The Rising Sons Motorcycle Club (10 page)

“Fuckin’ hilarious,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “But seriously, the drink.”

It was infectious. The bikers that had heard the two of them shooting insults back and forth. The tension Raven had felt disappeared, and she let loose a little bit. She made Gunner his drink, making sure it was much heavier on the Jack than usual. She winked and handed it to him.
 
He had earned it.

It was one of the best nights of her life. She had worked hard, and after six months of being beaten down, a faint light began to shine. Raven was one step closer to becoming a true part of the Rising Sons Motorcycle Club.

Bear sat at a table with the old-timers. They reminisced about their time in jail, drinking to the fact that they would never go back again. As Cecil and Clyde told stories of their time behind bars, Bear watched Raven from across the bar.

She had proved him wrong. She had proved everybody wrong. She was tough, and he liked that. He knew things were going to get rough, and people like Raven would be worth more than their weight in gold.

With the loyalty test out of the way, Raven felt relieved. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It wasn't just because she had completed one of the tests, but because she considered the first test to be the hardest. The second challenge to becoming a Rising Son was the test of courage. Unlike loyalty, the test of courage wasn't something that the prospect did to prove themselves. Courage was something that a full-fledged member of the club witnessed the prospect doing.

She knew it wouldn't be something as simple as saving a little old lady from getting run over. Her mind jumped more to something like taking a bullet for a fellow biker. She also understood that it wasn't something she could manufacture. It would come in its own time, and worrying about it wouldn't make it happen any faster.

Though her anxiety gnawed at her, Raven had less than two weeks to wait before her final tests.

After another Saturday night of serving beer and whiskey, Raven was back doing her favorite chore: wiping down the bar at the end of the night. At least she had good company. Her brother was the one closing the bar down that weekend. She relished the opportunity to spend some quality time with him when he didn’t have his biker persona on full blast.

As she wiped down the bar, Raven smiled and listened as Tanner told her about a woman he’d met. The night before, some of the guys had taken him out for his birthday. Raven knew they were going to a strip club and had gracefully declined their invitation. Some other time, she might've enjoyed herself and the company of the club, but she didn't find the idea of watching her brother get lap dances very appealing.

"Look. Don't judge me, but for a stripper, she was real nice." Tanner had a grin on his face as he realized how ridiculous his sentence was. A fair share of Captain and Cokes had put him in a jovial mood.

Raven had only seen Tanner that happy after a long ride or a hard fight. She couldn't remember the last time he'd been head over heels for a woman. "Right. The way she could put her legs behind her head was real nice, I'm sure."

Tanner waved a finger at his sister. "No, no, no. She wasn't that kind of stripper." He squinted and tilted his face to one side. "Okay, so maybe she was. It was my birthday, though. It was like going to Applebee's and getting your meal for free."

"Oh my God. I no longer want to be a part of this conversation. I don't want to think about you and a stripper. And now you've ruined Applebee's for me, too." Raven threw the wet bar rag at her brother, whose reflexes, despite being drunk, allowed him to snatch the rag out of the air with ease.

Tanner tossed the rag back to her. Raven caught the corner, but the backend came around and got her in the cheek. She mimed like she was about to throw up, and her brother pounded the bar as the two siblings cracked up.

"Seriously, though," she said as her brother came down from his laughter. "I've never heard you talk about a girl this way."

"I've never felt this way about a girl. I mean, this one might be a keeper."

Another sentence she'd never heard her brother say. Raven could barely believe it. Her big brother, Tanner, settling down? The guy who would do anything for a thrill. This was the guy she’d thought would die on the back of a motorcycle without an ol’ lady to cry for him.

Raven shook her head.
Looks like I'm not the only one changing their mind about the opposite sex…

A few days later, Raven was excited to meet Tanner's girl. She would have to say her name without giggling, but she'd manage: Charity. Raven decided it was a great stripper name. It was one that made you laugh at first, but the more you thought about it, the more layers it had.

She couldn't hear her phone over the music, but she felt the vibration and pulled it out. Her brother was calling, so she headed back into the kitchen where she would be able to hear him.

"Hey, what's up?"

Tanner’s voice was twisted metal, sharp and ugly. "I'm worried, sis. She hasn't called me. She hasn't called her friends at the club. I think something happened."

"Her ex?" Raven's heart jumped into gear, ready for action.
 
She had a stalker ex-boyfriend, and to make matters worse, it was another Bakersfield PD.

"I don't know. But if I had to put money on it, I'd say yes. I called the club and talked to somebody named Princess, I think. Says she's besties with Charity. She's got to call a few places then get back to me."

"What you need for me? Name it." Raven prepared to leave the bar and head wherever Tanner needed her.

Tanner waited a moment, then said, "I know her ex's name. I need his address, and I know you can get it."

Raven's heart sank. She could fight better than most of the men in the club, she could shoot, and she was smart. But in this case, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the man she happened to be fucking. She felt useless.

"Sis, I know he's got her. I just do. The guy’s nuts. Get his address from your friend, and then get the hell over here. You're coming with me."

She took a deep breath. "I'm on my way." Raven dreaded the call that would get her deeper in debt with Allan, but given the circumstances, she saw no other choice. So far, she’d been able to dodge Allan and his demands, but that was about to end.

The previous day’s rain had washed the road clean. Most of the desert life sucked up the moisture, but the riverbed behind the Bandoleros had a small creek running down it. Raven could still smell the rain in the air as she peeled out of the parking lot.

Tanner was desperate, and Raven knew she could help. At first she thought her brother only wanted her because of her contact. It had made her feel useless, but then he called her to his side. They were partners.

Even before making the call, she knew that asking Allan for the cop’s address would up the ante. She owed him more than she could even fathom. She would think about it later, though. At the moment, the only thing Raven was thinking about was saving her brother's girlfriend.

She made the usual twelve-minute trip in less than seven. Tanner's Harley was in the driveway facing the street, ready to go. She pulled in, turned it around next to his, and went inside.

Tanner was standing in the kitchen, his hands at the sink, his head hung low. His shoulders were hunched as if defeat was crushing his body. When the screen door slammed, he turned his head in a slow, deliberate movement.

"Got the address. Let's do this.” Raven dug her phone out and held it up.

Tanner's head moved from side to side, his eyes sunken in and bloodshot. "No. We’re not doing anything."

Raven was impatient. She was ready to ride and fight for Charity. "What the hell do you mean? Let's
go.
”

Tanner turned to his sister, and the light reflected off the tearstains on his cheeks. "We can't go. We can't save her. The club said no. If the club says no, we do nothing.”

"What the hell are you talking about? This isn't about the club. This is about you and Charity. Who gives a fuck what they think?" Raven's blood was boiling. Her hands shook. "She's your girl, Tanner. Let's go fucking save her."

"You don't know how things work. Without approval, we've got no safety net. You think I'm letting this guy go? You think this is a warning? No. It was going to end tonight, but if the club won't stand behind us, there's nothing I can do."