Jase (42 page)

She clapped her hands delightedly and nodded, repeating, “Take the shot.” Wrapping one palm around his upper arm, she turned him towards the house. “Now we
hafta
explain to your father why you’re quitting, but aren’t a quitter. Then, later,” she looked up at him, “you’re going to tell me about the patch I saw on the back of your vest, son. And then,” she took a deep breath, “you’re going to talk about Sharon. I want to know everything.”

***

Back in Fort Wayne, Jase sat in the airport parking lot for a minute, his brain a muddle of thoughts and emotions. He had a good visit with his
parents
and believed his father had accepted his decision better than expected. Once he explained not only his reasoning, but also what he would be doing to pay back the sport that he loved, his dad was on board one-hundred percent. His mother was already a supporter of the
decision,
because she had nursed his injuries many times through the years, and knew that a career-ending one was always just a misstep away. This way he was going out while still healthy.

Sighing, he started the truck, leaning his head against the steering wheel. Coming to a decision, he pulled out of the lot and headed to the clubhouse, where he hoped he would find Slate. In Red
Deer,
he met with officers and members of a club with a chapter there, and he wanted to relay their well wishes to his president. He had been surprised at how quickly news of events in Fort Wayne had
traveled,
because
after a couple beers,
one of the men had expressed concern over what happened with Birdy. Seemed they knew the guy who recommended him to
Mason,
and had dealings with the Utah club before.
Just another mystery to chuck in the bucket
, he thought.

Pulling up in the lot, he was surprised to see a large number of bikes present, and he stood beside the truck for a moment, looking around and taking stock. He knew a bunch of the bikes, but not all, which meant visitors from another chapter.
Smoothing his vest, he dangled his keychain from one finger, walking into the main room with a whistle and a shout. “Hey, man, did you know there’s not a single bike on the lot?”
Seeing Pinto standing behind the bar, he walked that way as some of the men got up to walk outside. Taking the seat of one of the men leaving, he leaned against the bar and said, “Wait for it…wait for it…”

Several of them came back inside, and one yelled over, “Thanks, asshole.”

Jase turned on the stool, grinning widely. “You’re welcome, dickhead.”

There was a jolt as someone kicked the legs of the stool, and he turned to see Mason standing next to him. “Nice. Smooth move, fucktard.”

Nodding at him, Jase said, “Gullible isn’t pretty to watch, I know. I got a good seat outta the deal, though.”

Giving him a half-grin and nodding, Mason said, “Come sit in the office with me and Slate. Wanna
get
your take on something we got going on.”

Accepting
a beer
from Pinto, he followed Mason and narrowed his eyes when the door closed behind them. Greeting Slate, he waited for Mason to sit and then followed his example, choosing a seat that put
him
an equal distance from the two men. In silence, he waited for one of them to speak and
clarify
what the issue was.

After a couple of minutes, he couldn’t stand it any longer and blurted, “What the fuck is going on?”

Slate and Mason both laughed, and Slate pulled out his wallet, handing a five-dollar bill to Mason with a quietly muttered, “Fuck me.”

He laughed, leaning forward, and propped his elbows on knees, saying, “You bet on how long I could be quiet?”

“How long it would take you to want to know what was up,” Mason corrected him. “I said less than five minutes; Slate thought you’d last longer.” Mason shook his head. “I know you better.” He took a drink of his beer and said, “Tell me about Red Deer.”

Nodding, Jase related the events surrounding his visit back home. “The club there was welcoming. Thanks for that advance call; it seemed to make all the difference in the world.” Mason inclined his head and made a ‘go ahead’ motion with his hand. “They already heard about Birdy and the issues we were having. Seems they’ve had dealings with Chief out in Utah before, said he
was
genuinely shocked at what went down. There’s a
lotta
admiration for Rebels there. It was
good
to hear them speak so openly about their respect for our club.”

He shifted in his seat. “The version of the Birdy outcome was pretty spot on to what happened. Does that mean we have someone who’s talking out of school, Prez?” He looked at Slate when he spoke, but Mason answered.

“Naw, I outlined things when I made my call. They probably were testing you to see how forthcoming I’d
been
. It’s all good.” He looked at Jase for a minute. “How are you
doin’
, Cap’n?”

“I’m good. Was good to see the family, get them behind my ideas.” He lifted his beer for a drink, pausing when Mason spoke again.

“You know what the fuck I’m talking about. Don’t dodge the question, motherfucker.”

“
No,
really, I’m good, Mason. I was good
with
it when it all went down. You know…I heard you in my head that night, talking about how we protect the ones we love. I knew Birdy was threatening not only the club and my brothers, but DeeDee, too. He was there.” He pointed at Slate. “He heard him. It wasn’t something I could let back onto the street. Not and feel safe ever again.”

Mason nodded. “You did good, Jason. You did a hard thing, but for the right reasons. You know the club has your back, and now the club knows you have theirs, too. No doubts on either side. Any man in that room,” he pointed at the door, “or this one,” he swept his
hand in an arc
, “would die for you.”

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Mason forged ahead. “You played hockey all your fucking life. Played in a bunch of different countries, on a
bunch of different teams
. All those people you played with on all those teams, how many are you still in touch with?”

“Two,” Jase said without hesitation. “Daniel and Lee.”

“When you played on those teams, did you give fifty percent effort or a hundred fifty every game?”

“Hundred fifty…or more.” Jase tilted his head. “Where are you going with this, Mason?”

“Would you die for me? If needed, would you step up and save me at the cost of your own life?”

“Yes, Mason. You know I would, man.” Sweat prickled
on
his back. This line of questioning was making him nervous.

“Is the club worthy of your respect? You were honored in Red Deer that they thought favorably about the club. Are you honored to be a member?”

He drew in a shaking breath. “Mason, yes. I am…it is. All my fucking life, I needed this. To find it now, when the club needed me…
when
I needed the
club
, that’s fate at work. I’m honored. I’m proud, and I’m a fucking Rebel.”

“Goddamn right you are,” Mason said, leaning forward. “And because you are, you keep the club first. You protect the
club
against any threats, even from within. Because it’s what we do.” He reached out and slapped Jase’s chest hard with the back of his hand. “Because we’re fucking brothers…family, and we protect
family
. Don’t let what happened with Birdy
fester
, man. It was needful. Un-fucking-comfortable and hard as fuck, but needful, because it protected your club, your brothers, your woman. Your family. You got me?”

Jase nodded, sinking
backwards
into the chair. “I got you, Prez.”

“Good, good.” He called across the ice to where the gaggle of eight-year-old kids was slowly skating towards the goal, “Looking good.” Bright laughter braided with a deeper, booming humor came from the stands behind him, and he glanced back to find Tyler sitting there with Bingo. One of the kids on the ice was one of his little brothers, Kane, and Jase grinned at the pair before turning back to the
children
.

His gaze swept across the untrained and awkward kids, automatically categorizing them into ranks, cataloging a few who looked to have raw skill, or at least the enthusiasm to take chances. Kane fell into that latter group, and he broke away from the pack as Jase watched. The boy fell to his knees and bounced up, stick swinging wildly as he chased the puck. Two other boys and a girl followed him, the rest of the kids looking on in surprise.

Jase called, “Stay on the puck, guys. Keep your stick blades
flat
and on the ice, the puck isn’t up
by
your shoulders; it’s by your toes.
Good
, Kane, that’s
really good
. Now, turn and follow the puck.” He looked up at the banner strung across the end of the rink in pride, Patterson-Spencer Hockey Foundation. When he talked to Anita Patterson about his idea to create a memorial for her father, she was touched and thrilled. He knew he wouldn’t be the man he was today without Coach, and as he described it to DeeDee, it was a chance to pay the efforts of his mentor forward in a meaningful way.

He waved across ice for Lee to take over, waiting for his
acknowledgment
before he turned to walk up the stands. He had offered
Lee
the foundation manager’s position once he knew his dream would become a reality, and his friend had gladly accepted. It was a way to both put his degree to use and keep hockey in his life, just like Jase had wanted…needed for himself. Taking the
wide strides
required to move from seat to seat up into the stands, he walked up to where Bingo and Tyler were sitting.

Turning to settle beside Tyler, he leaned back, propping his elbows on the bench behind them. “Didja come early to watch Kane? He’s gonna be a monster;
look at that swish
. Falls down, he bounces right back up. Natural player. I noticed he favors left. We’ll have to work on making him skate both directions; can’t
favor
the dominant side.” He was
rambling,
because he had been shocked when he got a good look at Bingo. Every time he saw him, the man looked worse than before.

“Brother,” Bingo interrupted, and Jase went silent with a sucked in
breath
. He still wasn’t used to the greeting from the Rebel members, but it gave him a thrill of pleasure every time he heard it spoken. Bingo continued
talking
, and at his words, Jase drew in another breath, but this one in dismay. “I’m sick. Kids need a place to crash for a few days while I get checked out.
Think
you and DeeDee could help out?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. He knew all nine of the kids, had five of them signed up for skate classes.
Tyler was the oldest, and there was a span between the kids, because the youngest was about four. Even though he knew he would be bringing home a huge distraction and disruption to their household, he also knew he didn’t even have to check with DeeDee for her opinion.
Bingo had been her husband’s best friend, practically family in that right alone, and she would do anything for him. “When do you have to go in?”

“Tonight. I didn’t know until a little bit ago,” he said apologetically.

“No matter. We got you, brother,” Jase answered, reaching out to ruffle Tyler’s hair. The boy’s face was set in somber lines, and he looked afraid. It was no
wonder,
because after losing his mother to cancer and dealing with his own illness, having his uncle get sick would be frightening. “Tyler, go see if Dugger needs some help. I think those kids are about to kick his ass.”

Cutting him a grateful look, Tyler stood and made his way down the stands. Stepping onto the ice in his tennis shoes, he slipped a
little,
but then flatfooted it across the rink to where Lee was standing against the boards. Jase didn’t say anything, figuring if Bingo wanted a chance to talk, he at least had created the opportunity.

The man cleared his throat, his
voice
hoarse with emotion. “Lung, before you ask. Doc thinks he caught it early. They’re going to do a biopsy in the morning. I’ll be out in a day unless something goes wrong. If it’s what the doc expects, they’ll cut out the one part, and I’ll be back to normal in a few weeks.” He shifted on the hard seat. “Thanks for this, man. The kids all like DeeDee, and most of them tolerate you pretty well.”

Jase grinned over at him. “It’ll be a hardship for her, I’m sure,” he joked, and Bingo
smiled
back at him, both knowing she would love the hell out of having a full house of kids.

Leaning back on his elbows, matching Jase’s pose, Bingo said, “Did she ever tell you she and Winger wanted a bunch of kids? The man wouldn’t shut up about it for
years
until everyone realized they couldn’t stay pregnant. Then you could tell he still wanted
them,
but quit talking about it to save her feelings.”
He shook his head. “I loved my sister, but it always chapped my ass that a poor excuse for a mother like her could keep popping out babies, but DeeDee—
”
He trailed off, clearing his throat again.

“She’ll enjoy having kids in the house,” Jase said. “I’ll give her a call in a minute and we’ll get everything sorted before you get there. I can bring Kane with me, but do you need some help packing up and transporting the rest of the little monsters?”

“Naw, Tyler and Megan, the two oldest, are
a big
help. We’ll bring clothes and toys and shit, so they can amuse themselves as much as possible. Shouldn’t be but a couple of days.” Bingo stood, not looking at Jase as he spoke. “Not asking you to keep this to yourself anymore, brother. I gotta be
man
enough to admit when I need help, or I’m not a good example for the boy. I can’t do this one alone.”

He stepped carefully down the seats, the leather of his cut creaking with the movement. Reaching the mats that surrounded the boards, he motioned towards Tyler, and when the boy reached him, slung an arm around his shoulders as they walked out, lifting his hand in a two-fingered wave at Lee.