Chapter Eleven: Burned
Smoke
I had always enjoyed riding, ever since I taught myself how to. In the beginning, I took it up because I felt like it made me ‘cool,’ especially to women, but over time I had come to realize it wasn’t really about that. It was fun and freedom, going against the norm and living in the moment.
Riding was my first love. Not that I was usually so sappy about it.
But today was a good day for being a little sentimental. The air felt warm with the sun out. Big, white, fluffy clouds floated in the sky overhead and the back roads from my house to Wheelz were mostly clear of other vehicles. With no traffic causing me delays as I headed to the bar. That put me in a good mood because I liked to be early to everything, including the club’s meetings. I’d always been like that.
Well, I supposed my good mood could be attributed to the lack of traffic and the kiss I’d shared with Naomi last night. She’d been so responsive, molding her lips to my own and showing me this feeling of attraction wasn’t at all one-sided. Her moan was pure satisfaction.
Made a man feel good about himself.
I wasn’t sure where things were going with her, and I knew it would be hard to find a good time to talk about it since Gavin was around most of the time, but I wouldn’t let her push me away so easily anymore. A definite spark flared between us that deserved a chance to ignite and grow, until it became a fiery romance. I felt sure we could have some fun together.
When I pulled my bike into the parking lot at Wheelz, I wasn’t surprised to see only one other bike there.
Ink’s black Sportster. He’d taken on a job working for Bones behind the bar full-time, so it seemed like the guy was always here. Even Bones hadn’t come to the bar for the day yet.
I parked my bike and pulled off my helmet, only to freeze when the smell of smoke reached me. Wheelz was surrounded by flat fields. With nothing else around, so if something was burning, that was not good.
With a sense of urgency coming over me, I rushed inside, slamming the door into the wall as I pushed it open so forcefully. I gaped at the sight before me. One of the pool tables, the one closest to the stage was on fire. Flames rose into the air, almost reaching the ceiling, but nothing else was burning. Yet. Just when I thought the events of last night had maxed out the amount of shock I could feel I was proven so wrong.
The freaking pool table was on fire.
This couldn’t be natural, I thought as I ran to the small kitchen in the back and ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall. When I ran back toward the pool table, I saw Ink laying on the floor behind it with a dark pool beneath him and I had the horrid feeling it was blood.
I wanted to stop and help him, but the flames were the most pressing matter. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if we both died in the damn fire. So I stood and pointed the fire extinguisher toward the base of the flames. I let loose with a stream of white foam.
Suddenly, the door of the bar opened behind me, and I heard a string of curses coming from Bones’ mouth. I turned to yell at him over my shoulder while still dealing with the flames, “Forget the pool table, I’ve got it. Ink’s on the floor back there.” I nodded in that direction.
To his credit, Bones didn’t hesitate to go to him, getting on his knees and checking for a pulse. He recognized that human life, especially that of a friend, was more important than a pool table or a bar.
I prayed that he’d find a heartbeat.
The door opened again and again as more club members arrived. It came as a relief to have the others here, even though I’d already mostly put out the fire. I didn’t have to handle this crisis alone now. In the end, the pool table itself was charred a midnight black color and smoke lingered in the air.
But I didn’t care about any of that. My friend was still laying on the floor in a pool of what was probably his own blood. I just wanted to know he was going to be okay. Finally, the last embers of the fire were out, and I felt a tightness in the center of my chest loosen. One crisis had been averted. Someone opened the windows to clear out the smoke and I could hear a siren approaching.
“I called an ambulance,” Hawk explained.
I just nodded.
“Bones says Ink’s heartbeat is strong, but it looks like he was bashed in the head with something.”
“Bashed in the head?” I repeated.
“Yeah, from behind. This was no accident.” Frustration reflected in Hawk’s voice.
I felt frustrated too. Someone had attacked our friend and tried to burn down our bar. Whoever it was crossed a serious line, and there would be hell to pay. “Those bastards. They attacked him from behind? He probably never saw it coming,” I muttered. “This has to be Devil Riders, right?”
“Maybe,” Hawk replied, but he didn’t seem so sure.
“Of course, it was them,” Maverick interjected, rage clear in his voice. “Who else would have the balls to do something like this?”
“The cartel is our enemy too,” Gunner pointed out.
“No, this wasn’t them,” Bones said. “The cartel likes to make more of a statement, send a message. This is sloppy.”
“Well, it was someone he trusted enough to turn his back to,” I reasoned. “Or maybe just someone he didn’t see as a threat?”
“Whoever it was, they’ll be sorry. I guarantee that.” Bones’ statement hung heavy in the air, but no one disputed it.
The ambulance arrived, and I felt my heart lurch as I watched them load Ink’s body onto the stretcher. He looked so pale and limp, it was hard to believe he was even alive.
Every memory I had of Ink played in my head, and I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as I thought about the blood. What if he didn’t make it? I couldn’t stand the thought of losing one of my club brothers, not again. We’d just lost our former president to a riding accident less than a year ago. That had been horrible. Then, almost half of our members left the club because they didn’t like the new direction we were heading in when we chose to clean up the streets of Holbeck, instead of continuing to contribute to the crime and corruption. They had formed Devil Riders, which was the reason that club was our rival. It was born of betrayal.
It would devastate us to suffer another loss after all this.