Page 65 of Johnny Gun

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Gomez couldn’t believe his eyes. In his mind, he’d expected the Garden City clubhouse to be pretty similar to the one in Dalton.

Boy, was he wrong.

For a moment, he thought he’d walked into a high-tech business office, until he saw the framed Devils’ Spawn banner. As he continued scanning the room, he saw that a collection of blown-up black-and-white photos—racing bikers and action shots—decorated the painted walls. He supposed these guys were some of the brothers he hadn’t met yet. His thoughts went to the Dalton clubhouse with the in-your-face Grim Reaper mural disfigured with bullet holes, and the naked biker chick painting he loved so much—that piece was now resting in tatters on the floor.

Since the girls had been sent away before the attack and hadn’t returned, not one of the guys had thought to clean up the debris or return things to their original place. The Dalton common room would remain messy and beat up until Deacon’s return.

The contrast between clubhouses was stark. The motherchapter was sleek and organized, and the furnishings were actually in good condition. It had the aura of an outlaw MC turned legit. Someone had gone shopping at Furniture Mart or some other mainstream store to outfit the common room.

Imagine that.

“This ain’t a real biker clubhouse,” Trent grumbled as he walked past him, studying the front room. “It’s so fucking clean, it’s giving me the shivers.”

The riders had arrived from Dalton less than ten minutes ago. At the moment, Viper, Trent, and Gomez stood like idiots with their thumbs up their asses, not knowing what to do next. Deacon had disappeared with Axel down a corridor, and the rest of the southern brothers had scattered in different directions without saying much.

“You’ll find a fridge under the bar.” A woman’s voice stopped his thoughts. Tall, with long black hair, she gestured toward a bar area at the far end of the room. “Welcome to Garden City. I’m Cel, Blade’s wife. Make yourselves at home, please. My husband will be out shortly.” She turned and walked away.

“Well, you heard the lady. Don’t mind if I have a brewsky,” Trent said, heading to the bar, his heavy boots clomping on the wooden floor.

“Settle down, asshole,” Viper grumbled. “Show some fucking manners and wait. Our host and Deacon will be out soon.”

Trent blew out a breath. “Really, dude? Since when did you turn nice and mannerly? I gotta find a new MC. This one is going to shit.”

“Be my guest and fuck off,” Viper retorted as he stepped to look out the front window.

Less than five minutes passed before Blade and Deacon entered the living room. “Hey, guys. Welcome to the mother chapter.”

Gomez searched for Axel in vain. Evidently, the guy had done his thing and left.

“Why don’t you follow me?” Blade continued, smiling. “I’ll show you the clubhouse and the rooms you’ll use during your stay. Viper, I know you’re good friends with Shifter. The choice is yours. You can bunk up with him or stay with us. He’s finishing up some details at the agency and will be over soon.”

“Nice to see you again, Blade.” Viper shook hands with him. “I’m looking forward to catching up with Shifter in real time instead of on the phone. I’ll stay with him and Ginny. It’s been a while since we rode a long stretch of road together.”

Deacon finished the introductions. “Blade, this is Gomez and Trent.”

“Nice to meet you, guys. Follow me.” Blade gestured toward the hallway.

Same as at the clubhouse in Dalton, this one was bigger than it appeared from the outside. Blade had also partitioned the space to separate his family life from the MC. Gomez wondered if Deacon had copied Blade’s arrangements. Nevertheless, Blade showed the guys his family’s private quarters. As Gomez admired the setup and made small talk with Cel and their child, he realized Blade’s wife was responsible for the clubhouse’s common room. Her decorations had similar themes.

As they passed a closed door along the corridor, Blade said, “You’ll sleep here, Gomez.” He opened the door, and everyone looked in. Gomez threw his bag on the bed and kept going when Blade moved along. He did the same thing at the next door. Trent also threw his bag inside, claiming his territory.

“Deacon and I are going to my office,” Blade said. “You guys can come with us or stay in your rooms and relax until we go out for dinner in about an hour. I’ll take you to my favorite Italian restaurant, where you’ll meet some of the other guys. Most will show up.” He laughed. “It’s a free meal.”

Gomez couldn’t resist his curiosity. He had to see the entire place. “I’ll go with.”

“Me too,” Trent said.

Blade nodded. “Okay. This way.”

Inside Blade’s office, a bald man with a long salt-and-pepper beard and a round belly was busy writing at a desk. He turned bright, beady eyes their way. “How kind, you brought me company,” he said with a smile.

“Gentlemen, meet Breaker,” Blade said. “He’s the Devils’ Spawn vice president and head accountant.”

As the introductions continued and the guys shook hands, Gomez studied the office. Framed photographs were scattered around, and from what he could see, shelves and bookcases split the room into areas of interest. One side was dedicated to business. These shelves were loaded with ledgers. He surmised the cabinets under said shelves were likely just as full. The opposite side was dedicated to entertainment. The bookcases were packed with all sorts of books, including paperbacks, hardbound, and some that were leatherbound with gold leaf decoration. Blade was a reader.

Gomez stepped close to a leatherbound book and gently touched the gold leaf.One Thousand and One Nightswas the title on the spine.

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