“Most of the guys who came up with my pop are ready to sit on their asses and play with the grandkids. They’re not soft, but they don’t want to get dirty anymore. I need younger guys I can trust. Guys willing to bleed and draw blood for me.”
Rubbing my scar through my black sweater, I remembered the way I felt when the Devils showed up at the work site. Before they even went for the girls, I wanted them dead. I understood they’d come to my town to cause trouble. They were the enemy and I hated them. The rage scared me, but it also felt good.
The Devils were dead and I’d never get payback for what they did. Yet Cooper offered me the purpose I’d been missing.
“I’m in. The Reapers saved Winnie and I’m willing to do whatever necessary to protect the club.”
Cooper gave me a nod. “We have business outside of town. Follow us then prove you’re ready.”
Following Cooper and Tucker past the Ellsberg city limits, I wasn’t sure what awaited me. I didn’t really care either. Some things felt right while others never did. Obeying Larry’s rules and chasing after Lark always felt wrong. I did it for a long time anyway. Once I flipped off the old man and took Lark’s advice, I followed my gut.
My instinct told me Winnie was the one. No matter her past or problems or what her parents thought, she was mine. My instinct also told me joining Cooper was a necessary path.
We turned from a paved road to a dirt one leading into the woods. After another ten minutes of slow driving over rough ground, we reached a small cabin. Cooper parked next to me while Tucker roared around the place as if looking for someone. I noticed two Harleys parked nearby along with a small truck.
Tucker finally parked next to me. We joined Cooper who stared at a hawk flying over the woods.
“I’ve had my eye on you since the Devils came to town,” Cooper said, glancing at me. “Ignore the romantic vibe to that statement.”
Tucker snorted in amusement, but Cooper ignored him and continued, “The rest of the guys at the worksite hid when the Devils showed up. You decided to take on armed bikers with a fucking hammer. How you didn’t end up in the ground I’ll never know, but it made me think you have the kind of balls a man needs to run with guys like these two.”
Cooper opened the door where Vaughn and Judd stood in a one room cabin. Nearby, a guy was tied to a chair. He looked up when we entered, but I sensed he was stoned.
“Dude,” he said when Cooper approached.
“Yeah, dude,” Cooper muttered then glanced at me. “I’d like you to meet Corbin. He’s a dealer from Acton Ridge. A low level guy who mostly sells pot and ecstasy to high school kids for their weekend parties. Mellow shit like what he takes.”
“Yeah,” Corbin giggled.
Cooper rolled his eyes. “So Corbin was driving home from picking up something for his munchies and the highway patrol pulled him over for speeding. Now here’s where the drugs rot your brain shit comes in. This cop was looking to give him a ticket. He wasn’t suspicious of Corbin’s stoned manner. Wasn’t looking to check his car. He only wanted to write up a ticket to hit his quota. What does Cheech here do? Shoots a cop.”
Studying the stoner, I didn’t think he looked like a killer.
“So Corbin calls us for help. Says he wants to run to Mexico to hide from the law. Yep, Mexico,” Cooper said, rolling his eyes. “So clearly he doesn’t know much about current events. Most importantly, Corbin says if the cops catch him, he’ll make a deal and turn on the club.”
Tucker grunted while nearby Judd looked sleepy and Vaughn bored.
“Let me tell you something about the club, Dylan. We watch out for our own. If you’re one of us then your enemies are our enemies. If someone fucks with you then they fuck with us. The law is the same way. Corbin killed one of them, so they won’t make a fucking deal with a cop killer. Doesn’t matter really. They won’t catch Corbin and he’s not going to Mexico. We’re doing him a favor really.”
Stoned beyond comprehension, Corbin giggled again.
“You want in the club, this is your test,” Cooper said, handing me a gun. “This is the same gun he used on the cop. We need him to disappear. There’s no other option. The media is making a huge deal out of the shooting. Apparently, Corbin killed Captain America who was married to Barbie and they had a house full of Gerber babies. If the cops ever get hold of Corbin, I doubt he’ll live to the trial.”
“So I kill him?” I said, looking at the gun. “And take care of your problem?”
“Or we’re setting you up to take the fall,” Judd muttered. “You are leaving your fingerprints on the gun that killed a cop.”
Studying the gun, I looked at Judd and smirked. “Asshole.”