by A. J. Downey
“Absolutely, I have one more call to make.” She looked down at her phone, fingertip tracing along the screen before she raised it to her ear.
“Yeah, Mom? I just got off the phone with him. I think I’ll be getting what I want by way of the financials tomorrow, but I think you’re right that something’s not right. I think we’re going to need an accountant to go over everything. Someone who’s on our side…”
I knew just the person for that job, I also knew just the person to do the digging that needed to be done to find out for sure what was what. Nothing that would stand up in a court, mind you, being that we’d technically be stealing the information, but sometimes when you wanted the truth, that’s what had to be done because neither one of these motherfuckers were being honest with her.
I couldn’t even imagine not being able to trust one of my brothers. The thought just boggled my mind, I couldn’t conceive of it. I wasn’t just talking my blood, or the foster brothers I came up with, I meant all of them. My chosen brothers, my club, none of them would even conceive of stabbing you in the back like this. It just wasn’t how things were done. When you belonged to something like the club, there wasn’t no way any of us would be so dumb as to fuck that up. I mean, sometimes it happened, but the consequences of being out bad? Not worth it.
It was just easier to maintain your integrity than not, I just didn’t understand why more people didn’t do it. I’m not talking being a law abiding citizen, don’t get it twisted, I’m talking personal integrity as a man. Society had it all fucked up. Integrity wasn’t just being a good little law-abiding sheep, especially when so many laws violated common sense so hard.
A man hits you, don’t hit him back, boy… No, a man hits you, you protect yourself. You fuckin’ stand up for yourself and make sure that same man will never make that mistake twice. It’s what I’d done, and society reamed my ass a new one over it. I’d already been with the club when that shit went down, but if I hadn’t, it surely would have driven me right fuckin’ to it. I paid for my ‘mistake’ by society’s fuckin’ standards but society didn’t believe in second chances as much as they’d have you fuckin’ believe.
I showered up quick and dressed even quicker. Bailey was pacing on the front porch, ready to go. She was agitated, but it wasn’t out of pocket. If anything, she needed to be, this shit had gone on long enough. I only wished her mamma had reached out before it got so bad.
“Let’s go, boss lady.”
Bailey shook her head but followed me off the porch, “It’s past quittin’ time, Rush. I’m not your boss again until tomorrow morning.”
I thought about that and asked, “That mean you’re willin’ to give me a try?”
She stopped and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
I pussed out, I pussed out hard by saying, “Nothing, forget it.”
I threw a leg over my bike and started it up the growl drowning out whatever she was going to say. I put a bandanna on over my wet hair to keep it down and strapped on my brain bucket. Bailey did the same and we rode out, I’d gotten a text back from Dragon by the time I got out of the shower, and so we headed for Ghost and Shelly’s. Data was going to meet us out there and we could round table some of Bailey’s problem.
I figured that Shelly could use the money that would come from reviewing Blue Hills’ books, while Data could definitely track down if Caleb was doing anything out of pocket. We rolled up to the house and Ghost’s tow truck was out front, so was his bike but his regular pickup was missing. Shelly, pregnant with her second, came out the house’s front door with her first on her hip.
“Hi!” she called out.
“Hey, mamma!” I called out by way of greeting. Bailey got off the bike and asked low enough to where I could just hear, “Why did you bring me here?”
“Shelly is the best damn accountant I’ve ever met. If she can’t find anything fucked up in your books, then there ain’t anything fucked up to find. Plus, she’s not related in any way to either your assclown brother or your father’s dick of a best friend.”
She stared up at me, her delicate face stony and unreadable before she finally drew in a deep breath and said, “You are so hot right now.”
I laughed and put an arm around her and led her up to Ghost’s front porch. Shelly led us into the kitchen and through the house to the back deck, which was shaded by an awning. She had iced tea waiting and set Harmony into a nearby playpen. The little shit immediately started to throw a fit so I went over and picked her up, bouncing her.
“Oh, what, what, what?” I demanded and she stared at me, transfixed and held her rag doll up for me to kiss, so I did. Bailey watched me, transfixed and completely missing what Shelly had said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Shelly laughed, “Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? These big and burly, badass bikers going all Stay Puft Marshmallow Man around the kids.”
“Yeah,” Bailey admitted.
Ghost decided that was the time to come out the back door and say, “Babe, I’m back from the store, you want I should fire up the grill now?”
“No, you didn’t answer your phone, I want you should go back to the store and grab more. Dragon and Data are coming, maybe a couple other of the guys.”
Ghost hung his head and I laughed, “Want me to go with you, man?”
“Naw, naw, I got it. You must be Bailey.”
“Yes, hi, I am indeed Bailey.”
“Ghost.” They shook hands and Shelly smiled at her man. I’d wanted for a long time for a woman to look at me the way she looked at him. If anything, it was my deepest desire in life. I still wasn’t sure about doing the whole family thing. I could see it, if it were the right woman, maybe.
The table they had out here on the deck was a six-seater, heavy iron and glass with matching chairs. Shelly had setup her laptop at one end and I pulled out one of the chairs, sitting with Harmony on my lap. She was a little fussy, rubbing her eyes and tired. She was coming up on a year already. Damn time flies. It definitely reminded me I wasn’t getting any younger, not that I was old mind you, just about to turn thirty-seven.
I rocked Harmony and watched as Bailey and Ghost said goodbye for the moment. Finally, she and Shelly returned to the table. Shelly sat down where she’d been working and Bailey took the seat across from mine.
“So, I’m told that you need an accountant you can trust.”
Bailey nodded. “That’s the understatement of the year.”
“You bring me anything?” she asked.
Bailey shook her head, “It’s all online, on my phone. I can print off what I have by the way of numbers for the farm but there’s no telling what Caleb’s numbers look like.”
“Gimme what you’ve got,” Shelly said, turning her laptop in Bailey’s direction. Bailey took a deep breath and let it out. She looked at me and her gaze clearly read I’m trusting you. I smiled, and gave her a careful nod. I trusted Shelly, I trusted Ghost and Dragon, and Dray, and Reaver and all of my club brothers and sisters. Bailey needed to learn who she could trust and clearly, the people she was supposed to trust, had fucked her one too many times for her to do it easy, but she was willing to give it a shot here. That was pretty hot as far as I was concerned.
She pulled up her books and passed the laptop back to Shelly who looked over all of them, her clear blue eyes intent; her head faintly bobbing along the columns of numbers. She looked up at Bailey and nodded.
“It’s a start, now I just need something to compare it to.”
“I should have those financials for you tomorrow,” Bailey said. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, because right then Data slid open the sliding door and stepped out onto the deck.
“Actually,” I said, “You’ll have ‘em tonight and will be able to tell tomorrow morning, once and for all, if Caleb is a friend or an enemy.”
“Figured you were going to have me doing something more than slightly illegal when you asked me to bring my laptop,” Data said.
/> “Oh, I don’t know about doing anything illegal…” Bailey said and Data beat me to it.
“Pfft, like anyone’s actually going to find out or know. Look, I can get you the info, it’s just not going necessarily be admissible in court, not unless I get real fuckin’ creative.”
“That’s my job anyways,” Shelly said. “I have a degree in accounting and a certificate in forensic accounting. I used that time I figured out where Darlene was funneling money out of Open Road Garage as my main project. Aced that shit like it was nothing.”
“Shelly does all the accounting for all of the club’s businesses now,” I explained.
“Yep, Open Road Garage, Open Road Ink, Soul Fuel and once they open, Evy’s Sacred Grounds coffee stands. I also do the books for Ghost’s towing company and Hayden’s interior design company. It only gets hairy around tax time. It’s getting to be the point I might need to hire some help.”
“Wow, I’m impressed,” Bailey said.
Harmony had completely knocked out in my arms, just like my oldest nephew, Noah, had a habit of doing. Hell if I knew why.
“Toddler whisperer strikes again,” Dragon said, coming through the slider.
“Yeah.”
I let ’Bumpa Dragon’ take Harmony from me and he laid her down in her playpen in the shade to let her nap.
He joined us at the table where Data had taken up the seat next to Shelly, displacing Bailey who moved over by me.
“Okay, first things first,” he said fingers flying over the keys. “What’s the target’s name?”
“I’m really not sure about this,” Bailey stammered and I gave her a look like I knew she’d puss out. She frowned at me and said, “Caleb Marsden.”
“Cool, give me a minute.”
“What’re you thinkin?” Dragon asked.
Bailey reiterated her entire discussion with Mrs. Cranston and then subsequently with her mom, “I was really surprised. She was pissed, I mean, I’ve seen and heard my mom mad before, she’s always been sort of stormy but she was pissed. She didn’t even hesitate, she hung up with me and less than ten minutes later her lawyer called me. It’s Sunday, the retainer she put down must be huge.”
“Wait, your mamma is fronting the money for yer lawyer?” Dragon asked.
“Not like I can, every dime of what I make from the farm has been going right back into it just to keep it going. Caleb barely lets money enough go to feed the horses and keep the lights on.” Bailey sighed and stared off the back porch over the wavering green grass of Ghost and Shelly’s yard.
“You’re fuckin’ kidding me, right?” Shelly blurted and Bailey whipped her head back in her direction.
“I wish I was.”
“Oh now that’s some bullshit. I’ma kick somebody’s ass,” she muttered and refocused her attention on her laptop. “Data you better find me something to work with, dude.”
“Have I ever let any of you fuckers down before?” he asked and looked at Shelly like she done lost her mind.
Bailey watched them both with utter fascination as Shelly and Data bumped fists. Dragon laughed at them both and fished in his cut for a cigarette.
“Welcome to the family, sweetheart,” he said to Bailey and lit up. “This is what you been missin’, aint it?”
“Kind of,” she said softly and looked away again, eyes distant. I could tell this called to her and I was glad it did. I could also tell it was tearing her up some inside. I nudged her knee with mine and her dark chocolate eyes flashed to mine. I gave her a reassuring smile and winked at her.
“Relax, baby. We got your back.” I turned back to Shelly and asked, “What’s for dinner?”
“Steak if Ghost ever gets his ass back here to grill it.”
Cool.
Chapter 16
Bailey
It turned into a good old fashioned family cook-out, or what I imagined one to be. The crystal wine glasses were replaced with red Solo cups, and the china with sturdy paper plates and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There was no stiff formality here. There was easy laughter that wasn’t at anyone’s expense or something so esoteric you laughed so you didn’t look like an idiot. It was comfortable, and I was blown away that Ghost, the husband, cooked while his wife worked on my problem.
That never would have flown in my father’s house. He would have asked my mother to go somewhere else when the business talk began. Made up something that she needed to do in that way when it was time for the men to talk. I loved my father, but he was firmly raised and somehow stuck back in like the 1950’s… Men did the dealing, women took care of the home. That was the way it was, always. I wasn’t allowed to go hunting or fishing, those were activities reserved solely for my brother.
I was amazed when he’d bought me riding lessons, but not for racing, oh no, I was a dressage rider, limited to doing shows and exhibition jumping. I’d been alright with it, mostly because I had been raised in such a bubble as to not realize there were any other things a girl could do, let alone should do.
Boarding school had been both a blessing and a bane. Even being an all girl’s school, it had been eye opening for sure. I’d been introduced to things that now made total sense to me, like the concept that well behaved women rarely make history.
I took a drink from the bottle of beer in my hands and stared out over the wavering grass in the vast back yard off the porch. The little one had long since been put to bed, and that had been a sight to see… My Uncle José was actually pretty exceptional with kids. Who’d have thought?
Shelly and Data were still playing at their laptops treating their mission with great enthusiasm and zeal. Meanwhile, I stood over here terrified about what they’d find; torn between wanting them to find something to vindicate me, to tell me yes, you have every right to feel like they’re cheating you because they are, and wanting them to find nothing. To know and believe that while my brother may not have the farm’s best interests at heart, that he somehow did still value our bonds as family enough to not completely fuck me.
My hopes were dashed when Data leaned back in his seat with the scrape and clack of leather and metal fittings against the metal of the patio chair.
“You got it?” Shelly asked.
“Which set of books do you want?” he asked grimly and Shelly made an ‘ah ha’ kind of noise.
“Both of them please.”
“Bailey,” Data called.
“Yes?” I called back.
“I’m going to need you to do something for me when you get those lawyers involved and you’re going to want to get them involved fast.”
My heart sank and I went back to the table. Before I could sit down in my own chair, Rush pulled me into his lap, his large arms holding me loosely around my waist.
“What’s that?” Data passed me a card.
“Get me involved as a securities contractor so I can do this again on the level. Who are your lawyers anyways?”
I gave him the name of my mother’s firm and he nodded, “I’ve done investigative work for them before. I’ll get the door open for you to have them hire me on. Shells, your printer up and running?”
“Yeah, fire when ready, Captain Dorkus.”
Data chuckled and tapped and clicked through some things, “Well, he fucked up and Shelly’s going to be able to find exactly what I’m talking about. He says in his books that he’s paying you like three times the amount he’s actually paying you. You, obviously, have bank records proving that’s a fucking lie but he can’t hide that because if he does, it proves that he’s not fulfilling his job as trustee anyways.”
“Okay,” I said quietly, a numbness setting in.
“So as for where the money is actually going? Looks like it’s headed to a ‘Giangiulio Development Group’ he’s using money he’s straight up stealing from you to invest in the developer who’s trying to take your farm in the first place.
Incendiary rage, hot, fierce, and unlike anything I had ever felt before bubbled up inside me. I leveled Data wi
th my gaze and asked, “And you’re sure, absolutely sure, you can nail his old ass to the fucking wall?”
“Without a doubt, I’ve already got it. Even if he goes and erases it, I can fill a bunch of juror’s and lawyers heads with enough technical internet jargon that they’d be willing to do or say anything just to make it stop.”
“What if they have their own experts?”
“Problem with that, sweetheart,” my Uncle Dragon said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Ain’t none of ‘em Data,” Ghost said and took a swig of his own beer. Shelly made a pouty face and I realized it was at the beer as she rubbed her swelling stomach.
“Okay,” I nodded.
“I’m going to come by and finish rigging the security cameras I started on the rest of your farm tomorrow. Once you blow this wide open and he gets yanked, your brother’s gonna be pissed.”
I shook my head, “I don’t think I can call Philip that. This isn’t how family treats each other.” Dragon leaned back in his seat and took a drag off his cigarette. I don’t think I’d ever seen my uncle look so proud.
“You’re gonna be fine,” he said, blowing out a plume of smoke. “You got a good head on yah, and real family backing you up now.”
Rush gave me a gentle squeeze and a meaningful look. I braved a smile and nodded when truthfully, I’d never felt so cast adrift in my life. I sighed and closed my eyes and swore in just about every language I knew how to do it in.
Looks were exchanged along with amused looks. “What?” I asked “I might as well use that fancy education for something, right?” Laughter erupted around the table and I smiled too. I couldn’t help myself. Rush’s hands were warm and held me firmly and I knew he wouldn’t let me fall. Somehow I knew that extended to more than just me sitting on his lap, too. I wondered about him. I wanted to know more. I wanted to reconcile the man on paper with the man who made me feel so many things, who turned my world upside down and inside out but still somehow managed to make it better.
It was as if we were fated to have met each other, and when we didn’t go along with fate’s plan, she just came up with another one. I needed to learn to listen to that bitch the first time. We stayed for a while more, Data and Shelly with their heads together oohing and ah-haing over this or that. Copying and printing things, moving things here or there, copying them to an external hard drive Data connected to his laptop.
