“Sorry.” I laughed. “It’s just a little strange being back here. That’s all.”
“Just like you remember?”
“It’s a hell of a lot busier. That’s for sure. Except I don’t recognize anyone. What the hell is going on around here? Where is everyone?”
“A bunch of the guys are in Oregon, and those of us who aren’t, areworking double time to make up for their absence.”
“Oregon? What the hell for?”
“Helping out the Dogs of Fire. Pop will tell you all about it. He’s in his office with your brother. They’re waiting for you.”
“Alright, we’ll catch up later then,” I said. “I owe you a beer.”
“You owe me many beers, but we can settle up another time,” he replied.
I made my way through the cabin to Sundance’s office to find the door open. Sundance and my older brother, Rocky, who just happened to be the club’s VP, stood hunched over Sundance’s desk, studying a scattered pile of documents.
“Knock, knock,” I said, announcing myself.
Sundance and Rocky straightened up and smiled in perfect unison, causing me to burst out laughing.
“Jesus, you two are becoming one person.”
“He’s the brains, and I’m the face,” Sundance replied.
“Fuck you,” Rocky said. “I’m the brainsandthe face.”
“Doesn’t leave you with much, does it Sunny?” I asked.
“Leaves me with the title of big swingin’ dick, which I most certainly am.”
“You’re certainly a dick, that’s for fuckin’ sure,” Rocky said.
Sundance pulled me in for an embrace followed by Rocky.
“How are you, brother? How’s the road been treating you?” Sundance asked.
“Road’s been alright. Aside from a few bumps here and there. Speaking of which, I have to thank you again for the assistance back in Iowa.”
Nine months earlier I’d run into some trouble with a meth head MC in Sioux City called the Ghouls when I’d unknowingly patronized a tavern they owned. There wasn’t a cut in sight when I walked into the joint, but by the time I’d taken the second sip of my beer, the place was packed with members. And they all wanted to know what the fuck a Primal Howler was doing in their fucking bar.
“Sundance told me what happened,” Rocky said. “Told me they worked you over pretty good.”
“Would have been a hell of a lot worse if one of those brainless assholes hadn’t remembered doing arun with Sundance back in the day.”
“For once, my reputation preceding me wasn’t a liability,” Sundance joked.
“He got the club to stop wailing on me, pulled me to my feet and asked if I knew Sundance. When I told him you were my president, he told everyone to back the fuck off and leave me alone.”
“Razor Rob is definitely a brainless asshole, but he’s okay,” Sundance said.
I rolled my shoulder, still feeling the pain of having my arm yanked behind my back. “Seriously, if you hadn’t been cool with that guy back in the day, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk right now.”
“Rob and I made some serious money on that run. Along with a lotof other guys. But that was another lifetime ago. Half the people from back then are either dead or in jail.”
“Things were a lot simpler back then, that’s for goddamned sure,” Rocky grunted.
“And some things are exactly the same, which leads me to why you’re here,” Sundance said. “Take a seat, let’s have a talk.”
