Page 45 of Ripper
My mind immediately went back to that dangerous run I had with Anna. I thought about how weak I felt, how scared I was, and I knew that I didn’t want to feel that again. I promised myself that I’d toughen up, that I’d listen, learn, and adapt just like Ripper said I would. Part of me wanted to make him proud, but even so, I knew it couldn’t last forever. I was here to two-time the club that opened their doors to me, but I had no choice. I needed to get Uncle Axle back.
“The rest of you need to be out tracking down any one of those Freeway Fucks and bringing them to the warehouse. If they wanna play dirty, we gotta get our damn hands dirty too. I know a lot of you have been concerned about how I’ve been handling shit, but you need to be patient. We’ll strike soon. You have my damn word.”
The meeting disbanded and everyone went their separate ways just as I turned to look at Ripper. He reached out for my hand, giving it a tight, comforting squeeze.
“See, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Freeway Fucks?”
“The Freeway Kings. They’re fuckers, that's for sure, and they’re scum. They’ve been trying to take us down for as long as I can fucking remember. They’re the assholes we’re dealing with. You don’t have to worry about that now, sweet pea. Just focus on getting your tasks done, and you’ll be just fine. You may be doing some manual labor today, but once that’s over, I’m whisking you away for something special.”
“Yeah, like what?” I asked, with a smirk.
“Oh, you already know. Now go, you need to be with the other prospects right now. Can’t have them thinking I’m playing favorites here.”
“Uh huh, sure,” I said, chuckling.
Ripper leaned in for a kiss, and I planted one on him before I got up, smoothing my jeans with my palms, ready to get to work.
“I’ll be back tonight to check on you and the others, of course. Knock ’em dead, sweet pea.”
“Oh, I’ll try.”
I joined the other prospects, listening closely to Archer as he barked off exactly what needed to be done, and before I knew it, we were off. It felt strangely comforting riding together in a pack, all of us working toward the same goal, trying to make our time with the Rebels permanent. I tried not to let myself dream too big because I knew that the closer I got to becoming a member, the more information I’d have to give up to get Uncle Axle back.
We arrived at a large industrial warehouse that looked like it had seen better days. The metal doors were rusted, the paint was chipping on the walls, and a few of the windows were boarded up. We all pulled in, switching off our engines, heading inside to start taking inventory. My jaw dropped when I realized how many crates were in there and what they contained. I glanced down at one of them filled to the brim with guns and bullets, gulping at the thought of ever having to use one.
It’s part of the deal. You’ll have to learn to protect yourself eventually,I thought. There was no time to chat, no time for small talk, but halfway through the evening, we finally got a moment to breathe. A few of the other prospects were opening up beers, and the thought of any cold drink practically had me salivating, but before I could accept one, my phone started buzzing in the pocket of my jeans.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
“Can’t say it’s gonna be here when you get back,” one of the prospects murmured, holding up my cold beer that he got out of the cooler.
“That’s all right.”
I rushed out, glancing at the unknown call lighting up my phone screen, answering it quickly. My heart sank into my stomach when I heard the man’s voice on the line, but this time, there was something strangely familiar about it.
“Ronnie, I heard that you made prospect for the Rebels. That must mean you have some information for me. If you don’t, I can shoot your uncle dead right now. I gave you enough time to get this done. So, what do you have?” he asked.
“I-I need more time.”
“Your uncle hasn’t seen food or water for the last twelve hours, and I can keep torturing the shit out of him if you’d prefer. It’s a shame. He had so many years left in him,” said the man.
I could’ve sworn I heard the sound of his gun click and it startled me.
“Okay! Wait! I may have something.”
“I’m listening.”
“I know where the Rebels are hiding their stock. If I tell you, will you let my uncle go?” I asked, my heart thudding loudly in my ears.
“If it checks out, I won’t kill Axle yet. You’re gonna have to give me more than that if you want to see him again, but it’s a start.”
I knew arguing with him would be pointless, and even though it hurt me to give up something that was so sacred to the Rebels, I had no choice anymore. I told the man every detail about how I got to the warehouse, and before I could ask him to let me talk to Uncle Axle, the phone line went dead.
I took a deep breath, feeling the sweat trickle down my back, and I grabbed onto the metal shelves next to me because I felt like I was going to faint. The room was spinning for a moment as the realization of what I’d just done hit me hard, but I just hoped it wouldn’t hurt the Rebels. I sat down for a moment, hearing someone call my name, and I turned around to see Archer standing there.
“Hey, Ronnie. You good?”
