Page 29 of Beast
“Fuck, Beast, it was nothing.” Cinder moved to the opposite end of the room.
“What the fuck, you going to make me chase you?” I moved back to my seat and held the gavel. “Spill it.”
“While you were in Varner, Donna came to me. Said she wanted back in. I told her no fucking way. Skittles was the queen, and that wasn’t going to change. She got pissed. Said she had a way back in. Didn’t say how, but offered me shit if I helped her off Skittles.”
“What the fuck, Cinder? It would have been nice to know someone was trying to have me killed.”
“I took care of it.” Cinder grabbed another beer since his was too close to me. He turned to Skittles. “If I’d told you that, you would have gone scorched Earth on that bitch, and we didn’t need that. She never asked me again.”
“So now I gotta fucking deal with Mark’s mom. How the hell do I navigate those waters?”
The other officers came in, feeling the intensity in the air. They took their seats, and Skittles left. Kickstand reappeared at the end of the table.
I didn’t believe in shooting the shit when I had something important to say, so I said it. “Cutter confessed to Skittles that Rip is the one who killed Kickstand.” The room stayed silent. “I know what needs to happen, but we’ll vote on it first. Keep in mind killing a chapter’s president could bring ten kinds of hell from their other chapters. We need to prepare for war. That means I want all families here at the club. I want every Prospect and every member here to protect the club and its people.” I stood and walked around the room, watching Kickstand. “It’s going to get brutal.”
“Let's go fuck them up,” Watcher said.
I shook my head. “Not the way to go about it. We do it the right way. We need to separate Rip from his club. I want Rip. He knows I do. He knows it was always going to come to this. Let’s vote.” I sat and grabbed the gavel as we went around the table. Everyone agreed. I hit the table with the gavel to make it official. We were going to war.
The door opened, and Diesel came in. “You’re not going to believe this shit, but Rip is outside with your ex-old lady. Mark’s crying, afraid Rip is going to kill her.”
Everyone got up and started out. “Wait,” I said. I moved past everyone and went outside, where Rip had his hand around Donna’s neck. Mark stood a few feet away, crying, Skittles at his side.
“I take it you found out this bitch, and Cutter were hooking up,” Rip said. “I didn’t approve whatever shit they had going on. As a peace offering, I’m dropping her at your doorstep, alive.”
“Let her go,” I said, and Rip did. “Skittles, take Donna and Mark inside.”
Donna was lucky that Mark was by her side. Otherwise, Skittles would have bitch slapped her and knocked her on her ass. I had to keep the two from each other when Mark wasn’t present.
“You burned down one of our properties.” Although Rip stood alone, the roar of bikes coming down the street told me he wasn’t alone. I wasn’t going to have a war at the club’s doorstep.
“You mean where you held my old lady? That's some stupid shit, Rip.” I took a few steps forward, and he took a step back. Ten bikers from his club pulled to our gates.
“I told you, I didn’t know what was happening.” Fear washed over Rip’s face, and I took another step to keep that fear in place.
“I know what you did, Rip. I know you killed Kickstand.”
“You don’t know shit, Marcus. My patience is running out with the Brothers of Chaos.” His club revved their bikes, and he held up a hand for them to stop. “Don’t leave your clubhouse. You're a dead man the second you step outside these gates.”
“Like Cutter?”
“Cutter’s just fine.”
“Is he now? I think once Pine Bluff Fire Department starts digging through the ashes, they’ll find a dickless Cutter beneath.” I moved within a foot of Rip, and his club pulled forward, lining up behind him.
The Brothers of Chaos came outside, armed and ready for war—forty of us against ten of them.
“Remember what I said, Marcus.”
“Why’d you do it, Rip? Why kill Kickstand?”
“He was in the way. I wanted to cut off the head of the dragon so the rest of the dragon would die.” He climbed on his bike, backing down from a fight he couldn’t win. “Watch your ass, Marcus. If Cutter really is dead, I’ll be back.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” I walked toward Rip and the other bikers, happy for three or four to get off their bikes and come at me. But that’s not how Hell’s Messengers worked. They never came at you straight forward. They were a bunch of pussies when it came to other clubs. They liked to hide in the shadows and attack when other clubs were at a disadvantage.
Hell’s Messengers pulled from the club, and the Prospects closed the gates.
“He’s a little bitch,” Big Kentucky said. “They’ll be looking to pick us off one by one.”
