LOKI

We roll into Boulder about six o’clock, after stopping outside of town to fill up and swap our road vests for our cuts before rolling up to the clubhouse. It’s Friday night, which means the clubhouse is full of bikers and bitches when we step in the main door.

It takes only a few minutes before Sticks comes out of his office and pulls us back with him.

The closer we got to Boulder, the more agitated Pyro got and I’m not entirely sure why. Whatever is biting his ass is pissing me off. He’s not normally this irritated. He usually lets shit just roll off his back and there’s nothing I can possibly think of that would piss him off this much.

By the time we step into Sticks’ office, the tension is rolling off him in waves and I want to put him through a wall.

“What’s crawled up your ass?” Sticks asks Pyro.

Pyro just narrows his eyes and shakes his head, but says nothing further.

“Where is she?” I ask Sticks.

“Who you talkin’ ‘bout?” Sticks plays dumb, but I know he knows damn well who I’m talking about.

I glare at him, “Kiwi, where is she?”

He puts his hands up in defense. “She’s long gone, man. Rolled outta here about a year ago.” His voice is calm. I have no reason to doubt him, but Pyro growls at him. After Pyro asked me about talking to Pixie, I got to thinking about it and it’s been more than a year since I called up here to check on her. So Sticks’ answer doesn’t surprise me.

“Bullshit,” Pyro snaps.

“What’s up your ass? What the fuck you care where some broad is?” Sticks bites back at Pyro. I can’t say I blame him.

Pyro slams Sticks against the wall, hand in his shirt. “Where is she?”

“Fuck, Pyro, what the hell, man?” I try pulling him off Sticks but he just rolls his eyes at me.

“Gone for fuck’s sake. She moved on, moved away.”

“Where?” I ask him.

“What the hell do you care? You were here once, asswipe, and you left her.” Now I can see Sticks is pissed as fuck. He glares at me and then shifts his eyes to Pyro. But Pyro’s eyes are on me instead. The same murderous glare that was directed at Sticks a second ago is now pointed at me.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” Pyro snaps, releasing Sticks and moving in on me.

“Fuck you,” I growl at him, ready to throw down. “What the fuck you care? You abandoned her,” I remind him.

“Both of you, knock it the fuck off,” Sticks says in a tone that makes us both cringe. “Or I’ll throw you both the fuck out of here, and trust me, there’s some nice piece of ass coming in tonight and you don’t want to miss it.”

I roll my eyes. Sticks’ solution to everything is a fine piece of ass.

“I mean it, she’s gone. She rolled up out of here, looking for something more from life. Last I heard she was headed for Kansas City. She’s an adult, perfectly capable of taking care of herself.” He sits down in his chair behind his desk. “But don’t let that fool you two fuck-knuckles. There ain’t a man in that room out there that won’t throw down for her, so you two better get your shit together and quit fighting about this shit before you drag it out of my office and get yourselves dead, you get me?”

We both turn to look at Sticks. “You were supposed to keep her out of the club,” I remind him.

He shrugs. “There ain’t nothing you can stop that girl from doing once she puts her mind to it. She came up here after Tryke died.” I don’t miss Pyro’s stiffening at the mention of Tryke’s name but I let it go. “She needed a place to crash, I gave her one. She needed a job, I gave her one. When she was ready to leave, I let her go. She survived five years up here and she did it without much help from me. She made friends with the right group of people and wormed her way into the hearts of every biker in this house.”

“She has a way of doing that,” I mutter.

Pyro relaxes a little as Sticks tells us what’s what.

After one final stare down between the three of us, we move on to business. Discussing our purpose for being here.

It’s the better part of two hours before we’re armed with all the information we need and we finally join the party in the main room of the clubhouse. We’re to leave here in the morning and get down to Tucson where we fill Big Daddy in on all that Sticks knows and what we’ve learned over the last several months. Neither Big Daddy nor Sticks trusts the phone lines. He’ll cover for us up here while we journey south. From there we will return home, but not before we establish our plan for taking down Rooster. At this point, the only thing that will take him down is a bullet between the eyes and Pyro will be more than happy to care of it.

Kiwi’s disappearance isn’t a good thing.

She’s wanted revenge against Rooster since the night Tryke died. If she gets wind of what’s doin’ she’s gonna be all over him like white on rice and I can’t say I blame her one bit.

Rooster ordered the hit, Gunnar carried it out. Well, made sure it was carried out, and Kiwi is gunning for both of them.

Pyro and I start mingling amongst the other members and club whores.

PYRO

Loki occupies himself with a club whore and I slip back down the hall, finding Sticks’ door and knocking.

“Enter,” comes from the other side and I open the door and step inside. Our eyes meet.

“Hello, Reggie,” I say in a menacing tone that puts his guard up instantly.

“Not many people know that name…”

“Family, right?”

He nods, shell shocked by my being in here and using his real name. “What do you want, Pyro?” he asks as he stands up.

I cock my head. “I’m not here to hurt you if that’s what you’re afraid of. She’s lost enough in her life. She doesn’t need to lose you, too.”

“What’s your beef with Lily, Pyro?” For the first time in six years, that name grates on a few nerves and I try and shake it off.

“Where is she, Reggie?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I think you already know the answer to that question, you’re just hoping I’ll confirm it for you.”

I flick my zippo, the sound causing Sticks to jump a little. “Maybe, maybe not,” I whisper.

“Then why ask the question? What do you want with her?”

“What I wanted for her was a club free life. It’s what she was supposed to get by coming up here. Instead, you hand her exactly what she wanted.”

“And that’s what, exactly?”

“Revenge,” I breathe.