Chapter 8

(Night)

Cursing Down the Stars

Glaring up at the sky, Night had a few choice words for the universe, chuckling a little when he caught a glimpse of a falling star.

“You got something amusing you wanna share?” Saint growled as he bumped shoulders with him.

Saint’s eyes were stormy when Night turned and stared at him.

“No sir,” Night replied. “Pretty sure I just cussed a star right out of the sky though.”

“Been tryin’ ta cuss them all down,” Saint admitted. “So you’re one up on me. I ain’t ever been able to get a single one of the damn things to budge.”

Neither said anything after that. They just leaned back against a tree at the edge of the rest stop, and glared up at the sky, Saint nudging his boot to get his attention.

“Tell me about the conversation you and Sinn had where he told you about growing up out here.

Night shrugged. “Was just stupid bullshit and rum.”

“Humor me.”

“Beside the name of the town and his families MC, there isn’t any new information I can give you.”

“Not asking for intel, I’m askin’ so maybe I can lean here a minute without murder on the mind,” Saint admitted.

“Yeah, okay,” Night replied, fully understanding the man’s need for distraction. “Was the night of the crab run. He brought a bottle of Kraken out and I was nursing what was left of a fifth of the Captain. He wanted to know if this was the brooding section, so I asked why he thought that and he said something about how his vision might be shit but his hearing was next level, so who was I cussing out all over the place ‘cause that was how he’d found me.”

At least that prompted a snort from Saint.

“Fucker told me I’d better never switch up my body wash or stop smokin’ cloves because that’s how he can always sniff me out,” Saint said. “Then he made some crack about hopping in the wrong lap after I’d given Zero one. Man, that old bastard’s face went pale as death when I gave him the stink eye later and growled at him about trying to steal my boy. Bet that’s the last time he’ll ask me for a cigarette.”

“I missed that.”

“Too bad. I was chuckling about it for days. He still makes himself scarce when Sinn heads his way.”

“Which I’m betting he does just for shits and giggles.”

“Perhaps.”

Only the way he said it, Night knew it had to be true.

“It was just one of those things, ya know,” Night said. “We were layin’ on a dune and he was going off about Teddy being a dick to him while they were hunting for frames and that if it wasn’t for Cody, Teddy would have made him sit in the truck all day. He said that he didn’t get what Teddy’s issue was when they’d barely interacted, and I just let him rant while I listened to the waves roll in.”

“That boy’s got no cause to be making Sinn’s life miserable and I’m about fed up with his shit. If I didn’t know Sinn would rain hellfire down on my head for trying to fight his battles for him, I’d have delt with the little bastard by now.”

“What’s his deal anyway? Teddy’s? Why does he have it out for Sinn?”

“A mishap, nothing more,” Saint explained. “Sinn hadn’t learned his way around the house yet and accidentally crawled into Mark and Kat’s bed by mistake. He realized it as soon as he’d snaked an arm around Kat’s waste and caught a whiff of her hair. She wasn’t pissed in the slightest, but Teddy came in while a naked Sinn was putting on the clothes Kat handed him and threw an absolute hissy fit.”

“Jealous much.”

“No shit. Kat was none too impressed about it either and Mark was livid, not about Sinn but about Teddy’s behavior over it,” Saint said. “Hell, Kat even made a map of the place for him. That woman is a genius. She used hole punches of different sizes and shapes to map the route to my room, the kitchen, living room and den, laminated and everything with an easy to follow key. Said she thought about using buttons at first, but decided against it for fear they’d fall off. I swear she is one of the most thoughtful people I’ve known in this lifetime. No one asked her to do that, and unlike Teddy, she didn’t try to accuse Sinn of crawling into bed with her to fuck and insisted there was no harm done. Teddy, however, has been making a stink about it ever since and went around telling some of the others what had happened while painting Sinn in the worst possible light. Kat and my brother put a stop to it, but the damage was done at that point and there are still a handful of idiots who believe Teddy’s bullshit and back him like simpering sheep.”

“They’re the blind ones if they believe there’s any truth to that,” Night said. “Anyone looking at you two together can see who he wants to be with.”

“Then how is it you know more about his past than I do?”

“We had a little Hannibal Lector moment and that’s some of what came out of it.”

“Well, I don’t see any scars on you that look like you’re missing a liver so I’m guessing it’s the quid pro quo part.”

“Pretty much.”

“That conversation he’d overheard, where I was cussin’ someone out. It was my cousin tryin’ ta rope me into some shit I had no interest in.”

“Which led to you talkin’ about family.”

“Yeah.”

“Only you didn’t come to us affiliated the way he did.”

“Naw, my people are nomads, what’s left of ‘em anyway. But the outlaw shit and growing up on the wrong side of the law, that’s what we have in common.”

“I don’t remember hearing about that when you asked to prospect.”

“Specifics, no, but I admitted to the time I’d done and what I was in for,” Night snarled shoving away from the tree and feeling himself bristle at what sounded like accusation in Saint’s tone.

“Never said you didn’t,” Saint replied, steadily holding his gaze until Night relaxed against the tree trunk again. “I was there, remember?”

Okay, so many he was just working himself up for nothing “Yeah.”

“Was there a reason you left the rest of it out?”

“Several.”

“Go on.”

“My people aren’t just nomads; they are anti-MC. Anti everything that ain’t family. Got no love for the government, law enforcement, or any sort of organization or outsiders. If you ain’t blood, you ain’t shit is my Grandfather’s motto, one of them anyway. He doesn’t believe in using credit or taking a government handout, but he’ll steal you blind then set up a roadside stand to try and sell your shit back to you once he’d done modified and disguised it anyway. A little tweak here, a lick of paint there, some disfigurement and a long soak in some dye is usually enough to fool someone. Whatever it takes to make a buck and as unscrupulous as they come, that’s Gramps.”

“I can’t imagine that’s easy to break away from.”

“It ain’t, but I’m not hardwired for long stretches in prison. I did my bit and I ain’t goin’ back.”

“Don’t blame you. I did five years myself and my brother did almost seven. If it wasn’t for Teddy helping Kat every step of the way while she was trying to run this outfit solo, I don’t know how she and the boys would have made it. Even when I want to wring his neck, it’s the one thing I’ll always be grateful for.”

“Is he like that with other people or just Sinn?”

“There have been a few over the years who’ve received the same treatment, but nothing to this extent.”

“And all over a simple mistake? That’s pretty damned petty if you ask me.”

“Welcome to life with Teddy.”

“No thank you.”

“I’m sure moving Sinn into the house with me didn’t help things,” Saint admitted. “In all the years since Teddy has been with us, the one thing I’ve never done is move someone of my own into his domain.”

“It’s not like you and the Prez shared him, right?”

“Ech, in the beginning, you could say we had a what’s mine is my brother’s kinda policy about damn near everyone but Kat. She’s been his Queen from the moment they hooked up and she made it clear to everyone too. Not saying Teddy was the company whore or anything, but he was a bit of a rescue project. We found him stripping at that shitty dive across town and he wasn’t having an easy time of it. Kat persuaded him to quit and offered to teach him how to tend bar at the club. Somewhere in all of that, Teddy found his niche. Best manager the club has ever had beside Kat herself.”

“I’ve noticed how intense he can get when something threatens to upset the vibe there.”

“Yeah well, it’s always been important to him that it be a place where everyone is free to express themselves as long as they do it safely and with consent,” Saint said. “The few times something questionable has popped off, he’s been the one to get to the bottom of it and see that any wrongdoers were banished and blacklisted. He’s vicious when he gets on some of those chats.”

Nodding, Night was reminded of the dressing down Teddy had given a guest who’d stepped out of line and could only imagine what he was capable of on a computer.

“With those two coming up with theme nights and bringing in folks to demo and hold seminars, the club went from kinky biker freak to kinky biker chic. Voted best BDSM club in the state twice now, with a hand full of runner-up awards too. Now our guys are the ones who get invited to demo and at some of the larger events around the country too. Teddy secured his place with us and as part of Kat and Mark’s family a long time ago. There shouldn’t be any reason for him to feel threatened.”

“And yet he does.”

“All I know is that my brother had better get a handle on his bullshit ASAP before I’m forced to jump in and deal with him.”

“You don’t think he’s behind this, do you?”

“Oh, I’ve thought it constantly since Sinn went missing and it’s crossed my mind a time or two to sick Rabbit on him, but until I’m certain he knows something, I’ve been holding off. Bastards been making himself scarce though. With the club shut down, he’s either doing inventory and updating supplies and equipment, or he’s up at the house playing host to the rest of the lockdown folks.”

“How’s that work anyway?”

“It’s something we started doing about fifteen years back when we were at war with the Insane Slayers over territory, among other things. They hit some of our members’ homes, some seriously disrespectful shit right there, and afterward, we decided it was safer to bring family to the compound whenever things got out of hand between us and another MC. Between the cabins, the club and the main house, there’s more than enough room for everyone. Was getting a mite crowded before the Outer Banks crew broke off, but they have a similar practice up there, not that they’ve needed it as often as we have.”

“I guess even going legit has its complications.”

“No shit.”

Silence.

Saint lit up one of his clove cigarettes and Night inhaled the scent and sighed, the hard wood against his back forgotten for a little while.

“If your people are so anti-MC, how’d you come to the decision to prospect?” Saint asked after a chorus of bullfrog croaks.

“I fell in with a bunch of MC guys when I was in prison. They saw the nomad ink and started asking questions and I told them what I could without breaking code. There was this older guy up there who’d done time with my old man and a couple of my uncles and they told me some shit that really got me thinking about what we were doing.”

“How so?”

“Just, didn’t know my old man regretted following that path, regretted following a lot of my grandfather’s teachings. That’s where it all started. The anti-establishment, the lawlessness, and the bitterness, too. He’s always blaming everyone else for what he doesn’t have instead of working harder to get it. An old ridge runner is what he is. He still runs a couple stills up in the woods. Don’t anyone ever go lookin’ either, not after one of his booby traps maimed a government agent. He beat that case though. They couldn’t prove he set it or had anything to do with the still they found nearby despite everyone knowing whose traps they were, but knowing and proving are two different things.”

“Sure are. That’s always been at the heart of the outlaw code. You don’t leave nuthin’ they can trace back to you and you keep your mouth shut about what you know and who else is involved if you do get pinched.”

“Snitches get stitches,” Night murmured.

“More like snitches get dead around here, you best remember that kid,” Saint growled, the stern tone in his voice making the words come out harsh and threatening, instantly putting Night on alert again.

“Yes, sir.”

Saint chuckled. “Could get used to hearing that outta you.”

“Funny. Sinn said the same thing.”

“That come out in your rum-soaked conversation too?”

“Among other things.”

“Let’s hear about a few of those other things.”

“He just wanted to know what I was searchin’ for,” Night admitted. “And what I hoped to find when I dropped in at the dungeon. “Guess he heard about how I spend club nights and wondered if a little pain was all I was after. Said if it was, you wouldn’t mind helping me out with that if I was interested. I was. Am. But I’d be down for more. I told him that, too.”

“Yeah, and what did he say?”

“We’ll see,” Night replied with a heavy sigh. “Well, more like we’ll see if you’re still saying that after you’ve had a taste, but then he was gone and now all I want is for us to find him even if we’ve gotta spend the rest of our days choking on red dust until we get answers.”

“I hear that. You’ll get your chance to find out what he meant. Best case scenario, his people have heard from whoever’s got him, worse case, they’ll join us in tearing the state apart.”

“The one thing he did tell me was that he was on good terms with them despite them being a bit overbearing and hypervigilant when it came to him, which pisses him off to know end since he hates being checked up on,” Night said. “He was a bit salty when describing the way they are with him. Didn’t like it much when I said some of us wished for family like that.”

“One person’s heaven is another’s hell.”

“I guess. The way he talked, it sounded like they were good people. Smothering, but good, or at least as good as outlaws can be I guess.”

“Outlaw is just another giant tag they put on a spectrum of people. You’ll find there are shades of gray, even among the legit. Marks only got a few simple rules, you break one and it’s your ass. Anything else goes.”

“No cops at the door, no lying to the club, and no hurting the innocent,” Night parroted. “As a prospect it had been driven into his head ever since he was given the nod to join them.

“If you’re looking for family that’s gonna give a shit about you, you’ve come to the right place. Just don’t ever betray that.”

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

“I’m gonna get a little shuteye. You’d best do the same,” Saint declared before pulling his skullcap over his eyes and sliding down the tree trunk to sit on the ground in front of it. Long after the man was snoring, Night stared at the stars, hoping he could prove to Saint that he had what it took to be allowed to call these men his brothers, this club his home, and Saint and Sinn his family.