with it.
‘You gotta believe me, Mack, I didn’t know he’d gone to Viper, not until we heard what Izzi had done. I didn’t know shit about that, none of us did. It was only then that we knew he’d been serious…’
I look right into his eyes. Maybe he ain’t lying, about that, anyway.
‘Him and Viper, they’d struck up some kinda deal. Viper told Odi that if he told him where Izzi was, he’d finish you, too. Then Odi could take over here, and they’d start doing business…’
I’ve heard enough. I’m done here. Duke’s served his purpose, but I ain’t completely stupid. I know his loyalties still lie with Odi, no matter what he’s just told me. So I go back over to him, and rest the gun between his eyes. ‘You tell him I’m on my way, and I’ll find you and end you too. You got that? You ain’t done me no wrong, Duke, but I ain’t playing this time. Odi’s dug his grave. You don’t want to be digging yours.’
‘What the fuck happened to you, Mack?’
‘Shit happened, Duke.’
I pull the gun away and tuck it into the back of my jeans as I leave the clubhouse and climb back on my bike.
Another half hour I reckon, and I’ll be on my way back to New Mexico.
Zeb
Mack’s been missing for days now, and while I don’t give a shit where he is – he ain’t here, which puts me in charge, and I’m good with that – Izzi does. She cares, a bit too much, and that ain’t sitting right with me. She shouldn’t care where the fuck our President is, he ain’t worth it. If he don’t come back that’s only a good thing in my eyes. I can take over this place and we can finally start doing the kinda shit that’ll really make us some money.
‘Zeb? Have you spoken to Sam? About where he thinks Mack might be?’ I turn to see Izzi walk into the clubhouse, all long legs and pretty face that seems to have lost that hard edge I spent months creating. It’s like she’s deliberately trying to shed that skin we taught her to wrap herself in; like she’s starting to become someone else. Someone I ain’t sure belongs here, in this world. And, Jesus, man, that scares me.
‘No. I ain’t spoken to Sam. Nobody knows where Mack is, no-one seen or spoken to him in days.’
‘Have you tried calling some of the other chapters?’
‘Izzi, darlin’, I ain’t got time to track down our errant President ‘cause, sweetheart, I’m too busy doing his fucking job. So quit with the whining, OK?’
Yeah. Pushing her away, that’s really gonna help.
‘Aren’t you worried about him, Zeb?’
‘No, Jesus…’ I don’t fucking need this shit. ‘Izzi, baby, why the hell are you , huh? Why are you so worried about him?’
‘He’s your family, Zeb…’
‘He’s been my family for all of five fucking minutes, and you really think any of that shit means anything to me? That man is trying to get you back in his bed, Izzi – that’s my concern. So if he don’t come back, that makes my life so much fucking easier.’
‘For Christ’s sake, we’re starting this again?’
‘You don’t think that’s what he wants?’
‘What he wants and what he’s going to get are two completely different things, Zeb. And you can mistrust Mack all you like, waste every ounce of energy on that, I don’t care. I don’t. But you don’t trust me …? Yeah. I’m getting kind of tired of this now.’
‘Hey. Hey, come on. Come here, Izzi. Come here, please.’ I gotta pull this back, ‘cause she’s been trying so hard to be the good wife; the old lady she needs to be. I got myself one beautiful, young, hot-as-hell woman by my side but she needs to understand the consequences should anyone try to take her away from me; should she feel the need to stray.
‘I don’t want another apology, Zeb, because they all mean shit.’
‘Just come here, will you? Christ! You’re hard fucking work sometimes.’
Yeah. She needs to know.
I lay a hand on her hip and pull her against me, kissing her slightly open
‘You gotta believe me, Mack, I didn’t know he’d gone to Viper, not until we heard what Izzi had done. I didn’t know shit about that, none of us did. It was only then that we knew he’d been serious…’
I look right into his eyes. Maybe he ain’t lying, about that, anyway.
‘Him and Viper, they’d struck up some kinda deal. Viper told Odi that if he told him where Izzi was, he’d finish you, too. Then Odi could take over here, and they’d start doing business…’
I’ve heard enough. I’m done here. Duke’s served his purpose, but I ain’t completely stupid. I know his loyalties still lie with Odi, no matter what he’s just told me. So I go back over to him, and rest the gun between his eyes. ‘You tell him I’m on my way, and I’ll find you and end you too. You got that? You ain’t done me no wrong, Duke, but I ain’t playing this time. Odi’s dug his grave. You don’t want to be digging yours.’
‘What the fuck happened to you, Mack?’
‘Shit happened, Duke.’
I pull the gun away and tuck it into the back of my jeans as I leave the clubhouse and climb back on my bike.
Another half hour I reckon, and I’ll be on my way back to New Mexico.
Zeb
Mack’s been missing for days now, and while I don’t give a shit where he is – he ain’t here, which puts me in charge, and I’m good with that – Izzi does. She cares, a bit too much, and that ain’t sitting right with me. She shouldn’t care where the fuck our President is, he ain’t worth it. If he don’t come back that’s only a good thing in my eyes. I can take over this place and we can finally start doing the kinda shit that’ll really make us some money.
‘Zeb? Have you spoken to Sam? About where he thinks Mack might be?’ I turn to see Izzi walk into the clubhouse, all long legs and pretty face that seems to have lost that hard edge I spent months creating. It’s like she’s deliberately trying to shed that skin we taught her to wrap herself in; like she’s starting to become someone else. Someone I ain’t sure belongs here, in this world. And, Jesus, man, that scares me.
‘No. I ain’t spoken to Sam. Nobody knows where Mack is, no-one seen or spoken to him in days.’
‘Have you tried calling some of the other chapters?’
‘Izzi, darlin’, I ain’t got time to track down our errant President ‘cause, sweetheart, I’m too busy doing his fucking job. So quit with the whining, OK?’
Yeah. Pushing her away, that’s really gonna help.
‘Aren’t you worried about him, Zeb?’
‘No, Jesus…’ I don’t fucking need this shit. ‘Izzi, baby, why the hell are you , huh? Why are you so worried about him?’
‘He’s your family, Zeb…’
‘He’s been my family for all of five fucking minutes, and you really think any of that shit means anything to me? That man is trying to get you back in his bed, Izzi – that’s my concern. So if he don’t come back, that makes my life so much fucking easier.’
‘For Christ’s sake, we’re starting this again?’
‘You don’t think that’s what he wants?’
‘What he wants and what he’s going to get are two completely different things, Zeb. And you can mistrust Mack all you like, waste every ounce of energy on that, I don’t care. I don’t. But you don’t trust me …? Yeah. I’m getting kind of tired of this now.’
‘Hey. Hey, come on. Come here, Izzi. Come here, please.’ I gotta pull this back, ‘cause she’s been trying so hard to be the good wife; the old lady she needs to be. I got myself one beautiful, young, hot-as-hell woman by my side but she needs to understand the consequences should anyone try to take her away from me; should she feel the need to stray.
‘I don’t want another apology, Zeb, because they all mean shit.’
‘Just come here, will you? Christ! You’re hard fucking work sometimes.’
Yeah. She needs to know.
I lay a hand on her hip and pull her against me, kissing her slightly open
Similar Books
