Fueled in Fire

by Ryan Michele

A knock came to the door, and it opened. Brewer walked in and behind him was a man in his forties or fifties. Tattoos on his arms with a buzz cut. Face steel. Interesting. Rising from the chair, I held my hand out. “Crow.”

  “Tony.” He took my hand, and it was strong. Another good thing.

  “Sit.”

  Brewer started naming shit off to tell me how qualified the guy was. I held my hand up, and he stopped. Leaning into my desk, I put my elbows on top and looked Tony straight in the eye.

  “You know who we are?”

  “Yes,” he answered immediately.

  “You know if you fuck us, we’ll fuck you.”

  “Yes.”

  “That means a bullet in your head.” He didn’t flinch. “You do the job and get paid. You get us the information we need. Wrong Way will be in charge of the place, and you’re under him. You fuck up. He tells me, and I handle it. Is that clear?”

  His focus never left me. It was impressive. “Yes.”

  “Don’t piss me off,” I told him, nodding to Brewer. “Head out.”

  Brewer took the man out.

  I picked up my phone and dialed Rylynn. Once again. She didn’t answer.

  Needing to be on my bike, the ride to Stagnet was good. Even with my mind on Rylynn and the reason for the ride, the sun and wind felt reassuring. Bear stayed at the club while the rest of us rolled out.

  We cut our engines right outside the Purple Pride. The building itself was small, white outside with beer logo signs in the windows. It looked like an old house renovated to be a bar. Behind it was a very large barn, one that looked like it’d been there for years, but had a brand new paint job.

  Tire tracks led to the large door on the left side.

  Before we swung our legs off our bikes, the small side door of the barn opened and several men walked out. Their guns weren’t out, but could be seen. They were locked and loaded, making me wonder what the fuck was in that building.

  Getting off quick, we didn’t have to walk to them. They came to us instead.

  “No reason for you to be out here,” the one obviously in the lead declared. He was clean cut with dark hair. Jeans, shirt, nothing out of the ordinary.

  He had about a dozen men at his back.

  It wasn’t him that caught my attention though. It was Simon, Sophia’s man, that was in the middle of the group that did. His face was stone, either he didn’t recognize me or he did and didn’t give a fuck.

  “We just came up for a beer. This is a bar, isn’t it?” I asked seeing some cars parked in front of the bar. “Heard of this place and wanted to check it out. Is there a problem?”

  “You’re not welcome here.”

  “Right,” I said, wondering why Tex and Phoenix didn’t get this nice welcome when they stopped up here. “Why is that? Is there somethin’ that Ravage needs to know about up here?”

  “Nothin’ that’s any of your business,” another man, this one blond, said with his arms crossed his chest. He was short yet stocky.

  “You mean to tell me we hauled our asses all the way up here for nothin’,” Wrong Way said at my side. “I wanted a beer.”

  The blond reached, and I whipped out my gun aiming it at him. All guns from both sides went up quick. Each side facing the end of a chamber ready to have a bullet put in their heads.

  “You runnin’ drugs, guns, or pussy?” I asked like it was a normal conversation to have over a dozen guns pointed at my head. It’d been awhile since we had any issues, but once they came, they decided to come all at the same time.

  “None of your fuckin’ business.”

  Phoenix took a step forward. “Everything in and around Rebellion is our business. But you know that, and you’re still trying to do fucked up shit. You think we wouldn’t come for you?”

  “We don’t give a fuck who you think you are. We know who we are, and we protect what’s ours,” the dark-haired man replied, not even a wobble to his gun. Impressive. These guys were trained either from years of doing this or some kind of military background.

  “Seems like we have at least one thing in common. Ebony own this place?” I asked.

  A few eyes went to others, and the two in the very back were the weak ones. One was visibly sweating, it pouring down his face. The other’s gun hand was shaking and eyes were wired. Those would be the two we needed for answers. The rest of these fucks it would be more difficult. Not impossible, we just went the path of least resistance.

  I shrugged when no one answered. “No worries. We’ll go visit her.”

  They said nothing as we put our weapons away, got on our bikes, and rode for a while, then pulled over to a clearing off the side of the road. We needed to brief about what just happened in there.

  Standing under the tree, I spoke, “Alright. First thing is first. Sophia’s man, Simon, was there. Dark hair in the middle.” I looked at Wrong Way. “You call Ethan and my boy. You get all that asshole’s stuff out of Sophia’s house in the next two hours along with a new code for her alarm and new locks. Ethan stays outside that house. If that fucker comes around, you tell him to blow his fuckin’ head off. I’ll deal with it.”

  Wrong Way nodded, and I turned to the guys. “What are we thinkin’ here? It’s out in the middle of nowhere, so I’m not thinkin’ pussy. I’m thinkin’ they’re cookin’.”

  Nods came while Hornet spoke, “That or they have a distribution center there. Either drugs or guns. Did you see what they were packin’. That’s pretty hard artillery to have, and if they’re dealin’ guns we got a bigger fuckin’ problem.”

  Brewer added, “And we need to get it locked down as soon as possible or this shit will get ugly.”

  Looking to Hornet and Rooster, I said, “Need eyes inside that place. What will it take to get them there?”

  Hornet huffed out a huge breath. “Fuck if I know. I know we can’t get in the place unless it’s a time when no one’s there, but since we showed up they’ll be more vigilant. I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  “The two guys in the back. The one sweatin’ and the one shakin’. Did you see ‘em?” I asked everyone.

  “Yeah,” came from Wrong Way, and a “yes,” came from Brewer.

  “We need those two. Don’t care how the fuck you get them, but we need them and any information we can drag up. Those are the weak links.”

  Tex nodded along with several others.

  “Tex and Wrong Way, on that shit and report back.”

  “Got it,” they said at the same time.

  “I’ll run by Ebony’s again and see if she’s there,” Phoenix said.

  “Fine, but you take Lemon.” They nodded, but Lemon hadn’t looked me in the fuckin’ eye since I saw him. Hiding something or know he’s going to get his ass handed to him. That’s the question.

  “Right. Back to the clubhouse and get more information. Don’t give a shit how you need to get it. Get it. We gotta get this shit sorted and do it now. Get Tommy’s ass on this shit as well.”

  That and I needed to get a fucking hold of Rylynn.

  Guess when things get fucked they just keep getting worse.

  12

  Rylynn

  The last few days I’d been nothing but miserable. Learning you actually loved someone and they didn’t feel the same hurt beyond measure. It was a physical pain in the chest knowing that the man you’d love to be next to didn’t want you there.

  I’d felt it each mile I rode away from him in Rebellion. It was what needed to be done though. He loved her. As much as it killed what Crow did, Greer was right. They would get back together and be a family.

  Witnessed it with my own eyes. Twice.

  Fool me once, shame on you.

  Fool me twice, shame on me.

  I was no fucking fool.

  A hard pounding came to the door. It was my father, could tell by the sound. It was his calling card. At least it gave me a few moments to pull my shit together before he would barge in and grill me.

  He’d allowed me to keep to
myself for a while, which I appreciated, but knew my time was coming to an end. I was actually surprised that it took this long. My father wasn’t a patient man. It said a lot about him, giving me the time to get my head screwed on. I could use a lot longer though to get right about Crow.

  Getting up I moved to the door, seeing my father through the peephole and opening it up. “Hey, Daddy dearest.”

  He wrapped his arms around me hugging me tight. Not realizing the comfort was much needed, I melted into my father pulling from his strength, soaking in every drop. I hated feeling weak in any way, but fuck if this didn’t cut me to the quick. He didn’t move for long moments giving me his time. That was him though. He always gave his girls everything. Even when he was pissed at us, he always gave. He was that kind of dad. Hell, he was that kind of man. Loved him with everything inside of me, and no one would fault me for wanting that for myself.

  Crow just wasn’t that guy.

  Dad pulled away and went to my couch tossing his big, beefy body down. I swore I heard the springs creak in protest. Sitting next to him on the opposite end, I came right out with it. My dad didn’t pussyfoot around shit and neither did I. “Crow and I were together a couple of times. He was hurting, and I cared about him. So I got on his bike and went to Rebellion. It’s no big deal, and it’s over.”

  “Why?” my father asked as my head whipped to him, not expecting that question at all. I’d thought he’d be happy it was over, not asking me why. That was unusual for him.

  “Why what?”

  “Why’s it over?” he grunted in the way only he could.

  Well, that surprised me. I expected him to ask why I got on the bike and took off leaving my family and everything I knew behind. He’d understand that I cared about the man, but he’d want to get down to the nitty gritty of it. Instead, he wanted to know why it was over.

  Pulling my knees up, my arms went around them tight. My father would wait the few beats it took me to pull my words together. He’d done it so many times when I was little, waiting until I came clean about something and always getting it out of me one way or the other. He was creative in his ways.

  Therefore, instead of procrastinating I talked. “He needs to be with his family.”

  “Explain,” he demanded, snaking chills up my arms.

  “He’s got a son and daughter. He has deep feelings for his boy’s mom, and she loves him too. They should be together for their kid.” I left out the part about them kissing, especially considering Crow was Cruz’s kid. All of that was some jacked up shit.

  Dad leaned forward coming closer to me, and I swore he smelled my bullshit. “Just because someone has a kid with a woman doesn’t mean they’re gonna be together. You’re smarter than that shit.”

  That pissed me right the hell off because I was smart and didn’t just come up with this shit out of the blue. I wanted to talk, I just didn’t get to that because his actions changed my mind. My foot went down on the floor, while my other came up on the couch bending at the knee so I was turned to my father, blood pumping through my veins rapidly as the anger took over.

  “That’s exactly what I thought. Just because he has a kid means shit. Then, I saw him kissing his boy’s mother the night before the funeral. Let it go so we could talk about it after all the shit of the day was done. When his boy found me at the clubhouse and spewed all kinds of stupid shit, I knew it was exactly that because he wanted his mom and dad together. The more he spewed, the more I didn’t give a shit. I was going to talk to Crow as soon as I could and get everything ironed out. I mean, maybe it was a fluke with the kiss. Hell if I knew, but I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Then I come out of the bathroom at the clubhouse and Sophia is up on her tiptoes, head up and Crow’s got his down. They were kissing, again.”

  This visions of them together blasted my head, and I couldn’t turn it off. Living in my head wasn’t the way to go, but I’d been doing it for days unable to talk about it.

  I stood up in my living room and started to pace needing the movement. I hadn’t talked about any of this, and here I was—with my father of all people—pouring everything out and knowing it wouldn’t be good, but needing it out of me. My father didn’t do well with anyone hurting his girls, but I wasn’t stupid and he needed to know that as well. This decision wasn’t made on a whim.

  “He kissed her, with me there twice. The first time, he didn’t know I saw because I was in the hallway of his house and went right to bed so I didn’t have to talk about it, with it being his father’s funeral the next day and all. Then when I went up to him to tell him I was leaving the clubhouse after the second kiss. He jumped, obviously forgetting I was there and not realizing I saw him again. Since I wasn’t a priority for him, I left. End of discussion.”

  “Good,” my father said, halting my feet as I spun to him.

  “What do you mean good?”

  He leaned back in the couch putting his arm up along the back. “Not only did he kiss some piece, he’s not good enough.”

  “He’s your brother and the president of his charter. How is that not good enough?” I asked, coming closer, my arms now crossed over my chest. The urge to defend Crow hit me like a pile of bricks, and it was fierce. I hated it, but couldn’t stop it either.

  “First, he let you go.”

  I sat back in the couch. “What?”

  “He let you go, Ry. You told him you were leavin’ and he let you. Not good enough for you.”

  Tears pricked the back of my eyes. He was right, but… that didn’t mean I was off the hook too. “I didn’t give him an option.”

  My father leaned in. “You don’t think I would fight to the death to get through someone or something to get to your mom? That right there is a man who’s good enough for my daughter. Until that time, fuck ‘em.”

  “What’s the second?” I asked cautiously.

  “Been around the block. Know the woman was his kid’s mom, but if he was into you and only into you, he wouldn’t have put his lips on anyone else. You see me goin’ around kissin’ the bitches around here?”

  “No.”

  “Right. So not good enough.”

  Giving up, I moved next to my father and curled in a ball against him. Silent tears fell onto my shirt as my father wrapped his arms around me. “Get from the tears you liked ‘em.”

  “I fell for him, Dad, and did it hard. Didn’t realize how much until I rode away from Rebellion.” No way was I telling my father that I loved him. No way, no how. That would make my father’s anger worse, but he was here and obviously it needed to get off my chest.

  “Then I’m glad he’s a state over. You don’t need that shit.” He kissed the top of my head. “My girl deserves the best.”

  He was right, I did deserve the best. And I would find it. When I found the man for me, I would be the number one in his life, not a runner-up prize or second best. Instead of laying myself out there for a man, he should be laying out his shit for me. Crow didn’t do that.

  “You mean to tell me you have no idea what happened that night?” The pimpled kid sat on the couch, his mom and dad surrounding him on both sides. Today was as good a day as any to dig deeper into Elizabeth’s case. Add in I needed something to get my mind off Crow and this was the perfect distraction.

  Hell, I’d scrub the bathrooms in the clubhouse if it would give me a reprieve. Now that was saying something because those things were fucking gross.

  Irwin, the kid, shook his head over and over again as he darted his eyes to his parents. While having them gone would be best, he was underage and I wasn’t stupid. Maybe a bit shocked that they even allowed it in the first place. Not being a cop didn’t seem to matter much to them.

  Holding up my phone, the screen showed Irwin and his friend, Snider, with Elizabeth. Then she disappeared and they were seen outside the door. “Is that you?”

  “Yeah. But I don’t know what happened. She smiled at us, and Sni thought maybe she liked him and went after her. I followed, but she
never came out. Her friend Penny came to the door, knocked on it, but Elizabeth didn’t answer. We took off.”

  That account goes hand in hand with what happened on the video. Not to mention Sni was a much cooler name than Snider. No wonder he changed it. “You didn’t see anything or hear anything when she was in the bathroom?”

  “I didn’t hear anything, but the music was pretty loud.”

  “I think this is done,” his father said, standing up from the couch where he and his wife flanked their son.

  The boy turned to him, relief coming over his face. His mother must’ve seen it because she said, “Tell her the truth.”

  “Mary!” the father exclaimed as he shot daggers at his wife.

  “Don’t you Mary me. This girl has been missing a long time. I couldn’t imagine what that mother is going through. Answer her,” she demanded once again.

  Irwin shook his head once again. “Sni had his ear up to the door and was smilin’. He said he heard her flush the toilet, and I found it weird that something like that would make him happy. He said he heard some kind of racket then nothing. He pulled away, and we took off.”

  Paying a trip to Sni was my next go. “Thank you for your help.”

  The mother jumped up coming to the door to open it. “I hope you find that little girl,” she said as I bid farewell and headed to the next one.

  The trip to Sni’s house was short.

  When I pulled up to the house, all was quiet. No cars or windows open. Knocking on the door gave me more of nothing. Curtains were closed as well.

  Looking at my watch, another cheating husband was on the agenda and meeting his piece at X. Studio X was a strip club run by Princess and owned by the club. This should be an easy go.

  Anything to get my mind away from him.

  13

  Crow

  Sitting in church, I looked around the table at my brothers, all eager for answers that hopefully one of us had.

  “Kevin knows too much. He needs to be dealt with,” Phoenix said my thoughts out loud. Kevin had nothing for us on Rook’s case and was becoming a liability to the club. One we didn’t need. I’d called him twice getting the same roll around. The club was done with his shit.