An hour later the six of them stood in front of a ranch in a hilly area, surrounded by high trees casting shadows on large fenced-in plaques of grass. On some, horses were grazing but most were empty and the height of the grass showed it had been a while since animals had been there.
Next to the entrance stood a wooden poster in the form of a baby Indian with a bow and arrow in his hand. 'Bowmen of the Hills,' was written down on it in rough, red letters.
"So you would have joined this club if that Puerto Rican of ours hadn't claimed you?" With a smirk Jax swung his arm around her shoulders.
Dana hadn't spoken much to Jax since their failed adventure in bed. Now and then, of course; there hadn't been a reason to avoid him, but there neither had been a reason for a deep conversation. She however didn't mind he'd joined the two couples, together with Opie. The more guys, the lesser the chance something would happen to her.
"I might be ready for some Indian blood now."
Jax chuckled and let go of her. "Then I bet you'll see some Indian blood indeed."
Dana grinned. She'd had an awfully possessive boyfriend before, but the thought Juice couldn't control himself when someone was touching his girlfriend still felt good. As long as he didn't become really violent.
"Ya heard anythin' from the cops?" Dana asked Opie.
He shook his head. "No witnesses, as far as I know. They might wanna interrogate all of us, but there's no evidence directing to me."
Dana smiled in relief. If things had been different she'd surely heard about it, but it was good to hear it straight from him.
They reached the first building and Dana hoped non-members would be welcome. On the wooden door a poster was put, showing an event that took place within a week. She peeked through the window, seeing a bar with a few stools around it. Animal heads and bows in different seizes were hanging on the walls.
"Howdy," a man greeted them when they entered the room. His low voice sounded a little tensed; the Sons had quite a reputation. But he seemed to relax somewhat when he saw Cherry and her.
Dana sped up a little so that she could talk to the man herself. She had the impression a friendly smile achieved more than the usual way in which the guys told other people what they wanted. The man was in his late sixties, wearing a cowboy hat on his head and a red hanky around his neck. Dana got the idea he'd tried to bring some Texas to California.
"Hi," she said with her sweetest smile. "In a dim past I did some archery and I would love to do that with my friends for once. Can we do that here? Or is this a private club?"
"We don't have visitors often, but I'm sure we can make a deal." He gave her a wink.
"Good!"
"I'll set up some things. Y'all want somethin' to drink?"
Dana nodded, and a second later they all had a beer in their hand.
"Did one of you ever do archery?" Dana asked the others after they'd hoisted themselves on a stool.
"Only on a fun fair, I guess," Opie answered. "Can't remember well, I was just a kid. Think they even used arrows with suction cups."
Dana imagined a little Opie with a child bow and arrow and smirked. "I'm a little disappointed in all of you. I thought you could deal with all kinds of weapons."
"We ain't elderly," he answered with a grin. "Got plenty of time to specialize in archery. Might be a nice business as well. You never know."
Dana didn't know well how to put his words. She'd wondered for some time what their illegal business consisted of. Weapons or drugs, she'd guessed. She'd seen none of the guys using drugs, so she'd expected the first. Although gun business was a dangerous branche as well, it was much better than being tied to some drug cartel. She however was surprised Opie spoke so openly about it. He must have noticed too, for he shrugged his shoulders.
"You didn't know how we earn a livin'?"
"Porn and Harleys, I supposed."
He raised his eyebrows skeptically.
"And other things," she admitted. "Ain't none of my business."
"Indeed," Jax judged, giving his friend a questioning look.
"She's an Old Lady now. If Juice has to hide another cargo of KG-9's in his house, she'll find out anyway."
"I didn't plan on making a habit of that," Juice muttered.
Jax raised his eyebrows. "Wow, did I miss somethin'? Are you two so serious?"
Cherry started to laugh. "What rock have you been livin' under, honey?"
"Yeah bro, everyone could say that from miles away," Kip chuckled.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Thought you were just friends with benefits, ya know? Well, congrats then." With a smirk he hit Juice on the shoulder. "You're one lucky guy."
Dana felt a little uncomfortable. She still wished she'd never slept with him.
The owner of the range returned and gestured them to come along. Dana saw her way out, finished her beer and walked to the door.