“Mind if we pay our respects now?” Miller asked.
“No,” Ripper said. “Do what you need to do. We’ll be inside, drinking. Plenty of room. Bring everyone in. We’ll talk and get ready for the dark ride.”
The two President’s hugged again and Ripper walked to the door. He let out a whistle and all his men went into the bar.
Miller then led the way, walking to Giovanni’s motorcycle. He touched the seat and gave a nod.
“Wait here,” Trev whispered to Eden.
He got in line behind Blaine and stepped up to the motorcycle. He gripped one of the handlebars and nodded.
Ride free, brother. Ride free.
When they were all finished, the MC went into the bar.
It had a similar look and feel as the Frelen charter. Ripper ordered a round of shots, for both charters, and they all took a shot dedicated to Giovanni. Ripper then led the way to the back of the bar. They kept going down a hallway and then stopped.
“Our room,” Ripper said. “I’m sorry, Trev, but your old lady can wait out front.”
“Then I’ll wait too,” Trev said. “She’s not my old lady. She’s Griffin’s daughter. We’re protecting her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ripper said. He looked at Miller.
“Give her some respect, Ripper,” Miller said.
“Sweetheart, go to the bar. The guy running it is named West. Tell him who you are. He’ll get you a drink and make sure nobody bothers you.”
Trev gave a nod to Eden. He kissed her cheek. “You’ll be safe. Anything happens, scream your heart out, beautiful.”
“Protecting, huh?” Ripper asked.
Trev looked at Ripper. “Let it go, brother.”
Eden walked away and Ripper opened the door.
The Daurian charter took their seats at the table, with the exception of one. The Frelen guys all stood at the back of the room, all lined up.
Ripper stood at the head of the table. “Let’s start by giving our friends a warm welcome.”
The entire table clapped and smacked the table, letting out yells and cheers.
“Okay, okay,” Ripper said. “We know why they’re here. They’re here to help us say goodbye to our fallen brother. Giovanni was a great man. He rode by my side into the night and he didn’t come back home. He didn’t get to have a shot and let some reliever take care of his tension. We all know that risk. When we take to the road. It could have been me. You all could be voting in a new President. But Giovanni made that not so. So we go to say goodbye to him. I’m sure wherever the hell he is right now - heaven, hell, somewhere - he’s got a shot in one hand and his other hand pulling the hair of some chick as she’s on her knees. Right?”
The table exploded again with cheers.
Ripper smacked the gavel and got the table to quiet down again.
“Now, let me introduce you to my crew here,” Ripper said. “For those who haven’t met up. To my left is Jasper. To my right, Duke. Best two and three I’ve ever had in my life. The rest of the guys… Cade, Xavier, Kye, Tristan, Cash, Max, Austin, Hudson, and Trent.”
Gaige said, “I’m Gaige. VP. We’ve got our table here. Miller, Blaine, Jace, Landon, Nate, Shay, Erik, and Trev.”
Then Miller stepped forward. “If there’s anything we can do to help with the retaliation for whoever did this, you tell us.”
“Do you have any idea who it was?” Trev asked, speaking out of line and knowing it was a big risk to do so.
“We’ve had some deals and beefs go bad,” Jasper said. “Crews north, south, east, west. Drugs, guns, *, everything. Typical bullshit. Everyone reaching for the same power. We had a falling out with the local PD and they’ve been taking us in one at a time for dumb shit. It’s just a lot to sort through.”
“Seems like a lot to handle,” Miller said. “We’re here to help.”
“Amen, brother,” Ripper said. “Me and G were out on a run. Moving some heavy artillery for a friend. Securing some protection on the inside in case someone had to go back in. We were on a bend… and all hell broke loose.”
“What happened to the guns?” Trev asked.
Ripper looked right at him. “I’m more concerned with the dead member of my charter.”
“Fair enough,” Miller said.
“If you guys pull any intel and need something,” Gaige said, “you call me personally. I can send guys up here. I can send prospects. Shit, any of us would come up here. Nobody takes out a brother and lives to see another day. Agreed?”
“Aye,” Shay yelled.
“Aye!” the table yelled.
The room got loud again and Ripper cracked the gavel again.
“Let’s do this in order,” he said. “It’s time to ride. Let’s honor Giovanni. When we get back here, the whiskey will be room temperature. The beer will be ice cold. The women will be naked. And we’ll have our tattoo guys up here, spilling ink to anyone who wants some. Tomorrow we can start dealing with the retaliation.”