“He should be fine if he has club help,” I answered, although I was a little skeptical about Raptor getting involved myself. Sammy didn’t need his old man going to jail, especially over Mavis.
“As I said earlier, we’re under surveillance. I told him that we should wait, but he’s all fired up and wants to do something now.”
“Order him not to. You’re the Prez.”
“If it comes down to it, I will. I don’t want to see him going to prison. But, he’s so pissed off. I don’t know if he’ll back down.”
“Do you have any leads on which chapter might have ordered the hit?”
“I think it came directly from the Mother. Just found out tonight that they’ve got themselves a new president. Someone who was tight with Mud.”
“You know anything about this guy?”
“A little. Jon Hughes is his birth name. He goes by Reaper, now. He just got out of prison a few months ago and took his old man’s place in the club after he had a heart attack.”
“Reaper,” I repeated. “Yeah, I recognize the name. He’s a hothead. Acts before he thinks. I’m surprised they elected him president.”
“If you saw the size of this guy, you’d understand why he gets his way. From what I hear, he makes Tank look like a toddler.”
I frowned. Something told me if Trevor went into this by himself, he wouldn’t be coming back out on his feet. “Is this line safe?”
“Yeah. I borrowed the phone from a waitress, at the restaurant I’m at.”
“Good,” I said, turning around to see the woman who’d been pumping her gas walking toward me. “Hold on a second.”
“Sure,” said Slammer.
“I apologize for interrupting your call, but I’m in a hurry and I wanted you to have this.” The blonde removed her sunglasses and handed me a business card. From the laugh lines around her eyes, I guessed her to be in the neighborhood of forty.
I looked down and read her name. Caitlyn Ferraro, Attorney At Law.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked, smiling at her.
She tilted her head and smiled back. “No, but something tells me that you are trouble, handsome. I could use a little of that in my life,” she said in a low voice. “Especially, living up here.”
“Is that right?” I asked, amused that I’d been hit on twice in one day.
“Yes. I just moved to Anchorage and the nights have been so dull, lately. Call me,” she replied. “If you’d like to ride more than just your Harley.”
“Nothing like getting to the point,” I said, surprised at her bluntness. Even the woman on the plane had bought me a drink before propositioning me.
“I work over sixty hours a week and don’t have time for socializing. When I know what I want, I go for it. Right now,” she undressed me with her eyes. “I’m looking at it.”
I felt my jeans tighten at the bold way she was staring at my zipper. The woman meant business.
What in the hell was going on with the women in Alaska?
“Aren’t you even going to ask if I’m married?”
She laughed. “I’m a Divorce Attorney. I already know that it probably wouldn’t matter, anyway. Look, sweetheart, I just want to hook up with you. That’s it.”
“I can respect that.”
“I thought you might. I’d better let you get back to your call. Don’t lose my card.”
“I won’t,” I said, slipping it into my pocket.
She walked back over to her car and got in.
“Did I just hear that correctly?” asked Slammer, still on the phone. “Some chick offering to bang you?”
“Sounds that way,” I replied, watching Caitlyn drive away.
“You want me to let you go? We can talk later.”
“No. She’s gone.”
He sighed. “So, what do you think about this situation with Mavis?”
“I’ll call Raptor and hopefully, we can come up with something that won’t land him behind bars.”
“Good. It would be a damn shame if he did.”
“I agree. You know, if this is Reaper, he might be going after more than just Mavis.”
“I was thinking about that myself. I’ve let everyone else in the club know. To keep an extra eye on their families. Fortunately, most of the Old Ladies know how to use a gun.”
Knowing how to use a gun meant nothing when you were caught off guard. If there was more retaliation… more death… it wouldn’t show up with any kind of warning.
“You tell Bastard about this yet?”
Bastard was the President of the Gold Viper’s Mother Charter. Smart and levelheaded, he usually never acted upon impulse. That was until he’d met April, his new Old Lady. She’d also been a victim of the Devil’s Rangers. They’d killed her brother and she’d finagled her way into Bastard’s life, soon afterward, obviously wanting his help. And help he had. Not only did he send his boys in to take care of the remaining Devil’s Rangers, living in Minnesota, but surprisingly, he’d reached some kind of peaceful agreement with their mother chapter. Apparently, Reaper was now pissing all over that treaty.
“He knows.”
“He getting involved?”
“He’s waiting to find out what we’re going to do about it, if anything.”
You mean what I’m going to do about it, I thought. “Okay. I’ll call Raptor. Hopefully, we can figure something out.”
“And avenge your mother’s death?”
“If that’s what Raptor wants. Why not?” I said dryly.
“It’s what we all want. You of all people know that Mavis made mistakes, but she didn’t deserve to die. Not for club business. Not for any of this shit.”
I didn’t want to hear any more about Mavis and I could tell he was in his preaching mode. “I gotta go. I’ll contact you when I arrive in Jensen.”
“Sounds good.”
I hung up and called Raptor.
“I heard about Mavis,” I said, when he answered. “Sorry for your loss.”
“It was your loss, too,” he said huskily.
“Yeah, I suppose,” I answered, not wanting to argue about it anymore. “So, you think it was club related?”
“My gut is telling me. Swear to God, she’d cleaned up her act. No drinking. No drugs. No enemies. Fuck, nothing else makes sense. We got to assume it’s club related, brother.”
“Yeah, I would have to agree,” I admitted.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Jesus, is this shit with the Rangers ever going to stop?”
“You already know the answer to that. Even if Reaper disappears, a new president will fill his place. Your two clubs have it out for each other and the way it looks, it’s never going to end.”
“I know. There’s never been bloodshed like this, though. Fucking cowards are attacking innocent women. They have no code of honor. No ethics.”
“Apparently not. You at the bar?” I asked as he took a drink of something. There was music in the background, and laughter.
“I’m at the clubhouse. I needed something to calm my nerves.”
“Where’s Adriana and my nephew?” I asked, picturing Sammy. He was a cute kid, with his big blue eyes and chubby, dimpled cheeks. Raptor had recently sent me some pictures of him and I’d saved them on my phone. I’d never seen the kid in person, but there was no denying that his smile tugged a little at my heart.
“At her mother’s house. Don’t worry, if you met Vanda, you’d know they’re both in good hands.”
As far as I was concerned, Adriana and Samuel were far from being safe. “Right now, I’m more worried about you. Sober up and get your shit together. I’m flying out as soon as I can charter a plane.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Call me when you get here.”
“I will,” I said. “Make sure you keep an eye on your family. If what you’re thinking is right, and Reaper is involved, something tells me that this is just the beginning.”
“I will. We have a club meeting in two hours. Once that’s over, I’ll fi
nd a safer place safe for Adriana and Sammy.”
“Good.”
After we hung up, I got on my bike, headed back to the cabin, and re-packed. Then I called a friend of mine named Barney, who owned a small plane, and talked him into flying me down to Iowa.
“I didn’t even know you were back,” he said.
“I just got back.”
“Hope the government is paying you well,” replied Barney, who thought I was an I.R.S. auditor.
“Well enough to own a cabin home that I never get the chance to enjoy,” I said dryly.
“Once you retire you can put it all behind you and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the wilderness.”
“Believe me, I’m looking forward to it,” I replied, imagining myself fishing in a canoe, with a dog on one side and a case of beer on the other.
“You ever think about retiring early?” he asked.
“Every day.”
Mercenary work paid well and had its rewards, especially knowing that I was removing some of the worst scum of the earth. But, as time went by, I found that murder, even what I’d deemed as justifiable, didn’t disturb me anymore. Taking another life wasn’t supposed to be that easy on a man’s soul and that lack of… emotion wasn’t lost on me.
Chapter Six
When Slammer and Tank returned to the table, I could tell something was very wrong. Mom noticed it, too.
“What’s happening?” she asked, watching his face carefully.
Slammer glanced around the room and then answered in a low voice. “Raptor’s mother was found. Murdered.”
“Oh my God, do they know who did it?” asked Frannie, shocked.
“They’re not sure yet,” he replied.
She put a hand to her chest. “Poor Raptor. Are you’re certain that it was murder?”
He nodded.
I cleared my throat, almost afraid to ask. “Do you think that it has anything to do with the Devil’s Rangers?”
“It might,” he answered. “They have a new president. A guy who just got out of prison and was close friends with Mud, from what I understand.”
My stomach tightened. “Mud was the president of the charter that Breaker belonged to, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then her death probably had something to do with me,” I stated, feeling ill.
“No,” said Slammer firmly. “And listen to me… none of these deaths were your fault, so don’t even go there. The guy was a fucking monster and so was Mud.”
“He’s right and obviously, those men in that club are all monsters,” said Frannie, reaching over to grab my hand. She squeezed it. “You were a victim, just like April’s brother, and,” she looked at Tank, her eyes sad, “Krystal.”
The vein in Tank’s forehead began to pulse at the mention of her name. He looked down at his knuckles, in deep thought.
“Exactly,” said Slammer. “And those guys have gotten everything they deserve.”
Frannie sighed and let go of my hand. “I guess what I’d like to know is why on earth would the club go after Mavis?”
“Because of her relation to Raptor,” said Tank, coming to life again. “Pop, we need lock down the women and figure this shit out quickly. Something tells me this fucking asshole, Reaper, isn’t finished.”
“I agree,” he said quietly, looking like he’d aged ten years since taking the phone call.
“Lock down the women?” repeated Frannie, her eyes wide. “Are we in danger, too?”
“Probably not, but we’re not taking any chances,” said Slammer, waving toward the waitress. “We’ve got to go. I need the both of you to follow us to the clubhouse.”
“Why there?” I asked, grimacing. I’d never been to the unsavory place and the stories I’d heard from Adriana were enough to make me never want to visit.
“Because I’m holding a club meeting and right now, I don’t want to let you two out of my sight,” he said matter-of-factly.
Frannie’s lips tightened. “I don’t like to sound like a nag, but you said we were safe from all of this.”
Sighing, Slammer put his arm around her shoulders. “I know and I’m sorry. I thought it was all behind us too. We’re just taking precautions until we know for sure what’s happening.”
“What about the cops? Can’t you just tell them who you think did it?” I asked. “See if they’ll bring this guy, Reaper, in for questioning?”
“It’s not that easy. Besides, you know how it is, Jess, we take care of our own problems,” he said
“This is a repeating problem. One that doesn’t seem to be going away,” I replied, frustrated. “It just gets worse and worse. People are dying and now we have to hide out at the clubhouse? Just because you want to take care of it yourself?”
Now a vein began to also throb in Slammer’s forehead. “You’re not looking at the big picture. The problem did go away and it was because of us.” He smiled grimly. “Care to guess why it’s returning?”
I sighed. “Why?”
“Because of our wonderful justice system. They let that scumbag out of prison and now he’s murdering people,” said Slammer. “That’s what happens when you involve law enforcement, sweetheart.”
“So, what you’re saying is that if you get your hands on him, this will all be over?” I replied. “Again.”
“What I’m saying is that we’ll handle it,” he said sternly. “And if something else happens, we’ll handle that, too.”
I looked at my mother, whose face was chalk-white. “Mom, I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but you said that we’d both be protected from this kind of thing and I don’t know how many times I warned you that something like this was going to happen. Now, we have to go into hiding, because our lives are in danger,” I said, my voice shaky. “Again. Maybe next time you’ll listen to reason instead of what your heart wants you to believe.”
“Don’t come down on her,” said Slammer, before she could answer. “It’s not her fault.”
I snapped my head toward him. “You’re right, there. It’s yours. You told her what she wanted to believe, just so she’d be your ‘Old Lady’.”
“Jessica,” gasped Frannie, staring at me in shock. “Say what you want to me, but don’t talk that way to him.”
Slammer’s shoulders slunk. “It’s okay,” he replied, looking weary. “She’s not completely wrong. I did make promises that I had no right making. I just wanted you in my life, Babe.”
“You can’t blame him for this,” said my mother, ignoring him. “Slammer has done everything that he can to try and protect us, Jessica. You know that.”
“Which isn’t much, apparently,” I mumbled, looking away. “Because we have to go into hiding.”
“Jess, we don’t even know if Reaper is responsible for Mavis’s death,” said Tank. “Hell, we could all be jumping to conclusions.”
“Somehow, I doubt it.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Tank, could you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom. I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach.”
“Sure,” he said, sliding out of the booth to let me out. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I will be, when I’m far enough away from Jensen. In fact,” I said, standing up. “I’m calling Cheryl, to see if she’d mind if I drove down there tonight.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Frannie, pulling a tissue out of her purse. “You should.”
“I want you to come with me, Mom. At least until the club has… ‘handled it’,” I said, still digging into Slammer.
Frannie shook her head. “No. I can’t leave, right now. There is too much going on.”
“Actually, it’s a good idea,” said Slammer, turning to her. “You should go with her to Cheryl’s. At least for a few days. Tank can follow you both up there. Make sure you arrive safely.”
“But, I can’t just leave my job with such little notice. Not right now,” she protested. “We have an audit coming up, next week. There’s so much paperwork to get ready.”
My mother was an of
fice manager in a nursing home. She’d worked there for over twenty years and had hardly ever missed a day. From what it sounded like, she was the glue that held the entire office together. When she’d returned from her honeymoon, three years before, everything had been a mess. Unpaid bills, lost forms, and money missing from the lockbox.
“Tell them a relative has died and you need to attend their funeral,” said Slammer. “They’ll understand.”
“I don’t know,” she said, frowning.
“If you ask me, we should both get out of town before one of us needs a funeral,” I muttered, walking toward the bathroom.
***
Fortunately, Slammer was able to talk my mother into leaving town with me that evening.
“Just for a couple of days,” she said, still looking a little unsure. “I’ll drive separately, of course.”
“Right, and as I was saying in the restaurant - Tank will accompany the both of you to Minnesota,” added Slammer, turning to him. “You’ll skip church tonight.”
“I figured as much,” he said, glancing at me. “How much time do you need to get your stuff together?”
“Not long. I’ve already packed some of it, so maybe an hour at the most?” I replied, my eyes darting around as we walked out of the restaurant. There were hardly any cars around and it was still daylight, but I almost felt like we were being watched.
“How long will it take for you to pack, Frannie?” asked Slammer.
“Not long, although…” she said, looking down at her watch, “it’s getting late. By the time we leave town, it will probably be after nine. Maybe we should wait until morning?”
“No. The more I think about it, the better I feel about you leaving town. Tank, follow the girls home and call me when you get there.”
“Sure,” he said, pulling his keys out of his jeans. “If I’m tailing them to Shoreview, though, I’m going to need to stop home and grab some stuff for the road trip.” Tank still lived in Slammer’s old house, which was close to Griffin’s, the strip joint he owned.
Fearing The Biker Page 4