That worried me.
Most of us present were attired in bulletproof vests and a few of us who could find our way around the authorities were armed with the needed weapons, but these civilians were to all intents and purposes … naked. It was pure speculation on their part to think that nothing bad would go wrong since there were police everywhere and it never had in the past, but it took only a second for someone like RJ to lose his head.
One dumbass could get two dozen killed in an instant.
We were set up some distance away from the strip so we took our place and posted our eyes and ears on every movement around the event.
On our way here, we had sighted police cars on high alert, and amongst the crowds were undercover cops with their eyes peeled for trouble. The press was present but a safe distance away. You couldn’t blame them, who wanted to be the recipient of a crazy outburst from a bunch of outlaws. I took a seat on one of the chairs underneath our canopy and watched the glistening machines ready themselves on the tracks.
The race was set to begin anytime now.
This event was hosted by the Hells Angels since theirs was the club with more than half a century of existence. Their various chapters in the state all deemed it important to show up at the event to establish their presence and strength in the area.
Tyler hung out on his motorcycle with RJ in his line of vision, in case he lost it, misbehaved, or there was an attack on him. My eyes were on our rival club, Death’s Hand. They had been positioned strategically and quite a distance from us, but that wasn’t enough to stop whatever trouble anyone wanted to cause in the arena.
The races began while I watched as the riders set out from the strip and zoomed into the distance. I suppose it would have been entertaining if we weren’t in fear of our heads being blown off at any moment.
Forty-five minutes into the event and I spotted a few members from the Death’s Hand club heading over to our stand. Our members were scattered strategically to ensure we had at least two members of their club in our sights to attack if tensions got too high. There was no alarm as the president of the club, Warden, and their sergeant at arms, Vice, headed over.
Snake and Tyler went to meet them, but I remained in my seat and kept my eye on them.
They spoke for a while, before they turned and called out to me. I didn’t want to go, but neither did I want to be the dumbass that cost the others their lives, so I rose and headed over to the meeting. My sunglasses were over my eyes to shield my gaze from them all.
“They just explained,” Snake said to me in his calm voice. “The attack was an impulsive offense from three of their members. They’ve since been severely punished. You were directly affected in this. What retribution do you want?”
I transferred my gaze to the two men. “I’m fine,” I responded. “One of our members however is now paralyzed in the hospital. How are they going to pay for that?”
“We heard he wasn’t a member, but a hanger,” Vice said. “The matter then isn’t too severe.”
“He was a fucking member,” I growled.
Both men hardened their gazes on me.
“Take it easy,” Snake cautioned.
“And even if he is not a member, isn’t he a fucking human being? He was the sole provider for his grandmother.”
“What do you want then?” Warden asked. “Cover his grandmother’s bills?”
“And the kid’s financial needs. For the rest of his life,” I said harshly.
Tyler turned to me. “That’s fucking insane, Bone. Where’s your head at? Are even our financial needs assured?”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I stated. “Either that or we break the legs of all three of your members.”
“Your man’s insane,” Vice spoke up.
I took my sunglasses off to glare into his eyes just in case he thought I was joking.
“He’s speaking his mind,” Snake responded.
His voice sounded so still and cold, it even sent a shiver down my spine. Of the members of the club, Snake was the only one who caused a reaction in me.
“Then how about we speak ours too,” Warden shot back. “That bloody moron RJ. He was fucking disrespectful on our own turf. How are you planning to deal with him?”
Both Tyler and Snake shared looks with each other. The immediate and appropriate decision would have been to ban him from the club, strip him of membership, but he was the source for the huge deal we had in the works for the upcoming meth transaction. None of us could afford to lose him, or let anyone know why we couldn’t.