Page 110 of Property of Yak

“You won’t have to. I’ll swallow a bullet before you have the chance,” I admit.

He grunts, but it sounds oddly content. Like he respects my answer.

“You know what we are walking into…you can’t use it against us. I might not be able to hurt you, but it doesn’t mean I’ll be able to stop my club from doing the same.”

He scoffs. “Do you think I brought my badge tonight? I could get fired for this shit. This is off the books. I’m helping you out because I saw the look in my little girl’s eyes tonight. She is head over heels for you, and it is far too late for me to do a damn thing about it. All I can do is back you up and bring you home to her, so I don’t have to see what she looks like with a broken heart. So what are we walking into here? How am I going to be able to help you eliminate this threat? Don’t worry about the illegal shit. I’ll look past it and come after your club another day in a more legal way. What we need to do tonight is to erase the target on Julie’s back.”

His honesty is refreshing. We have a sort of truce right now. I love his daughter, and he does too. Neither one of us wants to see her hurt. That commonality is what pushes us forward.

It has me loosening my lips and telling him everything he wants to know.

“Aragon is a legacy member. His father was a member. His grandfather was even president at some point. His bloodline goes back. When Yooper took over and patched the club to the Kings, he made some changes. Most of the club voted to implement them, but Aragon has pushed back the most. Lately, Yooper has had shipments come up short. We’ve been able to solve it before our suppliers get wind of the missing product, but it’s become a problem. Someone is trying to sabotage the club. Yooper suspected Aragon, but he couldn’t get a read on him. Being the president has its downfall.”

“That’s where you came in,” Benjamin hums.

I nod. “I’m sure you know Yooper is my brother. We have kept our distance for our own reasons, but he needed someone he could trust. He didn’t know how far the poison had sunk into his club. So he called me.”

“I had wondered why you would leave Mountain River. They aren’t as rough as the Kings.”

I shake my head. “No. They aren’t. They are good people. The Kings are too, but there’s some civil unrest. Once we carve out the rotting flesh, the club will prosper.”

“With guns and drugs, right?”

I press my lips together, not answering him.

“I know what you guys do. We all do. I even know some of my guys are on your payroll, even if I cannot pinpoint who they are. I don’t like you. I probably never will, but I’m at a crossroads here.”

“That you are. I won’t let her go. She’s mine now. After all of this with Aragon is done, I plan to move her in with me. I’ll marry her one day, and she will have my kids.”

“You say that like it’s inevitable. You’ve been together what? A couple of weeks? Months maybe? She could change her mind.”

“You’re right, but you know as well as I do, she won’t.”

He sighs. “No, she won’t. Did you tell anyone I was coming?”

I snort. “They would scatter. We don’t like cops too much. You tend to fuck with us for the fun of it.”

“Or because we know you do illegal shit that is dangerous.”

I shrug. “Touché. Still, tonight is going to get bloody. Aragon has to die. If we allow him to live, he will hurt Julie. I don’t intend to leave him breathing.”

“If you don’t kill him, I’ll do it myself.”

“Good.” I nod once.

“So where are we going?” he asks.

“A warehouse east of town. It wasn’t on our radar, but it seems Aragon has bought the place under a shell company. He has several pieces of product there as we speak. We are going to confront him. Usually it takes a vote to end a brother, but these are extenuating circumstances. After tonight, no one in the club will betray us. All of those who have will be eradicated.”

He pulls out his gun, checking the slide. “You’ll have to tell me which ones are the bad ones.”

“If they are shooting at us, we shoot back. Tonight there are no friendlies. It is survival.”

“Understood.”

“We will meet up with my brother first. He will have something to say about you, but you will get a general idea of who will be at our back. Just so you know, I plan to storm into the place first.”

“Then I’ll be through the door second. I’ve got your six, Jameson.”