“I’m a little concerned,” I confessed.
Kodiak snorted and lined up his shot. Balls cracked, and I thought of McKelle. I pulled out my phone.
Cruz: Text me if you hear from Ryatt.
“Are you sure you should be wearing that patch?” Kodiak asked.
I glanced up from my phone. “Are you sure you should be asking me that? I’ve never worn another club’s colors.”
Kodiak laughed. “Fuck, kid, Hellers went to war over guns. I was running with Crawlers then, but the Heller reputation caused guys I knew to pussy out of a deal if it brought them into Heller territory. The patch means you don’t pussy out.”
Tank shifted his gaze to Kodiak. “The patch means we stand as one, but we don’t look for trouble. Doesn’t mean we take shit off anyone.” He turned to me. “You don’t carry a gun unless you’re willing to pull the trigger.”
I wouldn’t hesitate. The stories around the oil barrel reminisced about the war with the Crawlers, but also how those were the darkest days of the MC’s history.
“You need an unregistered gun. Talk to Jazzy. Sergeant at Arms has the key to the weapons locker.” He moved around the table. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” He bent over the table. “Get the gun tonight and meet me out at Bullet’s property tomorrow morning for target practice. You need to know how the weapon fires.”
One day wouldn’t make me a good shot, but at least I’d know if I couldn’t hit the side of a barn.
***
Later that night, the usual crowd gathered around the oil drum. Firewood snapped and sparked into the darkening sky. Sully, Bullet, and Rogue played cards with Butch and Seven.
Hana and the girls drank and danced. Blade and his crew sat at their table in the corner of the room. The president’s table had a perfect view of the chapel and the main doors.
I sat with Blue and Kiss. Kiss hadn’t seen Ryatt since the NA meeting this morning, and neither McKelle nor I had heard from him all day. McKelle was on her way.
A couple of scenarios formulated in my mind. I didn’t know Ryatt well enough to gauge his reactions. Had he lowkey been pissed this morning? He’d sat at the breakfast table like a member of McKelle’s family.
So maybe he’d changed his mind about prospecting for the MC because he’d be accountable to me. If it wasn’t the MC, maybe it was me. He wasn’t stupid. Just as I had to accept that she was going to continue fucking Ryatt, he had to realize she’d be back in my bed.
Another possibility had fear coiling in my gut and clawing at my thoughts. If he’d had a run-in with the Kings, he had no phone to call for help.
Romeo entered the MC with Dozer. “I’ll be right back,” I said to Blue then set my path to intercept them.
I’d wanted to wait, to have Ryatt as part of the conversation, but this was the reason for the patch. If Ryatt was in trouble, he wouldn’t face it alone. I trusted Dozer, and Romeo would want to have Ryatt’s back.
“Can we take a walk?”
They must have noted the serious tone of my voice because I headed out the door, and they followed.
Murph and some of the old timers stood around the oil drum. Vega and Kodiak revved the engine on Steele’s new ride.
“This is the second time today you’ve wanted to talk,” Dozer said.
“Same situation,” I said.
I didn’t want this conversation to be witnessed or overheard. We walked around the side of the building. “I don’t want anyone to hear us.”
There was an old mausoleum behind the church. Kiss talked about how she would come out here with Blade, Romeo, and the others. They smoked their first cigarettes out here, drank their first beers, and shared their secrets.
“Fuck, Doze, I miss this place.” Romeo dropped onto the step.
“Good memories.” Dozer slipped a cigarette between his lips. The flare of his lighter illuminated the area around us. Overgrown weeds surrounded the cracked and crumbling concrete.
I inhaled hard through my nose. I didn’t share other people’s business because I hated anyone else in mine. I knew how to keep my mouth shut.
But I was worried. The kind of fear that seeped into your bones, twisted your mind, and poisoned your thoughts until all you could focus on were the fucked-up possibilities.
