Page 2 of Sly (Dragon Riders MC 5)
“Ash. You’re finally back. Where’s Bowser?”
He clapped my shoulder. “Right here. Got a beer for ya, too.”
I reached over my shoulder. “Thank. Fuck.”
Ash nodded toward Link. “So, who is he?”
The ice cold beer hit my palm. “A guy named Chains. Came in about an hour ago inquiring about joining up with us.”
Bowser paused. “Wait, what?”
I sipped my drink. “Yep. It’s about as weird as you think it is.”
Ash watched the scene for a bit before turning to me. “So, our patrol.”
Bowser sat down next to me. “Clean as a whistle. And we went over everything twice. No black cars or SUVs. No surveillance.”
“Looks like those Feds packed up and really did ship out.”
I clicked my tongue. “I’m sure they did.”
Bowser furrowed his brow. “You believe they’re still watching us?”
My eyes slowly gravitated back over to Chains. “All I know is the Feds never let up when they’ve got a theory working. My guess? They’re not in town, but they’re still watching. Somehow.”
I watched as Link looked over at him and he nodded. I wasn’t sure what the hell that meant, but apparently Bowser did. He tapped me on my shoulder again before ushering me to rise. And Ash did the same. The three of us stood to our feet and I watched as Bowser made his way for the back rooms of the Iron Horse.
And when he nodded for us to follow, I did as such.
I chugged my beer and dumped it into a trash can before walking back into the hallway. We dumped ourselves into Link’s office all the way at the end, the furthest away from all the riff-raff and ruckus of the bar. I watched the door, waiting for the other guys to show up. And one by one, they filed in.
Until all of us were in a room behind a closed door together.
Link put his hands on his hips. “So, who’s convinced that Chains is an undercover agent?”
My jaw hit the floor. “Uh, me. Yeah, thanks. That’s exactly what that bastard is.”
Bowser shrugged. “I haven’t met him yet. But the timing is suspicious.”
Ash nodded his agreement as Knuckles pointed at Link. “There could be a chance that he’s not. Just to play Skeleton’s Advocate for a second.”
All of us chuckled as a grin grew across Knuckle’s face. But then, he kept going.
“I get assuming that he’s bad. But what if he isn’t? What if he genuinely has an interest in the group? We could use another body in all of this.”
I blinked. “You’re kidding, right? The man practically reeks of undercover operative.”
Ash nodded again. “I agree.”
I pointed up at him. “See? Even the behemoth agrees. Oh, and by the way, their patrol showed that the Feds have cleared out of the area. Though, none of us believe that doesn’t mean they’re not watching.”
Link looked over at Bowser. “So, your patrols were a success?”
Bowser cleared his throat. “‘Success’ is a bit of an odd word to use for our patrols. But yes. They were technically a success. No sign of the Feds or any cars that might be used by them. Again, though, doesn’t mean they aren’t watching.”
I sighed. “It might just mean they put everything in place to watch us from afar, so they went to physically focus on something else.”
The room fell silent as we all looked around at one another, and while I understood the need for another body in all of this shit, we needed to make sure it was the right body.
Then, an idea hit me. “What if we could possibly make it two new bodies?”
Link blinked. “Come again?”
I turned to face him. “Look, I get where your mind is at. We’re head-deep in war with two factions now and we need more manpower. More people. Right?”
Link nodded. “Couldn’t hurt.”
I snapped my fingers. “Exactly. But what if we could potentially take this from one new body to two, and at the same time suss out who the fuck this Chains guy really is?”
Link furrowed his brow. “I’m listening.”
I grinned. “Let’s make him prove his loyalty to us. I mean, we don’t know shit about the guy anyway. It’s not like we have a formal application or some nonsense. So, let’s make him bring in a family member. One he trusts more than life itself. That way, we’ve got two more bodies to help us out with shit and we get an inside look into Chains’ life as well as the company he keeps.”
Bowser barked with laughter. “I’d hate to go up against you when joining anything.”
I held my arms out. “Not a terrible plan, huh?”
Link chuckled. “You’re a sick man, you know that? But I like it. I’m on board.”
And when the rest of the guys nodded their heads in agreement, I made my way for the door.
“May I do the honors?” I asked.
