Outlaw - By Nicole James Page 0,38
to Crash.
A bottle of beer was placed in front of him.
“How’d it go?” he asked Crash, looking over at him.
“Fine. No problems. I even got a kiss goodbye.” Crash grinned.
Cole looked over at him, smiled, and shook his head. “No shit?”
“And a phone number.”
“Really? Guess there’s no accounting for taste,” Cole teased.
“How’d Mack take it when you told him what happened?” Crash asked.
“Didn’t have a chance to tell him,” Cole replied, not looking him in the eyes.
Crash raised his eyebrows, and shook his head. “Gotta tell him. Before he hears it from someone else.”
Cole looked over at the pool table at the rest of the crew. “Yeah.” He took a hit off his beer. “Not sure how that’s gonna go over.”
“Sooner the better.” Crash nodded toward the door.
Mack was walking in.
“Shit,” Cole muttered under his breath.
He walked straight up to Cole. “We need to talk. Now.” He turned, and walked off.
Cole watched him head into the Chapel, and slam the door. He looked over at Crash.
“I’m guessing he already heard,” Crash observed.
“Ya think?” Cole asked sarcastically. He picked up his beer, and followed Mack. He walked in the door, closed it, and sat down next to him.
Mack glared at Cole. “You want to tell me what happened? Why I’m hearing it from them,” he nodded toward the door, “and not you?”
Cole blew out a breath. “Time and place, brother. I didn’t think it needed to be brought up in front of her.”
“So tell me now,” Mack insisted.
“I found Chuck’s supplier for his sick, little habit.”
“This was supposed to be about a grudge between you and Chuck. Now I hear about this Chinese guy and a van full of witnesses.”
“They didn’t witness shit. I made sure of that.”
“Oh, so that makes it okay? Then you bring them to the Dead Souls clubhouse? What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I had to make the best decision I could. It was the lesser of two evils.”
“What the hell’s gotten into you? Since when do you care what Chuck does?” Mack leaned forward in his chair. “Not your business! I let you have him, because the two of you have never gotten along, I knew you didn’t want to share a patch with him, and he was causing Wyatt problems anyway. I did not give you permission to involve the club with a white slavery ring, and kill an outsider.”
Cole just glared at him.
“What’s with you? Is it the girl? Is she what’s got you all twisted around?”
“Leave her out of this,” Cole snapped.
Mack nodded. The girl. He knew it. He’d seen this before. “You’re not the first brother to be turned sideways by a damn broad.”
“I’m not turned sideways, Mack.”
“Yeah. You are. She needs to go.” Mack pointed a finger in his face.
“We done, here?” Cole snarled, grabbing his beer, and standing up.
“She goes, Cole. I mean it.”
Cole turned, and strode out, slamming the door. The guys turned to look. He ignored them, and headed outside into the cool night air. He stopped just outside the door, and lit a cigarette. The door opened, and he turned to see Crash following him out. Cole took a hit off his cigarette, and blew smoke into the air.
“You good?” Crash asked.
Cole took a hit off his beer. “Yeah.”
“That was some shit today, huh?”
Cole looked over at him, and nodded.
“Not really our problem.”
“You got something to say?”
“It’s just, I’m trying to figure you out, man. What was that all about? We ain’t the Justice League.”
“Are you telling me, when you first got a look in the back of that van, that that shit doesn’t bother you? Some of those girls were only sixteen.”
“I know. It’s just that I don’t understand why you got the club involved. I mean, hey, you’re my brother, and I’ll back your play every time, I’m just not sure where your head’s at.”
“My head is fine!” Cole snapped at him.
“Yeah. Okay. Cool off.”
They stood quietly for a few minutes.
Crash took a hit off his beer.
Cole smoked his cigarette.
“Angel seems like a sweet kid,” Crash commented.
Cole looked at him, and shook his head. “Where you goin’ with this, Crash?”
“Nowhere. I’m just sayin’. I see the attraction.”
Cole gave him a warning look.
Crash held his hands up. “Okay, brother. Okay.”
Cole looked away, and took a hit off his beer.
“She stickin’ around?” Crash asked.
“Not your business.”
“Brother, I’ve been ridin’ with you for what? How long’s it been? Ten, twelve years, now?”
“Something like that,” Cole replied.
“We’ve known each other since High School.”
“Your point?”
“My point is, I’ve never seen