Page 54 of Minus

“He dropped me off near Shelly’s old place,” he replied.

“Stay there. We’re on our way. Find someplace out of sight—” That was as far as I got before the phone call cut off.

“Fuckers must have killed the phone remotely,” I said, tossing it aside.

“What the holy hell is going on, Minus? What happened back there?”

“Viper and his goon tried to get cute, so I had to improvise a little. They were holding Warthog hostage, but Iconvincedthem to let him go.”

“Jesus, Minus, when I told you to start using your head more, that was not what I meant,” Cutter said laughing. “Shit, that felt like the old days.”

“Does Eldie still work in the E.R.?” I asked.

“No, she has her own clinic now,” Cutter replied.

“We still good with her?” I asked.

“Solid as a rock as far as I know.”

“Perfect. We can drop Warthog off there on our way back to the Sanctuary. We need to figure some shit out, pronto.”

“Starting with how the hell Viper knows so much about our club’s business,” Cutter said.

“Cuz, if we’ve got a mole, we’re gonna need to find him fast, and deal with him even faster. Not to mention all that bullshit about a secretblackbook,” I said with a laugh. “What the hell was that all about?”

Clutch glanced back at Cutter, who sat in silence. A silence that lasted a little too long.

“Are you fucking kidding me? That shit is real?” I asked in disbelief.

“As real as the moon landing,” he replied.

“You’re lucky Warthog isn’t here. He’d have some strong feelings about that statement,” Grover said.

“You actually keep a fucking ledger of all your criminal activity? A master file, on paper, of the club’s business?” I asked, in stunned disbelief.

“How the fuck else am I gonna keep track of everything?” Cutter bellowed.

“For starters, most clubs have a treasurer to take care of this stuff,” I said.

“I don’t trust ’em. I take care of the club’s books. Always have, always will. I believe it’s the President’s responsibility.”

“Fine, but why a fucking ledger? They have these things called computers you know. They were invented during the last century, and can be used to compile, and safely store data,” I said. “You know, with passwords and encryption andshit.”

“Oh, sure, those things are fucking secure. Have you watched the news lately?Hackersthis, andsecurity breachthat. I keep my information on paper, locked up tight, where only I have access to it,” Cutter said.

“Well, your top fucking secret isn’t a secret anymore. We need to get that book as far away from here, and you, as possible. We also need more able-bodied guys around here. No offence, but some of your top guys are getting up there and might not be up for the fight we just picked.”

“You got a plan?” Cutter asked.

“I’m thinking it’s time for Clutch to round up a posse, and for me to get the fuck outta Dodge.”

We reached Warthog’s pickup location and scanned the spot for any sign of him. After one pass around the block, I spotted him in an alley, next to a bike shop. He was slumped on the ground, leaning against the building. Clutch pulled over, we jumped out, and helped the badly battered Warthog into the van. He could barely stand and looked far worse in person than he did on the video. Both of his eyes were almost swollen shut, his right arm appeared to be broken, and he reeked of gasoline. Someone had spent some time on him. I saw brand marks and bruises and his hair was matted with blood.

“Easy now, careful,” Cutter said, his voice trembling with concern, as we lay Warthog down in the back of the van. “What happened, man?”

“I took the Lincoln in to get detailed,” Warthog rasped.

“Sure, it’s Saturday,” Cutter said. “You went to Dashmasters?”

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