Page 3 of Joker's Ghost
“Our clubhouse, The Gold Mine, has the same rep. Apparently, Bugsy got around.”
Tiny pinpricks skittle up my spine at the mention of the notorious gangster. Yeah, that’s not fuckin’ weird.
Cobra draws in a breath. “We’ve co-existed in the same state for the last ten years, so I don’t know what’s changed, and why all of a sudden we’re having issues.”
Typical Cobra, cutting right to the chase.
“Nothing’s changed as far as the Nomads are concerned, but six months ago, we ousted two members. We thought we confiscated anything with the Nomads logo or insignia, but apparently someone messed up.” Arrow’s eyes dart to Blade. “We’ve tried to track them down, along with our belongings, but so far we haven’t been successful.”
“Shit.” I lean into the table. “So, you got ex-members in bad standing pulling jobs while wearing your cuts.”
“Exactly.” Arrow draws his hand through his jet-black hair. “That’s why we wanted this meet. We don’t want trouble with the Serpents.”
“All right, I get it.” Cobra cocks his head. “But that’s not why you drove all the way down south to meet up.”
“Very observant.” Arrow pulls a hand-rolled cig out of his cut, and Stone lights him up. He drags deep and lets the smoke waft overhead. “We were hoping you’d help us catch them. Especially since you know the area and the players, and you don’t want them in your territory any more than we do.”
Something didn’t sound right. “True, but this is your in-house problem, not an issue for the Serpents.”
The Nomad crew was huge, spanning from Reno east tothe Rocky Mountains and as far north as the Oregon High Desert. The Serpents, although feared and respected in Vegas, didn’t have half their manpower or territory.
Arrow drew in another deep drag, then let his eyes shift to the old man standing stock-still in the back of the room. “‘Cause the two who were shunned were Warrior’s great-grandkids.”
The older man advances toward the table. His ramrod posture and fit, sinewy frame move with ease, and although his skin is tanned a deep chestnut, it shows no wrinkles, which makes pinpointing his age impossible.
He takes the seat at the head and declares, “Shoshones do not kill other Shoshones.”
Cobra and I exchange a look. I don’t know about Cobra, but I’m getting a weird-ass vibe, and I don’t fuckin’ like it.
Cobra leans back in his chair, but his gaze darts between Warrior and Arrow. “So, you want the Serpents to do your dirty work?”
“In a matter of speaking, yes.” Arrow exchanges another look with Warrior. “It will work out for everyone involved.”
Warrior clears his throat. “I admit my great-grandsons have disrespected the Nomads with their behavior, but I cannot go against our laws and customs.”
“This puts a whole different spin on it. I figured you’d take care of the problem with your own people, but us doing the job is gonna come with a price.”
“I can appreciate this.” Warrior sets his black eyes on me. “And I’m thinking you’re the man who will do it.”
I side-eye Cobra. “Nothing’s been decided yet.”
Warrior’s eyes never leave mine. “I see an aura around you of strength and leadership.”
“I got no problem with leadership, but my prez is the one who calls the shots for the Serpents.”
I shift in my seat, and the old guy is still zoned in on me. Fuckin’ creepy.
“I see you were an outlaw in all your previous lives,” Warrior continues with the death stare. “In the days of the Old West, I’m getting visions of a stagecoach robber, and in more recent times, between the 1920s and 40s, a gangster.”
“You know what they say.” I bark out a rough laugh. “Once an outlaw, always an outlaw.” Yeah, this guy is just fuckin’ with me, right?
“If we’re to get this job done, we’ll need descriptions and anything else useful. It’s not gonna happen until we have all the particulars and can be assured there’ll be no blowback on the Serpents.”
Cobra is covering our ass, but I’m having some really strong feelings about kissing this one off.
“Then we need to come to an agreement about compensation.” Cobra looks at me and then back at Arrow. “This is no small job.”
“If you make an example of one, the other will back down.”
