Page 2 of Ranger's Rise

I laugh. “Nope. Never saw anything like it here. He walked from Freedom, but I guess he’s rethinking that. He was drunk and I hit the switch from laser.”

He nods. “I heard. It’s still fucked up. The guys in there said Freedom scares the fuck out of them. Your Pres’s girl too.”

I nod. “She’s level four and Freedom is level five. It’s no different than us. I’m not worried.” She’s more like me than anyone I’ve ever met.

“Is your Pres gonna be okay?” He’s from Delta. He came to help with training procedures for the choppers. Hearing his ‘your Pres’ makes me smile. He was from my unit, but we were a mixed lot in between jobs so we know each other, but I can’t say we’re close. I was a Commander that asked a lot of questions and Shultz is a guy that liked to answer.

“Yeah, he’s fine. The Officers are trained medics so VP was holding him until the PA got the hole covered.” I don’t need to explain it all. He’s a medic too and knows.

He nods. “You staying here?”

I moved from Michigan and love the weather here. “Yeah. I’m up for Officer. It’s not the MC, but here it doesn’t matter. They run like a straight MC making it an easy fit for me.” Our council had two Chapters that were affiliates but they didn’t run like the MC Badass Charter.

He’s surprised. “That guy doesn’t worry you?”

“Nope. He’s been cool until tonight.”

He drinks, looking at the lake. “They serious about the choppers?”

I nod. “You wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. Mounty’s word is solid, Brother. VP called me in for names. He’s ordering the choppers with the Club’s investor. They’re getting four upfront. Mounty said Pres wants six for expansion, but VP talked him down to four. They have two at another Club they can use.”

He whistles. “Four choppers at once. That’s millions, Ranger. They gonna have anything on them?”

“They’ll be loaded. Blackhawks with all the guns. Mounty was a colonel for Green Beret. He ran SAD-SOG too. He knows his way around a chopper.”

He nods. “Those fuckers fly too.”

So do we. All Leads learn in SAD-SOG. “Yeah. You good with the room?”

He pulls his card out. “This gets me in here and the back of the office. My room is on the fourth floor. Where are you?”

“The first condos when you pull in. You staying here or heading back?” I’m ready to leave. Freedom is gone and I’ve got no interest in listening to the Brothers planning Hade’s funeral.

He stands up. “I’m here, the guys told me about the Club chicks. You just leave them a tip.”

I nod. He’s not from a Club so everything is new. He had a hard-on for the free drinks. Club chicks will make his year, for a while anyway. Seeing Club chicks gets old. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Brother. We’re meeting Pres or VP at breakfast.”

I walk thinking about Freedom. She’s not a Club chick and no one has said anything but beware of her. Brothers are worse than the women with gossip. I haven’t heard anything about her, but that she was with Hade for a while. She told me, but it isn’t now and Pres didn’t have a problem with me being with her. The warning told me she means something to the Club. I haven’t done anything more than talk to her, so I don’t know why she means something to me too, but she does. I don’t mind waiting to see what all this leads to. Everything about here feels like it’s leading to something.

I smile, opening my door. I’ve got time.