My gut tightens.“What’d she want?”
“Guess you’ll see when you step outside.”
He nods toward the lot.I don’t ask questions.I just go.
Snow gleams on the row of bikes, chrome halos catching the weak sun.Mine stands out instantly, not shining, not proud.Shattered.The tank is slashed, paint carved down to bare metal.Tires knifed.Seat ripped open.
My Ol’ Lady’s handwriting streaks the tank in lipstick red paint, “You whore”.
The sight doesn’t hurt the way I expect.It’s just quiet inside me, the kind of quiet you get before a storm decides whether to move on or stay.I take a breath that tastes rotten.
“She must’ve been here early,” Frost says behind me, almost gentle now.“Gate cam caught her truck.”
“Delete it.”
He whistles.“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
I crouch, trace the scar down the tank.It’s almost beautiful.Honest, at least.
“You gonna fix it?”Frost asks.
“Yeah.Not today.”
Back inside, the air is hotter, meaner.Prez, Lil’ Nick, waits by the bar, arms crossed.Nothin’ Lil about him.Old feller’s a wall of man and disappointment.“We gotta talk.”
“I figured.”
He jerks his chin toward the back room.The door closes behind us with the finality of a cell block.
“Town’s talkin’,” he says.“Trina’s talkin’.You brought heat down on the club.”
“I didn’t ask her to trash the lot.”
“I’m not talkin’ about the lot, son.I’m talkin’ about the girl.”His voice drops.“You can screw up your own house all you want, but you drag the club into it…”
He’s right.I hate that he’s right.
“She was in danger,” I say.“I helped.”
“You helped her right into your bed,” he says.“You know the code, and why we don’t make promises, we can’t keep.Hell, Trina’s not just threatening lawsuits.She called the Sheriff.Says the club harbors stolen property.You know what that means?”
“Yeah,” I mutter.“She plans to rat us out.Because of me.”
He nods, grim.“You’re gonna take a suspension.No runs.No patch for thirty days.Keep your head down till this blows over.”
“Copy.”
Lil’ Nick studies me another beat.“You ain’t even denyin’ it.”
“No.I broke code.I own that.”
He exhales hard.“Christ, Jack.You used to be smarter.”
“Guess I found somethin’ worth gettin’ stupid for.”The words come out before I can reel them in.
He doesn’t respond right away, just shakes his head slow.“Well, more than breakin’ code, you’ve made your Ol’ Lady mad.And Trina knows too much.Hope this news, your punishment, satisfies her… What’s going to happen if your new girl finds out you saved her from your own brothers.”
