“What do you want, Schneider?” Rachel asked, her hands curling into fists. They had been open for five minutes and no one else was in the bar. There was never anyone in the bar anymore. Over the last two weeks, her client base had seen a steady decline. Some nights Forsaken 99 were her only customers, when she had customers.

 

Word was getting around town about the killing of the DEA agents. The rumors were mixed, some saying it was the cartel that killed them and that Forsaken 99 couldn’t stop it, others that Forsaken 99 was involved in the shoot. But either way, Forsaken 99 had taken a black eye. The town had also picked up on the brewing conflict within the club and since Forsaken 99 was so closely associated with her bar, her traffic had suffered accordingly.

 

“I’m here looking for your boyfriend. Know where I can find him?”

 

“No. If he isn’t at work, then I don’t know where he is.”

 

“What about you, tall, dark and handsome? You know where he is?”

 

“Haven’t seen him,” Will replied.

 

“What’s the matter, Will? Do I make you nervous? You look nervous.”

 

“No. Why do you ask?”

 

“Mmmm… call it woman’s intuition.”

 

“Mind if we take a look around?” Schneider asked as she motioned to the other three men.

 

“Have a warrant?”

 

“No… but I can have one here in an hour.” She pulled out her phone and looked at Rachel quizzically.

 

“Never mind. There’s nothing here. What are you looking for?”

 

“Did you hear about those six agents that were shot outside of town a couple of weeks ago?” Schneider asked as she drew figures on the top of the bar with her finger.

 

“Yeah. Tragic.”

 

“Know anything about it?”

 

“I heard they were gunned down by the cartel. Why are you involved? You’re not DEA.”

 

“Yeah. But forensic evidence says something different. What about you, Will? You know anything about it?”

 

“Just what Rachel said.”

 

Schneider bobbed her head as she pooched her lips out. “Yeah, of course that’s all you would know. You’re just a prospect.”

 

“That’s right. I’m not a member of the club yet. Just a prospect.”

 

“Never go out on any ‘intercepts,’” Schneider said as she made tick marks in the air with her fingers.

 

“Nope. As you said, I’m just a prospect. I’m not really privy to what the club does.”

 

Schneider nodded as if that was perfectly logical. “Of course you aren’t. Find anything,” she asked as she looked to the agents returning from the back of the bar.

 

“It’s clean.”

 

“Now get out,” Rachel ordered.

 

“Maybe we will hang around, see if Jules shows up. I really need to see him. You understand.”

 

“Fine. Wait outside.”

 

“Are you afraid for me to see how you do business? Maybe I need to review your hospitality license. Make sure you have all the required permits and such. The way you run this place seems a little sketchy.”

 

“You remember what I told you at my house? That still applies.”

 

Lundergrunds eyes narrowed. “You want to try me now?”

 

“Anytime you think you’re ready, sweetheart.”

 

Schneider began pulling off her badge and gun. ‘Whoa… you don’t to do this,” Will said, blocking Rachel as she started from behind the bar. “Remember what Jules said. She’s just trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t let her.”

 

Rachel paused then looked at Schneider. “Maybe some other time… when there aren’t so many witnesses.”

 

“Your call, sweetheart. My boys won’t see anything... will you?”

 

“No. Nothing at all,” one of the men said with a smile.

 

“Don’t do it,” Will said putting a hand in Rachel’s chest to stop her again. “Assaulting a federal officer will land you in prison.”

 

“No badge,” Schneider said as she tossed the badge on one of the tables.

 

Rachel was itching to show this bitch she wouldn’t be pushed around in her own bar, but Will was right. “No… some other time… just you and me. We’re not done… talking… about this.”

 

“Looking forward to it,” Schneider said as she returned the badge to her belt. “I’ll be seeing you around, handsome. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” she said with a lecherous wink and smile at Will before turning on her toe and leaving.

 

“I don’t like her very much,” Will said softly.

 

‘“No shit.”

 

“She knows something.”

 

“Knowing something and being able to prove it are two different things. But you are going to have to be careful. She’s setting you up. She’s setting the whole club up. We need to call Jules… tell him she is back sniffing around.”

 

“Yeah. I wish I had never gotten involved with Forsaken 99.”

 

“Don’t say that. It’s not Forsaken 99… it’s that fucking Todd Webber. When Jules takes him out, then things can get back to normal.”

 

***

 

Will looked at his feet. “I can’t do this anymore, Jules. I’m sorry,” he said softly.

 

“I’m sorry to see you leave, you’re the kind of guy Forsaken 99 needs, but if you need out… I understand.” Jules replied, placing his hand on Will’s shoulder. “You’ve given me what I need.”

 

“What you going to do?”

 

“I’m taking my club back. I’m going to go to the brothers that are not involved in this and we are going to stop it. This isn’t who we are. We’re not a bunch of gang bangers, thugs and drug runners.”

 

“Schneider knows how the intercept went down. We must not have gotten it cleaned up enough.”

 

“She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?” Jules asked with a smile. “But I have dealt with her enough to know, if she could prove anything, you wouldn’t be sitting here talking to me right now. Just don’t do anything stupid and I’ll get you out of this.”

 

“How?”

 

“I’m going to give her the murders of the agents.”

 

Will licked his lips. “How are you going to do that and keep me clean? I was there, Jules. I’m just a guilty as everyone else.”

 

“Did you kill any of those agents?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t think so… but I can’t be sure. It all happened so fast. But what about the… code… the never roll on a brother thing?”

 

“The men that did this are not my brothers. Those that help them are not my brothers. I will cut their hearts out myself if I can. They have turned their backs on what Forsaken 99 stands for and I will burn them for it.”

 

“Jules… I helped them.”

 

Jules looked at Will’s begging eyes. He needed absolution for a situation that spiraled out of his control… a situation he couldn’t stop or prevent. Jules felt a chill pass over him… like Iraq… like Fish and Bell. He looked to Rachel as he began to tear up. Sometimes you just have to let go of your guilt.

 

Rachel listened as Jules talked with Will until suddenly Jules went rigid, staring at Will then looking at her with tears in his eyes. He was still looking at her when he began to speak.

 

“Will… sometimes shit happens… bad shit. Shit you can’t control. I understand how you feel, how you feel like you have lost part of yourself, how you question everything that you believe in, everything you did. Will… you have to let it go or the guilt and the pain will eat you alive.” Jules looked back to Will. “You were placed in an impossible situation, a situation I placed you in… I know you wouldn’t have killed those agents if you had a choice. I know you would have given your life to protect them, if you could have. But sometimes life doesn’t give you any options. That is when you have to accept what has happened was fate.”

 

Rachel turned away so Jules wouldn’t see her tears. She knew in her heart that he had just made the final step out of darkness, that seeing Will struggle with his own guilt had clarified his own situation. She loved her brother and didn’t want to see him suffer as Jules had… and she had to admit now, that she loved Jules as well. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, trying to pull in her emotions, but her tears continued to fall.

 

“Jules’s right. You have to let it go. It wasn’t your fault.”

 

“I can’t live with this,” Will said softly.

 

“You can,” Jules said softly. “If you will let yourself.” He paused, giving Will time to think. “Will, I can understand you wanting to leave the club. If that is what you want, then go with my blessing. But know that I would be honored to call you brother.”

 

Will looked up, meeting Jules’s eyes for the first time. “The honor would be mine,” he said softly.

 

“Then stay. Help me take back the club. Help me avenge the deaths of those agents. Help me make the name Forsaken 99 mean something again.” He paused again. “Will you stay and help me?”

 

Will sat quietly for a long time. “Yes… I’ll stay.”

 

Jules pulled Will into a hug and slapped him on the back. “Thank you brother.”

 

Rachel wiped at her eyes again. “How? How are you going to take back the club?”

 

“I’m taking the gavel. I’m taking the gavel and I am returning the club to its original charter. Anyone involved in the running of drugs will be stripped of their colors and banished from the club. Those that were involved in the deaths of the agents will be severely dealt with. This is my home, and I will protect it… or I will die in the attempt.”

 

“How can I help?” Will asked.

 

“Just be ready to tell what went down. I’m going to start making some phone calls to those you believe I can trust. I need you to tell them what happened. Leave nothing out.”

 

“What if you are wrong? What if you can’t trust these men?” Rachel asked.

 

“I won’t lie you… this is dangerous. If word will gets back to Todd he will probably try to have Will and me killed. Maybe even you. Would I be wasting my breath to suggest you leave town for a few days?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s what I thought. She always been this stubborn?” he asked Will with a ghost of a smile.

 

“You have no idea.”

 

“It would be better if Pam were to leave town. Or at least bring her here, with Rachel, so they can watch each other’s back. Does she have a gun? Can she shoot?”

 

“No, and I doubt it.”

 

“If she won’t leave town, get her a gun and show her how to use it.”

 

“I’ll give her mine.”

 

“No. I have an extra one at home… give her that one. I have already lost one friend, someone that left someone special behind. I don’t want to lose another.”