Jono rises from his seat, strides across the empty clubhouse and using the sleeve of his checkered shirt to clear a spot on the dirty window, he scrutinizes the Mississippi. “Kettering’s a pain in the ass. Make me president and I can get him on our side. He’s power hungry, Slick. We can offer him the Police Commissioner’s position. Then we’re rid of Bernie.”
Years of training to be a lawyer helps to keep my voice bland. “Bernie’s good to us. Jono.” The biker turns to me, his hazel gaze steady, and I refuse to blink. “I trust Bernie. Wouldn’t trust Kettering. No matter what he says or promises.”
Jono’s eyes narrow as he watches me, “you’ve listened to Day for too long. Don’t get pulled in by his bullshit.”
“You should have followed your Old Man’s trade and become a banker, Jono. That’s where the real con is.”
Jono slaps me on the back, sniggering as he returns to his seat. “My Old Man is too straight lace. So is Hank. That’s why he’s deputy.” Jono rubs his chin. “If we move Kettering, we’ll need to find a new Sherriff. Fuck, I’m not sure Hank is our man.”
“Shit, I’m surprised you trusted me enough to take me back, Jono. If that’s what you think of your family.”
“You were a River Demon when you left Noir Valley. You’ll be a River Demon when you die.” Jono squints as he studies me. “You ever think that’s why Delaney’s case was given to you?”
I shrug as I turn towards the door. The air is turning oppressive and I need to make my escape. “We agreed never to talk about Delaney. Not to anyone.”
Jono runs his finger and thumb over his mouth in a mock zipper movement. “My lips are sealed. Remember the votes tonight.”
I recognize the veiled threat for what it is as I close the door to the old hut. The glint of the sun flashing between the leaves of the trees mock me.
24 hours later
I rub my chin as I study Jono from below lowered eyelashes as he rubs his knuckles.
“I thought I could count on you, Slick.”
I shrug, “my vote wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“It might have. If the others knew you had my back. They would have voted for me.”
The petulance in his voice grates along my spine. As good as a vice president he makes, he’d make a weak president for The River Demons. “The club agrees with the direction Day’s taking us.”
“The club might. But what about our partners? We do good business with them. Shit, they’ll not let us out easy.”
“They’ll find more runners. That’s all we are, Jono. Runners and back street bookies. With the casino, we’ll make more money in a week than we do in a month.”
“You lived in the city too long, Slick. I’m taking the club back. A few of us are meeting up tonight. Join us.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Do. I hear Delaney’s case has fallen through. That he’s about to become a free man.”
I nod as I turn away and head for my bike. I need to ride. My stomach is churning, and my hands are shaking. Everything I worked for, I lost thanks to Delaney. He had it all taken from me. As the road sweeps beneath the tires of the bike and the trees blur as I ride, my fingers clench, and the bike gathers speed. A year ago, my world fell apart and I refuse to let Jono destroy it a second time.
When I return to the old club house for Jono’s meeting, there are a dozen or more bikes parked outside the old hut. Four of them I recognize as belonging to Jono, Clipper, Sink and Neat. Four officers of the River Demons. I frown as I dismount from the bike. At last night’s meeting, Clipper voted for Jono, while Sink and Neat had sided with Day. As I walk to the closed door, I wonder what hold Jono has on the two officers. Shit, they were Quaker’s men. Club officers long before I was a prospect. Smoke teases my nose and my eyes water when I open the door. Jono nods as I enter, and after a quick scan of the packed room, I find an empty chair at the rear of the shack. The grievances against Day are long and I wonder if he has misjudged the brothers’ reaction in the direction he intends to take the club. The meeting drags on for several hours, growing rowdier as the brothers voice their opinions at once and my head aches as I listen to them bitch. When the meeting draws to a close, I know Jono is not going to accept his defeat of last night with grace and Day has a fight on his hand. As I glance around to see if I can make my escape, two of the club’s officers approach me and my guard slips back into place.
“Slick,” I accept the beer Neat offers me and nod at Sink.
Sink breaks the silence. His gray eyes blank as he watches me, and I don’t blink. “What do you think?” Sink is the club’s Warlord and like Day, he
