Chapter Two
“Where you heading, all geared up?” asked Razor.
The other man eyed the shotgun Brick had slung over his shoulder. Razor also happened to be the Ruthless Reapers MC’s sergeant-at-arms. He had a keen eye for weapons and probably knew Brick had a second gun on him and a knife strapped to his boot for emergencies.
Being the club Vice President, Brick didn’t have to answer Razor. He outranked the other biker after all, but Razor probably asked out of curiosity’s sake.
“Got a lead on the assholes who stole our shipment three days ago,” Brick said.
Razor raised one pierced eyebrow. “You going after the Black Dogs MC scum? Alone?”
“I wanted to check if the information’s solid first,” Brick said.
King, the club President, had always been the reckless one. King picked Brick as his second-in-command for being level-headed and calm, but this was personal.
The Ruthless Reapers MC operated out of Grace, a former mining town out in the mountains. Serenity Hill and Castle Falls, the two neighboring towns, were territories controlled by two other rival MC groups. The Ruthless Reapers MC had a truce with the Chaos Riders MC, a working relationship even. The Black Dogs MC had always been the ones to watch out for. Like feral dogs, they went after enemies and allies alike.
The attack on their delivery convoy had been a quick and dirty operation. The theft had occurred during nighttime. The culprits didn’t wear any cuts with recognizable patches, but Brick knew the Black Dogs MC were responsible. His nephew Trigger had managed to identify one attacker as a member of the Black Dogs MC.
“Something’s wrong with this picture,” Razor mused out loud as he thoughtfully rubbed his unshaven chin. “One, you could’ve sent a prospect on a simple scouting job. Two, you’re packing. That tells me you’re up to something no good.”
“Trigger ended up in the hospital because of those assholes. He’s still in intensive care,” Brick said with a growl.
Brick thought two, three steps ahead most of the time. King and his MC brothers relied on his quick thinking to get the club out of trouble plenty of times, but this was different. Family was involved. No strategy was needed.
Trigger was his little sister’s only son. Tasha died tragically young, caught in a crossfire between the club and another rival group. Brick’s father and grandfather had both been MC men. It was in their blood, but after Tasha died, Brick didn’t want Trigger to follow in the same footsteps of his father, uncle, or grandfather. The boy refused to back down.
God knew Brick had put Trigger through hell. He’d sent Trigger on plenty of unsavory jobs just to dissuade him from joining the club, but Trigger had been adamant about his path. He’d gone from prospect to patch, but look where his first real job for the club as a member landed him.
“Brick? You there?” Razor asked.
“What were you saying?” Brick’s thoughts had wandered off in the middle of the conversation.
“I asked you what King thinks of this revenge mission of yours,” Razor said.
Brick held the other man’s gaze. He and Razor had their share of differences over the years. Razor reminded him too much of King. He liked getting his hands dirty far too much, but the MC needed all kinds of talents. Brick had learned to respect Razor was good at what he did.
“I told King what he expected to hear,” Brick said. King was out of town on another business deal with another group. That meant Brick was in charge. If he knew what Brick intended, King would probably call a meeting and vote on it. That would take too long.
“And your information’s solid?” Razor asked.
“My source tells me Dragon and his pals will be paying some poor asshole at the Castle Falls Trailer Park a personal visit,” Brick said.
“You sure Dragon’s the man we’re after?” Razor pressed.
Brick had done his research or rather, he told the resident MC hacker to find out all he could about the members of the Black Dogs MC. Brick and King already had dealings in the past with Rat, the President. They also knew Rat’s other top lieutenants on sight.
Dragon was a new enforcer from another Black Dogs MC chapter. He certainly was ambitious and stupid enough to think he could get away with stealing from their MC. Men like that needed to be taught a lesson. Besides, the Ruthless Reapers MC’s reputation was at stake. They had to hit back sooner or later.
“Trigger identified him through his prison tattoos,” Brick said.
“Then there’s nothing else I want to ask. I’m coming with you,” Razor said, rising to his feet.
Brick finally noticed the other biker had his favorite revolvers strapped to his belt. So Razor was planning on coming along with him all this time?
Razor could never really sit still. Brick decided to avoid an argument. He only had a short window of time to enact his vengeance. Getting Dragon all alone would be tricky, and Brick didn’t need to wage a war on the entire MC. He’d settle for killing the crew responsible for putting Trigger and three other MC brothers in the hospital.
“Fine. I could use the backup,” Brick said. “But it has to be just the two of us. I need this done fast and quiet. No messes. My source tells me there will only be four of them tonight.”
“Four’s easy,” Razor agreed. “Let’s get to it.”
They exited the noisy clubhouse and walked to their bikes in the parking lot. Brick got behind his Harley, and Razor let him lead the way. Brick always loved the ride. Nothing could compare to being on his bike and feeling the wind on his face and beard, the powerful hum of the Harley engine between his thighs.
Tonight, however, Brick was out on serious business. He had to put down an animal.
****