Twist of Fate (Kings of Chaos 6)

“Do you want me to leave?” He looks down at the ground.

“The only thing I know for sure is that I’m done fighting.” Suddenly weary, I sigh as the anger leaves me.

“This isn’t over.” He peers up.

“It is for now,” I say, meeting his gaze.

“Look, if one fight can shake us we’ve got a problem.”

“I agree. So let’s shelve this for now.”

He gives a curt nod. The strain between us is a living thing in the too quiet room.

“I believe you were going to introduce me to the world of Harry Potter.”

I snatch up his peace offering. “I was. Sit. I’ll make butter beer and start up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

“Butter what?”

“Oh, Shayne. You haven’t been truly living.” I let my worries roll to the back of my head as I prepare the impromptu movie premiere. I love the world of wizards, magic, and the-boy-who-lived. It’s the ultimate story of good winning over evil in the end, despite the loss, and pain along the way. You can’t help but come away feeling hopeful. I need that right now.

***

Shayne

I slip on my cut, and it’s a mental transformation. I’m going from Clark Kent to Superman, and I welcome the escape from everyday life. Things in the truck have been awkward and stressful. Every day we’re waiting for the walls to come tumbling down. If Ellis has shared the fact that we’re together, he and Casper deserve an Academy Award for acting. He hasn’t approached Xia, but I feel his eyes on me. It gets under my skin, tiptoeing around issues.

This politically correct, polite way of fighting never makes anything easier. It pushes off the resolution and makes life miserable. Seeing the light dimming in her eyes is a slow brand of torture. Especially when I see I’m part of the cause. We haven’t delved into a talk about my past. I’m not sure what I will tell her. Stone wants to keep this quiet, and unless I’m ready to bring her into the fold, she’s not on a need-to-know list. I don’t know if I can be happy in our world right now. Bringing her in would be selfish and ignorant when I’m uncertain of how she’d respond.

I straighten the leather vest, which is worn by wear and the sun, but polished. Each patch remains meticulously sewed on, and free of frayed edges. The pride is still there. I’m a member of an elite group of men working together to bring a vision to life. No matter what happens from this point, nothing can take that way. This is the first time I’ve worn my colors since I’ve been here.

I’m headed over to the L.A. chapter to hook up with their crew and gauge the situation. It’s always shitty when there’s an unexpected shift in power, and we’ve had issues with brothers from this chapter before. I was out of the loop when I was riding for the Nomads. I thought they’d gotten things under control.

I shake my head. There’s always something brewing with the club. There’s a lot of men with inflated egos, rebellious attitudes, and larger than life personalities. Things are never going to go smooth one-hundred percent of the time. Things get dicey when a group get together and think they know better than their President. Stone is careful about who he lets remain in power. He flushed out the original chapter, maybe it’s time the cleansing continues.

The worn steel toes are a welcome friend as I walk to my bike and start her up. The feel of the wind on my face, the sun on my back, and the peace the road brings is a constant I’m counting on to help me clear my head. I pull into the lot and observe the building. It’s quiet. Exactly what I’d expect for a week day. There are no people spilling out of the building, and the music must be at an acceptable decimal level because I can’t hear it from out here.

Inside there are small groups of brothers gathered around pool tables, the dart board, and the bar. I raise my hand in greeting as I search out the higher-ups. I spot the V.P., Knuckles, but he’s beside the President, Big.

“Hey, look at the working boy,” Big calls. The man looks like a retired linebacker with his salt and pepper close cropped hair. He’s pushing six foot three easily with hands the size of hams, and a face that boasts scars and wear and tear from time in the sun and stress.

Shaking my head, I walk over to clasp his hand and pull into a half hug. “What’s going on, Big?”

“Nothing. What did you do to get on Stone’s shit list? This is a prospect’s gig if I ever saw one.” He pats my back. Despite his easygoing nature, I can sense he’s fishing. He’s hyper aware of the fact that he’s been on Stone’s watch list.

I shrug. “He trusts me to get the job done. I can’t be mad at that.”

“You think I’m buying what you’re selling? I know you’re missing the easy life and prospects to do all the crap you don’t want to.”

I laugh. “I’ll appreciate them more when I get back. It’s a decent change of pace though. I was on the road a long time before I got back to San Mateo.”

“You getting soft? I know your dad is gone, but he built you boys up strong. Echo’s already forgotten himself. I hope you won’t be doing the same. Stone is trying to change a lot of things, but we are who we are.”

The only thing keeping me from splitting his skull in two or taking him to the ring is the knowledge that his time is nearly at the end. Soon he’ll be out on his ass, and if he’s not careful, his life force will be expired. He’s going to take the shift of power personally, and I think that’s going to lead to ugliness. There’s no way he’ll back down and take orders from his V.P. Knuckles if Stone lets him stay. I force my hands to stay un-balled. The mere thought of anyone disrespecting Xia makes me murderous.

I shrug. “Brother, I’ve been on far worse assignments. We do what we need to do in order to survive. It’s a small price to pay to keep the gears turning.”

“Don’t tell me you’re buying into that modernization bullshit.” He shakes his head. “Things have worked for us just fine for the past forty years. Now someone’s saying we need to change everything? People are drinking the Kool-Aid without questioning.” He sneers. “We’re outlaws. That means we live under our own code. That comes with a different set of rules. You start tampering with the foundation, and everything will begin to crumble.” He’s not even trying to hide his contempt or disregard for rules.