Prez shot a pointed look at Axel. I did a doubletake when I took in the normally stoic bar owner. His face was flushed and he looked ready to rumble. Only Killer’s hand on his shoulder seemed to keep him in place. Quiet murmurs of agreement filled the room, and when Axel dipped his chin in reluctant agreement, Prez finally told us what was going on.
“Over the past week, the station has been getting persistent reports of disturbances from property damage to assault. All witness reports have one common feature. These crimes were all caused by bikers in leather vests. Now, before I continue, I need to ask. Does anyone have anything to tell me?”
My stomach dropped. No way was this another instance of petty officers framing us. Was it?
I waited, knowing deep down that it wasn’t my crew who did this, but needing to hear it out loud anyway. The most trouble the crew got into was speeding tickets and noise violations when their bikes were too loud. They kept the rowdy behavior here at the clubhouse and at the bar. It’d stun the hell out of me if one of them was actually a part of this mess.
“No, Prez. No one’s causing any trouble,” Rooster replied with a frown, looking around the room. “Right?”
All responses were clearly in the negative. None of them knew what was going on, and they weren’t part of it. I figured Prez would know that, would trust us like I did, but I watched as his shoulders came down as he visibly relaxed. I frowned at him.
“You thought we were involved?”
Prez shook his head, pulling off his suit jacket and tossing it on the table. I hadn’t even realized he’d changed into his suit. He’d been in casual clothes when I left. “No. I know my crew, and you guys don’t act this way. But after a day like today, it’s better to ask than to go off of faith.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued. “But that leaves us with a bigger issue. It means there's another club coming around, causing trouble. That could mean a couple of things. They could be hoping to chase us out, take over the territory, or they could just be looking to cause trouble for us. Hell, they might not even know we exist. But either way, the police in the area know us and are already pointing fingers.”
Dex shoved out of his seat, his teeth bared in a snarl. “That’s bullshit! You didn’t even do anything!”
Growls and shouts of agreement filled the air. I was with the newbie. This was bullshit. We just got a handle on the harassment and now the department was going to feel justified in picking that shit back up again thanks to this.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, forcing everyone to quiet down to hear what Prez had to say.
“For now, I want everyone on high alert. If you see something, say something. Until we figure out who is causing trouble, we’re going to keep taking heat. Which also means I need everyone on their best behavior. No wild partying, no driving recklessly. I don’t even want to hear about any speeding tickets. Because right now, if they can charge you with it, they’re gonna throw the book at you. I don’t want any of you in jail. Understand?”
Everyone bobbed their head in agreement, though no one looked happy about it.
“What about tonight? Are Buzz and Nova getting charged?” Axel demanded.
My head whipped around. “Wait. What?”
Prez didn’t go into the full story, choosing to reassure Axel instead. “No. They were brought in for questioning. Nothing more. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Which is why I want you guys to pay attention. If someone is causing trouble, I don’t want you hanging around because they’ll pick you up too without hesitation. They’re not looking at the patches on our backs right now. If you’re riding, they’re suspicious automatically.”
“Do we need to be worried about a fight?” Butch asked.
God, I hoped not. We weren’t a violent crew, as much as the pigs portrayed us that way. I had a casino to run. I’d lose everything if I ended up in jail.
“Not that I know of. I haven’t been contacted by anyone at least. If anyone hears anything, call me right away. That’s all for now. I want the officers to join me for a meeting. The rest of you head home. I get the feeling this is just the beginning of our issues with this.”
The group split up, the murmur of grumbling complaints filling the room as some people headed upstairs and others headed out, the mood of the party broken. The officers headed for church and I sat at the table, scrolling through my phone for any news reports or videos about what had happened. There was one about some recent criminal activity but it was vague to the point of being a useless article.
“I’m keeping an eye on the web,” Wraith murmured beside me. “So far, I haven’t been able to find a club affiliation.”
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” Rusty grumbled. He was still bowing out of his position, but he showed up tonight because he knew it was important and we still hadn’t filled his place yet. “This kinda thing happens. They’ll blow through and be gone in a week, just like always.”
Prez shook his head. “Maybe in the past, that was pretty common. But this feels more targeted than a rowdy crew passingthrough the area. They seem to be deliberately causing mayhem to draw attention and then disappearing without a trace, leaving us the only viable option to pin the blame on.”
“Do you have any idea who it might be?” Rooster asked.
Prez shook his head and none of the officers seemed to have a clue. “I don’t know. I need more information. For now, keep an eye on the crew. Buzz and Nova being nearby seems like coincidence, but if this really is on purpose, we need to consider that they were targeted. If we have any trouble with the cops, call me immediately.”
The tensionin the crew was palpable. Everyone was uneasy, and no one was willing to go out alone. No one wanted a repeat of when Butch was picked up last year. I almost made the suggestion to stop wearing our club colors until all this blew over, but it felt wrong to even think about. Being part of a club wasn’t wrong and we shouldn’t be punished just for riding bikes.
Since I knew I was picking up Sierra, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I was putting a pregnant woman on the back of my bike, I borrowed Tank’s truck to get her and bring her back to the clubhouse. Now more than ever, it felt important for her to share her ideas. Maybe if we got the town to see us as something other than criminals, they’d stop targeting us and actually focus on the real culprits.
I did my best to not take my mood out on her, opening her door and forcing a smile so she wouldn’t stress. She had enough going on without adding more stress. I didn’t want anything happening to her or the baby. Honestly, I almost wanted tochange my mind and keep her the hell away from the club. The cops had shown up to the clubhouse in the past and I didn’t want her caught up in shit like that.
“Is everything okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, why?” I asked distractedly as I drove toward the clubhouse.
