“Where the hell have you been?” Henry unleashed the words sharply from his tongue like a whip. Max stared at him in surprise. He’d thought he was back at the motel early enough so that both guys would still be resting, sleeping off their latest hangover. But he was wrong. Aaron and Henry were stood waiting for him, their bodies tense and their eyes alert.
“I’ve been out,” Max growled dismissively, moving deeper in to their motel room.
“Yeah, well we got a call from your Uncle.” Henry explained tersely. Max froze. He could feel the blood in his veins turning to ice. His Uncle had called. That meant that they had new orders.
When Max was with Brittany it was easy to forget the real reason for his visit to Colridge. With her in his arms, he could forget all about the monster he sometimes had to be. Staring at Henry and Aaron his skin started to itch and feel hot, as though it now longer fit him right.
“We’ve got orders,” Will added, cracking his knuckles. When Max had left his two companions had seemed like lovable drunks. Now they appeared more like seasoned killers. Their hardened expressions spoke of all the punches they had thrown, and they were eager to do more.
“What are the orders?” Max lowered himself onto the bed, doing his best to remain calm. He feared that the orders would be to turn over the tattoo parlor, to rough Brittany and her friends up. Max had been so careful to keep his relationship a secret, but what if he hadn’t been careful enough? What if he’d somehow made Brittany a target?
“That quaint little bar we went to the other night,” Henry raked his hands through his golden mane and smiled maliciously. “We’re to go and turn the place over.”
Max swallowed uneasily. It was a small bar off a side street in town. He doubted it was even Red Riders territory. But he knew his Uncle’s style. Whether it was Red Riders territory or not, turning it over would still send a message.
“We were thinking we’d head there around eight, wait until it picks up a bit and then start some trouble,” Aaron explained, his eyes bright with excitement.
Members of the Skeleton Kings were always excited by the prospect of violence. It was what drew them to the club in the first place. They were violent men who’d led difficult, violent lives. But among the other pack members they found kindred spirits. They found a family.
Max squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. He’d promised to see Brittany later. They were going to go the movies together. He didn’t want to start letting her down, especially when he knew he wouldn’t be able to tell her the true reason for his cancellation.
“Does it have to be tonight?” he ventured.
“Yes,” Henry nodded briskly. “Your Uncle was very specific about that.”
Max shot a dubious glance at the telephone on the table in the motel room. He’d wager that there was a possibility that his Uncle hadn’t called at all and that his roommates were just getting itchy feet. He could imagine them sitting together plotting in his absence. It would make sense for them to agree on the bar as a target, since it was small enough to not make too big a stir.
“He was?” Max narrowed his eyes at Henry.
“Yes, he was,” Henry repeated slowly. “He said it’s high time we start some shit in the Red Riders territory. And I, for one, am not going to let him down, are you?”
Max wished he’d been present when his Uncle had supposedly called. He’d perhaps have been able to make the old man see sense. The small bar was a poor target. All they’d do is cause hassle for the owners, the Red Riders probably wouldn’t even notice if it got trashed, it wasn’t like their members frequented it.
“Don’t you think it’s a strange target?” he asked his companions. Henry gave Aaron a sideways glance and shrugged.
“I suppose,” Aaron agreed, “since no Red Riders members even go there.”
“What were my Uncle’s exact words?” Max pressed.
“He said it’s time to start shit,” Henry swiftly recalled. “And he suggested we start small, go with a ripple rather than a wave.”
“Hmm,” Max thoughtfully massaged his neck. It wasn’t like his Uncle to show caution. If he really wanted to anger the Red Riders, he’d surely go all in.
“I think we should hit something bigger,” Henry declared with a grin. “Like the biker bar outside of town on the highway. If we hit that, we really send a message.”
Max tensed. If they did that they’d be sending one hell of a message, they’d be making a declaration of war.
“If my Uncle wanted us to start small then we hit the bar,” Max decided. He hated himself for agreeing to the plan, but it was better to turn over the bar then to start something they possibly couldn’t finish out at the biker bar.
“Good, I’m itching for a fight,” Henry cracked his knuckles dramatically.
“Let’s try and keep things as clean as possible,” Max pleaded, glancing between the two men.
“We don’t do clean,” Henry laughed, his mouth twitching up in to a grin.
“Your uncle will want this done right,” Aaron agreed darkly. “We crack a few skulls, break a few noses, that should get our point across.”
Max pitied the poor saps who’d be in the bar later that day. They’d have no idea what was coming, they were just going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guilt pressed heavily against his shoulders, causing him to slump down. The worst part of it all was that he was going to have to cancel on Brittany. And in the morning sunlight, she’d smiled so sweetly at him when he’d said he wanted to take her to the movies. She always looked so beautiful first thing, with her skin effervescent in the early morning light. He didn’t want to be the reason her sweet expression turned sour with disappointment.
“Tonight at eight it is then,” Henry grinned manically. “I can’t wait.”