“You sure?” Rusty looked Rocco in the eye but the older man didn’t flinch. Instead he nodded, slowly. “Martinez tracked it down, on the quiet.”

Martinez stood behind Rocco and jerked his head up in agreement.

“But you didn’t even know I was in the Reapers back home until a week or so ago,” Rusty protested. “I haven’t told you anything about their shit because I don’t know anything about their shit. Anything I had to do with the Reapers ended when I left Illinois. Period.”

“Doesn’t matter. Their last two jobs fucked up. Their driver was a no-show and three Reapers ended up inside. They’re looking for someone to blame. When they heard you’d been in with the Reapers and had defected to us, that was enough for it to end up in your lap.”

“But it’s got nothing to do with me.”

“You know that, and I know that, but they don’t care about that.”

“Fuck.”

“About sums it up.” Rocco gave him a smile but it was cold, grim. “Reapers heard about your history from somewhere and it wasn’t us. You need to have a word with your brother.”

“No shit.”

“No shit. Sort it out or things will get messy. And I don’t like messy.”

“Heads-up.” Martinez nodded at the door where Grim had just appeared. Rocco and Martinez walked away, giving Rusty some space. Rusty took a long pull on his beer as Grim approached him.

“What’s up, bro?”

Rusty blinked long and slow before he let himself answer. “Having a beer. Seeing the boys.”

Grim nodded, but Rusty saw the tension build in his brother’s face as his older brother rubbed his jaw trying to hold the words in. It didn’t work. “You still going to go through with the TV show idea?”

That was what he cared about? That Rusty got on TV? Rusty glanced over at Rocco but didn’t spill everything yet. Let Grim admit how much he’d screwed up first. “Already shot it.”

Grim’s jaw tensed and his eyes hardened. “What the fuck? I told you it was a bad idea.”

Rusty’s give-a-fuck meter was well and truly switched off. “You know what? I don’t really care what you think.”

“Well, you should. I’m a part owner. You should have asked me before you went ahead with it. Have you shown it to anyone yet?”

“Meeting the producer tomorrow. He wants to pitch it this week.”

“Cancel.”

“Fuck off.”

Grim rubbed at his forehead and Rusty saw, finally, that his brother was worried. Really worried. “I know you’ve been talking. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Rusty asked.

Grim ducked his eyes but Rusty wasn’t about to let it go. Here it was. The chance for Grim to admit that he’d ratted out Rusty to the Reapers. The only thing Rusty still didn’t know was why. “Come on. You’ve got that look. Like you put stones in someone’s tank and then realized they’ve driven halfway down the highway. You can’t hide from this. Spill.”

Grim waved at the barkeep and waited ’til he had a beer in his hand before he continued. He took a long pull and then, finally, looked Rusty in the eye. “When I first got up here my agent took me to a bunch of parties. You know, show me around, show me off, whatever.”

What the hell did this have to do with ratting Rusty out with the Reapers? Rusty had to bite his tongue hard. But he managed it and nudged Grim on. “Yeah, and . . . ?”

“I met a bunch of people. People who wanted me to do well. One of them took me under his wing. You know. Introduced me around. And when I landed my first real role he said he’d back me. All the way if I wanted him to.”

Rusty waited for Grim to go on. Grim seemed lost in the memory and Rusty watched the emotions play out on his brother’s face. Pain, frustration, embarrassment. They were all there, it was no wonder that Grim had ended up in the movies. “And?”

“And I let him. I mean, why wouldn’t I? He knew all the right people and he had mad cash. Like crazy. When he said he’d back me I thought that’s what he was doing. Being my sponsor or something. You know, you hear about people behind the scenes making things happen for others. He told me to get out there, live the life. Buy a car, get a lux apartment. That’s how you get noticed here, by being big and loud and shiny and expensive. He gave me a stack of cash and told me to go for it. I used some of the money to put into your garage.”

In Rusty’s experience no one did anything for nothing. Ever. But he didn’t say that. He could see Grim struggling with his confession.

“I did it. I bought the car. I rented the apartment. And then I started getting noticed just like he said. The part I just got is the biggest I’ve had so far and it’s really going to put me on the map. My name is out there, bro. And when I finish and I roll on to the next film, I’m going to start making some real money.”

“So now he wants his back.”

Grim nodded.

Rusty finally clicked. “The money you put up for my garage. He wants that too.”

Grim nodded again. The emotions had fled. Now his face showed only worry. But whether it was for himself or his brother, Rusty couldn’t tell.

“Fuck that. You’re only part owner. You barely lent me thirty grand. And we agreed I’d pay it back in five years. Not now.” Rusty had trouble getting the words out between teeth that felt like they would like nothing more than to grind Grim into tiny bone fragments.

It was clearly not the reaction Grim had been expecting and he stood straighter, his fingers clenched around his beer bottle. Grim’s face paled and his whole body screamed distress, but Rusty was beyond caring about his brother’s feelings.

“I already bailed you out big-time once. I don’t need to do it again.”

“I know you don’t have the money.”

“So you just want my shop.”

“If you sell it now you’ll be able to start over and do your pilot. Better that than having this guy come muscle in on your scene when you’re finally getting some customers to pay you any attention. He’ll demand interest and then we’ll be completely screwed.”

“You fuckwad. Can you hear yourself?”

Finally, Grim’s face changed and took on a more pleading expression. “I’m over the barrel here. Help a brother out.”

“I already helped you out. Plenty. Are you seriously asking me to put everything I’ve worked for this past year in the trash and suck it up for you? Again? I knew you were a self-centered fuck, but this takes it to the next level. How am I supposed to start over without anything?” Rusty knew his voice was getting louder but he didn’t care. Rocco gave him a look but Rusty didn’t need him. Not yet.

“I don’t know. We could work it out. No way you’re making enough to live on in that shop. Isn’t that why you joined Hell’s? To keep your hand in the game? Isn’t that what you do? Someone is going to find out about it and then your garage will be toast anyway.”

Rusty felt like the air had been knocked out of him. It took a moment to recover. “You think I’ve been running gear out of the garage all this time?”

Grim shrugged. “It’s not that big of a stretch, is it?”

Rusty shook his head. The anger turned so hot it was almost a blinding white light in his eyes. “That’s why you did it. You tried telling the Hell’s boys I was in with the Reapers to make them stop me from doing the pilot. And when that didn’t work you let it slip to the Reapers down here. Do you know someone threw gasoline at me? And tossed in a lighter?”

“What? They said they wouldn’t . . .”

Rusty just shook his head. “You shopped me to a rival club because you figured that’s what everyone does. To give me a warning, is that right?”

“I needed you to give up on the idea of the TV thing. If it goes ahead you might lose everything for good.’

“Oh, very noble of you.”

“I’m not a complete shit.”

“No. Just one willing to let me take on your debt not once but twice and then think I should just roll over. Not because you did me a solid, ever, just because you think you’re the center of the fucking universe. I hate to break it to you: I might be a patched biker, but you’re not better than me. And some of the boys in here have been more like brothers to me than you have ever been. Dad must be spinning in his grave listening to the crap that’s coming out of your mouth.”

He should have seen it coming, but he didn’t. Grim pulled back and punched Rusty square on the jaw. Stars swam in bright bursts across the ceiling for a moment before Rusty shook his head and lunged at Grim. The pain flared up, shooting down his neck and he wanted to land some of it on Grim. He got him on the jaw before Grim swung back.

Instantly Grim was pinned between two bikers. “Need some help?” said Martinez in his languid drawl.

Rusty put every ounce of his frustration into his fist and slammed it into his brother’s gut. Grim doubled over and when the Hell’s boys released him he slumped to the floor. “I’ll deal with him,” Rusty said as he shook his fist out.

“He’s not Hell’s boys so you’re entitled to do whatever you want. But make sure you do.” Rocco was right beside him. “He needs to know that you don’t fuck with us and smile about it the next day.”

Grim pulled himself up from the floor and stood wavering, defiant. “Say what you really mean,” he managed.

“You might have the world fooled, but you don’t fool me. You think you’re the fucking sun in everyone’s universe. I don’t know what Beth sees in you,” Rusty spat out.

Grim’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?” Then his face lifted. “That’s just perfect. You’ve got a thing for her, haven’t you?”

“No. You might need to have an ulterior motivation to help someone, but that’s not how I roll. Stop fucking with me and tell your man that he better keep his hands off my shop.”

“Fat chance of that,” said Grim.

“I’m not kidding. You might be my brother, but if you want to keep your pretty little face all shiny for the movies then find another way to pay your man back. I’m through cleaning up your mess.”

Grim laughed. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be all life-smart, but you have no idea how the world works. I’m sorry that the Reapers threw a bit of gasoline at you but that will be nothing if my backer doesn’t get what he wants.”

“If he wants it so much he can come and get it,” Rusty growled.

“Oh, he will.” Grim turned to go, a hand gingerly holding his stomach. “And your pretty little actress? Beth wants the whole fairy-tale happy ending so I’m going to play Prince Charming and give it to her. Your TV series is going to be sunk before it even gets going.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rusty spat out.

“Nothing. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”