by Nicole Fox
“No, but he was determined to find one. I never met a soldier who complained so much. Fuck. What did he expect? He was just going to drive around and wave at the citizens we were supposed to be saving? He should have known better, especially if his dad really was in the service.”
“I’m sure he only heard the good stories, saw his dad at the end of his career when he worked in an office in the states and didn’t have to do anything harder than decide how to schedule his men for the week. It’s the sort of thing that makes young dumb idiots like ourselves sign up.” At one time, Skid had hated Kirkwood just as much as Stomper still did. But he was beginning to understand that everyone made mistakes, and sometimes they had to pay dearly for them.
It had been late at night and shockingly cold when Skid had left his tent in search of the latrine. He’d nearly tripped over Kirkwood in the darkness. “What are you doing here?”
“Nothing.”
But he hadn’t missed the way the man’s voice caught in his throat. He was crying. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just go away.”
Instead, Skid had sat down next to him and lit a cigarette. He handed one to Kirkwood. “Not now. You got me curious.”
Kirkwood accepted it, his face bitter in the dull light from the ember. “I hate it here, okay? My dad made the army out to be some great, glorious thing, but it’s horrible. The food sucks, I haven’t shit in a week, and I just want to go home. The worst thing is, I can’t say any of this to my parents. My dad will just tell me I’m being a pussy. And maybe I am, but I’m not sure I fucking care. I never should have joined, and now I’m stuck.”
Skid had nodded and looked up into the vast sky. He knew the stars were the same ones he had always seen at home, but they looked different here. “I get it. I don’t think it’s anything like we expected it to be. They don’t tell you what it’s really like until it’s too late.”
“Why do you join?”
“Nothing better to do,” Skid had replied with a shrug. There had been no other future for him. He hadn’t known what he’d wanted to do after high school, and he couldn’t afford to go to college. “I guess it seemed better than ending up in jail.”
“Maybe,” Kirkwood had agreed, “but I’m going to find some way to get out of here. I don’t know how yet, but I will.”
The next week, Kirkwood had stepped on a mine that had been missed by the clearing crews. It had blown his leg completely off and damaged other parts of his body in the process. He’d been patched up and sent home permanently. Skid often imagined that he had been lauded as a hero, even though his injuries had been nothing more than an accident.
“You still with me?”
Stomper’s voice brought Skid back to the present. That was happening more and more. He would get lost in a memory and just disappear from real life for a little while. When he returned, he felt dizzy and a little weak, like the flashbacks had sapped all his energy. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Men like you and me, we need a place to belong.” Stomper leaned close so that the others couldn’t hear what he was about to say. “To be honest, I’m thinking about ditching the Sons.”
“What? But they’re loyal to you. Hell, you started the club.” Skid couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to wonder if it was just another one of Stomper’s crazy ideas, one that he would abandon within the hour like so many of the others.
“Yeah, but I didn’t really know what I was doing then. I’ve got better ideas now, and I think they could be really great.”
Skid had his doubts, but he was stuck with Stomper for the moment. “I’m listening.”
Stomper’s green eyes glittered. “Okay, here it is. You and I both know there are a ton of veterans out there who need something to belong to. They’re trying to find satisfaction in their jobs or their families, but it just isn’t happening. They need something more, and a motorcycle club is perfect for them. I’m thinking about starting a whole new club. Maybe name it something like True Glory or Patriots United. Some corny name like that will really rake them in. But we would be a club of nothing but veterans.”
Skid had to tread carefully here. He knew that Stomper’s idea would never work, mostly because Stomper didn’t have the ability to pull it off. If he was a good leader and really cared about his men, then it would be perfect. It would create a motorcycle club that was known all over the nation, and they would have people knocking down the door to join. But Stomper would treat them all like shit, just as he did with his current club members, and they wouldn’t be happy. Besides, Stomper’s new club would immediately have rivals, since the Sons of Chaos would be after his ass. “It’s not a bad idea, but it might be a little hard to execute.”
“How could it possibly be? Haven’t you seen how everything these days that has to do with veterans is like the golden touch? They have companies that are strictly run by vets, and everyone throws their money at them. It’ll be the same. You can be my vice president, and we’ll charge a hefty membership fee. Even if guys only ride with us for part of the year or whatever, we’ll be making money hand over fist.” Stomper was so elated that he sank down the rest of his beer in one gulp.
“But it’s not really about making money,” Skid countered. “It’s about so much more than that. And you can’t rely on your own men as your sole source of income.” Park understood that, and it hurt Skid for his former president to constantly pop into his mind like that. It let him know just how much of a fool he had been. “How are you going to keep them together? What motivation do they have for joining in the first place, other than just being veterans? It’s nice, but I don’t think it’s enough. And how will you keep control of them?”
“You think too much, Skid. Just forget it.” Stomper sat back in his chair, disappointed and angry.
The front door of The Billy Goat slammed open. The figure lined in the doorway was one that Skid recognized instantly, and it sent a jolt of nerves through his stomach. Animal strutted into the bar like he owned the place. His eyes landed on Skid and he smirked.
Skid couldn’t believe that someone had been sent all the way here just for him. Park was no doubt trying to make sure everyone in the Satan’s Legion forgot about him, especially Mina. So why would he go to the trouble of sending Animal?
But the big man brushed right past him and put a finger in Stomper’s face. The other Sons were instantly on their feet with their fists curled, ready for a fight. “I’ve come with a message for you.”
“Oh?” Stomper rose more slowly to his feet, ready to put on a show for his men instead of worried about what Animal might do to him. “And just what is that?”
“Park from Satan’s Legion sent me.” Animal glanced at Skid once again, but said nothing. “You’re to get out of his territory within twenty-four hours or there will be hell to pay.”
Stomper stared at the man for a long moment before bursting into laughter. His men joined him, and the room was full of their deafening howls. “Did you hear that, boys? Parker wants us out of here, but he’s such a pussy he won’t even come down here and tell me himself.”
“He’s got more important things to do than waste his time smelling your foul breath,” Animal countered.
As much as Skid despised Animal, he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at that one.
“I’m sure he does, like finding a new VP!” Stomper induced his men to laugh once again. “Satan’s Legion is weak. You have no idea just what we could do to you if we wanted to. And you see, men,” he turned his back on Animal to address his members, “that’s exactly why you’re in this club. You don’t need a leader who sends others to do the dirty work for him. You don’t need someone who’s so worried about losing his territory that he can’t even let another gang stay in the area.”
Cheers and growls sounded from the crowd.
“Fuck you, Stomper. You have no idea who you’re screwing with.”
“Oh, but I do,” Stomper promised. “You see, I know everything I need to kn
ow about Satan’s Legion. I’ve got one of your own on my side now, don’t I?” He grinned at Skid. “How long will it be before other members start abandoning your club as well? You can’t fight over turf if you can’t keep your membership.”
Skid was disgusted at what a hypocrite Stomper was. Only a moment ago, he had been ready to abandon his men and find new ones. He had to wonder if something similar had happened with Stomper’s previous gang, and if he had left on his own terms or if he had been thrown out. Still, he watched quietly. This wasn’t his war.
“You don’t know shit,” Animal challenged. “You’re half the man Park is, and unless you and your men want your asses kicked then I suggest you get the fuck out of Chicago.” Skid knew why Park had sent Animal. It hadn’t been because he was confident in him or because he was considering him for his new vice president. It was because he was intimidating and more than a little on the crazy side.
“Gentleman, I hope you’re paying attention.” Stomper’s chest was puffed out, and he had drawn himself to his full height. With his close-cropped hair and his muscly build, he was an intimidating man himself. “You’re going to see what happens to someone who defies me, someone who thinks they can command me. Because it doesn’t work like that, boys. I’m the president of the Sons of Chaos, damn it, and we have that name for a reason!” His men rallied behind him, screaming and raising their fists in the air.
“You’re all words, Stomper.” Animal was at least a head shorter than Stomper, but he had spent more time in the gym. He flexed his chest and arms, ready for a fight even if he was the only one fighting on his side. “Why don’t you step over here and prove what a man you are?”
“Consider it done.” In one swift movement, Stomper pulled a pistol from the back of his pants and fired. The bar staff screamed and ducked for cover. In the moment of silence that followed the blast, Skid could hear someone in the back calling for the police. The Sons of Chaos looked at each other in confusion, and then began to roar their approval for their leader once again.
The bullet had buried itself in Animal’s ample chest. The big man stood stock still for a moment, his face an expression of shock and horror. He fell to his knees, and then to the floor. Blood seeped out into the sawdust and turned it a dark brown.
Skid remained in his place, watching the whole thing with a placid interest. Animal was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t have prevented it, and it was just as well. The man had been going to get himself killed one way or another, and at least it hadn’t been at Skid’s own hands. He watched as Stomper put the gun away, knowing he had to bide his time for a little longer. If Stomper had been so eager to shoot Animal, he was likely to do the same to him.
* * *
“I’ve been thinking.” They were back at the motel room. Somehow, Stomper had used a police connection to keep his ass out of hot water, and none of the witnesses at the bar had been willing to say exactly what had happened. Skid had come to Stomper’s room, eager to show the man he was on his side.
“Yeah? What about?”
“This whole thing between the Sons and the Legion.” Skid pulled a beer from a nearby bucket of ice and cracked the top. He didn’t really need another drink, but it gave him something to do.
“I’m not worried about it. That idiot deserved to be shot.” Stomper pulled a cigarette from his vest pocket and lit it, watching the smoke rise to the ceiling and dissipate.
“Not going to argue with you there. He was an asshole, and he won’t be missed. But a fight with the Legion isn’t what you need right now. Your numbers aren’t as big as theirs, and they’ve been on guard for months. They’re ready for it. Let me help you.”
Stomper grinned. “Sounds like you’re finally starting to understand your place in the world. What are you proposing?”
“Let me arrange a meeting between you and Park. The two of you can hash all this out without any more killing.” He had been thinking about it ever since Animal had fallen to the floor of The Billy Goat. Something had to be done. Even if he couldn’t get Mina back, maybe he could at least save some of the other members of the Legion from falling at the hands of Stomper. And even though the Sons of Chaos weren’t really his crowed, he knew that some of them were good men. There was no point in fighting. There were bigger wars being waged elsewhere, ones that actually meant something.
“Always the diplomat,” Stomper remarked. “What do you think, Scar?”
Skid couldn’t remember Stomper actually deferring to his vice president before, and it surprised him. Maybe the man was starting to see the error of his ways after all.
“I don’t think we should trust him. Park sent that beast in here, and we have no way of knowing he didn’t send Skid, too. They could have been working together this whole time, and they just didn’t think you’d have the balls to kill them.” He glared at Skid, his scarred eye narrowing until it was nearly shut.
“You’re so full of shit. Why do I keep you on, anyway? Go on, and I’ll let you know when I need you.” Stomper waved him out of the room.
Scar left, but not without another glare in Skid’s direction.
Or maybe Stomper was still just as much of an ass as he always was. Scar was wrong about Skid, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t advice worth listening to.
“What do you say?” Skid asked, eager to get Stomper’s attention back on him before he thought too much. “It’s the least I can do for you, considering all you’ve done for me.”
“Now that’s the kind of man I need to have at my back!” Stomper whacked him on the arm and nodded. “It’s about time someone recognized all I do around here. Sure, Skid, I’ll meet with the guy. I’m not making any promises, and it’s possible he’ll want to start a war with me anyway since I killed his pet, but we might as well get it all out in the open. You just let me know when and where.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mina
“I’m certain he’s gone to Stomper and the Sons,” Park reasoned.
Skid had been gone for a full day and they hadn’t had any word from him. Mina had gotten up early that morning, unable to attempt sleep any longer, and insisted that her father figure out what to do. She sat in his office, her hair a rumpled mess and a large mug of coffee in her hands. “It would be a lot easier if you were wrong,” she remarked, blowing on the top of the liquid to cool it off.
“It’s complicated regardless. I can’t just call him back here, not after I kicked him out like that, but I can send someone to check on him. Animal can go to their hangout under the pretense of delivering a message to Stomper to get out of Chicago. While he’s there, he can keep his eyes open for Skid. He can tell us if he’s with them, and what kind of a role he seems to be playing. It’s not much, but it will give us an idea of what’s going on. If Skid has officially joined the Sons, I’m not sure there’s much I can do.”
Mina didn’t want to think about that part, so she focused on the mission instead. “Isn’t there someone else you can send? I don’t really trust Animal.” She never would have been so candid with her father before about his men. The club was his thing, and even though she was a part of it by blood, she had never felt as though she really belonged. Suddenly, over the last day, it was like she was finally stepping up and accepting her role as the president’s daughter. Park seemed pleased, and Mina was pleasantly surprised at herself.
Park shook his head and turned to look out the small basement window of his office. It showed nothing but sky, a rectangle of clear blue with only a few wisps of clouds. “I’m not sure that I trust him, either. But that makes him a perfect candidate.”
“How do you figure?”
He turned back to Mina, his face grim. “Animal is determined to rise in the ranks of the club. That much has been clear ever since he joined. The thing is, I don’t really want him to. I have no reason to trust him, and this is as much a mission to prove his worth as it is to find out about Skid. Animal has never liked Skid, so he’ll take the chance t
o make him sound worse than he really is if he’s as much of a manipulative liar as I think he is. If he comes back and claims that Skid has joined the Sons, then I’ll have to send out a real reconnaissance team to find out. If he says otherwise, I’ll know I can finally take him at his word.”
Mina folded her arms in front of her chest, feeling the lack of sleep taking over her eyelids. She desperately wanted to get Skid back, but she was tired of all the politicking. It would be so much easier and make so much more sense if Park could just call him, apologize, and bring him back. “I guess it’ll have to do.”
“It will. It’s at least a start.”
“And what happens when Stomper gets pissed off at your message? How are we going to fight the Sons if our own ranks are so messed up?” She never would have worried about such things before, but she knew that a turf battle would shake Satan’s Legion to its core. Skid’s departure had been enough drama for one week.