Page 92 of Claimed By the Biker Brothers

As soon as he hears my voice, Rory sits up from his booth at the Claw, once a favorite watering hole for the Rogue Riders. The look on his pale face tells me he wasn’t expecting us, but he’s not too shocked about it either.

“What can I do you for?” he mutters, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

The last four years haven’t been good to him. He’s been drinking himself into an early grave judging by his yellow eyes. I take a seat across from him while Jagger and Knox remain standing close enough to hear but far enough to flee if we see anyone suspicious.

I look around and smile. “This place isn’t what it used to be, is it? I remember it being packed at this hour. Now, there’s just a handful of regulars.”

“The economy, man,” Rory says, then takes a sip of his beer. “What are you doing here?”

“You know, Grants Pass is just as I remember it overall, though it’s been overrun by Hughes acolytes—we noticed them on the way in from Redwood,” I say. “Do you know anything about that?”

He shakes his head. “Been keeping my nose clean. Thought you knew.”

“I had no idea, Rory. We’ve had our fair share of issues to deal with.”

“You look like shit,” Jagger says. “Working anywhere?”

“I just got laid off from the lumber mill,” he says. “That’s why I’m here enjoying a cold one and trying to figure out what I’m gonna do next.” He pauses and gives Knox a hard look.

“We’re looking to find out what’s been going on with the Hughes family, Rory,” I tell him, drawing his focus back to me. “Last time we spoke, you were pretty close to some of Marlo’s people. That’s why we had to kick you out of the club, remember?”

“And I told you back then I was gonna cut ’em all off if you’d just give me another shot,” he replies.

“You were dealing out of the clubhouse, Rory,” I remind him. “That was unforgivable. You knew what we were doing, what we wanted for the Rogue Riders. We told everyone they had a month to clean up their act and go legit with us or leave the club. You swore you’d keep riding with us, and then what did you do?”

Rory’s grimace signals pain and shame. “It was one last run, Diesel. One last run so I could have some cash ’til I figured something else out. I didn’t know how long it was gonna take y’all to go legit.”

“Still, it was a crime against the club. You can’t blame us, can you?” I ask.

He thinks about it for a moment, then lets a heavy sigh roll from his chest. “I’ve been good, I’ll have you know. Getting kicked to the curb by the Riders was the biggest failure of my life. It was time for a change.”

“Brother, it’s written all over you. You’ve been going heavy on the booze,” I reply.

Rory lowers his gaze. “I haven’t ridden in four years; it’s too painful.”

“How long are you going to keep punishing yourself?”

“What do you want from me? Information? It’s gonna cost. Nothing’s free these days, and I’m done doing favors for people who left me behind,” he says.

I lean forward. “Do you want to ride again?”

“Diesel?” Knox politely intervenes, but I subtly wave him away. He knows to follow my lead when they let me handle these talks, so he backs off.

“Tell me, Rory. Do you want to ride again?” I ask.

Rory nods once. “Yeah. I miss it. But I don’t wanna ride alone.”

“That’s fine. Would you consider becoming a prospect again? Clean slate, provided you get sober and prove to us how much you’ve changed. You said you’ve been keeping on the legal side of life, right?”

“I have; I promise.” He gives me a hopeful look. For the first time since I sat down, I see a flicker of hope in his eyes. Rory used to be a hardcore Rider. It pained us to let him go, but he pushed us. He gave us no choice. Maybe the time he’s spent away from us has made a difference. “I’m squeaky clean.”

“Okay,” I tell him, “then help us. Give us information. anything you might’ve seen or heard about Marlo and her boys, anything at all. Calvin’s working for her now.”

“I heard that,” Rory scoffs. “How’d that prick get out so fast?”

“We’re not sure. But he and Marlo have become dangerous. I don’t know what Calvin’s PO is doing either. Until we find out, we need to get ahead of the Hughes family. They’re dealing again.”

“Yeah, they are. Grants Pass is overwhelmed already. The Riders’ reach ain’t working as well as it used to,” Rory says. “My guess is they got somebody on their payroll in the sheriff’s office, that is.”

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