Page 35 of Claimed By the Biker Brothers

“We figured that much with you walking in here and waving this around,” Diesel says and lets the badge drop on the table. “What do you want? The statute of limitations on any illegal activities the Rogue Riders MC may have been involved with has expired. We gave every fucking Federal agency every piece of information we had for every half-assed investigation you tried to shove down our throats.”

“It’s been quiet over the past couple of years,” Knox calmly remarks. “How can we be of assistance, Agent Spalding?”

“Well, I am not a bearer of any good news,” Spalding replies and takes what looks like a black leather vest out of the evidence bag. My stomach drops as I recognize the Rider insignia sewn on it. “We busted a drug smuggling operation a few miles down from here, linking Oregon to Northern California. About seventy kilos of heroin were seized in the process, but the drivers got away. We were able to arrest one of the men, though, and he was wearing this.”

He lets the vest drop on the table with a flick of his wrist as though simply holding it fills him with disgust.

“What’s this?” Knox asks, simply staring at the vest.

Cautiously, I turn it over and start checking the patches one by one. The more I observe, the more my stomach lurches because the stitchwork looks original. These are our patches—or so they seem at a glance.

“I was hoping you could tell me as leaders of the Rogue Riders MC. That’s what it says on the back of the vest, doesn’t it?” Spalding asks.

“Who is this supposed Rider you arrested?” I ask.

Spalding shrugs. “He won’t talk.”

“How convenient,” Diesel cuts in. “None of our riders are involved in any illegal activities. That, I can personally guarantee.”

“Oh, can you?” Spalding asks, sounding downright skeptical and pointedly ignoring the first question.

Diesel leans forward, nowhere near as impressed by the vest as I am. I can’t take my eyes off the damn thing. It doesn’t make sense. We worked so hard to rid the club of the criminal element, to start anew and take the Riders in a different direction. I simply can’t make heads or tails of this.

Inside, my guts are on fire.

“As a matter of fact, I can, Agent Spalding,” Diesel says. “As I’m sure you’re aware, our club’s history may have been stained in previous decades by various illicit activities, but ever since we came back from the service and took over, the Rogue Riders have turned over a new leaf.”

“Yeah, I heard that story. Personally, I call bullshit,” Spalding says.

“Then you’re disrespecting us as veterans, sir,” Knox says and stands up with squared shoulders and a muscle ticking furiously in his jaw. “We didn’t serve this country for years overseas just to come back and tarnish it with drug-running operations and whatever the hell else this club was suspected of. We made sure all of our operations were legitimate. And that is easily proved. I can provide your office with the documentation you need.”

“I need a full list of your club members, for starters,” Spalding shoots back, hands resting on his hips. “With contact details and last known addresses.”

“Sure,” Diesel says. “Do you have a warrant?”

Spalding gives him a sour look. “Are you really going to go there?”

“We’re law-abiding citizens, Agent Spalding,” Knox says. “We cannot simply divulge our members’ personal information without proper paperwork.”

“But I can tell you right now that I run background checks on every prospect looking to become a Rogue Rider,” Diesel adds. “And given the club’s past brushes with the law, I’ve made it quite clear that those who are still active in the criminal field are not welcome. Our men are clean, Agent.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Spalding says, then points at the vest. “In the meantime, I know one of you fuckers just tried to bring seventy kilos of heroin into my state. And I also know that while I can’t arrest all of you right now, I will come back with a warrant, and then I’ll turn this entire shithole upside down.”

Diesel smiles broadly. “I think you need to prove this patchwork is legitimate Rogue Riders MC material. It doesn’t look like it.”

It doesn’t? I glance at him, but my expression is blank. I’m not sure if he’s bluffing.

“My partner makes a fair point,” Knox chimes in. “Anyone with a good stitcher handy can pull these patches off. All they need are images of our vests, and there are plenty of those on our website.”

“I’ll have our lawyer reach out to the DEA and the district attorney,” I say, picking up on what Knox and Diesel are playing at. “They’ll liaise with you regarding the scope of any warrant you might want to bring over. I’m not convinced this vest did, in fact, come from a club member.”

“You’re just digging yourselves into a deeper hole, you realize that, right?” Spalding says and gives me a sour look, clearly pissed he’s not getting his way.

Diesel leans back in his chair, feigning amusement. “What did you think would happen? That you’d just walk right in, and we’d roll over for you? I’m telling you, Agent, our guys had nothing to do with any drug running. If anything, we’ve been assisting the sheriff in his efforts to keep Redwood and the entire district clear of such activities.”

“You can ask him yourself,” Knox adds.

I don’t like this. I don’t like the fact that Spalding is here. Mainly because I don’t believe in coincidences. Calvin gets released on parole. Rumors of drug trafficking and the Hughes family rise again in the area. And now this? No, there’s a link somewhere, and we need to find it before the DEA. Our club’s future and our livelihoods may be at stake.

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