by Eve R. Hart
I climbed the stairs to the second floor. Up there was Iron’s living space that was more like a tiny apartment, his office, and the room we held church in. I knew I’d find him waiting in his office, no doubt a huge mug of coffee in his hand and I knew it wouldn’t have been his first one of the day. As I approached the cracked open door, I found out that I was indeed right, his head tipped back as he downed whatever was left in the mug.
“I never said this shit was going to be easy,” he said motioning for me to step inside. “But damn, why does it have to happen so early?”
He let out a strained chuckle. I knew he was tense about the whole thing but he also needed to not let the heaviness that sat on his shoulders weigh him down. I had a feeling that he thought if that happened it would spill onto the rest of the club. He saw it as his job to hold that weight for all of us and not let it show how heavy it was at the same time.
I had an idea of what it was like to be in his position. While I’d never carried that patch myself, I’d been around in the moments that Brass would step from behind his shield. He never said the words, but I could feel his burden, I could see the strength that man had to have in his eyes.
Iron showed me the security footage. It was hard to tell if it was a woman or a man. They had on dark clothes and the hood of their jacket pulled up over their head, just like Iron had said. It didn’t help that the footage looked grainy and it was dark. The figure looked at a few of the containers then down as if they were looking at something in their hand. But from the angle, we couldn’t tell shit. Suddenly, the person whipped around and without having any sound, I had no idea why. But then it seemed like they got spooked and took off out of sight.
“Alright,” I said as I blew out a harsh breath. “I’ll start there and see if I can find how they got in and out. I thought it might be a good idea to start going through those containers to see if any of them actually have anything in them. I just assumed they were all empty, but I suppose you never know.”
“Good idea. Take a few guys with you, cut down on time.”
I nodded and sat down across the desk from him. Though his call had shocked me awake, I still could feel the blurriness in my eyes. I needed coffee and possibly some eggs, something to jump start me and rid me of this hangover.
“Hit it hard last night, huh?” Iron asked his eyes holding back none of his amusement.
“Yeah,” I cleared my throat. Damn, I would have killed for some water. “Boys came over and we drank too much.” That was the simple explanation.
“How’s the roommate thing going?”
“Fine,” I croaked and by the half-smirk he shot me, I wasn’t fooling anyone.
“She does good at the bar. Know her pops wanted her to have the shit shifts, but she goes the extra mile when it’s not busy. I sure as fuck appreciate that.”
I nodded, only half paying attention. I mean, I knew that whatever Gwen did she did it will everything she had. She wasn’t one to half-ass shit and try to skirt out of doing the dirty work. So it didn’t surprise me at all that she would find things to keep herself busy with when the place was dead.
“We really should think about hiring an actual staff for the place,” he said and I had a feeling it was hard for him to imagine that.
The bar did well enough on its own, the brothers took turns running shifts there. But if we were going to keep the place going, we needed to get people in there who would not only draw in a crowd but keep them happy as well. Some of us didn’t necessarily have that easy vibe to us. We could be intimidating and scary. Fuck, some of them could be downright moody.
And not to mention, that we needed to get someone in there to manage the place. We’d done well enough so far, but we needed someone steady to do the ordering and keeping the books and all that shit that most of us didn’t know about, or the ones that did, didn’t have the time.
“Probably not a bad idea,” I agreed glad we were moving on from the Gwen subject. “Ky had mentioned that the garage is picking up too. Maybe we should think about someone from the outside for there as well.”
This shouldn’t have been a problem because all of our businesses had been set up to be legit. It was a big thing that the club wanted going forward with this chapter. I knew some of the other chapters had businesses to hide money, and I also knew that at one point they were working towards stopping that.
Only thing was, now the club was running the show. We had the imports and we controlled the exports. We controlled the runs and who they went to after they left our hands. Well, most of them anyway. There were the guns that the Russians and the Irish ran. For the most part, the Italians had stayed out of the gun business. They had their so-called ‘protection services’ that kept their pockets green.
“That’s good. I had no doubt with Ky’s custom and restoration skills that the place would take off. He does a damn fine job. Makes me want a pimped out classic ride now.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, sure it does,” I joked back. Ky’s skills with rebuilds and paint jobs were no fucking joke. When he was done with a restoration, no matter how bad it was to begin with, the damn thing looked like we’d just traveled back in time. Fucking beautiful. It didn’t surprise me in the least that word had gotten around about the shop and his work.
“Go get some food and get down there,” he said, knowing that I needed to get shit done. “Let me know what you find.”
“Lake ‘round?” I asked as I got to my feet.
“Yeah. I imagine he’s probably still in his room. Seems like you and him had the same idea last night.”
So far, I’d seen Lake let loose a total of three times. He wasn’t one to overindulge, but when he did, man it was bad. I had no idea what it was that set him off every time and I wasn’t about to go prying into his business. He knew that we were there for him if he ever needed. Plus, it wasn’t like he and I were all that close.
The newness of the chapter was still apparent.
While we all had a bond, it was clear that some of us were closer than others. You might even say there were groups of us that stuck mostly with each other. It was something we were going to have to get over, eventually. We needed to grow as a chapter together. Take that motivational, ‘yay team’ bullshit, right? It didn’t help that we were a mash-up of other chapters. Some of us had grown up in the club, and some of us had been part of other chapters. That was the thing, you were comfortable around your people, I guessed. It was something that wasn’t going to change overnight, but I could tell it was something we all were trying to work on.
“Okay,” I said as I made my way to the door. “I’ll call you in a bit.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gwen
I heard Knight up and moving about before I’d even rolled out of bed. As much as I wanted to go out there and see what was up, I held back. I had hoped that this wasn’t his way of avoiding me like he’d done so many times before. I felt like we had just finally found a little breaking point and we were getting somewhere with this new friendship.
I stuffed my insecurities down as I listened to him stomp around with heavy steps across the apartment. Then the front door opened and closed, letting me know he was gone. I chose not to dwell on it and threw myself into getting ready for the day.
After I got ready I had some time to kill. So, after I ate a bowl of cereal, I decided it was time to give myself a mani-pedi. Yes, I had that much time. I’d just gotten done applying the last layer of deep purple polish to my toes when my phone rang.
“Hey, Dad!” I said in a sing-song voice. No matter how often I did it, he always laughed.
Hearing it sent a twinge of sadness through my heart. I missed my dad like crazy. It didn’t matter that I talked to him several times a week, it just wasn’t the same as being around him. I knew at some point I’d have to grow up and that our lives might not always be as close as they once were, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t miss him.
“Hey, Princess. How are things going?” His deep, rough vo
ice brought me the comfort of home and the love of family.
I thought about what it must be like for him without me there. We’d always taken care of each other after mom passed. He was my rock and I was his soft spot. He was the best dad anyone could ask for and I was lucky that he was mine.
In my younger years, I was fortunate enough to have two amazing, loving parents. I hoped that I never seemed like I took it for granted because I never did. Though, before mom left us, I didn’t realize just how wonderful I had it.
I always knew that the club life was a different sort of lifestyle. I was never fully aware of that fact until I hit middle school though. That was when kids started talking, spouting things that they had overheard their parents said. One day, Dad sat me down and told me the ways of the world and how people could be cruel against things they didn’t understand.
Then he asked me one important question and that had stuck with me all these years. He asked me if I was happy there, at the club. I didn’t even have to pause to think of my answer and that answer was yes. It was simply because I had more people than I could count around me that loved me and cared about me. Then Dad went on to tell me that it didn’t matter what others thought as long as I wasn’t hurting anyone. He told me to focus on the things that made me happy, the things that made me smile and filled my heart with warmth. That as long as my heart was warm it would shine. And a shining heart was like a beacon and it would radiate my happiness to others.
Okay, it was kind of cheesy, but to a little girl who was heartbroken at the cruelty around her, it was the perfect message. In a sense, he was telling me not to let the negative into my life and to only show the good that I had to offer.
I worried about him often. He was such a good man and I didn’t want him to be lonely. But I feared he’d never gotten over my mom’s death. He loved that woman like nothing else. It was written on his face every single time he looked at her. In his voice every time it softened as he spoke to her. That was one thing I admired about my old man, as hard as he was and had to be for his club, he never had a problem showing his emotions towards us. He was the perfect balance of strong and loving. I only wished he would let go a little and move on. That he’d find someone to take care of him and make him smile again. But I had a huge feeling that he wouldn’t ever get over her death and he would continue living with her ghost.
“Good,” I replied doing my best to pull myself out of my thoughts. “Can’t complain too much.” I tried to sound as chipper as possible.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see it. “Just a lot going on with classes and whatnot.”
“You keeping up with everything?”
“Yes, daddy. You know that school is the number one priority for me.” I chuckled like he was being ridiculous.
That was one thing he never had to worry about with me. I was a good student since the moment I started school. I not only loved it, but excelled at just about everything I put my mind to.
“I know, I know. Can’t blame your old man for lookin’ out. The boys treating you well?”
“Yes. They are awesome. I haven’t been to the compound yet. But the bar and car shop look good. From the way they talk, it sounds like Ky is bringing in some business with his work.” I smiled, pride for the brothers warming my heart.
“Knight has sent me some before and after pictures of some of the stuff Ky’s done,” he said and I could hear the happiness in his voice. “Kid does amazing work.”
We chatted a little longer. Mostly about nothing, like always. Time flew by too quickly and I realized I had to get moving or I was going to be late. I ushered him off the phone with promises that I’d call him later in the week.
I was glad that we had avoided the subject of my living situation and how Knight might have been treating me. Every time he tried to bring Knight up in our conversations, I’d done my best to skirt around it. I knew he wasn’t stupid and that one day he would flat out ask me. I prayed that day would come after Knight and I were on better ground.
Despite our rocky start and uneasy middle-ground that we were in right now, I had hope that Knight and I would eventually regain some sort of friendship. While I knew it would be nowhere near what we had as kids, I had no doubt that we could be a positive thing in each other’s lives.
If only I could bury my silly feelings for him.
I knew that was way easier said than done.
And to be honest, I didn’t even have the first clue where to begin with that.
Luckily, I had class and Tara to distract me for the rest of the afternoon. Otherwise, I might have gone crazy thinking about how Knight made me feel insane sometimes. And how he’d left this morning so early and in such a hurry.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Knight
Lake and I spent a good part of the day going through the shipping containers. We were hot and the air around us was muggy.
We’d gone through half the ones on this side of the lot. And what did we find? Nothing that helped us with why someone was sniffing around. Dirt, dead critters, trash, and a few of them seemed to be someone’s home at one point. I would have said it was wasted time going through and clearing them all out, but in reality, it was something that needed to be done anyway.
“So, is there anything I’m supposed to keep an eye out for?” Lake asked, wiping his brow with the green bandanna he’d had tied around his wrist. For now, I’d decided to keep things about this quiet. If it turned out to be nothing, I didn’t want people to get alarmed for no reason.
“Nope, just something we should have done a long time ago.”
“Right,” he said as his head bobbed up and down and I could tell that he didn’t one hundred percent believe what I’d said, but he also knew better than to question me.
When we’d gotten there, I found the spot where the intruder had been caught by the security camera. I’d sent the container numbers to Prez, then did my best to follow the tracks to see where the person had escaped. I found a small break in the old, sagging chain link fence that looked fairly new, given the fact that all the overgrowth had been cut away and hadn’t had the chance to grow back. I slipped outside and scanned the area. There wasn’t anything. Just an empty, grass-filled area that stretched on beyond what I could see. The tracks led down to the water and disappeared there. Whoever it was either had a boat or was smart as fuck. I had a hunch that it was the latter and I imagined that whoever it was trudged along the river line until they thought it was safe.
“How much longer you want to go for?” Lake asked bringing me back to the here.
“We’ll do a few more, then we can head out. I’ll come back in the morning and continue on.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be ready first thing in the morning after Mouse relieves me.”
“Thanks, man,” I said with a nod. I liked that I didn’t even have to ask him.
Lake was on the younger side. I would have guessed around Gwen’s age. He must have prospected for the club at a young age considering he’d been at Moon Hill for a bit before this. But from what I’d seen, he had a good head on his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and he was always one of the first people to step up for a job. Sometimes it almost seemed like he was still trying to prove himself.
“Hey,” I said, making him pause mid-stride and turn to face me. “Uh, Gwen’s cooking for me and some of the brothers tonight, you wanna come?” I thought that I needed to get to know him more, bring him into the fold a little. It wasn’t anything huge, but it was a start. By the smile that lit up his damn face, I knew I’d made the right move.
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
We worked another hour then called it quits. We both were hot, sticky, and smelled like fucking ass. I headed to the apartment to shower while he headed back to the club. I knew his room there was his home and I got a sense that he wasn’t in any rush to change that. I understood that to some degree. Maybe I would have had a different fe
el if I hadn’t grown up in the club.
When I moved down here I felt that I needed a place of my own. Some days I was glad for it, and now, some days I wish I hadn’t had that option. If I didn’t have my own place, I wouldn’t have been in the predicament with a roommate that was probably more damaging than not. But there was nothing I could do about that now.
As soon as I walked into the apartment my nose filled with the warm aroma of rosemary and lemon. Fuck! I knew exactly what she was making and I’d be damned if it didn’t gut me for a second.
Lemon chicken.
One of my favorite things.
The very one that her mom used to make me on special occasions. Like my birthday. Sometimes she even made it when I brought home a good grade. Or when I’d done something big.
I fought the lump in my throat as my head was thrown back to the years when I was a kid. I had the same feeling when I’d walk into Gwen’s house when I was younger. It was almost as if Mindy was right there, smiling at me and opening her arms to me for a hug. I could almost hear her soft, light voice asking me how my day was. All these years, and I still hadn’t gotten over her death. I could only imagine how Gwen felt even after all this time.
“Hey,” Gwen’s voice broke through my memories. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be home, but B-ry said he and the guys would be here in like less than an hour. So…I started dinner.”
“You,” I cleared my clogged throat. The emotions were too thick but I did my best to try and hide them. “You could have called, ya know? Or shot me a text. I would have answered.”
