Page 24 of Rags's Awakening
Casey straightened, the echo of his voice catching her off guard.It means nothing.Still, the words resonated as the light outside began to fade. She rose and walked to the door, and for the first time all day, she turned the lock before switching on the lights.
Chapter Seven
Rags stretched hislong legs in front of him and cursed under his breath when he read his sister Megan’s text. “No fuckin’ way,” he muttered.
“What’s going on?” Diesel asked, as he slid into the chair next to Rags.
“I guess Megan doesn’t have enough shit to do since the kids have been back in school, so she’s butting into my life.” Rags pushed his phone aside.
Throttle chuckled. “What’s she putting her nose into this time?”
“For some fuckin’ reason, she wants me to connect with Julie. She just texted me her damn phone number.”
“Julie?” Diesel and Throttle asked in unison.
“Yeah.”
“What the fuck, dude? Why the hell would she bring that old shit up all of a sudden?” Diesel said.
“The ex-bitch is in town.”
Throttle pushed back the chair. “And you didn’t tell me this? What the hell?”
“How long has she been here?” Diesel asked, then brought a bottle of water to his lips and guzzled it down in one long drink.
“I don’t know. Around a month or so, I guess. It doesn’t matter to me though. I told Megan that and to leave me alone about it, but she keeps at it, and it’s pissing me off.”
Throttle shook his head. “Why the hell is she doing that? She knows all the shit that went down between you guys.”
“Fuck if I know.”
“Man, your sis needs to mind her own fuckin’ business,” Diesel said.
“I keep telling her, but Megan can’t help herself. Shit, she’ll tell you something and swear you to secrecy, and the next thing you know, somebody’s telling me the same secret. Then I find out Megan’s the one who told everyone. Hell, she can’t even keep her own damn secrets.”
“That’s fucked, man.” Diesel took out three joints and passed one each to Rags and Throttle.
“Thanks, bro. Now all I need is a cold bottle of Coors,” Rags said as he took out his lighter. He lit the spliff, tipped back the chair, and took a long drag.
“What the hell is the bitch doing back in Pinewood Springs anyway?” Throttle said.
Rags shrugged. “Her mom’s sick.”
The sharp crack of the gavel cut through the chatter, echoing off the walls until the room fell silent and every eye turned to the table. Banger stood tall, one hand braced on the table, while Hawk leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes scanning the room.
“No preamble today,” Banger said after the hush. “We’ll go over the books the next time. We got a situation in Henderson.” His voice was low and carrying. “Some renegade assholes call themselves the Devil’s Reign. They’ve been running short-term loans, charging less interest than we do, and takin’ our regulars.”
“Fuck that,” Chas said, as other brothers muttered curses around the room and shifted in chairs.
“And that’s bad enough,” Banger continued, “but word is that the bastards are flying a bottom rocker that saysColorado.”
The words hit like a hammer. Fists pounded the table. Brothers rose shouting, “Fuck them”, “Kill the bastards”, and “Death to the assholes.”
“We’re not gonna put up with that shit,” Rock said, the veins in his temples standing out.
“We stomped the Twisted Kings,” Shadow said, eyes flashing, “and we’ll do the same again!”
Hawk stepped forward. “The fuckers are testing us. Undercutting loans is fucked up and one thing, but wearingColorado?” He shook his head. “That’s a linenobodygets to cross.”
