He put the lid back on the tote and retreated back down to the floor where it was a little more stable. Not much though; not when you considered the heat on the club, the town, and everywhere they went. All Levi wanted to do was keep current relationships strong while Reese wanted to make sure that the past didn’t come back to repeat itself.
The first time things went bad, Reese lost his best friend.
The obituary in his pocket was proof of that.
* * *
Reese shutthe door and wrestled with the lock again. He then flicked his wrist and threw the key at Ellis. Ellis hurried to chase it through the air, balancing his fresh smoke between his lips as he did so. He caught the key and tucked it into his pocket.
“Can we leave now?” Ellis asked, the cigarette dancing up and down between his lips.
Reese walked to his motorcycle and threw his leg over it. He sat there, thinking. Trying to make sense of too much at once. And fuck Ellis for bringing up even more old shit. Talking about Benny and the strip club. Of course, the MC had a stake in that place, but not big enough to make it all legit. That’s why Reese wanted more. To build the club’s finances through businesses that were a little more legit and carried a little less risk. So, when they had to deal with the police, they could sit there, smile, and watch the police writhe in annoyance. Right now, it was sometimes the other way around.
In the distance, the sound of a motorcycle echoed.
Reese quickly got off his ride and looked at Ellis.
“Fuck,” Ellis said. “DRM?”
“Maybe,” Reese said. Ellis was referring to a rival MC that weren’t as strong as Back Down Devil, but if it was their main crew, it would be eight on two, which wasn’t exactly a fair fight.
“Move the rides?” Ellis asked. “Make them think we’re gone?”
“No,” Reese said. “We don’t hide. We have nothing to hide.”
“Pride, brother. That shit will take you down.”
“Then you go and hide,” Reese said. “Is that why you have grenades? You lost your balls?”
“Fuck you,” Ellis said.
They both stood their ground, hearing the growling of the motorcycle getting louder by the second. It was definitely coming their way.
Reese felt his heart race a little bit. He casually looked around the entire massive area of storage units. This was a good place to wage a little war. It was far away from town. It would attract less attention. And Reese knew this place well. He could navigate all the rows.
Not that they wanted this shit right now. But that’s the way the life of freedom worked. It came with a constant price, and an even more constant reminder that death walked side by side with freedom. It was like they were both on a wire, bouncing shoulders together to see who would fall first.
“Fuck this,” Ellis said. “I’m getting one of these fuckers out right now.” He swung the bag around to his front. “I’ll send a clear warning.”
Reese grabbed Ellis by the shoulder. “Bro, be smart here. You throw that and blow up a few prospects, fine. That’s a lesson learned. But if you take out Sledge or Lyle, you just started a fucking war without a proper vote. And where do you think that gets you? You’ll get your cut stripped off your back and Levi will slit your throat in front of everyone at the table and in the MC.”
Ellis curled his lip.
Reese appreciated Ellis’s wanting to get to action, but that was part of the problem. Everyone had a quick trigger finger. Nobody could take a minute and think shit out. Yeah, maybe thirty years ago it was easier to live that way. Things were different now. And things were going to keep changing.
The motorcycle finally came into view and it was a good thing that Ellis didn’t have a grenade in his hand.
Because it was Luca riding toward them. The oldest member that sat at the table. One of the original members of this charter, hand chosen by the originals of the entire MC. Sure, Luca was a burned-out alcoholic that could never clean himself up, but his presence alone was important to everyone at the table to show how far the club had really come.
He stopped with two inches to spare from hitting Ellis, who didn’t bother to move at all. In fact, Ellis folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Jesus, Luca,” Reese said. “You trying to run him over?”
“I fucking stopped in time,” Luca growled over the rumbling motorcycle engine.
“Eyes aren’t so good anymore, old man,” Ellis said. “Maybe it’s time to get you some cataract surgery and toss your wrinkled ass into a home.”
Luca showed his old, chipped teeth that complimented the craters on his face and scars around his eyes from fists, knives, and guns. He was a real gnarly looking man, almost like a monster. He throttled his motorcycle and let it go, actually hitting Ellis.