SEAN

 

The president of the Winter Cobras Motorcycle Club was a man named Jordan Harris. They called him Shooter. I didn’t know how he got the name. Frankly, I didn’t give a shit. They were all Snakes as far as I was concerned. No exceptions.

That’s why it felt so uneasy to have some of the damn Snakes in our clubhouse. It was one thing to have a few bikers from other clubs stop by for a drink. That’s how the Grindhouse stayed in business. But knowing that the Cobras were here to talk business was a different story. They were Snakes for a reason. You could never really trust them.

I sat at a table with Needle on one side and Ghost on the other. Sitting at the table across from us were a couple of Cobras. Their president leaned up against the edge of the table, his arms crossed and this annoying fucking look in his eyes.

“Thanks for meeting us,” Shooter said.

“It was an easy decision to make,” Garnet said as he stood right next to him. “We have a lot of business to discuss.”

“This is important.”

The clubhouse was silent as Shooter straightened up. He paced back and forth as he spoke.

“A lot of shit has gone down in this town in the past few weeks,” he said. “Too much shit. I’m sure we’re all up for that kind of action but Ivory just isn’t that kind of fucking town. Small pond. There ain’t much room for too many big fish.”

“What are you saying?” Needle spoke up. “You trying to push us out—”

“Calm down,” Garnet cut him off. “Let him finish.”

“Thank you,” Shooter continued. “Now… First things first. The situation with Poison.”

Shooter eyeballed me.

“It’s a shame what happened to Razor,” he said. “Losing a patch is never easy. But the cops swooped in. They arrested our friend Brash here and he did his time. Nothing we can do will ever bring back our brother.

“Poison didn’t listen. That’s why he lost his patch. His attempt at revenge failed.”

He stopped pacing and stood between both tables of Reapers and Cobras.

“Let it be known right now,” he said. “The Cobras hold no ill will toward the Reapers for the death of Razor. We will not seek revenge. We will not seek retribution. The actions of Poison were the actions of a man who wasn’t even a nomad. A man with no patch and no allegiance. We disavow everything he had done. Now that he’s dead, you have nothing more to worry about. Not from us.”

Shooter kept his eyes locked on me. I stared right back at him. Even though I believed every word he was saying, it didn’t make it any easier for me to handle.

“Now that that’s over with, we need to talk business,” he said.

“We’re not doing business with you,” Garnet said.

“We have no intention of doing business with you. But it’s no secret about what’s going on. Shit is stinking so bad that even the pigs can smell it. We need to do something.”

“We?”

“Yes, we. Surveillance in Ivory has picked up. Our business isn’t hurting yours. Yours isn’t hurting ours. We keep things as they are. Mind your own business and we’ll mind ours. A truce.”

He stuck his hand out and held it to Garnet. The two presidents stared hard at one another. Shooter’s hand dangled out in front of him.

“The last thing we want is to start a war in Ivory,” he said. “That wouldn’t be good for anybody.”

Garnet looked over at us. Ghost nodded slightly. Needle looked reluctant but gave him the same nod of approval. Knowing my opinion didn’t count for much, I didn’t do or say anything.

Garnet turned back to Shooter and shook his hand.

“A truce,” Garnet said. “You have my word that none of my men will show any hostility to yours.”

“And you have our word.”

“Just so you know, if you even think about breaking the truce—”

“Don’t threaten me. You know damn well that anything that happens would be just as bad for you as it is for me.”

The two were shaking each other’s hands so firmly, veins appeared on their forearms. Their faces next to each other, they stared hard as if they were trying to break the other man. Eventually, they let go.

“Come on, boys,” Shooter said, snapping his fingers. “Our business is done here.”

The other Cobras stood up from the table and sauntered toward the exit. Shooter followed right behind them.

I got up from my seat and walked with them to make sure that they were leaving. But just before he left, Shooter turned around and looked at me.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he said. “Truly. Poison might have had a legitimate beef with you but to bring your lady into it—”

“It’s over,” I said.

“Yeah. Water under the bridge.”

He gave me a nod before finally leaving the clubhouse. As soon as the door closed, I let out a deep sigh of relief. I turned around and Needle had a big smile on his face as he kicked his feet up on the table.

“Fucking Snakes,” he muttered. “Can you believe those motherfuckers? They’re the ones who asked for a truce. After all the shit they tried to pull with us—”

“Knock it off,” Garnet said. “It’s already been made. Don’t dishonor their act of good faith.”

“Hey. No problem. You won’t see me fucking with any of them. But a truce with the Snakes? Shit, now I’ve heard everything…”

Garnet continued to have a discussion with Needle but I wasn’t interested in the details. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t have much to do with me. Not anymore.

I took a seat at the bar and grabbed a beer. As I sipped on it, Ghost sat down next to me.

“How is she?” he asked.

“She’s fine. She’s back at the Bakery. Nothing has changed.”

“It’s been a few days… I’m surprised she took you back so quickly. I guess riding in on your bike like some knight in shining armor… Shit, you’re her hero.”

“I wouldn’t need to be a hero if I didn’t get her in trouble in the first place.”

“Still, it must be nice for you to be with her again.”

I didn’t say anything. I just sipped on my beer, staring forward into space.

“What’s wrong?” he said. “You got something on your mind.”

“…Lydia took me back.”

“I know.”

“She took me back because I told her she was the only thing that mattered to me.”

I turned my head to Ghost and looked right into his eyes. It took a second but he figured out what I was trying to say.

“I knew it,” he sighed. “There’s no cure for something like this. It’s terminal.”

“Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad. It happens.”

“What do you think Garnet will say?”

We both turned and looked at the president, who was still having a conversation with Needle about the Cobras.

“You’re more than just a patch,” Ghost said. “You’re a brother. I imagine he’ll want you to stay but he won’t stop you. No man can. You have to make the right decision for you.”

“Not for me. For Lydia.”

“Do what you gotta do, Brash.”

I took another sip of beer and sighed a deep breath through my nose before finally going through with it.

“Hey, Garnet!”

I shouted out to him, interrupting his conversation with Needle. Garnet looked up at me with his eyebrows raised.

“What is it?” he said.

I paused for a moment before responding.

“I need to talk to you about something.”