CJ

I didn't come here often, I didn't need to sit beside a grave to talk to him. Locke was with me more than I knew, in my thoughts, in my memories and in my heart. It had now been a couple of months since he was taken from us but it hadn't got any easier. He wasn't blood but I was the closest he had to family, our bond was strong and our connection ran deep.
We'd formed this close friendship shortly after we met, it was one of those encounters where things could've turned out completely different but I was pleased that they didn't.
I'd finally plucked up the courage to attend an open event at the clubhouse. They'd invited local supporters and hang arounds of the club to see who may have the attributes to become a Prospect. I'd considered it for some time before I left the army as I knew that I would need a sense of belonging from somewhere else.

"Oi you little fucker!" I heard someone yell in the distance. As I glanced from my newspaper, I noticed a young lad wearing a light grey tracksuit and baseball cap running towards me with a guy in his twenties taking chase. The guy chasing was a member of the Aces, highly recognisable because of the colours he was wearing and he looked pissed off. He was a big guy but had some speed on him and was making up ground quickly.
As the young lad passed me I out stretched my legs and clipped his foot, it stopped his momentum and I watched as he stumbled before crashing hard and skidding across the ground. He eventually came to a standstill and groaned as he held his side from the impact.
The guy from the Aces brought back his leg and kicked the teenager hard in his stomach, he screamed in pain, trying to roll onto his side and scramble to his feet but the bloke bent down and grabbed the material of his t-shirt around his neck firmly, "Give me the fucking drugs back or the money."
"Okay okay, I've got the drugs," the bloke tightened his grip twisting the material around the lad's neck. He scrambled in his pocket and pulled out a large transparent bag, I could see the tiny wraps of white powder as the guy snatched it aggressively.
I turned my head towards the sound a siren. "Fuck!" The Aces member shouted looking at the bag of drugs in his hand.
"Throw it here mate," he glanced in my direction and narrowed his eyes before he threw it to me as he didn't have many options.
I crossed my legs concealing the bag between my thighs and opened my newspaper distancing myself from the two men in front of me.

"Let him go now," the order came from the officer as he stepped onto the pavement releasing his batten.
The Aces member released the lads t-shirt and stood tall holding his arms out to his sides. "Good morning O'Neil, it's been a while how are you?"
"Don't talk to me you piece of shit, spread your legs!" The officer stepped forward and patted him down, while the other officer searched his pockets. "Have you got anything on you that you shouldn't?"
"Nah man I'm clean," he allowed the police officers to search him seeming accustomed to the routine they were performing.
"He's clean O'Neil," the officer rolled his eyes clearly annoyed that they hadn't found anything on him.
"Stay there you're not free to go yet," the officer that he referred to as O'Neil stated boldly.
Both officers then turned their attention to the lad getting up from the ground. "Do you have anything on you that you shouldn't?" he was asked as he was approached.
"No!" He held his arms out wide and was patted down by the younger officer.
"So what do we have here?" the young lad rolled his eyes as a clear bag was pulled from his pocket containing what looked to be weed.
"I am arresting you for possession of a class B drug. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." The officer forcefully moved the lads arms behind his back and cuffed him before walking him over to the police car.
O'Neil turned to the bloke wearing the Aces patch and pointed, "I'll get you, just you wait I'll get you."
"Yeah good luck with that mate," the guy smiled and stood with his hands on his waist as the young lad was put into the back of the police car. He removed his hand and waved as the police car drove past trying to further wind them up knowing that there was nothing they could do. "Fucking mugs," he said aloud before turning his attention to me. "Cheers mate I owe you for that," he walked towards me and joined me on the bench.
"Not a problem," I uncrossed my legs to free the bag and handed it over to him.
"Thank you," he took it and unfastened his cut so that he could stuff the bag firmly inside. "I'm Locke and you are?"
"Caleb Jones!"
He extended his hand for me to shake, "Well CJ, it's nice to meet you."

I remembered that day as if it were yesterday, in fact that day pretty much cemented our friendship. He knew that he could trust me and that was the basis of his mentoring over the next year as he sponsored me into the club. We'd had our ups and downs during that time, we'd probably had more downs then ups because he was such a moody bastard but he was one of those friends that you didn't have to see every day to know that they had your back and would drop everything to help you out.

"Right it's that time we've been waiting for mate." I pulled my jacket sleeve up and glanced at my watch, "I leave in half an hour." I let out a sigh and instinctively took Locke's blade from the sheaf attached to my belt and twirled it in my hand.
"Everything is in place, a few of the guys are coming with me for support but ultimately it's my shout. I've told Duke I'm in charge although I'll report everything back to him." I sniggered, "You can imagine how that went down but fuck him, you were my mate not his." I let out a loud sigh, "The real reason I came here was to say that I promise you one thing Locke, I will get the revenge you sought even if it's the last thing I do." I touched the headstone with his blade and smiled before returning it to its sheaf. I now had a long drive ahead of me but surprisingly I had a clear head because for the first time in months I had a plan and knew that within the next 10 days this plan would fall into place and right the wrongs I so desperately needed.