Page 30 of Minus

No sooner had the two lovebirds flown the nest than a pretty, older, heavily tattooed woman appeared to take our drink orders. She was dressed to the nines in ‘pinup girl’ attire, and I recognized her as a waitress from back in the day.

“You were around when Leo owned the place weren’t you?” I asked.

“That’s right. Sally Anne. It’s been a while, Minus, nice to see you.”

“Wow, you’ve got a good memory,” I said, stunned she remembered me, let alone my name.

“It’s an occupational skill I’ve developed after doing this for way too long. Plus, I never forget a pretty face,” she said with a wink and a smile. “Although, it looks like someone recently tried to make you not-so-pretty.” She motioned to the cut below my eye. “Now, what can I get you, besides an ice pack? A couple of beers, something harder perhaps”

“You can start by telling me what the fuck happened to this place,” I said. “Where are the pool tables?”

“You can thank Mister Viper for all this. He’s turned theNine Ball into his own personal Hooters,” she replied. “Members from some clubs still come here to do a little business, or get shit-faced, but it’s nothing like the old days.”

“What’s with the fuckin’ disco lights and the sound system?” Clutch asked.

“All this is for the pole posse.”

“Thewhat?”

“Los Psychos hang out with the strippers who work the clubs they run. The girls love this bubblegum shit. This place is turning into a nightclub piece by piece. Look around fellas. The whole neighborhood has changed. All the old bars have either been revamped to attract a younger crowd or sold to build more condos. It’s all beards, pork pie hats, and fuckin’ micro brews everywhere you go.”

“How does the old clientele feel about the hipster invasion?” I asked.

“What do you think? There are at least two fights a week in here, and that’s just the strippers. I sweep up bloody clumps of hair weave every night at closing time.”

“Why doesn’t Viper change the place back to the way it was? Give all the MCs a place to hang and keep the peace.”

“I don’t think he’s interested in keeping the peace, or in bikes for that matter. I think the only thing Viper is interested in is himself. He acts like he’s some sort of business tycoon or something, but he’s nothing but a pimp.

“Sounds like a charming guy,” Clutch said.

“Don’t get me wrong. It would be really easy to mistake him as some sort of joke, but the dude is scary.”

“Scary, how?” I asked.

“I’m not really comfortable talking about this around here, but just be careful is all. If you’d heard or seen some of the things I have, you’d listen to what I’m saying.”

“Is he around?” Clutch asked.

“I haven’t seen him, but my shift just stared. He usually shows up around two in the morning with his rent-a-harem,” she replied.

I turned to Clutch. “Whatta you say we take off then. We can come back later when Viper’s around.”

He nodded.

“Thanks for the information, Sally Anne,” I said, pulling out another crisp hundred and placing it on her tray. “I think we’ll come back a little later for those beers.”

“I’ll keep ’em cold for ya,” she said with a smile.

Clutch and I turned and headed for the exit.

“Jesus, Minus, you’re passing out Benjamins like they’re candy. You win the lottery or something?”

“I’ll be sure to put it all in my expense report. I’m guessin’ Cutter will be more than happy to reimburse me once we find his money.”

“You know, you still haven’t told me exactly how it is you two made up. Last night you wanted to shove Red Dog’s staff up Cutter’s ass, and today you’re ready to tear up sacred ground to get his money back. What gives?”

“I promise I’ll fill you in on all the details as soon as I can. I need you to trust me for now and follow my lead.”

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