“We’re all out of sisters, ain’t we, Vike?” Greaser joins us, slapping me hard on the back and handing Jessie and Squealer a beer. “It’s good to see ya here, brothers.” He proves he’s a suck-up when he fakes a smile for them.
“What happened to the creepy one whose Mom we’re taking care of? Didn’t fancy paying his respects?” He looks around the room at all the other Colorado brothers that are scattered about, looking for Grimm.
“Anita still doesn’t know Grimm’s a member of the club, and he’s not ready for her to, yet,” Jessie explains, and I can tell by the look on his face that he ain’t appreciating Greaser’s tone. Jessie Donovan is one fucker he doesn’t wanna mess with. I heard he ripped a guy's throat out with his teeth once.
“What's wrong, the pussy got Mommy issues?" Greaser shakes his head and laughs. And in one swift motion, Jessie grips his arm, pushes it up behind his back, and slams him face-first into one of the clubhouse’s steel beams.
“Call a member of my charter a pussy again, and I’ll make sure your limp dick never makes it inside one again,” Jessie growls in his ear, and Squealer folds his arm, sniggering. “Ya got that?” Jessie checks, tapping him on the back of the head before releasing him with a shove.
“I was just kiddin’, didn’t mean anything by it.” Greaser straightens out his cut and looks around to see who’s noticed.
“Yeah, well, you buried your president today; it ain’t the right one to be kiddin’ on.” Jessie turns his back, and when I see Callum Monkhouse trying to get my attention, I excuse myself and head over so I can hear what he has to say.
“You want me?” I check, wondering what the fuck he could want to discuss with me.
“I think so.” He looks around the room nervously.
“Well, what's up then?” I try to get the dithering wreck to his point. I don’t have the patience for this guy’s bull shit today.
“It’s about the garage,” he whispers.
“That’s Greaser’s fuckin’ problem, I’m the treasurer. You got an engine problem, you see him; you got a finance situation, you see me,” I remind him.
“Well, this is a finance situation...Kind of..... See, I’m gonna need some.” He looks fuckin’ petrified
“For what?” I ask, trying to recall us using Callum and his services since the last time I paid him.
“That kid who was paying Greaser to chop cars. I found out that he spoke to an officer before he spoke to me; nothing official, nothing recorded, but I’d rather be sure what he said isn’t gonna be whispered to the wrong ears.”
“Callum, what the fuck are you talkin’ about?” I try not to lose my head with him.
“I spoke to Raze about it. The night he went missing, he told me he was gonna sort it. I can’t help you build these legit businesses if you're going t?—”
“Wait…you spoke to Raze the night he went missing?” I knew nothing about this.
“Of course, I did. And I wasn’t trying to tell the man how to run his club, but you running a chop shop out of the garage is one thing. Being careless over who you offer your services to is another. This kid who got arrested ain’t smart, it’s the second time I’ve been called in to represent him. He clearly isn’t getting better.”
“Leave it to me.” I step away from Callum and head back over to Ruckus, interrupting the conversation he’s having with Brax and Rocco’s older brother, Finn.
“Can I get a word?”
“Sure.” He follows me over to the corner when he can sense that the word I want to have needs to be in private.
“You know anything about a chop shop?” I check.
“I think there's a good one over in San Diego, why? What do you need shif?—”
“I’m not talkin’ about the one in San Diego. I’m talkin’ about us runnin’ one.”
“Us?I don’t think so. Speak to Jamie; I know Utah has run some in the pas?—”
“Ruck, I’m not on about the club, in general. I’m on about us…here…in Long Beach...Ourcharter.”
“I don’t have a clue what you're talking about.” He shakes his head and laughs, “Why would you think that?”
“I just put a little something together, in my head, but it ain’t nothin’ that can’t keep till mornin’.” I look across the room to where Greaser is standing by himself; he seems fixated on watching Alicia as she shows off her new baby girl to some of the other old ladies who have traveled here, and wonder. Wonder if that cunt could have been fuckin’ brave enough.
“Alright, I’m coming,” Vike calls out groggily as he makes his way to the door, while I check inside Mia’s Moses basket, hoping the loud banging hasn’t woken her up.
