Chapter 15: Rallying The Boys

The Outskirts Of Temperance, South Dakota....

Much like always, Brick Kenneally revved the engine of his bike, getting the attention of his club mates as he ordered them rather wordlessly to ride in formation just as they pulled out of the sleepy little South Dakota town. Rooster had been puzzled as to why Brick was in such a hurry to leave when they were still awaiting a package of sorts that had been a ways off. Brick explained that they had a detour to make due to a personal favor from Sheriff Tillman. Rooster had been none too keen on doing favors for a cop no less but he trusted his godson's judgement and rode with him anyway. The rest of the boys followed suite eager to see what kind of new trouble they could stir up once they reached their destination.

Despite being in the middle of a retrieval assignment, Brick found himself doing a bit more reflecting once they had cross state lines and headed toward Iowa. He couldn't help but feel a pang of something he could not describe as he put Temperance, South Dakota in is rearview and in addition, the beautiful young waitress Layla Quinn.

While the crew had been riding for hours, Brick thought it best to push onto the next town before sundown as it was rumored to be the beginnings of a full moon lit night and he knew all too well just how rowdy the boys and Goldie could be when the moon was full and hung high in the night sky.

Rooster took note of his relative uneasiness after they exited Temperance and South Dakota altogether, but kept it to himself. The sound of the engines lit up the otherwise silent highway as few vehicles had ventured down the long and winding roads that lied ahead. Brick's mind once more returned to the beautiful young waitress and the sensation of completeness that he felt when their lips crushed together in the heat of the moment.

It bothered him immensely that she'd been on his mind so much. He'd had his fair share of women through the years ever since he started puberty, much to his mother's chagrin, and never had he been quite so taken with any of them after the first initial encounter. He more or less went on his way after the deed had been done and was content never to have to see them again. There were even times when he had not even remembered whom he had taken to bed on certain nights when he'd been either drunk out of his mind or high of a previous blood hunt and given to his baser nature.

Gunner seemed to have a bit of a suspicion about Brick himself and spoke rather candidly with Rooster about it whenever the younger lads had not been in ear shot. They knew it was a matter of time before the wildest of the bunch eventually came across a hurdle he couldn't quite get himself over. As with Fitz, whom had fallen head over heels in love with Aubrey to the point of battling his own father for Alpha status, Brick was most definitely showing signs that he'd at least imprinted on that young waitress back in Temperance.

He'd been quite irritable ever since they cross the state line and very defensive in the notion that he'd even had feelings for the young woman. The older were's of course had come to the conclusion that he'd been protesting a bit too much for their liking and simply dismissed his aggressive speeches as they continued their ride.

It wasn't much of a shock to Gunner that the boy had accepted a short contract when agreeing to bring in this bail jumper Darren Hiller. The rest of the boys were on board for whatever trouble they could get into, Gearhead especially in this case. He'd come along way from being a jumpy mechanic whom had barely survived a wolf hunt and got caught up in the process. The pack took him in and he ended up becoming one of them as a result of the carelessness on the part of one of their own.

Ironclad had been giving him grief ever since and more or less responsible for the young pup he accidently created. Fitz was a mere three seconds from ending the young were's life when Brick stepped in and decided to take him off the old man's hands. He'd been loyal to the pack-leader ever since.

Brick lead the boys to a rest stop to do a debriefing even though he knew that Rooster and Gunner had possibly told them about the new contract already. He parked his bike and everyone else did the same patiently awaiting their next round of orders as Brick climbed off his bike and stood where the remainder of the crew could see and hear him.

"Alright boys and Goldie, we've got ourselves a collar and word is that the bail jumper has made it all the way to Iowa." explained Brick.

"Iowa?" asked Rooster seemingly amused. "Not a bad place to run."

"Not at all." agreed Gunner recalling the days he'd spent there when Fitz had been the head of their gang of sorts.

"Sounds like this one will make us some decent money." said Taz greatly impressed with the new onset of cash inflow.

"Something like that." replied Brick. " Of course this collar is gonna get real tricky in the coming days, as you all are well aware there's a full moon on the rise and I can already feel it having an effect."

"Perhaps we should lay low when we get close enough to Iowa that way we catch the collar and have enough time between shifting to maneuver accordingly." chimed Doc.

"That's what I was thinking." said Brick. "We ride until we get close enough."

"How are we gonna keep the prey at bay?" asked Goldie with an arched brow. "It's not like any of us own a cage to transport the bail jumping prick."

"I say we play it by ear and since you mentioned it, you will be the one transporting the collar via the cage as the boys and I will be busy with our bikes." said Brick coming to a swift conclusion about how it would all go down. "And Goldie, try not to eat him, we don't get paid unless the son of a bitch is brought back alive."

The blonde woman wrapped her arms around the waist of her mate while on the back of his bike.

"No promises." she said with a flicker of mischief behind her eyes.

Brick sighed and turned his attention toward the rest stop bathroom.

"If you need to stretch and take in the sights have at it, we ride in five minutes." he announced.

Everyone seemed to agree with the much needed break as they'd been riding nonstop since they left Temperance. Ironclad had been especially grateful for the break as he noted how restless Riffraff was getting as they waited.

Brick took his time enjoying the vast open air and stretching his own legs for the time being. Everything in him was beginning to sense the upcoming full moon and he'd come to the conclusion that they had left Temperance just in the niche of time as it would have been much more difficult to keep everyone under control with the direct influence of the moon on their collective beast blood.

A small part of him also had not wished for the lovely waitress Layla to find out about his wolfish nature when they had only just become acquainted. Realizing where his mind had inevitably trailed back to, Brick shook himself back into reality and continued his trek toward the restrooms leaving his gang behind to do as they pleased in his absence.