“Are you being paid for your testimony today, agent Blackburn?” Kurt asked.
Blackburn sat stone faced and didn’t answer.
“You must not have heard me,” Kurt said as he turned from facing the jury to facing Blackburn.
“You testified that you told lies through the course of your work to preserve the investigation. My question was this: Are you being paid for your testimony today? Are you working?” Kurt asked.
“Yes, I am,” Blackburn grunted.
“No further questions,” Kurt said as he turned away.
“Boom!” Avery whispered as she slapped my knee.
After two short closing arguments, and the judge providing the jury with an instruction booklet, the jury was released to their deliberation room. After they were carefully tucked away, we were dismissed. As we filtered into the hall amidst the ATF agents and US Marshals, Axton stepped to my side.
“Pretty good trial, that attorney is on the fucking ball,” Axton said.
“God damned right he is,” Avery snapped back.
“So what now?” Sydney asked.
I reached over and patted Sydney on the shoulder. She looked exhausted, and I suspected she probably didn’t sleep at all the previous night. Toad also looked as if he hadn’t slept for a few days, and appeared to be on an entirely different planet.
“The jury deliberates. They read the instructions, and they decide guilt or innocence. The court will call Kurt when a decision is made, and he’ll call us. It’s 3:30 now, so he’ll probably dismiss the jury at 4:45. There’s really nothing that will happen tonight. Sometimes it takes six or eight hours, and other times it takes two or three days. You never know,” Avery explained as she walked around me and toward Sydney.
Sydney shrugged her shoulders. “I just. I want this to be over. I feel so sorry for him. I hate for him to get his hopes up and then, you know…”
I watched as Sinners got on the elevator eight or ten at a time, and went down to what I assumed was the ground floor. Several others took the stairs, talking quietly as they did so. I turned to Axton and shrugged my shoulders.
“Slice, I feel like I’ve been on trial; that was fucking exhausting. What’s the plan, boss?” I asked.
“Hell, I had no idea when we’d get out of here, looks like we’ve got the afternoon to ourselves. Hell, the suns shining and it’s a beautiful fucking day. What do you say we gather up the fellas and go terrorize a bar?” he said.
“We go rolling in sixty deep, everyone wearing their cuts, and they’ll think we’re gonna shoot the place to pieces,” I said.
“Let ‘em think what they want,” Axton said.
I nodded my head. “Sounds good to me.”
“Up for a beer, Toad?” I asked as I slapped Toad on the shoulder.
“I’m up for whatever. I’m just fucking tired, brother. Haven’t been sleeping for shit, been worried about Syd’s brother and all,” Toad said.
We hadn’t been in the hallway ten or fifteen minutes, and Kurt stepped into the corridor, holding his phone in his hand.
“Jury’s reached a verdict,” Kurt said.
“What?” Avery snapped as she spun around.
Kurt nodded his head. “They’ll be bringing them back in.”
“Holy shit,” Avery said.
Sydney covered her mouth with her hands and spoke between her fingers. “Avery, what’s this mean?”
“Well, they say a verdict like this means only one thing. The jury decided the case long before they trial was over. Just take a deep breath, either way, it’ll be fine, Syd,” Avery said as she leaned over and hugged Sydney.
The few of us who remained in the hallway walked back into the courtroom and sat down while we waited for the judge to enter the room. After about a ten-minute wait, the judge entered, and we stood and after he was seated, we all sat down. Instead of sixty Sinners, there was maybe fifteen or so seated. The ATF agents watching the trial, however, remained in full force. As I glanced down the row of Sinners, I watched as Axton gave one bearded ATF agent the shittiest stink eye I’ve ever witnessed. Only after the ATF agent broke the stare did Axton lean into the back of his seat and exhale.
“Counsel, please stand,” the judge instructed.
The prosecution and defense attorneys stood.
“I want it understood there will be no outbursts in the courtroom, regardless of the verdict,” the judge said firmly as he studied the group.
I nodded my head.
The judge turned toward the jury.
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honor, we have,” the foreman responded.
I reached to my left and right, and after a moment of fumbling, grabbed both Sydney’s and Avery’s hands and held them firmly.
“In the matter of Jackson Shephard versus the United States of America, what say you?” the judge asked.
“In the matter of Jackson Shephard versus the United States, we the jury, find him not guilty; as he was entrapped by the ATF to commit the crime listed in the indictment, your honor,” the foreperson responded.
Holy fucking shit.
Kurt reached down and patted Jackson on the shoulder. As the judge questioned each juror regarding their finding, Sydney leaned forward. Tears streamed from her face as she made a few attempts to speak. After collecting herself, she began to whisper to Avery, who was bouncing her right leg a hundred miles an hour.
“What now?” Sydney blubbered. “How long…uhhm…how long does he….uhhm…go back to prison for?”
“He doesn’t go back to prison,” Avery responded. “He goes home. He’s free.”
“He doesn’t have…” Sydney sobbed. “He doesn’t…uhhm, he doesn’t have a home.”
“The hell he doesn’t. We’ve got two extra rooms. He’s got a home,” Toad said.
And he’s got a family.
Most of them are out in the street, and the rest are right here.
Chapter Eighty-Six
OTIS
Feeling somewhat frustrated Axton and Toad had women in their lives, and Biscuit was arguably close behind with Kat - while I continued to live a life of solitude - I sat at my kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee.
Wondering if my way of living life and the precautions I took regarding outsiders was possibly a little stricter than it should be, I stared blankly through window and into my back yard. Attempted to count the possibilities I had over the years of women I felt comfortable allowing into my life - but didn’t - I searched my mind for those who had escaped me. After an entire cup of coffee worth of consideration, I came up with one woman in fifteen years.
Avery.
Avery’s participation during our botched gun deal with the MS-13, along with her quick thinking, reacting, and accuracy with a handgun not only saved my life, but provided me with all the reassurance I needed to understand she was a woman who I could trust. Looking at Avery with a broader field of vision provided a view of a woman who was confident, intelligent, brave, beautiful, and responsible. Prior to Axton’s acceptance of her into his life, I considered inviting her into mine. After Axton’s claimed her as his Ol’ Lady, she became off limits, and now remained nothing more than a close friend.
Realizing there was one woman through the course of fifteen years who provided me with a level of comfort great enough to allow me to let my guard down was nowhere near reassuring. In fact, the more I thought about it, the clearer it became.
My life was one I was living not for me, but for the betterment and the security of the Selected Sinners MC.
I had been in the club since the beginning, and although I wasn’t close friends with every member, I viewed each and every one of the Sinners as a brother. After moving me from Sergeant-At-Arms to Vice President, I fully understood I was no longer responsible for their protection as far as the club was concerned, but releasing me from the responsibility completely was impossible.
The club was family to me no differently than my father
and mother were, and I was naturally a protector of what I loved and cherished. Living the life of a Sinner allowed me to understand the camaraderie shared by military members who had spent time in combat together. Being a member of the club was not much different. Knowing a brother had my back was reassuring, comforting, and provided an odd sense of balance to an otherwise askew life I seemed to live.
I gazed down into the empty cup of coffee and began to wonder if forfeiting a conventional way of life was something I was willing to do. The answer was as clear as the blue sky outside - I had already done it. Consciously or not, I had cast aside anything conventional to protect the lives and preserve the rights of my beloved brothers. The Sinners were my family, and more than likely the only love I would ever know.
I stood from my seat and walked to the kitchen sink. After rinsing the cup of coffee and placing it in the dishwasher, I walked to my bedroom and grabbed my cut. My thoughts of Sam and the untimely death of her mother had begun to fade, but the event opened my eyes and allowed me to have a better understanding of myself, my life, and my true love.
The Selected Sinners.
I opened the door to the garage and pressed the button on the wall to open the door leading to the driveway. I stood on the steps and glanced around. An obvious extension of me and my beliefs, the garage was filled with tools and equipment for working on bikes, my two motorcycles, and my 1969 Z-28 Camaro. No second car, no flower pots or planters, and no indication of any interests other than the car and bikes. Satisfied my life was what it was meant to be, I grinned and fired up the bike. As the motor warmed up to operating temp, the low rumble of the exhaust filled me with pleasure. Riding a motorcycle wasn’t something I merely enjoyed, it was part of my being. Each time I rode was as exciting as the first, and for that I was extremely grateful. If riding a motorcycle ever became boring, I suspected my life would become the same.
I rode to the clubhouse, enjoying the sunset against the few clouds that had developed along the western sky. With the warm summer air against my face, I gazed ahead at the slight curve in the highway leading into town. The empty highway invited me to twist back the throttle, and I did so without reservation. Now heading into the curve at eighty miles per hour, I leaned the bike to my left, dragging the toe of my boot against the passing pavement as I did so. The tips of my boots acted as a measuring stick of sorts for how far to lean my bike, and doing so until my boots drug against the road provided me a sense of worth. As the curve straightened into open road, I leaned right, bringing the bike back to upright.
In the distance, a tractor crossing the highway reminded me of the summer soon coming to a close, a farmer obviously spending as many daylight hours as possible harvesting his crops, he attempted to cross the road before I arrived at the intersection. I downshifted, released the clutch and grinned at the sound bellowing from the exhaust. As the distance between me and the tractor quickly decreased, I downshifted again, then again, almost coming to a stop before the tractor completely crossed the road. As my bike slowed to an almost stop, the farmer reached out the side window of the tractor and waved, obviously realizing his poor judgement in crossing the road in front of me.
I lifted my left hand, waved, and twisted the throttle. As the bike quickly accelerated, I shifted through the gears until once again reaching the eighty mile per hour mark. A quick glance in my rearview mirror revealed a dust cloud following the farmer’s tractor down the county road he traveled along.
As I considered that he was probably going home to a late dinner, thoughts of having a woman in my life began to run through my head and filled my mind until I rode into town. Struggling with whether or not I’d ever be able to come home to a prepared dinner, under another person’s expectation of doing so, I slowed down for the first traffic light.
I sat at the light, gazing blankly into the road ahead, as an old school Harley approached the light in the oncoming lane. A late 1960’s Shovelhead Springer with a face I recognized as being one of the local Patriot Guard came to a stop in the lane immediately to my left. Bill was a Vietnam Vet, rode with the Guard, and often attended the funerals of veterans who were being protested by Pastor Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church; providing a line of separation between the protestors and the families of the vet.
As the light turned green, Bill lowered his left hand to his side as he rode by. I did the same. Something as simple as lowering one’s left hand had become the universal biker wave over the years; and as easy as it was to do, not everyone did it. The few who did stood for one thing and one thing only, realizing it was as big a part of being a biker as anything else. In recognizing this, I felt I had my answer to my ability to come home to dinner on a nightly basis.
The answer was no.
And the wave stood for freedom.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
OTIS
Axton held his hands in the air as he studied the group of men assembled in the office. An uneducated glance at my brothers led me to believe if not all of the men were in attendance, almost all of them were. As the crowd quieted down from a dull roar to complete silence, Axton lowered his hands and sighed.
“As you know from the announcement, we’re going to have a special vote. Those in attendance tonight will be considered the entire club, regardless of whether or not all patched members are in attendance. Be it known that any member not in attendance will forfeit their vote in said matter. I cannot vote, nor will I attempt to prejudice your thoughts on this, but we need to decide on something that’s been brought to my attention as a motion by a member of the Executive Committee, and was seconded by another member of the committee. All records of said conversation and motion were recorded by yours truly.” Axton extended his arm toward Fancy, who grinned and raised his hand as Axton pointed at him.
“Here’s what we’ve got, fellas,” Axton said as he turned and surveyed the group.
“Jackson Shephard, your Sergeant-At-Arms’ future brother-in-law, and the man we all supported in trial the other day, has been released from his former club at his request. He now is a local resident, and lives with Toad. The bylaws allow for the transfer of a fully patched member of another club into our club without prospecting, but it requires a vote of one hundred percent in agreement. Personally, I can’t vouch for this man, but I can say I’ve spoken to the President of Hell’s Fury. According to him, Jackson was not only a patched in member, but was solid as a rock throughout his legal battle and incarceration. When many men would have dropped a dime on their brothers, he kept his mouth shut. The vote tonight will be whether or not to allow him to come into the Sinners as a fully patched member. This will be a private vote, and as I said earlier, this will require a one hundred percent vote, fellas. Any questions?”
“I ain’t saying I agree or disagree, and I know it’s in the bylaws, but just out of curiosity, why wouldn’t we have him be a Prospect?” Pete asked.
“Respect,” Axton responded. “Toad and I discussed this at the meeting when the motion was made to allow the vote. Let me have Toad explain the analogy we discussed.”
Axton turned to face Toad and nodded his head.
After clearing his throat, Toad began. “If a man’s in the Army, Navy, or Air Force, and he wants to transfer to be a Marine, he must go through basic training all over again. It’s humbling, and although he may be a Sergeant or whatever in the Army, the Marine Corps won’t allow him to come in until he completes their basic training. But, if a Marine wants to transfer into any other branch, he can do so without any restrictions or going through the basic training of the branch he’s transferring into again. Basic training, for those who don’t understand, is basically being a Prospect for the military. The Marines are viewed by the other branches of the military as being trained in a superior fashion, and once a Marine has completed his Prospecting, and received his patch so to speak, he can transfer to any other military branch. Our bylaws are no different than any other 1% clubs bylaws in this regard. We view anyone as being in a 1% club a
s being trained in a superior fashion, and asking him to complete the process again is not only disrespectful to him, but disrespectful to the club he originally prospected for. And this bylaw only applies to members who were released in good standing.”
Pete, as well as many other men in attendance, nodded their heads. Gunner, a former Army machine gunner, pointed at Toad and nodded his head as Toad finished his speech.
“He’s right,” Gunner said. “A Marine can walk in wherever he wants, but no one can walk into the Corps.”
Toad glanced at Gunner and stared for a moment before nodding his head. For some reason, there always seemed to be a little military tension between the two, and I always dismissed it to being the difference between being a Marine and being an Army soldier. That, and the fact Toad didn’t particularly open up to just everyone.
I patted Toad on the back and grinned.
“Good fucking speech,” I said.
“Appreciate it, Toad. So,” Axton said. “Fancy will pass around slips of paper. There’s about ten pens on the table to share, and to save any confusion, a yes vote means you agree to allow him in, and a no vote means you don’t agree. If there’s one no vote, the answer is no. If the answer is yes, it was agreed by the entire club, and I won’t allow any future bitching or complaining about him being a fully patched member. He’s paid his dues and then some, he just didn’t pay ‘em here.”
Fancy began to pass slips of paper through the crowd. After everyone had a slip of paper, the pens began to float through the room. After roughly five minutes it was over, and the slips of folded paper were provided to Fancy.
“Official count for the attendance?” Axton asked.
Fancy glanced down at his notepad. “Thirty-four, including you.”
“Count the slips as you read ‘em off, we’ll need thirty-three for a yes decision. You can stop counting as soon as you read off a no,” Axton explained. “And hand the slips to the V.P. for confirmation after you read them if you will.”
HOT as F*CK Page 194