“Are you sure about this?” Pike asked.
“It’s time, and he’s ready.”
“I don’t think you should go alone.”
Matthew looked toward his father. Really looked at him, and he saw the troubled expression on his face. The stress lines. His dad had always been serious, but Matthew couldn’t recall seeing him like this since the trouble with Abelli.
“What’s going on?” Matthew asked.
Duke stared at him. “We have a drug problem running through Vale Valley.”
“I thought we helped to transport them out. That’s why we never did.”
“Yeah, but Maya, she, er, she made us very much aware of the fact that there is product getting through but also sticking around.” Duke ran a hand down his face. “I got a call from Sheriff. A sixteen-year-old girl was admitted last night. OD’d. Hard stuff. Stuff I’ve never even seen before. Someone is bringing in product.”
Matthew figured this should be a club thing. Sheriff Dawson and his father didn’t always see eye-to-eye.
“I’ve reached out to Lash, and he was a dead end.” Lash, the President of The Skulls, was a scary fucker. Matthew had seen him a few times. Rumor was that he had snapped a man’s neck with his bare hands, all in the name of love. “I’ve arranged a meeting with Ned Walker.”
Pike swore.
“I need to settle this, Pike.”
“No, what you’re going to end up doing is living six feetfucking under. What if it’s the Abelli?”
“Trust me. It’s not.”
“Because they’ve been so trustworthy in the past?”
“What about Diaz?” Matthew asked.
“I know Diaz’s product, and besides, even he is pissed as supply and demand are down on his end. Whoever is dealing, they’re doing it close to home.”
“Home being Vale Valley?” Pike asked.
“Possibly. I know the only guy that can find the means to move this stuff and to make it a problem is Ned Fucking Walker.”
“And if you kill this old bastard, Duke, that means war with The Skulls and with them, the Chaos Bleeds crew tagalong.”
“No, they won’t,” Duke said.
Pike snorted.
“I got Lash’s word.”
This shut Pike up.
Lash had always stuck by his word. It was why The Skulls were no longer on the drug or gun runs. They were out. They were clean.
Matthew knew their history. Most clubs did. It didn’t make The Skulls any less dangerous. If anything, it had made them more so. They stayed close to their towns, and anyone who dared to make waves, well, they often ended up on the dead list or disappeared.
He looked toward his father.
“You can’t go alone,” Pike said. “We’ll round up the club.”
“Ned Walker was specific in how he wanted to do this,” Duke said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re actually considering this? Ned Walker will fucking kill you.”