Behind him, Sam heard Jay walk the seven required steps to the door, no doubt to block any chance of a swift exit. Ignoring the foreboding sense of dread that had filled the bar, Sam casually lifted the bottle again and enjoyed the cold, refreshing beer as it sloshed down his throat.

Sam had rattled a cage.

How badly? He was about to find out.

Chapter Five

When Tony Mason joined the Death Riders, he’d been enamoured with the lifestyle. The sense of camaraderie shared between the members was akin to a brotherhood, and they would cruise around South Carolina, their patches proudly emblazoned on the back of their vests. After a decade in an unhappy marriage and an even more miserable divorce, Mason had found a sense of purpose within the group. Every member was a lost soul, looking for meaning where there was none.

After a year or two, their adventures amounted to nothing more than a few excursions and drinks at their favourite watering hole. That was until Trent Wyatt seized control of the group. His predecessor, Wayland Birch, had been killed by a local drug gang and Wyatt saw not only the chance for revenge but for a new era for the group. None of the Riders knew much about Wyatt’s past, apart from a long stint in prison, and his reaction was a defining moment in their history.

Wyatt systematically took apart the drug gang, even brutally beating the leader to a state of permanent disability. The Riders claimed their ‘spot’ and Wyatt’s talent for persuasion saw him take control of the intake of drugs into the town. Soon, the Riders were the most prominent dealers in class A drugs in South Carolina and they evolved beyond a group of misfits just looking for companionship.

Those who couldn’t handle it were exiled. Those who stepped up were rewarded. After a few months, Wyatt had struck up a deal with the local authorities to allow the Riders to operate in exchange for a share of the profits and for the Riders to act as an enforcement agency of their own. Not only did it nullify the competition, but it also kept the Riders out of the firing line. Their local bar, The Pit, was soon purchased and became their base of operations.

Then the expansion began.