by Chiah Wilder
Members crowded the meeting room, and Banger took his position at the head of the table. When he brought the gavel down, all the chattering stopped, the brothers giving their full attention to the club’s president.
“We got some items we need to go over today, but first I want to introduce five new members who’ve joined the mother house from the defunct Kilson, Nebraska chapter.” Banger turned to a group of men seated on folding chairs. “Stand up. This here is Tug, Bones, Chigger, Gator, and Hoss. Let’s show them our support and welcome them.”
The regular members clapped and yelled out, “Welcome,” to the Nebraska Insurgents. Banger cleared his throat and slammed down the gavel again. “We got some important shit to discuss. We got approached to sell arms to a Mexican group called the United Revolutionary Army.”
“Who the fuck are they?” Rags asked.
“I was getting to that, if you can be fucking patient. They’re a leftist guerrilla movement in Mexico. They need arms for their operation in the states of….” Banger squinted at the piece of paper in front of him. Fuck. I’m gonna have to get me some reading glasses. I can’t see shit. He handed the paper to Hawk.
“Let’s see… They operate in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. They’re looking for a supplier, and they got our name from Liam.” Hawk turned to Banger, sitting down once the president nodded to him.
Banger stood up. “As you know, we’ve backed away from this illegal shit since we’re making a fuck-load of money with our dispensaries and grow sites.” He laughed. Thinking of how much money the club was pulling in by growing and selling marijuana legally always made him shake his head. The irony was too great. “We also got a good revenue from our other businesses, and the new strip mall is bringing in a sizable amount in rent, so we don’t need to do this deal. If we decide to do it, it’ll bring in a shitload of money, and we could use it to build a larger strip mall in east Pinewood.”
“How much are we talking here?” Axe asked.
“‘Bout four million plus. We’ll ask for five, but we’ll settle on four.” Banger nodded as the members whistled and clapped their hands. “Yeah, a fuckin’ load of money at one time. If we do supply the arms, we make money and help a group of rebels fight their fuckin’ government, the drug cartels, and gangs. The idea is that it’ll make life better for the masses. The cons are that we can be double-crossed by this group. We don’t know them, never worked with them, but they do come recommended by Liam. We’ve worked with Liam for years supplying arms for the Irish and African rebels. Another thing is we could bring the heat down on the club. For the last several years, the ATF has left us the fuck alone. Not sure we want them sniffing around the club again.”
“But it’s a shitload of dough. Fuck the ATF, they won’t have anything on us. Let’s vote,” Throttle said as several members voiced their agreement.
“And we get to help kick another government in the ass. Fucking anarchists,” Chas chimed in.
The Insurgents lived by their own rules and despised all governments. To say they were non-conformists was an understatement. If the opportunity came up to make a lot of money, the Insurgents were down for it. Flipping the middle finger at the government was a bonus.
“Let’s put it to a vote. All in favor of making a shitload of money and kicking the Mexican government in the ass, say ‘aye.’”
“Don’t forget the motherfuckin’ drug cartels. I’d pay to have their asses shot,” Axe said, eliciting a round of applause from the membership.
“So is it ‘aye’ or ‘nay’?” Banger asked.
The “ayes” bounced off the walls.
“Then it’s a go. Hawk and I will get the ball rolling on this. Church over.”
The members clomped out of the room. Hawk turned to join them when Banger said, “Hawk, hold up a second. I want to go over some particulars.”
Hawk nodded, and the two waited until the members left to have some fun and drinks in the great room.
“I’ll go with you when we finalize the deal. The president of the United Revolutionary Army is coming and out of respect, I need to go.”
“Okay, that’s cool. I’ll let you know the details as soon as I have them. I’ll get on it right away.” Hawk glanced at his phone. “Anything else you wanna go over? I gotta get back to the shop. A customer is coming to pick up his custom bike, and I wanted to add a few last touches.”
Banger rubbed his face with his hand. “How does Cara know Belle?”
“Belle?”
“You know, the cook at Ruthie’s.”
“Oh, yeah. Fuck, I meant to tell you that I’m sorry my old lady meddled in your business. I had no idea Cara was matchmaking when we went. The cook’s daughter has some minor shit going on with the law, and Cara’s her attorney. I told her to leave you the fuck alone, but you know Cara—the more I tell her not to do something, the more she wants to do it. Fuck.”
“No need to apologize. Your old lady is one clever woman. I liked Belle, but not so sure it’s mutual. I think it is, but she’s acting fuckin’ skittish.” Banger shrugged.
“You starting to pine for this one? Fuck, you even got the pansy-ass shrug going.” Hawk laughed, and Banger joined in, even though dormant feelings stirred inside him.
He and Hawk walked together to the great room before Hawk clapped him on the shoulder. “Gotta go, man.”
Banger nodded while he looked around the room. Groups of men talked, drank, and groped the club whores and hoodrats who had come to party. He spotted a bunch of scantily clad women who were only a few years older than Kylie, and a sadness like he hadn’t felt in a long time gripped and squeezed his heart.
“I’m heading out too,” he said to Hawk. For reasons he couldn’t articulate, he didn’t want to spend another night drinking Jack and beer, screwing a woman who was young enough to be his daughter, and talking bullshit with the brothers. He just couldn’t do it. Not that night. He walked out with Hawk and, with shoulders slumped and head bent, he approached his Harley.
“Hey, do you wanna come to the shop with me? I could use your eye with this custom job.”
Banger jerked his head up. “Sure. I’d love to see the way you’re customizing the dude’s Harley. Fuck, you’ve been working on it for a couple weeks now.”
“Yeah. It’s been a fuckin’ good time.” Hawk put on his black gloves. “After I close up, why don’t you come over to my place for dinner? Cara’s making lasagna.”
Banger’s eyes lit up. “I’ll take you up on the offer. You two still playing musical houses?”
“Fuck, yeah. Her parents, especially her mom, wouldn’t be cool if they knew we were living together. I can’t wait for the bullshit to stop. I go along with it to keep the peace.”
“When will the house you’re building be ready?” Banger swung his leg over his bike and settled on the leather seat.
“We just hired Baylee to design it. After we get married, we’ll sell both our houses and move in. Can’t fuckin’ wait.”
They revved their engines and took off toward downtown Pinewood Springs.
A few hours later, Banger sat comfortably on the couch in front of a blazing fireplace, munching on the cheese and crackers Cara had set out on the coffee table. He took a swig of his beer and popped in a few cashews as he looked around the room. Once Hawk’s domain, Cara had definitely added her feminine touch, with dried floral arrangements and punches of pink decorative accents. He snorted, knowing how Hawk must hate the additions.
“Do you want another beer?” Cara asked as she set down a plate of salami, pickles, green and black olives, and roasted red peppers.
“Sure do, thanks. Fuck, this looks good.” He leaned over and grabbed a few slices of salami.
He watched Cara go into the kitchen and saw Hawk loop his arm around her as she passed him, bringing her close. She giggled and Hawk brought his mouth down on hers. As Banger watched them kissing passionately, a stab of loneliness pierced through him. In that instant, the ache he’d carried in his hea
rt since Grace had died was acute, and the back of his eyes burned. What the fuck is up with me? He turned around and stared into the fire.
Hawk came over with a bottle of Coors and handed it to him. Banger, grateful for the distraction from his thoughts, took a long pull of his beer. He and Hawk talked Harleys until Cara told them to come for dinner.
After dinner, Banger leaned back and said, “Damn, woman, I love how you cook. You make the best lasagna.”
“I bet Belle makes a great lasagna. She told me she loves to cook and bake.”
Banger saw the “leave it the fuck alone” look Hawk gave Cara, and he chuckled under his breath. “I’d love to taste Belle’s lasagna. She makes a damn good beef stew. I stopped in yesterday to see her and I got me a bowl. Fuckin’ good.”
“You went to see Belle?” Cara gave Hawk a satisfied smirk, and Banger saw him shake his head. “How’s she doing?”
“Seemed okay. She told me she’s got her hands full right now with all the shit going on in her life.”
“She worries about her daughter. Emily got into some trouble. I can’t reveal the particulars about the case, but I can tell you that Belle is a wonderful mother who loves both her kids dearly. She’s had problems with her daughter since her husband died.”
“Yeah, that shit can mess with kids. Fuck, it messes with grown-ups. I’m glad Kylie fared as good as she did.”
“You were fuckin’ there for her one hundred percent. You blew all the brothers away by your dedication to Kylie,” Hawk said.
“Even with all the love you can give, kids can lose their way. Just glad my Kylie did okay.” Banger finished his glass of red wine.
“Are you going to see Belle again?” Cara asked.
Banger shrugged. “Maybe.” What the fuck am I saying? Damn right I’m gonna see her again.
“You should give her a chance. She’s a bit jittery about men right now. I’m not sure why, but you shouldn’t give up.” Cara gathered the dishes from the table.
Banger guffawed. “I’m not the type who gives up. When I see something I want, I go for it. Just haven’t made up my mind if I want her or not.” You lying sack of shit. You can’t wait to get your ass to the diner to see her again. Fuckin’ pathetic. Hawk’s right, you’re a pansy-ass. He laughed again as he poured himself some more wine.
Finishing their lemon cake on the couch in the family room, Banger stood up then swayed as the effects of too much alcohol overcame him. Hawk rushed over to steady his president.
“Whoa, man, you better crash in one of the spare rooms. You’re in no shape to ride home.”
“I think you’re right.” Banger glanced at Cara who smiled at him, nodding in agreement.
Hawk showed him to the guest room on the main floor. Banger had crashed many evenings at Hawk’s after Grace had died, but it’d been a while since he’d drunk too much to ride. Hawk made sure he was okay, then closed the door and left. The room was nicely decorated in southwest designs and colors. He shucked off his boots and clothes then slipped under the sheets, bringing the down comforter up under his chin. He was glad he stayed over. Something inside of him didn’t want to go back to his dark, quiet house. At least not that night.
He closed his eyes and let sleep set in.
Chapter Four
At nine o’clock in the morning, Belle sat at the kitchen table waiting for Holly to come by for their morning walk. Unless the weather was really bad, she tried to walk at least three times a week with Holly. Her friend lived only about a mile from Belle, and that made it convenient for whenever she needed Holly to stay with Ethan. Emily got along very well with her, and the two of them would often go shopping together. Belle was happy that at least Emily had one adult woman with whom she connected, especially since the two of them had been having a lot of problems.
After a brisk walk in the frigid air, Belle placed two cups on the table and filled them with steaming coffee as Holly sat down at the table.
“How are things going with you and Emily?” asked Holly.
“Not so good. We had a terrible fight last night.” Belle wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup. “She was so angry at me. She shoved me.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I can’t believe she did that.”
“You gotta be kidding.”
“I wish I were.” Belle’s voice hitched.
“Shit, that must be tough.”
She looked at Holly. “I gotta be honest here, I don’t know what I’m gonna do with Emily. If it were just the two of us, I would deal with it, but I have Ethan to think about. All the stress is making it terrible for him. I know if Harold were here, Emily wouldn’t be acting this way at all. It’s just so unfair to Ethan, that’s all.”
“Yeah, she was always close to her dad. Harold was actually good for something.”
“I wish he were here to tell me what to do. He had a way with Emily. It’s funny, because I have such mixed feelings about Harold. I hated him for cheating on me, but I loved him for being a good dad and supporting me in raising the kids.”
Holly shook her head. “Damn, men can be so loving to their kids but shits to the women in their lives. I lucked out when I met Darren, but all my exes are assholes.” She grabbed Belle’s hand and stared at her. “Harold was a fucking idiot to have cheated on you. You’re a great mother, and you were a fantastic wife—don’t ever forget that. It seems like the more you do for a man, the more he takes advantage of you.”
Belle squeezed her friend then smiled weakly. “Thanks. Okay, poor-little-me conversation is over.”
“Just remember that Emily is having a hard time because she’s missing her dad and doesn’t know how to deal with it. Add being a teenager on top of it, and it has to be tough for her. Remember back when you were her age. It sucked, right?”
Belle shrugged. “My parents were very strict, so for most of my life with them, I felt like a caged bird with clipped wings. I would never cuss them out or even think of shoving them against a wall. I give Emily what I never had—freedom. She can go out with friends, go on dates, and listen to whatever music she likes. But she still resents me. I don’t know what to do.”
“The problem is, as much as you didn’t have any freedom, you’ve given too much of it to Emily. She needs more supervision. With you working so much overtime, Emily can do whatever the hell she wants, and you’re not around to watch her. Some kids need more supervision and a man in the house.” Holly leaned back in her chair. “You know, if you want to diffuse the tension, maybe it’d be better for Emily to come and live with me and Darren until the end of the semester. We’re just talking five months. It’d give her a chance to miss you and Ethan, plus it’d give her more structure. You could have quality time with Ethan. It’d ease up the tensions in the house.”
Belle stood up and placed her coffee cup in the sink. It was sweet of Holly to try and help her out, but how could she let her daughter live away from her? She loved Emily so much, but it did bother her that she’d been so aggressive the previous night. Belle hoped it was an isolated incident, but Emily hadn’t apologized to her earlier in the morning when she’d left for school.
“I know this is a hard decision for you. I’m just trying to help. I’ve always gotten along fine with Emily. I’m worried about you because I’ve never seen you this tense. You’re more stressed out than you were when Harold died.”
“Things are rough right now. It isn’t all Emily. Our financial situation is always on my mind. It seems I never have enough to pay everything at the end of the month. I feel awful that I can’t take the kids on a trip, or even to a fucking movie.” Belle pulled her shoulders back. “But I know things will get better. Life has a way of turning out great when we least expect it. It’ll all be good.”
“I hope so. Just think about what I said. The offer is open any time.” Holly walked over to the back door.
“Thanks. I will. I’ve got to get to work. We’ll talk soon. Thanks for listening.”
Holly smiled and left out the back. Belle
ran upstairs to change into her uniform then headed to Ruthie’s Diner.
Throughout her shift, she looked out the pass-through window, watching for Banger, but he never showed up. A knot formed in her stomach. Why hadn’t he come? Maybe she shouldn’t have rebuffed him the last time she’d seen him, but she knew his type—he was a man looking for a good time. If she didn’t have all the crap going on with Emily, she may have been interested in having some fun with Banger. But the way her life was, having fun wasn’t an option.
A gust of icy wind wove its way into the kitchen. Belle rushed over and looked out to see who’d come into the diner. When she spotted an elderly couple, her heart sank. I’m acting like a fool. So what if he doesn’t come in? He probably has several women he’s playing. I have enough going on that I don’t need to be obsessing over a playboy biker.
She put the final touches on a three-layer chocolate raspberry fudge cake.
“Mmm… That sure looks good.” Jerome gave her a wide grin, exposing the gaps from his missing teeth.
She smiled warmly at her colleague. Jerome was the other cook for the diner. He was a sweet man around her age, although his deep wrinkles and blotchy skin made him appear much older. He was a reliable employee, and Belle loved him for that, especially when her feet ached from standing for nine or ten hours.
“Try a piece. I prepped everything for tonight,” Belle said as she grabbed her purse and coat.
“Should be a quiet night since they have a rodeo over at Rutger’s barn.”
“I didn’t know that was this week. I guess a lot of people go to it.”
“You bet. It ain’t a big one, but it’s enough to bring out a bunch of folks. You gonna go?”
“Nope. The only thing I want to do is soak my feet. Damn, they’re killing me.”
While she put on her coat, a long rumble shook the windows of the diner. Her heart leapt, and she ran to the picture window with a big smile on her face, only to quickly have it wiped away. Instead of Banger on the bike, Holly’s brother killed the engine. She turned quickly, dashing to the kitchen before slipping out the back door.
