Rumor (4 page)

Chapter 4

Chicago 

"What's the damage VP?" Patiently I wait for Romeo to tell me what plan of action we are taking with the Disciples. Slim didn't sound too surprised that the Disciples are dealing for Hook and his men. Shit just does not feel right with him. By the looks of the hard expression on Romeo's face, whatever Slim said did not make him happy.

"Motherfuckin' Slim said to stand down. Said it is not our problem until it gets in the way of the shine deal.  He
says if LL leaves willingly with me that he will welcome her into our clubhouse. He knows shit isn't that fuckin' easy. LL isn't claimed with Miller's brand they never married. I guess if she wants to leave she can, but Miller might not let her go willingly. I don't even know if she would come with me."

"Well
bro, you gotta ask her what she wants, but you gotta be prepared to accept her answer no matter what it is. If it were me, I'd slit Miller's throat, appoint a new Prez for the Disciples, and ride off with my bitch on the back of my bike. Slim ain't right brother, I haven't been feeling him for a while now."

"
Look, you can't go getting mixed up in his and Foxie's shit." Romeo gives me a pointed look. This shit has nothing to do with him and Foxie. It is about me feeling that Slim has his hands in with Hook and the Rejects. When Red died my gut told me Slim was involved somehow. Nevertheless, he is one of my oldest friends, I cannot believe that he would sell drugs, but shit does not add up.

"Nah man, Slim and Foxie got nothing to do with it. Told you I am not attached. My gut tells me that Slim is dirty,
Romeo. I don't have proof, but when that shit went down with Red, a Rebel was selling drugs for Hook. It was Squirrel. What if he was doing it for Slim?"  Rocking back on my heels, flexing my hands and interlocking my hands on the back of my head, I wait for him to say something—to deny that the thought hasn't crossed his mind.

"Slim wouldn't go dirty. And for Hook of all people. Something else is going on. I just don't know what the fuck it is."

"You don't find it totally fucked that Slim doesn't want us to put a stop to the Disciples running crank for Hook? I find it a whole hell of a lot interesting. I think ole Prez got a taste of that money and he liked it."

"What do we do? If we go against Slim we go against the club." I know he is right, but what choice do we have if we want the truth. Romeo is in a hard place. I know he loves LL, always has, even if he is too stubborn to really admit it.

"I say we have us a talk with Miller, get us some answers. Nothing wrong with a little friendly conversation."

"I like the way you think, but I have a better idea. Yo, Blaze pull your pants up, got shit to do."
Romeo calls up the stairs after Blaze, not sure that I trust Blaze to know where I stand with Slim, but right now I don't have much of a choice.

Blaze comes stumbling down the stairs, pulling up his pants, "Fuck man, I was about to get some strange from that pink headed bitch." He looks so irritated
, blue-balled motherfucker.

"Need a favor, but it doesn't go any further than you, me and Grim."

"Alright, I got you. What's up?"  Blaze takes a pack of smokes from his cut and lights one up, letting me know he is nervous. Motherfucker always smokes when he feels froggy.

Romeo fills him in on our suspicions
, "we want you to get Miller alone, tell him you are looking to increase your pocket. Find out where he gets his supply; if he cuts you in just go with it. Tell him one of the whores mentioned it."

"Alright, you can count on me. But you owe me a good lay."

"Brother, you ain't that pretty. And I ain't that hard up." Romeo kicks him right in the ass with his size twelve leather boot."

"Fuck you Romeo."

"Dream on Blaze, you ain't no Juliet." With that comment, Blaze throws his hands up in the air as his baldhead recedes out of sight.

"If you are done flirting can we go get this shit squared
away?"

**

When Romeo and I get to the Disciples clubhouse, I don't see Blaze anywhere. I hope that he is off taking care of business and not getting is nuts off. Romeo and I take a seat at the bar and have a beer while we wait.  LL is tending the bar and being sure to keep her distance but every few minutes I notice her stealing a glance at Romeo. Those two need to work their shit out. After all this time they still have that fire burning for one another, that shit don't come around everyday—I know because I have been looking for it for ten years now. I think you only get that kind of love once in life, Red gave me that love and I her.

"I've got to hit the shitter before we hit the road, brother."  In reality I am going looking for Blaze and Miller, the suspense of not knowing what in the fuck is going on is eating at me. Miller's office is by the bathroom, so no one will suspect anything of me heading in that direction.

Fuck, there is a guard standing outside of the office door.  No matter, I got this shit. Taking one-step into the bathroom, "Fuck, what the fuck is this shit." I step back into the hall capturing the attention of the guard with my outburst.  "Man, I don't know what the fuck is going on around here but there is a fucking rat the size of a cat in there."

He takes the bait and steps inside the bathroom to look. Acting fast and on impulse, I step up close behind him and ram his head down in the toilet until he passes out. Didn't kill him just giving him a nap and a
better-looking nose after he has it reset... Closing the door to the bathroom, I walk down the hall to Miller's office. I listen at the door to see what is going down.

"Benji runs shit in
Texas. Slim didn't tell you any of this. I thought all the Rebels were in on this deal." I peek through the door, Miller is relaxed and not at all suspicious, motherfucker ain't even being cautious. If I were in his seat I'd have a gun on hand, you never can be too careful, even amongst friends.

"He did, it's just your shit seems to be better quality, more potent. I had a taste last night over at LL's with one of the girls. I'm looking to make something on the side. A little change if you know what I'm saying." Blaze is selling it pretty good, my first instinct at the mention of Benji was to tear in there and raise hell but
I have learned over the years not to spook the people who got what I want—Benji's whereabouts.

"I can't cut you in without talking to Benji first." Fuck if he calls Benji and mentions Blaze the shit will be dead in the water before I even get out the door.

Before Blaze has time to reply I bust down the door, flip Miller onto his back while he's still seated in his chair. Pressing my foot to his throat, I growl, "where's Benji?"

With an exasperated breath he tries to speak but can't, so I let off a little of the pressure.

"Not sure," he whispers hoarsely.

"Don't fucking lie to me, I heard you say
Texas," I apply more pressure than I did the first time, crushing my boot on his neck.

Miller smacks his palm on the floor signaling he wants to try answering my question again.  "
West Texas, that's all I know man, come on Grim, you don't want to go to war with me." He is gasping for air.

"You're right I don't." I pull the 9 millimeter with a silencer I had hidden in my boot out and end Miller.

"Fuck man, what are going to do
now?" Blaze is freaking out and pacing the office. "How do we explain this shit? Why in the fuck did you shoot him?"

"Because he was no fri
end of mine or our club. Motherfucker knew where Benji was and never offered the information. Fucker is in with the Rejects and implied that Slim is; shit is bad for all of us. This shit is bigger than just drugs, it means Slim betrayed me and I can't believe he'd do that.  You are going to say that Miller tried to kill Romeo, that he asked you to help him. That he offered you a patch." I grab him by the neck and our foreheads are resting against one another's, my nostrils are flared, I don't want to hurt Blaze but I will if it gets me to Sarah.  

"Alright," Blaze surrenders.

"Thank you brother, this shit will work out."

"Fuck man, this shit ain't cool. Don't sit right with me, but you are my brother and I trust you."

Romeo comes into the room dragging Miller's guard from the bathroom. "Jesus, Grim what the fuck are you doing? You was supposed to let Blaze get some privy information not kill the fucking President and incapacitate his lieutenant. What do you want me to do with this clown? I got LL giving body shots to give us some time but not much."

"He won't wake up until after we are on the road," I wipe my prints off my gun and place it in his hand. "Fuck it, the story is dipshit killed his own President and we know nothing. Blaze you witnessed it go down."

"Are you ready to do this?" I look to both Romeo and Blaze.  They nod in unison. "Ride free or die trying."  Giving it my all I haul back and co-cock Blaze with all I got square in the jaw. Have to make this shit believable. Blaze hits the floor and Romeo helps me stage the scene. I had to catch Blaze with his guard down to make the plan work. He would have instinctively blocked my punch had he known it was coming. Romeo uses my nine and kills the guard.

I head into the bathroom and fire up a joint while Romeo goes and fetches
Downey the VP of The Disciples. Fuck, I hope this works. Slim is going to have our asses for this, but he should have known I wouldn't stand by and sweep this shit under the rug. He knows how I feel about drugs after the way I was brought up and the shit that went down between my mother and me.

"Fuck," I hear
Downey cursing as he begins to freak the fuck out.

Stepping into the chaos, I blow a cloud of smoke into Downey's face, "let's make a deal."

Scrubbing his hands over his scruff brown beard,
Downey acknowledges he is ready to hear me out. "We help make you the new Prez and you give me all you know about Benji. Don't think too hard; we ain't got all damned day." He takes a mere moment to assess the situation and thinks over his choices briefly.

Without hesitation, he looks me directly in the eyes, "
San Antonio, Benji, a woman, some guy Raccoon or something like that and a kid. No address; just know that is where they stay. We get straight from them, they deliver, and we pay.  Simple as that."

"Alright, how'd this deal get hooked up?" Romeo flashes his gun, letting him know not to get any ideas.

"Ask your president, him and Miller set it up years ago. Now that's all I know. What are you going to do for me?" His face goes serious Downey isn't fuckin' around either.

"Blaze will attest to the fact that Miller and that ugly motherfucker got in a heated debate. The lieutenant shot Miller, so Blaze shot him in defense, you didn't know what was going on so you knocked Blaze out. You become prez, we keep our shine deal and you let me know any information you get on Benji.
" Not a solid story but it is all we got to go with.

**

Out at the bar Romeo walks over to LL, whispers something in her ear. She smiles and hugs his neck. I'm glad to see the two of them get over their shit. If I had put an end to Hook and his games years ago that could have been me and Red, getting our happy ending. But in my life there is no happy ending, there is hurt and despair.

After attending choir with the Disciples and
Blaze, preaching his side things with the club is settled. Blaze and Romeo are heading home to Drag Creek with LL. I am headed to Texas; the time has come to make Benji pay. It's time for Sarah to come home and be where she belongs—with her sister.

**

Texas 

Sarah

My legs are weak and feeling unstable, my middle hurts. I finally started my period; well that's what Betty said it was. I can't remember anything after Betty sticking up for me, it is all a blur. Now when Squirrel looks at me he has this weird grin on his ugly tattooed face. He looks at me, as if he knows a secret about me and I don't like it, he gives me the willies.

"Pack what ya can, we gotta
' go right quick. You know how your daddy is." Betty winces as she bends down to get my duffle bag. She still hasn't recovered from the beating Diablo gave her. He says Grim is coming for me, but I don't wanna' run. I wanna' stay right here. I hope he finds me. I hope he kills us all.

"I don't want to go Betty, why doesn't daddy just kill Grim? Is he scared of him?"  Distracting Betty with my pointless questions, I take the last book Betty gave me and stick it under the crate. If Grim is really coming for me, I want him to know he was close.

Chapter 5

San Antonio, Texas

Grim

Place is empty, must have skipped out days ago. Motherfuckin' Disciples must have warned him, should have fucking known better than to trust them.  Kicking an old crate in the living room of this dinky house, there is a book underneath it. The book itself doesn't catch my attention but the picture that is sticking out from it does. Bending down I pick the book up and look it over. "Vampires," I laugh under my breath. Betty used to read these, haven't thought about that crazy bitch in years. She gave one hell of a blowjob though. Flipping the book open the picture falls out onto the floor and Red, my heart, stares back up at me, her memory haunting me.