Page 2 of Finn

We parked up at The Old Moose lodge with a new mission on our minds. Given the short notice, I only had five of the crew with me. This was an emergency meeting, so as soon as I parked I hit up the whole crew.

Church meeting. Emergency. Now.

I jangled the keys to the clubhouse, which was hidden off the road. Didn't look like much when you saw it. Like a bear cave in the woods. Only us Guardians of Mayhem knew what it contained. I punched in the code and ushered the crew inside.

I heard the low rumbles of more bikes pulling up to join the meeting. My heart was still thumping in my chest.

I knew the cops would be on our ass for the downtown chase. You couldn't have missed it. Somebody would have called it in. I raked a hand through my hair in frustration.

"That shit was crazy. How the hell did they find out?" Hank, one of the younger patches, called out. He was a good rider and an asset to the team.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but I tell you what... heads are going to roll. Let's wait for Pops. I need his go-ahead."

James, with his dark features, arched a brow at me. "Dude, you know Pops isn't going to approve a hit right now."

I set my jaw. "Let's wait and see."

I led the crew through the dank darkness of the lodge to another keypad, punching in a second set of numbers. I flicked on the light to a fully functional, dimly lit basement with a bar, tables, a small stage, pool table, and a set of stairs. I walked with a quick stride to the back stairs. Right in the middle of the room was our dark oak table where we held the meetings. The logo of skull and machine guns was expertly carved into our souls and the wood.

Pops Lennox, a crafty and deceptive man, was already inside, his charcoal eyes staring back at us. "Sit. We don't have much time," he urged.

I angled my large, heavily muscled body into the seat closest to him.

"So it seems we got a problem," he said smoothly, his eyebrows pulling together in a frown. His face was weathered by time, and the wrinkles etched on his face had a story all their own. The creases near his mouth were held in a tight line.

"These pieces of shit hit the warehouse, Pops. I say we strike, get the team together. Hit them tonight," I raged.

Pops waved his wrinkled hand over the table. "No, that's not what we're gonna do. We're going to wait and strike when they least expect. It's too hot right now. The cops will be on your ass."

The folds of Pops's eyelids made his face look somber. He'd been in the game a long time. He'd been there for me when the founder, my father, died. Another reason for the anger torching my soul. I was angry about his death, but I kept a vow at his grave to uphold the family name.

Axle rubbed a hand over his bald head as he chimed in. "I told you, Finn, we need to cool it."

I gave him a warning glance, crunching my knuckles together. "I'm aware. I'm just pissed. What's the game plan, Pops?"

The door opened as Charlie, the vice president, and Hoagie walked in. "Boys, must be serious. We haven't called a church meeting in a minute now. Who's got beef?" Hoagie asked.

"Who do you think? The fucking Devils. I don't know who that new president is over there, but he's barking up the wrong tree," Pops said smoothly.

Hoagie tapped Pops on the back and sat down in the empty seat on his other side. "Those sons of bitches. They’re disorganized. They can't touch us. Let's hit 'em where it hurts." The crew at the table erupted in unanimous revelry.

I stroked my beard and adjusted the rings on my fingers. "Smart, Hoagie. You're right. They're no match for us."

Pops leaned back in his chair, cool, calm, and collected, with his hands outstretched. The overhead light focused on him. "So do we all agree to call off the dogs for a minute? Let's let them trip themselves up, okie dokie?"

We all nodded in unison. "Let's go. We need to get out of here and scatter," I warned. "Hawk, leave your gun in the club safe. We walk out unarmed, okay?"

I watched the corners of Hawk's mouth lift. "If I hadda squeezed off that shot earlier, I would've got him."

"Well, one of them is lying on the grass with the rattlesnakes. Take him a while to recover," I snickered. We dropped our weapons in the safe, and I made sure I was the last man out as we all bailed. I locked everything up and we stepped out into a collection of police cars. I heard the whoop of the siren as a light flashed into my face, making me squint. Covering up my uneasy feeling, I stalked arrogantly up to the young cop in front of me.

"Can I help you, Officer?"

He fingered the black baton on his hip, nervously looking around to the two other police officers with him, a woman and an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair. If I wanted to takeall three of them I could. Instead, I crossed my beefy arms, my feet wide as my brothers arranged themselves behind me.

"Yes, you can. What do you know about a high-speed motorcycle chase on the I-40 twenty minutes ago? You wouldn't know anything about that would you, Finn?"

I let out a hoarse laugh as I scanned the female police officer, giving her a nod and a wink. "How you doin' tonight?" I looked her up and down.