waggling my eyebrows, I asked, “Is it the muscles or the tattoos?”
She actually laughed as I poured a little more whiskey into her glass. “I think you intentionally engineered this look so everyone would think you’re a badass.”
I leaned back in my chair, relaxed and happy that my old lady felt comfortable teasing me that way. “What would you say if I told you that I just wanted the outside to accurately reflect the inside?”
“I’d say there is at least some truth to what you’re saying. But after spending so much time behind the bar watching people, I can see through that carefully crafted persona of yours.”
“Now that is genuinely concerning,” I told her in a mock stern voice.
She laughed, and the sound of it made me feel things, soft and tender things that I usually didn’t feel.
Winter had come a long way from the scared woman she was when she first arrived.
I thought about the ring box sitting in my jacket pocket upstairs.
I had plans for this beautiful woman but for now, I needed to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Tell me your bit of truth. What do you think of this situation?” I asked playfully.