Mason was in the neighborhood, and we caught wind of what was goin’ on. Our tech guy assisted in their raid of an enemy’s camp and raised the hazard flag. So, we picked up Adken but lost out to IMC on another front.”
“Shit, man. That’s a lot of change in a short time.” He paused, going back over everything Truck had said. “Mason’s sister is paired off with an inner-circle IMC. That’s some treaty-level info. Does Blackie know?” A sideswipe of an ask for permission to share, and Truck didn’t hesitate to pick up on it.
“Not yet, but he will soon as you give him a call. We know you’re his go-to when it comes to shit about clubs, so I wanted to make sure you got it from the source, so to speak.” Truck flashed a grin, the corners of his mouth lifting his beard. “I’ve got more if you wanna listen. Say the word, brother. I’m auth’ed to give you a lot.”
“Gimme.” He returned the smile, lifting one hand and curling his fingers into a come-here motion. “Gimme, gimme. I’ll take it all, man. Take it and run with it, you give me the go signal.”
“Blackie’s aware of Mason’s interest in Texas. They’ve had many a conversation about the westerly toeholds we’ve got in the state. What Blackie won’t know yet is our strong interest in a club over in Freestone County, near Fairfield.” Truck paused, but Bane had an idea where this was going and wanted to finish it sooner, so he made a rolling motion with his hand, urging the man to get on with the story. “Iron Riggers. More a riding club than an MC, but we like the feel of them. Normally it would fall to the FRMC to wrap them into a support-club relationship, but we’ve got decent ties with a member.” Bane sucked in a breath, shocked to his core. “Means this is a courtesy call passin’ along the info that we’ll probably be making a move in the next couple of months.”
Bane remained silent, counting his breaths as he tried to re-center after internally reeling. Fairfield wasn’t far from Longview, not by road or as the crow flew, and having the RWMC gain a chapter in the area felt very much like an unsubtle threat. He needed a hot minute to tone down his initial response, which had been to deny access, something he absolutely did not have authority to do. This wasn’t something for a casual backyard chat between friends but a significant treaty dealt with at an official meeting at a wide table, allowing the presiding officers elbowroom to posture and advance or back away.
Rebels in Lamesa and El Paso weren’t a risk. They were far enough away from any FRMC control to be nonentities. Rebels in Little Rock were the same. Not in the close orbit of the club. Fairfield, though? Hell, half our charity rides travel through the goddamned town. Bane slipped his tongue across the inside of his teeth, then caught the end in a pinching hold, biting down hard enough to stop the words still threatening to boil out of him. Shouldn’t be me holdin’ this info. The final thought gave him the direction he needed to begin a response.
“I will pass along the information to the proper officers about what you claim as the RWMC intentions. Blackie and Horse and the others will guide the club, as they always do, in the direction of our best interests.” Chin up, he stared at Truck, not shying away as his gaze darkened in response to Bane’s rejection of the done-deal statements the man had been trying to sell. “I’m well aware of the Iron Riggers, and we have a good relationship with them. I’m sure Skyd will be fascinated to hear this as well.” Skyd was the IRMC president, and not known for keeping a lid on any kind of reaction. “I’m curious to see how things shake out—” He almost withheld the honorific, deciding at the last moment to give it to Truck. “Brother.”
“Our only ask is to contact Blackie first, brother.” It galled a little to hear how easily Truck gave him the word back, no hesitation or change in his tone to indicate anger or irritation at all. Bastard, he thought affectionately. “And then do with the info as he sees fit. No worries, man.”
“Is that it for club business?” Bane wanted to keep the conversation moving, needed to put distance between his