“I could eat.”
“I mean real food, Ace, not those green shakes and rabbit shit you call food.”
I bite back a laugh and start the bike’s engine. “Fine. Fried food and sugar for breakfast. I know just the place.”
I take off before Shades is even on his bike just because I know it’ll piss him off. We’ve been friends long enough to know exactly how to get under each other’s skin. Have been doing so since we met in the Marines.
The sound of Shade’s engine revving behind me makes me smile, and when I look back, sure as shit, he’s gaining on me. But just past him, I notice a dark green car I swear was behind us earlier as we made our way to the port. Weird as shit. I know Shades will tell me I’m paranoid, but that’s why all of my men are still alive.
A few quick hand gestures from my spot at the front to let him know we might have a tail, and Shades follows my lead. The road from the port leads to the freeway in one direction and town in the other. I jump on the freeway and weave through traffic while Shades stays in the middle lane doing no more than five miles over the speed limit.
The green car is right there, just one car behind Shades. I motion to him to make a last-minute lane change for the next exit, which he executes flawlessly. I take the next exit, and we meet up at his favorite early morning eatery, the Mexican Breakfast Bistro.
Shades removes his helmet and tucks it under his arm. We fall in step and head inside the bistro, taking the corner booth away from the windows, just in case.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Dark green sedan, possibly an Audi, tailing us.”
“Man, cops don’t fucking drive luxury brands like Audi, not even undercovers.”
“I know that,” I bite out angrily. “It could be Hector or someone hired by him.”
Shades shook his head. “Wild Man’s keeping a close eye on all the Iron Kings financials, personal and MC accounts. The only luxury vehicle is Hector’s bright yellow Lambo. Everything else is mid-range sedans and old ass vans.”
I nod because I know that. I see the same briefs Shades does, dammit. “Well, I saw the same car on our way to the port, and I didn’t think anything of it until I saw the same car behind you while you struggled to catch up with me.”
“Fuck you, I didn’t struggle. You took off. That’s the equivalent of a sucker punch.”
I laugh and accept the menu from the waitress with the big tits. “Either way, it’s no coincidence. I’m sure of that.”
Shades shrugs and browses the menu. “Whoever it was, we lost them. Problem solved.”
“For now.” It’s not just the Iron Kings we have to worry about. The club often has to contend with angry boyfriends and fathers who don’t like the idea of their girlfriends, wives, and daughters doing sex work. There are always other MCs and gangs who want a piece of what we have. There’s never just one enemy.
Ever.
“You thinking it could be someone else?”
I nod.
“Not likely a known enemy. With the way we’ve been dismantling Hector’s shit, we have more customers than we can handle with the knockoffs and guns.”
“Which means there’s some little fucking club out there who wants a piece of the pie. I don’t share my fuckin’ pie, Shades.”
He gives one sharp nod, waiting until the waitress sets down our breakfast platters before he speaks again. “Did you get any numbers off the plate? I’ll have Wild Man look into it.”
“Nope.” In hindsight, I should have let the driver pass me to identify the license plate instead of just confirming they were following us. “I fucked up.”
“Happens to the best of us, bro.” Shades inhales his breakfast burrito and mini egg and sausage tacos before tackling the chorizo potatoes. “Fuck, I’m full.”
“You’re an animal,” I tell him and finish my burrito. “I’m heading back to the clubhouse to tell everyone to be on the lookout for a green Audi, and then I’m heading to the gym.”
“Of course, you are. It’s all right to take a day away. You know that don’t you?”
“Yep. Keeps my mind right and my reflexes sharp.” The gym is my time. It’s just for me to do what the fuck I need to do to keep going, to wade through the bullshit we face on a daily basis. The only difference between my life as a Marine and my life now is that now we have no government backing. Not officially, anyway.
“If you say so. I fuck to keep in shape, mind and body.”
We share a laugh and head outside when I spot the green Audi in the parking lot. “You see that, right?”
Shades nods but otherwise stays silent as his head swivels in the parking lot, searching for anything that looks like a threat.