Tanner
Tanner nearly threw up as soon as he saw the strange car parked next to his mom's beat-up sedan at the empty warehouse. She wasn't supposed to have been here! She was supposed to have been at home, free and clear of any danger.
Now, he'd have more than just Star and the baby on his conscience if what he thought was true turned out to actually be so.
He pulled in and jumped off his bike His feet slapped the gravel parking lot, beating out a wild tattoo as he ran to the door.
Behind him, the rest of the boys came screaming in right behind him. Dirt and gravel flew everywhere as they all skidded to a stop and came running.
God, he hoped he wasn't too late. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to Star, or his mom. He threw the door open and rushed inside.
“Answer her, you son of a bitch!” his mother screamed from somewhere deep inside the building. “Answer her, or I'll start blowing off every little piece of you I can!”
Tanner ran through the trash and discarded boxes, kicking over old fixtures and containers as he made for the source of the yelling.
“Told you I ain't talking until your boy gets here,” said Aaron, his voice carrying over the jumble of noise Tanner was making. “And, from the sound of it, your boy's here now.”
He came upon them at the back of the warehouse, near the little office at the back. Both of the women in his life had captured Aaron and duct-taped him to one of those rolling chairs. His mom had his dad's old revolver clenched in both hands, and she was waving the hand-cannon like she knew how to use it. All three sets of eyes swiveled to his as he came out of the shadows.
“And there's the man of the hour now,” Aaron said, laughing crazily.
“You two okay?” Tanner asked as he went to Star and pulled her into his arms.
Star laid her head against his chest and rested there. “I was so scared,” she whispered.
He soothed her hair down and held her for a moment longer, silently wishing he could have been there sooner.
“We're fine, dear,” Tova said, then coughed again. “This motherfucker thought he could get one over on all of us, though.”
Tanner kissed the top of Star's head and squeezed her tight. He let her go before turning to Aaron. “Why?” he yelled. “Why do this to me and to my family?”
“Funny you should ask that,” Aaron said, a big grin spreading on his face. “Cause I was about to tell you. You remember from back when we were young and wild, right Tanner? When we felt like we had the world as our plaything?”
“Yeah,” Tanner said and frowned, not feeling the same warmth of the remembrances that Aaron was. “Go on.”
“I knew your daddy back then, you see. I remember him coming out every now and then, to see how we were doing. How our bikes were riding. Goddamn, he loved you, Tanner. You could see the look on his face every time you rode by. Beaming like the proudest father to have ever walked God's green earth.”
Blade, Brendon, and Cam came walking up back about then. They were calmer than Tanner, more restrained.
Aaron glanced back towards the new arrivals, but ultimately ignored them and continued on with his story. “Years later, years after we'd fallen out of touch and gotten grown up, I tried to get into the Blood Warriors. Tried to join up with your club.”
“I don't remember that,” Blade interjected.
“Exactly,” Aaron said, nodding at the point. “Exactly. I didn't even merit a review, not even a fucking review for my recruitment. Do you know why?”
Tanner shook his head, but he had an idea.
Aaron's face twisted in anger. “Because of your daddy, Tanner. Because of your goddamn, motherfucking daddy.”
Tova lunged towards him, but Blade wrapped her gently, but firmly, in his arms and restrained her.
“Thank you, Blade,” Aaron said. “Hate to ruin my good looks. Your daddy, old man Logan Rainier, high poobah of the Blood Warriors, wouldn't even accept me for fucking review. Said I was a loose cannon, a bad apple that needed to be kept from the rest of the barrel. Said I was too violent and reckless, and that I wouldn't get in to the MC so long as he was alive.”
Everyone sat in stunned silence, partially at the story, and partially at the fact that the Roaming Wolves had let this clearly-unhinged man into their club. How had he gotten so far into their club? How had he gotten these men to help him? All because of a vendetta against the Blood Warriors?
“But, then, well, your daddy died, didn't he?” he asked, shaking his head. “And, I thought to myself, 'Now's your chance, Aaron! Now you can be a Blood Warrior, just like you've always dreamed!'”
“So why didn't you just apply?” Blade asked. “We would've given you a fair vote, up or down, to become a recruit. None of us knew you.”
Aaron snorted. “Why bother? I'd rather have my revenge. And, when I'd heard Brendon was back in town, I figured out how I wanted to start.”
“You went through all this, just to get revenge for something a dead man did to you years ago?” Tanner asked, his eyes wide.
Aaron nodded, that wide grin of his spreading across his face again. “Why else? I mean, I'm your biggest rival, now. Figured a little cred with the Wolves wouldn't hurt things.”
“Geez,” Blade said, “on second thought, thank God Logan turned you down. You evil sumbitch.”
“What do we want to do with him?” Brendon asked, the look on his face just as perplexed as everybody else's.
Tanner shook his head as Star backed away from him. Everyone knew what had to be done, what deserved to be done. He'd been in here, after the women. He'd gotten Brendon hooked on drugs, had kidnapped Star. But, still, killing him would just put a murder over the club’s head. And that, by itself, was too dangerous.
“You really love the Roaming Wolves?” Tanner asked, his voice level. “Don't you?”
Aaron shrugged, his head trying to track Tanner as he circled around him. “They're my boys, same as you got with the Blood Warriors. They pick me up when I'm down, they got my back. Why wouldn't I?”
Tanner was behind him now. He reached up and put his hands on Aaron's patch, the big Roaming Wolves name that arched across the back of his vest.
“What the hell are you doing?” Aaron yelled and struggled against the mummy-like duct tape wrappings. “You keep your hands off that patch, you son-of-a-bitch Warrior!”
“You ain't exactly in a position to make any demands,” Tanner said, his voice flat and emotionless as he began to rip the patches off his vest.
“What are you doing?” Star asked.
“To one of us,” Tanner said, nodding to Blade and the rest of the guys, “losing your patch is like losing your honor. A biker wouldn't be caught dead without his patches. Ain't that right, Aaron?”
“You son of a bitch,” Aaron said. “You give those back.”
“Don't think so,” Tanner said as he circled back around, patches in hand. He reached into his pocket and dug out his pops' old Zippo, the same lighter he'd used to light the Molotov those weeks ago. God, that felt like a lifetime distant, now. He flicked the case open and sparked the wheel, sending up a flickering orange and red flame. He made sure Aaron could see what he was doing, too. Make sure he could see the punishment Tanner was about to inflict on him.
“What are you-?” Aaron asked, the words seeming to swell in his throat and choke him. “You can't! You wouldn't!”
“Wouldn't what?” Tanner asked as he put the flickering tongue of flame to the edge of the patches. “Take away the only thing that matters to you? Same as you tried to do to me?”
Aaron's mouth dropped open, and Tanner thought he might burst into tears. All that pride, all that honor. Gone. Poof. Up in smoke. Literally.
“My patches . . .” Aaron said, his eyes fixated on them as they burned in Tanner's hand.
“No more,” Tanner said. “And, I don't want to find you anywhere near here. Or by the college. I see you anywhere within fifty miles of the Blood Warriors territory, I'll kill you myself. You hear me?”
Aaron's mouth opened and closed, his tongue twisted and tied by the reality of what was happening in front of him.
“I asked if you heard me, you piece of shit!” Tanner yelled as he dropped the burned patches on the concrete floor and squashed out the flames with his boots.
Aaron, seemingly struck dumb, could only nod.
“Good. Cam, cut him loose.”
The recruit whipped out his pocket knife and got in close behind him. He reached down and cut the duct tape, slicing through the adhesive strips like butter. Aaron brought his hands around and rubbed his wrists, just like Star had all those weeks ago when Tanner cut her loose.
But, Aaron did what Star hadn't.
He tried one last time to get even. He lunged for Tanner.
Tanner had expected something like this. A man like Aaron, he'd keep going until all his options were exhausted. He was definitely the type to stay on the stage until a whole choir of fat ladies sang. Tanner struck him fast, a quick jackrabbit punch that hit him square in the nose and dazed him.
Aaron stumbled forward a little bit, suddenly unsure of his footing.
Tanner kneed him in the gut, knocking the wind from him, then slashed him to the ground with a wild haymaker.
Aaron tried to get up again, but the attempt was feeble.
“Don't,” Tanner breathed, then kicked him in the side. “Or, so help me God, we'll finish this the other way.”
Aaron didn't try again to climb to his feet. This time, he stayed down.
Star came over to Tanner, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him back and away from Aaron's prone form.
It was done, he realized. It was finally over. The Roaming Wolves may bother them again, but Aaron wouldn't be any party to it. His days in their MC were over. They'd seen to that.