Blackjack

After a good ten-minute walk across the path to the gate, I finally spotted them with my own eyes. Fist and my brothers were at the clearing with their backs turned at the gates, unafraid to step out of their comfort zone to approach them. Their bikes were waiting inside the fence, strewn to the side and waiting for their owners to come back. However, there appeared to be too much tension in the mood to expect such a quick compromise. Sixteen men stood on the opposite side of the gate.

The prospect was still sitting at his post, waiting for the word to open the doors. Whether those iron rails would be open to friend or foe, I didn’t know. There was a lack of distance between the two MC’s and where I was walking, anything could have gone down. Before I started walking to the meet up, I half expected to witness a bloodbath in the making but there was no such thing.

As soon as I was a couple of feet away from the gates, I slipped up to the prospect post and leaned against the wall, hand digging down my pocket for my phone. When I took it out, I thumbed in my passcode to check if I got a response from Dex yet. He was only nine, and yes, I’d bought him a cell phone. It was for exactly situations like this where I knew we’d need to be able to contact each other quickly.

Our text messages flashed up on my screen within the second. I scrolled my eyes down to the latest notice he sent and to my relief, he wasn’t on his way home back yet. Instead, he’d asked if I needed the battery ASAP since his friend Wade invited him to play Call of Duty.

I texted him back, “Sure, pick you up at 5.”

Not even a minute later and he had already responded.

“Can u pick me up at 8?”

If there wasn’t a club situation that I was grappling with at the gates, I would’ve said tough shit and told his ass to get back home, but I was inclined to let him have it. There was no guarantee this would be over by 5pm. Reluctantly, I ended up responded back “8pm it is” before sliding the phone back into my pocket.

That boy better not forget my battery at Wade’s house.

When I retraced my eyes back to the men standing on both sides of the gates, I couldn’t recognize a good majority of them from the distance I was at. I decided to kick off the wall and give the prospect’s door a good knock. From the windows, I could see that his gaze had been trained on the conversation at hand. It was just like Roach to listen in on matters that were way above his scale of authority.

I gave the door another knock, and sure enough, his eyes flash up to where I stood waiting.

“Oh.” He coughs into his hand, “What can I help you with, Blackjack?”

“Good afternoon, Nick.” I nod conspicuously, “You mind helping me with the gate?”

His brows furrowed, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved at this rate, Rob.”

Amused, I cross my arms over my chest, “And why’s that?”

He stiffened in his seat before glancing up to the group once more, muttering something inaudible.

“What was that?” I interject.

“It’s not in your jurisdiction, Rob. No need for medics just yet.”

Jurisdiction… did this green boy even know what the term meant?

“So, help me God, open that door before I get in there and do it myself.”

His mouth opened to say something but all it took was for me to turn the knob for him to come to his senses and flick the switch. The latch was released, and the gate door moved behind the men, interrupting their conversation.

“Thanks for that.” I give him a brief smile before starting through the doorway.

Ahead, the men had turned their heads past the brim of their shoulders to spot me coming down the pathway. As they shifted in their spots, I could see the opposing group clear as day. It was odd that the Bears were called animals when they had less hair than a premature boy hitting puberty. Very little of them carried beards or even chest hair given that they’d arrived bare chested, ready to prove the might of their men. The only exception to their strange contradiction was Grizzly himself who had enough hair on his face and chest to be a member of the bear family himself.

Before I stepped up to greet Fist, there had already been talks between Cracker and Grizzly. As soon as someone said anything about arsenals, I could’ve sworn I saw Fist’s body tense up all at once. I watched him carefully as I slowly approached him but luckily, he spotted me just in time to cool over.

“It took you long enough to join us.” Fist muttered lowly into my ear when I accompanied his side. “I take it you heard the news.”

I gave him a shrug as we listened to the other men talk.

“Dixon’s back which means our regular schedule is set to sail. What else is new?”

Fist pursed his mouth, “I’m not talking about that.”

My eyes came back to his and the soberness was back in our conversation.

“If you’re talking about my boy there’s nothing to worry about.” I finally respond. “Dex is with a friend. Won’t be picking him up till eight”

“Ah. Well, Ashley doesn’t know about this…that they’re here.”

That didn’t come off as a surprise to me.

“No need to bring her into this.” I told him.

“Not yet anyway.”

“Fist..” I gave him a look.

He put his heavy hand on my shoulder, “Boy, I don’t want it to come to that either. At this rate, it might be unavoidable.”

“Just what do you mean by that?” I whisper, anger building in the back of my throat. “Get yourself a lawyer, have him draw up the papers, hand the two of them a pen and they’re divorced. What’s so hard about that?”

“Blackjack!” A voice called.

I looked up from Fist to where the sound originated from only to have met eyes with the son of a bitch himself. Jack “Grizzly” Jones.

“My, my…” He drawls out, the intensity of his eyes widening at the sight of me. “Been a while since I’ve seen you out of the woods. Or should I say, out of Afghanistan?”

It wasn’t a secret that I enlisted into the military as trained medic. Despite that, I didn’t like Jack using that fact to put aside his bullshit and start small talk.

“Not long enough. You’ve grown old.” I respond cooly.

The remark caught him by surprise.

“Yeah well…” He continues, laughing to himself. “It’ll take more than age to knock this Bear down.”

“What’s all of this about then?” I cut him off, sick of the bullshit.

“Blackjack” Cracker says lowly.

“Well, it’s about time someone asked!” Grizzly roared in amusement, “Why is it that we decided to visit these parts on a Sunday afternoon instead of fucking our women until they scream?”

“Because my woman just so happened to run away from home.” Another voice joined him.

A figure approached the group, rustling right up from behind Jack himself. I’d put betting money any day that Fist would skin the man and send his hide to his sorry mother if he tried anything.

Grizzly may have been sly enough to avoid conflict up until now, but one thing was guaranteed. He was a coward anytime he was challenged by Fist to a hand on hand fight. Ever since his youth, nothing would change his mind to this day.

As Grizzly stood before Fist, the man of the voice finally revealed himself among the faces. Once I got close enough view to put two and two together, I realized Harry had joined this meeting as well.

“Harry.” I mutter under my breath.

“That’s right…” Grizzly chuckles lowly, “Years back, Harry and I came here to celebrate the wedding of his newly anointed bride.”

“After one little marital spat, she came running back home to her daddy.” Harry nods, “Can’t say I blame her.”

“Son of a––” I curse hard, kicking the dirt below me when my body lunged forward to grab him.

The man’s eyes widened as soon as I drew my arm under his jaw to snatch his collar. His hand came up to hold me back, but it was too late. A set of fingers clutched at his shirt and pulled hard till his head was forced to look up at me. My brothers around me saw it coming too soon and were already on me before I could draw up my opposite arm to punch the greasy smirk from his face.

He laughs nervously, “You’re a fucking animal, Blackjack!”

“Control your man, Fist.” Grizzly ordered.

Fist didn’t say a word, but I certainly did.

“Wipe that smile off your face before I tear it off here and now.”

The men were holding me back, but I was still forcing my arm up above their heads. Like the anger of a building volcano, my arm was reddening from the strain and inching up to the sky with every draw of my heavy breath. Harry’s eyes followed its clenched fist, his doubt growing within the expression of his face.  Here and now, I could kill the man.

I wouldn’t have any regrets wiping his scum off the face of the planet.

“BLACKJACK.” Fist’s voice shot through the crowd like a bullet.

He blew up my focus and just like that, my arm wavered for a brief second only for Cracker to grapple it back down to my shoulder.

“Calm down” The man insisted beside me. “Not now. Not today.”

My breathing came down so heavy that it nearly washed away my anger. There was enough of that left in me to look down at Harry and let the rest speak.

“Come anywhere near her again, and I’ll fucking kill you.”

The man’s pulse was practically hitting my knuckles where they pressed into his throat. He didn’t move, but I knew he believed every word I said. The grip Cracker had on my arm lessened more and more and slowly, I put my arm down to hide with the rest of them.

I didn’t have anything left to say before I released Harry’s shirt and shoved him into the men watching behind him. He gave out a thick cough, trying his lungs to come back up for air.

“You have balls to come here, Harry Vale.” Fist spoke roughly.

After what felt like a long pause, Grizzly snorted.

“He didn’t come alone, obviously.”

“Good point.” Fist acknowledged before turning his attention back to him, “What is this really about then, Bear?”

“We’re here to collect the Bear’s property.”

“See that’s where you’re wrong.”

Fist automatically spat at the man’s feet.

“Ashley isn’t going nowhere. Her place is with her family.”

Grizzly grew impatient.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s your daughter, Fist. She belongs with her husband.”

“Oh, Panda. Your ears are stuffed with shit if you don’t understand a word coming out of my mouth. Ashley’s getting a divorce.”

I waited for the reaction from Grizzly with Fist’s insult, when it didn’t happen, I took an easy breath.

“Hah!” The man throws his hands up to the air, “Any lawyer you send isn’t going to do shit if Harry doesn’t sign.”

“Doesn’t have to sign.” I retorted.

Grizzly’s eyes narrow back to me.

“What did you just say, boy?”

“With the amount of abuse coming out of that house, do you honestly think anyone is going to believe that woman can’t walk away from an unhealthy marriage?” I mock him, averting my attention back to Harry. “Not to mention, she was never branded as his wife. She’s her own woman by the MC bylaws.”

Grizzly’s lips thinned right then and there. He looks down at Harry with all the humor gone from his voice.

“Is this true.”

Harry bit down on the inside of his cheek, unable to look him in the eye.

“This was before I’d joined the Bears, Prez.”

“Shouldn’t matter either way. The two of you are still married and––”

“She’s already been branded.” I lied, straight through my teeth.

Silence emerged from the crowd just then. Any unsureness sparking in the Reapers was completely put aside when they recognized the approach I had taken. It was evident that the Bears wouldn’t quit fighting the issue at hand unless we cutthroat them with something out of the box. I didn’t think to check with Fist regarding the matter but if I had mentioned it any later, it would have looked like I was trying to save her, and I am, but they don’t know that.

“Ah.” Grizzly nods, taking time to think. “Well, that speaks for the entire problem itself.” The man turned his head back to Fist, offering his hand between them. Fist’s eyes searched the hand for answers but remained skeptical. Grizzly explains briefly. “The Bears follow a code of conduct regarding their marital arrangements, as I know the Reapers do as well. You’d understand that yourself, wouldn’t you Fist.”

“I suppose I could.” He shed with caution.

“I really do apologize for this, Fist.” Grizzly confessed, shaking his head. “It was a mistake on my part not to clear the details with that idiot.” At this, Fist acknowledged and let it be known when his hand came up to take the opposing Prez’s. I’d come up to the gates expecting a war, right now – in this moment, it looked like we may avoid any bloodshed.

“No harm done, Grizzly” He affirmed before adding, “So long as you and your pack away from my daughter. All of them.”

“Of course.” He agrees.

In the back of my head, I knew it couldn’t have been that simple. Ashley had made it more than clear that the Bears had intended to use her as a bargaining chip. In this sort of gamble, it was difficult to call them out on that. Not to mention, we didn’t have proof that they were responsible for stealing the drugs. Calling out a club for theft was as big of a crime as spitting on their cuts so it had to be avoided. Regardless, this wasn’t something that could have been easily washed over.

I knew this even before Fist had taken the man’s hand.

Fist turned his back to the man to catch eyes with Roach behind the window. With a wave of his hand, the signal was sent to open the gates. We waited until the thick “bzzzzz” told us he’d flipped the switch and sent the gates retreating to opposite ends of the entrance.

As I’d started walking away, Cracker had already swooped his arm back over my shoulder to pull me close to his side. “You did well, boy.”

I couldn’t say much. Despite the end of the conversation, something just didn’t feel right.

“Oh! One last thing before we wrap this up entirely!” Grizzly’s voice came back up.

Fist turned around, his brows furrowing in frustration.

“The topic is already off the table, Jack. Give it a rest.”

The Bear’s president shook his head, his smile remaining intact.

“I want to see it.”

“See what?” I turned my head around, fist’s clenched at my side.

Cracker’s arm slipped off my shoulder to face his attention back to the Bear’s Prez. The air was brewing with a kind of tension you just couldn’t cut through. Grizzly looks up from the floor, his smile ripping from ear to ear.

“I want to see your daughter’s brand.”