Page 27 of Avenging Devil: Part 2

“We can ride, Brother,” Lost decides. “You’re close, we can make it in four hours, and Drummer’s boys in six give or take. But Demon might appreciate the offer to fly.”

“I’ll offer up the clubhouse,” Red says fast. “You’ll have to bring sleeping bags and be prepared to sleep rough, but we’ll get you housed.”

“Twister have any ideas about how we get onto the compound?” I ask, earning myself a chin lift from the VP.

“He reckons explosives. I know Demon’s got Pyro who’s handy with bombs. You got anyone there?”

“We did,” I offer grimly. “Niran.”

“What about Curtis?” Dart asks. “I thought he specialised in munitions?”

“Man’s near getting his patch,” Lost observes. “And he’s close to Niran. I reckon he’d jump at the chance to come along for the ride.”

“Drummer’s got Slick,” Dart observes. “He’d be good to have onside.”

“Tucson’s also got a construction company,” Lost comments, tapping the table. “Be interesting to know if Viper and Bullet are as good at bringing shit down as they are at putting it up.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Red agrees.

Lost raises his hand to scratch the side of his nose. “Okay, I’ll update Drummer and explain what we need. One thing, Red.” Prez’s eyes find mine. “We need to get this shit moving. Niran hasn’t got much time.”

Red allows a few seconds of silence, and I read he’s considering it may already be too late. Then he states, “Whether it’s a rescue or revenge, Brother, they’re coming down. You feel me, Lost?”

“I feel you and I’m right there with you.”

The call’s ended, and the room is deathly quiet. All eyes look to Lost who’s rubbing at his eyes. For a moment no one speaks, all giving our prez time.

“Grumbler, what protection do we need to leave here?”

Forcing myself to think of the club and not just one man, I give his question consideration before I reply, “There’s nothing particular on the radar, Prez, but if Curtis is coming along for the ride, that leaves only Connor if we all go.” I grimace, having reminded myself we’ve lost Kid.

Prez nods. “I want three brothers to remain here.”

His not unexpected words cause a rumble of discontent to go around the table. No one wants to be left behind when it’s a case of rescuing a brother. All eyes are staring down as if a glance up would be taken for volunteering.

An idea occurs to me. “Ross has mentioned prospecting a few times. He could be backup for Connor.”

“He can’t ride,” Pennywise objects.

“He’s recently got a new hand,” I tell them. “Not as fancy as Utah’s member, Bolt, but he’s been eyeing up one of the electric bikes and as long as he can hold the handlebars, he should be able to ride. Not saying we immediately make him a prospect, but he’s got military experience. How about we bring him in as a hangaround? I reckon he’d be up for it.”

“Yeah, he’ll be handy to have around.” Snips laughs at his own joke, but he’s the only one who does.

“Ask him, Grumbler. That sounds like a plan.” Lost nods at me appreciatively, then looks around. “But I still want brothers here. Snips, Scribe and Keeper, I’m leaving you behind.”

“Prez—”

“Nah. Not up for discussion.” Lost glares at the men who he’s named, who return various expressions of disgust. But as he stares them down, reluctant acceptance washes over them. “I’ll make my phone calls. Blaze, can you check all the bikes are ready to roll? If everything falls into place, we can set out in a couple of hours and get to Vegas tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll attack their compound and get this over with.”

“You think we ought to hitch a plane ride?” Dart asks. “I’m not happy us riding with all the firepower we need. Especially if we’ll be taking C4 with us.”

Lost grins at his VP. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s one area where Utah will be able to help us and fly the heavy gear in. All we’ll need is to have our sidearms, and most of us have places we can hide them on our rides. Curtis can drive the crash truck with the rifles.” The crash truck has a handy hidden compartment for this exact purpose.

That would help. We’ll pass muster on a lighthearted traffic stop, but not a serious one. But from the way Blaze is glaring around, as road captain, he’ll be making sure we ride steady. The only reason the cops will have for stopping us is the number of bikers on the road at the same time.

As Lost wraps up the meeting, I make a mental list of what I need to be doing. Checking everyone has sufficient ammunition for a start. I realise how much I’ve been relying on Niran and wish he was here with us. Though if he was, we wouldn’t be planning a war.

When Lost bangs the gavel for the final time, I get to my feet. It’s impossible to stop worrying about my brother. I wonder whether he’s already been tortured for hours, and what state we’ll find him in. I refuse to consider our forthcoming trip may see us returning with a body.

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