Page 14 of Throttle

“I wasn't aware you had any, my friend. However, sometimes I've been mistaken. Not every time, but it happens.” I slap Tank’s shoulder with a laugh.

“Don’t make me toss you over this cliff, dipshit.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Could you ladies be quiet?” Chain swings his leg over his bike, then stands at full height.

“Shouldn’t Charger be here too?” Leaning on his ride, Bullet crosses his arms over his chest.

Chain groans. “After what happened to his ol’ lady, this hits too close to home. And we don’t need him going rogue with a pregnant fiancé.”

I don’t disagree. Charger's feelings are unreliable after witnessing his woman being kidnapped and almost sold as a future sex slave.

It still unsettles me.

“So, the rest of us are just lonely adult men with nothing meaningful to cherish? Man, that hurts boss,” I joke.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You boys ain’t got shit.”

Tank motions toward his crotch. “Not my balls anymore, that’s for sure.”

"Without a doubt." I give mine a gentle tap for good measure.

“Jesus. I should have brought Angel. You guys are annoying the piss out of me.” Chain still protects her from certain situations. He’s getting better, but not there yet, and he’d rather keep her away from human trafficking ops. “Listen up. See that van?” He points over to the warehouse where the vehicle’s parked on the outside. All white, no windows.

We’re on a back road that overlooks the steel building and as Bullet approaches, uttering a curse, the rest of us follow suit, abandoning our parked rides. None of us are in the mood to tell jokes anymore.

“Another trafficking van? Jesus Christ.” Shit makes my skin crawl.

We've been encountering way too many instances of this vile industry, and our hatred for it keeps growing. It takes a depraved individual to sleep soundly at night after participating in such a garbage hustle.

Chain looks over at me. “That’s exactly what it is. Which is why we’re here. An anonymous tip led me to believe that they are still in business, as you can see. Cops drag their feet like fucking sloths, and nobody got time for it.”

My blood turns hot. Even in the icy chill, I feel the burning rage. Charger would barrel down this hill to take every one of those dirtbags out.

“So, what do you want us to do?” Bullet asks, and we wait for an answer.

“I’m putting the new prospect on their tail. See if he can find something out. What the fuck’s his name?” Chain snaps his fingers.

“Brass,” Tank's voice carries through the stillness of the morning.

“Right. Whatever. He wants to earn his patch… he’ll start with this. Come on, let’s go.” Chain and the others approach their rides, but I hang back.

If he is right, they better beg to God for mercy, because we will obliterate them. End them. The same way we have before. It's a dangerous decision to involve ourselves, but how can we rest if we don't put a stop to it? Walking away and leaving the heat to handle it wasn’t a choice. We're superior to any justice system. We are the justice system.

The quiet, yet threatening voice next to me is one that would have me shaking if he wasn’t my brother. Part of this club. “If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”

With a slow turn, I fix my gaze on Hush’s silent profile, showing zero emotion. “You writing poetry, man?”

Hush tosses his cigarette over the cliff, letting it fall to its demise. “It’s Sun Tzu.” He strides away, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, leaving a trail of mystery behind him.

I’m glad he’s on our side.

Just as we're about to leave, we hear the roar of motorcycles that don't belong to us. Several Harleys appear in the distance. I recognize the dipshit as soon as their leader blocks our only exit to the main road. Pipe and the members of his club. Funny, they’re far from their turf.

When Chain gets off first, that's our signal. Initially comes Bullet, then Hush, followed by me and Tank. Hush spins his bat while I ensure my knife is within reach. We're ready for whatever trouble these guys might cause.

Chain and Pipe come close to facing each other, the dirt crunching beneath them.

“Chain, fancy seeing you again so soon.” Pipe glances around. “What? Are there no snatches this time? Did you decide to keep them on a leash?”

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