Page 45 of Smitty

“No, he’s not. He was shot in the chest, but they got him stable.”

Stone is the president of the Kansas City chapter. I’ve never met the guy, but I’d heard the stories. He'd bled for this club more times than anybody should have to, and now, somebody had decided to take another shot at him.

Drifter shook his head. “He’s in a world of hurt, but he’s strong and stubborn as hell. We’ve got no reason to think he won’t recover.”

“That’s good... But how the hell did it happen? Didn’t they get the word that shit was going down?”

“They got it, but they couldn’t have known this was coming,” Creed answered. “It was raining, and he was in his truck at a red light. Two assholes pulled up next to him and started shooting.”

“Damn. This shit is getting out of hand.”

“We were just saying the same thing.”

“You thinking the Coyotes are behind this?”

“Maybe, but none from around here. We took care of them with the hit at the warehouse,” Goose answered.

“Maybe we missed a few,” I suggested.

“It’s possible, but Prez and Shep have been keeping tabs on things. So far, there’s been no mention of any that slipped through the cracks,” Creed added.

“Surely, something will come up soon.”

“Certainly hope so.”

I turned to Drifter as I said, “I’m sorry about Stone, man. I know he means a lot to ya.”

“He does, which is why I’m gonna head out there.”

Even though he’d been with us for the last couple of months, Drifter was still technically a member of the KC chapter. He’d patched in there, and he’d been their enforcer until he lost his wife and kid. He needed to step away and spent five years on the road, trying to get his head straight.

When he got word of a threat on our club, he came to warn us. Met a girl, fell for her, and finally stopped drifting, but he kept the name. It was the brothers’ way of reminding him that he’d found home. But he hadn’t forgotten his roots, or the men who’d always had his back. So, I wasn’t surprised that he wanted to go check on things for himself.

“When you heading out?”

“As soon as I can.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I need to check on him and figure out where we go from here.”

Nobody questioned it.

If one Fury got hit, every chapter felt it. Drifter stood and stepped over to me as he asked, “You up for tagging along?”

Normally, I would’ve answered before he even finished the question, but I couldn’t. I had to see Brooke first, so I told him, “Yeah, I’d be down for that, but I’ve got something I need to take care of first.”

He didn't ask what.

Didn't need to.

“Would you be good to go this afternoon?”

“Yeah, I can make that work.”

“Good.” He checked his phone before saying, “I’ve gotta stop by the house and let Rae know what’s going on before I head out. Does three sound good?”

“I’ll be ready.”

Memphis shifted in his chair. “I get you want to go check on Stone and all, but you sure it’s a good idea? Good chance you could run into more trouble.”

“Maybe, but it’s a chance I gotta take.”