Sage

Pounding on my door pulls me from a deep, liquor-induced sleep. “Sage, get the fuck up. Pres called church. Something happened to the store,” Ringer booms out on the other side, making me jump the fuck out of the empty bed with more haste than I’ve ever possessed.

I’m quick to pull on my clothes, uncaring if they’re dirty or smell like motor oil. My boots are unlaced, and my cut is unbuttoned, as I hurry through the door where all my brothers are already gathered at the table. Three days have passed since we put Gin in the ground, and in those three days, the club has cleared out, leaving behind only a few of the men from the Rhino chapter.

Quickly, I take a seat and wait for Rock to start talking. The expression on his face could choke a rattlesnake. “Some fucking asshole tried to burn down Riders Wear this morning with my and Reek’s old ladies inside,” he tells the room on a growl. That’s when I realize Reek isn’t here. “They got out of there just fine. Since Ari is knocked up, she was sent to the hospital for observation,” he explains, setting us all a little bit at ease.

“We see who did it? Reek’s got cameras all over the fuckin’ place. They should have bought something,” Ringer says, his jaw ticking much like the rest of the brothers.

“Nah. Whoever did this knew about the cameras. Cut all lines before throwing the first flame.”

“Threw it?”

“Molotov cocktail style. Threw a brick in through the big window out front, then tossed in the bottle. The clothes went up in flames, and the girls tried to get out the back, but the door wouldn’t open,” Rock explains, his knuckles running white from clenching. “It was jammed. They had to get past the flames to get out the front door.”

“Whoever this is has a grudge. Has to be the same prick who shot Gin and Jay,” I say, getting nods of agreement all around.

“My opinion too. Wiz is going through past dealings. Any drops that may have not gone to plan, maybe territory we could have encroached on. He’s hitting all the bases, but nothing has come up as suspicious,” Rock explains, crossing his arms now.

“Think maybe we should get that fucker Brock down here, do a little Q&A. Where the fuck has he been this whole time?” I stand from the table, wanting blood.

“Eagle has been keeping tabs on him. Guy is basically in Rider prison. Goes to and from work, has no privileges whatsoever,” Rock says, but still, I don’t buy it. I nod anyway. “We need to put the club on lockdown. Get our families here where we can protect them better. Eagle is sending three more brothers, and Premo offered up four of his guys to come see us through the shit.” Nods all round agree with Rock, and we start making calls to get this ready.

In a total of four hours, all the families of Hell’s Riders Cental chapter have gathered under one roof, all in the bar, now turned daycare/family room. When the club girls got word the kids would all be here, the transformation started. Child proofing gates went up, couches got new slip covers, and the pool table was taken off into storage. The rooms were all made up, and whoever had offered to lend their room out went to the shop to set up their cot.

It might have been cramped, but when I caught sight of long legs and white blonde hair, I knew shit was about to get really crowded.