Page 116 of Break Out

“No, but what about Mom’s concerns? Would it be better for me to be your old lady? It seems like it would give me more protection.”

“Yeah, if there’s another threat, by then you’d be claimed and that should make you off-limits. Right now, my gut says it’s better not to draw attention to you like that. The shit Pump said about you at Target and especially the way he looked at you, Knuckles doesn’t give a damn about women or children and his brothers know it.”

She gave a slow nod.

“Besides that, you deserve more than me claiming you in a rush. Are you working from home all day?”

“Yes, sir. My brother might swing by for lunch, but that’s assuming he’s awake before eleven A.M.”

I nodded. “If you leave, take your gun.”

She grinned. “I always do.”

In the apartment parking lot, I mounted my bike and my phone rang.

Volt’s name lit up the screen.

“Volt,” I answered.

“Steel. You at the apartment?”

“Yeah, though I’m about to leave.”

“Do you have time to meet me at Platinum’s Gentleman’s club? It’s about five minutes from the apartment.”

“Sure. There a reason for this?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you at Platinum’s in ten minutes. Park around back.”

Ten minutes later, I had put the kickstand down on my bike and watched Volt ride his Harley into the lot, followed by another brother.

Volt sauntered toward me and I dismounted. Blood followed behind Volt, and I wondered what this was all about.

“Sorry, Steel. I didn’t want to do this over the phone. I don’t trust Simone not to eavesdrop.”

“I can understand that.”

“Blood got a call last night. Are you having problems with Corrupt Chrome MC?”

I glanced at Blood and to Volt. “What makes you think that?”

Blood glowered at me. “Does it matter?”

Volt shook his head. “I may have stopped breaking the law outright, but that doesn’t mean I ignore what’s happening around me.”

Since I hadn’t spoken to Rafferty today, there was a slight possibility he might have mentioned following Simone and confronting Scar and Pump. “What’s happening around you?”

“Why can’t you answer his question?” Blood demanded.

I locked eyes with him. “Because he asked for this meet, so clearly there’s an agenda. I don’t give up information freely, and my guess is, neither do you.”

Volt shrugged a shoulder. “I got word that Corrupt Chrome has an alliance with the Southside Slayers because they both deal drugs. The reason they forged this alliance was because they want to get the Devil Lancers out of the way.”

That didn’t warrant a response, so I kept quiet.

Volt dragged his hand along the back of his neck as though relieving tension, then he looked at me. “I ignored this information until I got a message late last night from a Riot chapter out west. Shit seems to be heating up between the Devil Lancers and Corrupt Chrome out there, too.”

Since he said ‘out west,’ I surmised that Volt was referring to their Vegas chapter. Shark, our Las Vegas chapter president, hadn’t called me. He might have called Torque… but even that should have gotten back to me.

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