FIRE & RUIN
CHAPTER 7
SAFE BETS DON'T PAY
A week after Agua Dulce, the runs kept coming.
But the runs were different now.
They had Falfurrias.
Winning that town off Reyes cut the route down by almost two hours each way, and everybody felt it. Less gas, less stops, less chances for something to go wrong.
Four fights out of seven.
That was all it took.
Since then, the runs had been smoother.
Faster.
Too easy, almost.
Business was good.
Too good.
The Dirty Alley wasn’t open yet when Kait walked in that afternoon, the front door still locked, neon signs off, only the yellow ceiling lights glowing over the stage. The place smelled like cleaner, cheap perfume, and stale beer, the air still thick from the night before. One of the girls had left her heels by the pole, and Why Can’t This Be Love from the dressing room radio played low through the speakers while somebody laughed in the back.
Sunshine was behind the bar with a stack of papers spread out, chewing on the end of a pen.
“You’re early.”
Kait dropped on a stool.
“Might as well.”
Kait snorted. “Kount would be bitching right now if he was here,” she said without looking up.
“Why?” asked Sunshine.
“Hates Van Hagar,” Kait said and brushed it off.
Sunshine pulled the pen out of her mouth and smiled to herself. She wouldn’t dare say what she was thinking.
“Ernesto wants to start advertising for Amateur Night right away. It’s next week.”
Kait walked over, glancing at the papers.
“Oh, yeah. Don was saying something about that.”
Sunshine nodded.
“Oh, I’m sure. You guys are always here watching everyone. Biggest night of the year. Whole damn town shows up.”
She tapped the top page.
“Sign-ups start today.”
Kait picked up the flyer.
AMATEUR NIGHT — $500 FIRST PLACE
She raised an eyebrow.
“Five hundred? That’s it?”
“Well, that’s the prize no matter what. But you get to keep the tips. So it can be more if they do a good job,” Sunshine said. “Depends how hot they are… Or how drunk the guys are.”
Kait smirked.
“And anybody can sign up?”
“Anybody,” Sunshine said. “Long as they’re legal.”
She pointed toward the dressing room.
“And of course, house girls can’t compete. Ernesto’s rule. Otherwise, nobody else would even try.”
Kait set the paper down, leaning against the stage.
“I bet it gets crazy.”
Sunshine laughed.
“Last year some idiot tried to fight Ernesto, one girl got so nervous, she threw up on stage, and some gang from Houston almost shot up the place cause some gangsta’s little sister signed up.”
Kait chuckled.
“Nice.”
Sunshine looked at her a second longer.
“So… you hear anything about that lake house?”
Kait’s expression changed just a little.
“Yeah. I should be closing today, actually. I’m getting that money transfer.”
“How exciting!”
“Owner says he wants a little time to fix it up, though. He wants to paint it, fix the plumbing and some shit in the main bathroom, the dock… He’s so nice he said he would use the down payment for the repairs.”
Sunshine made a face.
“You care that there’s anything wrong?”
“Not really.”
Kait shrugged.
“I just want to move in.”
Sunshine watched her closer now.
“You really gonna move out of the Nest?”
Kait didn’t answer right away.
She grabbed the rag off the counter and started wiping a spot that was already clean.
“Yeah.”
Sunshine tilted her head.
“That about the house… or about Kolton?”
Kait let out a slow breath through her nose.
“Both. It’s been awkward as hell.”
Sunshine nodded like she already knew.
“I can’t believe he’s tryin’ to make you jealous with that teacher.”
Kait shrugged.
“Maybe that’s the best thing for him.”
Sunshine smirked.
“Still fightin’ with the Kount?”
Kait sighed.
“No… Maybe… Sometimes.”
That’s why I need my own place. I turn one way, there’s Kolton. I turn the other, there’s Lane.”
Before Sunshine could answer, a voice came from behind them.
“Well… if you ever need somewhere else to stay…”
They both turned.
“…my bed’s real comfortable,” she said, smiling at Kait. “And I don’t ask questions.”
Sunshine rolled her eyes.
“Oh Lord… here we go.”
Kait laughed under her breath.
“You are impossible.”
Dulce walked closer, stopping right in front of Kait.
“I’m serious. You don’t gotta stay at the Nest with all those boys.”
Kait leaned back against the bar, arms crossed.
“They ain’t that bad.”
“She ain’t movin’ in with you, Dulce,” Sunshine said, sliding a stack of flyers and a roll of tape toward her.
“Go hang those outside.”
Dulce made a face.
“You always ruin my fun.”
“Go.”
Dulce scoffed, grabbed the flyers, and walked toward the door, hips swaying on purpose.
Kait shook her head, smiling despite herself.
Sunshine waited until the door closed.
Then she leaned closer.
“So… how’s Kowboy?”
Kait smirked.
“Doing cowboy shit. He’s in San Antonio right now. Bull ridin’ tournament.”
Sunshine let out a little squeal.
“No shit. He rodeos?”
Ernesto looked up from the DJ booth but didn’t say anything.
Kait nodded.
“Yeah. He’s the real deal. First one he’s done since his wife took off on him. She never let him compete.”
Sunshine raised her eyebrows.
“Damn.”
Kait shrugged.
“Kolton’s up there too. Him and Randy went with him.”
Sunshine gave her a look.
“Well… at least you get a little break.”
Kait nodded.
“A little.”
Kait nodded and remembered something.
“Actually, Dulce, get back. Everyone… this is something I’ve been wanting to do.”
The girl paid attention and followed Kait to one of the private rooms.
“Okay. Since Amateur Night is gonna get crazy and you guys need some sort of protection anyway…”
Kait pulled out a small handgun. A couple of girls flinched.
“I’m gonna keep this here, just in case some asshole wants to get more than what he paid for. So, if you get a weirdo, bring him to this room. If he gets out of line…”
Dulce gasped.
“We kill him?”
Some girls laughed.
Peaches nudged her
“You dumbass.”
Peaches raised her hand.
“I’m scared of guns.”
Kait sighed.
“We don’t kill anyone. Just flash it. That’s usually enough.
The girls just nodded unsure and Kait tucked in the gun between the cushions.
San Antonio was loud that night.
Not stadium loud. Fairground loud.
Floodlights buzzed over the dirt arena, throwing long shadows across the rails. Trucks were parked crooked along the fence line, tailgates down, coolers open, beer bottles lined up on metal like they’d been there all day. The air smelled like dust, sweat, and fried food from the stand near the gate.
Somebody had a radio sitting on the announcer’s table, the speakers crackling every time the crowd got too loud.
Nothin’ but the Taillights half lost in the noise.
Kolton leaned on the fence with one boot hooked on the bottom rail, hat low, arms crossed, watching the chute crew work a bull into place.
Blaze stood next to him, gear on, rope hanging loose in his hand, eyes on the arena like nothing else existed.
For a while neither of them said anything.
Just the sound of the crowd, the music, the metal gates slamming.
Kolton finally shook his head a little.
“Feels weird bein’ here without her.”
Blaze didn’t look at him.
“Don’t start.”
Kolton smirked.
“I didn’t say nothin. Just, would’ve been cool.”
Blaze pulled his glove tighter, jaw set.
“No Toast. No Julia. No bullshit.”
He glanced over, just for a second.
“Just rodeo.”
Kolton nodded once.
“Just fuckin’ rodeo.”
Blaze leaned on the rail next to him, watching the bull kick inside the chute.
“You ever think about it again?” Blaze asked.
“What.”
“Riding.”
Kolton let out a dry laugh.
“All the time.”
Blaze looked at him now.
“Then why the hell didn’t you.”
Kolton didn’t answer right away.
He watched the dirt instead.
“You know why.”
Kolton held his stare a second longer, then looked back at the arena.
“Have you met my daddy?”
Blaze only chuckled.
The gate on the far side slammed, making the whole fence shake.
Somebody yelled near the beer stand.
Kolton glanced down the rail.
A little farther past the chutes, Randy had stopped next to a couple of guys leaning on the fence, cash already in his hand, talking to one of them without ever taking his eyes off the arena.
Kolton watched a second, jaw tightening just a little, then looked back toward the chute.
“He been at that all night?”
Blaze didn’t look over.
“Since we got here.”
Kolton let out a slow breath through his nose.
“That ain’t good.”
Blaze shrugged, still watching the bull crew work the gate.
“Ain’t my money.”
One of the men standing near the rail glanced over when Randy walked up, then smirked like he’d been expecting him.
“Well… look who finally showed.”
Randy stopped next to him, eyes on the arena, not the man.
“What, you miss me?”
The man huffed through his nose.
“I miss my money.”
Randy pulled a folded stack of bills from his pocket, thumbing it once before holding it low at his side.
“You’ll get it.”
The man turned his head, looking at the cash, then back at Randy.
“You said that last time.”
Randy shrugged, still watching the chute crew work the bull inside.
“Yeah. Last time I didn’t have this.”
He held the money out.
The man didn’t take it.
“You still short, Kowman.”
Randy leaned closer, voice low, casual.
“This covers what I owe.”
The man tilted his head a little, then nodded once.
“…That so.”
Randy nodded back.
“That so.”
A loud bang from the chute made both of them glance toward the arena.
The bull slammed the gate hard enough to rattle the whole rail.
A rider climbed up on the far side, getting settled, the crew tightening the rope.
Randy watched a second, jaw tight, then looked back at the man.
“Put it on Torres.”
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Torres? Ain’t your boy gonna be out there tonight?”
Randy shook his head once, eyes already back on the chute.
“He ain’t gonna hold. Dryden rodeo messed him up.”
The man finally took the money, counting it quick with his thumb.
“This may not cover your debt, but it’s still a big wager.”
Randy didn’t react.
“Good.”
A beat.
“Safe bets don’t pay.”
The man glanced at him, then nodded once.
“Alright then… if Torres sticks, we can do a little business again.”
Randy rested his forearms on the rail, eyes locked on the gate.
“He’ll stick.”
Behind them, the gate slammed open.
The crowd roared.
Out by the fence, Kolton grabbed the rail as the bull burst into the dirt.
Blaze rolled his shoulders, eyes locked on the arena.
The announcer’s voice cracked through the speakers.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, next rider up—”
Blaze spat in the dirt.
“Alright. Just rodeo, right?”
Kolton smirked.
“Just rodeo. And maybe some of that later?”
NEXT MORNING
The Nest was quiet that morning.
Not empty, just slower than usual.
Coffee smell in the kitchen, plates on the table, the TV on low in the corner playing the news nobody was really watching. The fake cobwebs were still stuck to the light fixture, one end falling loose and hanging down over the table.
Kriket sat with his arm in a cast, elbow propped on the table while he tried to butter his pancakes with his left hand.
“This is bullshit,” he muttered.
Kode laughed from across the table.
“You shoulda thought about that before you let that dude fuck you up.”
“He did not fuck me up.”
“Really? Then what’s that? You won’t be able to ride for the next for the next eight weeks.”
Kriket glared at him. “Seven.”
Don sat at the head of the table with a cup of coffee, reading the Dryden Pulse like he had no interest in the conversation at all.
Melanie moved back and forth between the kitchen and the counter, setting plates down without saying much.
The door opened and Loraine walked in with Kyle holding her hand, the kid still half asleep, dragging his boots on the floor.
“Mornin’,” she said.
Don looked up over the newspaper.
“Mornin’.”
Kyle climbed into the chair next to Kriket without saying anything, staring at the cast right away.
“You broke it too. I broke my arm before I started school.”
Kriket smirked.
“I remember that.”
Kyle grinned, proud of himself.
Kait sat at the end of the table with a cup of coffee in both hands, quiet, listening more than talking.
Loraine set her purse down on the counter, then looked at her.
“You work late again?”
Kait nodded.
“Yeah.”
Loraine smiled a little.
“That place never stops, does it,” she said, giving Don a look.
Don rolled his eyes without lowering the paper.
“Nope.”
A small pause.
Loraine poured herself some coffee, stirring it slow like she wasn’t in any hurry.
“You talk to Kolton?”
Kait didn’t look up right away.
“No.”
Loraine nodded, like she expected that.
She kept stirring.
“He’s been spendin’ a lotta time with the teacher again.”
Loraine gave her a look like she already knew she knew.
“Amy.”
Kode glanced up at Kait, then back down at his plate like he wanted no part of that.
Kriket stopped cutting his pancakes.
Kait’s jaw tightened just a little. “Oh. Well—”
Loraine shook her head.
“He’s such a mess.”
Kyle swung his legs under the chair, not paying attention to any of it.
Loraine looked back at Kait, softer now.
“I know it was a little much… I just worry about him.”
Kait didn’t answer.
Loraine’s voice stayed gentle.
“He don’t do good when things get all… sideways.”
Silence for a second.
Kait stared down into her coffee.
“I’m sure he’s fine if he’s fu—” she looked at Kyle. “if he’s with that girl.”
Loraine watched her a little longer.
“He’s just trying to get a reaction out of you.”
Kait let out a slow breath.
“I don’t think I want to be talking about this here,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, no shit, Loraine,” said Don.
Kyle looked at his grandfather after hearing the bad word.
Loraine covered his little ears too little too late.
“And what did I say about bringing him here. Look around you.”
Another pause.
Outside, the sound of engines coming up the road broke the silence.
Kode looked toward the door thankful for the interruption.
“That them?”
Don picked up the newspaper again.
“Sounds like it.”
Melanie wiped her hands on a towel and glanced toward the window. Alejandra right behind her.
A second later the sound of a truck cutting off filled the yard, a door slamming, boots on gravel, low voices outside.
Kriket leaned back in his chair.
“About time.”
Kyle jumped down from the chair and ran toward the door before anyone could stop him.
“Is that my dad?”
Loraine turned after him.
“Slow down. Not yet. He’ll be home a little later.”
Ram walked in first, dust on his boots, looking like he hadn’t slept.
“Buenos días.”
Kode put his coffee cup down.
“Y’all took forever.”
Diablo came in behind him, stretching his neck, then Buster, carrying his jacket over his shoulder.
Lane stepped in last.
Same jeans from the night before, shirt half untucked, eyes tired but alert the second he walked into the room.
Kait stood up from the table at the same moment, grabbing her coffee cup like she suddenly remembered she had somewhere else to be.
“Headin’ out for a bit,” she muttered.
She moved past the table, past Don, past Loraine, heading to the double doors.
Lane took two steps inside—
—and stopped when he saw her.
Kait slowed just enough that it wasn’t obvious.
They looked at each other.
Just a second.
Too long for nothing.
Not long enough for anything.
Lane’s jaw tightened a little, like he was about to say something.
Good morning. What’s up? Hey.
Nothing.
Kait looked away first.
“Excuse me.”
Lane stood there another second, then exhaled through his nose and kept walking toward the table.
Ram dropped into a chair.
“Got coffee left or what.”
Melanie grabbed Lane by the arm bringing him back from wherever he was.
“Let’s get you some breakfast.”
Diablo smirked as he watched Lane’s head turned slightly as the Kriger came life outside, and once again in the direction it headed as if trying to guess where Kait was going.
Kait spent most of the afternoon in town running errands before her shift at the Dirty Alley.
She stopped at the Western Union office on the south side and picked up the money Heidi had sent from Denmark, the envelope thicker than she expected when the clerk slid it under the glass. Twelve thousand, just like they agreed after her father’s las two bikes were sold.
From there she rode out past the edge of Dryden toward County 17 to meet Vernon, same as they’d talked about the week before. The house still needed work, just like he said — loose boards on the dock, paint, the main bathroom, plumbing — but she didn’t care.
She handed him the cash right there in the yard.
Ten thousand down.
Vernon took the envelope, felt the weight of it, and let out a low whistle.
“Goodness gracious… I didn’t mean all at once,” he said, looking up at her. “You could’ve taken your time, sweetheart. Done payments.”
Kait shrugged.
“It’s fine. I’d rather just pay it and be done.”
Vernon eyed her a second.
“You rob a bank or win it gamblin’?”
Kait gave him a small smile.
“Went all in.”
Vernon huffed a quiet laugh, nodding to himself.
“Atta girl,” he said. “Safe bets don’t pay.”
He watched her a second longer, then tucked the envelope under his arm.
“Well,” he added, “since you paid in full, I’ll get started on those repairs sooner. Get you in here quicker.”
“Sounds good.”
“I can get ya some furniture too. I’ve got an breakfast table and some chairs and whatnot gatherin’ I can give ya. They only sittin’ in the storage room for nothin’”
“That’d be great. I appreciate it.”
“Good, good. I’ll have the boys bring that stuff when they get started then.”
“Thank you.”
He told her the paperwork would be ready in a few days. The place was hers as far as he was concerned.
By the time she swung back on the Kriger, the house belonged to her.
She sat there for a second with the engine idling, looking at the porch, the crooked railing, the quiet water behind the trees, letting the weight of it settle in. It felt right.
She hadn’t told anyone yet, but she needed to tell Don soon.
Just not today.
Not with everything else going on.
She pulled the clutch in, kicked it into gear, and rode back toward Dryden.
llantera rangel
The Reyes del Camino chapel was already loud, men talking over each other around the table, Jefe de Jefes on the stereo until Severino’s voice cut through the room.
“…eight men in Piedras Negras,” he said, leaning forward with both hands on the table.
“Eight. And the stash house with them.”
The room quieted a little.
Alacrán sat at the head of the table, arms folded, not interrupting.
Severino kept going.
“Ignacio Huerta got away with killing Don Ivan’s little nephew. That bullshit bail bonds drive by didn’t even scratch a single snake. Then we lost three in the junkyard, and Santos got all fucked up cause of them.”
“Those motherfuckers get on my nerves, man,” Roque muttered something under his breath, shaking his head.
Severino pointed toward the table.
“And now Falfurrias.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“We don’t have the corridor anymore. Mondragón took it. In front of everybody. All the familias know that. Everybody in the business knows Mondragón keeps fucking with Talamantes. Mondragón keeps gaining ground.”
A chair scraped.
Someone swore quietly.
Alacrán didn’t move.
Severino straightened up, eyes moving around the table one by one.
“You think Don Iván is happy about that?”
Nobody answered.
Severino let the silence sit, then said it anyway.
“He’s fucking pissed, man.”
A few of the older members exchanged looks.
Severino nodded once, like he expected that.
“He wants something done. No more talk. No more excuses. No more waiting for no right time bullshit. Just done. Y ya, es todo.”
Alacrán finally spoke.
“You wanna start a war over one road?”
Severino didn’t hesitate.
“It ain’t just about one road anymore, ese.”
Silence.
He tapped the table with one finger.
“It’s the border,” he said beginning to count with each finger. “the business, the future.”
He put his hands together and leaned forward.
“It’s how we gonna be making our money. More than you can ever imagine.”
“Look, mijo. We already talked about this.”
Severino looked at him.
“We talked. Yeah.”
He leaned forward again.
“And while we talk, Krait takes territory, kills our men, and makes us look like pinchi culeros.
And we not only have the MCs here laughing at us, now we got the families down south making fun of Don Iván.”
That got a lot of reactions from the Reyes.
“This ain’t México, carnal. This is Texas. We do things a little different ‘round here.”
“Don Iván don’t care about no biker code. He cares about results.”
Nobody moved.
Alacrán leaned back in his chair.
Severino held his stare.
“The more you tell us to wait, the weaker you make us look.”
A long pause.
Then, quieter:
“If you don’t do something about it soon. Then I will demand a change of leadership and we will vote for a new president.”
The room went dead silent.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody even shifted in their chair.
Alacrán didn’t blink.
“You challengin’ me, Severino?”
Severino didn’t answer right away.
Just looked around the table once…
then back at him as he got up.
“If that’s what it takes to make you do something… then yeah, I guess I am, presidente,” he said and left.
Silence hung in the room.
Nobody smiled.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody breathed.
DON & LORAINE’S HOUSE - LATER
Kolton pushed through the door from the garage, wiping his nose with the back of his hand as he stepped inside.
He didn’t even look up at first.
Loraine’s voice was already cutting through the house.
“—all this time and you still lock yourself in that office the same fucking day of the year, every fucking year just to stare at her picture? What is it really, huh? You still love her or you feel guilty that you—”
Don moved fast.
His hand came up and caught her by the throat, stopping the words where they were. Not hard enough to throw her—just enough to shut her up.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch.”
The room went quiet except for Loraine’s breath catching under his hand.
Kolton finally looked up.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
Just stood there a second, eyes moving from Don… to Loraine… then back again.
Same scene.
Different day.
He let out a breath through his nose and leaned against the wall like he’d walked in on a rerun.
“Jesus Christ…”
Don didn’t look at him.
Loraine didn’t either.
Kolton shook his head slightly, more tired than anything.
“How the fuck are you two still together?”
Don let go of her.
Loraine stepped back, rubbing her throat, eyes still locked on him like the fight hadn’t ended—just paused.
Don didn’t look at her.
He looked at Kolton.
“Church in thirty,” he said.
Kolton pushed off the wall and started toward the kitchen like nothing had happened.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “I’ll be there.”
He said and disappeared through the back door.
the nest
The courtyard was alive with music, the firepit throwing warm light across the concrete while the empty pool sat dark beside them.
Bitch by Sevendust blasted from the speakers by the bar, the heavy riff cutting through the space, loud enough to rattle the bottles on the counter.
Blaze stood near the small bar by the pool, belt unbuckled, holding it up like a trophy.
“Fucking hurt, man,” he said, already mid-story, grinning. “That bull came out sideways—”
Kode wasn’t even looking at him.
He leaned back against the counter, nodding slightly to the beat, fingers tapping against his beer bottle.
Diablo stood beside him, head low, locked into the riff, like the story didn’t even exist.
“Here it comes,” Diablo muttered, almost to himself.
Kode smirked as the hardest part of the song came on and him and Diablo started headbanging.
Blaze stopped for half a second, looking between them.
Kait huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head.
Lane leaned on a stool, arms crossed, watching it all without saying anything.
Blaze looked back at them, offended.
“Alright, then.”
He turned just to Kait and Lane and kept going anyway.
Blaze stood near the small bar by the pool, belt unbuckled, holding it up like a trophy.
“First jump, I’m already off center. Second one—he spins. Hard. I’m thinkin’, alright, just hang on.”
He shifted his body, reenacting it, boots scraping the concrete.
“Crowd’s loud as hell, I can’t hear nothin’. Five seconds in, I know it’s gonna be close.”
Kait stood with her arms crossed, watching him, a faint smile there.
“And you still made it— is it still eight seconds?”
“Yeah,” Lane answered.
She glanced over at him almost involuntarily.
Blaze pointed at her with the buckle.
“But I went nine,” he said. “Nine clean seconds.”
“Nice,” Lane said.
Blaze flipped the buckle once in his hand.
“That last second felt like a damn minute. But I stayed on.”
“That is so cool. You get to live your dream,” Kait said with a smile.
“You living yours?” Blaze asked.
“Getting there,” she said.
Lane wondered what she meant.
They all watched The Mare pulled into the parking lot.
Kolton crossed the courtyard fast as soon as he spotted Kait.
The mood shifted.
Blaze’s grin faded just a little.
Lane stood up straight already starting to get tense.
Kode glanced over, then down at his beer.
Kolton didn’t look at anyone.
He went straight to Kait.
“Talk to you real quick. Before church starts.”
Kait sighed.
“Please.”
He grabbed her arm and she moved away making it absolutely clear she didn’t want him to touch her.
Kait glanced around once—at the guys, at the tension. “Make it fast.”
She began walking toward the garage.
Lane straightened slightly, eyes locked on Kolton and hoping he kept his distance.
His jaw tightened.
He took a step—
Stopped.
Watched.
Waited.
Blaze looked at Lane, then toward the garage.
“…I’m gonna grab a beer,” he muttered.
Kode was already moving.
“Yeah.”
Diablo pushed off the counter.
“Church in a bit anyway.”
One by one, they drifted inside, all but Lane.
He didn’t move.
Just listened.
Eyes fixed on the dark side of the property where Kolton had taken her.
Waiting.
“Hey,” Kolton said, softer now. “I just… I wanted to check on you.”
Kait held his gaze.
“I’m fine.”
“After everything… the bite, all that—”
“Yeah.”
He nodded like he accepted it.
Didn’t.
“Things good, though?” he pressed. “Like… you know?”
She crossed her arms.
“What do you want, Kolton.”
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair, shifting closer.
“I just… I haven’t talked to you in a few days.”
“Yeah.”
“Been thinking about you.”
Kait didn’t react.
“Have you thought about me?” he asked.
Silence.
He watched her, waiting for any kind of reaction.
“Do you miss me at all?”
She didn’t answer.
Didn’t even blink.
Kolton swallowed, then leaned in just a little, voice dropping.
“I’m sorry about the other day,” he said. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I just—”
He shook his head, frustrated with himself.
“I’d never do that to you again. I swear. That’s not me.”
Kait’s eyes didn’t move.
“I just… I love you,” he said, quieter now. “And I didn’t want you in that fight. I just wanted to protect you. You’re my girl. I mean… I thought we were done. I just lost it for a second.”
Nothing.
No softening.
No reaction.
He tried again, a little more desperate now.
“I swear I will never lay a hand on you. It’s not gonna happen again. I promise. I mean it.”
Kait let a second pass.
Then another.
Then—
“Yeah.”
Flat.
Empty.
Kolton blinked.
“That’s it?”
She shifted her weight slightly, eyes moving past him.
Klaus’s Panzer rolled into the lot, headlight cutting across the courtyard.
Kait nodded once toward it.
“I need to talk to Klaus before church.”
Kolton frowned.
“Right now? But we’re talking right now.”
“No, Prince. You’re talking. I’m nowhere near ready to discuss this yet.”
She stepped around him.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
Just gone.
Kolton stood there a second, jaw tight, watching her walk away knowing she didn’t care about anything he just said.
He headed to the bar with the boys not noticing Lane in the garage.
The room quieted on its own as soon as Don walked in.
Chairs shifted softly. Conversations dropped off.
Everyone was already in their seats.
Lane sat to Don’s left, arms resting on the table, quiet, watching.
Klaus stood to Don’s right, notepad in hand.
Kait sat across the table.
Kolton beside her.
Too close.
Don didn’t waste time.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s get into it.”
He looked once around the table.
“Snake Eyes is finally picking back up,” he said. “More felonies coming in, more families. Town’s starting to forget about the drive-by.”
A few nods.
Kode leaned back slightly, listening.
Don continued.
“Dirty Alley’s running Amateur Night this weekend,” he said.
Ram and Mack high-fived each other making Diablo duck.
Lane looked at Mack in disgust.
“We’re gonna need bodies there. Security, door, floor. Toast. You obviously have to be there so you’re not doing the run that day.”
Kait nodded already expecting that.
Her eyes suddenly moved to her left. Randy was tapping the table with his thumbs. She found it a bit odd.
Don continued. His eyes moved across the table.
“Kount, handle that for me, son. You’re good at organizing shit. Figure out who stays, who rides.”
“Got it,” he said.
Kolton leaned slightly toward Kait.
“We really need to talk after this,” he whispered.
Kait didn’t look at him.
Don kept going.
“Alright. Let’s stop talking business for a second and talk San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Motherfucking Champion,” he said and the table went nuts.
Blaze straightened in his chair.
Randy shifted in his seat.
Subtle.
But there.
His fingers tapped once against the table, then stopped.
Don nodded toward Blaze.
“Show ’em.”
Blaze grinned, already pulling his belt loose.
He lifted the buckle up, catching the light.
“San Antonio,” he said, proud. “Nine seconds.”
A couple of low whistles.
Kode nodded.
“Badass.”
Diablo smirked.
“Toss me that shit,” said Don and Blaze threw the buckle at him.
Don held and looked at Randy across the table. “Proud of your boy or what, ol’ man?”
“You know it,” said Randy at the opposite side of the and looked at Blaze.
He picked at something on his knuckle and went back at tapping the table with his thumbs.
Kolton leaned in again.
“Kait, please.”
Nothing.
She kept her eyes forward.
Don didn’t acknowledge any of it.
He shifted slightly in his chair.
“Alright, alright. What else, what else… VP?”
Klaus opened the folder.
“European chapters,” he said, accent cutting clean through the room. “Oslo is current. Stockholm is current. Bremen is current. They all say hello, Dødsstraf.”
“Danke,” said Kait.
“Toaststraf,” said Ram.
“Oh, hell no,” said Kode.
Blaze leaned and tried to read over Klaus’ shoulder.
“What the fuck. You write your notes in German?”
Klaus looked at him. “They’re European notes. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Uh, nope.”
They all laughed.
Klaus sighed.
“Radio silence from Helsinki.”
A few looks exchanged.
Klaus didn’t react.
“Second month in a row,” he continued. “No response even when Ulver reached out to Timo. No payment.”
“They probably froze to death, man,” said Mack.
“Oh, my god,” said Kait trying not to laugh.
Don’s eyes narrowed slightly. He lit up a cigarette. Took a long first drag.
“Gonna have to send Skar,” said Don not having time for jokes.
Klaus nodded.
“Yes.”
“We’ll send Skar first, check shit out.” He said taking another drag in between thoughts and words. “But, if shit’s bad, as much as I will hate to do it, we’re gonna have to shut it down.”
Kolton leaned in again, lower this time.
“You’re really just gonna ignore me?”
Kait didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Lane’s eyes flicked across the table for half a second.
Back to Don.
Don tapped the table once.
“Handle it,” he said to Klaus. “One way or another. I just wanna know if Timo is alive for fuck’s sake.”
Klaus closed the folder.
“Yep.”
Don leaned back slightly, scanning the table.
“Alright.”
Then—
“Let’s wrap shit up,” He looked at his watch, “It got fucking late. Alright, Kowman, floor’s yours.”
Randy swallowed.
His hands came together on the table.
Didn’t stay still.
“I screwed up.”
Don didn’t move.
“What are you talkin’ about.”
Randy shook his head once, like he didn’t even know where to start.
“I took a swing,” he said. “Thought I could run it up.”
Kode frowned.
“Run what up.”
Randy’s jaw tightened.
“The money.”
Silence.
“Fucking knew it.”
Blaze’s said putting on elbow on the table shaking his head at his dad.
Kolton looked back at Blaze and raised his eyebrows.
“Our money?” said Don starting to understand what he was talking about.
Randy looked down at the table.
“I took it from the safe.”
That hit.
Hard.
Don’s chair creaked as he got up and went over to the safe. He put in the code and he stood there staring inside the open safe for what seemed an eternity.
Someone muttered under their breath.
Don’s voice stayed calm. He took a deep breath
“There’s a big fucking stack missing. You gonna tell me how much or you gonna make me count and piss me off even more?”
Randy rubbed his face with one hand.
Didn’t answer right away.
“How. Much. Kowman.”
Randy took a deep breath
“KOWMAN!”
Don raising his face was enough to make Lane but his hands flat on the table while looking at Randy straight in the eyes. A fair warning that he was going to get up if he didn’t answer.
“…fifty.”
The room went still.
Randy exhaled through his nose.
“Thousand.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Blaze scoffed. “Holy shit, old man. You done fucked up this time.”
Didn’t blink.
“Fifty grand,” Don said slowly.
Randy nodded once.
“Tried to double it.”
“I don’t understand,” said Don. “Kowboy won.”
Blaze scoffed, “He didn’t bet on me, prez.”
Randy looked away.
Blaze leaned back, shaking his head once.
“Damn,” said Ram.
Kolton stared at him now.
“You told us you didn’t bet.”
Randy didn’t look at him.
“I didn’t think you were ready, son,” he said, low. Then he looked at everyone. “I thought I could double it.”
Silence.
Don held his eyes on him a second longer. Then nodded slowly like he’d already over it.
“Alright.”
That word landed heavier than anything else in the room.
He walked back to the table and sat down.
“Take off your kutte.”
Kait’s hand went to her mouth.
“Don, come on—” Randy started.
Don didn’t look at him.
He pulled the Marine knife from his belt and set it on the table in front of Lane.
“Sgt-at-Arms,” he said. “Bring me his Keeper flasher.”
That shut it down.
Randy closed his eyes for a second.
Then stood.
Slow.
He slipped the kutte off his shoulders and handed it over to Lane.
He laid it flat on the table and let the blade slide under the stitching.
One cut here, another there until the flasher came off the leather.
Don snapped his fingers once.
Randy opened his eyes.
“Effective immediately,” Don said, voice low and even, “you are stripped of your duties as this club’s Keeper.”
The room didn’t move.
“You don’t touch anything that has to do with the club’s money. You don’t go near that safe again.”
A beat.
“Those numbers… that patch… that was trust.”
He nodded toward the table.
“You lost it.”
Don’s eyes shifted to Klaus.
“VP, you take over the books. Everything. Starting now until we get a new vote.”
Klaus nodded once.
“Understood.”
Don looked back at Randy.
“You’re off runs. You don’t come in the chapel unless it’s for church.”
That got a reaction.
“What about the Judge.”
“Lane can handle the Judge, can’t you son?”
“Yessir.”
Randy didn’t push it.
Didn’t move.
Don leaned forward slightly.
“You’re at Snake Eyes.”
Silence.
“Every day. Ten-hour shifts. Weekends, holidays. Funerals. I don’t give a fuck.”
His voice stayed even.
“You answer phones. You file paperwork. You go buy office supplies. You make coffee for Mundo.”
A beat.
“You do all the bitchwork nobody else wants to do.”
Randy swallowed.
“Yes, sir.”
Don didn’t blink.
“I don’t want to see you in that courtyard hanging out. I don’t want to see you at the Alley, I don’t want to see you at Brews drinkin’ with them shit kickers.”
Another beat.
“Every time I see you, you better be workin’.”
Randy nodded again.
“You’re payin’ this back,” Don said. “Every dollar. To this club. To your brothers.”
A glance toward Kait.
“And your sister.”
Kait didn’t move.
Don leaned back slightly.
“We busted our fucking asses for this, Randall.”
“I know, man. I’m gonna make this right. To all y’all.”
“You best start with your boy,” Don said pointing at Blaze.
Blaze’s expression stayed the same. Nothing but disgust.
“Good thing that Marquez skip got picked up.”
A few heads lifted.
Don didn’t change tone.
“Otherwise, we’d be down another thirty-five.”
Don pushed his chair back and stood.
“Everyone but VP fuck off. I will not hear one more fucking thing tonight.”
No hesitation.
Chairs scraped.
No one lingered.
No one spoke.
One by one, they filed out.
The chapel door swung shut behind them, and the night air hit like a slap.
Randy was the first to move, catching up to Blaze just outside. “Son, listen—” he started, voice low, trying to explain.
Blaze didn’t slow down, didn’t even look at him. “We ain’t talkin’ right now, Randy,” he said, walking toward the parking lot.
Diablo headed downstairs and disappeared into Alejandra’s room for the rest of the night. Kode, shaking his head, veered off toward the bar with Kriket and Buster, knowing that it was a whiskey type of night.
Ram and Mack exchanged a glance, then Mack said, “You think there’s still girls at the Barrel.”
“I bet you fifty grand there’s still some,” Ram said and they peeled off toward the bikes.
Meanwhile, Kolton was already behind Kait. “Are you really not gonna talk to me?” he pressed, his tone familiar and insistent. Kait’s jaw tightened as she kept heading to her room down the walkway, but she didn’t answer him—just moved toward the door, Lane coming down the chapel stairs looking up, watching every move Kolton made.
Kolton glanced back once, seeing Lane’s eyes on him, but he kept after Kait, determined.
Lane didn’t intervene.
But he would if he needed to.
Kolton stepped in front of Kait, eyes sharp.
“Well—you wanna know what I did in San Antonio?”
Kait crossed her arms, shifting her weight.
“I fucked some girl at the rodeo,” he said. “And guess what—I’ve been fucking my ex too. How do you like that?”
From the shadows, Lane scoffed under his breath.
Piece of shit.
Kait closed her eyes for a second, brows lifting like she couldn’t believe him.
“That was the whole point of this, Kolton,” she said, calm but tight. “Fun. Freedom. So… good for you, stud.”
Kolton scoffed.
“You don’t give a shit. You never did, did you?”
Kait tried to step past him.
“I’m done,” she said, low, controlled. “You’re fuckin’ high again, and I’m not talking to you like this. I’m going to bed.”
Kolton let out a bitter laugh.
“Good idea,” he said, stepping in closer. “Why don’t we stop talkin’ and just go to bed.”
He leaned in.
Kait shoved him back.
Lane watched a Jack-o’-lantern fall and shatter in the courtyard as Kait pushed Kolton back and came downstairs.
“This was my fucking room anyway,” He yelled.
Kait put her hand up as she reached the bottom. “You know what… Keep your fucking room. I’m going somewhere else.”
Kolton sneered. “Don’t bother going to Don and Loraine’s—they’re at each other’s throats tonight.”
Kait paused. “Don’t worry about me.”
She walked off, leaving Kolton fuming. He finally went in his room and slammed the door shut. Kait didn’t look back—she just headed to the lot and got on the Kriger.
Lane waited a beat, then swung a leg over his bike and followed at a safe distance. Kait never knew he was there.
When Kait reached Dulce’s apartment, she knocked lightly. The door opened almost instantly, Dulce grinning, clearly pleased.
“You really took me up on it,” Dulce said, teasing.
Kait smirked. “Does the offer still stands?”
“Of course. Everything okay?”
Kait only raised her eyebrows. “You got any vodka?”
Dulce laughed. “Nope, but I got tequila.” She grabbed Kait’s hand and pulled her inside with a playful tug.
As Kait stepped in, she heard the faint rumble of a Harley passing down the street. She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t think twice. The door shut behind them.
By the time Lane came back to the Nest, the place had gone quiet.
Most of the bikes were gone.
Lights low.
The noise from earlier already dead.
Lane cut the engine and sat there a second.
Then got off and headed inside.
He didn’t go to his room.
Didn’t go to the bar.
He went straight to the chapel.
The air inside was cooler, still.
The Judge’s enclosure sat in the corner, dim light glowing over the glass.
Lane moved over, checking the latch out of habit.
Secure.
He grabbed the feed tongs, opened the top, and dropped the food in.
The snake shifted slow, deliberate, alive in a way that didn’t need noise.
Lane watched for a second.
Then closed it.
Locked it.
Routine. Control. Quiet.
He reached for the bottle on the shelf, poured himself a finger of whiskey into a glass, and leaned back against the wall.
No rush.
No thoughts he had to say out loud.
Just the day settling.
After a minute, he set the glass down and reached into his back pocket.
Pulled out his wallet.
From inside, he slid out the photo.
Small and worn.
Edges curled, corners soft from years of being handled.
One of those old booth strips.
Three faces squeezed together.
Him.
His mom.
His dad.
He looked at it a second longer than he needed to.
Thumb brushing lightly over it.
“I forgot. Happy birthday, Mom.”
Quiet.
Just for her.
He slid it back into his wallet, tucked it away, and picked up the glass again.
The chapel stayed still.
The Judge moved slow in the tank.
And Lane stood there a little longer before the night finally caught up to him.
