The entity was still smiling when my phone exploded with calls. Not from Albert this time. From numbers I recognized. Club members. Brothers and sisters who had ridden beside me for years.
I answered the first call. Big Jake from the Road Kings chapter.
"You selfish b***h," he said without preamble. "My wife is in federal custody because of you. My kids are terrified their dad is next. All because you fed us conspiracy theories and made us look like criminals."
"Jake, I did not—"
"Shut up. Just shut the hell up. I rode with you for six years. Trusted you. Believed you when you said the club mattered more than anything. Then you faked your death and used that trust to drag us into your insane war against government agencies." His voice shook with rage. "Seventy-three clubs arrested. Twe
