“Me either. When did you get here?”
“A few minutes ago. I got caught up.” Beast touched his nose and looked down at the ground.
His energy was off, but I assumed it was because of what happened. As the president, I knew he felt responsible for all the members.
“Heard you.”
We stood to the side while Tech approached the casket.
When he was done, he walked over to Beast and me.
“Are y’all planning on going to the repass?”
I scrubbed my hand down my face. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go or not.
“I don’t know. His sister gave me some dirty ass looks, and I’m not trying to cause anyone any discomfort. I might just head out to the clubhouse and chill until everyone comes back.”
“I don’t think I’m gonna go either,” Beast added.
The three of us walked toward the door, while some of the other members said their goodbyes. A few of the members were going to escort the hearse and the family to the cemetery. I was riding, too, but I would play the back.
“I’ll meet y’all at the clubhouse later.” Beast walked away before either of us could respond.
“Has he been moving weird to you?” I asked Tech when it was just the two of us.
“Yeah. I was going to ask you the same thing. What you think that’s about?”
Beast had been off for the last couple of weeks. He hardly came to the clubhouse, leaving me in charge of everything. Whenever I asked him about it, he would say he was handling business. He was real secretive about whatever the business was.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll find out sooner or later.”
“You right. I know I’m trying to get a plate at the repass.” He rubbed his stomach.
“You sure that’s all you trying to get? No disrespect, but Slim has some fine ass family members.”
Tech laughed and shook his head.
“I ain’t gonna hold you, but he definitely does. I’m not on that, though. You know baby shower and funeral food be hitting.”
We slapped hands and chuckled. “You ain’t never lie. Let’s get out of here, though. Shit, maybe I do need to get a plate myself.” I smirked. I saw a few of Slim’s family members I could lend a shoulder to while they grieved. I shook my head at my crazy ass thoughts.
Tech opened the door, and we stepped out. The family was already in the limos that would take them to the cemetery, and some of the Vipers were already on their bikes.
Tech and I were parked next to each other, so we walked over to our bikes, then put on our helmets. I didn’t pull mine all the way down so I could communicate when it was time to leave.
“I got you on the plate,” Tech said as he kicked his kickstand down.
“Good looking.”
When I saw the casket come out, I turned my bike on. Adrenaline rushed through me when the engine purred underneath me. That feeling would never get old to me.
Ever since I was six, I knew I wanted to ride motorcycles. It was the first time my dad put me on the back of his, and I fell in love with it. The wind whipping through me and the rumble of the engine excited me even at a young age.
My father, Animal, was the president until he was killed a few years ago. When he died, Beast became president, and I became vice president. That was five years ago, and I missed my dad a lot. He was my best friend and taught me everything I knew about bikes and running the club. He was a good dude, but you didn’t want to get on his bad side. He didn’t get the name Animal for nothing, but according to him and my mom, he changed his ways when they had me. Don’t get it fucked up, though; he was still a killer, until someone got the best of him. I never did findout who it was, and it made me think about it even more with not knowing who killed Slim. There was a rival gang, the Disciples, but I wasn’t sure if they were responsible for the deaths. We’d had fist fights, but nothing too crazy.
“Kane, I think they are ready,” Slider told me.
Slider had been in the club for years, and he was the second road captain, sometimes called the tail gunner. Whenever we went for rides, he rode in the back of the line. His purpose was to keep the crew in formation and maintain our safety. He was the counterpart to Rico, who was the official road captain.
