Page 98 of Clint & Ivy

Before that encounter, Joker had replaced a psycho named Trigger who ruled Little Memphis for decades. People feared Trigger in a way they hadn’t feared Joker.

Occasionally, other clubs and organizations tried hustling in on Little Memphis, which sat at a prime spot for illegal highway commerce. Joker suffered zero patience for anyone stirring up trouble like Wrecker and the Black Rainbow MC did that day.

Years later, I wondered if the men from that brawl still held a grudge.

Zodiac Bondi had been an enforcer back then. I didn’t know the details about how he became president, but I assumed he didn’t gain his new rank through soft-spoken diplomacy.

Today, Zodiac strolled into the bar with a half dozen men. His dark blond hair was slicked back, revealing icy blue eyes. He had a thick, neatly trimmed beard. His tattoos were on display, thanks to his gray shirt’s short sleeves and unbuttoned front. The guy dressed like a hitman with a flair for lounge singing on the side.

The Black Rainbow’s VP stood near the door, eyeing us from under his beige cowboy hat. Exile was built like Zodiac. His hostile gaze scanned our group before he offered an unimpressed little snarl.

The club’s road captain—a dark-haired and scarred former Marine—tried to flank my group on the right until Sabrina stepped in his way and smiled brightly.

“Fuck off,” she mouthed dramatically and then gestured with her jaw for him to get back with his people.

Though I didn’t react to her behavior, Zodiac cracked a grin.

“All these pretty little biker gals,” he told me as his long-haired blond enforcer swept to my left and got blocked by Rock.

“I won’t smile at you, bitch,” Rock muttered at the other man. “But feel free to get your ass over there with your president.”

“You’ve been asking for a meeting for a while. Now, you’ve got one,” I told Zodiac when he didn’t immediately speak. “So, what did you want?”

“Ever heard of the Void?” Zodiac asked, getting right to the point.

“Sure. They’re the shadowy mob syndicate that supposedly killed the Mississippi governor and were behind the fires at the Arizona power stations.”

“They’ve supposedly done plenty of shit, but no one knows for sure,” Zodiac said as his gaze washed over my people and lingered on Elle. “They like to grab women off the street, apparently.”

Assuming he knew Elle was my sister, I didn’t fall for his attempt to rattle me.

“What does that have to do with my club?”

“The Void isn’t a scary story bad guys tell each other. Though everything blamed on them is likely exaggerated, the organization is very real. They’ve been repeatedly tagged doing shit in my territory.”

Zodiac fell silent and again focused his gaze on Elle. I didn’t dare look at my sister to see if she noticed. Men were always trying to intimidate me by subtly threatening Elle or one of my cousins.Never Rowdy, of course.He had a reputation for fighting dirty, ever since he bit off a guy’s nose.

“I don’t see how my club can help with your Louisiana problem.”

“We grabbed a guy a while back,” Zodiac said, having peeled his gaze from my sister. “He told us a lot of juicy shit about his bosses in the Void. Most of it was probably garbage. He didn’t seem like the type to be let in on secret meetings between mafia bigwigs. However, he did mention one of the guys who ran the Void was from Little Memphis.”

This news hit me right in the gut. I felt my brain overloaded with questions. A lot of crazy shit went down before I was born. When Trigger ran the club, the city was in a constant state of chaos. He liked to keep things wild. Once Trigger was dead, Little Memphis learned to behave under Joker’s steady hand.Was this Void hotshot from before my time, or did I know him?

“That’s interesting, sure,” I replied rather than show my hand. “But I’m not sure why you’re meeting with me based on something a rando told you under duress.”

Annoyed by my response, Exile fumed next to his president. I felt tension rolling off the other club, except for Zodiac. He behaved as if the world was his bitch.

“The Void doesn’t work like a wrecking ball,” Zodiac explained. “They don’t come into an area and kill the opposition and take over. They’re more like mold, hiding in the dark places where we can’t see. They claim your low-level guys, like snitches and lookouts. They invest in the parts of your business you don’t worry about. They spread to your police and rich backers. Then, one day, after they’ve corrupted your organization down deep, they attack. Before you can fight back, everything falls out from under you. Then, you’re either owned or ended by the Void.”

“And you know that how?”

“A guy I knew from juvie worked in Dallas with an old-school mobster. He watched the Void rot the organization from within.”

“And you think this will happen to our club or yours?”

“The Void wants Louisiana. We’ve known that for years and played whack-a-mole with their bullshit. My club has cleaned out the mold where we could, but the Void just keeps coming back. As for you, there seems to be a festering grudge between Little Memphis and a top man in the Void.”

“Assuming your information wasn’t a red herring.”

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