Ride Steady(149)

“You’ll have them,” Tack said.

Hank turned to Joker. “Please God, tell me you got an alibi.”

“With my woman all night.”

Hank sighed as he nodded.

“Why you prayin’ to God?” Tack asked, and Hank looked to him.

“Because Joke is a focus, and Valenzuela’s focus is not good to have. Might just be that woman,” he tipped his head to the street where Heidi was. “Might be a specific vendetta. Valenzuela plays any angle, and Chaos is known for a weapon of choice. Those bein’ knives.”

“Not gonna carve my own name and my Club in a dead woman’s body,” Joker ground out.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Hank said. “But past history, when Chaos was a different club, members had a way with knives and were so up their own asses, they didn’t mind markin’ their territory.”

This was history not shared while he was a recruit, and Joker looked to Tack.

Tack looked pissed.

“That isn’t past history, Hank, it’s ancient history,” Tack stated. “Only one f*ck did that, and his back is blacked for puttin’ Chaos out there with shit like that, not to mention seein’ as he’s doin’ time until he dies for havin’ his head up his ass. He carved Chaos, but when the Club was f*cked, he was more f*cked, and even the brothers who wanted to walk that dark path we were on before I pulled the Club out were all over strippin’ his patch.”

“Regardless if you wanna claim it, it’s still Chaos. Shit like that makes legend, and legend never dies,” Hank returned.

“So you think Valenzuela is settin’ up the Club?” Tack asked.

“I think it’s lost on nobody you’re cleaning a new patch, and that nobody includes Valenzuela,” Hank said by way of answer. “Now, you already know to watch your back, so I won’t repeat it.” He looked to Joker. “Don’t know if you were tight with her, but sorry for your loss.”

He wasn’t tight with her, but he didn’t want her and her kid dead.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

There was hand shaking, and Tack and Joker walked back to the tape. When they did, Joker saw Lee had broken off and was standing with Luke and another member of his team, Hector Chavez.

They got looks and nods and ducked under the tape to go to their own crew, which had grown to include every member of Chaos, excluding those on patrol, but including Big Petey.

They barely stopped before Hawk declared, “Know you’re not gonna like it, but I think you need to pull back from claimin’ more territory.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Tack replied.

“A woman’s dead,” Hawk returned.

“Chaos didn’t kill her,” Tack bit back.

“Your advance was too aggressive,” Hawk retorted.

“It’s done and it’s not gonna get undone,” Tack stated. “We took our turf, we hold steady.”

“Then what?” Hawk asked. “His return play was that,” and he pointed to the tape, indicating Heidi.

“Right,” Brock Lucas put in, eyes to Hawk. “You and Tack could argue about the color of the sky.”

No matter how tight Hawk and Tack were, that was the damned truth. Then again, well before Cherry, Tack had made a play for Hawk’s now wife and the mother of his three kids. A play that was almost successful. Shit went down to make them brothers, but even brothers fought. Especially when women were involved. Both men were good with what they got. But no man ever let that kind of shit go.

“Someone talked, gave up Heidi,” Hop put in.

“The one you tried to turn,” Hawk replied to Hop.

“Could be any a’ them. They all knew she gave it up to Joker,” Snapper told Hawk.

“Right, and he was lookin’ for a way to send a message and, I’ll repeat, his return play was that,” Hawk growled.

“Chaos made their play. They can’t back down, Hawk, and you know it,” Brock cut in. “And somethin’ had to give, we all knew it,” he said this looking at his partner and fellow cop, Mitch Lawson. “Valenzuela is greedy but he’s careful, and we’ve all been lying in wait with nothing happening. He’s gotta be tripped to make a mistake. Chaos pushed and we gotta hope he’ll fall. For now, bottom line, no one is responsible for that woman in the alley except Valenzuela. Any of us could take that on, because all of us were a go with Chaos pushing. We just didn’t know how Valenzuela would push back. It sucks, but this is war, and these f*ckers don’t fight fair. Not even close. So we gotta suck it up and keep on our path. Vigilance. Information. Message. Now can I go home to my wife?”