Ride Steady(150)

“I know I’m goin’ home to mine,” Tack said.

Lawson looked to the heavens.

He wasn’t on board, Joker knew. Then again, he was a straight shooter. Or as straight as he could be, possed up to a commando, an ex-DEA deep-cover agent, and a biker with a mission.

But as much of a straight shooter as he was, he was a better man. A man who took his brothers’ backs no matter what that meant.

So he might not be on board, but he was along for the ride.

The men broke up, but Joker caught the glances between the brothers, these emanating from Tack and his lieutenants, Hop and Shy.

No words were exchanged, but Joker knew.

Heidi might have been what Heidi was for reasons she had to be that.

But she’d backed Chaos, she was theirs.

Now she was dead in an alley, her baby dead inside her, with words carved in her skin.

So the expanded team had the goal of vigilance, information, and message.

But Chaos just added vengeance.

Several of his brothers stuck close to Joker as they walked to their bikes.

As he stood at his pulling on his gloves, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Shy.

“You good?” Shy asked.

“I’m good,” Joker answered.

“Fucked up way to go, brother, sorry,” Shy said.

Joker had no response to that because what Shy said was true.

“Listen to Lucas,” Snapper, whose bike was next to Joker’s said. “That’s not on you.”

He knew it wasn’t. Time had passed. She was gone. Safe. Nightingale would find her, but he’d find her nowhere near Denver.

Valenzuela found her too. Dragged her back and laid her out for his message.

“Say it one last time,” Joker said to Snapper but did it quiet, not pissed. “I’m good.”

“Mount up,” Hop called, already astride his bike.

Those around him moved away and Joker swung his leg over his bike.

They started up, backed out…

Then as one, Chaos rolled.

*

Carissa sat in the bed, legs crossed in front of her under the covers, wearing his tee, lights on, and she stared at him.

Not surprisingly, she’d waited up for him.

Not surprisingly, when he got back, she asked if everything was okay.

Not surprisingly, she looked way f*cking worried.

So sooner than he wanted to share at a time so deep in the morning he just wanted to go to sleep, he shared.

Everything.

Or everything he knew his brothers gave to their old ladies. There were no lies, but that didn’t mean old ladies weren’t kept safe from some truths.

Some brothers shared more than others.

Needless to say, Joker didn’t include the fact he’d just been to a crime scene where there was a murdered woman with his and his Club’s names carved into her skin.

But she knew about Chaos history and their mission, their turf and patrol.

She also knew some history about Valenzuela.

Now it was after five in the morning, and she had all she was going to get.

“Butterfly, it’s late. You got a shift in a couple of hours and I got a deadline. I just laid out a lot for you, and I don’t wanna push, but I need you to talk to me so I know where you’re at.”

“So…” she started, stopped, started again, “You’re…” again with the stop and then the start, “Essentially…” Her head tipped to the side. “Vigilantes?”

There really wasn’t anything essentially about it.

“Essentially,” he stated.

“And there’s a bad guy who’s mad at you because you saved Tabby’s friend, who’s a junkie, from being in a porno movie?”

He never in his life wanted to be discussing porn flicks with his good girl, Carissa, unless she got a wild hair and had a hankering to be seriously naughty and watch one with him.

He didn’t get into that.

He just said, “Yeah.”

“Are you in danger?”

“Cops are involved, so the hope is it won’t come to that.”

“But you’re in danger,” she whispered.

“Potentially,” he hedged.

She fell silent.

“You’re not. This guy knows his beef is with the brothers,” he assured her.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” she muttered.

Fuck.