Page 7 of Jasper
“Tell ‘em what happened, Jasper.”
I stand, slow. My thigh throbs with every heartbeat but I ain’t taking no pain killers. To keep my leg from shaking I plant my boots firmly on the floor before explaining what went down. “I was on my way back from town,” I begin. “Just past the gas station off I-80, I saw three bikes on the opposite side of the road.”
“From any club we know?” Slate asks, arms crossed.
I shake my head. “Hyenas MC. Never heard of them before. Bottom rocker said Cedar Falls.”
Onyx’s brows lift. “Well, they’ve got balls of solid brass to be riding around our territory with our town’s name on their fuckin’ cuts.”
“Yeah, that makes it obvious they didn’t come Cedar Falls on a sightseeing expedition.”
I tell them how they swarmed me on bikes that looked like they were cobbled together from trash, kicked at my tires, how I held the bike until I couldn’t. I don’t leave anything out, not even the way they sped off without finishing the job.
“That’s fine,” Slate growls. “They want to test us, we’ll pull ‘em off junky ass bikes and rub their faces in the mud.”
“I think it’s gonna take a little more than rubbin’ their faces in the mud. Those fuckers were definitely tryin’ their best to kill my ass.”
Our old man finally sits. “These assholes need dealt with, right goddamn now.”
A short silence spins out in the room. Then I speak again, repeating the important points.
“These men were disciplined, coordinated, and knew how to handle a motorcycle. Their bikes might have been trash, but their cuts were premium leather with new custom-made patches. What I want to know is why they would spend so much money on their cuts when their bikes badly needed upgrades. That makes zero sense, especially for experienced bikers like they seem to be.”
Mica speaks up, “This makes me think someone is behind their push into our territory. Maybe someone they have to prove themselves to in order to get real money. The cuts were meant to be a taste of the good life their sponsors are promising.”
My old man interjects, “This makes good sense. Give them a taste of luxury and make them work for it if they want more.”
I say grimly, “That makes sense. Now, the question becomes who wants our territory enough to back a rival club to take it for them?”
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Slate says slowly, “if we kill every fucker they send to set up shop in our territory.”
I growl at my most short-sighted brother, “Of fucking course it matters. If we don’t take down their backer, they’ll just keep sending more fuckers to take us down until one accidentally succeeds.”
Slate grins, “Many have come here and tried to take territory from us. They’re all gone now. How are these fuckers any different?”
Rock leans back, eyeing us one by one. “They’re not. But Jasper’s right, we need target whoever is funding the Hyenas. This is a complicated fuckin’ situation and in order to get to the root of the problem we need to find out intel on their operation.”
“Great, let’s get fucking started,” Onyx states eagerly.
“I’m not gonna be involved in this one,” Our old man states, his expression blank.
All of us freeze in place because what the everlovin’ fuck does that mean? He’s our club president. The Prez has alwayscoordinated mission planning, especially when there’s a direct threat to the club.
“What do you mean?” Mica asks. Even our smartest brother didn’t see this coming.
“I mean I’m stepping back,” he says. “Not right now, but soon. This club needs new blood in the top leadership position. And Jasper has been training for the position of club president his whole life. Now, it’s time for him to prove he has what it takes to lead this club. I’m sure I can count on the rest of you to support him, just like you have during his time as VP.”
When he gestures towards me, I feel the pressure descend upon me, like a weight being draped over my neck. I don’t let the shock show on my face. My old man said he wasn’t stepping down now, not with this wound in my leg still fresh, with me not being able to even ride right now. This is more like a formal audition, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I gaze at him. He gives me one jerk of his chin, as if to say, you can do this, son. My old man always did believe in trial by fire, so it shouldn’t surprise me that he chose this moment to throw me in the deep end.
The atmosphere in the room shifts. Slate doesn’t look thrilled, but he doesn’t speak up. Mica’s watching me like he’s trying to figure out if I’ll step up or chicken out when I finally get the chance I’ve always wanted. Of course, Onyx is smirking all over the place. That bastard loves chaos.
I clear my throat and walk around the table slowly, leaning on the back of a chair.
“We need to organize the brothers into groups to gather intel,” I say. “We need to pay a visit to every gas station, motel, and abandoned building within twenty miles. We need to checkfor fresh tire marks and new guests. We can pull surveillance footage from traffic cams and ATM logs.”
“That’s assuming we’ve still got eyes on the town’s systems,” Mica adds.
“We’ll need to find that out,” I say.
