by L. Wilder
“I’m not having this discussion with you. If you want to take me to court, take me to court, but you are no longer in control of what goes on in my life. I make my own decisions, and they have nothing to do with you. It’s time for you to do the same.”
“Remember what I said. Keep your garbage away from my kids.”
I wasn’t surprised when he hung up. It was what he did when he knew he’d made his point. I tossed my cell phone down on my desk, and it was all I could do to keep myself from screaming. I might’ve been divorced from him, but I would never truly be free of him or his controlling ways—and neither would my boys.
Chapter 9
Widow
“You know, I’m suddenly in the mood for a good ol’ cup of coffee.”
“What?”
Menace and I had just gone by the storage lot to drop off the week’s take from the club. It was a run we’d made many times, and never once had he ever been in the mood for fucking coffee. “Didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m not gonna make it unless I get some caffeine in me.”
“Fine.” I pointed my hand up the street. “Stop at the Tiger Mart up ahead and get you some fucking coffee.”
“Nah, their coffee tastes like ass.” He was playing it all innocent as he announced, “I’m in the mood for some real coffee.”
“And where you planning on getting this real coffee?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he remained silent until he pulled up in front of Frankie’s coffee shop. “I heard this is a good place.”
“We’re not going in there, brother.”
“Oh, yeah. We are.”
Before I could stop him, he got out of the truck and started towards the front door. Fearing what he might say to Frankie, I got out and followed him inside. As we started up to the counter, I was relieved to see that instead of Frankie, there was a cute redhead. A mischievous grin crossed her face as she said, “Hey, aren’t you the guy who helped my sister out with her tire?”
“Yeah, that’d be me.”
“I thought so.”
I was hoping we could get out of there without seeing Frankie, but as fate would have it, she was already there. When the girl noticed her standing in the hall, she motioned her hand over to us as she told her, “Hey, Frankie! There’s someone here to see you!”
“I see that.” Her eyes were wide with surprise as she made her way behind the counter. “I wasn’t expecting you to stop by.”
“Wasn’t exactly planning on it.”
“Yeah, that’s on me.” Menace patted me on the shoulder as he said, “The name’s Menace. My brother here has been telling me about how great the coffee is here, so I thought I’d check it out for myself.”
“Is that so?”
Menace nodded. “Um-hmm, and I could use a good cup of Joe right about now.”
“Well, I can certainly help you out with that.” Frankie looked skeptical as she glanced over at me and asked, “Was there a particular kind of coffee you had in mind? Maybe a latte or a cappuccino?”
“Just a couple of cups of regular coffee. Black. No sugar.”
Menace looked around the shop as he said, “Nice place you got here.”
“Thank you. I’m pretty proud of it.”
“You should be.” Menace stepped back and let his eyes slowly skirt over the cute redhead, making sure she knew he was checking her out. I gave him a glaring look, warning him to watch his fucking step, but he didn’t listen. The asshole was enjoying himself too much. “You got a name, beautiful?”
“Sydney.” Her cheeks blushed as she told him, “I’m Frankie’s sister.”
“I see good looks run in the family.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet.”
Frankie stepped over and placed our coffee on the counter. “Here ya go.”
“How much do we owe ya?”
“It’s on the house.” A warm smile crossed her face as she told me, “It’s the least I could do for, you know... everything.”
“Thanks, babe. Much appreciated.” Menace grabbed the two cups from the counter. As he handed me mine, he looked at me like he was expecting me to do or say something. When I didn’t, he shook his head and said, “I guess we best get going.”
“Probably so.” I looked over to Frankie and said, “Good to see ya, Frankie.”
“Good to see you, too. Hope to see you again sometime.”
Menace gave her one of his smirks as he replied, “I’m sure you will.”
With that, we both walked out and started towards the truck. I was about to open my door when he came up beside me and asked, “Seriously?”
“What?”
“That chick is hot as fuck, and in case you didn’t notice, she’s got it pretty bad for you.”
“I don’t have time for this shit, brother.”
“Make time.” He was almost shouting as he snapped, “You can’t let a woman like that slip through your fingers, man.”
“A woman like that deserves better than a man like me.”
“That’s the lame-assed shit you hear in fucking chick-flicks, and it’s total bullshit!” He threw his hands up in the air. “So fucking thick-headed. I give up. Not gonna say another damn thing about it.”
I didn’t say a word as I got in the truck and slammed the door. In fact, I didn’t speak to him for the entire ride back to the clubhouse. I knew there was no point in talking to him. He’d never understand why I wouldn’t, couldn’t, pursue Frankie, so I left it alone and prayed he’d do the same. Thankfully, he did—only cause we had so much other shit going on. We were all having to double up on shifts at each of the two strip clubs, and between all the extra hours there and the upcoming run, we barely had time to catch our breaths—much less talk about fucking chicks. That didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about Frankie, ‘cause I had. Hell, the woman plagued my every thought. Thankfully, our early morning run with Flint gave me a short reprieve from my insanity.
“Are y’all all set?”
“Yeah, Prez,” Hawk answered. “We’re about to roll out.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll call Flint and let him know you’re on your way.”
We were about to start loading up, when Rafe asked, “Any of y’all seen Country?”
“Nope. Haven’t seen him since last night at the club,” Lynch answered. “He was laying it on pretty thick with CC. Maybe he ended up shacking up at her place or something.”
CC was one of the strippers at the club. Country hadn’t tried to hide the fact he was interested. It was possible he’d gone over to her place, but Rafe wasn’t buying it. “I don’t know, man. It’s not like him to be late for a run, much less miss one altogether.” He turned to Menace as he asked, “Were you there at closing?”
“I headed out early. Had a killer headache, so I got Marlowe to collect the nightly receipts and Country to close.” Menace’s brows furrowed as he asked, “You tried calling him?”
“Yeah, but the asshole’s not answering.” He paused for a minute, then turned to Hawk, “What about Marlowe? She say anything about seeing him?”
Hawk shook his head. “He was still there when I picked her up last night.”
“Damn.”
I could see that Rafe was troubled by the fact that Country wasn’t there. The two had always been pretty tight, and Rafe knew better than anyone that Country wouldn’t miss a run without good reason, especially this one. We’d be carrying double the take, and Viper had made it clear that he wanted all hands on deck, so it made sense that Rafe would be worried. Hell, I was a little concerned myself, but shit happens. Country could’ve just had too much to drink or overslept. Hoping to ease Rafe’s mind, I said, “Lynch is probably right. He probably had too much to drink and is laid up at CC’s place.”
“I agree. We could go by there on the way out and see if he’s there,” Hawk suggested.
“Nah. Let’s just forget it for now. That way we can give him hell about it when we get back.”
“Sounds like
a plan.”
When we started to the SUVs, Rafe turned to Menace and said, “Let me know if you hear anything from him.”
“Will do, and if I haven’t heard from him in a couple of hours, I’ll do what I can to track him down.”
“Thanks, brother.”
“No problem. You boys be careful.”
“Always.”
I got in the SUV with Lynch, Shotgun, and Rafe, and we waited until Hawk, Axel, Danny, and Badger got in Hawk’s truck. Once everyone was set, Lynch pulled out of the gate, and after he’d checked to see that Hawk was following behind, we were on our way. It was a routine pick up, one we’d done many times before, but this time, I had an uneasy feeling. Apparently, Axel’s gut feeling was wearing off on me. I knew my brothers and I would handle anything that came our way, so I did my best to shake it and focus on our upcoming meet with Flint.
The guys were quiet as we pulled up to the abandoned warehouse. Even after we’d parked, no one said a word. We just pulled out our weapons and watched silently as Shotgun and Hawk got out of the SUV and started towards the back entrance. It looked like there wasn’t a soul around. The building was on the verge of collapse with litter and debris covering the grounds, but that’s the way Flint liked it. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was there, and from what I could tell, it was paying off. Hawk was about to reach for the door when one of Flint’s many guards stepped out to greet them. When they followed him inside, I tightened my grip on my Glock, preparing for whatever may go down.
Moments later, Hawk and Shotgun came out carrying the two metal briefcases. Two of Flint’s guards followed them out, and we waited as they placed them in the hidden compartment beneath the passenger seat. Once they had it secured, Hawk climbed into his SUV and Shotgun got in the truck with us. And that was it. No surprise attack. No altercation with Flint or his guards. The whole thing went off without a hitch. Even as we headed home, there were no signs of trouble. I couldn’t understand why I had that gnawing feeling that something wasn’t right. We were just a few minutes from the clubhouse, and everyone was kicked back and feeling relaxed, when a black van came barreling up behind us. Lynch eased off the accelerator, hoping the guy would just whip around us. He didn’t. Instead, he just inched closer—so close his front bumper was almost touching our rear end.
“What’s the deal with this motherfucker?”
“No idea.” Shotgun turned to look out the rear window. “Just stay calm and maybe this dickhead will move on.”
“He’s right on my fucking ass.”
“I see that, brother. Just keep your eyes on the road.” Shotgun looked at me as he asked, “Can you see anything through those fucking tinted windows?”
“Not a damn thing.” I didn’t like the look of them, not one fucking bit. “We need to lose ‘em.”
“Too big of a risk.”
“Too big of a risk not to,” I warned.
Shotgun pulled out his phone and called Hawk. After he informed him we had a tail, Hawk took a quick turn and started down a different street. When we followed behind, the van didn’t follow. Instead, it continued straight ahead. “What the fuck was that?”
“Got no fucking clue.”
Shotgun let Hawk know the tail was gone, but Hawk wasn’t taking any chances. He took several extra turns and made sure to take a completely different route back to the clubhouse. When we pulled up, Menace was waiting for us in the parking lot. As soon as we started to get out of the SUV, he came over and said, “Heard y’all ran into some trouble.”
“Not exactly sure what we ran into,” Shotgun answered. “Might’ve been nothing, but I highly fucking doubt it.”
“Any idea who was in the van?”
“Not a fucking clue. The tint was too dark to see.”
Menace nodded. “I’ll see if I can pull up anything on the street cams. Maybe I can get a license number or something.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“I’ll get on it as soon as I head inside.” Menace motioned his head toward the clubhouse door. “Viper’s waiting for you in his office.”
Shotgun nodded, then headed inside. Eager to know if he’d heard anything from Country, Rafe rushed over to Menace and asked, “Any word on Country?”
“Sorry, man, but I haven’t heard a damn thing. I called CC, and she hasn’t seen him either.”
“So, he didn’t end up at her place last night?”
“She said he was planning to head over after he locked up, but he never showed.”
“Fuck.” Rafe ran his hand through his hair with frustration. “I just don’t get it. Where the hell could he be?”
“No idea. I tried tracking his phone but got nowhere. The damn thing is either dead or busted.”
“You check Stilettos?”
“Yeah. I pulled up the cameras, but there’s no sign of him there either.” Menace was doing his best to remain calm, but I could see the concern in his eyes. Hell, we were all concerned. It wasn’t like Country to go completely AWOL. “Talked to Viper about it. He thinks it’s time for us to try and run him down.”
I turned to Rafe as I asked, “Any ideas on where we should look?”
“I guess we could try checking out around his place. Maybe check Shiner’s, the bar across from Stilettos, and Mikey’s down on the strip.”
“What about Candy and Leigha? Any chance he might’ve slipped off with one of them after their shifts?” Menace never cracked a smile as he said, “You know he’s hooked up with them a couple of times.”
Knowing they lived out by Frankie’s, I replied, “I’ll go by there and see what they say.”
“We’ll divide up,” Hawk announced. “Check in if you see or hear anything from him.”
After a quick nod, we set out to our bikes, and one by one, we rushed through the gate in search of our brother. There was a good chance Country had just fucked up and partied too hard, but there was also a chance he was in some kind of trouble. Either way, it was up to us to find out. We might not have been bound by the same last name or even blood, but when we each joined the club, we’d made a pledge to one another—a pledge to show up whenever we’re needed most. No matter what the circumstance, we have each other’s backs. We stand by our brothers, even when we’re struggling to like ‘em—those days can be the hardest, but that’s what brotherhood is all about. It’s why none of us complained as we ventured out to find Country. He was one of our own, and we’d do whatever it took to make sure he was safe. But we’d also kick his fucking ass if he was laid up in bed with some chick.
I was hoping that was the case when I pulled up at Candy and Leigha’s apartment, but unfortunately, neither of them had seen him since the night before at the club. I messaged Rafe, and after hearing that Country wasn’t with the girls, he told me to go back to the storage lot and check in with Ada and Gladys to see if they’d heard from him. I was on my way there when I drove by the park behind Frankie’s place. I didn’t think much about it until something drew my attention over to a group of boys. Again, I didn’t think a lot about it ‘til I spotted Frankie’s son, Corry. He was with two other kids around his age, and they were huddled up with a local dealer. The two boys he was with were wearing hoodies over their heads, but Corry wasn’t doing a damn thing to cover himself from any onlookers.
I needed to get to the storage lot, so I was just gonna leave it. I figured Corry was old enough to handle things on his own, but then I spotted a cop sitting around the corner. Fearing Corry might find himself in trouble again, I turned back and pulled into a parking spot across the street. I got off my bike and started walking towards the group of boys. As soon as Corry spotted me coming his way, his eyes grew wide with panic. He was freaking out but did his best to hide it as he shoved his hands in his pocket and slowly ambled towards me. Forcing a smile, he held up his hand and said, “Hey, Widow. What are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same.”
“Ah, I was just catching up with some of my friends.” He
tried to play it cool as he shrugged and said, “You know, killing time and all that.”
“I see.” I glanced back over where he and his friends had been standing and wasn’t surprised to see that they’d moved to a more secluded spot a few yards away. “Looks like your friends are up to no good.”
“Nah. We’re just hanging out. No big deal.”
I didn’t have time nor the patience to put up with Corry and his bullshit. I needed to get going, so asked him, “Talking to a dealer something you usually do when you’re hanging out?”
Corry’s eyes dropped to the ground. “We were just looking to blow off some steam.”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“I was thinking about it.” He gave me a half-shrug. “Had to go to my dad’s this weekend, and it blew. He was in a mood all freakin’ weekend. On my ass about everything.”
“Your mom know where you are?”
“She thinks I’m with Dad.”
This whole thing was getting worse by the fucking minute. “Your dad know you’re here?”
“Nah. He thinks I’m at Sean’s basketball practice. I told him I wanted to go, so he dropped us off at the school.” He kicked a rock with his tennis shoe as he said, “I went in one door and out the other, and Dad didn’t have a clue. He was already long gone, so I came here and met up with my friends.”
“Probably not the best idea.”
“You’re right. It was stupid.” Corry grimaced as he said, “Already promised Mom I wouldn’t do this shit again. I guess I really am just a fuck up.”
“Not a fuck up. Just a kid who’s trying to figure shit out. But this right here...” I motioned my head towards his buddies as I said, “This isn’t the way to go.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I think it’s time to get you home. Come on. I’ll give you a ride.”
