15. Clearing the Mind

FIFTEEN

Clearing the Mind

HAWK

“ W hat went on in there?” I ask. Drifter’s leaning on the wrought iron railing on the porch, one foot crossed over the other and arms crossed over his chest.

“Her father’s an asshole” is all he says.

“Yeah, and?”

“He’ll be back.”

“Agreed. I’ve already texted Flex and given him the plan for the day. That still doesn’t explain you sweeping Sasha off her feet.”

“Knock it off. It wasn’t like that. She was injured, and I took care of it.”

“It was a tiny shard, and Etain was seeing to it,” I remind him.

“It was taking too long, and I know what I’m doing,” Drifter says.

“You sure as fuck do, but you usually avoid using your talent unless it’s a brother.” Drifter should have been a doctor. He still could be if he’d listen to us, but he decided to close the door on that part of his life when he left the army. We’ve both seen too much, but to throw away a gift that he so obviously has pisses me off.

Drifter remains silent, gazing off toward the street.

“Look, brother, if you want Sasha, go for it,” I urge. Drifter avoids Sasha at all costs, yet something snapped in him today. Even though Sasha’s father was already leaving, Drifter barrelled into the house, and when he saw Sasha bleeding, I heard the growl come out of his throat before he leapt into action.

“There’s nothing there. Let it go,” Drifter says.

“Jesus! Really?”

“Let. It. Go.” He enunciates the three words with such conviction that I know he’s shutting this down again.

“Right. I’m heading to the shop.” I’ve got to put some distance between us before I lose my shit on him. I head back to Etain’s place and finish getting dressed. Then I hop on my motorcycle and ride off, leaving Drifter, standing guard over Etain and Sasha.

As soon as I get to the shop, I hunker down under the hood of a car. It calms me. I’ve loved tinkering for as long as I can remember. I would take shit apart just to see how it worked, then put it back together. That’s why I pursued a degree in engineering while serving my country, but somehow I ended up working with bikes and cars. No regrets. I love what I do.

Respect is the key to leadership. Not only receiving respect, but giving it. Our club is still in its infancy, and we’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we’re growing and learning every day. Drifter crossed the line today. I should have torn a strip off him for the way he spoke to me. Any other MC president would have beat the shit out of him to teach him that lesson. My men have a past, and sometimes it surfaces and brings out the worst in them. Being the president of Redemption Riders means I have to guide them to the road we all agreed on. This is a hard role, but I wanted it, because I know I can be the leader the club needs.

I still remember the day the core six of us decided to make it official. We’d talked to Guard and the Satan’s Pride MC brothers before we decided to create our own club. Guard offered to let us join the Pride, but I knew I needed to spread my wings. I wouldn’t be content for long as a Pride member. Guard knew this too and encouraged us to work together and form our own chapter.

Flex, Shooter, Phantom, Drifter, Decker, and I sat down to talk it through. Flex and Shooter are our scouts, Decker is the treasurer, Phantom is the sergeant-at-arms, but when it came down to deciding on a president and vice president, Drifter decided I should be the president. He never gave his reasons and willingly took on the role of vice president, but insisted I take the lead.

I give a lot of leniency to the founding members of the Redemption Riders because we’ve been through some rough times together. But today, I wanted to knock Drifter in the head for his stubbornness. His barking at me is unacceptable and damages my credibility as the president. It’s a conversation I have to have with him, but I hate it.

It takes a bit, but once I’m focused on the crankshaft, I let the tension of the morning ease out of my body. Then I hear a knock on the hood, and I roll out from under the car.

“Sorry, brother. I want to give you an explanation, but I can’t right now,” Drifter says.

“Soon,” I insist.

“Yeah” is all he says. I can see he’s not ready to give me more. I could push, because as president of the club, I have every right to know what shit is whirling around in his head. Especially with the Jackals setting us up for a fall and us having to prepare for a battle.

“I need to know I can count on you. That the club can count on you. The storm is heading our way. I need your head in the game, Drifter. You’re my best friend. I’d do anything for you, but you know how many are depending on us. We swore we’d never be taken down again, and the Jackals are circling,” I remind him. I get to my feet, put my hand on his shoulder, and quietly add, “I’m always here if you need me.”

“I know. Need to sort it out myself first. No matter what, I’ll always be here for my brothers. This has nothing to do with the club.” He looks over at the next bay to the car waiting for him to work on. “Going to get to work.”

I nod, and he leaves. I disagree with the idea that this has nothing to do with the club, though. If a brother needs space, we’ll give it, but in the end, we are one. What affects one of us affects us all.

E tain and I have exchanged texts throughout the day. Apparently, Sasha has jumped onboard to help Etain out with the accounting stuff. Sasha is filing and sorting, and Etain is doing the rest. This is Lee and Declan’s fourth run to bring more files out to them. Each time they return, there’s a note on where to store the paperwork with explicit instructions on Etain’s new filing system. Not the most glamorous job, but Lee and Declan don’t complain.

Me: You’re keeping my boys busy.

Etain: Sorry :)

Me: Everything okay? How’s Sasha doing?

Etain: All good here. Sasha doesn’t want to talk about it. I’m respecting her wishes.

Me: She might need some time.

Etain: Yeah. She’s happy I stayed. I can tell.

Me: Miss you here, though.

Etain: I miss you.

Me: Got a club meeting after work. Lee and Declan staying with you and Sasha until I come for you. Be good, baby.

She throws me emojis with kissy faces and hearts. Normally, I would gag if a woman sent me that, but with Etain, I find it adorable.

“What has you smiling like a fool?” Decker asks as he comes to join me in the office. Then he answers his own question. “Let me guess. Etain.”

“She’s unique,” I say.

“Totally. We all like her. She’s cool,” he says with a grin. “Are you going to make her your old lady?”

“Eventually, yeah.” Decker raises his brow. I go on to explain, “I want to give her time to adjust to all this, and I want the Jackals out of the picture before I make it official.”

“Sounds about right,” he replies.

“Ready to go?”

“Came to get you. The others are already at the compound waiting,” he tells me. Decker must have locked up before coming in to see me because the place is dark except for the light leading out the side door, which leads directly to the compound.

It’s a short walk, and the guys are waiting in the main area. Some are sitting at the bar grabbing a beer, a few others are around the pool table, while others are scattered around the room. They hear Decker and me come in and move to the secluded meeting room. Drifter’s already sitting at the table with one of our burner phones in hand.

“Call Guard,” I order, and the others take their seats.

“He’s on,” Drifter announces, placing the phone in the center of the table.

Through the phone, Guard’s voice booms. “I’m with Ghost and Orion.”

“Thanks for being part of this,” I begin. “You got the information we sent yesterday?”

“Got it,” Orion’s voice answers. “Great job, Raven. The information is clear as a bell. The Jackals are going to fry for fucking around with the Benito family.” He has a deep chuckle, but Ghost’s laugh is lower and scarier. I’ve met both men several times, and I would trust them with my life. Orion is a big bear of a man, but he can be funny, and he’s a genius hacker. Ghost is intense, big, and as lethal as they come. He’s a sniper and has never missed a shot, or so I’ve been told. He also has the uncanny ability to show up just when you need him the most.

“What’s your plan, Hawk?” Guard asks. He knows the plan. We discussed it yesterday, but this is a Redemption Rider fight, and Guard’s letting me lead. I know my men respect Guard as much as I do.

“You’ve made the connection with your contact in the mob?” I ask.

“Risk has set the meeting with his people in Nostra Casa . The Benito family is an extension of their business. Date is set for tomorrow,” Guard replies.

“Great. We’re supposed to pick up the product from the same spot as the last one, but based on what we heard on the recording, they’re going to change locations at the last minute. We can’t make it to the designated drop-off because the Jackals are going to have the cops ready to pounce. We need a reason to reroute the shipment,” I say.

“We can arrange for a truck to overturn and dump a load on the highway. That’ll be something that can’t be avoided,” Orion suggests.

“That’ll work,” Drifter comments.

“The Benitos will insist that the load be delivered straight to their door along with Gunner. They’re going to demand that they get Gunner. Don’t fight it,” Guard tells us.

“They can have Gunner. There are enough Jackals for the rest of us,” I reply.

“Demon and Thunder want a piece of the action,” Guard says.

“So does Steady,” Ghost adds. Both Steady and Demon have a hate on for drug pushers, Demon because he was an addict and it nearly killed him, and Steady because he volunteers at a youth shelter and sees firsthand what kind of trouble comes through the shelter doors, largely due to drugs. And Thunder, well, he’s an old friend. We served together in our special ops days, and he led me to the club life and introduced me to Guard, which led to me forming the Redemption Riders.

“We’re shutting down the Jackals for good. Whoever wants in is welcome,” I tell them. For the next hour, we lay out a detailed plan. Satan’s Pride is in this with us all the way. Orion, Shooter, and Decker will set up the blockade. Ghost and Raven will see that cops are detoured to a different site, and Risk has already set up a meeting with Reno Viale and Gino Benito. Guard and I will be at that meeting, which means I’ve got an early start in the morning.

After I bring the meeting to an end, Drifter approaches and says, “I’m coming with you tomorrow. You need backup. Before you say no, the car’s done. Lee and Declan will do nothing but watch over Etain, and the guys can handle the rest.” He looks me right in the eye. “Let me be there.”

My best friend through it all. He’s never left me hanging. “I could use the company,” I joke. His face breaks out in a smile. “We leave at seven. It’s a long haul to meet up with Guard. And who knows where we need to go from there.”

“I’ll pack my toothbrush,” he replies with a grin.

“Fuck that. I’m coming home tomorrow night,” I tell him. I hate the idea of leaving Etain at all, but it’s not safe to take her along. Drifter busts out laughing, slapping my back as we walk out to our bikes. “Where are you going tonight?” I ask, seeing that he’s getting on his bike.

“Just out for a ride. I need to clear my head.”

“Keep your eyes peeled. I don’t like any of us riding alone until this mess is over.” I know Drifter, and he needs his space. He does this a lot when he has something on his mind. He’s been like this the last few months. He goes out for a ride and comes back in a couple of hours, but never mentions where he was or who he was with. A man has the right to his privacy. Redemption Riders is about living a good life and feeling free.

“I’m not going far, and I’ll meet you at Etain’s place tomorrow at seven,” he confirms, then he snaps on his helmet and leaves.

There’s a whole lot of good that comes from riding. I get what Drifter means when he says it clears his head. It’s the quiet rumble of the pipes, the power of the machine, and the sense of control you have over your motorcycle. Sometimes, you lead your bike; other times, it leads you where you need to be. A ride is all it takes to clear your mind. Well, most days.