Neighbor Cottage (Devils of the Dawn MC - #1) [On hiatus]

Chapter 1

GRAVEL

It was only Wednesday but in Gravel's opinion this week couldn't be over fast enough. Enough shit had happened in the last three days that he didn't want to know what else would go down before Sunday rolled around. He sighed and looked around in the empty church room. In twenty minutes or so, the others would barge in for the ad hoc meeting he had called in. Fury would make sure that everyone attended, nobody wanted to get on the short-fused VP's bad side. Everyone knew that he could throw a punch and didn't hesitate too long.

If Gravel was honest, he had known that trouble was heading their way. The Rolling Bandits had been too quiet for too long and now they had sabotaged the latest gun shipment and set fire to the storage of their construction company. Of course, the police had been fucking useless so far in finding the culprit and it made Gravel wonder in whose pocket the head of police actually was. 

Had the other club a bigger hold over the pigs than they had anticipated?

Gravel looked up, when he heard someone open the door to the church room. Nitro moved his enormous frame through the door. At close to two meters tall and weighing over 150 kg, their club's sergeant-at-arms was easily one of the most intimidating persons around. Fortunately, different from their club brother Fury, Nitro was calm 97% of the time if albeit a little grumpy. But when he got pissed off, there was no stopping him and in the worst case it would take Gravel, Fury and at least two other brothers to reign him in. 

Nitro nodded at him and then took his seat on Gravel's left side. As usual the chair made some dangerous creaking sounds.

"In the new club house, you'll get a fucking bench or something," Gravel commented. 

He couldn't remember how many chairs they had thrown out because they had given in under Nitro's weight.

"Not my fault BS keeps buying cheap shit," Nitro shrugged and leaned back in his chair, which again made sounds like it was in pain. 

Gravel knew that their treasurer had definitely not ordered any 'cheap shit' when he bought new chairs a few months ago. But maybe they should have known beforehand that the price tag didn't mean that the stuff would last any longer around here. 

This wasn't a golf club. 

This was the clubhouse of the local chapter of the Devils of the Dawn MC and the majority of their brothers were used to the rougher side of life, some had even spent time behind bars. And half of them wouldn't even see the difference between a chair from the hardware store's clearance aisle or one that cost more than half a day's wage.

"Any news from Mr. Piggy?" Nitro asked after a moment of silence. 

Gravel had to smirk at the nickname for their town's head of police. 

It wasn't wrong.

The man's face and statue resembled a swine and also his pinkish skin tone fit.

But Gravel tried to call him by his position. He couldn't let it slip by accident - having the chief on the club's bad side wasn't a good idea.

"Not yet. Castor and Pollux should be back from intel gathering. I hope they have something to report."

Whatever else Gravel was going to say was lost, when the other officers except Fury came in. They exchanged quick greetings and the others took their assigned seats left and right of Gravel, leaving Fury's spot on his right empty. 

Gravel gave the others a long look. They seemed as tired as he felt himself. Drill, their secretary, who ran the construction company looked like he hadn't slept at all.