“What exactly is a prospect?” I asked.
“A prospect is someone who wants to be a member of the club. They have a trial period to prove themselves worthy of membership. It’s similar to pledging for a fraternity, but prospecting takes longer and, obviously, is more dangerous,” she explained.
“And they trust the new guy to protect us?”
She laughed, “This particular one has been around for almost a year and should be getting his patch soon. Really, it’s just a formality to make my son feel better. I can shoot as well as, if not better than, most of the club members.”
“What are the chances of something happening to us at your house?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“There’s no reason to be scared. In all the years I’ve been associated with the club, nothing has ever happened at my personal residence. In fact, I think this may be the first time the club has ever been attacked. I can’t say for sure, but I think the attack on the clubhouse was meant to send a message more than it was intended to hurt or kill people. Besides, my son runs a security company. My house is more secure than most government buildings.”
We pulled up to a beautiful two-story house situated on several acres of land. There were similar houses on the street, each with a decent sized plot of land, giving the area a neighborhood feel without the congestion of typical subdivisions.
“Are you hungry or thirsty? I’m about ready for something to eat myself,” Leigh said.
“I could eat,” I hedged. I didn’t want to be a burden, but honestly, I was hungry, and I needed to take my medicine for my leg.
“Have a seat and I’ll make us some lunch.”
We spent the next several hours, eating, talking, and watching television. I don’t know if I was giving off a certain vibe, or if I just got lucky, but she didn’t ask me any overly personal questions. She kept the topics of conversation light and general, and she would never know just how grateful I was for that.
I was contemplating a nap when Leigh’s phone rang. She went into another room to answer it and came back a few minutes later, “Copper wants me to bring you to the hospital.”
9
It was taking every bit of will power I had to keep myself from exploding. My clubhouse had been attacked. My brother was hurt. Some of my members were hurt. I was already on edge, hence my trip to the cabin. Add Kayla to the mix and I was coiled with a dangerous tension.
After dealing with the local police and answering far too many questions, they finally left the premises. The fire department had been long gone by that point. I didn’t even bother scoping out the damage done to the property. As soon as I was free to leave, I went straight to the hospital.
I found Phoenix and a few of the boys from Croftridge in the Emergency Room waiting room. “How is he?” I asked without preamble.
Phoenix stood and clapped me on the shoulder. “They moved him to a room about an hour ago. I figured you would come to the ER, so that’s where I waited for you.”
When we stepped into the elevators, he asked, “Where’s the girl?”
“Sent her to Leigh’s house while I dealt with this shit,” I grumbled.
“Does Leigh know to keep an eye on her?”
“Yep. Judge filled her in before they left.”
I walked into a hospital room to find my brother resting with his eyes closed. He had some smudges of soot and ash on his face, but otherwise looked okay aside from the bulky bandage covering most of his forearm.
“He’s got a significant concussion, which is why he’s in a room. They want to keep him overnight for observation. He also has second degree burns on his arm, but those can be cared for at home. As long as he does fine overnight, the doctor said he can be discharged in the morning,” Phoenix explained.
“Thanks for coming, man. Any word on the others?” I asked.
“Yeah. Two others are being kept overnight. Everyone else is allowed to go home. I can arrange transportation, just need to know where you want me to take them.”
“Who’s being kept overnight?”
Phoenix chuckled, “I’m sorry, man. It’s not funny, but it is. Two of the club girls.” He cleared his throat and continued, “They were in Bronze’s room. Both have concussions. One has some burns, and one has a broken arm.”
I nodded, “I’ll drop in and check on them a little later. I’m going to stay with Bronze for the time being.”
“Do you want me to take the rest back to the clubhouse? Is that an option?” Phoenix asked.
“Yeah, take them there. Luckily, only a quarter of the place was sectioned off. The rest of the building was cleared for use.”