“Yeah, yeah,” Chrome says, shaking his head. “You’re so full of it.”
“Speaking of full…” I start, but Chrome glares at me until I grin back.
“Fucker,” Chrome mutters.
In Mode’s office, he takes his seat and taps out a command on the keyboard. A few minutes later, a face flashes on the center screen. I recognize the man as Fred Sutherland. His hair is longer and sticking out in several directions. He also looks older than I remember. When he sees us, his eyes widen in surprise.
“Yes?” he asks, his eyes darting between the three of us. He eventually lands on me, and I see it when he recognizes me. “Whip?”
I nod. “Hey, Fred. Long time.”
“Yeah, it has been. What’s up?”
“Zara is in Chicago,” I say. His eyes widen again. “So am I.”
“You’re in Chicago? Really? I didn’t know. Have you seen Zara? Does she know you’re there?”
“We’ve spoken. She came to find me. I guess she saw me when I was out riding my club.”
Fred glances at Mode and Chrome before returning his attention to me. “You joined a different club?”
“Yeah, I’m with the Demon Dawgs. I came to the States when I left Australia. I eventually ended up in Chicago and joined the club soon after. We have chapters all over the country.”
“And Zara saw you and found you? Wow. I’m not sure what to say about that. Did she say why?”
I nod. “She did. She spotted Menace and a few other Bushrangers at the hotel where she’s staying.” As I tell him about Zara showing up terrified at our clubhouse and how Chrome confronted the men, I watch his expression morph into panic.
“Menace is there? Why? What does he want? Are you saying he wants Zara?”
“That’s what we’re wondering and why we’re calling,” Chrome says. “Zara came to us because she assumed they were here for Bush.”
“Bush?”
I raise my hand. “That’s my road name now. As I said, Zara saw me on the road, and when she spotted the bikers at her hotel, she assumed they were here for me. But we don’t think they know I’m here. Menace implied that he’s here for Zara.”
“He implied that Zara had something of his,” Chrome chimes in. “Does she?”
Fred runs his hand over his face, then rubs the back of his neck as he stares at the ceiling. “Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go to Chicago.”
“She’s an adult. You couldn’t have stopped her,” Chrome says. “But that isn’t the problem. What the fuck is going on?”
“What do you mean?” Fred asks. I can see his mind working, and I know he’s going to deflect. This isn’t happening on my watch.
“I joined a new club. I hear that you’ve joined a club, too. The Outriders?”
“Ah. Right. Yeah. I joined them. A friend of mine was a member. When we moved to Arrowtown, he hooked me up. We’re not like the Bushrangers. We do charity events and ride around on the weekends. That’s it.”
“You sold your store in Adelaide and moved to Arrowtown,” I say, watching him.
“Yeah. I did. What of it? You probably think I was weak moving from Australia to New Zealand to get away from the Bushrangers. You moved to the States.”
“I did. I wanted out, too. I don’t blame you for moving. But your daughter’s life is at stake. She’s in danger.”
“I’ll call her and order her to come home,” Fred says. “She’ll be safe here.”
“You’re asking her to give up her dreams and go into hiding? All because you stole from the Bushrangers?”
His ruddy expression turns grey. “What?” he stutters, but I shake my head.
