“Not Bounty and not protection. More eyes, Snapper. That’s it. More eyes. More ears. We aren’t asking, but we’re listening. And you won’t see us. He won’t see us. We won’t be in our cuts or on our bikes. We got jobs, women, kids, we can’t be everywhere all the time. But we’ll be where we can and when we are, no one can tail your ass without you knowing if he’s got a tail on his ass.”
“We do not want this shit, Throttle, and I’ll put it out there, I particularly do not want this.”
“I get that.”
“Then back off.”
“No.”
Snap stood immobile and stared at the fuck.
Then he tried something else.
“This guy is dangerous and desperate and you and your brothers don’t know dick about doin’ what you’re doin’. He makes you, who’s gonna protect you?”
“That’s our lot.”
Snapper blew out a breath.
“We bought that, that’s our lot,” he reiterated. “We’re not askin’ for forgiveness—”
“That’s good,” Snap bit out.
“We’re just doin’ the right thing.”
“It isn’t right if it isn’t wanted.”
“I’ll point out, man, you’re ridin’ home alone to Rosalie.”
“I’m armed and alert and know Chew’s probably back in town.”
Throttle shook his head. “Man, we fucked up Rosalie—”
“Don’t have to remind me.”
Throttle kept going like Snapper didn’t talk.
“We had a fuckin’ pedophile with a patch.”
“Can’t say that surprised Chaos.”
“Snapper, you can turn on the dick and I’ll take it,” he growled. “I earned it. But you aren’t callin’ us off.” He threw out an arm indicating their current chat. “Courtesy. After this, you won’t see me. Core. Grill. Eight. Muzzle. The rest. But we’ll be there. It’s done. You can get pissed. Get in my face. You can lay me out right here, I won’t land a punch. Then I’ll get up, clean up, and we’ll still do that shit.”
“For Chaos?” Snapper asked incredulously.
“No, man,” Throttle said low. “For Rosalie.”
Goddamned shit.
“She heard what you did, she dropped the charges, Throttle. Move on.”
“That can’t happen ever, Snapper, not fuckin’ ever,” he bit out. “You can’t know how that is and that’s good for Rose. But this is what I bought. What we bought. Our lot. And we’re doin’ it, you like it or not.”
“Hear Web stepped down,” Snapper remarked.
“Club needed new blood.”
Word on the street, Snap knew that new blood was Throttle.
Snap jerked his chin toward Throttle. “And you lead your club on a death mission?”
“Amends.”
Christ.
“They know you CIed their asses?”
His threat was not vague.
“Suffice it to say, a brother just kicked out of the club turns out to be a murdering pedophile, Resurrection wasn’t too upset about one of their own workin’ with the cops to try to take down a slimy, drug-dealing, porn-producing pimp and ending up getting a predator off the streets. They got my honesty and they meted atonement.”
They’d beat him down as atonement. That black eye. Cut lip. He’d taken his brothers’ fists to make amends.
And now it was done.
“And they made you their president,” Snap finished for him. “Fuck, you guys are nuts.”
Throttle shrugged.
Snapper tried something else.
“I hear you got a woman.”
Throttle went more alert.
Snapper continued, “Chew makes you, takes you out, what about her?”
“She’s beautiful. She’s sweet. She’s smart. And she’ll be able to move on, knowin’ her man died doin’ the right thing.”
“Fuck, you’re crazy,” Snapper whispered.
“I was, now I’m very sane. I know what I’m doin’. I know what I’m about. I know what my club’s about. I know the kind of club it’s gonna be. And I know the man I wanna be. And I’m gonna be that man, Snapper. That’s just the way it’s gonna be.”
“You won’t get any gratitude and you won’t get any allegiances.”
Throttle nodded his head in acceptance.
“We aren’t askin’ for that. But while you’re not offering it, just a heads up. Before he left town, Chew got a quote on a coupla jobs. Digger’s feelin’ the lost love. Web threw him a bone with a visit in the clink, he got chatty. So we’re not only covering your asses, we’re lookin’ for this guy. More for you, this lunatic goes by the street name Sparkle. I do not get that shit, but Digger spouted that Chew crowed this motherfucker likes the sparks that fly when he’s sharpening his knife. Find him, that threat is no longer shadowing you ’cause Chew’s a dickless user and he knows he gets anywhere near a Chaos brother, you’ll tear him apart.”