by Debra Kayn
Kurt sat down at the head of the table and Remmy shut the door. Ink took his chair beside Cutter. He sat back and linked his hands behind his head. The last place he wanted to be was sitting with his MC brothers, listening to the weekly hit and miss regarding the guns to the militia and the bikes to Arizona.
"The snow has melted over the Cascades, so the next run to Arizona is scheduled for two months out. By that time, we should have enough motorcycles finished to fill the trailer. Second riders will take this load, because I need the first riders here working on the militia order." Kurt pushed a stack of papers away from him. "The militia continues to hold on to their numbers, but I'd like to get ahead of schedule with summer coming up. Their rendezvous with other freedom groups will be at the end of August, so we're going to continue making double the order in case others want to purchase weapons from us while they're in Idaho. The more orders we can bring in that way, the fewer trips to Arizona we'll have to make. That means extra hours for those who want to put in the time."
Ink tipped back in his chair, holding the front legs off the ground. Every meeting lately was the same thing. Everyone had a routine and the most excitement the members seen came from going into town on Friday and Saturdays to watch the Silver Girls dance. Even that turned into another normal night for him, since he wasn't using the girls and worried about Lilly in an atmosphere where anything could happen.
What he hoped to find out tonight was why Moroad MC, dressed in street clothes, walked into the Sterling Building, and then left wearing their patches. Such respect for another club usually meant Bantorus MC had something going on the side with the other club to allow the breach.
"Last month, the Silver Girls met the same level of profits from when they closed down before." Kurt shrugged. "I don't have time to oversee everything, so Lilly's going to continue managing the girls, and I have plans to put her in charge of running the books for the Sterling Building. She'll manage the upper rooms too and be looking for tenants, so I don't have to take the time while the guns are running hot."
"That'll go over big. Every single miner will want to board in town." Germ grunted, clasping his hands over his round stomach. "That's asking for trouble."
Kurt shook his head. "I trust Lilly. For her, the girls come first. We all know she has the knowledge of how Bantorus MC works and what we see as profitable or not. She's not going to rent to anyone who endangers the safety of the girls."
The men nodded. Ink gritted his teeth and tried to remain relaxed. Lilly only had control of what the MC allowed her to do, and she knew it. She'd always known it.
"First riders...any problems?" Kurt asked.
Remmy said, "No."
"Second riders?" Kurt looked across the table.
"All is quiet in town," Crain said.
"We'll move on to new business." Kurt leaned forward. "The Moroad Motorcycle Club requested to meet with me a month ago, and I've been in talks with their three officers. As you know, they've kept peace, respected the boundaries with us, and have insisted they only want a safe place to park their bikes and be free."
"Are the rumors true that they're all ex-cons?" Beckett, a newly patched lifer still trying to grow a full beard, squirmed in his chair.
"Yeah. It's true." Kurt gazed around the table.
Tension settled across Ink's shoulders and he dropped his arms down, remaining tilted back in the chair. As far as he was concerned, the Moroad members were no threat, unless they started hanging around the Silver Girls and Lilly. Then he had a big problem with them, especially since Lilly seemed to take an interest in their business.
"The majority of the Moroad members work for Meghoni Mine," Kurt said.
"Jesus," Remmy muttered. "'I've been in the warehouse and haven't seen Natalie since this afternoon. Does Natalie know who she employs?"
"She does as of an hour ago. I just got back from talking with her...she said she was fine talking to me without you there."
Remmy shrugged. "If she has problems with it, she'll contact her brother in law."
"The Moroad members were hired by her former husband, who was aware of background of the riders." Kurt sighed. "For those who have only been with Bantorus for a few years, the Moroad MC welcomes any convict released from the state pen, no matter what he's done in the past. The only job around here for a felon is to work in the mine. Cam, the president, keeps a short leash on his brothers and so far, they've been reliable workers."
Cutter snorted. "How much trouble can they get into when they're working two miles underground in the fiery pits of hell? Best place for them, in my opinion."
"Right." Kurt tapped his knuckles against the wooden surface of the table. "Except their women need jobs, and seeing how females can't work certain smurf jobs at the mine, Cam and Stache have asked me if the women could join Silver Girls."
"Hell no," Crain said.
Stripper laughed, his brows shooting up. "What do they look like?"
Kurt held up his hand. "They're dancers, nothing more."
"Are you saying you've already agreed to let them work for Silver Girls?" Ink asked, no longer able to stay quiet.
The last thing he wanted was another motorcycle club hanging around Lilly. Hell, he didn't want them around any of the women who belonged to Bantorus.
"I haven't given them a final answer. I'm bringing the idea to the table, and we'll take a vote." Kurt sprawled his fingers against the edge of the table. "So that you have all the information, Moroad has a marker on me. If we allow the Moroad woman employment at Silver Girls, it'll wipe my debt clean with them."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Ink stood. "What do they have on you?"
"Sit down." Kurt waited until Ink returned to his chair. "Word got out that Risa's mom, Lou Lou Kohl, ratted Los Li out to the Feds and made it possible to take them out. Whatever her fucked up reasons, she did that to keep Risa safe. On the inside of the bars, she took heat for what she did when the information leaked, and the Moroad members used their connections inside the prison to protect her."
"That's not on your back," Ink said, knowing how much Kurt disliked his mother in law. "You didn't ask them for a favor."
Kurt gazed at Ink. "It's family, and despite the feelings between my old lady and her mother, it would hurt Risa to know Lou Lou died in prison because of the one good thing she's ever done in her life. So, yeah, I owe Moroad MC for taking responsibility, and I've agreed to take the decision to the club to allow four Moroad women to work at Silver Girls. They only want reliable wages for their women and do not want to be partners in the business...which I wouldn't allow, marker or not."
This was bull shit.
Ink hid his disgust. Family or not, having another MC's women in Bantorus business dirtied what they were doing. He could never understand how family dynamics or why loyalty was important, just because someone shared the same blood type as they did. Respect and allegiance came from trust and time. They couldn't trust Moroad.
"Any questions?" Kurt asked
When everyone remained silent, Kurt lifted his chin and Remmy started the vote. Ink inhaled through his nose and let it out slowly as one after another, each member voted in support of their president. Peaceful or not, the Moroad MC members needed to keep their distance and stay away from Bantorus property. Things had settled down after the war with Los Li, the club needed to keep trouble away from them, not invite trouble in.
Yet, he wouldn't go against his president. "Yeah," Ink said, putting in his vote.
"I'll inform Lilly this afternoon that she'll need to hire more girls, and she can discuss the changes with the Silver Girls," Kurt said.
Ink cracked his thumb knuckle. "Federal gets more dancing girls. Those new girls have their men hanging out on Bantorus property. Moroad members look at Bantorus bitches. You can't tell me that we're not going to have a shit-storm on our hands."
"I'm there every second the girls are in town dancing." Lee pointed at Ink. "Silver Girls are covered."
The ru
les that kept him away from Lilly were whacked. What could he do when Lilly was working? He was the perfect member to watch out for anything concerning, because he was the only one who would see what was going through Lilly's head before she impulsively acted on her curiosity. The others didn't have a clue what that girl was capable of doing when left alone.
The bitches were well mannered and obedient. Lilly wasn't. She got herself in more jams that he'd bailed her out of than he could count.
"You need to double up on guard in town," Ink said. "The girls need better protection."
"Agreed." Kurt wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Job's yours if you want it, Ink. I can add the time you put in with the club onto what you already do at the warehouse."
His chest tightened in hope. He wasn't going to allow anyone close to Lilly, and it'd make it damn easier if he was off probation. "Fine."
"I'll remove your warning off your record." Kurt glanced up and held his gaze. "I've already notified Rain of your subordination and he wants me to pass on the message that if you touch or hurt his daughter, he will kill you." Kurt's gaze narrowed. "You can be around the Silver Girls all you want, but Lilly's the one we're concerned about when it comes to you. She's a daughter. Your dick stays in your pants."
Ink nodded, disgusted with the lecture. All that was important was he no longer had the threat of being cut out of the club on his shoulders.
Kurt inhaled deeply. "Cutter and Ink will be put on the schedule with Lee."
His relief was short lived with the announcement. Kurt expected Cutter and Lee to watch him like goddamn babysitters. He held in the urge to push away from the table and leave, but he wasn't going to prove Kurt right by running to Lilly.
"That's it for the meeting. During the week, I'll go over all the details with everyone on what I expect to happen with Silver Girls. Once we're on even ground with Moroad, I expect everything to work out for everyone's benefit," Kurt said.
Kurt's hand came down on the table signaling the end of the meeting and chairs scraped against the hardwood floors in the members haste to leave. Ink, highly sensitive to his actions, stood and unhurried, walked out the door behind the other men.
Jojo headed straight for him and placed her hands on his stomach, leaning in. "Hey."
"Hey." He looked over her head but couldn't find Lilly.
"I've got two cold beers with our names on them." Jojo smiled up at him, pushing her double D's against his arm.
He shrugged her off. "Not tonight. I'm heading out."
"I'm starting to take your refusals personally." Jojo tilted her head and her lower lip came out. "Do you have to be on duty in town?"
He stepped away from her. "Something like that. I'll catch you later, sweetheart."
Without giving her a chance to feel rejected, he headed for the back door. He needed time away from everyone. Excuses were getting harder to come by, and the girls were expecting him to spend time with them. Since Lilly came to Federal, he had no interest or desire to find his entertainment anywhere else, but with Lilly. He pushed through the heavy metal door. Outside, he looked around for Lilly, knowing there was no reason for her to wait around for him.
He'd told her to stay away. Lately, she'd listened, just to please him. Guilt settled around him. He jogged over to the line of motorcycles, hopped on his Harley, and rode to the gate.
Big Dawg hurried from his watch position and pushed the gate open, letting Ink ride out. He kicked his bike into third gear and opened the throttle once he hit pavement. The tension bottled inside of him eased out of his shoulders and flowed into the pitch-black night. This was who he was. A biker. A Bantorus MC first rider.
The headlight on his bike lit the way. A familiar two-mile stretch to the viaduct and the town limits let him lose his head while he sat the curves with no destination in mind. Something he rarely allowed himself to do, because of the ride with purpose code he'd pledged. He rode his Harley everywhere, but only with an endpoint and goal in mind. Tonight, he rode behind handlebars to escape. A selfish act, but necessary.
He was too close to falling back into old habits. His skin itched for a new tattoo, for the pain of the needle piercing his skin.
The streetlights at the edge of town snapped him out of his thoughts. He slowed down, riding under the viaduct. Going straight down Main Street, he hooked a right onto Cedar Street with his mind set on drinking a couple beers at Rail Point and letting himself relax.
The sight of the Bantorus MC owned Sterling Building, light on upstairs in one of the bedrooms, changed his plans. He stopped and backed his Harley to the curb. Since the club reopened Silver Girls and the war with Los Li ended, it was rare that any of the bikers stayed in town overnight. Instead, members chose the comfort of the club.
A light on in the building concerned him. None of his MC brothers had left before him or could've arrived in town after the meeting without passing him on the road.
He hopped off his Harley, removed his pistol from the back pocket of his jeans, and approached the building from the front. He tried the door handle.
Locked.
Alone on the street, he studied the cars at the end of the block. They were the regular vehicles from the overflow of customers at Rail Point Bar, one block over. He took out his cell, texted Kurt, and asked if any members were in town.
Kurt replied back instantly. No.
His pulse raced and he typed. Lights on in Sterling. Going in.
Keep me posted.
OK.
He pocketed the cell, jogged down the block, and came up the alley to the back. Trying the door, he found it also locked. He gazed up at the two-story building. Everyone was diligent about shutting off the lights when leaving since Kurt rebuilt after the fire set by Los Li.
He used his key to unlock the door and slowly let himself in. Music blared from the upstairs. He walked through the downstairs making sure the office, main room, supply room, and bathroom were clear. Then he climbed the stairs, one step at a time. He cocked his head, recognizing the music of Staind.
If teenagers found their way in and decided to party on Bantorus property the little assholes were going to be sorry. He wasn't in the mood to be nice.
Chapter Four
The loud music vibrated inside Lilly and she sang, but no words came out. Lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling, she moved her lips, and felt nothing and everything. She spread out her arms and inhaled deeply. The last time she'd had time alone, her parents had left for a two-week vacation, and she'd stayed behind to run the coffee shack. On the eve of her parents returning, Ink showed up and parked his motorcycle behind her parents' house. For one glorious night, she pretended they were together.
Two weeks later, he left for Idaho and she went crazy without him.
Three years' worth of only seeing him every three months or so wasn't enough. She pressed her hand against her stomach, nauseous and blah. When he was gone, she missed the little things he brought to her life. The way he'd always looked in the bar for her when he walked inside. The way he'd stop in for a coffee while she worked the shack for her mom and asked her about something she'd mentioned weeks ago, as if she was on his mind. The way she'd find him sitting at the curb after she attended a party and he'd escort her home.
All those little things added to a lifetime with Ink being in her life, and had her making the decision to do the hardest thing she'd ever done and come to Federal. No matter how many times he pushed her away, he had to realize she wasn't going anywhere.
She'd be Bantorus property for the rest of time, and he was a lifer.
The only way they could be together without doing any harm to the club, to their family, was if Ink stepped forward and asked her dad permission to see her. She bent her leg, brought her foot up, and stomped the floor. He'd never go to her dad, and she had no idea why.
The music stopped. Her body tensed. She'd put her cell phone in the docking station for continual play. Without moving, she swung her gaze everywhere she could look w
ithout turning her head. Her heart raced. She'd locked the doors.
She rolled over, jumped to her feet to grab the pistol out of her boot, and spotted Ink standing next to the speakers. She gulped air, holding her hands to her chest.
"God, you scared me," she said, almost hysterical with the mad adrenaline rush flooding her body.
"Good." Ink's mouth hardened.
She jolted from the harsh tone in his answer. "You can be pissed off all you want, but you don't have to be cruel. I've had a pretty sucky day, and I didn't ask you to come here. I wanted to be alone."
"Why?" He walked across the room, staying away from her.
She scoffed and shrugged. "Gee, I don't know, Ink. It's so relaxing being around you lately, maybe I wanted to devise a plot to get you alone more so I came here, cranked the music, and bam...a gazillion ideas filled my head, all of them completely insane."
"Don't get smart with me, Ace. You're here, alone, at night. Anything could've happened to you and no one knew where you were," he said.
"Sawyer and Risa know where I am."
Ink glanced at her, grabbed his cell, and turned his back. He put the phone to his ear.
"Yeah, Prez. Everything's fine. Lilly's here," he said.
She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish his conversation. For the last six months, the women of Bantorus had free reign to come and go when they wanted as long as someone knew where they'd be. She broke no rule.
Ink's shoulders stiffened. "Right. I'll be there in twenty. I need to lock up the building."
She grabbed her bag, and marched over and swiped her cell phone out of the dock. Unbelievable.
"Ready?" he asked.
She pursed her lips and decided it wasn't worth fighting about. Each day would get better, and she'd try to find time to get over a lifetime of dreaming of being with Ink. Broken hearts mended. At least that's what her mom told customers when they came looking for advice.
She hit the light switch and walked down the stairs. Once Ink was out the backdoor, she locked the building.
"Wow, look what I can do all by myself. It's locked. It's a fucking miracle," she mumbled, pocketing the keys.
