Satan’s Fury MC - Memphis

by Wilder, L.

  “Hell yeah, it was.”

  “Well, who knows … maybe the same thing will happen tonight with the Smoking Guns.”

  “A guy can hope, but I doubt it. They don’t have the same kind of following.” Jason sighed, then asked, “Anyway, do you want us to come and pick you up on our way over?”

  Knowing he would want to stay until the very last song, I answered, “No, I’ll meet you there.”

  “Suit yourself, just don’t be late.”

  While some people were put off by Jason’s strong personality, it was one of the reasons I enjoyed spending time with him. There was no guessing with him. He always said exactly what was on his mind and rarely held anything back. I found his outlook on life rather amusing. Whenever we were together, I’d spend the entire time laughing hysterically at something he’d said or done, and he had no clue why I’d found it so funny. At times, I’d find myself wondering why we hadn’t tried the whole dating thing. He was handsome and smart, and he’d do anything in the world for me. But then, I’d remember there was absolutely no chemistry between us—like none. I’d be better off kissing a wet mop, so my sidekick, Jason, and I would forever remain in the friend zone, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  As soon as I walked in, I found Jason sitting at the bar talking to Daphne and her boyfriend, Jimmy. The minute he noticed me strolling towards them, he glanced down at his watch. “You’re late.”

  I sighed and took a quick look over at the stage, where the band was still setting up. “Take a chill pill, dude. I’m like fifteen minutes late. Besides, they haven’t even started playing.”

  “That’s because they’re not supposed to start for another half hour.”

  “Then, why did you tell me to be here at nine?”

  “Cause, I figured you’d be late.”

  “I was late one time, and you’re—”

  “Babe, you’re always late, but I’ve come to realize that it’s just part of your charm.” He glanced down at my fitted black-knit shirt and distressed jeans and smiled. “And I’m liking the duds.”

  I sat down next to him and replied, “Thanks. I’m glad you approve.”

  Daphne leaned forward and smiled. “Hey, Lex. You want something to drink?”

  “Sure. I’ll have a beer.”

  Jimmy motioned over to the bartender, who then placed my drink down in front of me. I’d just picked it up to take a sip when Jason turned to me with a concerned expression. “Don’t forget you’re driving.”

  Before I could respond, Daphne asked, “Hey, did I tell you about Jimmy’s new job promotion?”

  While Daphne caught me up with her latest news, Jason stared anxiously at the stage as the band finally finished setting up, and his eyes lit up when the lead singer stepped up to the microphone. The minute they finally started to play, Jason could barely contain himself, and I couldn’t help but smile when his head started bobbing to the music. After they played a few songs, he leaned over to me and asked, “They’re awesome, right?”

  My eyes skirted over to the stage, and as I focused on the band’s music, I just couldn’t understand why he loved them like he did. Even though I knew it would drive him nuts, I shrugged and said, “I’ve heard better.”

  “What?”

  “I mean … they’re okay, but I thought the Rickets were better.”

  “Oh, good grief. Why are we even friends?”

  I smirked as I answered, “Because I’m the only one who will put up with your delightful personality, and you’re the only one who will put up with mine.”

  “You got me there,” he chuckled. “You wanna hit the Red Birds game next week? Some of the guys are getting a group together.”

  “Maybe. I’ll let you know after I check the schedule at work.”

  He nodded, then turned his attention back to the stage. I sat and listened to the raucous stream of melodies for another hour, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I patted Jason on the shoulder. “I’m heading out.”

  “But they’re not done.”

  “We have a big order coming in early tomorrow. I’ve got to be there to get everything sorted.”

  “Okay, but text me as soon as you get home.”

  I nodded, then went over to Daphne and Jimmy and said my goodbyes to them. It was after eleven when I headed out to the dimly-lit parking lot, and no one was in sight most likely due to the band still playing. I had an uneasy feeling and suddenly wished I was parked closer. I’d only taken a few steps when I heard the loud rumble of several motorcycles approaching, and as they got closer, I noticed something familiar about one of the men. Even in the pitch black of night, I knew it was him—the hot biker from the bookstore. I stood frozen in place as he and his friend whipped past me.

  A black SUV pulled in right behind them as they all parked near the front door of Newman’s. I watched in awe as he got off his motorcycle and removed his helmet. He turned to look in my direction, and as those penetrating blue eyes locked on mine, all my sense of reason seemed to just wash away. I couldn’t move. My pulse was racing, my palms were sweating, and my hormones were raging. He looked so damn good with his dark hair tousled, and it was impossible not to notice how his jeans clung to him in all the right places. I was a complete mess. No man had ever had such an effect on me. I didn’t like it. I wanted to get into my car and shake it off, but when I realized that he was leaving his two friends to walk in my direction, my mind and body just wouldn’t cooperate. I simply stood there like a total idiot.

  After he finally made his way over to me, I was surprised by his furrowed brow and intense expression. He just stood there staring at me for several seconds, and having no idea what else to do, I mumbled, “It’s you.”

  “Yeah. It’s me.”

  “I’m sorry … I don’t actually know your name.”

  “It’s Shadow.” Before I could respond, he took a quick glance around the parking lot and asked, “You out here alone?”

  “Yeah … I was just about to head home.”

  “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself. It’s not safe,” he growled.

  Surprised by his fierce tone, I became even more nervous and started to ramble. “I’m okay. My friends are inside. We were watching the band. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them … the Smoking Guns. They’re pretty good. Not exactly my thing. A little loud for my taste. Not the loudest one I’ve ever been to, but close. At least I had an excuse to leave early … I have a shipment coming in tomorrow morning, so I need to be at the store early. What about you? Are you here to see the band, too?”

  “Not exactly.” Without giving further explanation, he asked, “Where’s your car?”

  “Um … it’s right over there,” I answered as I pointed in its direction.

  He leaned to the side as he looked around me and grimaced, clearly not impressed by the state of my vehicle. “That’s your car?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s not much, but it gets me to where I’m going.”

  Just when I thought the moment couldn’t get any more uncomfortable, Jason stepped out of the bar, and as he glared at the burly biker standing next to me, he shouted, “Hey, Alex? You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. I was just about to leave.” When he didn’t move, I said, “You’re going to miss the closer if you don’t go back inside.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Jason. I’m fine.”

  “Okay. Don’t forget to text me when you get home.”

  “I will. Don’t worry.”

  Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to my biker. He studied me for a moment, his eyes lingering on my mouth for only a fleeting moment; then, without saying a word, he started walking towards my car. Having no idea what he was doing, I just stood there trying to wrap my head around exactly what was happening. He turned around and looked over at me then said, “I thought you were leaving.”

  “I am.” He cocked his eyebrow as he motioned his hand towards the driver’s side door. Feeling like a compl
ete idiot, I rushed over to him and quickly unlocked my door.

  He watched me get inside and asked, “You okay to drive?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” He again stared at me for a moment like he was trying to decide if I really was okay. “Seriously. I had one beer two hours ago. I’m fine.”

  “Good.”

  I expected him to step back, but he just stood there looking down at me. I felt warm all over, my heart was pounding so loudly that I was certain he could hear it. I felt my face turning red, and not wanting him to see my body’s reaction to him, I said, “Your motorcycle is really something. I bet it’s awesome to ride on a night like this.”

  “It is.”

  “Okay, well … I guess I better get going.” With a bit of hesitation, I put my hand on the door handle and as I started to close it, I said, “Thanks for walking me to my car.”

  His expression softened as he moved out of the way and said, “Be careful.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  After I closed the door, I gave him a smile and a quick wave goodbye, then started my engine. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I glanced up at my rearview mirror, and a chill ran down my spine when I noticed he was still standing in the same spot, watching intently as I drove out onto the main road.

  “Damn,” I muttered to myself.

  CHAPTER 5

  Shadow

  Once I’d informed Gus about everything Boon had told me, he called everyone into church. Since our runners were under the gun, Gus made the call to up our watch on our boys. In hopes of deterring any further hits, he instructed us to have eyes on them any time they were on the streets. After assigning our rotations, he gave the order for Murphy, T-Bone, and me to bring in Hoss, hoping that he would lead us to Jasper. As soon as we were dismissed, Murphy and I headed out to our bikes while T-bone followed us in his SUV. We’d tried to track him down for over an hour when Murphy spotted his shiny, souped-up 2018 silver Chevrolet Dually parked by the front door of Newman’s. With its lift kit and oversized tires, the damn thing was like a flashing neon sign, making him impossible not to be noticed. When we pulled into the front of the bar, the last thing I expected was to find the girl from the bookstore standing all alone in the parking lot.

  Seeing Alex there was a distraction I didn’t need. I should’ve been focused on the task at hand, but the mere thought of something happening to her while she was out there all by herself had me coming unglued. The gut reaction confused me. At the moment nothing seemed as important as making certain she was safe. I wasn’t sure why I was so driven. Actually, the feeling came as a shock to me, but I didn’t hesitate. I just started towards her.

  When I reached her, I noticed just how beautiful she looked. Her dark, thick hair fell softly around her face, and I was completely spellbound by her flawless olive skin and captivating dark eyes. Somehow, I gathered my wits enough to ask her if she was okay. Once I got her back to her car, I thought that would be the end of it—but I was wrong. As I stood there watching her tail lights fade into the darkness, I found myself longing for just one more moment with her. It was a feeling I wasn’t accustomed to. Hell, I wasn’t a man who longed for anything, and it was fucking with my head. I was lost in my thoughts when I heard, “Yo, Shadow. You coming or what?”

  “Yeah. I’m coming.”

  As soon as I made my way over to them, Murphy asked, “She a friend of yours?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “I don’t know about that. She was looking pretty friendly to me.” T-Bone snickered, but his smirk quickly faded when he noticed the expression on my face. “Hey, man. I was just saying.”

  As soon as we stepped inside, my brothers’ interest in Alex was quickly forgotten, and their focus returned to finding Hoss. The band’s music was blaring as we started shifting through the crowd, and as I listened to the lyrics, I found myself thinking about what Alex had said. She was right. They were loud, obnoxiously so, and I was relieved when Murphy turned to us and yelled, “He’s at the bar.”

  T-Bone and I followed him over to Hoss, and when he noticed that we’d come up behind him, he bowed his broad shoulders and gave us a smug look. With his country accent in full swing, he snickered. “Well, lookie here. It’s the brothers of Satan’s Fury. What brings you fellas down here? You checking out the band.”

  “Don’t give a shit about the fucking band, Hoss.” Murphy took a step towards him as he continued, “We came here looking for you.”

  “Well, how ’bout that. I’m honored. What can I do you fer?”

  “You can tell us where we can find Jasper.”

  He inhaled a quick breath, and it was clear from his expression that the question had caught him by surprise. “Fuck if I know.”

  “Now, we both know that’s not true,” Murphy growled. “So, let’s just skip the bullshit and tell us where he is.”

  He adjusted his ball cap and asked, “And why would I do that?”

  “Cause you’re going to be in for one hell of a night if you don’t,” T-Bone warned.

  His eyes narrowed as he grumbled, “You threatening me?”

  “You know us well enough to realize we don’t make threats,” Murphy barked. “So, I’m gonna ask you this one last time … Where the fuck is Jasper?”

  He stood up and stuck out his chest as he replied, “Well, I guess you’re gonna have to make good on your fucking threat, cause I ain’t gonna tell you shit.”

  Murphy gave T-Bone the nod and said, “Alright, then. Have it your way.”

  Even though Hoss was a fairly big guy, trained to handle situations just like these, he was no match for T-Bone. With one hard blow to the jaw, he had Hoss flailing backwards. He was trying to regain his footing when I reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt. People started to scatter as I pulled him forward and slammed my knee into his gut. He hurled forward, clutching his stomach as he gasped for breath. Before he could regain his composure, Murphy grabbed his head and slammed it against the counter, knocking him unconscious. When he dropped to the floor like a two-ton weight, T-Bone looked over to me and said, “Let’s haul this motherfucker to the truck and get the hell out of here. This fucking band is giving me a headache.”

  We got him restrained and loaded into T-Bone’s SUV, then Murphy and I jumped on our bikes and followed T-Bone out onto the main road. Hoss was still out of sorts when we reached the clubhouse, but he could walk, which made it easier to get him down to the holding cell. Once we were inside, Hoss’s eyes widened with panic. “What the fuck?”

  “You ready to tell us where we can find Jasper?” Murphy asked as he shoved him further into the room.

  While it was similar to the one where I’d worked on Boon, this room was bigger with a wider variety of restraints. Even though it was clear from his expression that he was freaked out, Hoss shook his head. “Fuck, no.”

  I reached for one of the chains that were mounted to the wall, then fastened the cuff around his wrist. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  T-Bone took the chain from the opposite wall and secured it to his other wrist, binding him into a standing position with his arms extended from his sides. He tugged at the restraints, trying with all his might to break free as he shouted, “You can’t do this!”

  With a gloating smirk, T-Bone relayed, “We already have.”

  “Let me out of here!”

  “You tell us where we can find Jasper, and then we’ll think about it.”

  “Fuck you!”

  T-Bone lunged forward, punching Hoss square in the mouth and again in his gut. “You’d do good to remember who you’re talking to, motherfucker.”

  Blood trickled from Hoss’s bottom lip as he grumbled under his breath, “This is bullshit. I don’t even know where Jasper is.”

  “We’ll give you some time to remember,” I told him as we started walking towards the door, but before I left the room, I turned the heat up as high as it would go. Since it was already sweltering outside, it wouldn’t take long for the place to feel
like a sweatbox. By morning, he’d be fighting heat exhaustion, and every muscle in his body would be screaming for a reprieve.

  Once we were in the hall, Murphy turned to me and asked, “He’s a stubborn one. You gonna be able to make him talk?”

  “Yeah, he’ll talk,” I assured him.

  “That’s what I wanted to hear.” As he started towards the front door, he ordered, “I’ll let Gus know we got him. You get your ass some sleep, brother. Something tells me you’re gonna need it.”

  He wasn’t wrong. I would definitely need to bring my A game in order to get the intel I needed from Hoss. So, I made myself a sandwich and had a hot shower, then fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  The next morning, I pulled my ass out of bed, got dressed, and headed out to my bike. Before I went to see about Hoss, I needed to make a run to the hardware store for a few necessities. I had all intentions of going straight there and back, but after I’d gotten everything I needed, I took a detour and wound up over at the bookstore.

  As I rode up to the front of the store, there was a delivery truck pulling away from the curb, so it was no surprise when I walked in to find Alex sorting through several large boxes of books. Hearing the door close behind me, she looked up with a bright smile. “Morning, Shadow.”

  “Morning.”

  “Did you enjoy the band last night?” she asked as she bent down to pick up one of the boxes.

  Before she could lift it, I stepped over and took it out of her hands. “Where do you want it?”

  “Oh … um. Thanks.” Then, she pointed to the front counter. “You can place it over there.”

  “What about the others?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

  I cocked my eyebrow. “And if I want to?”

  A light blush crept over her face as she smiled. “Well, then … it would be great if you could put them over on the counter, too. I should’ve had the delivery guy do it, but I just didn’t think about it.”

  I picked up the next two boxes and carried them over to the counter as well. “This all of them?”