Page 37 of DOG Part 2
Being mostly ex-military also meant there was no way the Arroyos Bandidos members responsible would get away with what they had done. Rugged Angels was the motorcycle club that ran Tucson, and while we weren’t looking for warfare, whenever it came knocking you could be damn sure we were ready for it.
The cab came within ten minutes, and I made sure the girls were safely inside before heading back in to speak with Banner. I may have not had the intention of inviting them back over, but I wasn’t a prick. The city could be dangerous at night once in a while, and no one was going to get hurt on my watch.
Banner was pouring what had to be his second or third drink when I got to my office. I closed the door and locked it behind me. All officers in the motorcycle club had a bedroom in the clubhouse, which meant there were possibly at least four other people around at any given time. Still, it was late and quiet, so the others were either asleep or out.
Banner had ‘retired’ half a year ago, and he still hung around the clubhouse, not quite willing to let go of the life. He was a valuable asset, a trusted advisor and a good friend. No, he was family. I often looked to him for advice when making decisions, knowing he had the perspective that could only come from years of experience. I wasn’t thirty yet, and tried to stay grounded because in spite of having a lot of life experience under my belt, there was still a heck of a lot more to learn.
For what we were about to discuss, it was not worth it to take the chance of being interrupted. The conversation that was about to occur was going to be between president and ex-president. Not only that, Banner needed a safe place to break down, if that was what was going to happen next.
Banner shook his head, leaning back in one of the brown leather armchairs, the tumbler in his hands threatening to be crushed underneath his vice grip. “They think they can intimidate us, Kane,” he said.
I went to the bar and poured myself some whiskey. “Well they’re not,” I stated simply.
I took the whiskey bottle over to his chair and filled his already empty glass. “I’m sorry for your loss. Lisa was a good woman.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, staring desolately ahead at the wall. The bison horns mounted in his line of sight provided no answer to the pain he must have been going through. “Lisa and I hadn’t spoken for a long time, but she was still my woman.”
I nodded, something catching in my throat. Quickly, I washed the tightness down with a sip of the amber liquor in my glass. “I understand,” I whispered. “We’re going to focus all our efforts on this, Banner. They’ll pay for this.”
“It’s more than that.” He looked up at me, and I took a seat across from him. It was weird and disrespectful to be standing over him while he sat there in mourning. I may have been current president, but in a way I owed everything I had to the man who had come before me.
“It’s our properties, as well,” I acknowledged. “I know. I think they’ve been targeting our clubs for a while. That attack onVenuslast month was them, and who knows what else they’ve been up to. They’re making a grab for our land, but I promise you, brother, they won’t get any of it.”
“No. That’s not what I mean.” He ran a nervous hand through his thick silver hair. “It’s Kim. They’re going to go for her next.”
“Kim?”
He nodded. “My daughter.”
“That’s right.” I rolled my tongue across my bottom teeth. I’d never met Kim. Word was that she had a general distaste for the biker lifestyle, and so tended to stay away from anything having to do with it.
“We need to protect her.”
“Of course. Where does she live?”
“Here in Tucson.” He laughed ruefully. “At least I think so. It’s been a while since she’s let me even see her.”
“Do you have her last address?”
He nodded halfheartedly.
“That’s enough,” I told him. “We’ll find her.” Banner stared at the wall, not answering, so I continued. “We’ll split into two teams. If what they did to Lisa is any indication of what they’re planning for Kim, we need her under our full protection. The other thing is this. I’m positive they’re getting personal to be sure we know they’re going to continue coming after the club.”
“No doubt.”
“That means there’s going to be more direct attacks on what we own. For whatever reason, they want to get us where it hurts, and we need to send our own message back to them. We’ll need at least half of our members to defend the clubhouse and our properties. The other half can watch over your daughter. Have you talked to DiEmanuele?”
“You’re the first person I’ve told. He’s not president of the Rugged Angels.”
I took a heavy sip of whiskey. “No, but if Arroyos Bandidos is trying to squeeze into our territory, DiEmanuele has a lot of money to lose. He might even get it in his mind to hold us personally accountable for anything that goes wrong.”
“He’ll find out what’s going on sooner or later.”
I clenched my jaw and just looked at Banner. The Rugged Angels worked for DiEmanuele, in a way. The half dozen or so businesses we ran were really just covers for the crime boss, a place for him to drop money without it looking suspicious. In exchange for the protection we gave DiEmanuele, he provided us with a cut of any and all dealings. One other way to look at the relationship between the motorcycle club and him was to say we were partners, except DiEmanuele was much more powerful than any motorcycle gang. To say you didn’t want to get on his bad side would have been an understatement.
Banner seemed to be forgetting all of that. His mind was still on his family, it was obvious, and every other issue seemed to fade into oblivion.
“Kim blames me for the split with her mom,” he said thickly, the heavy intoxication seeping out through his words. “Kim always wished I would have just put on a suit and tie and gone to an office like all her friends’ dads.”
