Another biker stepped in behind him, older, with a President patch on his chest and a firm voice.
“We came to talk.”
Twenty minutes later, Hillbilly and Ironside were called in, sitting across the table from the Rebel’s President.
Psycho leaned against the bar, his keen eyes sharp and watchful, but saying nothing.
I stood off to one side with Teddy, arms crossed and jaw clenched.
“I hate this,” I grumbled.
“Me too, brother,” Teddy replied.
Ironside spoke first. “Start talking. Keep it short and simple.”
“I’m Redstar,” the Rebel President said. “And this fuck-up is Beagle,” he added, shoving the other biker with the missing finger. “We’re here to apologize.”
“Like hell you are,” I put in.
Ironside directed a scathing look in my direction for speaking out of turn. A Prospect was supposed to be seen and not heard. I bit my tongue until I tasted the bitterness of blood.
“You boys will have to set the record straight for me,” Hillbilly said. “Twenty-four hours ago, you took a shot at oneof us. And we had advance notice that you were planning the hit in the first place. So, this isn’t some oopsie-daisy accident. You set these wheels in motion intentionally. But now, you’re apologizing? You must think we’re dumb as shit to buy that hogwash.”
Redstar sighed. “I was not aware the plan was set in motion.”
I scoffed. “Do you really expect us to buy that?”
“Prospect,” Ironside snapped. “This is your second warning. If I have to tell you a third time to shut your mouth, the duration of your Prospecting days will be extended another six months.”
Teddy thumped me in the shoulder. “Dude. Stop talking.”
I stifled a growl and pressed my lips together.
Redstar continued. “You’re right. We were planning the hit. We liked the idea of expanding our territory. But our intention was to injure a Prospect to spook you. Not a fully patched member, which would be taken as a declaration of war.”
“You don’t get our territory without war either way,” Hillbilly pointed out.
Redstar nodded. “We thought you might take that stance. So, we voted.” He paused. “And it failed. We didn’t want to put our brothers at risk. We didnotvote for this.”
Silence settled over the clubhouse as that sank in.
“Are you saying you didn’t shoot me?” Teddy protested. “Because I have the bullet wound to prove otherwise.”
“I’m saying,” Redstar replied. “Beagle and two other members went rogue. They decided to pursue the plan of their own accord, even after the club voted against it.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” I demanded. “And how do we know that more of your men won’t go rogue and decide to come after us?”
This time, Ironside didn’t scold me for speaking up when I was supposed to stay silent and observe as a Prospect. Instead, he waited for Redstar’s answer, just like everyone else did.
He spread his hands. “I have nothing to offer you except my word. This behavior will be punished properly. And if a Rebel does cause harm to any of you again, it was not sanctioned by me or my club.”
That’s cold comfort,I thought.
After a few moments of deliberation, Hillbilly gestured to me.
“Get us some whiskey, Prospect,” he said. “We’ll drink on it.”
I released a breath of irritation, but I did what I was told without comment or objection. When I returned, I set the glasses down on the table a little too hard, showing just how much I didn’t approve of this arrangement.
