Page 40 of Phantom
Seth nodded. “Thanks, Val.”
A small grin found my face. It felt like I actually may have earned a little respect. I let out a hollow whistle, and Lockjaw released Aaron’s arm, leaving it bleeding profusely. “Take care of him or leave him there. It is up to you.” With a growl, I snatched Aaron’s keys out of the box and chucked them directly down at his face. “Consider your membership revoked.”
The lockbox lid clicked as I snapped it shut, and with a final nod at Seth and Vil, I stepped over Aaron’s screaming, writhing body and left Hoppa’s. Lockjaw hopped up into his seat, and I made sure to ruffle his ears a bit to thank him for a job well done. “Who’s Mama’s good boy?” His tongue rolled out of his mouth, and he panted happily, so I kissed his nose. “Should we go see Colin?”
Lockjaw’s ears perked up a little bit at the mention of Colin’s name, and I laughed. I never would understand why Lockjaw had attached to Colin so quickly, but it wasn’t as if I didn’t understand. Colin was pretty great.
With a deafening roar, I started my bike and started off for MiD.
My stomach flipped as I pulled into MiD. The empty desert that I’d been visiting daily up until a week ago was now unrecognizable. Colorful booths selling everything from food to merch were lined in rows, and at the far end of the desert was a massive stage with an electronic backdrop and tons of flashing lights. One of the more popular, family-friendly Arizona bands was playing. All of the headliners would perform during the night party, but people were still partying it up now. On either side of the stage, orange, blood-red, and steel-silver banners hung with the faces of our fallen members from the Devil’s Riders’ attack of the past.
On either side of the entrance gate were the different posters that Hoppa and Collinstown designed for the event. The event, originating with the name Music in the Desert, was depicted in a simplistic poster with waves of tan across the bottom, a music note in the center, and the Steel Knights’, Blazing Rebels’, and Raging Vipers’ emblems across the top. The promotion for the rager part of the night was displayed on a poster with an electric purple bottom, a state emblem across it, and stars dotting a black sky, with a few of the stars being the Steel Knights, Blazing Rebels, and Raging Vipers symbols.
The entire place was packed with people, and I could see the bright red and orange Blazing Rebels and dark red Raging Vipers emblems floating around all over the place, not just on the jackets of the members, but on the Mascid and Collinstown residents as well. Hoppa wasn’t to be outdone, as nearly half of the attendees seemed to be wearing the Steel Knights’ sigil in a sterling silver color that was reflective and caught the sun’s light perfectly.
Unlike the front where Colin and I had been parking our bikes, the clubhouse had members-only parking, and I followed the closely guarded backroad around to where the bikes were all parked, along with Colins. Just seeing his bike sent a jolt of excitement through me. I’d gone fourteen years without seeing him, and now after just four days, it felt as if it had been fourteen more years. I parked, climbed off, and pulled Lockjaw out. Normally, I’d leave him off-leash since he was very well trained, but I kept him on a short chain while at MiD for others’ peace of mind. Though I thought he was cute as a button, everyone else saw a terrifying pit bull. I leashed him up and then walked into the club room.
The place was packed with the intermingling members of the Steel Knights, Raging Vipers, and Blazing Rebels. Some were playing pool, some were drinking and laughing, and some were just sitting on the couches, catching up. I did a quick scan of the room, but I didn’t see Colin, my dad, or Taylor.
“Hey, Val!” I turned and looked over my shoulder, and the Raging Vipers’ lean but unexpectedly strong Sergeant at Arms was walking in behind me.
Way back when I’d first met the Raging Vipers’ officers, Saddle approached me as if I was no different from any of the men in the club. It took me by surprise, at first—that and his thick Russian accent—but when I mentioned to him that the guys in my club didn’t necessarily like me, he playfully quipped, “Oh, I was unaware that men disliked having beautiful women around.” It was a comment that fell right inside his hard sense of humor, strained with a tinge of seriousness. Whenever he was around, it felt like I got more respect. Maybe it was just because he loomed over everyone and because it felt like he could see into your very soul, but he was one of the main reasons I loved MiD.
“Saddle!” We threw ourselves into a hug. “How are ya?”
“Can’t complain. You know, things never stay calm for too long in Collinstown. Gunner sees to that.”
A chuckle slipped out before I could stop it. Raging Vipers Sergeant at Arms Adrian “Saddle” Ivanov was much more the troublemaker between him and their vice president, Gunner, but he tended to foist it off on others. “I’d take some of that over watching Nick play cards every night.”
Adrian punched my arm. “Hey, be careful what you wish for. Things are always calmest before the storm.”
That’s what had my dad so spooked, after all. “I know that’s right. Hey, have you seen him?”
“Squared?” Adrian asked. “Yeah, he and a few of the other Knights were standing around the beer stand a bit ago.”
“No shock there. Thanks.”
Adrian tapped my arm as he continued inside. “No problem. Good to see ya, Val.”
“Bye.” I shook Lockjaw’s chain a bit. “Come on, buddy.”
We walked back out of the clubhouse and started to wander around the desert grounds. As I walked around, I saw Bucky, Bullseye, Texas, and Bullet, but my dad, Colin, and Taylor were nowhere to be found. For half a second, I got a little nervous that maybe something had gone wrong between Colin and Taylor, but then the unexpected happened.
“Val.” Lockjaw let out a quiet growl at the person beckoning me, knowing that it was unusual for Bullet to approach me in a way that wasn’t hostile.
“Hey, Bullet. You enjoying yourself?”
Unlike the normal aggression between us, he seemed slightly tepid, if not somewhat pleasant. “Yeah. You know, MiD’s always a good time.”
“It is,” I responded. “Are you… feeling okay?”
He looked at me, his thin-rimmed glasses making his cynical expression even more pronounced. “Yes. Why?”
My hands flew into the air defensively as I laughed it off. “No reason. We just don’t talk much.”
“Yeah. Is it a problem?”
“No.” I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “How are things going around here? No big threats, I imagine?”
