Page 5 of Maximus

I answered him like I thought he expected me to. I had no idea what he was talking about. As soon as I heard the word cage, I flashed back to being in military prison, but as we approached the F-150 in the parking lot, I realized he was talking about a truck.

I knew a bit of the biker lingo from my dad, but I had never heard him refer to a vehicle as a cage. Adapting to this lifestyle was going to take some work on my part, but I was a fast learner and adjusted well to change.

Traffic was impossibly absurd. Aries decided I needed to see a little of the town, so he took a ride down the strip before heading to the clubhouse. We sat in ass-dragging traffic for a little over an hour. The town was buzzing with lively drunks and wild people having a ton of fun. My new brother was hooting and hollering out of the window having a good old time. The guy was a ball of energy. I was quite the opposite. All this “fun” was triggering my demons. I wanted nothing to do with it.

“You okay, man? It doesn’t seem like you’re enjoying the strip.”

“Yeah, not my scene.”

“What? You’re joking. Vegas has a little something for everybody.”

He started laughing, but soon stopped when he took a glance at my face. I was deadass serious. There was too much noise, too many people, and way too much going on. I wouldn’t survive this place if I had to stay here much longer. I didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go, so I clamped my mouth shut and looked at the hotels. To busy my brain, I blocked out the people and made a mental map of the different landmarks. I needed to be aware of my surroundings, and this would be a good start.

“I really appreciate you helping me out, man. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Like I told you, it’s my pleasure. Your dad was one of my best friends. I bet he’s smiling knowing you and I are going to be brothers.”

“He always wanted me to join the club, but I chose the Marines. Looks like fate led me here in a roundabout way. I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous about being a prospect. I have a lot to learn about the life.”

“Don’t be worried. As expected, Grimm agreed for you to prospect, and since I am bringing you in, you will learn from me. I have to say, you lucked out. I’m the fun brother. You could have ended up with someone more hardcore.”

I shook my head and laughed at his statement. Maybe he forgot, but I was a fucking Marine. Hardcore was my middle name. I kept that little quip to myself. I didn’t need to piss the man off on my first day. He may be nice, but I had no intention of taking it for weakness.

We finally made it through that hell of a town. After a quick ten-minute ride, we pulled up to the clubhouse. This part of town was much quieter. Other than the welcomed roar of the bikes, the neighborhood was still. There was a large building inside of a fortress of fencing that looked extremely secure. Nobody was getting into that compound without a fight.

Looking at the bikes parked out front, I could see a good mix of Harleys and Indians. I started feeling more at home as I viewed the guys clapping each other on the back and just shooting the shit. They looked like family. That was something that I needed in the worst way. I could probably deal with things here as long as I didn’t have to go into the busy part of the city.

“Welcome to the land of the Sinners! I’ll introduce you to the fellas, and then you have a meeting with Grimm, our Prez. Expect to hit the ground running. I will give you as much guidance as I can, but some things you’ll have to figure out on your own.”

“Any advice on how to conduct myself?”

“Keep your head down. Do what you’re told. Any member has the right to give you a task. The trick is to be sure to complete your tasks by the rank of the person giving it to you. Always, and I mean always, do what Grimm wants first. I have a handbook for you to get familiar with the rank and file. It will also give you a loose guide of the life we live.”

“Thanks, Aries.”

He looked at me with a wide grin on his face. He shook his head at me and began exiting the truck.

“I can’t get over how much you look like your dad. It’s going to be great having you around.”

True to his word, Aries took me around and introduced me to all the members as the new prospect. There were so many members that I wouldn’t be able to remember their names right away. It would take me a day or two. However, heeding Aries’ warning, I made sure to note the names and faces of the officers. There was Ice, Preacher, Caliber, and Shadow. And of course, the big man on campus, Grimm. They were all welcoming and I could tell a bit curious about me. It said something that Aries was my sponsor. I would do my best to make him proud.

“Good to know you, brother. You got a road name, or should I just call you Jeff?” the man named Preacher asked.

“He hasn’t earned his road name yet,” Aries yelled before I could answer.

I simply smiled and shook the man’s offered hand. Just as I was about to head into the office to meet with Grimm, a gruff looking man burst through the door looking like he had been attacked by a gang of pit bulls. I knew right away that shit was about to go down. The soldier in me kicked in, and I was ready for action.

“Zero, what the hell happened to you?” a man I hadn’t seen standing in the corner yelled, as he moved to the injured man to help him. He must have been a doctor because he was barking orders and moving around like he was in an emergency room.

“Those fuckers from that Sergeants of Hell MC jumped me. They had a couple of dogs that they let loose on me. Once they called them off, the asshole beat me with chains and bats. I was lucky that a fire truck came rolling by. The sirens spooked them, and they left.”

By the look on everyone’s faces I knew whoever the Sergeants of Hell were, they were about to be no more. Unzipping my duffle, I located my dagger and sword, strapped them to my body and tossed my bag in the corner. Too bad the military took my service weapon, or I would have been strapped, too. I looked at Aries, who nodded in approval.

“You have a spare bike?” I asked Aries before he could tell me to sit this one out. There was no way that was happening.

“I had your dad’s bike pulled from storage and gave it a tune up when you called. Don’t worry, there wasn’t any garage rot. The damn thing is as pristine as when your dad rode it. I was going to surprise you, but it seems that this is more pressing.”

He reached into his pocket and tossed me the keys. I recognized the keychain right away. The Harley logo on the front with my dad’s initials inscribed into it. Since Grimm had the final say so, I looked to him for approval. He grinned and nodded his head. It was time to go to battle for my new brothers.

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