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Tommy and Dom were perfect; they’d helped him do not enough to Danvers already. But Showdown could be a problem. He was one of the most vocal resisters to any kind of outlaw activity the Horde might consider.
But Show was hunched over the bar, his back to the room. Tommy was the first one to catch his eye, and he grinned. “Hey, little bro!” he yelled over the jukebox. Then he got a good look at Zaxx, and his grin fell away. “Y’okay?”
Zaxx positioned himself between Tommy and Double A. They leaned in. “I’m not. I need help.”
“What’s up?” Double A asked.
Now having to say it to someone who didn’t already know, Zaxx had to drag the words from his chest. The jukebox went quiet right then, so he leaned in and spoke under the ambient noise of the crowd.
“Danvers. He went for my sister again. And this time ...” he could not say it.
“This time what?” Dom asked.
“Danvers—that’s the cop, right?” Double A asked. “The one who messed with Zelda?”
“What’s this?” Show had turned and leaned in. Fuck.
Zaxx had to ignore the old man, or he’d get derailed and never get the rest of this out. “This time, he brought a friend. And they both ...” Still unable to say it, he turned to Double A and tried to make the VP understand with nothing more than what his eyes could say.
Double A got it. “Holy shit. Where is she?”
“At the clinic. Tasha’s taking care of her. I need—I can’t—” He stopped, gathered himself and tried again. “I’m gonna take care of that fucker for good and all. But I need help.”
Showdown moved, coming around their group to stand beside Zaxx and put his arm over his shoulders. Zaxx fought the need to shake that touch off. “I don’t know what this is,” Show said, his tone like an ancient oracle, “but you all know you can’t do shit like that without club buy-in.”
Now Zaxx did shake him off. He didn’t look at Show as he responded but kept his attention on the others. “I do not need club buy-in to take care of the bastards that hurt my sister. If I don’t have help, I’ll do it my fucking self.”
“We got you,” Tommy said, setting a hand big as a honey-baked ham on Zaxx’s shoulder. Then he looked at Double A. “Right, Dub? Dom?”
“I’m in,” Dom said at once.
Either the juke or the sound system started up, and music blared again. The Chicks started singing.
Double A looked at Showdown, who’d been a storied VP, partner to Saint Isaac, and had held the gavel himself for several years. Then Double A turned back to Zaxx. He sucked in a long breath and let it out. Then he nodded. “Yeah, we got you.”
Showdown sighed. “Talk to Badge first. Give him a heads-up. At least do that.”
~oOo~
“I’M NOT FUCKING ASKING PERMISSION!” Zaxx finally yelled. It had been a mistake to look for help. More than an hour had passed, and he was still in Signal Bend. Now he, Tommy, Dom, and Double A stood in Badger’s garage/man cave while Badger, dressed for the bed they’d roused him from, in track pants and a beater that showed a lot of his scarred chest, listed all the reasons they shouldn’t go for Danvers and whoever his vile buddy was.
Badger glared at him. “You need to calm down, Zaxx.”
Zaxx shook his head. “We are talking about this like it’s club business. It’s not club business.”
“It is club business because you’re a patch, and you pulled the club VP, SAA, and IO into this. What happens next affects the fucking club!” Badger took a beat, then continued in a gentler tone. “I want you to make him pay. But I want to find the right way to do it.”
“The right way is he’s fucking dead. I made a mistake leaving him breathing last time.”
Badger shook his head, obviously frustrated. Well, good. Zaxx was so frustrated he thought he’d bust through his skin any second.
Tommy threw in, slapping at Dom’s arm as he asked. “Hey—what’d you find on his phone?”
Zaxx stopped pacing and stared. He had completely forgotten about that; Dom had found some photos on Danvers’ phone and airdropped them to his own. How could he have forgotten that? Stupid fucking brain.
“What’s this?” Double A asked. “What about his phone?”
“Dom?” prompted Badger.
