“Look, I know you and your code of honor. You’ll do whatever you have to do to get Sarah back.”
“You say that like it’s the wrong thing to do.”
“It is when the Raiders are trying to go legit.”
Even though he couldn’t see me, I shook my head in disbelief. “What the fuck is wrong with you? We’re talking about an innocent girl’s life here—one of our brother’s kids. Have you forgotten that Raiders protect their own regardless of the cost? You would do anything if someone had Willow or Alexandra. Hell, you have before.”
“Donotbring my wife and kid into this,” Deacon hissed.
“Don’t question me, and I won’t. Try for a moment to remember that Sarah is Breakneck’s kid, so for his sake, I’m willing to doanythingto get her back. If that means some blowback on the club, then I’ll fucking deal with it.”
“No, we’llallend up fucking dealing with it.”
I exhaled a frustrated breath. “I know you have a lot of pressure from Alexandra for the club to stay somewhat clean. But I guarantee if you told her what was happening, she would be behind me all the way, regardless of what the repercussions might be on the club.”
When Deacon cursed under his breath, I knew I had finally gotten through to him. “You’re a stubborn motherfucker,” he grumbled.
With a laugh, I replied, “I learned from the best, brother.”
Deacon snorted. “Yeah, well, just be careful.”
Since I knew Deacon wasn’t an overly emotional guy, I couldn’t help feeling a little touched at his concern. “I will. But at the end of the day, this is something I have to do.”
“Trust me, I get it. I don’t have to like it, but I sure as hell get it.”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
“Call me the minute you have her.”
“I will.”
After Deacon hung up without a goodbye, which was so his style, I went to get dressed. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling of dread crisscrossing its way over my skin. Although I would never have admitted my fears to him, I knew Deacon was right. Getting Sarah back was going to have serious blowback on the club.
At the time, I had no idea how severe.
***
Bishop returned with breakfast, and we were back on the road within half an hour. After a quick stop for lunch and gas, we pulled into the outskirts of El Paso a little before seven. We had been asked to meet our Texas brothers at a gentleman’s club they owned, which was located in one of the seedier areas of town.
When I pushed down the kickstand and eased off my bike, every muscle in my body screamed in agony. It had been a long time since I had done such an extensive run on the bike. The distance, coupled with the stress hanging over me, made me feel positively decrepit. I wanted nothing more than a hot meal and a cold beer. But as I gazed up at the blinking half naked woman on The Rising Phoenix sign, I realized I would be short on the hot meal, and in its place would be a lot of hot ass.
“Man, are we fucking lucky or what?” Bishop questioned, as he slipped off his helmet.
I chuckled. “Only you, little brother, would find any luck in this situation.”
“Oh come on. We’ve been on the road for three days. What better way to unwind than to have a lap dance and a cold one?”
“Do I have to remind you that we’re here on serious business?”
Bishop rolled his eyes. “Jesus, you’re always such a hard ass.”
Ignoring him, I started across the gravel of the parking lot to the building. Two muscular men outfitted in Raiders cuts stood guard at the front door. At the sight of Bishop and me, a smile stretched across their hardened faces. The tallest one of the two stepped forward. “Prez said to be on the lookout for you guys.”
Returning his smile, I threw out my hand. “I’m Reverend Malloy and this is my brother, Bishop.”
“Sidewinder and that’s Weasel,” he replied, motioning to the other guy. “Great to meet you guys. Ya know, I slept over at your clubhouse a few years back after a run.” He winked at me. “You Georgia boys sure know how to show your brothers a good time.”
With a chuckle, I replied, “That we do.”
