While the rest of us focused on the stranger.
“Me? I’m Hail.”
“Hail,” Slash repeated.
“Like a guy named Slash should talk,” Hail shot back, lips twitching.
He was tall and on the lean side with a round face, black hair, pale skin, and dark blue eyes. And there was something wild in those eyes, something that made me clock his injuries once again.
What had he been up to?
And why would he show up here afterward?
“You know me. Why don’t I know you?”
“That’s kinda my question too,” Hail said, walking over to the cat tree that Coach had built and leaning his face in toward the cat, pressing a random kiss to the top of his head. Even Cat looked confused.
“Well, if you know me,” Slash said, “you know I’m not known for my patience. Get to the fucking point. Who are you and why are you here?”
“Told you who I am. Hail. Hail Quinn.”
“Wait…” Rook said, head cocking to the side.
Suddenly, something was ringing a bell for me too. I just couldn’t place it.
Slash was quick, though.
“Hail Quinn. You were in for stealing a cop car.”
Of course, Slash knew him by his crimes. He studied the guys in the prison, trying to decide who he thought might be a good fit for the club upon release. That was how he found Judge, Rook, Coach, Saint, and me.
Hail mimed firing a gun at Slash as he continued moving around the clubhouse, completely unbothered by the guns still pointed in his direction.
The front door opened, bringing in Saint and Syn, who gave us a shrug.
There was no one else.
Just this guy.
Picking up a drawing one of the kids had left on the coffee table, nodding, then putting it back down.
“You weren’t supposed to be out for another year.”
“Good behavior,” he said.
“Good behavior?” Slash asked, glancing at the guy’s face and hands.
“Oh, this,” Hail said, checking out his knuckles. “Wasn’t the only one who got out today. Ran into this Nazi fuck at the gas station. Decided his face needed some rearranging.”
“Why’d you steal a cop car?” Rook asked.
“Hm? Oh, dunno. Childhood dream, I guess. Always wanted to fuck with the sirens. Good times. Until they blew the tires out on me.”
“Alright. Let’s try this again. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Well, see, I heard things inside,” Hail said, grabbing someone’s cold coffee off the table, sniffing it, then taking a sip. “About a local biker club that recruits from the pool of guys getting released. Gotta say, I’m a little hurt I didn’t get an invite.”
“Why the fuck would I invite you? You stole a cop car. You’re not some master criminal.”
