The gunfire renewed. It was pandemonium. Perfect for an escape. I tucked my piece, stuffed my vest and took off.
The only way out took me past the parking lot. Bodies were littered everywhere. I weaved between cop cars as more joined the fray. Anyone that could get to a bike scattered. A bullet skipped off my exhaust pipe as I rounded the corner. I swerved and another completely took my damn side mirror.
Even with a little breathing room the shots still flew by, someone was hot on my ass. I got low and fast. My bike sliced through the narrow gaps between passing vehicles. Come get me, asshole. It was cat and mouse through the busiest streets of Vegas. Granted, that wasn't saying much but it was my best chance to lose the tail. If I could get to a straight stretch this guy wouldn't be able to keep up.
Most clubs were very formal about which bikes were allowed. It was mostly just Harley with an occasionally smattering of other American bikes like Indian or Victory. Lately some of the fringe chapters, like ours, were getting a little more relaxed with that shit. Whenever I rode to conferences or did multi-chapter Steel Veins rides, I'd always bust out my Harley. When it was just chapter business, my Kawasaki Ninja was king and fuck anyone that said otherwise. The handling on my Ninja was tighter, it was easier for me to maintain and it could fucking smoke any other bike. On the highway, I was untouchable. I just had to make it there first.
We blew through lights and signs. I heard the guy chasing me clip a jaywalking pedestrian. We had to keep the speeds down due to the clogged intersections with the early lunch rush. The metal route 85 sign shined like an angel's halo, one more turn onto the on ramp and I was a fucking ghost.
That's when my rear tire exploded. It was just an incredibly lucky shot or incredibly unlucky, depending on which end of the gun you were on. My beautiful Ninja jackknifed then flipped end over end. I was thrown into the side of a school bus that was turning the opposite direction. This late in the day, the kids must've been heading out for a field trip There was a choir of screams inside as I hit the thin, yellow sheet metal and shattered some windows on the bus. I prayed that I didn't inadvertently hurt any of those kids.
“Hey, Poet.” Most members outside our chapter knew me better by my handle: Poet, or just Poe if they were clever or lazy. I liked to read in the quiet times when we were waiting around for shit, so usually there'd be a worn paperback sticking out of my back pocket.
“Rocks...” I groaned. I knew it was him by the sound of his voice.
I can honestly say I've never hit a bus before. My head rang. Vision blurred. My whole body was on fire but miraculously nothing felt broken. I was fading, on the verge of passing out completely. If I did I was never waking up again.
Rocks was about as smart as a sack full of his namesake but that didn't matter because he was efficient. He was given the name because he was sent to jail for killing two men with a palm-sized chunk of granite. It was club business, but he willingly took the fall. Rocks was loyal to a fault.
“Nothing personal, bro. Deadeye's orders.”
“Yeah, just make it clean.” I rolled over and leaned back on my knees. It was a good thing we were going slow or else I would've been paste. For all that mattered now. “We got kids watching. Think of your daughter.”
“Freeze—” A ballsy security guard from the bank across the street barely got the word out before catching a round in the throat. For a man who liked getting his hands dirty, Rocks was a hell of a shot. My gun had slipped out and bounced well out of reach when I hit the pavement. There was no way I could get to it. Rocks was just too fast. The bus driver was telling the elementary-aged kids to get on the floor but most of them just stared on crying.
“Naw shit! Sorry, kids,” Rocks apologized through his black mask. “ Looks like we gotta do