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The bartender shook his head. “No, I don’t,” he said.
“If you care about your brother, you’ll pass on the message that Bruno was here looking for him.” He pulled a pen out of his pocket and flipped the coaster on the bar, writing his name and number on the back of it. “Give it to him. He’ll call. I’ll pass on the beer today. Doesn’t seem too friendly in here anyway.”
He turned and walked towards the door, his mind heavy with worry. As he stepped out of the clubrooms and into the bright sunlight, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the pit of his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that his investigation was about to take a dark and dangerous turn…that involved his old friend.Fuck.
He hadn’t thought too much about the incident initially, but now, he had a feeling Gator was involved somehow and he just hoped he could get to the bottom of things before it was too late.
Bruno strolled up to his unmarked 2010 Crown Victoria. He’d been offered a late model Dodge Charger, but he had told his bosses he wanted to blend in in the hood. He was about to open the door when he heard, “Et qu’est-ce que nous avons le plaisir de votre visite?”
Bruno smiled and turned around. “Baptiste. You could be calling me an asshole for all I know.”
Baptiste laughed. “Sorry, man. At the club I forget to talk your silly language.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. You’ve never invited me here, so I thought I’d stop by anyway.”
“Désolé, mon ami. Ce n’est pas intentionnel.”
“OK, I could work that one out. Not intentional, my friend.”
Baptiste smiled and nodded. “You should come by more often then. You could learn to speak with rhythm and melody. Just like me.”
Bruno was laughing now. “I don’t need to sing when I talk. I just need people to listen.”
“I’m listening now.”
“I need to talk to Gator actually.”
“Got a beast in the yard?”
“No. He threatened someone of interest in the bar last night after you left.”
“Gator did that? He’s not one to cause trouble.”
“Yep. Threatened to kill someone I’m investigating, in front of a bar full of cops.”
Baptiste rubbed his face. “Pouquoi qu'il ferait ça?” Bruno shook his head, so Baptiste said, “Why would he do that?”
“Fucked if I know, but I need to ask him about it.”
“Well, he’s not here, but here’s his number.” After Bruno added it to his contacts, he and Baptiste talked for a few minutes then he told his friend he had to go.
6
“Gator, what's up, man?”Maddox asked. “Give me a hand with this gear. What are you looking at anyway?”
The guys had scored a job at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, helping out Kyle Case and his band Stone Mother from California. The Westside Skulls MC usually handled their security and concert setup, but with so many other things going on at the Skulls’ clubhouse, they asked the Jokers for help.
Gator was happy to accept the job since there hadn’t been many calls for alligator control lately. “Sure thing,” he said.
“Who are you looking at?” Maddox asked.
“That sexy girl over there on the blanket,” Gator said, pointing to a group of five girls sitting on a hill, listening to the music.
“Which one?” Maddox asked.
“The one in the blue sundress,” Gator said.
“She’s pretty,” Maddox said. “How do you know her?”
