Page 27 of Maximus

Toad, as Sergeant at Arms, was very protective of his brothers. He would have no problem going toe to toe with the cops if he had to. The goal was to make sure he didn’t have to. I gave Maximus a reassuring smile as he left me to go see what the officers wanted. I lagged, but moved within earshot so I could hear what they were saying.

“Like I was saying to this gentleman, I am looking for an individual who may have been involved in an assault a few weeks back. The victim was sliced open with some rather sharp knives. We finally found a witness who claims she saw a man in a Sinners cut running away from the scene. Her description of the man matches you, down to the prospect cut you were wearing that night.”

He looked dead straight at Maximus when he said that. My nerves were on edge. Maximus absolutely could not handle going back to jail. Especially not when he was starting to heal. I watched as my man glared at the cop. This was about to be bad.

“So, some woman describes a man who may or may not look like me and you show up here? Obviously, she was mistaken. My cut says member in bold print. We don’t even have any prospects right now.”

The officer glared at Maximus because he wasn’t going to cooperate. He was telling the truth about the club not having any prospects. There were a few hang-arounds, but the club hadn’t decided if they were prospect material. The police didn’t have anything. They were operating on a wing and a prayer, hoping to trip Maximus up.

“What does the so-called victim say?” Toad asked.

“He isn’t talking. Probably because he’s scared out of his mind. After the beating he took, he should be.”

The cop was playing games. He was trying to bait Maximus into saying something that would make him seem guilty. All the cops ever did was lie. I knew that from personal experience. They had a legal license to deceive the public, but my man was too smart to fall for their tricks.

“You say he took a beating? Well, as you can see, my knuckles are not damaged. I haven’t been in any fights. It looks like either you or your witness is full of shit.”

“Watch your mouth, or I’ll haul your ass in for…”

“For what? Honoring my right to freedom of speech? I haven’t done anything illegal, and you can’t prove that I have. Seems like you are harassing me and my club. If you don’t have a warrant or any proof that an assault even took place, please vacate the premises.”

The officers were hot as fish grease, but they turned on their heels and high tailed it out of there. As the front door slammed behind them, a collective breath was heard throughout the room.

“You handled that well, Maximus,” Toad exclaimed.

“When you’ve done time in the past, it gives you all the fuel you need to stay out of jail. Those cops were fishing. They don’t have any evidence, and they don’t know what really happened. I refuse to go back into a cage. Do we have a club lawyer on retainer, or do I need to find my own?”

“Naw, man, we have one on retainer. In fact, he should be here any minute. His name is Johnathan Ledet, and he is a 6’4” Cajun who doesn’t take any shit. If they come back, he’ll be ready and waiting for their asses,” Toad advised.

“Thanks for having my back, brother. After I speak with this lawyer, how about we head over to your gym. I need to blow off some steam.”

“Sounds good. Come find me when you’re ready.”

I watched closely as Maximus stormed out of the door. He was angry, so I let him be. He didn’t like me to see him like that. He needed to clear his head, and so did I.

Eighteen

Maximus

That visit from the police had me shook. Nothing I did to calm my nerves worked. I met with the lawyer, who assured me I was in the clear. He had inside knowledge that the police were on a fishing expedition. They even made up the witness. The older lady that was present that night was not cooperating with them, and they knew it. Nobody in Oakland would dime on the Sinners. We were a notorious MC, but we also did a lot for the community. Which bred loyalty.

The only thing I could think about, as I ran mile after mile on the treadmill, was my Sunflower and how I needed her in my life. I had just gotten her, and I’d be damned if I would be separated from her now. She needed me as much as I needed her. I was so messed up in the head that my stress level was through the roof after I finished my workout. That shit never happened. Exercise always allowed my body to de-stress. At least it had in the past.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, and then it hit me. I hadn’t been on a ride for quite a while. The wind in my face and the open road was just what I needed. Only, I didn’t want to go alone. I needed my girl with me. I headed back to the clubhouse to swoop her up. She was the one who always had my six, and the only one who could calm me in this situation.

“Man, you sure tore the hell out of that treadmill,” Toad called out to me.

He had kept his word and gone to the gym with me. The man was a beast on the weights. I had lifted for a while, but I needed to get some cardio in. While Toad was exploring leg day, I felt the need for speed.

“Yeah, man. I need to get my head together. I thought running would help, but I’m still in a fog. I think I’ll grab my girl and take a ride down the coast. The ocean always helps chase the demons away.”

“I feel you. Holler if you need me. I’ve got about another half hour before I head out.”

“Will do, and thanks again, brother. We’ll chat soon.”

With a nod, I exited the gym with only one thing on my mind… Sunflower. I stopped by the flower shop on the way back to the clubhouse and asked for a collection of several different sizes of sunflowers. I stood in the shop and wove the flowers into an intricate crown for my girl to wear in her hair. She loved the flowers, and I thought it would put a smile on her face. After securing the crown in my saddlebag, I sped to the clubhouse, anxious to surprise my girl.

I decided to grab some food on the way. Just some sandwiches and crap like that. I hated that I didn’t have a lot of time to bake her a special treat, but I did find some stickers that had sunflowers on them. I grabbed a bag of chocolate kisses. I would affix the stickers to the bottom of the candies and give those to her.

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