“Sure is. That’s one wicked aim on that girl of yours.”
“Do we know…?”
Vienna stayed quiet.
“Vienna. Do we know who has taken over as president?”
“Before you lose your cool, I want to remind you that nothing is official yet—”
“Just fucking spit it out.”
“I’m hearing talk of Nico.”
“Nico?” I hissed back. “Tell me you’re fucking kidding.”
“I wish I was, brother. Things are about to get a lot more interesting around here.”
“And Gabriella?” I asked, hearing his immediate intake of breath. After everything that went down between Vienna and Gabriella, there was an unspoken agreement amongst those that knew to never mention her name again.
“Claimed,” he said simply.
“Shit. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah… Listen, I’m just turning into Greasy now. I’ll see you soon,” he hung up before I could respond.
“Are you going to explain what the fuck that was all about?” Rachel demanded. “And I’m warning you now, Dante, do not dodge the question.”
“What do you know about the Riders’ hierarchy? I’m not dodging,” I quickly added as her eyes flared at me. “I’m trying to explain.”
“I know I killed Damien… is that what you said his name was? And that’s it.”
“Okay. So their president as of yesterday was Harley. He’s been president of the Riders as long as Crash has been president of the Devil’s. They’re rival gangs, so obviously they didn’t like each other, but there was an element of trust there that comes from years of familiarity. Of course, both clubs pushed their luck, but for the most part, Crash and Harley have kept things amicable until Macbeth gave them hope of our downfall.”
“Fucking Macbeth,” she muttered.
“Fucking Macbeth, indeed. Harley had two children – Gabriella and Damien. The issue we had with Damien was that we didn’t know him. There wasn’t the familiar trust, and there was certainly not any respect. Crash can grudgingly admit he had a sliver of respect for Harley.”
“Understandable,” she nodded. “You don’t keep control for as long as those two have without earning some respect. Even enemies have to admit that.”
“Exactly. But with Damien dying, it leaves a power vacuum. If I was to die, we wouldn’t go looking for a distant relative. I have already said that Vienna would take over if I was incapable of doing so. It doesn’t have to remain in the family – at least not blood relation. Vienna is my family.”
“I get it. I take it that’s not how the Riders work?”
“No. Leadership has been in the same family for generations. Which, I guess, is the same as us, but instead of them appointing someone else upon Harley and Damien’sdeath, they’ve gone looking for someone blood related. And that someone is Nico.”
“Okay,” she said, swallowing hard. “And who is this Nico?”
“Simply put, he’s bad news. Nico is Harley’s nephew. He was arrested a few years back and was almost cast out of the club entirely. He’s been living in the London charter for the past decade or so, but after his arrest, he moved to the Manchester charter.”
“What was he arrested for?”
“There’s no nice way to put this. He was the lead suspect in the rape and murder of his sister.”
“Fuck off,” she breathed. “If one of the Devils did that—”
“I know. We’d kill them ourselves. But that’s not how they work. They’re a dangerous gang, Rachel. Although Nico’s dad was understandably pissed about it, that was his daughter after all. They had a fight to the death, and Nico won. That’s why he was sent to the Manchester charter. Killing his dad earned him back the respect he had lost murdering his sister, and they positioned him as Manchester vice president.”
“That’s messed up.”
