Page 46 of Rest In Pieces
“You think he’ll want to come here instead?”
“I want to give him a reason to.”
And it all becomes clear. “You want him to take your place.”
“You would’ve been my first choice, but I know it’s not a position you ever wanted.”
I want to deny it, but the truth is, it’s not me. I think about his choice. “You think he’d be up for it?”
“Yeah. He’s got one hell of an incentive, but it’s more than that. Havoc is a Raven Soul through and through. It’s in his blood. I always thought he was born to lead. He should’ve been a shoo-in for VP, but once he was locked up, that wasn’t an option. And how convenient that his brother was there to slip into his role.”
“And his old lady,” I grumble, pissed off on the man’s behalf. “I respect the guy. He’s a little intense, but that’s not a bad thing. He’ll need it if he wants to be the mother chapter president. He’s gonna piss a few people off, though, both here and in the other chapters. There’ll be some who’ll think they’d be a better choice.”
“And if I thought they were, I’d choose them. But I don’t. That’s why I’m running this by you first. As his VP, I know you’ll have his back like you’ve always had mine. I get you’re pissed at me for stepping down, but he’s gonna need your loyalty more than anyone else’s.”
“That’s a given. You know me, Blade. You don’t need to say shit like that. I was born a Raven, and I’ll die a Raven. If you’d’ve pushed for me to become president, I’d’ve done it for the sake of the club.”
“I know, and you’d have hated it. You’re too good at what you do to pull you from the security side of things. I think you and Havoc could make a hell of a team. This club needs younger leaders. I like to think I’m leaving behind a legacy, but it’s time to think of the future and what this club will look like in ten years.”
“If he’s interested, I’ll stand behind him. I don’t know how the other brothers will vote, but from what I remember, most of the guys respect him. I don’t think there’ll be any major opposition, even if there’s some grumbling about it.”
“Here’s hoping.” He shuts up when the door opens, and the others come in, laughing and joking.
“Took you assholes long enough. What, you stop for a fucking blow job on the way?” I joke, shifting the attention from us to them.
“Well, I needed something to tide me over,” Probe replies, and Blade just shakes his head and laughs.
As the current road captain, Circus takes the lead, and we follow him out. We wait for Dice to open the gates, then pull out and head to the Hambleton Ranch, where the movie’s being filmed today.
The Hambleton Ranch has been passed down through the generations to the current owners, Chris and Stacey. They’re in their late fifties now, with two kids in college, and they’re on friendly terms with the club, like most folks around here. Givenhow much the studio offered to use their land, I can’t say I blame them for letting them.
It takes fifteen minutes to get there, and when we do, we park our bikes near the main house, away from the other cars and trucks parked here today.
Blade whistles. “That’s a hell of a lot of fucking vehicles. Just how many people are working on this movie?”
“A lot,” I tell him as I look around.
“I don’t even know what the movie’s about or who’s in it,” Crane says, getting off his bike.
“It’s a modern take on a classic Western, whatever the fuck that means. And I can’t remember the names of who’s in it. None of the names sounded familiar to me.”
The door to the house opens, and Stacey steps out with a dish towel thrown over her shoulder. “Hello, boys, what brings you to our neck of the woods?”
“Got an invite from the director. Said we could come by and check things out. They’re gonna be filming at Ravens’ Nest soon, so it gives us a chance to get a feel for them.”
“Oh, well, come on in then. I just made a pot of coffee if anyone wants some.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Blade says, smiling as she heads back inside.
“Me too,” Probe calls out. The rest of us keep quiet.
“You can go on through and out the back. They’re in the far pasture. You can’t miss them.”
“Go on ahead. We’ll meet you out there.” Blade leans against the kitchen counter as Stacey grabs a couple mugs.
“Alright,” I tell him, and the rest of us head out the back doors and across the porch.
I see them in the distance, so we head that way.