Chapter Twelve
After Steel adjournedchurch, Army pushed away from the table, walked out of the room, and grabbed his phone. Early that morning, Steel had texted him that he had to get back to Alina. He’d thrown his clothes in his satchel and hit the highway without a second thought. According to what Chains and Hawk had picked up on the grapevine, Satan’s Pistons were low on funds and looking for quick ways to get it. Without cash, there was no drug deal with the 39thStreet Gang, and the Pistons needed that deal real bad to keep the club going. There was also talk that the Pistons were planning to put a glitch in the Rebels’ revenue sources—their businesses.
Steel had called church to discuss the new developments and to go over the action plan for the large party at Lust that night. All members had to be available in case some trouble started at the gentlemen’s club. Lou Blakely—the richest man in the county—was giving a huge bachelor party for one of his best buddies, who was getting married to wife number three. He rented out the club, and the net worth of all the guests would be in excess of a billion dollars. That was a hell of a lot of money to have together, and Steel and Paco wanted to make sure that no one—namely the damn Pistons—got any ideas. Security would be top notch, but they didn’t want to leave their club, dispensary, or other businesses unmanned, so all members had to be present at all Night Rebels’ interests.
“Are you sticking around for a beer, or going to Lust right away?” Eagle asked.
Leaning against the hallway wall, Army looked up from his phone. “I’ll be there in a few.” He walked farther down the hall so as not to be disturbed by the members shuffling out of the meeting room.
“Hello?” Mia said.
“Hey, how are you?” Army answered.
“Good, but busy as hell. How’re you?”
“Okay. I had to go back to Alina.” Army saw Chains approaching so he ducked into one of the storage rooms and locked the door behind him.
“Are you coming back?”
“Eventually. Sorry about tonight and the bike ride on Sunday. Another time.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled. “I’m super busy so I better go. See you around sometime.”
“Wait. What the hell? I’d much rather be riding my bike with you pressed close behind me, but shit happens.”
“It does.”
“My prez called me back for club business. Don’t give me a damn attitude.”
“It just seems pretty convenient, especially after I told you I wasn’t going to have sex with you last night. That’s all I’m saying.”
“You’re wrong. I told you I have club business. It has nothing to do with us fucking or not. I wouldn’t have called you if I didn’t give a shit.”
Army waited for Mia’s response as the whirring noise of a hair dryer filled in the silent gap between them.
“Does your club business involve a rival club?” Her voice was so low he could barely hear her.
“I can’t talk about it. Just know I’m not bullshitting you.”
Another pause, then he heard her exhale slowly. “Let me know when you get back in town.”
“I’m in a MC and shit comes up sometimes. You have to understand that, if you want us to keep going out.”
“I get it. I’m in the middle of a highlighting job, so I have to go.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Then she was gone and something deep inside of him pulled hard as he stared at the dark screen. He shoved the phone in the pocket of his jeans and went back into the hallway. Whatever he was feeling, he didn’t want to think about it.
“How was your time off?” Eagle asked, handing a shot of Jack to Army.
“Good. Do you think they’ll be problems at Lust tonight?” Army picked up the tumbler.
“Not sure. The fucking Pistons have been looking for a way to get back at us, and Lust brings in a ton of dough; with all those expensive cars in the lot, I wouldn’t put it past them to try something.”
“They’d be fuckin’ stupid to do shit in Alina,” Muerto said.