Stillwater, Minnesota

 

3 weeks later

 

 

Tarot

 

 

“How are things coming along out here, Tarot?” Tank asked after we ordered two bottles of Tecate, Buffalo wings, and a large plate of nachos.

“Good,” I replied. We were at a favorite new hangout of mine called the Wild River Saloon. Phoenix, my new prez, had introduced me to the place and I was now bartending there part-time. Today was my day off and Tank, the president of the Iowa chapter of the Gold Vipers (also a good friend of mine), was in town and checking on things.

Tank smiled. “I noticed didn’t give me hell about calling you Tarot.”

I shrugged. “It’s growing on me. Just don’t expect me to read your future in ‘the cards’. I can already tell you now, it won’t be a long one.”

Tank chuckled. “So, is the club accepting you as the new VP without any issues?”

“Yeah. I think they’re more relieved than anything, to be honest,” I replied. “Not to mention, they have a lot of admiration for you, brother.”

Tank nodded. “Good to know.”

I’d been brought into the club after Phoenix’s guys had been patched over by the Gold Vipers. Prior to that, I’d been a nomad and had traveled from city-to-city, helping out the Gold Vipers wherever and whenever needed.  It had gotten old, though, and now that I was pushing thirty, the idea of moving around so much was no longer appealing.

“You obviously know why I recommended you to them,” he said, dipping his wing into a small bowl of ranch dressing, “their club was out of control before we patched them over. I knew they needed someone with a clear head to help run things. And,” he lowered his voice, “don’t get me wrong. I like Phoenix, but he’s still pretty wet behind the ears, especially to be running a club.”

Tank was right. I liked Phoenix, too, but he was the first to admit that he’d taken control of the reins too quickly. He was a good kid though, and in time, would gain more confidence and respect from everyone.

“Yeah. He’s a little green, but I can tell he’s trying, which I admire,” I said, taking a swig of beer.

“Good. So, are things are quiet right now?”

“Yeah. It’s odd, considering all the shit that went down with the Blood Angels. I’m a little surprised that they haven’t tried anything.”

“That’s because they’re paranoid now that we’ve patched over the Steel Bandits,” he replied with a smirk. “You fuck with the Gold Vipers and you may as well start pricing out your own tombstone.”

I liked to think that my new club had seen the last of the Blood Angels, but there was too much animosity between everyone. And, from what I’d learned, they were ignorant fucks who didn’t know when to quit.

“Hey, sweetheart, can we get two more beers?” Tank asked the waitress, who was walking by.

“Of course. Coming right up,” she replied, smiling.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Phoenix is itching to make a move,” I said, watching Tank eat. “He’s still pretty wrecked about Tom.”

Tom was the previous president. He’d also been Phoenix’s mentor and, apparently, his biological father. He’d just learned the news before the Blood Angels had ordered a hit on Tom and his ailing wife. I understood why he wanted revenge, but we needed to get approval from the mother chapter before moving forward.

Tank licked his fingers and grabbed another wing. “I’m sure he does. You know where they’ve moved their clubhouse to yet?”

“Yeah, rumor has it that they’re in Cloquet.” I grabbed a chip. “We don’t know for sure, though.”

“Where’s that?”

I finished chewing and answered. “North of here. Roughly two hours.”

He nodded toward the beer. “You like it?”

“Yeah, it’s good. This is the first time I’ve tried it. We just got them in.”

 “Perfect timing. I’m hooked, now. My brother-in-law introduced me. Anyway,” he took a swig of beer, “I’m going to put in a call to Bastard as soon as we get out of here. See what he thinks about the situation.”

Bastard was the president of the Gold Vipers’ Mother Chapter out in Sacramento. He was level-headed and didn’t like to take too many risks. If he did agree on making a move, there couldn’t be any mistakes, and it would have to be very well organized.

“Okay,” I replied as the waitress returned with two more beers. “Thanks, Kelly.”

She set them down in front of us and smiled flirtatiously at Tank. “So, where you from, handsome?”

“Iowa,” he replied, smiling back.

“I see you’re a Gold Viper, too,” she said, putting a hand on her waist.

“Yep,” he replied, pulling out a large chip filled with cheese and lettuce. He shoved it into his mouth and chewed quietly.

Smiling, Kelly, looked at me. “He’s kind of like you. Not much of a talker.”

It was true. I was quiet and mostly kept to myself. The truth was, I’d grown up in a houseful of gabby sisters and was a better listener than a conversationalist. Tank, on the other hand, wasn’t usually quiet. Something was on his mind, though. I sensed it. And it was more than just club business.

“Tank, quiet? That’s a good one,” I replied before raising the beer back to my lips. “You feeling okay, brother?”

Tank shrugged. “I’m good. Just beat from the long drive. And… I was up early this morning with Sophie.”

Sophie was Tank’s baby girl and the spitting image of Raina, his wife. Dark hair, big blue eyes, and a smile that would always get her what she wanted. Right now, she had Tank wrapped around her little finger and could barely crawl.

“Who’s Sophie? Your kid?” asked Kelly.

“One of them. I also have a son named Billy,” said Tank.

He’d adopted Billy after marrying Raina. Billy had been from a previous marriage, but Tank adored the boy, and the feeling was mutual.

“You married then?” Kelly asked, looking more interested than ever.

I sighed inwardly. This would mean a challenge for Kelly, who had some destructive tendencies. She was unhappy in her own life, and used sex and drugs to self-medicate. Most thought she was just a fun-loving party girl who loved sex, but I sensed there was a lot of pain behind that bittersweet smile of hers.

“Yeah,” said Tank. He gave me a curious look, as if wondering what her deal was.

She looked at his cut. “You have your motorcycle parked outside?”

“I do, why?” he answered.

“Mm… I’d love to go for a ride,” said Kelly, batting her fake eyelashes at him. “I haven’t been on a bike for some time. I bet yours is… big and shiny.”

I rubbed my forehead, almost embarrassed for her.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, darlin’,” Tank said with an apologetic grin. “Like I said, I’m married and nobody rides on the back of my bike but my Old Lady.”

Her lips curled into a pout. “That’s too bad. I was hoping to cook you breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“I’m flattered, but there’s only one woman for me and she could shoot a speck on a fly,” he replied. “So, I prefer to stay on her good side.”

“Okay. You change your mind, though, let me know,” she replied, winking at him.

“You’ll be the first,” he said.

She walked away, her hips swinging more than usual.

“Hell.” Tank smiled and shook his head. “Before I met Raina, I’d have been all over that.”

“A lot of people have already been all over that,” I replied. “Raina just saved you a tetanus shot.”

Tank chuckled. “So, you haven’t touched her?”

“Hell no,” I said, watching as Kelly began flirting with a table of regulars. “For one, I never fuck anyone I work with. For two, that chick has a lot of unpacked baggage.”

“I figured that might be the case. She was trying too hard,” Tank replied, taking another swig of beer.

“Always does.” I cleared my throat. “So, fess up. What’s bothering you?”

“Bothering me? Nothing,” he replied, suddenly looking distracted.

“You’ll talk when you’re ready,” I said matter-of-factly.

Staring at his beer, he sighed. “I guess I should know better than to try and pretend around you.” He looked at me. “It’s not so much that I have something to get off my chest. I’m just wondering about a couple of things.”

I suddenly knew what he was talking about. “You want to know if I can communicate with the dead.”

His eyes looked like two round saucers. “How the fuck do you do that?”

Smiling, I shrugged. “It just came to me. The answer is ‘no’, though. I’m sorry, brother, but I’m not a medium.”

Tank nodded slowly. “No problem.”

I grabbed another nacho. “Tell you what, if I ever do get a message from Slammer, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I know you will.”

“What’s this about? Raina?” I asked between chews.

“Yeah. I just want him to know, if he’s out there, how much she regrets what she did.”

“I’m sure he knows,” I replied.

Raina had been the one who’d killed his old man, Slammer. She’d been under the assumption that he’d been responsible for her son being shot. So, she’d murdered him in cold blood.

Not many of the Gold Vipers knew this; those who did had forgiven her, for the most part. I certainly didn’t hold it against her. It had been a crime of passion, and she’d acted out of deep pain, believing that her son was dead.

In the end, her son had survived and it was found that the Devil’s Rangers had framed Slammer.

Realizing that she’d made a horrible mistake, Raina was riddled with guilt and regret. But, love conquers all, which is why she was now Tank’s wife and mother to his children.

   “Maybe,” he murmured softly, picking at the wrapper on his beer.

My cell phone suddenly went off. It was a number I didn’t recognize with a California area code.

“Go ahead and answer it,” said Tank, getting up. “I’ve got to take a leak.”

“Okay. Hello?” I said into the phone as Tank walked away.

“Dominic Savage?” murmured a woman’s voice.

She didn’t sound like the typical telemarketer. “Yeah. That’s me. Who’s this?”

“My name is Hannah Goodwin. I’m Jenna Goodwin’s sister. Or,” she paused. “I was.”

“Jenna Goodwin, huh?” I said, a memory flashing in my brain of a weekend we’d spent together about seven years ago. I’d gone to high school with Jenna and we’d reconnected while she’d been going through a messy divorce. She invited me up to her grandparents’ beach house in Santa Cruz for a couple of days, and we’d had a great time together, admittedly, most of it spent in bed. Afterward, we lost touch and I eventually found out that she’d gone back to her ex-husband. “Hold up. Did you say that you ‘were’ her sister?”

The moment the words left my lips, I knew Jenna had lost a battle to cancer. An image of her going through chemotherapy and lying in a hospital bed made my heart heavy.

“Yes,” she replied softly. “Jenna died last month. Ovarian cancer.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry for your loss,” I replied, feeling sick to my stomach.

Jenna had been so full of life, it was one of the reasons I’d been drawn to her. Despite the turbulent time in her life, she’d been so positive and good-natured when we’d been together. “She was a sweet woman, your sister.”

“Yes, she was and… thank you. Anyway, the reason I called is that Jenna had a daughter, Ruby. She’s staying with me, but”—She sighed—“I just can’t take care of her.”

“A daughter, huh?” I said.

“Yeah. That’s why I’m calling.”

The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood up. I knew what she was about to say and almost dropped my phone when the words left her lips.

“Before she died, Jenna told me that you were Ruby’s biological father. I need you to come and pick her up.”