CHAPTER 5
NATE
My voice broke, but I cleared my throat, pretending it was from the effects of the whiskey and not the gut punch I was experiencing from talking about my old man.
Fuck, I missed him so much already.
He was my rock. Sure, he was fucked up beyond belief — a raging alcoholic, a violent prick most days and a brooding, smoldering fire ready to explode on others, but still — he was my Dad.
He was what he was, and he was all I had. Well, I had Eli, too, but that’s not the same. Eli’s my twin, though you’d never know because we look nothing alike. I’m big and wide and dark and he’s tall and blonde and muscular — and, as much as I hate to admit it, he’s the handsomest of the two of us.
Good looks aside, Eli and I are equals.
Dad was someone we both looked up to, someone we revered like no other, someone we respected, despite all of his fucked-up flaws.
And now, he’d been ripped from our lives with the slam of the judge’s gavel and who the hell knows when he’ll see the other side of the wall again. Men like Dad go in and never come out, no matter how long their initial sentence is. Shit happens on the inside, it sucks you in, like a goddamned tornado ripping through your life and destroying your past and any hope of a fucking future, all at the same time.
I didn’t hold any illusions about Dad having a future outside of prison. He belonged to the Oregon State penile system now. He wasn’t my Dad, he was merely a number now. He was barely human, striped of all his rights and enslaved.
Doing time.
Doing life.
“Within a few years, the tiny club started by our Dad and Uncle Rebel had grown from a no-name club to a full-fledged outlaw gang, respected and well-known by all the other real clubs on the West Coast,” I continued. “We quickly became known for never turning down the hardest jobs. We were fearless, because we were family. We knew we had each other’s backs, no matter what. That confidence allows you to take risks you might not take otherwise.”
“We can relate to that,” Ryder said. I looked over at him, and he was listening intently. He had dark, serious eyes and I had his full attention. Confidence rolled off him like a heat wave.
“I like to think the other thing we were known and respected for was our sense of fairness. We did our best not to resort to violence, unless it was absolutely necessary. We worked with people. Someone owed us money? Well, we’d give them a little time. We’d negotiate. Give a little, get a little. Dad was always good to people, unless you crossed him.”
“That’s where Uncle Rebel went wrong,” Eli said.
“Yeah,” I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum as I thought about everything that had happened. It was all so fast, so fucking violent and bloody. And then it was just over and we were all still reeling from the consequences.
“What happened?” Riot asked.
“Dad was in love, for the first time in a long time. Mom died fifteen years ago, when Eli and I were just teenagers, before Eli took off and spent that year in the Army, so it was weird seeing him get serious with someone again. He’d spent the years in between being a misogynist pig, keeping his heart tucked safely away. But then came Savannah. Savannah was young, but not too young. She was smitten with him. They’d been together a year or so when everything went down. I still don’t know why Uncle Rebel did it, and I guess we’ll never know. But Dad came back to the clubhouse early from a job in the middle of the night and well…,” I paused, taking a deep breath as it all rushed back, “He heard her screaming when he opened the front door. He ran into his bedroom, it was pitch black. Rebel was on top of her.. But Dad didn’t know who it was, he just pulled his gun and shot him. The bullet ripped through Rebel’s back and exited through the front, hitting Savannah in the face. They both died. Dad went to prison for life. And here we are.”
“You’re right, that’s not a pretty story, brother,” Slade whispered gently.
“It is what it is,” I shrugged, trying to shake off the feeling of doom that had landed heavily on my shoulders.
“Sorry, man,” Riot said, shaking his head.
“Thanks,” I said. I turned to Ryder and met his gaze. He nodded slowly before speaking.
“Thanks for sharing that with us,” he said. “After all that, you still want to be a part of another outlaw club?”
“It’s all we know,” I replied. “It’s all we’ve ever known. We’ve been patched in since we were eighteen. Like I said, Eli took off for a year, joined up with the Army, but that didn’t work out so well.”
“I was a big drinker back then,” Eli said. “Fucked up pretty badly one night in Afghanistan, put my platoon in danger. They let me go, they were merciful and didn’t lock me up, even though they damned well should have.
“We don’t know how to do anything else,” I said, “and last I heard, listing your work as a patched member of an outlaw club on a resume is frowned upon.”
“I suppose you’re right about that,” Riot said, smiling. “You didn’t want to continue running the Loyal Gentlemen yourselves?”
“No, man, the name is tainted,” Fury said. “Like a fucking curse…”
“I see,” Slade said, nodding his head. “Makes sense…"
“Let me take a few minutes now to tell you about us,” Ryder said. “As I mentioned, we aren’t your usual club. But, before I do, I’m going to ask you to keep everything I’m about to tell you to yourselves. We do our best to keep our business quiet and once I explain, you’ll understand why. It’s possible you might not be interested afterwards and that’s fine by us, but we’d like to ask you to keep our business confidential.”
“We can do that,” Eli said. Fury and I nodded.
“Great,” Ryder said. “My dad started the Gods of Chaos and handed it off to me over ten years ago. Zander and Doc and I were the only remaining members for a long time. But Doc passed away and Zander retired. Riot’s my VP now and Slade, Bones and Wreck make up the rest of the club. A few years ago, I met a woman named Grace. To make a very long story short, we fell in love and started an organization together to help women, and men, too, when necessary, get out of situations that they need a little help escaping from. We help victims who can’t call the cops, for whatever reason. Or, victims who need a little extra hand up from unusual circumstances. Every case is different. Every case requires all kinds of pooled resources and most are quite risky and dangerous. We operate outside of the law, doing whatever it takes to get the job done, although we do have a few cops who help us out from time to time.”
I nodded, taking in his words.
“So, you’re not running drugs or guns?” Fury asked.
“Not anymore,” Ryder replied. “We have a very generous benefactor that we managed to free from a very dangerous situation and with her help, we’re able to support ourselves and provide whatever tools or resources are necessary for each case.”
“Where do you find all these women in need of your services?” Eli asked.
“They find us, usually,” Riot replied. “We’ve cast a wide net and have people out on the lookout for people who might need our help. We have a national hotline now. But sometimes, like our latest case, we stumble upon situations that need a different kind of attention.”
“So, you’re like a bunch of underground superheroes?” Eli asked.
“We don’t like to think of ourselves as heroes,” Ryder said, shaking his head. “We’re just a bunch of people trying to do the right thing. I don’t really believe so much in God, but I believe in karma. We spent a lot of time doing things that didn’t contribute too much good in the world. This is us trying to make up for some of that. And, I can’t speak for the others, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“Damn,” I said, nodding. “Sounds like you’re on the right track.”
“It’s good work,” Riot said. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of darkness out there in the world. A lot of shady shit that goes down and not enough of us. We need a few more good, loyal, fearless men that are just as passionate as we are about our mission. Right now, we’re facing a very difficult situation. We’ve got some intel about a sex trafficking ring run by another club. Unfortunately, they know us, so we need some unfamiliar faces to assist in bringing them down. Grace is going to go in undercover and I need some men I can trust to go in with her. That’s what we’re looking for from you, if you’re up to the task. If all goes well, then we’d look at bringing you on full-time.”
I looked over at Eli and Fury, all the bad shit we’d done together flashing before my eyes. All the blood and sweat and sleepless nights, the eyes of fearful men haunting my dreams…
I’d spoken to them both about it before. They were my closest allies. I knew they felt the same way I did, I knew they wanted out of the life, but were just as convinced as I had been that that door would never open.
Maybe now, though…
Maybe this was it. The door we’d been waiting for.
All we had to do was walk through it and we’d be on the other side of that bloody nightmare we’d come from.
“When I was a little boy,” I said, “I never imagined I’d be an outlaw biker. I always thought I’d be a fireman, or a doctor, maybe even a priest, but that was before I lost all faith in any church, or future, for that matter. But my point is, I always thought I’d do good things. Then, Dad started the club and it was just assumed that we’d join up when we were old enough. Any plan of doing any good in the world disappeared the first time I pulled on my cut. I don’t know about these two, but if there’s a way I can turn that around, if it’s not too late for even a little redemption, then I’m all in.”
“I’m in,” Eli said.
“Me, too,” Fury said, nodding firmly.
“If you’ll have us, Ryder, then we’d be honored to help you out.”
“Okay, then,” Ryder said, standing up. “You’ve just got to impress the boss and we’re in business.”
“The boss?” I asked. “I thought you were the President.”
“Oh, I am, of the Gods,” he said, exchanging a glance with a smirking Slade. “But Grace is the real boss around here. Have a seat, boys, she’ll be in soon. A little warning, though. She’s all business. Tough as nails and mean as an angry mule. It takes a long time for her to warm up, so don’t let her make you too nervous.”
“Shit, okay,” I muttered.
The three of them walked out, leaving us alone in the room.
I looked around at the two of them and smiled.
“Well?” I asked.
“Does this mean we’re going to heaven now?” Eli asked, winking.
“Shit,” I said. “If Grace doesn’t like us, I’m afraid where we’ll end up.”
“You think she’s really such a hard ass?” Eli asked.
“I think you better keep your hand off her ass if you wanna walk out of here with all your limbs intact.”
“That’s not what I meant, for fuck’s sake,” Eli said. “Why is everything sexual with you, you fucking pervert?”
“I’m just saying,” I shrugged. “Keep it professional.”
“I should have brought my coat and tie,” Fury joked.
“I need another shot,” I said, pouring more whiskey for me and Fury. Ryder’s description had unnerved me a little. I wasn’t sure what to expect and the minutes ticked by slowly as we waited.
I took a long deep breath as the door opened.
Grace walked in and I stifled a gasp. She was beautiful. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, cascading down her back. She was petite, but very fit, her arms rippling with hard muscles. In contrast, her gentle smile and soft eyes greeted us warmly and I knew we’d been had, that Ryder had been screwing with us.
She looked as kind and gentle as a puppy.
The three of us exhaled together and burst out laughing as she sat down at the table.
“Hi, fellas, I’m Grace,” she said, flashing us an angelic smile. “I hear you’re looking for a new job.”