“Now that Jules has decided to grace us with her presence,” I grin, wrangling the group’s attention once more, “I have a proposition of my own that I’d like to run by you all.”
“Not another job already,” Chip groans, “We just got back from the road, Dev!”
“Shut up, Chip,” Dean mutters, elbowing his buddy in the ribs. “Show some respect.”
“It’s not another job I have in mind,” I go on. “Just the opposite. Given how well our last run went, I was wondering what you all might think of a little...vacation.”
A dozen jaws drop all around me at the very mention of the “v” word.
“Dev...we’ve never taken any time off,” Lobo points out.
“My point exactly,” I smile, “I’ve been thinking it might be a good idea to get away. Recharge, unwind. Party our fucking faces off.”
“And where, exactly, would we go?” Packer laughs. “I don’t think most resort towns are eager to welcome us with open arms.”
“I can’t really see us shacking up in Martha’s Vineyard,” Jules points out.
“What if I told you that I’ve been hearing talk of a place that only wants our kind as guests?” I ask the group. “Some other MC’s have already stumbled on the spot, so I went to the trouble of reaching out to the management. We’ve been invited to stay as long as we want. A club with a reputation like ours is a good catch for these guys. Spend the days drinking, smoking, fucking, living the good life. Sound like something you can all get behind?”
“What the hell is this place?” Brutus asks gruffly.
I beam mischievously around the room at my brothers. “It’s just called The Club,” I tell them. “From what I hear, it’s about as close to MC heaven as you can get. So, what do you say? You guys interested in blowing off some steam for a few weeks or what?”
I take their roar of assent as a whole-hearted “yes”. Looks like the Circle of Death is heading its own island paradise for a spell.
Chapter Six
Logan
“I don’t know whether I should be excited or terrified for you,” Emma says, finally regaining the ability to form words after I tell her about the FootSoldier assignment.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” I reply, refilling her glass of wine to the brim. “Imagine how I felt, hearing about it for the first time!”
We’re sitting together on the living room floor of our barren apartment, splitting a bottle of Malbec. It’s the evening of our school’s commencement ceremony, a rite we’ve both decided to ditch. Guilt tugs at my heartstrings as I think about where I left things with my parents the other day, but I try my best to let it go. I’ve just come clean to Emma about the details of my strange job offer, and the first story I’ve been assigned.
“And you’ve really found a way out to this exclusive island?” my best friend presses. “How the hell did you swing that?”
“It was actually way too easy,” I laugh, leaning back against our threadbare couch. “Turns out, dozens of young women are visiting this place all the time while different groups of wealthy men shack up there. Right now, one of the groups in residence happens to be this motorcycle club, but all kinds of guys head out there for a good time. Businessmen, hedge fund managers, professional sports teams, you name it. But the girls who head out there are usually college aged. Looking to step out of their comfort zones, you know.”
“Their comfort zones?” Emma retorts, “What about your comfort zone? You’ve never even dated an upperclassmen. What are you going to do with some hardened, forty-something biker dude?”
“My last boyfriend was three months older than me, I’ll have you know. And on the fencing team,” I joke.
Emma has a point, of course. I’ve been a little nervous, wondering what chance I have at grabbing the attention of a world class hottie like Devlin Vile. I’m not exactly brimming with feminine wiles, over here.
“I’m serious, Logan,” Emma insists, taking my hand in hers. “This sounds insanely risky. Is paying off your loans and getting this job really worth it to you?”
“There’s, um, a little more to it than that,” I say slowly, meeting her gaze as best I can. “The MC I’m going out there to write about...It’s called the Circle of Death. The same club my sister Juliet ran off with when I was a kid.”
“Oh, Logan...” Emma breathes, her fingers tightening around mine. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think to make the connection.”
“All these years, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I’d never see her again,” I go on, speaking around the hard knot in my throat. “She didn’t exactly leave an address or cell number when she left, but all of a sudden, I’ve got a lead. Maybe it won’t pan out. Maybe she’s not with the MC anymore. Maybe she’s not even alive. But I have to find out for myself, Emma. And if that means putting myself at risk...well, that’s something I can live with.”
My tiny friend doesn’t say a word. She simply wraps her arms around me and presses her slight frame to mine. I hug her fiercely, knowing that this is her way of giving her blessing for this crazy mission of mine. With her support, I feel like I can really take the next step on this wild journey.
“There are some girls from our school heading out to The Club tomorrow night,” I go on. “Brie, Ani, Kari, I know them from freshman year, if just barely. But they’ve agreed to let me come along. Getting invited to that island is all about who you know, and I guess they know the right people. It’s all set up.”
“Brie Whittington? I remember there was a scandal involving her and my Sociology professor last year. She doesn’t seem to make the best choices…”
“I know but I have to reach out, she’s my only connection here.”
“You’re just going for the night, then?” Emma asks hopefully.
“Just for the night, at least this time around,” I assure her gently. “But it might be the first of many trips.”
We sit in silence together, taking this fact in. After a time, she heaves a little sigh and forces an encouraging smile onto her lips.
“I guess you do have to go infiltrate a secret sex resort, woo the president of a badass biker gang, and find your long lost sister. Not exactly all in a day’s work, is it?”