Page 117 of The First Cut

A couple of brothers are playing pool, with another couple waiting for them to be done with the table. Repo is laughing at something Ferris is saying a few tables over, while Elmo's getting a lap dance from May. There’s a group of brothers in the back of the room, running a train on a couple of girls, but I have no interest in watching. I can’t say I haven’t had my fair share ofsex over the years. You name it, I’ve done it. But much like with anything else, I got bored.

Leaning back, I kick my feet up onto the chair next to mine and cross my ankles. I think back to how things went with Hazzard. Telling him that Driller was responsible for Freya’s disappearance, and why, was a gamble. I knew it could cause bad blood between the clubs, and it would be justified. Driller was one of the few outsiders they trusted, not knowing he was the reason they had trust issues in the first place. Part of me wonders if it would've been smarter to take the information I gave them and use it to find her myself. That way, if it turned out to be a dead end, they‘d be none the wiser. But then I think about Millie and I know I’d want to know. And no matter if I was bringing home a broken girl in my arms or a body in a bag, I’d want revenge on every fucker who had a hand in her kidnapping. Only time will tell how relations end up between our club and theirs.

“There you go.” I snap out of my thoughts when Byte slides a mug of coffee toward me.

I move my feet back to the floor and take a sip of my drink as Byte takes the chair my feet were just on.

I scan the bar and see a club girl behind it, pouring a beer for Sev.

“If I find out Pan bailed to fuck a bunny I’ll?—”

“Fuck.” Byte jumps to his feet, his eyes on the door. I turn to see Mud and Meek carrying Pan.

“Someone grab the first aid kit from my office,” I yell as somebody shuts the music off. I follow Byte to them as they lay Pan down on the floor. His eyes are open and fixed and blood is pooling under his head.

“Shit.” I slide my fingers to his throat, searching for a beat. Finding nothing, I look up at Byte and shake my head. “He’s dead.”

Someone in the crowd cries out at my statement. I get to my feet and turn to Mud. “Where did you find him?”

“In the bushes near the fence line. Missed him the first time we passed him. Only spotted him the second time when the flashlight caught the buckle of his boot.” The anger in Mud’s voice has me trying to rein mine in. They need me level-headed right now. We can’t all go off half-cocked.

“Manny and the new kid?”

“No sign of either, Pres,” Meek answers.

“Manny drove his car in tonight. You notice if it was still there?” Snoopy asks. Meek shakes his head. “I’m on it.” Snoopy heads out as Elmo and Gunther make their way over.

I get to my feet. “Lock this place down. I want them found.”

“Any idea what happened to Pan?” Elmo asks.

I squat down and turn his head. “Blunt force trauma to the head. My guess is with a bat or a crowbar. Does he have any beef with anyone?”

“No, Pan gets on with everyone,” Meek answers.

“Well, someone had an issue with him. Pan’s dead and?—

“The newbie is dead too. Found him in the trunk of Manny’s car. No Manny, though.” Snoopy interrupts.

“Jesus.” Elmo runs his hands through his hair. “What the fuck is going on? None of this makes sense. I know Manny, he can be a dick, He and Driller were friends. I think he felt more betrayed than most when he fucked us all over, but murdering a couple of brothers in cold blood?”

“That’s just it, though,” Mud jumps in. “Manny didn’t see prospects as brothers. He was a fucking snob when it came to that shit. It didn’t matter to him that he was once a prospect too because he thought he was different.”

“Why? A prospect is a fucking prospect. We all get shit duties, and we’ll all prospect for the same length of time except in extreme cases.”

“Manny thinks he’s better because he’s a legacy. His father was a brother, and his grandfather was one of the founding members.”

I shrug. “And? It pisses me off that people don’t want to be tarred with their parent’s failures but then want all the recognition for their accolades. His grandfather and father worked hard for their places here. They earned them. But that doesn’t give Manny a free ride, and it sure as shit shouldn’t have guaranteed him entry. That’s not how the Ravens roll.”

“That’s not how Blade rolled. Khan and he had very different approaches to being president, apparently.” Byte sighs before turning to Mud and Meek.

“Take him to the boom room that used to be the med bay—” My words are cut off as Jessie runs toward me with my med kit in her hands and my cell phone in the other. I bite my tongue from snapping at her. If Pan had been alive, he’d have died in the time it took her to grab the kit.

She flushes as if she knows what I’m thinking. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find it. Here, I brought your phone too because it keeps ringing.”

I take the phone, ignoring the med kit in her outstretched hand—now it’s not needed. I open the phone to check out the missed calls and feel myself still when it rings again, Millie’s name flashing on the screen.

“What the fuck?” I answer without hesitation. “Millie?”