“I wish I could be one of those guys. But my skin isn’t the right color.” Onyx frowned.
“Me either,” Hack replied. “They only want ‘real’ Americans. We’ve got enough men around here I figure we know exactly where they’re at, we can scope out local bars. Make comments. They know Hollywood is ours, so we can’t send in the sheriff.”
“They should be in recruit mode.”
“Yep, they are. I found them on social media and they have drones that they use for scouting out areas around their location. To catch stupid shit like let’s blow up a garbage can. Look at this.” Hack pointed to a map on the computer. It was an aerial picture of what appeared to be a big farm.
“Are you for sure this is their location near Berrington?” Onyx couldn’t contain his excitement, the man was rarely wrong.
“I’m positive. Now all we have to do is tell Red and he can decide what next. Let’s go find him.” Hack got up and secured his laptop before strapping it to his back. “Let’s go Onyx.”
Onyx was right on his heels. He wanted to figure out what they were going to do now that they had a location pinned. They both got on their cycles and drove the half mile or so to Red’s house.
Once they arrived, Onyx parked his bike and dismounted. The home had been built before he joined up, but it was still new. Two stories, similar to the main house Maggie lived in with a nice porch and spacious rooms. As he followed Hack up the stairs and knocked on the door, he couldn’t help thinking beyond the moment. To when or if Topaz and he decided they needed a home. Would they take one in town or have one built on the compound?
Red answered the door holding the one year old Harlow. Her red curls circling her head as she smiled, her mouth a bit less gummy as her teeth were finally starting to come in.
“Hack what’s up?”
“I got the intel we were needing and wanted to bring it to you as soon as we figured it out. Now is the time to make plans.”
“Come on in guys.” Roadkill smiled as she walked up to Red’s side.
“No, we just wanted to bring something to Red. We can’t stay.” Hack handed over the notes he’d scribbled to Red then turned to Onyx. “Let’s go.”
Onyx followed Hack towards the motorcycles.
“You’ll never be a doctor,” Red yelled. “I can actually read this. Church in an hour. This is great stuff guys.”
Hack waved over his head then got on his bike and Onyx followed. Returning to the clubhouse, Onyx parked his bike while Hack continued on toward his home. He probably had to tell Preacher Girl that he was going to be busy the next few days or so.
Waiting the hour for all the members to come to the clubhouse was painful for Onyx. Maybe he should have burned the time running back to get Topaz. Instead he sat, watching daytime TV like someone’s auntie. He wanted this all resolved, so he could get on with his life. Their relationship was a direct threat to everything ACT UP stood for, which meant he had to neutralize them if there would ever be a future for him with Topaz.
Moving up to the room where they had chapel in, Onyx waited for his brothers.
Hack was the first to arrive and sit. His ever present laptop getting hooked up to a screen. “This is good that we’re going to do something about ACT UP that group needs to be stopped.”
“I agree. They’re bad people,” Onyx said. “When Duke—Hollywood said come to Montana to join an MC, I thought he was crazy. Even when he was trying to live in both worlds. Now, I’ve seen he wasn’t living in two worlds, just two cities.”
“Turnabout isn’t quite a city.” Hack’s finger typed away and soon the TV screen on the wall had lit up with a map and plot points. “But yeah, I get it. Freaky’s side project aside, helping women, shutting off a drug pipeline and taking down a group like ACT UP keeps me hopeful for the future.”
Leaning back in his chair, Onyx put his hands behind his head and didn’t realize stretching would hurt so bad. He groaned and bent forward.
“Are you still sore?”
“Yeah, these ribs just don’t heal very quickly. I’ll be in a comfy spot and forget that I took a beating. I move or stretch and my body reminds me it’s only been a few days not months.”
The rest of the men walked in and Red took his seat at the table.
Onyx looked around and saw that it was just the officers and himself.
Hollywood walked in still dressed for duty.
Red spoke up, “I wanted Hollywood here, so we know what to do to stay on the level. We don’t want to get caught by the law and end up in jail ourselves. That just won’t do. Hack and Onyx have found the location of ACT UP. Let’s get prepared to send in undercovers and see if we can get intel on the inside. Who should we send in?”
“I say let’s send in Cass and Baldy,” Hack suggested. “They can use the garage as an excuse to get in on their property. Tow in a car or something.”
“You really want to send two men whose children have been personally threatened?” Onyx asked.
Both men fisted their palms.
“You can’t do that when they call your sons and daughter mud rats,” Onyx went on. “And you? You okay with them talking about the wetback kid with the Steels? Even if they don’t know you, who’s to say they won’t be talking and thinking they’re comedians.”
Rage burned in both men’s eyes as he spoke of their kids. Names that were nothing, entry level compared
