Page 3 of Hatter

“See that you don’t,” I warned. “We’ve worked too hard to let some wannabe tough guys tear us down.”

“Understood.” March gave a mock salute and turned to leave. “I’ll report back as soon as I have something solid.”

“Good,” I called after him. “And keep Cheshire in the loop too. We need to stay united on this one.”

“Will do,” March replied, his steps echoing in the hall as he left.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. “Just when things were starting to look up.”

I knew we had our work cut out for us. Our enemies were relentless, and any sign of weakness would be like blood in the water. The club was my family, and there was no way in hell I’d let anyone threaten what we’d built together.

We’d faced opposition from the town when we’d first settled here. It hadn’t taken them long to realize we weren’t going to hurt anyone. But then word had spread about our place here, and other clubs had started poking around. At least once a year, we had to run them off. I refused to let them turn Warren into a war zone. We’d worked hard to help the people in this town and earn their trust.

Bad enough the mayor, sheriff, and other higher-ups were as corrupt as fuck. Someone had to be the voice of reason. There were times I and my brothers were the only things protecting the people here.

When things were too quiet for the next half hour, I decided to take action. Leaving my office, I went in search of the others.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Which pissed me off. They all had jobs to do, and playing games wasn’t on the list. I knew March would have followed my orders and told everyone what he’d discovered.

“Cheshire,” I barked, turning my attention to our club’s Vice President. “I need you to get the word out to all our brothers, both inside and outside of Warren. Tell them to keep their eyes and ears open for any suspicious activity. We can’t let these bastards catch us off guard.”

“Got it, Hatter,” Cheshire responded coolly, his mischievous grin replaced by a determined scowl. “I’ll make sure everyone’s on high alert. Those fuckers won’t know what hit them.”

“Good.” I nodded, clapping him firmly on the shoulder. “Now get to it.”

As Cheshire and March set about their assigned tasks, I stepped into the dimly lit hallway, my mind racing with contingency plans and potential outcomes. Our enemies were cunning, but we had something they’d never stand a chance against -- the unbreakable bond of brotherhood. All clubs called each other brother, but none were forged the way ours had been. Our trust and loyalty had been branded in us by the US government. These men had been the ones who had my back, helped keep me alive, and they would be family until the day we died.

“Hey, Hatter,” Rabbit’s shaky voice pulled me from my thoughts. The anxious Secretary appeared before me, visibly distressed, wringing his hands as he struggled to maintain eye contact.

Shit. I’d thought he’d been doing better. Every time I thought he’d calmed down and had his shit together, something else would set him off.

“Rabbit, what the fuck’s going on?” My tone was harsh, but concern laced every word. This wasn’t like him. Something was up, and it didn’t sit well with me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Uh, well…” Rabbit stammered, his gaze darting around the hallway. “I got a call from home. My mom, she’s… she’s real sick, Hatter. The doctors say --” His voice cracked, and I could see the fear in his eyes.

“Take a breather, brother,” I told him, trying to keep my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “We’ll figure this out, all right? You’re not alone in this.”

“Thanks, Hatter,” Rabbit sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I just… I don’t know what to do right now. She’s my mom, you know?”

“Focus on the club and your brothers,” I advised him. “We’ll handle this together. You’ve got my word. Whatever your mom needs, we’ll see she gets it.”

“Thank you,” Rabbit managed a weak smile through his tears. “I appreciate it more than you know.”

“Get your head together, Rabbit. We’ll handle this as a family,” I reassured him. Rabbit nodded, wiping away the last of his tears before getting back to work. I needed to keep my mind focused on the club and the threat we were facing as well as the event we’d been planning.

I walked down the dimly lit hallway, my boots echoing with each step. The smell of grease and gasoline grew stronger as I approached the garage, a place where my brothers and I found solace in working on our bikes. The roar of an engine revving greeted me as I stepped inside, and there he was -- Absolem, hunched over a motorcycle, meticulously working on it.

“Hey, Absolem,” I said, making my presence known. “How’s that beauty coming along?”

“Almost done, Hatter,” Absolem replied without looking up, his hands steady as he adjusted the carburetor. “She’s going to be purring like a kitten when I’m through with her. Should be ready for the event.”

“Good. We need her looking perfect.” I flicked the ash from my smoke and studied Absolem’s face, searching for any sign of tension. He’d bought this bike as a fixer-upper, and we’d thought about auctioning it off at the party. One hundred bucks per ticket. While it wasn’t cheap, I knew there would be plenty of people willing to pay at least that, if not nearly a grand, in the hopes of winning a motorcycle. Not to mention, they knew the proceeds would go to the children’s hospital. “You heard about the potential threat, right?”

“Cheshire mentioned something,” he replied, focusing back on his work. “Didn’t give me details, though.”

“Seems we’ve got ourselves some unwanted attention,” I said, keeping my tone casual. “Could be nothing, could be something. Just have to keep our eyes open.”

“Always do,” Absolem muttered.

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