by Jade Kuzma
“I’m sorry about what happened back there,” he said. “But I figure your man knows a thing or two about his ride. He’ll be able to fix that thing up real nice.”
“He hurt his leg.”
“He’s strong, too. He’ll walk it off. You wouldn’t have married a guy who couldn’t handle a tumble on the pavement now, would you?”
He cracked open his beer and took a loud sip from it.
“Help yourself,” he said.
“I’d rather not.”
“A little alcohol will make this easier for you.”
“No. I can’t drink.”
“You used to drink a lot when we were together.”
“Let’s get one thing straight…”
I leaned forward across the table. He was still smiling even though I was trying everything I could not to reach over and slap him.
“…We were never together. I was young and stupid. It was a mistake—”
“Yes, yes. Just a girl looking for a good time. I get it. But a beer won’t hurt.”
“It might.”
“Why? You allergic to beer all of a sudden? Or maybe you’re pregnant?”
I looked away from him. The last thing I wanted to talk about with him was my personal life.
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s it. You’re carrying his baby. The old man finally slipped one past the goalie—”
“What do you want, Tony?”
“I just wanted the pleasure of your company. It’s been so long. All those years. Don’t you miss me?”
“I spend every day trying to forget.”
“Ouch.”
He cackled to himself as he gulped down the rest of his beer. Another can open, he nonchalantly took a sip. I sat there and stared at him, my arms crossed as I waited for him to say what he had to say. There was something on his mind. That much was obvious. My job was to make sure that Declan didn’t have to get involved.
“I’ve come all this way and you can’t even greet me warmly,” he said.
“Tony. Get to the point.”
“I want something from you.”
“You’re never gonna get it. If you even get close enough to sniff me, I’ll make sure Declan breaks your nose.”
“I’ll mind my manners. I’ll stay right here on my side of the table.”
He gulped down his beer and let out a disgusting belch. Then he crushed the can and tossed it to the side of the dirty room.
“There is something I need from you,” he said.
“You’re not gonna get it.”
“Oh, I think I will. But it’s not what you think it is.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I had to do my best not to show my surprise. He leaned back in his seat and sighed.
“I know your husband and his club have a deal with the Triads,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Your husband and his club have a deal with the Triads. I don’t care if you know about it or not. They do.”
“And?”
He moved forward across the table. His eyes locked on me, the smile suddenly left his face.
“I want their deal,” he said.
“…What?”
I blinked my eyes in confusion. The way Tony looked at me now, I knew he was serious but I still couldn’t believe it.
“I want their deal,” he repeated. “The Chinese pay well. Those chinks have more money than they know what to do with. I figure it’ll give me and the boys a good chance to make some good scratch before we’re back on the road.”
“Why are you asking me? Why don’t you tell—”
“Your husband is planning on killing me right now. You know him better than anybody else. Do you think I’d be able to negotiate a deal away from a man that’s making so much money?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Talk to him. Tell him to let me in on the deal. My club will make some money. Enough money to live comfortably for a long time before we hit the road.”
“Why the fuck would I do something like that?”
“Because you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
“And what exactly do I have to gain from this?”
He chuckled softly to himself, that obnoxious smirk still on his lips.
“You don’t care about me,” he said. “Not like the way you used to.”
“I never cared about you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I know you want me to leave. I may be blind in one eye but even I can see that.
“Tell your husband to let me in on the deal. Tell him to let me make some money. When I make my money, I’ll leave Ivory for good. You’ll never have to worry about me being around again. You have my word.”
I scoffed at the idea. The thought of Tony doing something for my benefit was a joke.
“Your word,” I said. “What good is the word of a man who can’t keep it? You shot out my husband’s tire in the middle of a race.”
“I had to do everything I could to win that race because it was the only way I could talk to you.”
“Is it? You could’ve just talked to me when you saw me at the flower shop. You could’ve told me what you wanted then and there.”
“But you wouldn’t have taken me seriously. Now you know I’m serious.”
He stayed staring at me. One eye locked on me and his other white eye as haunting as it always was.
I turned away from him. I let out a frustrated sigh through my nose, trying to put all of the details he was giving me together.
“I’ll only be here for a week,” he said. “Maybe two. Then I’ll hit the road and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Your pussy was good. But you were some young slut. Now you’re old and used up… With the money I can make from the deal, I’ll be able to buy some new, fresh pussy.”
He cackled to himself. The way he stuck his tongue out made him look even more sadistic than I already knew he was.
“Think about it, Michelle. You’ll never have to worry about me again. I’ll be out of your hair. And you’ll save your husband from having to get more blood on his hands. I know you’re getting too old for this shit. Married to a man who has to kill to keep the peace. You say your time with me was wild and forgettable. A mistake you made when you were young. But the truth is, being married to a man like Cunningham, you’re living the same kind of life. He just does a better job of hiding what kind of a man he is.”
I clenched my jaw. My fists balled, it was taking every ounce of me not to reach out and slug him.
“You and Declan are not the same,” I said.
“Whatever. I don’t care what you tell yourself. I’m not the one who needs convincing. The only thing I do need is the deal.”
He opened another beer and took it all down in one gulp. He let out another satisfied belch and tossed the can to the side.
“I’m getting pretty sick of this cheap shit,” he sighed. “It’ll be better when I finally have some real cash on me.”
Tony raised his eyebrows at me then held his hands out.
“Well? Do we have a deal?”
There wasn’t enough time to go over everything. It was obvious Tony was up to something. But I didn’t know what it was. The only thing I could do at this point was play along.
“Talk to your husband,” he said. “Tell him I want in on the deal.”
“And what if he says no?”
“…You don’t want him to say no. You of all people should know what I’m capable of. I don’t give a shit about this town. Ivory could blow up for all I care. I might even enjoy it.”
I swallowed to keep my nerves in check. Tony wasn’t smiling anymore. He was just staring at me, waiting for my response.
“If you’re serious—”
“I am.”
“I’ll talk to Declan. I’ll tell him what you want. But the only way I can do that is if you take me back to him.”
“Of cours
e. We can head back right now.”
He stood up from his seat and walked right next to me. I didn’t look up at him. I just kept staring straight ahead while he whispered to me.
“What’s wrong? Afraid I might do something—”
I jumped up to my feet and spun around for the exit.
“Come on,” I said. “The sooner I get back to Ivory, the sooner I can get you what you want.”
Reaper: Chapter 12
DECLAN
The night was getting started. People were filing into The Grindhouse to go about their usual wild nights. The conversations and laughter and the music were all distant though.
I stared forward and ignored everything. A little bit of alcohol in me loosened me up to the point that I didn’t feel as bad as I did just a few hours ago. My mind still wasn’t clear though.
I lost track of time. It felt like an eternity when I heard the front entrance to the bar open. Just from the corner of my eye, I knew it was her. I didn’t even have to look at her to remember.
Her dark hair. The curves of her waist. Those damn luscious tits of hers. And the way everything fit in those jeans and her top.
“Declan!”
I jumped up to my seat and moved over to her. The rest of the club had my back to check on her.
I put my hands on her arms to make sure she was all right.
“Are you—”
“I’m fine,” she said as she put her hands up. “I told you he wouldn’t do anything to me.”
“Did he—”
“He didn’t put a finger on me, okay?”
“What happened?”
She looked over my shoulder at the other club members then back to me.
“We have to talk,” she said. “Alone.”
“Yeah… Right…”
I walked with Michelle to one of the back rooms in the clubhouse. We had a place to ourselves. There wasn’t much inside of it outside of a bed and some clothes. It was another place for us to relax when neither one of us wanted to head back home.
I shut the door. It was quiet except for the sound of the music thumping through the walls.
The way she paced back and forth, I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t push her though. Whatever she had to say to me, she would tell me when she was ready.
I leaned up against the wall and crossed my arms. She finally stopped pacing and looked up at me with a smile.
“Tony told me that you have a deal with the Chinese,” she said.
I made it a point not to let Michelle in on club business. It didn’t matter that she was my old lady. Everything that happened in the chapel, stayed in the chapel.
It wasn’t just because things had to stay between the patches though. As strong as Michelle was, I knew she would worry. There was always a chance that the club would be in danger. It was the life she knew long before we decided to get hitched. She accepted it. I had to do everything I could to protect her from it.
“Tony didn’t want me. He wanted to talk to me.”
“About the deal with the Triads?”
“That’s right.”
I hesitated for a second but I knew I couldn’t keep it from her. There was no point in denying it.
“What about it?” I asked.
“He wants in on the deal.”
I waited for a second. I didn’t have anything to say though.
“Tony said that he knows how well the Chinese pay. He said he wants in on the deal. Just for a bit. Once he makes enough money, he’ll take his cash and the rest of the Vultures will leave Ivory for good.”
“If he wanted in on the deal, why’d he ask you and not me?”
She scoffed at me.
“And what would you do if he asked in on the deal?” she asked. “You’re already planning on killing him. That’s not a secret. He had to talk to me because I was willing to listen to him.”
“So, that’s it then?”
I put the pieces together quickly. What Michelle was telling me made sense and I knew she wouldn’t lie to me.
“Cross is in town because he wants to make some good money. And he’s using you to do it.”
“Yeah…”
“What did you tell him?”
“I just told him that I would talk to you. I don’t… I don’t deal with club business. That decision is up to you.”
“And what happens if I don’t agree to let him in on the deal?”
Michelle hesitated for a second. She was the strongest woman I’d ever known. Nothing ever scared her. When there was concern in her eyes like there was now, I knew it was serious.
“I know Tony,” she said. “I’ve seen what he’s done with my own eyes.”
“You don’t think I can do what I need to do with him? Him and his crew are only five total.”
“Not without a price. There’s no point in putting you or the club in danger when you can avoid it. He said he’d blow up this whole town if it came down to it. After what happened with the Corps and all of the shit that Jon had to deal with… The last thing Ivory needs is another maniac running amok and having to be put down.”
“Cross already needs to be put down. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“There’s another way.”
She walked up to me and put a hand on my chest.
“Let him in on the deal,” she said.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Just let him make his money then he’ll walk away.”
“You really believe he’ll do that?”
“I believe he’s capable of anything. Right now, I don’t think just outright killing him would be the best option.”
I turned around and put my head down. I closed my eyes to try and gather my thoughts.
The decision was simple. I’d already made it when I was in the chapel with Ghost. Now Michelle was talking to me and making things even more complicated.
“He’s up to something,” I said. “If he’s as crazy as you say he is, this isn’t just a matter of letting him in on the deal and letting him make his money.”
“Maybe you could just get out of it entirely.”
“What?”
I slowly turned back around and looked at her.
“If what he’s saying is true, then all of this is because of your deal with the Chinese,” she said. “You back out now, you won’t have to worry about anything. Not Tony. Not the Chinese. Not even Lieberman or the cops.”
“You’re not serious.”
“We’re trying to start a family. I… I want to have your child. I don’t want our son or daughter to have to worry about anything—”
“Our child won’t have anything to worry about. I’ll protect them. You know I will.”
“I know. I just don’t want you to have to protect them.”
She sighed a deep breath through her nose and shifted her gaze away from me. It always hurt me to see her when she was upset. I could feel that shit in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to do everything I could to make it go away.
I looked down at her and went over my options.
“I let Cross in on the deal. He makes his money and he rides off for good. I say no and the Reapers go to war with the Vultures over Triad money.”
“Or you can walk away entirely,” she whispered. “Wash your hands free of everything.”
She reached her hand up and brushed her palm against my temple. Her touch pulled a sigh out of me.
“I know how much this shit weighs down on you,” she said. “Just be my husband. Just be a father. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care that you’re president. I just want you to be there for me.”
Looking into her eyes, it was getting harder for me to think straight.
“I can’t make the decision myself,” I said. “I’ll have to put it to a vote.”
“Then put it to a vote. Those men are your brothers. I know they’ll make the right decision.”
“Yeah… We’ll see about that.”
Reaper: Chapter 13
&nbs
p; DECLAN
“Cross had a short conversation with Michelle. It’s real simple. He and the Vultures are here in town for the Chinese. They want in on the deal we’ve got with them.”
Everybody around the table just stared at me. Needle was the first one to speak up. He was always the first one to speak up.
“…What?”
He leaned forward in his seat and stuck his hands out. Everybody else was quiet as they thought about what I just said. He was the only one with a confused look on his face.
“Am I hearing this right?” he said.
“You’re hearing it right,” I responded.
“Cross and his club want in on our deal?”
“It’s not just our deal. The Triads were doing a trial run with us to see how close the feds were watching. They’re already talking to some of the other clubs in Ivory. They’ve got more than enough weight to go around. The more weight they move through Ivory, the more money they make. The more money the entire town makes.”
“And you’re actually considering this? Am I the only one listening?”
“We hear you,” Ghost said. “We just need to know all of our options. We can’t just jump into this.”
“Cross is up to something!”
“No shit he’s up to something,” I said. “Even if all he really does want is in to get in good with the Triads, then that’s something. Now we just have to figure out if that’s what he really wants.”
I leaned forward and propped my elbows up on the table.
“Say what’s on your mind, brothers.”
I eyeballed each and every one of them, just waiting for them to respond.
“I don’t know,” Sully said as he shook his head. “Dealing with Cross is some slimy shit. Look at the guy. The sooner that guy is dealt with, the better. Whether it’s taking him out or letting him make his money so he can leave.”
“We all saw what he did during the race,” Needle said. “There’s no way we can trust that guy. If he wants to go to war, I say we go to war.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said. “You said it yourself. Cross isn’t the kind of man you can trust. He fights dirty. He does business dirty. He’d go to war dirty. He’d put all of Ivory in jeopardy if that’s what it took. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t care about civilians or collateral damage. You know that’s not how we handle shit.”
