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Just to hedge my bets in the hopes that they left him alive for me to come for later, I leaned closer to the man and whispered, “They know your brother is the mayor, so you may want to lean into that. I’m sure that information would go a long way toward your ability to breathe and walk upright in the future .

. . especially since our illustrious mayor seems like a shoe-in for higher office.

If you tell them that you’ve got an in and can help ease the way for their club, my guess is that they’ll go to your brother with an offer.

If you haven’t managed to make him hate you as much as all of us do, he might be able to get them to let you live. ”

“You’re going soft in your old age, man,” Donner complained.

“I’ve got my reasons.”

“It was very kindhearted of you to remind him that he should use his brother’s political aspirations to his advantage,” Chewie said thoughtfully.

“I know, right?”

I heard motorcycles outside and glanced at the bay door before I looked back to the man in the chair.

“I can’t say I wish you well when I really hope that karma fucks you in the ass with a cactus, so I guess this is goodbye.”

The man started squealing again, and I sighed before I stood up, ready to get this piece of trash out of the way so we could clean up this place before any more of Dali’s family appeared. Hopefully, her aunts followed instructions better than Dali and Jodie, but I didn’t have much faith.

I knew that the other guys were hidden away around the car wash to protect our backs in case this went sideways, but I was still nervous about the meeting.

Just because we were ex-cons didn’t mean we were fearless.

If anything, we were probably more cautious than most because we had encountered monsters out in the world and been locked up with plenty of them during our incarceration.

The men we were meeting with this evening didn’t just tiptoe around the boundaries of the law, they were proud to flaunt that they stayed on the other side of it.

They weren’t afraid to commit all sorts of crimes, including an ambush.

Our men knew that and were wary of theirs, but dealing with men like this came with the territory.

Time Served MC may have been based in Tenillo, but there were Nomads like me all over the country, which meant that we didn’t have protection in numbers if the men of this club decided they wanted to start some shit.

The MC who wanted Diablo the Douche had chapters all over the world and numbers larger than our club could ever imagine.

Keeping things peaceful with them was important to our survival, both as a club and as living, breathing men.

“Ajax!” the president of the local chapter said happily as he walked in behind two of his men. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

I could tell that Ajax was shocked, but he masked it well and greeted the man like an old friend.

I quickly realized that Ajax had served time with this guy, and from their respectful greeting, it seemed as if they may have even been friends.

That was great, considering how many men had accompanied him today.

“It makes me feel better to know that we’re handing this fucking douchebag over to someone who knows how to take care of business,” Ajax said with a forced smile.

“I’m going to talk to him and then see about having a conversation with his brother.”

“The mayor. He’s got family in low places. No wonder he’s such a schmuck.”

“Exactly. Unfortunately, you can’t choose who shares your blood, and the grandparents tend to get sad when you try to kill off the weak ones.”

That was probably the most demented thing I’d heard in a while. Considering who my friends were, that was saying something.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take the others with you? You can even have the van they’re in if you want.”

“When did you become so generous?”

“I’ve had a long fucking day, and the sooner we get rid of those fools, the sooner I can go home.”

“Thanks for taking care of the problem. I hope the ones you came here to protect are all okay.”

“They will be,” Ajax assured them.

“I guess we’ll take them and the van,” he decided. He motioned toward the man still tied to the chair before he asked, “Do you mind if we take this chair too?”

“Go for it,” Ajax replied with a shrug. A few of the men picked up the chair, tossed it into the back of the van on top of the other guys, and then slammed the door on their screams of pain. “Keys are in the ignition. Toss the plates when you’re finished.”

“Of course,” the man assured Ajax before they said their goodbyes and shook hands. Once the bay door was open, one of the men, a younger one who I assumed was a prospect, drove out of the building, followed by Ajax’s old buddy and his men.

Without another word, they were on their bikes and pulling out of the parking lot in pairs, some ahead of the van and others behind it.

“That went so much better than I expected,” Ajax admitted before he blew out a relieved breath. “Fuck! I’m too old for this much stress.”

“I guess I’ll keep an eye on things to see if the douchebag lives and then give it a little time and visit him myself.”

“Unfortunately, even if you bump him down the list, there are plenty more to take his place.”

“Ain’t that the truth?”

“Let’s get this cleaned up and head over to your place for some cold beer. I’m parched, exhausted, and I need to call my old lady and apologize for being a fucking slob.”

“It’s good that you’ve seen the light,” Chewie said as he came out of the shadows with Shorty close behind him. “An apology goes a long way, but my guess is picking your shit up without having to be asked would go even further.”

“He’s got a good point. Actions speak louder than words.”

Ajax rolled his eyes before he looked at me and said, “You’ve had a girlfriend for all of four hours, and that bastard has been single forever. Excuse me if I don’t take your advice to heart.”

Shorty chuckled before he said, “You’re just pissed that they’re right.”