Page 7 of Maximus

When we arrived at the clubhouse, the eerie quietness told the story. No one spoke. We all just sat around with our heads hung low. A few men dropped tears. Many were too macho to cry in front of the entire club, so they began drinking. Others took advantage of the club angels and replaced their grief with pleasure, if only for a little while.

The sadness was palpable for a couple of weeks. We didn’t know what to do with our grief because we had already exacted revenge on the fuckers who killed him. After the funeral, the brothers slowly started getting back to normal. Once things settled down around the clubhouse, Grimm had mandatory one on ones with everyone to find out where our heads were. Mine was last since I didn’t have any connection to Zero.

“Maximus, I have to tell you, I have seen some great things from you since you arrived. However, I also sense that there’s some darkness that you are fighting. Since I don’t know you that well, I need you to be honest with me. Is whatever you’re fighting going to be a danger to me or my club?”

“I can’t say for sure. Honestly, I’m battling some demons, but I swear I would never put any of you in harm’s way. Not intentionally. I would rather take the bullet myself than to hurt any of my brothers.”

He looked at me with trepidation, but then smiled. It did not reach his eyes. I could tell he was a little leery of me. That was fine. I was leery of myself. It would take some time for me to trust myself again, so I couldn’t expect him to trust me after knowing me for only a few weeks.

***

Over the next few months, I did my best to fit in with the brothers. Anything they asked of me, I did. It was like being back in bootcamp. Keep your head down, learn as much as you can to avoid getting killed, and always do what your superior told you to.

Though I got along with everyone, I wasn’t happy there. The constant partying and the need for everyone to hang out in or near the strip was getting to me. I hated being around all those people. The tourists did stupid shit because this was ‘Sin City’, and they thought they could get away with anything.

It was like living in a constant rerun of that movie Hangover. It was slowly driving me insane. Las Vegas may have been fun for some, but for me, it was torture. It only took one night of me flipping on this asshole from an up-and-coming gang to get Grimm and Aries’ attention. The gang was new to Vegas and thought they would make a name for themselves by getting into it with the Sinners.

The so-called leader walked up to a group of us wanting to start some shit. We were hanging out in front of a casino waiting for some club business to wrap up, so we were all strapped and ready. Up to that point, I was able to deal with mouthy people trying to provoke us, but no one had dared to get in any of our faces. This particular breed of scum decided he wanted to fuck with me because my patch said prospect. It was a bad decision on his part.

“What the hell are you looking at? You’re nothing but a lowly prospect. What are you going to do? Huh?”

I knew the protocol. I should have glanced over at Grimm for permission to take the trash out, but I couldn’t help myself. My knee jerk reaction was to unalive this asshole, but there were too many cameras around. The brothers started chanting Maximus to egg me on. Ever since that fight with the Sergeants of Hell, I had a reputation of being a killer among the club members. The silly man who called himself clowning me quickly realized he had fucked up.

Without saying a word, I stepped forward and slapped the foolish man. It was like I was challenging him to a duel. This brought another round of laughter and cheers. The man-child tried to square up on me but quickly found himself on his ass. And just like that, the fight was over. He shook the cobwebs from his head and looked up at me like I was an alien. This dude was funny.

“Fuck, man, you didn’t have to hit me so hard. What the hell is wrong with you? I was just playing around. Can’t you take a joke?”

The poor baby was panting and looked like all the lights were off upstairs. I wanted to laugh, but I held it in. I bent low to the ground and leaned forward, putting my face close to his. I wanted to ensure he got the message I was about to deliver.

“Your comedy routine needs work. The next time I see you, I’ll show you my sense of humor. I don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”

The cowards that were standing with him helped their leader off the ground and dragged him away. He was spitting something about me being a marked man. This did make me laugh. If he only knew. I had been marked for death a long time before meeting his dumb ass.

When I looked up, Grimm was glaring at me. I hung my head, knowing that I had fucked up. I should have gotten his permission before taking any action. I had just put the club in a bad spot.Damn!

“Maximus, as soon as we get back to the clubhouse, I want to see you in my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

I knew he wanted a meeting with me to discuss my future with the club. Since I was just a prospect, I thought for sure he was about to strip me of my cut. Aries was looking at me with apprehension. Even he didn’t know what was about to happen. The last thing I wanted was to let him down.

“Maximus, I get the feeling you are unhappy here. Am I imagining things?” Grimm asked as soon as I entered his office.

I didn’t know what to say. He was right. I was unhappy in this city, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I had gotten used to being around my brothers and had formed a few bonds in the few months I had been there. Deciding that the truth was always the way to go, I spoke up. If I got kicked out, so be it.

“I won’t lie to you, Prez. I have been struggling with living in Las Vegas. Don’t get me wrong, I love the club and my brothers. I would do anything for them. I hope you know that. My issue is all these damn people. It’s a never-ending cycle of tourists and assholes.”

“So, you’re saying you would be happier elsewhere?”

“I didn’t say that. I don’t want to leave my brothers. The club is my family now. If given the option, I would continue prospecting and hopefully get patched over as a lifetime member.”

They say the truth is the light. I hoped he could see how sincere I was. I hated Vegas, but I loved belonging somewhere. If he made me leave, I didn’t know what I would do. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and waited for Grimm to decide my fate.

He stared at me for a while, not saying anything. The man had a death stare that rivaled the meanest Gunnery Sergeant I had as a recruit. Eventually, he picked up his cell phone from the corner of his desk, scrolled until he found what he was looking for, and pressed the screen.

“So, Maximus, do you like the beach?”

Before I could answer, he was talking to someone he called King. He shot the shit for a while, and then things got real. Apparently, King was the President of a Sinners chapter in Oakland, California. He had agreed to let me prospect with his club, so I didn’t have to deal with the lights and action of Vegas. I was warned that Oakland was no walk in the park, but it might suit me better as it was quieter and less flashy.

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