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“Bono, pack it in,” Joker points at nothing. Trace is frowning as he studies Joker. Vanessa is looking around the diner for whoever is playing the prank. Rides, however, folded his arms over his chest and looks unimpressed.

“Who are you speaking to?” Vanessa asks Joker.

Sighing, Joker replies. “It’s a buddy who died, but he didn’t pass over. He has Tank and Pyro with him, so he’s not lonely. The three of them like to stay involved with what’s going on, but now and again, THEY OVERSTEP,” the last said with a reprimanding, harsher tone.

“That’s it. I’m done, I don’t want to see no ghosts,” I jump to my feet, grab my laptop and phone and make my way upstairs, leaving them all to whatever shenanigans they have going on.

Chapter 14

JOKER

After a night's sleep on the floor of Vanessa’s apartment above the diner, we sit again downstairs in the diner itself, eating a breakfast that Trace cooked.

Miri is not eating much I’ve noticed, and if I’m being honest, I’m noticing more and more things about her since she’s going to be my old lady.

Vanessa is the first to bring up yesterday’s conversation. “If you are going to drag Geri out, why don’t you call her here? She’ll not know you are staying here. Put your car in the lot out in front of the diner. It will look like you have arrived simply to see her.”

“I can make that work, Vanessa. I will pretend I’m upset and worried about where she has been. If I stay inside the diner at all times, there is no way they can make any kind of grab at me. Trace, make sure I have one of your steak knives handy in case they try to get their hands on me. I’m not worried about stabbing anyone that tries to use force on me,” Miri says with a growl in her voice.

Fuck, that is sexy as hell. Listening to her talk about stabbing someone to save herself. Most women would start screaming but not do anything physical to stop it. It’s how many are dragged away in the first place. Maybe we should make it compulsory in schools that fighting off attackers is necessary.

Rides speaks next. “If we get Pres up to date on what’s happening, we can proceed. Trace, you get your men ready. If we get the meeting arranged for here, it gives us an opportunity to have some of your men sit in the diner eating a meal, drinking coffee, and basically looking like everyday customers.”

“It could work,” Trace mumbled while rubbing his chin.

Zack, who Vanessa calls Shall for some obscure reason, speaks from where he’s been standing behind the counter. “I can have some of my buds around the streets throwing ball, and stuff. Keeping a watch in case anything goes wrong in here. You’d at least know what direction they went.”

“Okay, I’ll contact Pres and tell him what we have planned. Make it for two days from now. Let’s make sure we have all our players in place before we execute,” I look around and everyone is nodding in agreement. Miri looks a little nervous, but that is to be expected. “Miri, remember you’ll be my old lady, I’ll put my patch on your back. We just need a viable story of how that happened.”

“We were riding and met up in a bar. I was celebrating getting a promotion, and you joined my friends and I. We got along and have been seeing each other since then. Oh, then I became your old lady. Would that work?” Miri asks, and I smirk because that could have happened easily.

“That works but add Joker and some of his brothers. It is rare that we would be somewhere on our own, especially a bar,” Rides adds, and I agree with that.

Walking outside I take out my phone and make the call to Pres. He answers my call quickly, which I expected. “Pres!”

“What’s up, Joker?”

I quickly fill him in on what’s going on and what we are about to do. He listens to everything before he asks questions to get the full picture of what we have seen. Why we are going to have Geri come to the diner and take a good look at the President of this fucked up MC.

“Okay, Joker. I’m going to send Hot Rod and Scalpel as backup. You don’t know Trace’s men, and you don’t really know Trace. Once it’s done, you tell me everything.”

“Yes, Pres. Oh, before I forget. It seems I have Bono here with me. Could be useful. Can you speak to Cilla and have her speak to the boys? Get them fired up, you know, just in case,” I chuckle thinking about what mischief the boys could get up to. “Maybe they could go visit the assholes at the warehouse?”

“I’ll speak to her,” Pres responds before he cuts the call. I’m thinking I’m sure he will, and he’ll want the boys to be on their worst behavior too.

For the next 36 hours, both Rides and I travel to the warehouse, taking up a new position. We watch and report back to the diner, where Vanessa, Trace, and even Zack are getting ready for whatever comes next. Trace has had extra locks added to the kitchen window and the door. He’s placed a shotgun in the pantry, and handguns in two different positions in the kitchen. He then added one under the counter behind bags of sugar.

“We are ready,” Trace states before we settle to eat our late supper. We’ve taken to eating after ten in the evening, and Trace has stayed, sleeping on the floor upstairs beside Rides and me.

“Ready,” Rides repeats and looks as though he’s ready to head out on a mission he doesn’t want to attend.

Rides phone pings and looking at the message he receives has him showing a shocked expression. He stands from the table and heads to the diner’s front door. Unlocking it and opening it, I’m on my feet in seconds when Pres and Cap step inside.

“What are you doing here, Pres?” Rides asks before looking at Cap.

“I was bored, and what the fuck, if you are going to be meeting the asshole president then I reckon I should,” Pres says in such a smooth tone of voice that I think, oh, fuck!

Cap quickly slaps my shoulder as he passes, taking my seat at the table. Rides makes the introductions, and I relock the door. I sit at the table next to where I had been sitting. Zack walks over and sits next to me, and he’s watching Tracker and Cap like they might do something exciting at any minute.