Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Dad: I have news too! We have five hundred subscribers on the Old Gents’ YouTube channel.
Dad: Also, I will be waiting.
Me: Oh, boy.
Dad: Was that intended to be a text message to me?
Me: No! Sorry. Again. Or ahead of time. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Love you, Dad!
Dad: I sure do love you back. Tick tock on that phone call, Daughter. Tick tock.
23
SHANE
Normally when we’d roll into Frisco for a roast like tonight’s, the gate at The Bonfire would be drawn back, and we could drive our bikes right inside. This time, we drove forward and then reversed, walking our bikes back so all of us were facing the street. We were ready for a fast retreat or a fast chase, and no one was sure which would happen.
I knew one thing, though. I wasn’t going to die tonight, and I wasn’t going to retreat. Whatever went down, I’d be ending it.
If it came to me snapping Estrada’s neck, I’d do it. I knew how cartels worked. They thrived on hitting your family, and no fucking way was anyone touching Kali.
I didn’t like Marco Estrada. Never had. I didn’t know who did, but Maxwell had put us in business with him, and our club grew because of it. No more. The cartel was too dangerous, too deadly for us, and it was time to cut ties.
Tonight we’d see how it all ended.
I wasn’t a great actor, but I knew my role. I’d keep it together until the right time.
Once I’d parked, I called Heckler before getting off my bike. The rest of the guys went inside, and the prospects came back out a moment later to watch over the bikes.
“I called around, like you asked,” Heckler said when he answered. “No one up there has heard about the cartel moving on us. And down here, we’re still not getting anything. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”
I sat back, thinking. “So we’re going in blind.”
“I’m sorry.”
A different thought came to me. “Could he be listening in on this?”
“Our calls?”
“Yeah.”
Heckler was quiet a moment. “If he’s into that, we’re fucked.”
We had tech guys, computer guys, who could maybe do what I’d suggested. We’d just never considered putting those measures in place.
“We messed up,” I told him.
“Yeah. We did. I was focused on Max.”
“I was focused on other things.” No way was I mentioning Kali now.
“You want me to call them?” Heckler offered.
“Yeah. We’re going to need them moving forward.”
Heckler laughed and then sighed. “Maybe that was the point of shooting Max? Distracting us?”
“Maybe.” My phone was ringing again. “I gotta take this call. It’s Boise.”
“Keep us updated.”
“Will do.” I ended that call and switched over. “Yeah?”
“They’re coming. Three vehicles. I’ll text if anyone sets up outside the town.”
“Thanks.” We hung up, and I sent a text to all the others.
Me: Incoming.
A couple minutes later they rolled in exactly the way Boise had said they would: three SUVs.
A little while after that, everyone had settled in. Marco had five men who’d set up in the front of The Bonfire with assault rifles at the ready. Three more stood just inside the gate, and the rest of his men—the ten he’d told us to account for—were sitting, eating and drinking as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
At my table sat Marco, Crow, and Crow’s sergeant at arms. One of the sweet butts was all over Crow, running her hand up and down his arm. He mostly ignored her, but when Marco’s gaze lingered on her, he pulled her into his lap.
Marco didn’t bat an eye, just went back to eating.
His men were drinking, and judging from the way they were throwing them back, they could handle their booze.
Our guys had non-alcoholic beer, because some of them couldn’t handle their booze.
I was so fucking stiff inside that I could’ve been the Oscar statue for all those awards. But on the outside, I was pretty sure no one could tell a thing. I wanted to kill this man. I knew that much.
“Ghost.”
It was always so odd when Marco used my biker name. He said it as if it were my given name, and we were the best of friends. He smiled. “How is your president? Have you been able to identify who shot him?”
This fucking asshole. To bring him up…
I didn’t blink. My smile never twitched. I responded casually, sitting back in my seat. “It’s still touch and go, and no. We haven’t found who did it yet.”
Marco nodded, dabbing the corners of his mouth with his napkin. He switched to Crow. “And you, this is your club, correct?” He put his napkin away, and a smooth smile took its place. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m not very knowledgeable on the biker culture.”
Crow shot me a look, leaning forward slowly. He spanked the girl’s ass and motioned for her to head back inside. She did, pouting as she went. Crow watched her go, watched her ass sway from side to side before turning to the cartel leader. “Our charter president isn’t here. He’s in Potomahmen actually.”