Page 64 of The Chase

“I love the idea but I don’t love having rats under my feet. Undermines the brotherhood. The trust-”

“My Black Coyotes had informants-” Blue began.

Colt shook his head. “And look how well that worked out, huh? It’s a fucking mess of a club that allowed scum like Cleaver to float to the top.”

“Only ‘cause you got trigger happy during that raid…”

“That was your fault in the first place-”

“Hey.” April slammed the heel of her fists into both of their chests. It was enough to knock some of the wind out of their sails and a lot of sense back in.

“I’d help you with the ‘wiping the slate clean’ bit… the current members, including Cleaver… they’re expendable. The MC isn’t, as an entity. I have access to resources that can be used for expendable targets,” Blue explained, matter of factly. Colt had to remind himself they were talking about taking men’s lives here. Scumbag men, yes, but still…

“He was the one who wanted to keep me as his whore,” April said. Colt nodded. He heard what that meant. April wanted him dead.

“It’s a heavy thing taking a life,” Colt began quietly.

April shook her head passionately. “I know my mind, Colt. You can critique me for lots of things but not this. I want him to pay. For what could have been if you hadn’t come back for me. Twice dammit, since I turned you down that first time, who was I kidding? They would have found me. And they would have hurt me. I want revenge.” She said that last word with clenched teeth and fire in her eyes. She burned with it. Colt recognized it because he burned with the same. Cleaver took his brothers. Poisoned what was good. Desecrated Colt’s holy place. Yes, Colt recognized that if it came to it, he knew he had it in him to end Cleaver.

“Well,” Blue said, “Black Coyotes MC can have its slate wiped clean, but that still leaves us needing an FBI agent in the fold.”

Colt’s frustration simmered.

Blue shrugged smugly. “Welcome to the chessboard, now you have to sacrifice a pawn or two of your own, Colt.” Blue cracked his neck. “It would need to be a clean club, we’ve had too many incidents with informants being bribed by drugs from dirty agents in other departments. No pills, no powders.” Blue nodded.

April nodded, too. “Okay, well, I’d personally be very happy with that rule...”

“And you’d need to establish links with whoever we say, the Armenians, Bratva, the Columbians, if I say sell a hundred thousand dollars worth of guns, you do it-”

“And we could have legit businesses, too?” April interjected.

“I couldn’t care less about any other businesses you want to run, so yes, sure-”

April practically giggled. She turned to Colt with such glee in her face, wide smile, eyes sparkling, cheeks flushed. But she clearly caught sight of his face and her smile slipped. “Colt, you’ve been awfully quiet, what’s wrong?”

Colt took a slow, deep breath, and rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand. He didn’t want to pop April’s high, or let down Blue, but he had to speak his mind.

“They are pretty big compromises,” he said in a flat voice. April’s mouth fell open.

He expanded. “I mean, being in the pocket of the Feds, doing whatever jobs you tell us to do, we’d be trapped between a rock and a hard place if shit went south. Which it is likely to do quickly if we’re whoring ourselves out to every crime gang in the area... it involves too many other people calling the shots, and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s-”

“...Not being in control,” April finished, dejectedly. Colt put his hand on April’s shoulder.

“Playing Mr. and Mrs. Average Joe Miller in the middle of nowhere would be the easier, safer route,” Colt said, his voice not sounding like his own.

Blue raised his eyebrows. “I never knew the unstoppable Colt Kincade to take the easy, safe route. Just saying.”

April looked into Colt’s eyes, drilling deeply. “I thought you would have wanted to be Prez of your MC again?”

“I would, I do, but April… fuck, I can’t believe I’m here trying to talk you out of this... it’s not a glamorous life; it’s dangerous, even with FBI backing, it would still be dangerous.”

Blue shook his head. “Colt, seems like you’re talking yourself out of it. Sure, there’s aspects of this plan I need to check up on, get budgeted, line up resources, but, fuck, it’s everything you ever wanted, right?”

“Colt, are you running from this, too, now?”

“Fuck April… it’s just... a lot to take in right now...” Colt stammered. He felt dizzy, he felt his world spinning. He felt himself trembling again. Was he strong enough, or was that wind going to blow right through him and take him off and away?

Blue cleared his throat. “Get back to me tomorrow. Take today and tonight. Think about it. I’ll check on things on my end. If you want to disappear, testify and get placed in WITSEC, fine. Easy. But that would be it then, no more visits. Sever all ties.”

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