He put his jacket back on and looked across at Bear.

“Go on, say it.”

“No cop has ever made you take a step back before. Why this cop? Why now?”

“Do you know some men make their entire careers on bringing down clubs like ours? The Twisted Monsters is spread far and wide, across many countries, and there will be plenty of people out there to take our club right from under us. It’s a headline grabber. Throwing us all in jail, tossing the key, giving us the good book and showing all the good people of the world what you do with bad people.”

“That is never going to change?”

“Milner knew the score. We need to make sure his replacement knows the same score. I’m not rotting in some prison. This is my club, my town, and my life. No one, and certainly no cop, is going to get the better of me. You want to know why we continue to do the shit we do and stay out with our freedom, breathing in the fresh air and walking without a care in the world?” He tapped his forehead. “I always think. I always stay one step ahead of the men. I don’t leave anything to chance. We got stuff in place so we can hold the fort for a couple of months. Get to know the new guy. See what he’s all about, and then, when I know his deal, I can take him out. Easy as that.” He climbed back onto his bike. “We all have a weakness. It’ll be easy to find his, believe me.”

“What’s your weakness then?” Bear asked.

“I don’t have any. It’s what makes me so much fucking better than all of you.”

Bear burst out laughing, but Preacher didn’t stick around to join him or to laugh. He had shit he needed to do, like find out who was going to be the new thorn in his side.

****

“I hate studying.” Bishop closed up his book and threw it across the room. “Ah, so much better. See, I don’t need to study.” He smiled as Robin rolled her eyes at him.

“You do know you’re going to have to do some studying to graduate?” Robin asked.

“No, I don’t. I don’t need to have an education. I’ve got the basics. I can read and write. I’ve also got the capacity to tell fuckers no, and guess what I can tell when I’ve not been paid enough.” He rubbed at his head.

He’d never been particularly academic, and she knew it was a constant source of contention with him. Most of the time in class when he didn’t know anything, he’d simply mock the teacher or do something goofy in class. More often than not, he ended up at the library, where she knew for a fact he made out or had sex with girls in school.

She crawled across the floor, grabbing his book. “That’s no way to treat books, just so you know.”