Page 109 of Property of Stone
“Nope.” With that, he took long strides to the front of the pack where most of his brothers were gathering around Ransom and Ogre. Since he was VP, he elbowed his way to the center just in time to hear their sergeant at arms say, “No damn clubs reached out to me. Did any reach out to you about bein’ in the area today?”
With his expression holding a hell of a lot of unhappy, Ransom shook his head. “Fuck no. Woulda said somethin’ if they had.”
“Wanna head back to The Castle and drop the ol’ ladies off before we deal with this bullshit?”
Again, Ransom shook his head. “No goddamn time for that. If another club’s encroachin’, the ol’ ladies all know what needs to be done.”
Ogre glanced at Stone. “‘Cept yours.”
“Maybe ‘cause she ain’t my ol’ lady.” Taryn was the only female on the run who wasn’t.
The sergeant at arms huffed, “Not yet, anyway.”
“Ain’t lookin’ for that. You know it’s only temporary. She ain’t lookin’ for permanent and I ain’t, either.”
A muscle in Ransom’s cheek popped. “Now ain’t a time for this shit.”
“What do we wanna do?” Chopper, appearing a bit wired, asked what everyone wanted to know.
In truth, they all got a bit wired when another MC was in the area. They looked at any club that wasn’t a Kings chapter as a possible rival unless the other club was an already established ally. Those were few and far between since they were careful who they aligned with.
Ransom answered Chopper, “If they ain’t from a club, don’t fuckin’ matter. But if they’re wearin’ colors, it’s an issue we gotta deal with.”
Ogre bobbed his massive bald head. “Thinkin’ we should wait here while sendin’ a coupla us back. No point in the whole formation turnin’ around. Don’t wanna make a big deal outta it ’til we know who the fuck it is. Could also be a trap. What better way to get most of us in one spot than while on a fuckin’ run? We all go back to investigate, next thing we fuckin’ know is we’re bein’ surrounded by another goddamn club. Need to avoid that clusterfuck. We need the upper hand.”
“Agreed. Best to step carefully so we don’t step in deep shit. We’ll send two.”
“I’ll go,” Devil Dog volunteered, stepping forward.
Grim spoke up next from behind Stone. “Gonna go with him.”
With a nod, Ransom ordered, “See who it is but stay outta sight. If it’s just some weekend warriors, let ‘em go. No harm, no foul. If they ain’t and they go east, stick with ‘em and keep me updated on your location. They ride west, let us know they’re comin’ our way so we can give them a proper Kings welcome. Keep your distance and try not to get spotted right away. Havin’ to chase ‘em will suck.”
While Stone agreed with that plan, it was difficult to go undetected when you rode Harleys with straight-pipe exhausts. That was another good reason to only send a coupleof brothers back to the diner. A group of two dozen bikers would catch attention quicker than only two.
After Devil and Grim jumped on their sleds and sped off, Stone glanced back to see Taryn now standing next to his own sled. At least she hadn’t tried to approach him while they were having their little roadside meeting.
He should go back to her because, even from where he stood, her worry was obvious. But until he knew what they were doing next, she would only bombard him with questions he couldn’t answer.
The longer they stood around with their fucking thumbs up their asses, the more restless he and his brothers got. He hoped to fuck the four Harleys belonged to some random riders so Taryn wouldn’t witness how they’d be dealt with if they weren’t.
He could take her back to The Castle and not wait around but that would be a dick move. It would make life easier for him but not for his brothers. And being VP, he needed to help Ransom lead, even if it was for a beat-down.
A few minutes later, the prez glanced at his phone when it dinged. He read the text out loud. “Twisted Souls.”
“Those goddamn motherfuckers?” Ogre bellowed. “They got some balls on ‘em.” His chest expanded, probably trying to hold in all his fury.
For fuck’s sake.That goddamn club. Members of the Twisted Souls MC were in their fucking area. Worse, without a fucking heads up. They had no reason to be in the Kings’ territory unless they were scouting to expand their own.
That meant his brotherhood had no choice but to deliver a message. If they didn’t, other clubs might see them as weak and try the same shit.
Fuck that, this needed to be dealt with here and now.
Since they gave the Kings no warning, the Kings wouldn’t give them one in return.
It was one thing when a club was only riding through on a highway. Highways and interstates were considered neutral territory for the most part. But the minute patched members jumped off and onto a road running through another club’s territory, it became an issue.
Especially since these fuckers weren’t that far from the Kings’ clubhouse.
