Sophie’s question brings me back to the present, and I answer her honestly. “Dart suggested getting tattoos to cover my scars.”
Placing a piled plate in front of me, she stands back with her hands on her hips. “Might be a good idea, hon. Replace the memories that bugger left you with, with something you actually want to look at.”
Sam comes in, followed closely by Drummer. His normally steely eyes seem to twinkle as they fall on me. “So, how’s our newest ol’ lady doing?”
“Old lady?” Sophie squeals. “Alex? You and Dart?”
“I didn’t see that coming,” Carmen mumbles, and my gaze immediately shoots to her. Why not? Am I so far from being old lady material that the thought of me and Dart together is a joke. She must notice my expression, as she comes to sit beside me. “Hey, nothing on you, babe. I didn’t expect to see Dart tamed and on a leash. You must be one special lady.”
And she’s voiced my fear. Despite Dart’s promises in the dead of the night, once he’s surrounded by club girls again, can he really be faithful to a short girl with a fat ass?
There’s easy conversation around the table. Making sure Tyler eats and doesn’t get distracted takes my mind off worrying about what Dart’s up to. Men wander in, taking seats, or when all those are taken, disappearing into the clubroom with overfilled plates. It’s an easy atmosphere, and everyone tries to include me and make me feel at home. It’s at the end of our meal when Drummer turns to me.
“Got a moment, Alex? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Drummer might have been friendly enough, but he’s the prez of the club, and up until recently was my employer. Though nothing’s been said officially, any idiot can see I won’t be wanted at the club as a dancer any more. But hearing I’ve been sacked will just make it final, but I can’t imagine there’s anything else he’ll want to speak to me about. After checking Sam’s going to keep an eye on my son, I follow him into his office.
“Take a seat.” He points to one of the chairs in front of the desk as he walks around it to take his own. He stares at me as if he can see right down into my soul, and I fidget uncomfortably. Just when I’ve almost given up on him speaking, he starts, “Couple of things, Alex. Firstly, you and Tyler. You settling in okay and got everything you need?”
“Tyler needs his medication in case he has an episode. I’ve got the prescription at my sister’s house.”
“Hmm. Getting that filled in Tucson would alert your ex to where you are. You got enough to last you a few days?”
“There’s a bottle at Celine’s—”
“I’ll get a prospect to pick it up. Anything else you need while we’re at it?”
I look down at myself and my borrowed clothes. “Dart said a prospect would be able to pick up our clothes and Tyler’s toys.”
“Fuck yeah, the kid needs to be kept amused. But I don’t like the idea of doing much more than a quick in and out at your sister’s in case Thompson’s got it surveyed. I’ll speak to the girls and get them to go shopping for you. Don’t want to raise suspicion if someone’s watching your sister’s house.”
“You really think Ron would do that?” I bite my lip.
He rolls back his head, circling it around his shoulders as if to remove some stiffness there. “Thing is, Alex, we’re dealing with a cop. They’ve got networks all over. I’d rather not give any sign you’ve come back to Tucson.” His sharp eyes find mine and realises I need reassurance. “Don’t worry, they’ll not be setting foot on the compound. As far as they know, you’re in the wind with Mouse.”
Now he sits forward and places his hands on the desk. “What I really wanted to talk to you about is where you go from here.”
“I won’t be working at the club.” I say it for him.
“Not as you were before,” he says enigmatically, and then appears to change the subject. “Dart told me you wanted to be a lawyer. Did your first year of the program?”
“That was a long time ago, and another life.”
“But if you had the chance, would you still want to do it?”
Of course I would. I love Tyler to bits, but it’s been suffocating just being a wife and a mother. My mental capacity of necessity just shut down while I was with Ron. All I’ve been doing is vegetating the last few years. But I don’t tell him all that, I simply shrug. “I’m not going to get hung up on impossible dreams.”
“What if it wasn’t impossible? Look, I’m not gonna beat around the bush here, but our club lawyer’s getting close to retirement. It won’t be too long before we look for someone else. And we pay him an arm and a leg.” He rubs the short beard on his chin. “Makes it look like we’re a bunch of criminals having a lawyer on retainer, but we’re not as bad as all that. But the law’s got a downer on us, and we need legal advice far too often, even when we ain’t done nothing wrong.”
I keep quiet, not at all sure where this is going.
“What if the club offered to put you through school, and you come and work for us after? You could take on your own clients as long as you gave priority to us.”
My eyes widen as a bubble of excitement churns inside me. “I always wanted to help people who found it difficult to get representation, or who couldn’t afford someone to be on their side.”
“Sums us up nicely, doesn’t it? So what d’ya think?”
I bite my lip. “School starts in August. That’s ten months off. Drummer, I won’t lie. What you’re offering sounds attractive, but what if I’m not still with Dart? I won’t be anything to the club. I don’t know why you’re offering to help me. I’ve done nothing but bring trouble.”
His hands hit the desk. “Have you any idea what it means for a brother to claim an ol’ lady?”
Again, I have no answer but a shrug.
“It’s not something done lightly just on a whim. It’s a lifetime commitment. Dart’s made the decision he wants you in his life, and that’s as good, if not better, than any civilian marriage in our eyes.”
A lifetime commitment? The words make me angry. I had no choice when my parents forced me into Ron’s hands. And now Dart’s claimed me, and again without giving me a say. When I agreed to be his old lady, I didn’t realise how significant it was. He’d told me. Not asked.
“What’s got you all riled up?”
“I thought it was like it meant we were going steady or something. I didn’t realise it was permanent. I’ve had enough of having decisions being taken out of my hands.”
That gaze has now turned steely. “You like Dart?”
More than that. “Yes.”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”
I’m not sure why I’m suddenly feeling annoyed. I’d like nothing more than to think Dart and I have a future. But there’s still this niggling doubt that he won’t be faithful, and after those years I wasted with Ron, I never want to feel second best again.
Drummer’s watching me closely, as if he can read my thoughts. “Dart’s a good man, Alex. One of my best. I’ve known him for six years and never seen him treat a woman bad, and he’s always been fair with the men. That’s why I chose him to go to San Diego. He’s not going to turn on you like Thompson. And seems to me, you chose him yourself. Poor man didn’t have a chance once you’d shaken your ass at him.”
I still have difficulty believing I attracted Dart in the first place, and it’s even harder to think I could keep him. “Look at me, Drum. I’m not the type of woman that a man like Dart goes for.”
“Think it’s too late to say that.” He raps his fingers on the desk. “But for the record, I agree. You’re not the type of woman he’d go with just for a fuck. You,” now he points at me, “are the type that a man like Dart makes an ol’ lady.”
I stare at him, still unconvinced.
He sighs. “You know how I got my name, Alex? I’m not ashamed to admit I’d take easy pussy wherever I could find it. But once I met my ol’ lady, it was easy to put that behind me. She’s the only woman I’ll eve
r want. With club whore’s there’s something missing, one is as good as another. There’s no emotion involved. What you’ve got with Dart is very different. Oh, he fought it, that’s plain to see. But from the moment he met you, he wanted to give both you and your boy a better life. You’ve got to stop comparing yourself to any of the club girls and realise what Dart’s offering you.”
I look down at my fingers twisting in my lap. Am I always going to let the insults Ron repeated until I believed them rule my life? Am I always going to think I’m not good enough for the man that I want. Or can I stand straight and take what I’m being offered. Isn’t it about time I started thinking more of myself and giving Dart credit for doing what he’s said? Drummer gives me a few moments to process, and I use the time wisely.
Coming to a decision, I raise my head. “Alright, Drummer. Working on the assumption Dart and I will work out, I’d love to take you up on your offer.” Then I start thinking about transferring my credits and the practical side, and that flicker of anticipation starts burning again.
“In the meantime,” Drummer waits until I return my attention to him, “I take it you’ve a good head on your shoulders. With Dart gone, we need someone to manage the strip club. Road will take over some of it, but how about you help us out and work alongside him? Scheduling the girls, dealing with when they want the night off. Fuck, when the babysitter lets them down or some other crap. You won’t make the same in tips, but we’d pay you a decent wage.”
I could do that. Eagerly I nod. “That sounds great, Drum. But isn’t it dangerous for me to go off the compound?”
“You need time to heal up, darlin’. Don’t expect you to make an immediate start. But there are ways around it until your problem’s sorted. You can go in the back way and keep to the office when there are customers in.”
They keep alluding to a future time when I’ll no longer have Ron coming after me. As Drum says, I’m not stupid, but I feel no remorse hoping their suggesting a permanent solution to my problems. He tried to kill me after all. But I don’t dare come right out and ask him.
“In the meantime, there’s something else to keep you occupied. We’re arranging a poker run as you know, and that’s something you can help with. Couple of the brothers have been involved in that before, and Sam’s going to throw her hand in. You up to getting in on that?”
As it’s for Tyler’s benefit, I don’t see how I can refuse even if I wanted to. And it will give me something to do rather than just hanging around waiting for Dart to get back. I answer quickly, “Sure, Drummer. I don’t know what the hell I’ll be doing, but I’m in.”
“Check with Sam, she’ll let you know how far she’s gotten.”
I leave Drummer’s office feeling more light-hearted than I have for a while. He seems pretty certain Dart was serious in the commitment he seemed to be making last night. How on earth did I get so lucky as to land myself such a man? And now I’ve got a purpose in life and can look forward to having a career that I’ve always wanted. In the meantime, he’s given me a job. And while I heal, something to do. If it wasn’t for the fact I haven’t physically got my man at my side, I’d be walking on air.
After checking on Tyler and discovering Jayden’s got both him and Amy happily doing some colouring, I go into the clubroom and see Sam sitting at a table drinking some coffee. Grabbing a cup for myself, I go and join her.
She looks up at me with a grin. “Drum’s told you I volunteered you, I take it?”
Smiling, I sit down. “Seeing as it’s for Tyler, I’m happy to help. Just don’t have a clue what needs doing.”
“You and me both. Wraith’s joining us in a few. Rock and Lady are coming along too. They’ve all been on charity runs before, so can give us some ideas.”
“When we planning this for?”
She laughs. “I’ve got no clue. Soon as possible, as you need the money, but it will take time to organise, I already know that. Hey, here come the boys now. We can start getting some answers.” She pulls an iPad toward her and winks when she sees me eyeing it. “Mouse said it was best to keep notes on here. That way we can print them out for everyone to see.”
“Want me to be notetaker?”
“Oh, if you would. I’m better at tuning an engine than tapping on a keyboard.” She sighs gratefully as she passes the tablet over.
“So, ladies,” Wraith grabs a chair and turns it around and straddles it, “we’re talking poker run, right?”
Sam nods. “First, we just need to throw around some thoughts about what we need to do.”
Rock and Lady settle themselves down. Rock waves toward Hyde and gestures for him to bring beers. I decline, having only just had breakfast. Surely it’s too early for alcohol? But the boys clearly don’t care, taking the bottles Hyde puts down in front of them.
“When you thinking of?”
“Soon as possible, Wraith.”
The VP thinks for a moment. “Best ones take six months or more to plan, but I reckon we can do it in three if we push hard. Time’s of the essence, isn’t it, Alex?”
“It is,” I agree. “But can I ask, exactly what is a poker run?” I’ve always thought you don’t get far if you try to hide your ignorance. Best be up front about what you don’t know.
Rock, for some reason, takes a gun out of his cut and places it on the table in front of him. He proceeds to spin it with his hands. Then nodding at Wraith and Lady, says, “I’ll take this, shall I?” At their nods, he continues, “It’s a run where the winner is the person who ends up with the best poker hand. The run should be long enough to be interesting, but not so far as to put people off. We should aim for about seventy-five miles to a hundred.
“We sell tickets. Each entrant is given his first playing card at the beginning of the run, then there’s usually five checkpoints, and at each of those participants will draw another card and have it marked off on a score sheet. At the end of the day, the person with the best hand takes home the prize.” He pauses to take a swig of his beer. “Now the bit you’re interested in, Alex, is how it makes money. Obviously, first off is the entry fee, but set that too high and people won’t enter. The idea is to get them to empty their wallets during the day.”
Lady takes over. “Auctions are good. We’ll need people to donate prizes, of course. And competitions, who’s got the longest beard, that kind of thing.”
Wraith butts in. “We need to decide somewhere where people can assemble, somewhere like a restaurant is a good starting point. And at the end, something to make people stay and part with more money. A band and a beer tent, or somewhere that provides food and drink.”
I swallow, only now realising how complicated this is. I’ve been trying to take notes but they’re all in a muddle. “Hold on a minute. There’s a heck of a lot of organising to do. Can we go slower so I can start making a list? Then it sounds like we need to assign people to do various tasks.”
Wraith nods. “Makes sense. Right, where to start?”
“Date and route,” Rock suggests. I wish he’d stop spinning that gun, it’s making me feel nervous.
“Will the end of January give us enough time?”
“Yeah, I’ll check what else is going on at that time. Don’t want to clash with a run from another club.”
“I’ll talk to Joker about planning a route, as he’s road captain, that’s his job. We’ll sort out the start and end points, and talk to the police.”
I’m busy scribbling it all down. End of January. Road Captain plans route.
“We need someone to approach sponsors. The Harley shop in Tucson might be on board. We’ll need to check insurance at the properties at the start and end, and at the waypoints. And permits if we need them.”
“I can do that.” After years of disuse, I’m looking forward to getting my brain working again. And while it seems a mammoth task, I’m starting to enjoy myself.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dart…
I’ve been in San Diego a week now. Every day I’ve spo
ken to Alex, who’s been roped into organising the poker run. She seems to have taken to it like a duck to water, and at least I don’t have to worry about her brooding. It’s never easy to maintain a long-distance relationship, and one so embryonic is even harder. I’m trying to find some space to make that promised visit home, but it’s difficult as my VP duties seem to be taking all my time.
There are now only twelve patched members at the club, fourteen counting myself and Lost, and I know a couple have been thinking about leaving. I’ve spent more than one evening expounding the virtues of the Satan’s Devils Motorcycle Club, even though after all that’s happened it’s hard to sound convincing. Having a president, an officer, and several members go their own way is a dark cloud hanging heavy over everyone here.
And then there’s the workload. Like the Tucson club, San Diego runs an auto-shop, a strip club, and several small businesses, including one that particularly interests me for future reference, a tattoo shop. Being nine men down, work’s piling up, and grumbles increasing at the end of each day. Lost and I have moved men around, but we are loath to close down any of the businesses. I floated the idea of employing civilians until we can get our membership back up, and so some of my time has been spent interviewing candidates.
To date, I’ve taken on two new mechanics. We’ll just have to see how they shape up.
It’s taken longer than I hoped, but today I hope to find some space to work on my own pet project—taking out Thompson and setting Alex free once and for all. Salem and Pennywise—shit, I can’t get over those handles—are joining me for a beer and to try to pull together a plan of action. I’m pleased to find as I walk down from my room, they’re not only ready and waiting for me, but have also got beers lined up.
Salem waits for me to sit down, then gets straight down to business. “Right. You want this cop taken out. How we going to play this? What ya thinking?”
I push back a strand of hair that’s escaped from my bun, tucking it behind my ear. “The cops know his wife’s shacked up with a man from the club.” They do, they just don’t have the right man. “We don’t want any suspicion to fall on the Satan’s Devils.”
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