Page 42 of Doc
This meant war.Not just with Wallace and his dirty cops, but with judges, politicians, anyone tied to the rot.The club had faced threats before, and it wouldn’t be the first time we went up against enemies who could twist the entire system against us.
Some sins we refused to tolerate -- never in our territory, never anywhere.
“Venom, take four men.Your pick.Bring our people home -- Doc, Nova, and every scrap of evidence they’ve collected.Call him once you’re away from the compound.See if he’ll divulge his location.”I looked around the table, making sure every brother heard my next words.“The rest of us prepare.Once that evidence is secure, we’ll decide exactly how to respond.”
Venom nodded, already mentally selecting his team.“What about the law?If they’re as deep in this as Doc says --”
“Fuck ’em,” I cut him off.“We handle our own first.Justice comes later.But I have a feeling, with Nova involved, we’ll have to at least hand everything over to someone in charge, let the system attempt to do its damn job.”
The meeting broke up with a new sense of purpose, brothers moving with the focused energy of men preparing for battle.As we filed out of Church, the distant rumble of motorcycles being fired up echoed through the clubhouse -- Venom wasting no time getting his rescue party assembled.
I hung back, letting the others move ahead while I took a moment alone in the chapel.My fingers traced the worn wood of the reaper carved into our table, feeling the ridges and valleys worn smooth by decades of similar crises, similar decisions.Doc had been right to pursue this, regardless of his methods.Sure, he’d done it for Nova, but he’d found more evidence than we’d had until now.The real battle was just beginning.With the things Doc had discovered, we were about to declare war on the very institutions that held power in this county.The club had faced many enemies over the years, but I never relished going up against people who could sign warrants, dispatch SWAT teams, or sentence our brothers to decades behind bars.
I stepped out of Church into the sounds of preparation filling the clubhouse.Whatever came next, we would face it together.That was what this patch meant.That was what brotherhood demanded.
And God help anyone who stood in our way.
Chapter Twelve
Doc
The clubhouse loomed before us, its familiar outline suddenly foreign and intimidating.I cut the engine on my bike, feeling Nova’s arms loosen around my waist as she prepared to dismount.Just hours ago, we’d been fugitives from both the law and my brothers.Now we were back, summoned by the President himself after Venom’s extraction team had found us at the cabin.My wounded arm throbbed beneath its fresh bandage, a constant reminder of Wallace’s bullets and how close we’d come to not making it back at all.But we had made it, and we’d brought evidence that would change everything.
“Ready?”I turned to help Nova off the bike.
She nodded, her jaw tight, eyes clear, chin slightly lifted.Even with her ankle freshly wrapped and braced, she wouldn’t show weakness.She’d refused the painkillers I’d offered earlier, saying she needed her mind sharp.I understood.We both needed every mental faculty intact for what was coming.
“They’re all inside.”Venom dismounted from his bike.He’d personally led the team that extracted us from the cabin, arriving just as we’d spotted Wallace’s men approaching through the woods.“President called full Church.Every patch within riding distance, even if they were on a job.”
I steadied Nova as she tested her weight on her injured ankle.The brace helped, but I felt her tense against the pain.
“They ready to let her help?”I asked Venom.
“Maybe to some degree.They’re definitely paying more attention, though.What the two of you discovered is more than we’ve been able to piece together so far.”
The massive wooden doors swung open as we approached, spilling golden light into the darkness.Tank stood in the doorway, his massive frame blocking most of the entrance.Even though he’d been part of Venom’s team, he’d returned ahead of us.His gaze moved from me to Nova, then to the duffel bag slung across my shoulder -- the bag containing the evidence we’d collected.
Tank stepped aside, allowing us to enter.
The main room had transformed since I’d last seen it.Maps covered the pool table, surveillance photos were taped to the walls, equipment I didn’t recognize stacked in corners.Brothers I hadn’t seen in months filled the space, some I recognized from other charters mixed among our regular members.They all turned toward us as we entered, a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, and in some cases, lingering hostility.
I instinctively moved closer to Nova, my good arm nearly touching hers.She might be Bats’ niece, might have earned Venom’s loyalty and the President’s protection, but that didn’t mean every man in this room accepted her yet.
Savior stood at the head of the long table set up in the center of the room.He looked older than when we had left, the weight of the past few days carved into the lines around his eyes.His gaze met mine across the room, not warm but not the cold fury I had expected after my defiance.
“Doc,” he acknowledged.“Nova.Glad you made it back in one piece.”
“Mostly,” I replied, gesturing to my arm.
A hint of a smile touched his lips before disappearing.“Venom tells me you’ve got something worth dying for.”
I nodded, moving forward to place the duffel on the table.“Worth dying for.Worth fighting for.”
Savior turned to the assembled brothers.“For those who weren’t in Church yesterday, Doc and Nova have uncovered more evidence of the trafficking operation running through our territory.Women and girls moved through motels, trucking companies, businesses we ride past every day.”His voice hardened.“Not just any operation.One protected by badges, run by people with power.
“Deputy Chief Wallace.”Savior tapped a surveillance photo on the table.“Judge Harmon.At least three sheriff’s deputies.County commissioner Ellis.All taking payments to protect an interstate trafficking ring that’s been operating under our noses for years.”
“But it looks like most of our locals, like Chief Daniels and the members of the Swift Angels, are still on the right side of the law,” Torch said.
