Chapter 2

Chapter 2ForgeEighteen Months LaterIwoke up in my small room at the clubhouse with a churning stomach and a sense of anxiety, or was it anticipation? Today was the day I’d been working toward for a year and a half. I had enjoyed my time prospecting, but today was the day my club brothers voted on whether or not to make me a fully patched member of the Dark Slayers MC. Mason told me he was nominating me for my patch and encouraged me to show up prepared to talk about why I should be voted in as a full-fledged club member. I came up with an earnest speech and practiced it last night until I felt comfortable speaking the words.I made short work of showering and getting dressed before heading down to grab breakfast. This would be the first morning in a year and a half that I wasn’t responsible for manning the grill. I grabbed a plate of food and took a seat at the picnic table beside Mason.“Good morning, soon-to-be brother,” he said happily. “Did you sleep well?”I snorted a laugh. “Of course not. I tossed and turned all fucking night, worrying about how the vote will go down.”Mason took a large gulp of his coffee before responding. “I think y’all are worrying about a bunch of stuff that y’all don’t need to worry about. You’ve been prospecting with the Slayers for a long time. You’re smart, honest, reliable, loyal, and I’ve never heard of a brother here who had a problem with you. I think you’re gonna be a shoo-in.”“God, I hope so. I’ve been worrying myself into an ulcer about this.”“I don’t understand why you’re so anxious,” Mason shot back. “Seriously, what could you possibly have to be nervous about?”“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Just about every brother here is ex-military and I’m not.”“There are plenty of the brothers who’ve never served, including Grit, who is our sergeant at arms. Not to mention Celt, Renegade, Hash, and Bones. Trust me, you’re in good company.”I nodded, trying to shake off the anxiety. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I won’t know for sure until the vote goes down.”We were just eating the last of our food when Storm stuck his head out the door and shouted, “Time for church. Get your asses in here. We’re burning daylight.”Mason glanced at me and pressed his lips together. I grinned back at him. I don’t think our club president realized that before meetings the club brothers took guesses on how many times he’d say it. It was Storm’s favorite phrase. The man was nothing if not predictable. This was the first time I’d sat in a meeting, and just being in the room where everything went down was intimidating.Once every brother was accounted for, Storm stood up to address us. “As you all know, we just had a throw down with Don Diavonte and he didn’t make it out alive. Good job on rooting out that wily old fox at long last. The Russo brothers, who have been our long-term allies, are trying to consolidate power over the Don’s former territory. Our hope is that now that Diavonte is no longer calling the shots, members of the mafia will pull up stakes and head back to LA. Only time will tell on that. Meanwhile, life goes on for the Dark Slayers MC. We have businesses to run, a brotherhood to maintain, and a prospect in need of being considered for membership.”Storm glanced in Mason’s direction and my friend stood up. “We all know that Rob has been one of the best prospects we’ve ever had. He’s supervised the other prospects, protected the clubhouse and our women when we were at war with the mafia, and done every single thing we’ve asked of him. I would like to recommend him for membership in the Dark Slayers today.”“I second that motion,” Celt said.Storm jerked his chin at me. “Time to weigh in, Rob. Tell us why you feel you would be a good fit four our club.”I stood quickly, eager to make my case at long last. “Like many brothers, I was drawn to the Dark Slayers because I grew up without a family or any strong male role models. You all know my story, I was abandoned at birth and brought up in a group home. Hell, I don’t even know what my real name is, Robert was the name of the father of the nurse who found me in the restroom of St. Thomas’ hospital—as for my surname, maybe I should be grateful it was St. Thomas’ and not Griffinsford Community, because Robert Community sounds more like a housing project.” My would-be club brothers laughed, but it was a polite, slightly uncomfortable laughter—leaving babies in public restrooms isn’t really a laughing matter, but my lack of roots was one of the main reasons I was drawn to the club.I took a breath and continued, “I’ve never been in the military, nor did I go to college. I was just a man drifting through life until I saw the Dark Slayers riding through town. Sure, I liked the look of the cuts and the roar of the throaty motorcycles, but more than that, I was drawn to the sense of brotherhood. I also didn’t miss the respect the Slayers got from people. I started paying attention and realized the men in this club are protectors. You all ran that crazy cult out of town a few years ago. You were stronger together than separately and seeing that started making me want to be part of something bigger than myself.”Glancing around the room, I laid it all out on the line. “I’ve always been physically strong and fit. What I lacked was direction and motivation, I made mistakes and I got into trouble, but more importantly I found my way out. I came here to prospect hoping to find my purpose in life and was astounded that I found that and much more. In the Dark Slayers MC I found a brotherhood of like-minded men dedicated to turning their lives around, supporting each other, and protecting our town, I found my family. Those are goals I could get behind. This is the one place where I feel that I truly fit in and have something meaningful to contribute. If you see fit to patch me into the club today, I promise to live up to the name the Dark Slayers have made for themselves in this town.”Storm stood up again. “Mason nominated Rob for membership and Celt seconded that motion. You’ve heard Rob’s speech on what joining the Dark Slayers MC means to him. I’m bringing this motion to a vote. All those in favor of Rob being patched into the Dark Slayers, say aye.Many voices rang out, what felt like a majority to me.“All those opposed say nay.”No one spoke up. That meant every man in the club either approved of me being patched in or abstained from voting. It was a relief to know that no one actually objected.“The brotherhood has spoken. Welcome to the Dark Slayer’s MC, Forge,” Storm announced enthusiastically.I didn’t even need to know why he tagged me with that club name. It was because I spent so much time behind the grill, they joked that I looked like a metalworker at his forge My shoulders relaxed a bit, as club names went it was pretty good. “Thank you, boss.”Storm held out a new cut to replace the prospect one I currently wore. I switched them out and couldn’t help but notice how this one weighed just a little bit more because of the bottom rocker. Then again, maybe I just imagined that part.My new club brothers all came to shake my hand and congratulate me.Mason slapped me on the back. “See? I told you had nothing to worry about.”I grinned at him, so relieved that his words turned out to be true. “I should have listened.”“Our old ladies worked hard to plan a party to celebrate Forge getting patched into the club. Be sure to enjoy the good food and thank them for all the trouble they went to on our behalf,” Grit announced.Within hours of finally getting my patch and enjoying the company of my righteous brotherhood, Storm called me into his office. He wasn’t alone either. With him was Blade and his old lady Sophia, as well as my good friend Mason and his old lady Aprilia. It was an odd mashup of people and I didn’t know quite what to think at first.Storm motioned to the only empty chair in the room. “Come in and have a seat, Forge. We have something to discuss with you.”I walked into the office tall and proud, certain I hadn’t done anything wrong. Once I took a seat, Storm started talking. “Sophia brought something to my attention. I think she can explain it to you better than I can.”Sophia began pacing back and forth in front of Storm’s desk. “I just got a call from Diego saying that someone threw a pipe bomb at their vehicle. Nicco was driving and was able to swerve, but the explosion nearly blew the rear end of their SUV.”“Your brothers are mobsters, trying to consolidate power following their Don’s untimely demise. That kind of situation brings out all the crazy fuckers who ever had dreams of taking over. I’m pretty confident your brothers can hold their own.”“You’re absolutely right about that,” Sophia said. “Unfortunately, this is the second attempt on their lives since they left Griffinsford. The whole point of upsetting the balance of power was to put fresh blood in the driver’s seat. If somebody manages to pick off the Russo brothers, we’re going to be right back where we started in terms of mobsters pushing into Griffinsford.”“Have we seen any evidence of that yet?” I asked.“I’ve gotten word from several local businesses that suits are still coming around trying to collect protection money right here in our hometown,” Storm said.“Fuck,” I said. “I thought getting rid of that old mobster put an end to all that.”“So did I. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”“What’s the plan, boss?”Running his hand over his beard, he took some time before replying. “When we went toe-to-toe with Don Diavonte’s men, some of them escaped. Since you were a prospect at the time, you were here guarding the clubhouse. That means none of them saw your face.”I didn’t like where this was going, but I closed my mouth and opened my ears because my club president clearly had something important to say.“I want you to go to LA and shadow the Russo brothers. Don’t go up to them, just hang back and pay attention to who’s in their orbit and how they act. Try to find out who’s behind the attempts on their lives. If you can figure that out, it might turn out to be the same fuckers who sent men to Griffinsford to pick up where Don Diavonte left off.”“If there is someone intent on taking over Diavonte’s operation, it would make sense they would need money to support their push.” This was all making too much sense to me.“When you figure out who it is, discreetly approach the Russo brothers, or better yet text them. I’m sure those three can handle the turncoat, so there is no need for you to get your hands dirty. They can look out for themselves.”“Don’t you think I’ll stand out in the big city running around in my Slayers cut and riding a motorcycle?”“You’re not gonna be doing either of those things. The club will rent you a car and you need to leave your cut behind. You’re to wear dress clothes only, preferably suits.”“In order to fit into their world, you’re going to need custom tailored designer suit,” Aprilia said.Sophia spoke up then. “Don’t worry, I’ll make my brothers pay for that as well as any other expenses you incur.” Shooting Aprilia a quick glance, she added, “Aprilia and I can help you pick out appropriate clothing and give you pointers on how to go unnoticed in LA.”My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Do I have to develop a whole secret identity, or can I just wing it?”“The whole point is to keep a low profile. If you do that, you won’t need a secret identity because no one will be looking too hard at you.”“Okay, I can do that.” Then it occurred to me to ask, “Will I have backup?”“Just the Russo brothers,” Storm replied. “If things go south, call me and I’ll send a handful of men from an allied club, faces they won’t link to the Dark Slayers.”“Fair enough. Do you have intel for me on how to pick up the brothers’ trail?”Sophia answered, “I can give you our home address, the address to our vacation cabin, all my brothers favorite hangouts, and the address of the makeshift office they work out of. That should be enough to get you started.”“Is there anything else I should be aware of?”“You should avoid my father liked the plague. I cannot stress to you how important it is that you do not turn your back on him. He’s a sociopath, worse than anyone you’ve probably encountered in your lifetime. He sees every member of our family as expendable except my mother. He tried to have my sister and me killed once. If it hadn’t been for Blade and my brothers ganging up on him, I don’t know that we would have survived it. Many people have thought they were on friendly terms with him and wound up dead.”“Jesus, Sophia. How is it that you turned out to be so normal?”“My brothers created a buffer between my father and myself. They ran interference more times than I can count. I never realized the lengths they went to keep me safe until the very end, when Blade pulled me out of there.”Blade spoke for the first time. “The part you need to understand is mobsters do and say things we have a difficult time wrapping our heads around. Diego has carefully constructed a frightening persona that he wears like body armor. The thing is, he is much more than the image he projects. That man is so damn smart, he was outthinking me just about every step of the way. Have to say I’m happier now he’s on our side. Or at least not against us.”Aprilia added, “Nicco is the one with good social skills. He’s smart, resourceful, and cunning. He’s also the oil that enables all the other moving parts to work. He’s even smarter than Diego in his own way. If you have to trust one of the brothers, trust him.”“Lucas is so quiet that a lot of times you won’t even know he’s in the room with you. He hardly ever speaks, and you won’t hear him coming. The one and only thing Lucas cares about is protecting each and every individual member of our family, oftentimes from each other. The thing with Lucas is while everyone else is arguing, plotting and planning, his wheels are always turning. He’s the one member of our family most capable of replacing Don Diavonte. The problem is he doesn’t want to. He likes operating from the sidelines. I don’t know how far I would trust him if I were you. Hell, I’m not sure how far I trust him and he’s my own brother,” Sophia explained.“You sound like a woman who’s had a hard life.”Her expression was sad and defeated. “Not really. I was oblivious to the depths of depravity involved in a mobster’s lifestyle for a very long time. I knew they earned their living through criminal activity, so I wouldn’t say I was willfully ignorant, but I did overlook quite a few things that should have clued me in to the darker side of our world.”Blade came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and nuzzled his face in her hair. I saw the sadness and anxiety drain away as she relaxed back into his arms.“Alright, I guess that’s basically all I need to know. When do you want me to leave?”Storm leaned forward in his seat. “Yesterday. You can’t figure out who’s trying to kill them unless you’re right there, eyes on the situation.”“I can take his measurements and contact the menswear store in LA that my family uses,” Aprilia said.“I appreciate that.”“If you leave right away, they can probably have your wardrobe ready by the time you get there.”“That works for me.”Mason wrapped one arm around Aprilia’s waist and offered, “I can drop you off at a car rental agency.”“Thank you.”Storm dug through his desk and pulled out a credit card. “Put all your expenses on this card. I’ll bill the Russo brothers for reimbursement later.”I took the card and slid it into my wallet. Glancing from Mason to Blade I said, “I’m ready when you are.”“Go ahead and leave your cut here in my office,” Storm said.Peeling off the shiny new cut I’d just received was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do in my life. It was almost physically painful. The day I thought I’d finally be a proud member of the Dark Slayers MC, instead I was going to be looking like a damn city slicker.Storm carefully took the cut from me, folded it up and put it in his desk drawer. Then he jerked his chin toward the armory and said softly, “Don’t forget to gear up. There is surveillance gear in the bottom of the gun safe along with the body armor.”“Yes, sir. I know what I’ll likely need.”Storm gazed at me with genuine admiration. “I know that you do, Forge.”Leaving my own party behind, I stood still while Aprilia measured me up for a fine suit. Then I grabbed guns, ammo, and a shit ton of surveillance equipment and we headed to our local car rental agency. The whole time we were on the road, Sophia and Aprilia took turns talking to me about mafia culture and gave me tips on how to blend in. It was a lot of information to take in, but if I wanted to survive, I needed to remember all the things they were telling me. One slip-up might be all it took for someone to realize I was not one of them. And I couldn’t help anyone if I was dead.Naturally, I rented a black SUV, because that seemed to be the vehicle of choice for modern day mobsters. Within an hour I was on my way to LA, relatively excited about my very first mission for the Dark Slayers MC.I turned the situation over in my mind as I drove, trying to establish what kind of clues I should be on the lookout for. For starters, I would probably need to put trackers on their cars and perhaps on each one of them individually. The last thing I needed was for one of them to turn up missing and me not have a clue on God’s green earth what happened to them. That would mean I failed my mission. I wasn’t used to failing. The few things I chose to participate in, I made it a point of completing. No matter what went down, I was going to ensure that Sophia’s brothers came out alive and with as few battle scars as possible.Using the GPS on my phone, I stopped to pick up my clothing first. Then I headed to my hotel to unpack and don my disguise. Standing in front of the mirror in my hotel room, I fussed with the tie over and over again before finally admitting to myself that I didn’t know how to tie it. I only wore a suit once, it was when I was a kid and it had a clip-on tie. The group home I was raised in had us dress up for photos to show to prospective parents. Not that anyone was ever interested in adopting a scrawny-ass kid like me.I pushed that memory to the back of my mind and ripped the tie from my neck in frustration. Pulling out my phone, I watched an instructional video and immediately realized what I was doing wrong.When I was all finished and my hair was brushed back, I didn’t look half bad. If the lighting wasn’t good, I might even pass for a mobster with my dark brown hair and dark eyes.I crammed my wallet in my pocket, my gun in the holster at the small of my back, and palmed the keys to the rental car. I decided to keep my clothing in the trunk of the rental car in case I needed to get out of town fast.I needed to find the brothers if I had any hope of protecting them. Since it was the middle of the day, I started with the office address Sophia gave me. By the time I got there, it was almost five o’clock. I saw a black SUV pulling out of the parking lot. The license plate said RUSSO-1 and I could see three shadowy forms through the tinted windows.One of the things Sophia had mentioned was that her brothers all had vanity plates. RUSSO-1 was Diego’s vehicle because he was the oldest. I followed them, careful not to be conspicuous. They had lattes and then ended up having dinner at an Italian restaurant with who I assumed were their parents, or at least some close family members. The brothers bore a strong resemblance to the older man and the woman scolded them with very little provocation. It was enough to make me happy I didn’t have parents.Finally, the brothers ended up at a bar. I waited about five minutes and then slipped inside. The whole place looked like some kind of nightclub straight from the sixties—the type you’d expect to see in Vegas, not downtown LA. There were a few dozen tables with white cloths, servers running drinks and food out to each table, and even a woman singing her heart out. The place was packed wall to wall with mobsters and their women. It was a charming glimpse into their world. I’d honestly never seen anything like this before.I headed over to the bar and grabbed a seat. In a fancy place like this, I assumed ordering a cheap drink might get me the side eye. I ordered Johnnie Walker blue label scotch on the rocks with the intention of nursing it for the duration of my visit. The bartender perked up when she saw me and scrambled to get my drink. I gazed around as though I was looking for a friend and realized the Russo brothers were sitting at a table up front. Rather than staring at them, I sipped my drink and kept an eye out for people moving toward them.When my eyes rolled over the singer, I froze. The woman was staring at me with no small amount of interest. Since I wasn’t here to pick up pretty women, I gave my head a slight shake to indicate I wasn’t interested. Thankfully, her eyes slid away and landed on someone else. The last thing I needed was for their glittering entertainer to stop by and chat me up. Nothing about that would be inconspicuous.I tried to keep my eye on everything at once. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice anything that stood out in my mind as dangerous or particularly out of place. The Russo brothers were all drinking, laughing, and seemed to be in high spirits. They didn’t look like men who had an attempt made on their lives twice in the very recent past. Then again, maybe they were just reluctant to show their vulnerability in public. I knew I would be if I were in their situation.