DECLAN

 

Ghost handled most of the numbers for the club. I trusted him like a brother to know that he wouldn’t screw me or any of the other members out of what was due to them. That didn’t mean I ignored keeping tabs on all of the shit that was coming through the clubhouse. The Grindhouse made good money as a legitimate business. And I was involved directly with all of the side deals we made. Moving product for the Chinese was something I negotiated by myself.

I sat at my desk and leaned back in my seat. Ghost went over the paperwork and counted all of the cash to make sure that everything was right.

“Looks good to me,” he said. “Lin doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would stiff us on our deal. He knows what kind of risk we’re taking.”

“That doesn’t mean we can trust him.”

“I know.”

Ghost looked up at me and smirked.

“But everything’s all good, boss man.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Clean all this shit up and tell the boys to come get their payments ASAP. I don’t want this money lying around. Not with the feds in town.”

Ghost nodded and readied the bands of money for all of the other members. It was enough cash for each one of them to live comfortably for a long time.

“This deal has been a long time coming,” I sighed. “The club is doing some real good business these days.”

“You should be proud. You negotiated this deal.”

“It wasn’t me. It was the patch. Lin and the Triads knew what kind of reputation the Reapers had in Ivory. I’m just going along for the ride.”

“Fair enough. I still think it’s a good time for celebration.”

“Celebration… In the middle of the afternoon…”

It was hard to think about any problems I had. The money was good. The clubhouse was more than making ends meet. Every patch had their head on straight.

And there was Michelle. Somehow, she managed to make me love her even more.

“Right,” I said with a nod. “Let’s go celebrate.”

I headed out of my office and back into the clubhouse. It was business as usual. Another slow afternoon with the usual patrons just trying to get away from the other shit they had to deal with in Ivory.

Ghost made his way to the bar and poured a couple of shots.

“Yo!”

I looked to the side and saw Needle standing there.

“Let’s go, Ghost!” he said. “Cards are up.”

“Keep your dick in your pants,” Ghost said. “I’ll take your money soon enough.”

“All talk.”

Needle headed into the back room where the boys usually played poker.

“All talk,” Ghost said. “Can you believe that shit? Someone like Needle telling me I’m all talk?”

“He’s funny like that sometimes.”

Ghost smirked at me and picked up his shot glass. I did the same and toasted my glass to his.

“To good business,” he said.

I held my glass up to my lips. Before the alcohol hit my tongue, the front entrance to the clubhouse suddenly boomed open. The thundering noise drew everybody’s attention.

I watched as some punk walked in with four of his cronies. I’d been around long enough to know all of the clubs in Ivory. All of the clubs that mattered, anyway. I would’ve remembered motherfuckers like these.

Shaved heads. Tattoos all over their heads. Most of their teeth were broken and the ones they did have were gold. These motherfuckers wouldn’t have made it in a town like Ivory. They were just screaming for attention.

The lead man walked into the bar. I moved away from the counter and walked right up to him. The asshole obviously wasn’t here to have a cordial conversation.

“Gentlemen,” I said. “Welcome to The Grindhouse. How can I help you?”

The lead man took a step forward and looked me up and down. He was an ugly motherfucker. Most people would’ve been ashamed about having such a big scar across his face and being blind in one eye but he seemed to embrace it.

He smiled a big smile and stuck his tongue out like he was a fucking lizard.

“I’m looking for the Reapers,” he said.

He eyeballed the patch on my chest.

“President,” he continued. “Just the man I was looking for.”

“Garnet. I am the President of the Black Reapers. Now… Is there something I can help you with?”

“As a matter of fact there is—”

“You can start with your name.”

He pulled his tongue back into his mouth but he still had that smirk on his face. The rest of his men weren’t smiling though.

“Tony Cross,” he said. “President of the Night Vultures.”

The Night Vultures?

I tried to hide the fact that I’d never heard of them but couldn’t. I raised an eyebrow and laughed softly to myself. I turned to Ghost and he shrugged like he was just as clueless as I was.

“Never heard of the Vultures,” I said.

“We’re not from Ivory. We came from a long way away.”

“A long way, huh? This must be important.”

“It is important. It took me a long time to get here. It took me a long time to figure out what I was looking for. And now I’m here, in this rotting desert of a city.”

At this point, the rest of the bar was silent. Needle and the other Reapers had made their way out of the back room. I could feel them all behind me. It was good to have their back but even some psychotic-looking punk like Cross wasn’t something I couldn’t handle by myself.

“And what is it you’re looking for?” I asked bluntly.

He laughed to himself and held his index finger up to me.

“Is this Ivory hospitality?” he asked.

“There is no Ivory hospitality. That’s why it’s a small town. People who come here leave real quick.”

I knew this guy wasn’t here just to say hello. He wasn’t looking to be friends either. I started growing impatient.

“What do you want?” I said.

“Straight to the point,” he said. “Good. That’s the kind of man it takes to be the president of a club—”

“What… do… you… want?”

The front entrance to the clubhouse suddenly opened up. I looked over Cross’s shoulder and saw Michelle standing there. She had a bewildered look on her face. She was breathing so hard like she’d just run a mile to get here.

“And here she is,” Cross said. “Right on time.”

Michelle quickly paced forward and took her place right next to me.

“Don’t listen to him,” she said, some panic in her voice like I’d never heard before.

“Oh, I think you’ll wanna listen to me,” Cross said.

“Fuck you!”

“What the fuck is going on?” I said.

I looked at Michelle then back at Cross. He grinned back at me, sticking his tongue out, before finally answering.

“I’m here in Ivory for one thing,” he said.

He slowly raised his hand up and pointed his finger at Michelle.

“Her.”

I looked at Michelle. The concern hadn’t left her face. Even though I felt like laughing, I knew something was up.

The entire clubhouse was silent as Cross started pacing back and forth.

“It’s been a long time,” he said. “More than a decade. I’ve searched everywhere. Of course, what you’re looking for is always in the last place you think of looking. Some small town in the middle of nowhere.”

Cross eyeballed Michelle. She was glaring back at him.

“It would’ve been easier if she just told me where she was from,” he said. “But she had to play her little games with me. Nobody can escape a vulture though. We just keep circling and circling and circling… We always get what we want.”

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You’re here for Michelle.”

“That’s right.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“I heard that Michelle was taken. Married to some club president. She always had a type.”

He raised his eyebrows at Michelle, biting his bottom lip with that obnoxious grin.

“That’s cute,” I said. “But it’s not gonna happen.”

“I know what you’re thinking when you look at me. You think I’m some hoodlum who doesn’t have any respect for the law. I ride myself. I don’t deal with cops, same as you. I’m a man. And I’m here to discuss business. A negotiation, if you will.”

“There’s nothing to negotiate.”

“But there is… I want Michelle. That ring on her finger indicates it’d be a pretty heavy price for her. But I’m willing to pay it.”

“Keep whatever you’ve got and save your breath. She’s not going anywhere.”

Cross stopped pacing and nodded to me.

“No price,” he said with a frown. “I respect a man not willing to sell his own wife to another man. How about just one night?”

“All the money in the world won’t get you a single second.”

“I figured as much. This is where the negotiation comes into play.”

Cross put his hands behind his back and stood up straight.

“Spending time with Michelle was the most fun I ever had,” Cross said. “Even after all these years, I still remember it like I was yesterday.”

Spending time with Michelle…

I tried not to let that shit distract me and kept listening to the motherfucker ramble.

“I have a proposal for you, Mr. Garnet. A race.”

“A race?”

“You’re a rider. You should know your bike inside and out.”

“My panhead’s my fucking heart. Don’t ever question that.”

“Then you should be confident that you can beat me in a race. Half-a-mile. Straight road. I beat you and I get a night with the lovely Miss Michelle.”

I didn’t stop myself from laughing. I scoffed at the idea that some motherfucker could issue some challenge to me like that. But he was just staring at me, waiting for a response. So I figured I would humor him.

“And what do I get when I beat you?” I said.

“Peace of mind,” he said. “I’ll leave Ivory.”

“I see…”

I took a step closer to him.

“…I’ve got a counteroffer.”

“Oh, do you?”

“Leave. Leave now and nothing will happen to you or your club.”

I looked him right in the eye. The motherfucker was blind in one of ‘em but I knew he could see the point I was trying to make. I stood my ground, my jaw clenched. He stared back at me and breathed hard through his nose.

“I decline your offer,” he said.

I could feel the tension in the room rising. The only reason I didn’t knock his head off right then and there was because I knew there was more to this. Michelle wouldn’t be so worried if that wasn’t the case.

Before I had to get someone to hold me back, I saw the grin form back on his face. Cross took a step back and put his hands in the air.

“I’ll give you some time to think about my offer,” he said. “You’re not gonna get a better one. Though, I should warn you. It’s just like I said. Vultures can just keep circling and circling and circling and circling… They can wait as long as they need to…”

He stuck his tongue out at Michelle.

“I’ll see you soon, sweetie.”

He cackled in the air and turned around. I watched him leave with the rest of the club.

“Who the fuck was that guy?” Needle said.

“You want me to take care of him?” Brawn said.

The club was surrounding me but my eyes were locked on Michelle.

“Hey, pres—”

“I don’t need anything,” I said. “Go back to your card game.”

The boys left for the backroom. The tension in the bar had left. But Michelle was still staring at me like something was wrong. I wanted to do everything I could to make it go away.

“Tell me,” I said. “Tell me everything—”

“It’s a long story.”

“…I’ve got all day.”