Taking out the trash
“We've got a traitor,” Alpha Jax spoke in his gravel rough voice, standing tall, shoulders squared, feet apart, his piercing blue eyes blazing with fury.
The guy had the look of a Norse God: long, wavy blond hair that hung loosely around his shoulders, a blond beard, long enough to plait. He stood a whopping seven feet tall, packed with muscle, an archetype of all things lethal.
“Stuff's been going missing and not just the guns. Those roughnecks from 'The Shadow Wolves Motorcycle Club' are onto our every move,” he growled, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Ordinarily, Bear Creek was known as a 'Bear Clan'. There wasn't one Alpha who ruled the rest. The community was run by a council of elders. They generally made all the rules. We called ourselves, 'The Blood moon Bears'. We were classed as a menace to our society but the elders turned a blind eye. Sure, we were bad news, criminals, riffraff. But we were the right type of wrong to keep other scumbags out of Bear Creek. We served a purpose here, handling all the dirty job's that no one else had the stomach for.
In our biker gang, Jaxton was our Alpha. We answered to him, not the council. We stayed out of their shit and they stayed out of ours. Jaxton paused, scented the air, then stalked across the room, tipped over a table like it was nothing but a paperweight. I could tell from his temper, he was pissed…the…fuck…off.
“The fuck?” He yelled, gripping one of the club whores by her ponytail and yanking her up to her feet.
She'd been hiding beneath the table, sucking cock. Should've hauled her ass out earlier, but she hid there eavesdropping. Two loud gunshots in the air had her wailing as she fled.
Women weren't supposed to be here when a meeting was going on. He glared at her as she darted from the room, then continued blasting off about the Shadow Wolves.
Those boys were a pack of wolf shifters who had always caused us problems. We were forever fighting over territory, weapons, and women.
The bear gang and wolf gang have never seen eye-to-eye. I didn't see that changing anytime soon. They take women from the surrounding towns and keep them to mate with, whereas, we asked a woman, they got a choice. Us bear's don't put our dicks where they're not wanted.
Sure, I've had my fair share of women. I'd sampled the goods of many a local woman from one of the few dive bars in the area. I also had an unhealthy relationship with a couple of the pack whores and pass arounds. They were always good for a quick fuck, just so long as you paid up afterward.
“They're being tipped off by one of our own.” His eyes stared down everyone in the clubhouse. “If any of you know anything about that, then you better speak up now.” He walked around the room, looking into the eyes of the guys, one by one, his expression ashen. He could smell bullshit a mile away. Nobody moved, just as baffled as he was.
I looked amongst my brothers, searching their expressions for the slightest hint of a clue. Being the first lieutenant, meant I was Jax's right-hand man. If pack justice needed dishing out, then that was my job. I got to do all the dirty work-- not that I was complaining.
“Where's Claw?” Alpha Jax asked, again.
When no one answered, he looked to me with a knowing look in his eyes. He gripped the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Fuckin' son of a bitch,” under his breath.
My eyes scanned the room. He was right. Claw was AWOL. Every member of the Blood moon Bears Motorcycle Club was supposed to be here. When the Alpha called a meeting, your ass should be here. Nothing else matters. This comes first.
I chose my words wisely because I wasn't the one who barked out orders to the brothers. I may have been second in command, but I didn't call the shots. “What do you want to do about this?” I asked, knowing damn well what the answer was going to be but I still had to ask.
He had to be the one to give the go-ahead, no one else. That was how shit worked around here.
He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his out-grown stubble. It's not easy serving pack justice on one of our own brothers. When you lose one of your own, you lose a piece of yourself. We're a family, blood-brothers, kin.
“Beast, I want you to take two of the guy's with you.” He looked over at the guy's as if choosing the best ones for the job. “Blade, Ace, you boys are up. Find Claw. I want damage control. If he is the traitor, then you boys know the score. Settle it. I want no loose ends, you here?” They gave a nod to show they understood, then headed out front.
I hung back. Jax was holding his arm out as if to say 'he ain't done with me, yet'.
He frowned as he spoke, “No loose ends.” He patted me on the shoulder as he walked past.
I processed what he said for a second. I wasn't questioning my Alpha. Not at all. He and I were best friends long before he took over the top job from his papa. He respected me as I respected him but sometimes he ain't always right.
“Jax, what if I find any captives?” What I meant was 'what if there were any girls being held against their will?'
Those were not the kind of loose ends I felt right tying up. Just didn't sit right with me. I was one big, mean, scary-looking bastard but where women and children were concerned, I drew the line.
He thought it over for a second, then nodded and gave out something like a 'hmm' sound. “Then bring them in. We have to be certain that none of those assholes have played show and tell, shifting in front of them.”
“Agreed,” I answered.
It seemed like the best response I was going to get. I marched straight out front towards my baby, my pride and joy. I took my key's out of my pocket, then swung my leg over my Harley Davidson. She started up with a roar, which was sweet music to my ears. There wasn't anything I loved more than the thrumming sound of her engine and the feel of the open road.
Ace and Blade were already riding out through the front gates. The thundering sound of bike engines filled the air, roaring like tigers as they raced along the road. Our clubhouse was in the shittiest part of our neighborhood. All residents knew to run and hide as soon as they heard the thrum of our engines.
A couple of prospects were standing guard over the entrance. They gave a curt nod towards me as I rode past, showing me that they recognized their superior.
Just as well. I was only planning on dealing out one death sentence tonight and that was Claw's.