“Fuckin’ wankers, the lot of them. I say we have us a bit of fun.”
“Shut it, Limey,” the first man growls.
“How did he find us, Tats?” another asks.
“That’s what I want to know.” Tats steps forward. He raises an eyebrow as if expecting me to answer.
It’s no skin off my nose to enlighten them. “It’s easy to follow Dominators and see what they’re up to, especially when they use the same pattern time and again.” I purse my lips, almost as a challenge to him.
“Fuck.” His grimace shows he’s not stupid. If we found them, the feds probably aren’t far behind. This hideout is blown.
“What does the wanker want?” the one with the British accent asks.
“Good question.” Tats uses a jerk of his head to redirect the query to me. If all I wanted was for them to be caught, I could have held back and waited for the feds to do the work. I’ve caught his interest. I can see by the gleam in his eyes.
Here comes nothing.“What I want is my old lady. Somehow, she got herself picked up. A mistake I take it?” I’m taking a chance that the relationship between a biker and his woman are respected by this club. If not, my request is a non-starter.
“Your old—”
Before Tats can finish whatever he was going to say, a man emerges from the building behind them. He’s shouting even before he gets to me.
“That’s fuckin’ StoryTeller. What the fuck does he want?”
Fuck.I recognise him. It’s Knuckles. I’ve met him before. He’s a nasty piece of work and there’s no love lost between us.
“Just finding that out.” Tats scratches his bald head. “He reckons we’ve got his ol’ lady.”
“Ol’ fuckin’ lady?” Knuckles’ eyebrows go to his hairline, then his eyes narrow suspiciously. “He ain’t got no ol’ lady that I know of. He rides with Slugger.”
There are multiple sharp intakes of breaths at that declaration, and collectively, they take a step toward me. The atmosphere, which was of amusement, turns decidedly nasty.
“Whoa.” I raise my hands. “I’m a nomad. I don’t ride with no man. And sure I’ve got an ol’ lady, but I don’t take her on the fuckin’ road with me.” I add a roll of my eyes as if to suggest the point is obvious.
Knuckles proceeds to approach, getting so close a lesser man might take a step back, but I stand my ground. “You were riding with him. I’d have fuckin’ taken him out if it wasn’t for you.”
I rub my shoulder ruefully. Truth is, I’d seen the gun being aimed, and like any good enforcer had thrown myself in front of my overall prez. Luckily for me, Knuckles was a fucking bad shot, and he only winged me. I decide not to criticise his gun skills.
I settle for, “Still got the scars.”
“I would have had him.” His face has gone red, showing how angry he is.
It was one time the Dominators had gotten close enough to make a serious attempt on our Alpha’s life. Luckily, I’d been there to save him, but that meant taking away Knuckles’ glory. He’d have been venerated by the whole of his club if he’d been the one to take Slugger down. To say there’s a price on the Alpha’s head is an understatement, and why he keeps moving around.
Knuckles stares at me for a moment, then states to his men, “Whatever he says, StoryTeller ain’t got no ol’ lady.”
“Hey.” I can’t let that ride. “What the fuck you saying? You calling me a liar?”
“You ride with Slugger, and we all know who he is. You ain’t got time to have a ball and chain.”
Briefly, I turn my back, allowing them to see the patch. “Nomad, remember,” I stress again. “Sure, one time I was with Slugger, met him on the road and travelled a few miles. Parted ways, and that’s all that was. And as it so happens, met my girl soon after and claimed her. And now I want her back.”
Knuckles chuckles, but not pleasantly. “I want to know more about you riding with your national prez.”
I snort and shake my head. “Soulz ain’t got no national prez.”
“Sure you haven’t.” He rolls his eyes. “Probably the worst kept fuckin’ secret in the world.”
Sighing heavily, I want to get him off this track. “Look, all I’m after is my ol’ lady. I’m hoping you’ll give her back, so we don’t have trouble between our clubs. I can’t help you find Slugger, why ever the fuck you’d want to. I have no idea where he is now.” It’s the truth. He could be waiting back at the clubhouse or be just down the road.
