Chapter Eleven

Fade

Riding my motorcycle with Adalee behind me was a pure pleasure. We carved through the country roads, the engine's hum a steady companion as we flew past fields and forests. The breeze hit us in exhilarating waves, and I felt alive in a way that only a good ride can bring. Adalee's arms were wrapped around me, her body pressed against my back, fitting perfectly. It felt natural and comforting to have her there, like she belonged.

We rode for close to an hour, the landscape changing from open fields to dense woods, until I finally pulled over at a boat ramp for Lake Arrowhead. The lake was a hidden gem, a peaceful retreat that not many people knew about. The water sparkled under the sun, and the air was fresh with the scent of pine.

"Where are we?" Adalee asked as she took off her helmet, her hair falling in waves around her shoulders.

"Lake Arrowhead," I replied as she swung her leg over the bike and stood up, stretching.

Adalee looked around, her eyes wide with curiosity. I got off the bike and joined her, feeling a sense of contentment that was rare for me. We wandered over to the edge of the water, and I picked up a smooth, flat rock. With a flick of my wrist, I sent it skipping across the surface.

"If I would have tried that, it would have sunk the instant it hit the water," she joked, a smile lighting up her face.

"Skill, cupcake," I chuckled, "and also skipping school to hang out by the lake." I smirked, remembering the countless hours I'd spent here as a kid, avoiding responsibilities and just being free.

Adalee laughed, the sound musical and light. "I bet you were a troublemaker," she teased.

"Maybe a little," I admitted, grinning. "But I turned out alright."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Debatable."

We sat down on a patch of grass near the water, the sunlight warm on our faces. Adalee leaned back on her hands, her eyes scanning the horizon. "It's beautiful here," she said softly.

"It is," I agreed, watching her more than the scenery. "Sometimes you need a place like this to remind you there's more to life than the clubhouse."

Adalee turned to look at me, her expression serious. "I think that is the perfect segue for you to tell me just what the hell is going on."

I knew there weren't any cameras around, and in my gut, I knew I could trust Adalee. Sure, she was part of the production crew, but I knew she wouldn't repeat a word of what I was going to tell her. It was a rare thing to trust someone outside the club, but Adalee made the cut.

"Some of the stuff I said on camera is true. You know that, right?" I started, needing her to understand where the lines of truth and fabrication lay.

"I'm assuming the stuff about Faye and Anthony dating is true."

I nodded. "Yeah. And Anthony did blow up the gym trying to kill Faye."

"Did he also blow up the garage?" she asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

I shook my head. "That was actually Poppy."

"What?" Adalee gasped. "She's with Yarder."

I chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "Yeah, she is now. Before that, she was used by someone to get to us." Even though I was going to tell Adalee the truth, it was still hard to do. Trust wasn't something I gave easily, but Adalee had earned it.

"Someone who?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the fragile truths I was about to share.

I paused for a second. This was all going to sound crazy. "Someone high up. Someone who has a lot of power and isn't afraid to use people like pawns."

"I'm gonna need more than that, Fade."

"Boone Drake and Craig Gibbs."

Adalee furrowed her brow. "Um, I know who Boone Drake is, but I'm clueless on Craig Gibbs." She tipped her head to the side. "Are you sure you have the right name? Boone Drake is the US Attorney General."

I nodded and pulled a cigarette out. I quickly lit it and blew out a plume of smoke. "I got the names right, cupcake, and that is exactly who he is. Craig Gibbs is a hotshot lawyer from Houston. Put a notorious gang behind bars, and he's looking to climb the political ladder."

"And what does that have to do with the Iron Fiends?" she asked.

"I'll start from the beginning, cupcake, and try to condense everything down." I could barely keep all of this shit straight.

"I am ready for this."

Might as well just get it all out. "Dove's dad is Russ Finley." I waited for Adalee to be shocked by that name, but then I remembered she wasn't from Texas. "Russ Finley is the Texas State Attorney General."

"Oh," she said, catching up.

"When Boone Drake retires, Russ was hand-picked by Boone to be his predecessor. Boone told Russ he just needed one good case to put away some big names, and the job would be his. So, Russ started to set us up and then take us down. Well, that was the plan until Boone and the party changed their minds and decided they wanted to endorse Craig Gibbs. So, Russ was out, and Gibbs and Boone took over taking us out. But now they really want to take us out because we know all the dirty shit they've been up to."

Adalee blinked rapidly. "You're telling me the US Attorney General and the dude who is going to take his spot are trying to frame you and kill you? The whole club?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's it in a nutshell."

"But, uh... this is insane."

I nodded and searched the ground for another skipping rock. "Insane doesn't even scratch the surface, cupcake." I took a drag off my cigarette and spotted another flat rock.

"How do they even think that this is right?" she asked. "Why the Iron Fiends?"

"Because Gibbs took out that other gang, and so since the Iron Fiends are a well-known MC in Texas, we were the obvious choice for the next group to take down. Even if they have to make shit up and lie."

Adalee stared at the lake. "This is so much bigger than I ever imagined. I thought... I don't know what I thought. That it was just club rivalries or something."

I flicked my cigarette away. "It's always been more than just club rivalries. There's a lot of power and money at stake, and these guys will do anything to get it."

"So what are you guys going to do?" Adalee asked.

"Russ is coming to the clubhouse this afternoon."

"Dove's dad, right?"

I nodded. "We need to get every piece of dirt we can on Boone and Gibbs. Russ is hopefully the person who can help us."

We were silent for a bit, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

"This is huge, Fade," Adalee whispered. "Like, ginormous."

We all knew it was, but we weren't going to let it take us down. "We'll get it figured out, cupcake."

"All while filming a TV show. My god," Adalee sighed. "I can see why you guys didn't want to say any of this on camera. No one would believe it, and then Boone and Gibbs would really come after you guys."

"Yeah, well, I don't think they can come at us any harder than they are. Yesterday shows that they aren't going to mess around." My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out. "I gotta take this, cupcake." I connected the call and stood. "Hey," I called into the phone.

"Where are you?" Yarder asked.

"Lake Arrowhead."

"Get your ass back here. Shit is hitting the fan more than we anticipated."

"What the hell is going on now?" I asked.

"Poppy turned on the news, and there was a story about the shooting yesterday."

"And?"

"And it looks like they're trying to pin it all on you and the club. People who were there yesterday were interviewed, saying they're afraid for their lives and wish the Iron Fiends would get taken down. They reported about the gym and garage explosion, saying we're just a bane on the town and surrounding areas lately."

"That's all fucking bullshit," I spat.

"Yeah, we all know it's bullshit, but this is just the new web of bullshit Boone and Gibbs are spreading about us. Now they're not only trying to kill us, but they're also turning the public on us."

I wished Boone and Gibbs would just jump off a fucking cliff.

"Get back to the clubhouse. We need this meeting with Russ more than ever right now." Yarder ended the call.

I fought the urge to toss my phone in the fucking lake because I was so pissed. "We gotta go, Adalee."

She got up quickly and brushed off her butt. "I'm assuming more shit is hitting the fan."

I nodded and held my hand out to her. "Yeah, and it's more bullshit. Turns out I'm the reason behind the shooting yesterday, and the public now hates the club."

She put her hand in mine, and we trudged back to the bike. "I can't believe all of this."

I couldn't either. Just when I thought Boone and Gibbs had done some fucked up shit, they upped the ante.

We got back on the bike, and I revved the engine, the roar giving me a momentary sense of control. Adalee's arms wrapped around me again, and I took off, carving through the country roads with a renewed sense of urgency. The breeze hit us, but the tension in the air was palpable.

The ride back was tense. My mind was racing with plans, contingencies, and the looming meeting with Russ. We needed every piece of dirt on Boone and Gibbs we could get. The future of the club depended on it.