Custom Built

by Chantal Fernando

  “We’re sorry, Bronte,” Abbie adds, frowning. “I’ve only just met you and have you in my life, and I don’t want to lose you. In my defense, I don’t know how I could have dropped that bomb on you after us only just connecting. But I know how I felt when I found out, so I recognize how confused, hurt and angry you are probably feeling right now.”

  I appreciate their apology. It doesn’t change how this has all played out, but it’s something.

  “You can’t choose your family, or what they’ve done or how they choose to live their life. I’ve learned that you can just go by how they treat you, though. And I know from what Dad said they were on their way out of the business,” Abbie says.

  “I know, which must have pissed some people off, right?” I ask, biting the inside of my cheek. “I just have this feeling there’s more to this, and I need to know. I need to know everything.”

  For the first time they don’t look at me like I’m going to break.

  “This whole thing is a really hard pill to swallow by itself, and then knowing everyone was aware except me also makes me feel so stupid,” I admit.

  They both hug me and assure me that isn’t the case. Sky tells me a little about her mother, Georgia, who I personally never liked, and her involvement with Uncle Neville and the Knights of Fury. She also explains her own relationship with Uncle Neville. She had no idea who he really was either, so it’s almost like all three of us have this in common.

  At least it wasn’t just me who was completely fooled.

  And yet here we are, Uncle Neville’s daughter, stepdaughter and niece, all together, and none of us hate him.

  In fact, it’s the opposite.

  * * *

  “Hey, I got your message about your dad,” Nadia says as I step into her office. She gives me a warm hug, then her hands land on my shoulders as she looks over me. “I’m so sorry, Bronte. I know how close you were with him.”

  “It’s been a rough two weeks,” I admit, embracing her once more and then sitting down opposite her desk. “But I’m here because I need your help.”

  “What do you need?” she asks, sitting down and going into professional mode. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

  “I want to find out exactly what happened to my dad,” I say. “And I want you to help me do that.”

  “Tell me,” she says.

  “I don’t think what I’ve been told is what really happened. My dad didn’t take any prescription pain meds, and the pills next to his bed didn’t even have his name on them. They had no label. And after finding out potentially he could have had some enemies due to the nature of his...work, well, it seems like an obvious answer that someone could have done this to him. The police aren’t looking into the blood work because they believe there’s no foul play.”

  * * *

  I tell her about his secret career I had no idea about and how that could be a reason that people might want him dead. The more she knows, the more she might be able to help me piece this whole thing together.

  “Well, I didn’t see any of that coming,” she says, jaw dropping and brown eyes going wide. “Okay, let’s start from the beginning, and I’m going to write this all down.”

  “Already done,” I say, taking out a notebook from my handbag and handing it to her. She takes it from me and opens it, scanning what I’ve written.

  “And you’re sure?” she asks, studying me.

  I nod. “I know it in my gut he did not overdose on pills.”

  “Okay,” she replies.

  And then we get to work.

  We make a chart, listing everything we know, and a list of everything we need to find out. We start doing Google and social media searches, and we try to piece together this thing, one clue at a time. It’s like old times, only now I’m the client.

  Every new idea can lead us somewhere, and nothing is discounted. No lead is too small.

  We are going to get to the bottom of this, and I’m not going to give up until we do.

  * * *

  “I went and saw Nadia, and the two of us are working on finding out the truth about what happened to Dad,” I tell Crow and Abbie that evening. I invited Abbie and Crow over for dinner so we can chat and I can catch Abbie up on everything.

  “You can’t just throw yourself into this drug world. It’s not safe, Bronte,” Crow says, scowling. He rests his elbows on his knees, studying me.

  “Clearly,” I mutter. Or maybe my dad would still be here right now.

  “It’s a dangerous game,” Crow says, sharing a glance with Abbie. We’re all sitting on the couch, a cheese platter in front of us. “Especially since we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

  “We?” I ask, brows lifting.

  “You think I’m going to let you do this alone?” he replies, sitting up straight and running his hand through his blond hair. “I’ll make a deal with you: I’ll help you do whatever you need to do, but you need to promise not to go running into situations that you have no idea about or aren’t equipped to deal with, all right? I know that you’re a strong, independent, badass woman, blah blah, but there’s only so much you can do if you’re in a crowded room filled with men with guns.”

  Is he telling me that he will help me, but only if he gets to control everything?

  “You’re a control freak, aren’t you?” I fire back at him.

  Abbie laughs, but Crow shakes his head. “I’m not. I just don’t want you killed. That’s fair, don’t you think? Fuck, now I know how Saint, Renny and Temper feel.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “And I never asked for your help, so you can’t act like I have.”

  He throws his hands up in the air.

  “We’ve got your back, Bronte,” Abbie murmurs, reaching over and taking my hand. “What he’s saying is don’t do anything alone, we’ll be with you. There’s a smart way to do things, and if you’re emotional, sometimes you can be a little reckless.”

  “I’m not going to do anything stupid,” I promise them both, knowing I cannot take on some drug dealers on my own. “I just need answers, okay? I don’t want to start any drama, I just want to know the truth. I’m not going to be able to move forward until I do.”

  “I know,” Crow admits, scrubbing his hand down his face. “Okay, so what’s the plan? How are we going to do this?”

  “I’m going to wait and see what Nadia can find first, and then I’m going to go back and speak with Uncle Neville and find out a little more about the family business,” I say, flashing my teeth. “I want to see if they had any competitors, I want to make a list of possible suspects, and I want motives.”

  The old private investigator in me is coming out in full force, and I’m so emotionally invested in this, it’s not funny.

  “Does this mean you’re not coming back to work?” Crow asks in a dry tone.

  If what Uncle Neville says is true, I have enough money to not need to run back to work, but that money is drug money, blood money. I’ve never not worked and supported myself, and that’s not going to stop now. “No, I’ll be back at work. I wasn’t sure if I even had a job still.”

  “Lucky for you, the boss likes you,” Abbie adds, smirking at us both. “Do you want to come back to the clubhouse, Bronte? I think it’s time you met the squad.”

  I think she’s right.

  * * *

  My first thought is that they must only let good-looking people join the MC. Everyone is friendly enough, some a little reserved, but I can understand why. I’m being brought into their clubhouse, their safe place, and they don’t even know me.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Bronte,” Izzy says to me, her partner, a man they call Renny, by her side. I meet Saint and see Skylar again, and the mysterious Chains, Dee and Temper once more.

  “You too,” I reply, smiling at her. “I must say this isn�
�t what I pictured.”

  The clubhouse is...homey. It’s clean and tidy, and it has personal touches—lots of black, leather and a hell of a lot of space for all of them.

  “I said the same thing.” She smirks, glancing up at Renny. “I actually own a house down the road, although I seem to be spending more and more time here these days.”

  “That’s nice that you have your own space if you want alone time though,” I reply, nodding in approval.

  “We’re sorry to hear about your dad,” Temper says. “Crow says you’re out for revenge.”

  I arch my brow at Crow. “I don’t think I want revenge. I just want the truth, and I think someone killed him.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s say there was someone who set him up, someone who wanted him gone. Let’s say he was killed, and they made it look like an overdose. What are you going to do to that person?” Temper asks, watching me very closely.

  I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t think I’ll know the answer to that until that very moment.”

  “Which makes you unpredictable,” Crow murmurs, wrapping his arm around me and leaning forward until I look at his face. “And I don’t like that.”

  “You don’t have to like it,” I say, lifting my chin. “And you don’t have to help me. I’m sure me and Nadia can do it ourselves. I don’t need—”

  He covers my mouth with his hand. “It’s too late for that, I’m in. Look around you, we’re all in. So stop running your cute little mouth and accept your fate.”

  Fate could have done me worse.

  He removes his hand, and my eyes narrow to slits. “I don’t know whether to thank you or to punch you.”

  He simply grins, his hair falling over his forehead, his stupid blue shirt matching his eyes.

  “You’re lucky you’re cute,” I add, glancing around the room to see everyone watching us. “What?”

  Abbie shakes her head, smiling. “You’re both damn cute, that’s what.”

  Izzy and Skylar bring out some cocktails and a cheese platter for us to munch on.

  “The way Crow looks at you...” Skylar says, moving closer so no one else can hear. “Are you two officially together? What’s going on? He wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t want you to be his woman.”

  “Abbie brought me here,” I point out, watching Crow speak to Saint. “And no, I don’t think we’re together. I mean, we haven’t even kissed yet. Why has he not kissed me yet?”

  “Maybe because you’re kind of going through a lot right now?” she guesses, looking to Abbie. “What do you think? Why hasn’t Crow made a move on her?”

  “He’s been looking after you. Maybe he’s waiting for the right time. You’ve only just left your house,” she reminds me.

  “Oh my God, maybe he sees me like someone he has to look after, and not a hot, sexy woman,” I say, just as Izzy sits down with us, another platter in her hands. “Maybe he feels like I’m his responsibility. He did see me when I hadn’t showered in days, so maybe he’s not sexually attracted to me anymore.”

  I look down at my clothes. I could have put in more effort. I mean, I’m wearing the standard jeans and top. I cringe when I notice my feet. I’m wearing my Birkenstocks with socks. Why did I not change my shoes when I left the house? Or at least remove the socks?

  “This is probably why he hasn’t kissed me,” I tell them, pointing at my feet. “We’ve solved the problem, guys.”

  Private investigator of the year.

  I touch my lip. When’s the last time I got waxed? Great, I’ve all but let myself go. To top it off, I put on granny panties this morning and they have holes in them.

  The girls laugh, which gets Crow’s attention, and he comes right over to me. Maybe he noticed the horrified expression on my face, which I wasn’t able to mask in time.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, sitting down opposite me. “And what’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” I state loudly, sending threatening looks to the ladies. “Absolutely nothing. Would you like a chip with some dip on it?” I ask, smothering a Dorito in jalapeno hummus and shoving it in his mouth.

  The girls laugh harder, and I don’t know where to look.

  One thing I do know is, here, right now, I forget everything that has happened, and I feel almost back to my old self.

  Almost.

  Chapter Ten

  Cam all but runs over when she sees me. “Oh my God, Bronte.”

  “Hey, I’m back,” I say, hugging her and laughing as she picks me up in the air.

  “I didn’t know if you were going to come back or not. I can’t believe what you’ve been through,” she says, putting me down and cupping my face with her hands.

  When I saw Billie last night, she told me that she and Cam have been hanging out together since the night we went to Kamikaze. I’m not surprised since the two of them seemed to hit it off so well.

  “I didn’t know either,” I admit. “But I didn’t get fired, so here I am. What have I missed? Who has been filling in for me?”

  “Everyone has been pitching in. Abbie actually came in a few times, and whenever I haven’t had any bikes to work on, I’ve been manning the front,” she says, sitting down at the desk and showing me the schedule. “Luckily it hasn’t been too busy for once, so we’ve made do. How are you? If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

  “I’m...okay,” I say, nodding. What else can I say? I’m never going to fully get over the loss of my father, and I know that. But I am going to have to learn to live with it, and hopefully over time the pain will lessen. Time heals everything, right? I might not fully believe that in this case, but it does give me a little hope.

  Things won’t always be this bad.

  “When I was in prison I lost someone really close to me, and I know how hard it is. I’m here for you if you need me,” she says, winking at me.

  “I appreciate that, Cam. So, you never told me what you went to prison for.”

  “You never asked.” She grins. “I was in there for stealing cars and motorcycles. Ironic, isn’t it?”

  She walks away, my mouth left open.

  I spend the next hour catching up on the admin work for the business, organizing the receipts and folders, which have all gone to hell in my absence.

  Crow appears around lunchtime with his hands full of food. “I brought you lunch.”

  “That’s cute. What did you bring?” I ask, peeking into the bag.

  “There’s this nice Italian place close by, so I went in to get something for you but ended up ordering a shitload of food,” he says as he sets it all out on my desk. “Take your pick.”

  “What a nice boss you are,” I say, choosing the carbonara. “Thank you. I’m actually starving. Seems my appetite has come back.”

  “Good,” he murmurs, then calls Cam. We all sit around my desk, like it’s the new hangout spot.

  “Are you going to bring Bronte lunch every day now? Can we put orders in?” Cam jokes, opening her mouth and dropping a strand of spaghetti in.

  “Maybe I’ll start taking her out for lunch and leaving you to handle the workload,” Crow teases her, throwing a plastic fork in her direction.

  She ducks and laughs. “Can’t be showing favorites now, boss.”

  Abbie drops in, sitting on my desk. “Looks like I arrived at just the right time.”

  “Do any of you work?” Temper asks as he follows behind her.

  “I’m at work,” I point out, twisting my fork into the pasta. “That’s something, right?”

  “More than we can say,” Abbie says, grinning. She pats the spot next to her. “Come on, chill with us.”

  “If I sit there I’m going to break that desk,” he murmurs, rubbing his hand over his head. “I actually came here to speak to you about something, Crow.”

  The two
of them head out front to discuss whatever club matters, leaving the rest of us to finish our meal in peace.

  “So has it happened yet?” Abbie asks me, wiggling her eyebrows. “Have you kissed?”

  Cam’s head snaps up. “You two haven’t kissed yet? I’d have thought by how comfortable you both are with each other you’d already boned.”

  “Thanks for bringing this up at lunch, Abbie,” I say in a dry tone, rolling my eyes. “Now everyone knows my business. Oh look, they’re coming back, everyone shut up. Crow and his professional mouth will kiss me when they are ready.”

  Everyone starts losing it laughing, and then I have Crow asking what’s so funny, to which I have no answer.

  “I’m just really funny,” Cam states with a straight face.

  Crow looks at us all like we’re crazy. “Okay then. I have to head off now, but I’ll be back later this afternoon, all right?”

  “Okay,” I reply.

  He flashes me a warm smile and then leaves with Temper.

  “He didn’t even give you a hug,” Cam blurts out, wrinkling her nose. “Maybe he’s broken.”

  “Bronte and her Birks and socks broke him,” Abbie teases, laughing at her own joke.

  I nudge her with my foot. “I’m going to kill you.”

  We all head back to work, and I’m left pondering everything they’ve said. I know Crow is interested in me, but he obviously feels like now is not the time for anything to progress. And you know what? He’s right. I’m not in the best place right now, and maybe he’s looking at this whole thing from a more mature angle. My goal right now is to find my father’s killer, and that’s what I need my attention on.

  I don’t need any distractions.

  Still, I want him to want me, to be unable to stop himself from kissing me.

  It should trump all of his common sense.

  Maybe he’s thinking the same about me, though, and waiting for me to make the first move. It’s 2020 after all, and I’m the one who is all over the place right now. He’s probably just being a gentleman, and I’m completely overreacting. I have been known to do that, and I’m sure most people can relate.