“Some days, sure,” he said. “But honestly, most of the time, my club has me working at the auto repair shop in the afternoons and early evenings, and then I head home. It’s like any job. Some periods of time are intensely busy, and others are sluggishly slow.”
“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t really. “Well, with that in mind, Michael, why don’t you give me the background you want me to know. I don’t think it’ll make a difference, but if I’m out this far, I might as well hear you out.”
“Keep an open mind while you do,” he said. “I know you think we’re all thugs and criminals and gangsters, but just remember what I say.”
If you knew what my family has been through, you’d see that it’s not crazy to think about or consider. You seem different.
But that’s what my sister said about her boyfriend too.
“The Black Reapers exist to keep Springsville a peaceful place and without the bad element,” he said. “Yes, absolutely, we’ve done some stupid shit. We’ve gotten into fights at bars, we drink too much, sometimes we drive under the influence, that’s all true. You’ve seen us at your hospital. But we strongly believe in protecting our own and caring for our own. Springsville has been good to us from the start, and we want to keep it that way. There are rival factions that would have this place torn asunder through drugs and other violence.”
I had heard all of this already, especially from other nurses who had had encounters with the various Reapers—and Saints, albeit from the other side. This wasn’t news to me, although the earnestness and honesty with which Michael spoke suggested that he at least believed his own words.
“Right now, in particular, there’s a group called the Fallen Saints that have become particularly aggressive,” he said. “They’re inflicting a lot of violence and trouble on the area, and rumors are they’re going to start a hard drug trade here.”
“Define hard,” I said, even though I knew the answer. I was honestly just being a little difficult.
“Cocaine, meth, anything that would send you to the hospital instead of on a high. And you’re going to see a lot more of that in your hospital and in your patients if the Fallen Saints get in as much as they can.”
I grimaced at the thought, perhaps the first sign I’d given Michael that what he was saying was reaching me. I wasn’t proud of it, but it was true Springsville didn’t have a major drug problem—for now. If that got added on top of all of the other things we had to deal with...
“Now, we fight to keep that out, along with the more serious violence,” Michael said. “Yeah, you get the occasional jackass who wants to start a fight at Brewskis or someone who gets offended if they get looked at funny. But we most care about the Saints causing hell here. Which, well, let me put it to you like this... do you believe everything I’ve said so far?”
“Do I believe it?” I said, surprised to hear Michael trying to ask for my thoughts on it.He really is engaging me. Apparently, there’s a lot to learn about him that I have no idea about.“I mean, I haven’t had a lot of patients come in who were victims of your attacks. But I have a hard time believing you have no bad influence on this town and that you’re all just some sort of outlaw guardian angel group.”
“And we’re not perfect, I know. But you do realize we’re not some terrorist group or some local menace just beating everyone up.”
“For now,” I said, but I told myself to stop being so difficult. If Michael was going to be courteous to me, I had to return the favor.
I still wasn’t going to work for his… group, though.
“Well, we don’t have any intention of turning into that either, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“I know, sorry,” I said.
Apologizing to a biker. What a fucking night.
“All good,” he said. “Anyways, where you come into this is that we’re having to combat the Fallen Saints that are making life hell for us in the area. They’re a real pain in the ass, and in some ways, that’s quite literal. They have shot us, tried to kill us, and have made life awful. They have no ethics and have no bounds, so if they see a chance to kill us, they will. As much as we want to believe we can go to a hospital and be okay, our best chances at keeping the club safe is to keep it together. That’s why we want you around.”
He sighed.
“I know I’m asking a lot of you, Kaitlyn, and I’m sorry if we’re infringing upon you. We don’t want to put you in a spot where you feel like you’re breaking any rules or helping anyone you don’t want to. We would pay you significantly and would do whatever we need to have you in our corner. But I respect that you have ethics and aren’t willing to break them. It’s something I firmly believe in as well. So... with that all said, thoughts?”
“Hmm.”
I had to admit, Michael’s polite but firm tone impressed me. His measured thoughts impressed me. Really, a lot had impressed me about him.
“You certainly should have been the first person to come to me,” I said. “LeCharles, or Axle, or whatever he goes by, was a bit rude. You are much sweeter and kinder than he is.”
I even let myself smile at Michael.
“But I am not going to give in to any of your requests tonight. I did only say I was going to get a drink for the hell of it.”
“And that’s completely valid.”
Wait, what?
“If you’d told me to come and meet you and then you asked something of me the first time, I’d probably say no,” he said. “So I don’t blame you.”
