Page 12 of Twisted Ties

Bull is sullen as he stalks in with his helmet in hand. I catch up with him to see what kind of mood he’s in. “You know anything about this?”

“No, you tell me. You’re the sarge, you’re the one who’s supposed to send the messages out. What’s cooking? ‘Cause from where I’m standing it’s nothing but hot air.”

I cough, but it’s hard to hold back a smirk. Bull can be a real hard-ass at times. Slugger used to tell him about it, but for the most part Bull wanted what was best for the club.

“Missed the memo on this one. Slash is doing pretty good, don’t ya think?”

Bull smells of sweet tobacco and beer. His eyes are bloodshot, so if he was ever going to tell the truth, it would be now, when he’s half-loaded. “He ain’t Axe, but you’re not helping matters. You seen Simone yet?”

“No, why?” I question, my breath quickening.

“Don’t worry about it, you’ll see soon enough. Come on. I don’t want my hair getting wet.”

“What the fuck, Bull? You scared of a little rain?”

“Yes, fucker. My lady likes it, so yeah, shut up. I don’t want it getting wet.” He grins and cups my hand on my shoulder. “I’m fucking with ya. Trying not to throttle Slash.”

“I was about to say Bull, you’ve gone soft like a buttercup.” We share a laugh as the deep rumble of bikes sound off and my fellow brethren enter the parking lot. In the middle of fights, we crack jokes. What else are we gonna do?

What a sight to see. Six leather-clad bikers strolling like badasses. Every one of us a killer if need be. A ride or die member of the club, and it’s days like this where I love being a Dark Angel. We pour in through the door to see Slash leaning against one of the pool tables with his head down. As soon as we all walk in, his swag changes, and he turns to face us all with his arms folded one over the other. He’s on his shit.

“Hey, impromptu meeting, but it’s important,” he starts.

“What’s the go, Slash?” Snatch inquires.

“The go is I need everybody to gear up. I mean fully-strapped and ready to ride.”

“For what?” I throw in.

“We got a drop on the product.”

Wait a minute.That fast? That’s too fast. How’d Slash pull that shit off?

“Is it credible?”

I’m listening and the guys are questioning him too. Sometimes links pull fast ones and we ain’t got shit. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. I’m startled that he’s been able to pull it together so fast, but Slash is moving like lightning and handing out guns while Psycho counts ammo shells, getting ready to lock and load.

Slash stops fishing around in the ammo bag and turns to me as if I’m the one who’s gone crazy. “Yeah, it’s credible and verified! I got a couple of prospects sitting on the location. There’s a lot of bikers there now. We need to let it die down before we hit. It might be tonight; it might be tomorrow night. We need everyone bunkered down here and ready to go at any time of the night.”

Adrenaline is picking up speed in my system as I check the numbers. This is usually my job, to secure locations and make sure shit’s in order, so my head is spinning. Bull isn’t saying much either, but he’s got a sawed-off in his hand and is loading ammo in.

“You should have called me, man. Told me about the source so I could send the word out. That’s not protocol. I’m supposed to be in the know.”

Slash slips on his bulletproof vest and throws one over to Snatch. “Man, I didn’t have time to do that. Nothing we’ve doing has been protocol. We’re gonna get back to it, but the question is, do you trust me?”

“No doubt. How did you get a solid drop so soon, though?” He throws me a bulletproof and I put it on, along with my holster, slipping in a Smith and Wesson. It’s easier to handle than a rifle for me, but I know Bull likes his. He slings it over his shoulder with a grim face.

“That’s another reason I handled it. I knew you wouldn’t agree with the choice.” Slash is breaking a sweat as he jams a knife on the inside of his ankle.

“What?”

“Simone. It was her that got us the lead.”

“What? The ex? But he threatened to kill her!” A pocket of sweat forms under my armpits with the news. She couldn’t have gotten that drop information unscathed.What the hell was she thinking?

“Yep, yep.” Slash keeps on rolling and gives a directive to Psycho.

“Check all the cameras, the gates, we need to be ready for lock up. Everybody make sure your bikes are ready to go,” he yells before turning back to me.

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