I turned to stand my ground, but kept my mouth closed when Copper spoke. “We have different rules at this clubhouse. Whores don’t mess with any brother who has a wife, Old Lady, or a girlfriend. River is his girlfriend. Best you remember the rules, because I won’t be telling you again. Now, go play nice or get the fuck out.”
“Thanks, Prez,” Jonah said and ushered me to his truck.
As soon as we were on the road, Jonah asked, “So, Boar, how’d you end up staying at my mom’s house?”
Boar chuckled. “Her and Shannon took a liking to one another when y’all were up in Reedy Fork. She wanted to come for a visit when Leigh was well enough and I wanted to be there when Coal transferred chapters. Taking a bullet with someone creates a unique bond between them.”
“You two were shot? When? How?” I asked and turned around in my seat.
Boar nodded. “We were. It’s been almost a year ago now. Can’t tell you the why or how, but I took one to the chest and Coal took three to the stomach. We’re both lucky to be alive.”
“Did it hurt?” I asked stupidly.
“Funny you should ask. I have no idea. I don’t remember much of anything that happened right before or right after. But when I woke up in the hospital days later, my chest hurt like hell,” he said and absently rubbed at what I presumed was the scar on his chest.
“Did they catch the person who shot you?”
Boar grimaced and Jonah reached over and gently squeezed my thigh. “Yes, they did,” Boar said solemnly.
“So, how long are you and Shannon staying?” Jonah asked, effectively changing the subject and leaving me wondering what happened.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Judge
Coal and Savior were more than happy to hang out at Precious Metals as their first assignment, and they got started on it right away.
When Copper called me three days later, I was sure it was to tell me they’d seen or heard something at the bar. I did not expect to be called in for Church. Copper never called us in unless something was seriously wrong, so I dropped what I was doing and pointed my bike straight for the clubhouse.
Copper was in the front of the room pacing back and forth and he didn’t stop until every officer had arrived. “We’ve got a problem, brothers,” he announced. “While Bronze and I were at the rental property with our private inspector, Precious Metals was just raided by the police.”
“Say what?”
“What the fuck for?”
“Why?”
Copper held his hands up to quiet the room. “They claim they received an anonymous tip that we were using the bar as a front for dealing.”
“That’s bullshit,” Batta spat.
Copper nodded and grinned, “Yeah, it is. And now they know it because they didn’t find shit.”
“So, what’s the problem, Prez?” Tiny asked.
“The problem is the anonymous tip. We’ve never been into drugs and everyone around here knows it. So, we’ve either pissed someone off or we’re being targeted for another reason. Either way, I fully expect the cops to show up here and possibly any other businesses associated with the club. Just make sure there’s absolutely nothing for them to find.”
“Well, that should be easy, since there isn’t anything for them to find,” I added.
“Exactly. Stay vigilant and keep your eyes and ears open, brothers,” Copper ordered and banged the gavel on the worn wooden table.
As everyone was leaving, Copper asked me to stay behind. “I want to talk to you about the rental house.”
“How did the inspection go?” I asked.
Copper’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t have the official report, but the inspector we hired said there was nothing wrong with the property.”
“He actually commented on several extra safety measures we’d taken that were above and beyond the minimum requirements,” Bronze added.