Page 26 of Crusher

We stood together in front of our father’sgrave as Speed told me about Cutter from the first time he couldactually remember him. We laughed, we cried, and we stood asbrother and sister and grieved—him for the loss of a man heloved—and me for the loss of a man I never got the chance tolove.

When we turned to leave, we left behind anyregret for time lost and brought with us the celebration of thetime we have left.

ChapterThirteen

Crusher

“What do you mean, nothing?” I asked Coast ashe continued to hit the keys on one crazy ass computer setup.

“Exactly that. I tracked it as far asGeorgetown, it bounces back to Washington, DC, then over toVirginia, up to Maryland, and back again. It is stuck in some loopand when you trace the number back it hits a wall.” Coast frownedat his screen. How he knew what that shit meant was way passed myknowledge of computers.

“Can you break through the wall?”

“Eventually but it will take some time. Notgoing to have a quick answer on this one, Crusher. Whoever the ladyis that keeps calling, she’s got connections.” Coast typed a bunchof codes in and then hit enter and pushed the chair back to stand.“I’ll let that program run, might take a day or two before isreturns anything useful. I’ll keep checking and let you know. Otherthan to bring me your phone, what’re you doing at Black Hawk whenyou should be locking down your woman.”

“Don’t worry about my woman. She’s beenlocked down, it just hasn’t hit her yet. Plus, I wanted to check inwith my dad. He and I had been going over some of the club businessand books, past and present, but with all the shit going on, Ihaven’t gotten to sit down with him lately.” Coast nodded he knewexactly what I had been doing, he’d been doing the same with hisdad, Cruz. We all had, each one of the dads was responsible forsome aspect of the MC. No one man would ever be able to keep upwith everything it takes to keep a club running smoothly.Especially one Black Hawk’s size. For a club that started with sixmembers, it had grown steadily over the years, reaching as high asfifty members at a given time. Men come and men go, some are justlooking for a place to call home. Black Hawk had picked up membersfrom the area when they moved in. Men who enjoyed the comradery,liked to ride motorcycles, and were looking for the loyalty andsupport of a brotherhood.

“Fair enough, but watch when it does hit her,she carries a gun.” Coast laughed as we walked out of hishouse.

“Nah, I locked that up when we got back. Atempered woman, a gun, and the authority to fire it, is not a goodcombination.” We reached the garage behind Speed’s place, as wewalked in Coast and I both stopped to stare at the sight.

Flirt, Jag, and Devil sat on the floor withAlly, each with their head bent down over a carburetor, and partsand tools spread around them. But what stopped us was Ally’sappearance, she was covered in grease.

“Shit, Sami is going to kill you.” I walkedover and looked down at them. Coast stood beside me, his headshaking back and forth.

“Sami knows Spider was going to help ustoday. We are showing her the working parts of the carburetor, shewas in charge of greasing the parts up.” Flirt shrugged hisshoulders like no big deal.

“Uh...did she bath in the grease?” Allylooked up at us and Coast was the first to laugh.

“Dudes, you are in some much trouble.” Theguys stood at Coast’s words and when Ally stood and I got the fullview of her, I laughed too. Her black hair was in a ponytail, withsections that had come out of the band that was holding it off herface. Black marks were streaked on her face and the parts of herarms not covered by the t-shirt she wore, were in no better shapethan her face. The little girl’s clothes, Sami would be better offburning than trying to wash. But the smile on Ally’s face might bethe only thing that would keep Speed from joining in on Sami’smurders.

“Uncle Crusher, Uncle Coast, looks at mywork. I’m helping put the carbeaters together.” Ally’s excitementwas contagious.

“I see that. How’d you get all that grease onyou?” I asked and she looked down at herself as if she didn’t knowthere was anything on her. Then she ran her hands down her shirtand jeans as if to dust off what she found. When she raised herhead back and looked at me, her hands went to her face and shepushed the loose strands of hair out of the way, smearing whatgrease she had on hands and face.

“I helped Uncle Devil change the oil in hisbike.” She gave me the look of ‘duh’ and I looked at Devil who justsmirked. Yeah, see how long the brother will keep that look whenthe momma stands in front of him.

“Nice knowing you, fucker,” Coast said and Ismacked him in the chest. We at least made an attempt to clean upour language when the kid was around. But when I looked back ather, waiting for her usual response when foul language was used,she had her hands held out. One in my direction and the other inCoast’s direction. When she spoke, I understood why we didn’t getcorrected.

“Uncle Jag said that I could get cash for notrattings out the men when they said bad words. See.” She put herhand in her pocket and pulled out what looked like about five ones,then shoved them back in her pocket and held the hand she used backout to me. “I gots that just from Uncle Jag ‘cause he hurt hisfinger working on the bike and said a wholes bunches of bad words.”I looked at Jag and he shrugged.

“Look at it this way. Speed and Sami won’thave to come up with a shitload of cash for college.” I couldn’targue there but I was going to stick around for the fireworks so Idug in my pocket and pulled out a dollar bill and handed it over.Coast did the same thing and we watched Ally look at the bills likeshe was checking to see if they were fake and then she smiled andshoved them in her pocket. Black Hawk’s own little shyster.

“I’m out. Going to see Stroker at theclubhouse. Nice knowing you dumbasses.” I headed for the door.“Spider, I don’t have any more ones, I’ll have to owe you.”

“Hey, you aren’t going to help us? How wesupposed to get her cleaned up,” Flirt yelled.

“My suggestion. A strip down on the porch anda scrub in the shower.” I walked out and didn’t look back, but Idid laugh at the panicked voices yelling out behind me.

“We can’t bathe a little girl!”

I approached the door to Stroker’s office andknocked. The muffled voices I heard in the office quieted.

“Who is it?” Stroker yelled.

“Just me, Prez.” I heard shuffling noises andthen Flyboy, Jag’s dad and VP, opened the door to me. I walked inand Stroker sat at the table in the back of the room with Cruz,Romeo, and Preacher, the table had files spread out. It didn’tescape me that Flyboy didn’t sit back down but continued to standby the door.

“Need something, Crusher?” Stroker asked ashe closed the file in front of him.

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