by Ravenna Tate
“Let me see the plat map again,” said Gorgon, addressing Phenex. “What’s it back up to?”
“Interstate 71 on the east, but there’s a full tree line plus a ravine to cross before you get to the sound barrier. We could still fence it in on that side if we want.” Phenex pointed to the map. “On the west, it’s accessible from this road, which has other commercial and some residential properties on it.”
Gorgon grunted. “Makes it accessible to the public, and the sign would be easily spotted from the road. Those are positives.”
“But that makes security more difficult, too,” said Tannin.
“Any place we go,” said Mastema, “we’re gonna have to weigh security needs against visibility for the strip club.”
The men all agreed. That wasn’t anything they hadn’t already discussed. And the question on all their minds, though Phenex didn’t voice it because he didn’t have to, was whether this was far enough away? Whether staying in Ohio was far enough away? Whether any place in the entire country was?
“Let’s finish walking it,” said Gorgon, “then get something to eat. We can look at the second one before the sun goes down, and see the other two tomorrow.”
Later that evening, the group gathered in the room Gorgon and Chloe shared to talk about the day. All of them agreed that while both properties they viewed would be adequate in terms of space to rebuild the current strip club and home in which they lived, and to make new riding trails like their current land had, they would also be situated closer to centers of towns than they now were.
“That’s not a bad thing,” said Rai. “Neither town has a club like Scotty’s Place.”
“I agree we’d have plenty of business,” said Tannin. “What I’m more concerned about is security.”
“We’re basically talking about rebuilding a fortress,” said Phenex. “And in the end, we have no fucking clue whether it will matter. Whether we’ve moved far enough away that di Stefano will leave us alone.”
“So what do we do?” asked Mastema. “Leave Ohio? Take the club and the business across the country? How far away is far enough?”
The others nodded and murmured their agreement. Each of them had been thinking the same thing.
“We don’t have to make a final decision from this trip,” said Gorgon. “Let’s at least look at the other two, and then talk it over with Vassago and Rahab.”
After everyone went back to their rooms, Meghan snuggled against Phenex’s warm, naked body. “This is really scary for everyone, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but don’t ask them to admit it.”
She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down into his face. All that red hair he loved so much tickled his cheek. “Are you afraid?”
“Yeah. I am. Aren’t you?”
“Fucking terrified.” He pulled her close, and she lay back down to snuggle against him once more. “Thank you for admitting it to me, Phenex.”
“You can call me Rick if you want when we’re alone.”
He didn’t need to see her smile. He felt the shift in the air. “Yeah? That would be kind of weird, though. I don’t think of you as your real name. In my mind, you’ve always been Phenex.”
“Then call me Phenex. Just don’t call me late for dinner.”
It was a lame joke, but she laughed anyway, and that was exactly why he loved her so much. A sudden urge to tell this woman everything bubbled up, and the words spilled out before he barely knew he was about to say them. “I want to visit my father.”
She sat up. “What will you say to him?”
“I have no idea.”
“What’s the one thing you wish you knew about that night?”
He snorted. “That’s easy. Why the fuck did he just leave like that? I mean for Christ’s sake. I was only seven.”
“Then tell him that.”
“What would you do in my place? Would you visit one of your parents in jail if they murdered the other one and you’d been there to watch?” His heart raced as he stared into her beautiful face.
“I honestly don’t know. I have no frame of reference. My family barely speaks to me. Partly because I hooked up with Kevin and they all warned me he was bad news. But mostly because they’re just cold, heartless assholes. If one of them disappeared, I don’t know that I’d go looking for them.”
She brushed a hand along his hair, and the gesture sent shivers down his spine. “But that’s not even close to what you went through. I still have both parents, even if they’re barely around. I don’t know that I’d want to talk to my father if I’d watched him kill my mother, especially when I was so young. If I did have a chance to talk to him after something like that, I’d probably kill him in return, and then end up spending my life in prison for it.”
“Don’t think those exact thoughts haven’t crossed my mind.”
“I’d be worried about you if they hadn’t. Do the other officers know the entire story about your mother?”
“Yes. And so do all the patched members.”
“I’m surprised none of them ever encouraged you to go and see him.”
Phenex pulled her close again. “They have.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. I think this is something I need to do alone. Does that upset you?”
“Heck no. But if you change your mind, I’ll go with you.” Meghan kissed his chest, trailing her tongue across his nipple. His cock jumped to attention as she grew bolder with that mouth he loved so much, licking lower and lower until she swirled her tongue around the tip of his dick.
He groaned loudly when she took the length of his shaft into her mouth. She was just so damn good at this, and he had no willpower to stop her or slow her down. Within minutes, he exploded into her mouth.
“Fuck, Meghan. You could do that every fucking day and I would never grow tired of it.”
“I hope not.” She sat up and straddled him, pushing her tits together and rubbing her thumbs across her nipples. He reached for her, taking over that task for her, and groaned again when she moved her hand between her legs and rubbed her clit.
“Baby … I want to make you come.”
“You are making me come. Touching me and looking into my eyes is as sexy as what you do with your mouth, your fingers, and your dick.”
“I love you, Meghan.”
“I love you, too.” She gave him the tenderest look he’d ever seen on any person’s face, right before she leaned down and kissed him.
He grasped her hair and tugged it, pulling her closer. He would never get enough of this woman. Never! She was everything he’d ever fantasized about, back when he dared to dream dreams, and imagine himself happy one day. She fulfilled all his desires, and if they had to move the club, he sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere without her.
The more she kissed him, the harder his cock grew until he was ramrod straight again. When she lowered her wet pussy over his dick, Phenex kissed her harder, devouring her mouth while she moved up and down.
He released the kiss so he could grasp her hips and fuck her deeper. “Yes … this feels so fucking good!”
She cried out loudly as her climax let loose, milking his dick with contractions that forced his own orgasm closer. He held on as long as he could, but his Meghan, with her head tilted back and that fucking look of bliss on her face as she came, was too much for any sane man to resist.
Once he finished, he placed his hand over her clit and massaged it, to be sure she was completely done with her climax before he gently pulled out. She lay on top of him, breathing heavily, their bodies soaked with sweat. Phenex stroked her hair and back.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I really needed that.”
“I always need that.” And I will always need you.
Once Meghan shifted her body off him and curled up next to him again, he allowed his mind to let go and drift off to sleep. Two more properties to see tomorrow, and then they’d go back home. Maybe Donny would work a miracle and they wouldn�
��t have to make a decision at all? A guy could hope, after all.
Chapter Fourteen
Both properties were adequate, as far as Meghan could tell. All four they’d seen now offered access to towns closer than they had now, but also gave them less privacy, even with their size. One of the properties they crossed off the list after the group went into a diner right up the street for lunch, and were treated to nasty looks and whispered comments.
It happened occasionally on road trips, Phenex explained to her, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.
“Why don’t you just kick their asses?” she asked.
“Because dealing with local cops in shit towns like this is a pain in the ass, and none of us want to have to come back to one of these shitholes for a fucking court date. Or spend the night in some hick town jail cell.”
“We have it good where we are, don’t we? Everyone knows us, they don’t fuck with us, and the local cops are paid off by Donny so we never have to worry about bullshit from them.”
He gave her a wry smile. “And that perfectly sums up why this is so majorly fucked up. Why none of us wants to move.”
“We’d be starting from scratch in more ways than one.”
“Yeah. We would.”
When they passed a local craft shop, Meghan, Kayla, Rai, and Chloe wanted to go inside and have a look around, but the guys did not. “You go on,” said Phenex. “We’re gonna keep walking around the square.”
“Okay,” said Meghan. “Give us thirty minutes.”
“Fuck. You need that long to look at shit people made out of old beer cans and banana peels?”
The women laughed as they went inside the shop. Most of the things did look like they’d been made from exactly what Phenex had joked about, but there were some very pretty pieces that had obviously been crafted by someone who knew what they were doing.
Meghan was captivated by a wind chime featuring tiny birds with their wings spread in flight. It reminded of her of how she’d felt after Kevin was in jail, and the grief of losing Faith wasn’t so raw. Like a bird who had just been given permission to fly. She had believed at that moment she could do anything, be anyone, and accomplish anything she set her mind to.
A text message caught her attention because of the ringtone. She hadn’t heard from Andy in a while, and almost didn’t look at her phone. But avoiding it wouldn’t make whatever he had to tell her go away.
Kevin is up for parole next week. Did you know?
Sweat broke out along her hairline, and the floor moved. Or, maybe it didn’t, but something had. Her fingers trembled as she texted him back.
No, I did not. Any chance of stopping it?
She held her breath while she waited for his answer.
Doubtful. His family has been doing all they can to see he gets out.
Fuck.
Thanks for letting me know, Andy.
You okay?
I will be. Call you later, okay?
Sure thing, beautiful. Been too long. We need to catch up.
Andy was a good friend. Meghan should have made more of an effort to stay in touch with him. But right now, she had to get out of here and breathe fresh air. Chloe and Rai were still looking at tablecloths. If only they’d turn and see her right now. Meghan was convinced she’d puke or pass out any second. Her stomach hurt badly for the first time in weeks.
The bell over the door of the shop rang, and she glanced toward the entrance. The guys were back. Thank you, God.
Phenex spotted her, frowned, and thundered toward her. “What’s wrong?”
She showed him the texts from Andy. “This is the same Andy I told you about. My friend I was talking to that night.”
Phenex’s eyes grew dark and angry. She stared into those eyes for a few seconds before he pulled her close. “It’s all right,” he whispered.
“No, it’s not.”
“What happened?” asked Rai. Meghan had no clue when the others had come over to join her.
“Nothing. Just an unwelcome blast from the past.”
Rai didn’t look convinced. Meghan plucked the wind chime off the hook and held it up. “What do you think of this?”
“It’s so pretty,” said Kayla. “You gonna buy it?”
“Yeah.” She glanced toward Phenex, who nodded. “I think I will.”
“You ladies about done in here?” asked Gorgon.
“Yes,” said Chloe, smiling at him. “We are.”
Phenex paid for the wind chime while the others waited outside. Meghan watched them on the sidewalk, laughing as if nothing was wrong. If she told them, they’d understand why she wasn’t sure right now if she could even ride her bike. But it would ruin the entire trip, so she would stay silent. At least to them.
“You okay?” Phenex’s gentle voice helped, but only a little.
“No,” she whispered.
He steered her away from the people waiting to pay for their purchases. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Do you think Donny can fix it so Kevin doesn’t get out?”
“I don’t know, but we sure can ask, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you. My stomach hurts so bad right now. How am I going to ride like this?”
“I’ll ride next to you. If I can’t stay next to you, I’ll make sure I’m behind you so I can keep an eye on you. You can do this, Meghan.”
Phenex gazed down at her with so much love in his eyes, her heart nearly stopped. She’d waited two years for him to look at her this way. “Let’s go home,” he said. “Once we’re there, we’ll figure out what to do, and I will take care of you.”
“Phenex, if he gets out of prison, he’ll come looking for me.”
“Oh no he fucking won’t. Because if he does, it’ll be his last act.”
“He’s not Brad,” she whispered. Brad was Chloe’s ex-boyfriend who was killed at the club when he came after Chloe while high as a kite. He’d actually brought a gun, which Mastema tackled away from Brad.
“Kevin has family in Lorain. They have money. They’ll find out where he went, and they won’t stop until the truth comes out.”
“Then we’ll figure out another way to make him leave you alone. Meghan, you are my old lady. I love you. And I will protect you from that asshole if he’s stupid enough to come looking for you. You got that?”
And because he was so confident, Meghan believed him. Her stomach pains eased up as she linked her arm in his. It had to be him. Nothing else explained how they could be there one second and gone the next, simply because he reassured her. “I got it. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Fifteen
Phenex would take all of Meghan’s pain into his body if he could. If Kevin got out of prison and dared to come looking for her, he didn’t give a shit how much money his fucking family had. Phenex would kill the guy and bury the body himself.
As soon as they returned, Gorgon called a church with all the patched members and prospects. This decision concerned everyone. Once the men were gathered, he summarized the properties they had visited, including the pros and cons of each one.
“I want to hear your thoughts. Speak your minds. No one here will judge you for what you say in this church. Got it?”
The men nodded and voiced their agreement.
“I think it’s bullshit to move,” said Vassago. His comment was met with several men cheering and banging their fists on the table. “None of those places give us the one thing this spot does. History. Roots. I know better what di Stefano is capable of than anyone else in this room. It wouldn’t matter if we moved this club to another country. If he wanted to find us, he would.”
“He wouldn’t be coming here looking for us,” said Rahab. “He’d be after Donny. We’re no more than a piece of the pie Donny has. It’s a business. We’re not part of his organization. We don’t go out and do hits for him, or the others things his direct employees do.”
“That’s a good point,” said Mastema. “I’m not trying to throw Donny under the bus, but at the cor
e of this is nothing more than a string of legit businesses that di Stefano would love to get his hands on.”
“True,” said Gorgon. “The Outlaw Dogs are involved with Vito’s illegal shit. Or, I should say, they were before they split apart. The only legit business there is that shithole bar. Di Stefano has more to gain by taking them over than he does by getting his hands on this place.”
“So the real issue is Donny,” said Tannin. “If we move, would we also cut ties with him?”
Everyone glanced toward each other, and then at Gorgon. A nasty shiver ran down Phenex’s spine as the room went silent. Was that the real reason Donny had made the suggestion to move the club? Was he trying to protect them in case di Stefano did move into this area, by dissociating himself from them?
“I think that would depend on what Donny wanted,” said Gorgon, but his voice was cautious. Not at all like Gorgon. Which mean he wasn’t sure about the answer he’d just given them.
“We don’t need a Mob boss protecting us,” said Jinn, “but you gotta admit, it sure is fucking nice to have one. It keeps the cops away for stupid shit, and there’s muscle behind it. Muscle we can use as leverage. But are you suggesting Donny wants to get away from us?”
“No,” said Tannin. “Not at all. I’m suggesting that by breaking ties with us, literally and figuratively by having us move out of the area, he sends a message to di Stefano that we’re not worth harassing. He lets us go so that guy will leave us alone.”
“Holy fuck,” said Apollyon, glancing toward Vassago. “He’s your cousin. You think that’s what he’s trying to do?”
“Could be. I gotta admit the thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now, but it makes sense. We’re more than a business to him. We’re like family. And what did he say to us about his family if he thought they were in danger?”
“He said they’d be gone.” Tannin snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”
“Well fuck that,” said Phenex. “We aren’t leaving him to fight this asshole alone. Not after everything he’s done for us. And fuck turning tail and running from Mr. Roberto fucking di Stefano from fucking Queens, New York!”
