Page 74 of Diesel's Perseverance
“You look like you’re struggling,” Rags said to Diesel.
“I think one of the fuckers stabbed me,” he replied.
“Fuck, dude.”
“I’ll have the club doc check it out. We gotta get the hell outta here before the fuckin’ badges arrive.”
A roar of engines shattered the chaos around the area. Several men lay on the ground; some were moving, others were not. Booths from the outlaw clubs were overturned and merchandise littered the ground.
“Follow me. I know a back way outta here,” Demon said as he turned his Harley around.
A convoy of bikes took off in a cloud of dust as the wail of sirens drew nearer.
The clubhouse’s ironsecurity gates rolled open, and a string of Harleys sped by. Willie held up a fist to each of the members as they passed the guard house. Two of the older members stood on the porch steps watching the men park their bikes and dismount.
“Is Scalpel here?” Demon asked. “We got injuries.”
One of the older members, Tats, nodded. “He’s setting shit up. Did you kick some ass?”
Demon grinned. “Fuck yeah.”
Banger walked over to Diesel. “I heard you got hurt.”
“Yeah, some fucker pierced me from behind. I don’t think it’s bad, but it hurts like fuckin’ hell.” Diesel raked his fingers through his wind-tangled hair. “I’m so fuckin’ pissed.”
“We all are,” Smokey said, sidling up to the two men. “We didn’t go to the rally to bust heads. Hell, there were kids there.”
“Yeah, but those SOBs started it,” Banger said. “Of course, we’re not gonna back down. We’re Insurgents, and we’re not gonna take shit from anyone.”
“Damn right, but the kid stuff blows,” Smokey said.
“Banger’s right—it couldn’t be helped. The citizens got the hell outta there when shit hit the fan,” Diesel said, scuffing the toe of his boot against the ground. “I’m just pissed as fuck I lost sight of Cano.”
Banger clasped his hand on Diesel’s shoulder. “There was so much crap going on, and you were looking out for your brothers. Don’t be hard on yourself, man. You can’t blame yourself for losing track of him.”
With a tight face, Diesel stared up at the swaying palm fronds. “But I do.” He spat on the ground.
“We know the fucker’s in San Diego, and he knows the damn Grim Henchmen,” Smokey said. “There’s no way an outlaw would be talking with a citizen the way they were.”
Joining in on the conversation, Rags said, “We should’ve grabbed one of the Henchmen fuckers, brought him back here, and made him tell us where Cano is.”
Banger shook his head. “As much as we may want that, we don’t need to start a war with the Henchmen, then leave the San Diego Chapter alone to deal with it. The shit with the East Bay Dogs has got to be straightened out. They wanted to start crap today by wearing the bottom rocker. They were flaunting it, so we kicked their asses.”
“They thought they were fuckin’ invincible just ’cause the asshole Henchmen were there. What a bunch of dumb pussies,” Diesel said.
“The doc’s ready to see you,” Iceman said to him.
“Did anyone get hurt real bad?” Diesel asked.
“Easy’s cut up pretty bad. Doc’s gonna take him to his clinic. He wants to look at you before he heads out. Otherwise, we all came out okay. Just minor cuts and bruises.”
Demon laughed. “Our badges.”
“We earn them every time some fucking club tries to best us. When are they gonna learn?” Rags said as the other members nodded and mumbled in agreement.
“I’ve gotta see Myla before I go to Doc.”
“Myla’s fine. She’s in the room.”
