by Kara Hart
That did the trick. “Okay, big boy. You win. I came here for a reason.”
“Spill it.” I said, chewing on an ice cube, looking satisfied.
“My father is in some financial trouble.” she said.
“Great. What does that have to do with me?” I said, spitting out the ice cube.
“He’d like to make an investment.” she said, looking around her. “Is there anywhere we can talk? You know, without anyone around us?”
I glanced at a door in the back, inappropriately marked “Exit.” “Sure. Follow me.” I said.
Johnny watched our every step, as we made our way to the back office area. It was breaking his heart to see me win the girl. Truth be told, this was just business. But he didn’t know that.
I shut the door behind us and locked it, motioning for her to sit down on the couch along the back wall. “So. What kind of an investment is he looking to make? I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t accept donors who can’t give me anything. If you’re father is broke, I’d advise him to get a loan. Or better yet, tell him to go rob a bank.”
“He’d like to use your club.” she said, straight faced. Apparently she didn’t like my jokes. Fair enough.
“Use my club?” I asked her. “Sorry, honey, but no one uses my club. Courage only. See the tattoo?” I showed her my arm.
“Our family has a lot of respect for you. After all, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your laying of the groundwork.” she said.
“You’re god damn right you wouldn’t.” I muttered through clenched teeth. There was that temper again. I couldn’t handle people that felt like they could just barge into any crew’s territory and negotiate. It was a bad look.
“No disrespect, sir. Your name’s Rust, right? Rust Clayton?” I nodded. “Thought so. Look, Rust. I have a deal I want to make you.”
“Go on. I’m listening.”
“You carry our product. Three months. If you don’t like the goods, you keep whatever we gave you. All up front. But if you like it, you make an oath with us to carry it for three years. Courage and Hell’s Wheels. Together. What do you say?”
“Courage only rolls alone. We don’t associate with any other crew. But we do make deals.” And if we could drain Lane’s money, why not? It would only strengthen our crew. And then when the Hell’s Wheels failed, we’d take them over. Easy as that.
“That’s fine. You use our product. Rename it for all I care. You’ve heard my say. Now, think it over. Here’s some samples, upfront. I think you’ll enjoy it.” She gave me a large bag of pills. Presumably MDMA. I looked down at the bag and smiled.
“I don’t touch the shit. But I like money. So if this stuff can bring in that paper, I say why not? I’ll pass this off to one of my guys. We’ll see what he says.” I said, lighting up a fresh cigar. There’s nothing like a fresh cigar for a fresh deal.
Now that I was a little liquored up, I eyed the woman. She was sitting, her chest leaning over her legs. Her tits were practically spilling out of her goddamn shirt. How could I resist looking? “I look forward to working with you…” she said, running her tongue across her pearly white teeth. Or did I just imagine that. No, she wanted me. I could sense it.
I stood up in front of her and said, real slow, “Me too.” Her hair was falling in front of her face. I went to fix it. I ran my finger across her neck and swiped her long, thick and silky hair from her eyes.
“Thanks.” she whispered.
I decided to take my chance, inching forward even more. The sound of my leather and her breathing was all that could be heard inside this room. She leaned back and uncrossed her legs. Her feet came up on the couch and I trailed my hands across her legs, up to her thighs. “Yes…” she moaned.
I bent my face forward as I caressed the back of her head. This was it. I leaned forward and … Bang!
That’s when I heard it. A gunshot. And then all the damn fire sprinklers went off. The sound of alarms was blaring in our ears. “Shit!” I screamed.
“You better get to that.” she whispered, looking flush and embarrassed.
“Yeah, uh, I better. You should head back. Lane’s going to want to know the deal. I’ll come by in a day or two.” She simply nodded, walking out in a hurry. Well, that was fucked up timing… I thought to myself.
I slammed the door behind me and ran out of the club. Who do I see? Fuckin’ Johnny. And he’s getting pounded. I mean, fucking pounded. Some fake biker type, wearing all leather and the wrong brand of boots, punching the life out of him. Johnny’s gun was next to him. “Not again.” I muttered through clenched teeth. This was a weekly thing around here.
I tapped the guy on the shoulder and he quickly turned around. That’s when I hit him in the nose with the butt of my pistol. “Come on, punk.” I said. “You wanna’ fight a real man?”
I slammed my fist into his mouth, shattering his teeth. “Fuck you.” He spat at me, smiling. “Faggot.” That got my blood boiling. No one’s allowed to call me that, let alone some moron who walked into the wrong club.
I let him hit me. You know, to give him something he could feel good about. Of course, that gave me my excuse to pulverize him. I grabbed him by his shirt and pressed him against the asphalt, punching downward. Three more punches and the guy was unconscious.
I jumped back onto my feet and looked down at my hands. They were covered in my blood and his. I spat at him and smiled. Johnny came up behind me and said, “Calm down and get back inside. Cops will be here any second.”
“Yeah. Sure.” I grunted, clenching my fists. My temper. It was hard to get control of sometimes. I took a few deep breaths and counted to ten. “Nothing to see here!” I yelled. “Free drinks for the first 20 people who order.” I stood around as the crowd dispersed around us.
“Clean up this mess.” I said to one of the doormen. And make sure everything’s okay inside. This guy is going to cost me a pretty penny. I want him held responsible.” I shook my fist, easing the pain. I definitely broke a knuckle. No worries. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Jackie
“He doesn’t take me seriously, Lane.” I said, shaking my head while I paced around the room. “None of them do. They look at me like I’m some dumb girl. I’m 27. And they treat me like I’m 16.”
“For once in your life can you respect me enough to call me your father? What do you expect from Courage? They’re practically a power-hungry empire. They’re one of the one-percenter clubs and they’re run by a bunch of outlaws. So it’s no wonder they feel like they can do whatever they want.” he said. I still couldn’t help but feel my anger rise at this.
“We shouldn’t support people like that. We should be running an honest business. Drugs, sure. But no violence. None of that Courage bullshit. Last night, when I left the club, I witnessed Rust beating a guy out in the streets to a bloody pulp. Do you really want to risk our credibility with people like him?” I grabbed a pack of cigarettes on the table and lit one up. I didn’t normally smoke, but in times like these, a girl had to.
“Violence. It’s part of who we are. How else are you going to get shit done?” he asked me. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of answering. He let out a long sigh. “You know I run a clean shop around here. But if we don’t make a deal with them, we’ll be forced out. I have nothing left, Jackie. Nothing. It’s too competitive. The prices they get their stuff at, well, they’re really low.”
“But they’re not as pure, right? People will pay for the good stuff if they know about it.” I said.
“Sure. They’ll buy the good stuff if they know about it. That’s the thing though. They don’t know about our product. They never will. We’ve got a small block of territory left. The rest belongs to the Darkhorse MC and Courage. I’ll never deal with those Darkhorse guys. But Courage? Sure. I’ll put up with them for a few years of good marketing on their part. Who knows? Maybe we can strike up a friendship. Maybe they’ll let our territory expand.” He justified his way of thinking.
“Jackie.” he muttered. I opened the door to find that hothead Rust standing in front of me. He had brought his friend, Johnny, with him as backup.
“Come in.” I said.
“You do business out of a house?” he asked me in a condescending tone.
“Yeah, well, not all of us are as lucky as you guys. We don’t have as many opportunities.” I hated these tough guy types. I know it’s part of the culture, but we were always different. If you needed to prove yourself with your fist, you weren’t a real man. We only used violence when we had to. We dealt with ourselves first. We weren’t the city’s police. That was Courage’s mission. If I could just get them out of my life for good, I would be satisfied.
“It’s called hard work. You’ll get there someday.” he said. I scowled. “I used to run shit out of my car. Now look at me. You’re a pretty girl. You’ll get the money you need, one way or another.” He and Johnny burst out laughing. Fucking pigs…
Of course, Lane walked into the room with open arms. “Brothers. Good morning. Come to talk business?” he asked them.
“Yeah. We came to talk.” Rust said.
“So? What’s the verdict? Did you try the pills?” he asked, putting on his leather vest.
“We tested them. Ninety-eight percent purity rate. How the hell did you manage it?” He ran his hands through his hair, staring at my father intently. He was trying to find a way around him, a cheaper route. I couldn’t let him do that.
“None of your business.” I chimed in. “Great, you like the product. Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we gentleman? We take the money upfront with each delivery. We always come through. That’s the deal. If we don’t, you can take the necessary steps to dissolve the relationship.” I said, calmly.
“Woah, woah, woah. Let’s slow it down a bit, okay?” he said, waving his arms in front of him. “First of all, fuck that. We don’t pay upfront. That’s what clubs like you do. We pay you once the product has sold. Remember, you’re getting our brand alongside yours. Your men can have the affiliate brand on their jackets. The way I see it, we’re giving you more than enough. The fact that we’re even doing this should leave you good and happy.” he said.
What a prick. So this was how it was going to be now. A bunch of big businesses, taking down the little man. I hated him for it, but what could I do about it? “I suppose you’re right. We should be happy.”
He leaned forward, addressing me. “Look. I know how this feels. Some guy from a well-established crew comes here and tells you what to do. But you have to remember, you came to me. This is just business. I have to look out for my guys too. I promise that whatever happens, we’ll look out for you guys. You bear our name now, so we’re gonna see to it that you are treated very well.”
“Like a franchise.” I said.
My father put his hand on my shoulder, as if to say, “that’s enough.” I backed off. If he didn’t care about saving the crew, then I didn’t either. Fuck it. “Forgive my daughter. She’s just concerned about family affairs.” he said. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. “This sounds like a deal, gentleman. How about we meet at your club to finalize the details?”
“Sounds good.” he said, getting up and heading towards the door.
The men shook hands and went their separate ways, ignoring me completely. This was the usual type of treatment I received. I was just some girl in their little world, pushed off to the side. “Thanks sweetie-pie” was the usual response.
But before the guys rode off on their bikes, I ran outside to tell them one last thing. “Rust. Wait.” I said, shutting the door so my father wouldn’t hear.
“What is it?”
“It’s about Lane. I need to talk to you.” I said, standing tall.
“Well, spill it. What’s wrong? Something I should know?”
“He’s,” I sighed loudly. “He’s not well.” I said, taking in a deep breath. “Cancer. And he doesn’t have long. Doctors said less than a month. It’s been a week since.”
“I’m sorry ‘bout that. I really am. Lane was one of the good ones.” he said, taking off his hat. A rustle of leaves could be heard above us in the trees.
“Still is. He’s not dead yet. That’s just it, though. We need your help for a reason. We’ve been a small crew since the beginning and that’s the way we like it. But as soon as my father passes, it’s going to be the Darkhorse faction who tries to take our territories. That’s why we went to you.” I said.
“Darkhorse…” he whispered. “The bastards.”
“I, uh, heard what happened not too long ago with Avery and Bruce. Just talk, you know. But I was surprised to hear Darkhorse was still running without Bobby Farole. I thought they’d be finished without him, for sure.”
“You thought wrong. They ain’t going to give up that easy.” He shook his head and grabbed at one of his cigarettes. He didn’t light it though. He just kind of held it there, lost in his own thought.
“We know we’re going to have to give up everything eventually. I just want my fair cut. I’ve worked at this my whole life. And I’ve seen my father put everything on the line for Hell’s Wheels. I can’t let his legacy die in vain. I won’t.”
“You’re just a girl. Sure, a captain’s girl. Still a girl nonetheless. What do you expect us to do? Let you keep your territories, your men, your weapons and bikes? That’s not how it works, honey.” Johnny laughed and lifted his sunglasses.
“Come on, Rust. We got work to do. Quit wastin’ your time.” Johnny said. Nothing I said mattered to these men. If anyone was wasting their time, it was me. But this was my family name we were talking about. I was a woman, sure. But my father’s work and name deserved respect.
So I did something I never thought I’d do in a million years. I took out my pistol and held it in front of me. Rust simply laughed. “Come on, sweetie-pie. Set the weapon down. Ain’t no one gotta die today.” I fired the weapon. Johnny, in fear, fell off his bike into the cold dirt.
“Put the damn gun down!” Johnny yelled
“Ain’t no one dying here if you just listen to what I have to say. Now, my father may not be someone you think is worth your respect. But he’s kept the Hell’s Wheels local for the past two decades now. We’re a respectable club and you know it. Hell, if I were to talk to Bruce, he’d have your ass hanging on a stick.”
“You just fired your gun at a captain.” he said. “Think that’s such a smart move? Anyway, I’m listening. Spit it out. I don’t have much patience left.” he said with both arms raised into the air. Now that I had his attention, it was time to give him my ultimatum.
“We keep our territory. Or, if you really want, we can go to war.”
“War? Are you really threatening Courage with that? We’d bring you down in less than a week. I’m done listening to you whine. Let’s go, Johnny.” He stepped down onto his bike, smiling as the engine roared loudly.
“Yes, war. We still have 200 soldiers. As the new leader of Hell’s Wheels, they’re ready to do whatever I say. Will we lose? No doubt about it. Will we give you a fight? Oh, we’ll give you a fight. And we’ll make sure it gets ugly. Car bombs, men hiding in trees, bike-jackings. We’ll cause you a world of pain. And sure, while all of our men will either die off or join your cause, you’ll be set back in the end. And the Darkhorse faction will swoop in and take whatever is left. I’ll make sure of that. Whatever territory we still own will all go to Bobby’s heirs.” I felt the click in the back of my throat echo as a swallowed down my saliva. I couldn’t believe myself. I threatened Courage, the biggest motorcycle club in town. I stood trembling, waiting for his response.
Rust revved his engine, grinding his teeth. “You’ll be hearing from us.” he simply said, though I could tell I got him. I turned around and walked in the house, pleased wi
th myself. The roar of their engines faded into the distance.
“What did you tell them?” my dad asked me as I slammed the door behind me.
“I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.” I smiled.
Rust
“That bitch!” I slammed my fist into the wall, punching it straight through. How could anyone challenge the Courage like that? Let alone, some girl.
“Calm down. Just calm down.” Bruce, the boss of our crew, had driven down to talk about everything with me. He was the one who approved deals and the fact that Jackie had sidestepped me like that made matters complicated for me. Now I had to sit with the boss of the whole crew and decide what was going down. That meant less money for me and more headaches for everyone involved. It wasn’t something I was happy about. “Just tell me what you’re thinking. We’ll go from there.”
“I’m thinking that she has us by the balls, Bruce. It’s either us or Darkhorse who takes their territory and I sure as hell won’t let it be Bobby’s people that get it.” I was fuming, walking in circles. My whole world was spinning. “She’s just some girl! You ever see her on the streets, Bruce?”
“Can’t say that I have, but she’s Lane’s daughter. She demands respect. I understand that.” Bruce said, lighting up a cigarette.
“You understand that? In what fucking way do you understand her actions? She fired a gun at a captain! You’re going to sit there and take that?”
“Hell no. I don’t take threats. You know that, Rust. But I sure as hell ain’t going to start no war! You remember what happened the last time with Bobby. Took us everything we had to kill him. Frankly, I thought they’d be over that by now, but they’re not.” He shook his head and laughed. “Shit, we’re in a bind, huh?”
“You bet your ass we are.” I said. We were at a stand still. There was no way out of this. We would have to give in to their demands.
“Alright. So we let them keep their territory. Their name too. Fuck it. Hell’s Wheels has some traction around these parts, so it ain’t going to hurt us too bad if we do that. We sell their drugs in your club–it’s good shit, right?”
