“This is bullshit,” Ivan said. “Burn the clubhouse down.”
Peter snapped his fingers and every door on the SUV opened.
Trev pressed forward. “Hold up here, Ivan. What are you trying to prove?”
“I want the truth,” he said.
“We gave you the truth,” I said. “We have this under control. The land deal is going to be dead soon enough. We’re going to rip apart the Hell Five to get your blood money, okay?”
“Who was the woman on your motorcycle?” Ivan asked.
“A friend.”
“Her house. That’s the one you were at. Her land…”
“It was my land!” a voice called out.
Jesus Christ… Jim just put the biggest fucking target on himself.
Jim walked forward, a beer bottle in his hand, trying to look tough.
“Who the hell is this?” Peter asked.
“An old friend of mine,” I said. “He was tricked into selling the land…”
Ivan ripped out a gun and shot at Jim. The bullet hit the bottle, making it explode in Jim’s hand. That stopped Jim dead in his tracks. I saw the look on his face. The wide eyes. The shaking. The panic and terror that spread across his face.
Fuck.
He was having a flashback.
Next thing I knew, Jim was running right at Ivan, swinging his fists.
Ivan raised the gun, ready to let a bullet rip Jim’s heart to shreds. That’s when I had to intervene. I turned and threw my shoulder into the side of Jim and walked him away from the entire thing. Jim’s hand clutched at my shirt. The look in his eyes was dangerous. Sweat collected at his forehead. His lips started to move but it took a few seconds for him to speak.
“Fuck…”
“It’s okay, man,” I said. “You’re right here with me. With us. It’s going to be fine.”
“He sold land?” Ivan bellowed. “We kill him now. Right now. Prove yourself.”
“He was tricked,” Trev said. “The Hell Five have financial backing along with a well-structured dummy corp. We’re taking it all apart right now, Ivan.”
“No,” Peter said. “No.” He pointed to Jim. “He sold land. He dies. Right now.”
“You can’t kill him,” I said.
I let Jim go and turned to see the look on Trev and Jasper’s faces. They were considering it. Letting Jim die would definitely give us a huge boost of respect from the Russians. It would be the ultimate proof and would make them ease up a little.
Then an idea came to me.
“No fucking way,” I said. “You kill Jim you don’t get your money back.”
Ivan chuckled. “Then I burn it all down. I rule the town.”
“Listen, you like to place a wager here and there, huh?” I asked. “Betting men. I have something for you. We weren’t going to share this…”
“What the hell are you doing, Duke?” Trev asked.
Saving my best friend’s life… and possibly the entire MC.
“You can get your money back easily,” I said. “And it’ll be covered in blood.”
“How so?” Peter asked.
“Fight.”
“Fight?” Ivan asked.
“Bet on a fight with us. The club will pull our money together. You pull some of yours. Whatever we win, you get it. And I’m sure it’ll be more than sixty-five.”
Ivan growled. “Fuck that. You show up and who’s going to bet against you? It’s all a setup…”
“We’re not fucking fighting,” I said. “Jim is. His proof to you and to this club that he didn’t do this on purpose.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“Really?” Peter asked.
“What the fuck,” I said, shaking my head. “You think we’d just let someone like him into this clubhouse? Tell him Trev.”
“We’re not idiots, Ivan,” Trev said, picking up right where I left off. “We know what we’re doing here. Truth is… the money with the Hell Five is tied up. We don’t want you worried about that or tied up in our affairs here. Every time you come around, it’s a waste of my fucking time. So we’re putting Jim in a fight. He has to prove he can be trusted. We’re throwing in cash and we’ll make something to give to you. But if you put up some of your own, you’ll make a lot more.”
“Why?” Ivan asked.
“Show him,” Trev said.
I looked at Jim. “Do it.”
Jim picked up on what we were doing. He pulled up his pant leg and showed Ivan and Peter his fake leg.
“Christ,” Peter said.
“Lost it in Iraq,” Jim said.
“And you can fight?” Ivan asked.
The greedy prick had dollar signs in his eyes.
“Yeah,” Jim said.
“It’ll be heavily favored the other way,” I said. “We throw him in and see what happens.”
“And what happens if he loses?” Ivan asked. “Huh? Then we’re out even more money.”
“That answer is easy,” Trev said. “If Jim loses the fight, we take our turns killing him, Ivan. And then Duke is on the line for the cash lost. Personally. Right Duke?”
“Sure thing,” I said.
“There’s no other way,” Jasper added. “You want your blood money, Ivan, this is your shot. We need you off our backs.”
Ivan grinned. “I like a good gamble. Either way I win. I’m going to get everything I want in the end, Trev. I hope you know that.”