and he’d seen the cops there, so he’d texted me, demanding that we meet at Ricky’s instead. Gunner had assumed it was me who called Briggs. Put together with this Adamson telling Gunner that the Devil’s Outlaws couldn’t be trusted, this is what started the whole shitshow with the Bastards in the first place. So now, Dread, The Hades’ Minions president, was using that incident to cause mistrust between the Outlaws and Rafael, trying to get him to buy guns from the Minions instead of us. Opportunistic little fuck.
That’s the thing; I still don’t know who actually called Briggs. Yet another mystery to solve on top of this Adamson shit.
“Dex, you know that’s full of shit,” I growl. “None of us would have anything to do with the cops. Briggs somehow knew we had guns in our van on the way here, but he didn’t have a warrant. He’s got nothing on us.”
Again, Dragon nods. “He’s just flexing his muscles as usual.”
“So, Dread’s making the whole thing sound worse than usual to make Raf nervous,” Scar rumbles in his naturally graveled voice.
“That’s what I thought,” Dex says. He turns the gavel over in his hand. “Well, Rafael doesn’t believe any of you turned traitor. I managed to convince him not to take his business to the Minions, but…”
“But?” Scar prompts.
Dex sets his gavel down. “I talked Raf into setting up a meet two weeks from now. The Minions think he’s showing up to talk terms and set up a deal, but we’re going to show up in his place and take care of this shit. No one poaches on our turf, and we need to send a message.”
Murmurs and nods of agreement ripple around the table, and I add a nod of my own.
“I’ve already asked Dragon for your help,” Dex adds.
Again, more murmurs, this time of assent.
“So, the question is, how do we want to deal with this?” He looks around at all of us. “Do we clean house and wipe them out, or do we gently persuade them to back the fuck off and let them know our territory is not up for grabs?” He smirks, and the emphasis he’s put on the word gently has us all chuckling. We all know Dex’s idea of gentle persuasion involves a lot of busted skulls and broken bones. Not as bloody as cleaning house, but he wouldn’t be giving the Minions a love tap.
Goliath, Dex’s VP, shakes his head. “I say we wipe the fuckers out. No one messes with the fucking Outlaws.”
Dex glances at him, and then at those of us in the Casper’s chapter.
Everyone else looks at me and Scar. As the Sergeant At Arms for our chapters, it’s our responsibility to take care of any threats to the club. They’re looking for us to come up with the strategy to deal with this shitshow.
I crack my knuckles. I pause for a second, bracing for the reactions I’m going to get for my reply. “Well, shit. This isn’t my usual method, but we need to try the diplomatic approach. For once.”
The reaction is exactly what I expect. Everyone stares at me as if I’d just grown another head. Everyone except Scar, who mutters, “Agreed,” which earns him equally baffled looks.
Dex leans across the table toward me. “Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Spider?”
Dragon gives me an irritating lift of his brow. I can just imagine what’s going through his head. He thinks I’m going soft again.
Striker leans close to me, his voice low. “Has Emma got all the blood flowing to your dick or what, man?”
“Fuck off, Striker,” I mutter out of the side of my mouth. I look at Dex and crack a smile. Then, for everyone to hear, I add, “We have enough fucking shit going on with the Bastards. We’re already on the verge of war with them.” Thanks to me. “The last thing we need is to end up fighting a war on two fronts. And, while I’m not opposed to spilling those fuckers’ blood, we don’t need to be bringing more heat on us from the boys in blue with a massacre.”
Several grunts of understanding and nods meet my words, including one from Dex.
I can’t resist a look at Dragon. No way would I admit it to anyone, but an unpleasant tightness leaves my chest when he nods slowly. He might have thought I was turning pussy, but he gets that I’m just being smart about this now.