the fuck?” Ace said as he spotted the cab’s jolly occupant.
Santa reeled back and thrust his arms up higher.
“It’s okay, I’ve got this, guys,” I said before returning my attention back to Santa. “The keys? Do you still have them?”
Santa nodded. “Yeah, I think so, they should be in my pocket.”
“Okay, I want you to slowly take the keys out and start up the truck. We’ve got guys behind you, so don’t even think about doing anything stupid or I’ll put a bullet through the windshield. I don’t even care if it gets me on your naughty list.”
Santa did as I asked, and I guided him down the alley until the truck reached a point where he could easily get out.
“Okay, kill the engine and slowly exit the cab with your hands up,” I called out, and as soon as he was out, I had him pinned against the side of the truck with his hands behind his back.
“Hey, c’mon, man, I ain’t gonna hurt nobody,” he said in a slight southern drawl.
“Please forgive me if I don’t quite trust the guy that just boosted a truck full of toys,” I said.
“Toys?” he replied. “Aw, shit. Oh, no,” he said.
“Holy shit! You guys gotta see this!” I heard Knight yell from the rear of the truck.
“Come on,” I said to Santa and we all moved to the back of the truck, which Knight and Booker had opened.
“We were gonna check to see if anything was missing, and it looks like we picked up a new donation instead,” Knight said, smiling.
I looked inside and could see a 1994 Harley Road King, laying down, surrounded by brightly wrapped gifts and toys.
“My bike! Oh, shit, what have I done? I was just trying to help the kids at the shelter. What the hell have I done?” he asked, his large frame slumping to the ground with a thud.
I pulled his dirty fake beard down, revealing an only slightly less scruffy one, on a face that looked like it had seen better days.
I sighed. “Okay, man. We’ll get you back to the compound and figure it out.”
“He’s not fuckin’ comin’ back to the compound,” Ace growled.
“He’s wasted, Ace. We need to sober him up and get some fuckin’ answers. This guy’s clearly no threat to us. Besides, he rides. What are we gonna do, take him to the cops?”
Ace studied me, then shook his head. “He’d better fuckin’ have some answers.”
I nodded and I helped Santa to his feet while Ace maneuvered the truck from between the buildings. While Ace took care of the truck, I loaded our new stray into my truck and we headed back to the compound.
Hatch
Santa passed out in the truck on the way back, but he woke up pretty quickly when I pulled into the parking lot of the compound.
“We’re here. Don’t do anything stupid,” I instructed.
“Where’s here?” he asked.
He seemed a little more lucid and thanked me softly when I handed him a bottled water.
“You’re at our compound. No one here’s gonna hassle you if you co-operate, but you’ve gotta understand the situation we’re in. You stole our truck, and more importantly, you stole from a bunch of kids at Christmas.”
He looked up at me, “I know that, but I never—”
I interrupted, “We’ll talk about it inside with the Prez.”
He nodded.
“One more thing, there’s no way I’m introducing you to everyone as Santa, so why don’t you give me your name.”
“Scott Bohman,” he replied.
“Can’t say I’m pleased to meet you just yet, but my name’s Hatch. I’m the Sergeant at Arms for the Dogs of Fire. Like I said, shoot straight with us, and we’ll deal with you accordingly.” I lowered my gaze and my tone. “Try to fuck with us... and we’ll deal with you accordingly.”
“I’ve been around,” he replied.
“I have no trouble believing that whatsoever, Scott. Let’s go.” I led him inside, where everyone had already gathered in the great room.
Booker had clearly filled Crow in on everything, and he sat with a scowl on his face.
“Crow, this is Scott Bohman, from...” I looked at him.
“Florida, um, Gainesville, Florida,” he replied, extending a hand to Crow, who simply glared back.
“And what exactly brings you here to the Pacific Northwest? More specifically, what the fuck are you doing in my town, stealing my property?”
“I’ve got no excuse, sir, and I truly apologize. I don’t drink... well, I haven’t drank in a really long time... and I’m not really sure of all the details, but I think I