me aside to his gym. Lowell joins us while Conor doesn’t.
Once the door is shut, Bronco asks, “How would the Killing Joes handle a situation like this?”
“They’d go in guns blazing,” I say, and Bronco glances at an unreadable Lowell. “But that was Lonnie. He didn’t know how to do strategy. If he did, killing Wheels wouldn’t have happened.”
“Why did they come into the clubhouse?”
“My guess is they wanted to be seen. Shooting up the place was suicide. They didn’t know who was still at the clubhouse, which is why they kept close to the front doors. If things got messy, they had a better shot at escaping. They weren’t looking to kill anyone. Their goal was for you to worry.”
“Well, I am fucking worried,” Bronco mutters, running a hand through his dark hair. “Never before did those assholes come to Elko. They got Wheels near Cleveland. Now, they’re here.”
“Two of them are,” I point out. “There’s no club anymore. They’re just mercenaries now.”
“How is that better?”
“Mercenaries care about making money, not dying for a cause that isn’t theirs. Marks wants Elko. Gak and Roadrunner don’t. They might like the idea of revenge, but they want it to come easy.”
Bronco considers my words before asking, “Do you think they’ll try to get into the community?”
Earlier, I got paranoid about my family’s safety, but that was just me feeling attacked on all sides. When I think rationally about the situation, I find myself chuckling.
“The first time I came to the Woodlands, I got lost leaving your house. Sure, Gak and Roadrunner might jump the security fence. But how will they find their targets? They want you or me. That’s it. No way are they willing to die to kill Hoagie or some other guy they’ve never heard of. You probably can’t see it, but this community is confusing. I can’t imagine Roadrunner and Gak tracking down your exact address before managing to jump the right fence without being seen. Just so they can get killed on their way out.”
Bronco breathes a little easier. I ought to keep my mouth shut, but I keep talking anyway.
“That doesn’t mean they won’t take a shot at you if you’re at the clubhouse or riding around. If they thought they could kill you or me without paying any cost, they’d do it. But they’re here for the money. Once they get all they can out of Marks, they won’t stick around to die. If they were feeling that fucking brave, they would have come after me after I killed Lonnie.”
Bronco crosses his arms and frowns hard at the wall. Fatherhood was his one weakness. After nearly losing his oldest kid, Bronco’s been burdened with the idea that his family isn’t safe. These days, he’s even got his fragile-as-fuck baby upstairs.
And Bronco just brought Lana into his world. Probably made promises about how he had shit locked down in Elko. Then the Village went sideways, and he’s dealing with another resurfaced threat. Bronco is right to be on edge.
But I’m not the guy to help him decide his plan of attack. For years, I’ve watched Bronco brainstorm without once offering a suggestion. Why change today?
“Do I have to go to this party tomorrow?” I ask Lowell while Bronco thinks.
“Yes.”
“Bambi and Barbie already got into it at my house today.”
“That’s how shit works in the Woodlands, Anders,” Lowell says, seeming tired. “Topanga jumped through the same hoops when she hooked up with me. Lana recently went through that shit, too. Just like how a prospect has to eat shit to prove his worth, the old ladies expect new honeys to pass their tests.”
“I feel as if those tests are more stressful for Pixie and her family. Not because they’re mine, but they come from such a different world. Now, they have to learn all new shit while people push them to conform.”
Bronco shoots that testy side-glance he leans into whenever I act too friendly. I suspect trusting me on a deep level is a step he’s terrified to take.
While I understand his worries, I won’t back down for my people. Pixie sees value in me. She just wants to love her blond bear. Pixie and the Yabos deserve to feel safe in the Woodlands, just as much as Bronco’s woman did months ago.
“How soon is the Village thing happening tonight?” I ask, changing the subject.
Lowell answers, “We need Elko to shut down for the night. Our people around town will have their eyes open for the Killing