Page 160 of Rags's Awakening
“All good?” he asked.
“Yeah. Banger’ll probably call an emergency church,” Rags said, swinging a leg over his Harley.
“I’m calling Rusty and Skinless to get their asses over here to keep watch,” Tank said, already pulling out his phone.
“We’ll fill you in back at the clubhouse,” Chas said.
The roar of four Harleys shattered the quiet neighborhood as the bikers rolled out and hit the open road.
***
“You guys didgood work,” Hawk said, slipping into the chair beside Rags.
Rags nodded. “Now we gotta figure out who the hell this MC is.”
“I’ve got feelers out. They operate outta Bridge City, but it doesn’t look like they’ve got ties to any other one-percenter clubs.” Hawk grabbed the beer the club girl had set on the table. “There’s a reason they picked Pinewood Springs. It’s achallenge… or sheer stupidity.” He took a long pull from the bottle.
“It does seem random. Something about this doesn’t sit right,” Rags said.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it. Worst thing we can do is charge in like a pack of rabid dogs.”
“If it were up to Bear, Bones, Blade, Jax, Wheelie, and Helm, we’d already be halfway to Texas.”
Hawk chuckled. “They’re itching for a fight, but this could turn into a turf war. We gotta analyze the situation and come up with a game plan without emotion clouding it.”
“Tank said the same thing. I can tell you both were Recon Marines in your past lives.”
Hawk didn’t answer. He just stared out at the flowing river, a distant look glazing his eyes.
For a long while, they sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts… and memories.
Then Rags drained his bottle of Coors and glanced over at Hawk.
“You find anything on that Ford Focus?” he asked.
“Nothing in Pinewood Springs. I expanded the search to the surrounding towns and counties and still came up empty. You sure you got the plate letter right?” Hawk said.
“Yeah. What now?”
“I’ll run a statewide search. I should have something in ten days or less. Hopefully, something turns up.” Hawk took another drink.
“My gut’s telling me shit’s gonna go down. I don’t know… maybe I’m being paranoid.”
“I don’t think so. It’s been a few weeks since the last murder. I get what you’re saying. It feels like a powder keg ready to blow.”
“And Casey’s standing right in the middle of it. Fuck!” Rags shoved the coffee table with his boot, knocking his empty bottle onto the ground.
“I know it’s hard, but you gotta keep cool. We’ll get him. I’ll find the fucker’s name,” Hawk said.
“I know. I just want this shit over with.”
“Did you ever pay off your woman’s debt?” Hawk asked. “And when the hell did you become a financial knight in shining armor?”
Rags laughed. “It just happened.”
“Helping out your woman is cool, but Julie? Dude, what the fuck?”
Rags shrugged. “She was desperate. I know how loan sharks operate when people don’t pay.”
