Page 28 of Nevada

“Help yourself,” he says, nudging the plate our way. “If you like, I’ll go and see if they’re ready for you in a second.”

I smile appreciatively and take a cookie. Halo does the same and she groans as she bites into it. “These are so good!”

Manny laughs. “Glad you like them. It’s an old recipe. The calories magically disappear if you have three or more.” He winks.

Halo giggles and I decide he’s safe, at least for now. I don’t trust anyone aside from Kyle and Halo. “I better keep eating then.”

“I guess you better.”

The kitchen is industrial with all the mod cons. Again, it’s clean and there are rows of shelves behind him lined with spices and pots and pans. It’s all stainless steel and the huge burner stove behind him is as big as my truck. I didn’t expect to come into the NOLA Rebels clubhouse and be greeted with niceties and fucking cookies.

Nothing about anything to do with the Rebels has been normal from the get-go, so should I honestly be surprised?

5

NEVADA

“We were in charge of gettin’ Big Papa on the right side.” Brew points at Cash. “And the second we had to go out of town to do a job, the biggest raid Louisiana has ever seen goes down and we weren’t there to help out.”

We’ve been over this before, but Brew can’t let it go.

Brew and Haze are both big guys and look intimidating; both have large builds, with their gruff appearances, and have just as many tattoos as I have. They’re both excellent fighters.

But Cash is in charge around here, and what he says goes.

We recently found out the brothers have their own personal vendetta against the human traffickers. Brew’s old flame went missing six months ago and turned up dead; the authorities believe that she was kidnapped and forced into sex work. He’s never forgiven himself. I get why he’s mad, but he also has to see the bigger picture here.

“We gonna go through this again?” Cash steels his jaw. “Not gonna sit around on my hands while you two fuckers decide if you’re in or out. This club doesn’t run by the rules of Brew and fuckin’ goddamn Haze!”

“Hey, don’t bring me into this,” Haze grumbles. “I told him we were cuttin’ it close leavin’ town to begin with, unfortunately duty called.”

Brew gives his brother a sideways glance which says, ‘Shut the fuck up.’

It’s no secret the brothers have been moving more into surveillance and security; helping out the club and keeping things in order with Big Papa in the underworld. Making sure he’s safe and the other allies we have is our number one priority. The brothers don’t deal drugs, Big Papa has a hand in everything illegal except trafficking and anything to do with kids. He shoots pedos in the head, just like we do.

“So what’s the goddamn problem?” Cash barks. “You’re not here for important take downs, that ain’t my issue. We call a committee meeting on this; this shit ain’t gonna fly with any of the brothers. I should throw you out on your asses for comin’ in here and barkin’ at me like I’m some little junkyard dog!”

I admit, coming in here to throw their weight around to Prez ain’t a good look. Even if they do have their reasons for being upset.

“What Brew means is we’re committed, Cash. We wanted in when we were underground fightin’ and gettin’ intel on that asshole from the Devils. We’re pissed because we didn’t get to haul ass after puttin’ the time in. You know how we feel about gettin’ this city back to how it used to be. It’s more of a passion of ours, rather than a chore. Right, brother?”

Brew grunts.

“Nobody’s doin’ that, right boys?” I put in. Nobody likes to see Cash mad. His moods can go on for days if he’s pissed off enough. “You’re just pissed because shit went down you weren’t here for, but the bigger picture is the mob got taken out, and our alliance with the Irish and the underworld is as strong as it’s ever been. You had a big part in that.”

Some say I’m the peacemaker. I joke around a lot, but sometimes adding fuel to the fire doesn’t help anyone. I can calm any situation, more often than not that involves getting in the way and sometimes getting punched, but hey, all in the name of brotherhood.

They all look at me but Cash is the first to speak. “You drove the getaway car if I remember correctly.”

When Priest saved his ol’ lady from the mob after she was kidnapped, we all had a job to do, and making sure they got to safety was priority. West being there to help was an added bonus.

“I drive like a motherfucker.” I shrug.

Brew snorts again then nods his head to me. “What’s up with this chick who’s been sniffin’ around?” A change of subject is probably good.

“Her sister got taken by a suspected sex trafficking ring. Don’t know much of the details, but from what I figure it was likely the mob. We all know the Caruso family was famous for trafficking all the way back to Texas,” I say. “As far as I can tell she’s run out of leads and heard you guys were the ones who did all the groundwork in the underworld. She wants answers, and trust me when I say she’s a fireball.”

“Great,” Haze mutters. “That’s all we need.”

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