“Shit man! It’s blowing up, spreading like wildfire.” Thad can barely keep up with my steps as I march through the parking lot. I’m a man on a mission, and I wait for no one.
“I don’t care if it is blowing up or whatever. All I care about is the guys showing up. Without them, our plan is nothing.” Scanning the Sunset Bar’s parking spaces, it could be hit or miss. I recognize some of the motorcycles parked up against the sidewalk, but there aren’t many of them. We may just be a small battalion versus an entire army of traitors.
“They’ll come. They’ll come.” Thad says as he places a hand up to my broad shoulders. “These are your guys now. No one wants to be around that asshole Barber and his pussy little boy. They’re all sick and tired of it, just like you.”
A wave of self doubt hits me like a ton of bricks. “And what makes you think that they’re going to rally around me? I mean, what about any of the other guys at the top not in Barber’s pockets yet? What about them?”
“They’re not you, Gavin. They don’t care about the club or the men like you do. Every guy who has been around and paid his dues know that you are the one leader who can make things better for the guys at the bottom. You’re a man of the people.”
I run my hand through my hair as I take in the hot, mid-afternoon air. One of our one passes us by, giving me a slight head nod as he makes his way into the bar. When Thad turns his attention back to me, I exclaim, “You’re talking like I’m a shitty politician up for election, man.”
“Aren’t you though? Isn’t this what’s happening? You’re fighting to take over the Barber clan dynasty. You’re going to have to be a little political.”
I reach for the door handle before inhaling a deep breath. “It’s not exactly my style, Thad.”
As I walk through the door, I am greeted by at least 40 faces of men I know. They turn to me slowly in their bar stools and chairs, each with a more suspicious look than the last one. I don’t know if I’m walking into a lion’s den or my celebration party with expressions like that. Locking the bar’s door behind me, my entire mouth goes dry as I try to come up with something, anything, to say.
Luckily, Thad takes over, “Thank you boys for coming. By now you all heard the recording I sent you…”
Bobby stands in the back of the room holding up his phone as he interrupts, “I got it, but I sure as shit don’t understand it. Any of you boys wanna tell me what the hell is going on and why the Senators are involved?”
Thad turns to me, his hands ushering me to the center of the room. Slowly I walk between the men as my voice booms, “We all know there have been changes lately in the Pagans. Big ones. Some men have retired and other men, like me, have been demoted.”
“But weren’t you taken to task because you were sleeping with the boss’ daughter? That’s what I heard, at least.” Jeremy, an older, more traditional Pagan glares at me from his seat just feet from me. He’s never been my biggest fan. He was one of the guys around when my mom got knocked up and birthed me. I was never going to be more than just a bastard to him.
Still, I had to make a choice here. Do I tell them that I’m involved with Vanessa or do I let that become my little secret to come out later down the road? A big part of me, that bastard child that was teased and tormented for years, wanted to protect both Vanessa and the baby by not saying a word about it and denying everything.
But there was something more bubbling at this surface -- the truth. These were not men that understood romance or wanting to be with someone you couldn’t have. In fact, only three or four of the faces I can make out over the smoky haze is actually married, and even that is a loose term for that arrangement. However, they had the right to know because what I am asking them to do was part for me, part for club, and part for Vanessa.
I look Jeremy in the eye as I answer as clear as possible, “Yeah. I am seeing Vanessa Barber. We’ve been together for almost two months now, and, well, she’s having my baby.” I’m interrupted by the crowd mumbling back and forth to one another with their disapproval. The room’s turned from lukewarm to cold in just a few sentences.
“Listen! I know you think this is about some revenge against them for not letting me be with her. But I can promise you it is much, much more!” The voices die down so that I am only shouting over a few remaining people. “The Barber boys don’t want me with Vanessa because they don’t want anyone but themselves at the top. And now I have proof of that. When they moved Thad to the accountant role, he discovered they’ve been cheating us all. We haven’t gotten our fair share of money in months. And it’s all because they’ve been working behind our backs with the King’s second-in-command at a double cross deal.”
“What!” Jeremy jumps to his feet, pointing his finger at me, “What you’re saying, boy, is treason against your club and its leaders.”
“It’s true!” Thad shouts back, coming to my defense. I have the spreadsheets and screenshots from the accounts if you want to see them. He fishes in his black backpack for a file of paper. He hands out the copies throughout the room as Jeremy studies the copy silently.
As they read, I continue, “What do you think that conversation between Gaylord and me was about? Gaylord is their road captain and he knows what goes in and out of their shipping place at Grand Canal. He placed the Barber boys there, working with his men on a deal that should have netted us thousands of dollars each!” I turn back to Jeremy who has sat back down in his chair, his head sunk. “And I don’t know about you Jeremy, but I could certainly use that money.”
“What do you want us to do then? Rise up and revolt?” Jeremy’s voice has become weak and mild compared to the spew he was spitting out just seconds ago. This was a man who watched his king being cut down from his throne. And it was almost painful to watch it unfold.
“I don’t want the majority of you to do anything. At least not now. Stick to your jobs. Keep your heads down. And if you’re working with the Barber boys or any of their loyalists, you don’t say a word to them. I’m waiting for the right moment to strike, and it’s coming soon.”
“But there is something they can do, Gavin.” Thad touches my shoulder so he spins me around. I study him as he takes over at my spot in the middle of the room. “Today’s the day that Barber goes up to Grand Canal to do their assignments. After he’s done, he has a couple of the Senators runners working for him do a money drop over in the desert by Mystic Street. If we could have our runners head out that way and cut them off, we could get our money back tonight.”
“Thad…” I say completely speechless. As much as Thad made an awesome runner and an even better accountant, he was never the one to really understand tactical issues. Hell, he hated the thought of even causing a little bloodshed, though it was a big part of his job when he rode beside me. But standing in front of me was not some nerd with a motorcycle. He was a general looking over his army.
“I know it’s crazy, but if we get our best runners and enforcers out there, it will work. If they leave now, they can catch them by surprise when they’re unguarded.”
Jeremy stands and raises his half empty beer mug towards Thad, “I say we go with this kids’ plan. I’m in.” A few other men stand up, volunteering themselves for Thad’s top secret mission. And I too raise my hand, sacrificing myself to this cause.
The rest of the men send up a shout as glasses clink around us. Thad continues to speak to the group, giving them future assignments, as I take over the planning with the crew heading out to the desert. They all listen closely as I describe the route, the guns and ammo to take, and the men to be looking out for.
I only get to discussing road conditions out in the desert when a bang comes from behind me. The bar’s locked door beats as someone bangs their fists into the wood and metal. “Gavin! I need to speak to Gavin!” I know that voice. I run through the table of men towards the girl standing just outside desperately crying out to anyone who could possibly hear her.
Alice looks exhausted. Her eyeliner is smudged and running down her face in pale streaks, and her puffy, red face makes it clear that she’s been crying recently. When she sees me, she runs into my arms and holds them out tightly. She struggles to talk through her sobs, “Gavin! It’s… it’s… Vanessa… she…. Needs… you….”
“Alice,” I say, trying not to get too hysterical just yet, “What is going on? Why does Vanessa need me? What’s happened?”
“It’s her dad.” Her voice steadies as she realizes the importance of getting her message just right, “He’s going to kill her and your baby if you don’t get over there and save her. Please, Gavin! You have to go now!”
I look down at her as she points towards the door, her hands attempting to guide me out and away from my group. I have no reason not to trust her. She’s been a pretty reliable middle-man for Vanessa and I since we started, but she was the daughter of Jonah’s former second. There was something about that I couldn’t let go of.
I hold my ground as I ask her, “How do you know about Vanessa or the baby? How do you know Jonah’s going to kill her? It’s his daughter and grandchild.” The rest of the men in my group have assembled around me, listening in to our conversation. I don’t blame them. The way Alice looks at me with her deep set, crazed filled eyes is enough to get attention alone.
“She called me from her mom’s cell phone. She said she didn’t have your number, and I had to get her the message. She told me about the baby and you guys meeting. She said that you told her to get ahold of you no matter what if she was in danger, and she’s in a hell of a lot of danger.”
“What do you mean? Did you hear something? What did she say?”
“Vanessa told me that Jonah was going to beat her until she miscarried and then would probably kill her in the process. Her brother’s in on it too, but I don’t know if I understood her.”
“Damnit!” I scream as I spin towards an empty table next to me. The entire room goes quiet as they watch me lose myself over Vanessa and our baby. I suck in a few sips of air before turning back to Alice.
“There’s something else.” Her lips shake as she fiddles with her nails. “I heard something when she went to hang up. Someone came through the door, I think Martin. She started shouting and the phone went quiet. Then I heard something. It sounded like someone falling hard against the ground.”
As she continues, I grab my jacket and walk back to the door. Alice, Thad, and the rest of the men follow behind me. Alice cries out, “I don’t know if it was her, Gavin!” It could have been her mom or a table or something.”
“Gavin, what about the pick up…” Thad, lost in his own plan, adds to the commotion.
Jeremy pipes in too, “Gavin, we can’t do this without you!”
I stop in my tracks, just feet from my bike as I turn slowly back towards the group assembled in front of me. My mind races as I give in, “I will ride out with you to the drop spot, but once we’re done, I go back for Vanessa. And no one, I mean no one, is going to stop me from saving her.”