Redwood Nine: Season 03 Ch. 06

Chapter 6 Que Sera Sera

None of the girls were awake the next morning, when the guys started the bikes and began the journey to Charming to the clubhouse. Sitting around the chairs cleaning their guns and loading clips, the subject of acid was still the hot topic. The girls had proved to be quite a handful to deal with, as their minds were separated from reality and lived in a world of psychedelic make believe. Sex was even strange to get into, as their partners seemed more like strangers, than the women they loved.

With the trips ending well into the small hours of the morning, none of the guys were overly eager to try it themselves. No one had any idea what it was like for the girls, but what they saw and heard from them, made them leery of it. Once the guns and ammo were packed in the bags, they headed out to Kettleman Lane to meet up with Jimmy's men.

They pulled into the abandoned warehouse lot and pulled around back, shutting off the engines and got the bags ready for the cash. Keith was standing watch at the corner of the building, keeping an eye out for the contacts to arrive and also to spot anyone taking notice of the place. The light, blue Cadillac came down the road from the west and pulled into the lot, making its way around the back.

"Right on time, guys. Everything cool on your end?"

"Yeah, no one following us. This set up is good, JT."

"Thanks, it serves the purpose. So let's get loaded up and get this down to Jimmy. Good haul this time?"

"Oh yeah. Jimmy's going to shit, when he sees the take this time. Had some good action on the bets for the fight between Frazier and Quarry last month. The horses have been paying off too."

"Yeah, caught some of the action of the fight, sounded like quite the battle between them."

"Shit, Quarry was winning and then Frazier put a hurt on Quarry's face and they called the fight due to cuts. Lousy way to lose, guy should have won it."

"Yeah, sucks to be him, doesn't it?"

"No shit. I'm still hoping they let Clay out of jail to fight again. That guy is good, fucking stripped his title too, the bastards."

"I can't say I disagree with Clay's stand on not going to war. It's bullshit to put him in prison for not wanting to go."

"Yeah, that's crap. Okay, looks like your loaded, JT. You guys have a good run down, see you next time."

"Thanks, Johnny. You guys stay out of trouble, don't want to lose a good thing here, do we?"

"Not a chance. Ciao."

JT and Johnny shook hands and headed to their vehicles. The Caddy pulled out and headed back west again, blending in with normal traffic, looking every bit the same as dozens of other cars travelling the same route. JT had everyone start up and pulled out onto Kettleman, making their way to I-5 south. The old, Ford 150 pick up pulled out of the farmer's lane a few hundred yards back, keeping well behind the club, but close enough to follow without losing them.

The run down I-5 was met with the usual stares and looks, but nothing untoward spoiled the ride. The two in the Ford stopped and got gas at each stop the club made and kept their distance, as well as paying no attention to the club to cause suspicion.

JT took the cutoff to head to the meet with Jimmy's men at the restaurant and the Ford stayed with them, but still unnoticed. The bikes pulled around the back of the building and stopped, while the pick up stayed out front and parked in the lot. One man got out and went inside to order some take out food and drinks, while the other kept an eye on the back, in case the club left.

The two were sitting eating burgers, when they heard the bikes start up and did the same. The ride continued south to the next cutoff to head into the hills and the secrecy of the tail was jeopardized if they followed. They chose to continue and saw the club heading into a parking lot filled with bikes. The pair drove past and noticed another club waiting for them, seeing the greetings shared by both. They were only given a passing glance as they passed and headed further down the road and turned down a side road a mile farther along. They turned around and parked, getting out and looking back down the road to see what the club did.

JT made the payoff to La Roca and shared some pleasantries between the clubs, before getting mounted up again and headed down the road towards the men. By the time the club rode past the two men, they were pretending to be stopped to take a piss in the bushes and once again, no one realized they were being followed. The men got in the truck to tail them again, but when they saw the secondary road they took, there was no way to follow without being noticed. They turned around and headed back to the convenience store lot and acted like they were lost, pulling out a map and looking at it.

La Roca and the other members of the Aztecs paid them no mind, considering them as civilians just finding their way. Once they had concluded their own business, the Aztecs mounted up and rode off back towards the highway. The pair continued to pretend to look at the map for another half hour and decided the club had taken another route and got back in the truck. They headed to the highway and took the cutoff north onto I-5.

JT led the club back after an hour of catch and pack, then rode back down the trail and on to the road. They stopped at Jimmy's restaurant and got a bite, then filled up and began the trip home again. They came through Bakersfield and rode past the burnt out diner, passing the two in the Ford, who had stopped for gas. Seeing the club go by, they rushed through paying for the gas and took off out of the lot to catch up to them again.

Piney noticed the truck coming out of the lot and his memory of it being on the secondary rode kicked in. He kept an eye on it, as they continued north, but it stayed well back of them. Coming into Oakland, the club headed to the drop off spot with Chico's cousin and Piney saw that the pick up was still with them. He took notice of it and noted the men inside as well. The truck drove past them, both faces turned towards them and Piney took in as much detail of them as he could.

During the exchange, Piney mentioned to Manuel if he knew anyone with a Ford pick up, or matched the descriptions of the guys. Manuel said he didn't and wondered why.

"I saw that truck down south, parked on the side of the road and the guys taking a piss. Then I saw it pulling out of a gas station in Bakersfield and it tailed us all the way to here. They just drove past and I wondered if you knew them."

"No way man. We don't talk to gringos very much, eh?"

"Okay, just wondering. I never seen them before and now they're with us most of the day. I don't think they're cops, just hoping it's not another club. We had a bit of a run in, sort of, with the Disciples a couple of weeks back. Came up on us and pulled guns. JT was in a bus and cut in front and slammed the brakes on. Fuckers piled into the back of it and we left them there. Now I see these guys and I'm wondering."

Manuel looked at Piney with a dawning of information he had heard.

"Shit dude, you're the guys they have a hit on. We heard through the grapevine they want some bike gang dead. That's you, muchacho."

"JT, come here and listen to this, you're going to want to know all the details."

JT left Pedro and Chico counting the bundles and dividing them into area supply.

"What's up?"

"I was asking Manuel if he knew this truck and two guys that followed us from 10. We passed them on our way to pick up, I saw the truck parked and they looked like they were pissing."

"Yeah, I saw them, so?"

"I spotted it again coming through Bakersfield, they pulled out of a lot and followed us all the way to here. They weren't cops, looked more like bikers, two of them. Manuel says the Disciples have a hit out on us for the highway thing in Livermore."

Manuel confirmed his source was good and the hit was legit. JT looked at Piney and began shaking his head, going into deep thought about their situation. He walked away thinking hard on what it was all adding up to. He turned quickly and looked at everyone.

"We got to get out of here, now. If there is a hit on us, we need to be in a better place than this. Manuel, we have to hold off on the runs, no way we can go against the Disciples on the open road and I don't want you guys getting involved. Guys, mount up, we're heading to the clubhouse and I need to call in a favour from our friend Wayne."

The hand off was put into high gear and money was transferred to JT. Chico hugged his cousin and friends, then started his bike and no more was said, as JT took off with the club behind him, every engine putting out as much power as it could. Eyes were constantly on the look out for the truck and any signs of a club or even lone bikers. No one was left from their suspicion, as they raced back along the back roads, trying to keep out of sight as much as possible.

Once they made it through Lodi, JT began feeling a bit more at ease, knowing they were minutes from the clubhouse and the added safety of more ammunition and a place to defend from. They turned off of Kettleman Lane and headed up 88, not worrying about the stop sign, or speeding, as much as the possibility of bullets coming at them. Moving targets were harder to hit and JT wanted to keep moving until they were in the clubhouse.

The sign was a welcome beacon of safety, as they neared it. JT slowed down and pulled to a stop at the gate, hopping off his bike and opening the lock. He swung the gate open and rushed back to his bike. He kicked the shifter hard into gear and let out the clutch. As he started to lead the club into the compound, the Ford pick up came racing out of the lot down the street and closed in on them. Piney was just inside the compound, when gun barrels pointed out of the passenger window and opened fire. Bullets whistled past heads, as they sat and continued shooting at them. Bikes went down onto the ground, the riders making for cover as best they could.

The tires squealed loudly, as the driver floored the gas pedal, leaving an echoing report of rubber, along with the echoes of gunfire. Bikes were shut off and the guys stood and checked to see if anyone was wounded. Piney was still laying on the ground, his face a tight grimace of pain. A stream of blood was coming from under him and everyone made it to him as fast as they could,

Lenny helped him up and checked his back, finding a steady spurt of blood coming from his shoulder. JT was already running for the office and fumbling with keys to open the lock. He dashed in and grabbed the phone, calling for an ambulance and then hung up and called the station for Wayne. Unser was on patrol, but the dispatcher relayed the call over the radio and told JT he was on his way. He asked JT if this was about the shots being reported and he said it was, prompting the dispatcher to radio for more cars to the scene. JT hung up and bolted through the door, making his way back to Piney.

"The ambulance is coming and Wayne should be here shortly, along with a bunch more cops, so we should be okay. How are you, Buddy?"

"Fucking hurts, JT. I can hardly get a breath without the pain taking it."

"Just take them slow and easy. Can we stop the bleeding somehow?"

"I got my hand pressing on the wound, JT, I'm doing all I can."

"I know, Lenny, just... FUCK! What the hell did we do to get shot at? This is bullshit man, fucking bullshit."

JT got up and stormed about the yard, cursing and swearing, unable to come to terms with what had happened. The sirens were a relief to hear, as the ambulance pulled in first and raced down to the group. The attendants were out and checking on Piney and getting the stretcher ready. The guys helped Piney up and laid him on it, then the attendant began looking at the wound. The second scissors appeared, every member called for him to stop, then helped Piney out of his cut, despite the pain it caused him. Lenny took the T shirt and tore it open wide for them, then stood back so they could help his friend.

They applied the clotting agent and dressed the wound, hooking up an IV of saline solution and loaded him into the back. Unser was pulling into the lot and raced down to the ambulance. He looked in the back at Piney and then looked around at the faces looking at him.

"What the hell happened?"

"We need to talk, but not with the other cops around. We have some trouble we need help with."

Unser looked at the cruisers pulling in and then nodded to JT.

"Okay, I'll have them take care of things out here and take some reports. Let's go inside the clubhouse and tell me how I can help."

JT led Unser away, while the others stayed and answered questions from the officers. The ambulance's siren had faded away, but thoughts of Piney in the back, were still being strongly felt. JT and Wayne sat down and Wayne waited for JT to decide where to start from. JT ran his fingers through his long hair, pulling it back tightly, as he pondered what and how much to say.

"We have a problem with the Satan's Disciples gang, Wayne. I have no idea how, or why it started, but we're on a hit list with them now. A couple of weeks back, we were coming back from San Fran, along the 580, we were visiting some friends of Moon's out there. We were this side of Livermore, when a bunch of Disciples pull along side of our guys and drew guns. I swung the bus over into their lane and slammed the brakes on and they piled into the back of it. We took off and got out of there. Nothing happened after that, then we were just out in Oakland, visiting some of Chico's relatives that live there. They told us they heard about a hit on us and we flew back here to be safe. We just pulled in, when this pick up stops and starts shooting at us and hit Piney."

Unser looked at JT and knew there were huge gaps in his story and barely half of it was said.

"JT, you want my help, I'm going to need more to go, than that. Those guys don't just start shooting up people for no good reason. You gotta tell me what you're doing out of town that's causing this."

It was JT's turn to look at Wayne and decide the level of trust to bestow in him. He knew he needed his help, but didn't want to lose any ground with him either.

"You know we smoke grass, but we also bring some north from the border. Not a lot, but enough to keep a few bucks in our pockets. That's it, Wayne. We're not into anything that club would be into. We're not crossing territories or anything. I don't get it. We got back today and we found out about the hit on us. As soon as we found out, we headed back here and I wanted to let you know what was happening."

"So, you're hauling dope from Mexico to Oakland and that's it?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"So, nothing to do with anything in regards to our mob friends in Vegas?"

"No, shit no. They have no involvement in this at all. Only other thing I can think of, is those bikers we helped bust. They might have been connected to them."

"Now that makes sense. That would piss them off enough to come after you."

"We have to find out if they are connected, Wayne. If they are, this could get real ugly fast. I don't want shit hitting the streets of Charming, but we can't go out now, without worrying about bullets going off everywhere."

"I see your point. The Clive Brock thing was bad, but this ain't sounding none too good. I'll see what I can do about protection, while you're in town, but you leave the borders and I got nothing for you."

They looked at each other, both understanding the situation, but neither able to formulate a plan to deal with it. A darkness hung over both of them, as Wayne pondered what he could do on his end, while JT sat and smoked a joint and pondered his side.

"If this backlash is from the bikers we busted, I think I can get some help from the county. It's obviously not something that's only Charming's problem, but theirs as well. I'll have a talk with the chief and run it by him. I'll try and swing it as only that and nothing you guys are doing."

"Shit Wayne, that would be great, because honestly, I'm not coming up with anything."

"I know you guys ain't looking for trouble, so I gotta do my job and protect you as citizens. Grant ain't going to turn down help, not after what we just did to help this town."

"Yeah, that wouldn't look good come election time."

"Okay, let me get this going, before anything else happens."

"Great, Buddy, thanks."

JT snubbed out the joint and shook Wayne's hand. They looked at each other with a common trust and bond as friends, before they headed back outside to the others. The scene was still chaotic, as bikes were picked up and damage assessed. Piney's Indian was scratched and dented in several places, ruining the original paint and metalwork. Some of the others were reporting their damage and the officers were busy noting all of it in detail.

Lenny was standing by the office and called JT and Wayne over to him. When they got there, Lenny showed them the bullet holes in the wall and the broken glass, then pointed to the holes in the bus parked in front of the bays

"We're fucking lucky brother. Every shot they took could have hit us. Look at where these holes are, right at head high. These fuckers want us dead."

Unser and JT judged the height and agreed, Fate had played an ace up its sleeve and spared them. They saw a car pulling into the lot and Unser recognized it immediately.

"Looks like the chief heard and now we can get him on board."

The black, Mercury Montcalm stopped and the heavyset man got out and looked around at everything. He walked to Unser and JT, while Lenny moved to avoid being involved. To have some privacy, JT took them into the office and closed the door, letting the chief have the seat behind the desk. He looked at Unser and JT, a disturbed look on his face that this happened and wanted to have a solution given to him.

"It was the Disciples, Chief. They put a hit out on JT and his club, because they helped us take down those bikers selling heroin. We figure that's the reason for it happening. I was just saying that we can protect them here in Charming, but we can't do anything outside the borders. I wanted to come and ask if we can talk to county sheriffs and get them in on it. It's not like those drugs are a Charming problem only, so they must have something going on too. I want to see if we can join forces and deal with this, so no shit lands on our doorstep."

"You know I hate shit on my doorstep, Unser and I hate scraping it off my shoes even more. I think county should get in on this too and help us out. I talked to council and they agree we have to deal with the junkie problem fast, so I doubt anyone will oppose having the county involved in dealing with this. You guys did a good thing for this town, by helping get rid of the bikers, but this obviously isn't the end of it. I'll call Chief Wade over in Stockton and see what they have on those bikers and bring him up to speed on this."

Grant could see the relief sweep over JT and Unser breathed a sigh of relief himself.

"Chief, I know there's probably a zillion questions you need to ask, but my best friend was just shot and I'd like to know if I can go see him now."

"Yeah, sure. I'll get on this with Stockton and I'd like you to come by the station and fill in the details more for me."

"Thanks, Chief, I really appreciate it. I'll be in a little later, I just want to make sure he's going to be okay."

"Understood. I hope he's okay, too."

"Thanks."

JT gave a quick smile and headed out to the guys to let them know what was happening. He used Clay's truck to go into town to St. Thomas hospital with Lenny and looked around carefully at everyone and everything. It had come to the point, where they were in fear of their lives and all the members, wondering when the next attack would occur and by who. They went into emergency and asked about Piney and was told he was still in surgery, but his outlook was good. They sat in the waiting room and quietly discussed what the situation was. One thing JT insisted Wayne do, was post an officer outside Piney's room. If they did it for Marlene, they should do it for Piney.