Text Copyrighted © 2015 Fiona Garland
Cover Design © Fiona Garland
Cover Image © Deposit Photos
All Rights Reserved
The characters featured in this story are fictional with no relation with any persons alive or dead. All events depicted in this story are fictional and any similarities to the real world are purely coincidental. Any and all references to trademarks are covered under fair use.
This book is intended for adults. It contains mature depictions of violence, sex, and profanity. Please avoid reading further if you are not at least eighteen years of age or find this type of work uncomfortable.
Table of Contents
“It looks bad, Dante. We’ve had scandals in the past due to our history but this is a whole new level. No public relations company in the world is capable of spinning the addition of a former convict onto our board of directors into a positive. The fact that he just finished serving a ten year prison sentence for armed robbery isn’t going to help matters. The public will think we haven’t changed one bit. Our initial public offering is a few months away and we’ve-”
“I don’t need the blow by blow, Lucia,” the taciturn biker sighed, turning to his sister. Dante Alastair had grown up alongside his strong-willed sibling. He had fought with her in the backseat of car during their childhood trips. He had fended off substandard suitors for her when she became a woman. When their new high-rise corporate offices were under construction, she had taken the initiative to turn the game room in their motorcycle club into a respectable enough conference room for business dealings. They were becoming a legitimate motorcycle design and manufacturing business on the back of her shoulders. Dante knew when she was the only one who could pull him and the club out of this fire. “Just tell me how bad the backlash is going to be. I already feel like I’m a damn politician trying to avoid scandals.”
“You will be once we go public with the company,” Lucia said sternly, glancing at the aging man to their side. The recently released ex-convict was the subject of their conversation. However, he had decided to stay silent and allowed his niece and nephew to do the talking. And the arguing for that matter. “With Uncle Cassius released from prison, this isn’t going away. We’ve made amends with the law. We’ve paid back the families we’ve affected. We’ve opened our books up to independent accounting firms and even the Feds. However, people think we’re still a gang of dangerous bikers who break the law. They’re even bringing up the fact you went to juvie as a teenager. There’s no sweeping bad history under a carpet in this day and age. Just the other day, the hashtag for Uncle’s release skyrocketed on Twitter. It’s still trending.”
“No other motorcycle brand has our history,” Dante argued, proud of the club’s storied past. Nevertheless, his short tenure as the club’s president had him stir it away from its controversial origins. It was better for the business. “Our manufacturing partners can’t even keep up with orders. It’s what attracts people to us. Hell, Harley-Davidson said that we’re a threat to them. We’re the new wave. We must be doing something right.”
“It’s also attracting the same bad press that makes our PR department deal with a new fire every day,” Lucia replied, lacing her fingers under her chin. As the sleeves of her business clothing fell, it revealed her tattooed wrists. The businesswoman was a biker at heart. “Dante, we’re at a crossroads. We could be the next Harley-Davidson. Or we could up like some poisoned brand that nobody wants to be associated with. We’re either a respectable manufacturer of motorcycles or we’re an outlaw motorcycle club that’s had a few too many run-ins with the law. We can’t be both.”
Dante sighed at her sound logic. “So what do you propose we do? Last week, you said the consultants thought we were heading for a historical initial public offering for a motorcycle design company. Now, you’re not even sure we’ll be able to avoid getting delisted before the year is over.”
She glanced at her uncle who sat quietly at the table with an alcoholic beverage in his hands. “That’s business, Dante. Things can change at the drop of a hat. Is it worth having someone on the board who just left prison for armed robbery? He’s still on probation for crying out loud! Maybe we should reconsider-”
“No, he stays,” Dante interrupted, startling his sister. Lucia had noted he reminded her more and more of their father and former club president. It was bittersweet to for him to take on the responsibilities and persona of their late father. “Uncle lost a decade of his life to take the heat off dad. I’m not going to let some overzealous media mob try to take away his freedom. We wouldn’t have grown up with dad if it wasn’t for his sacrifice. Besides, this motorcycle club belongs to him as much as it does us.”
Suddenly, Uncle Cassius voiced his thoughts. “Well, it’s nice that you kids have a heart. I don’t plan on being the face of this new manufacturing company of yours. I much prefer the backseat.”
“He can stay on the board but we need him out of here and out of the media’s cross-hairs,” Lucia conceded with a sigh. “They’ve talked about how we used to do a trial of combat who gets promoted. Some of our manufacturing partners are concerned with the direction we’re taking our company. If they pull out now, it could tank our IPO.”
He knew she was right even if his ego wouldn’t admit it. “Where do you want him? Out of California?”
“I’m talking about getting him out of this damn hemisphere,” Lucia stated. “Listen, the longer he stays here, the longer we have to talk to the media about our past.”
“Well, as much as I’d like to sit back and drink ice tea in the Bahamas,” Uncle Cassius chided. “The Black Hound Recreation and Motorcycle Club has had a reputation ever since your grandfather founded it after he came back from the Vietnam War.”
Lucia wanted to get back to business. “We know how-”
“This is your father’s legacy we’re talking about, young lady,” the uncle scolded. “Vergil and I kept our reputation as the most feared bikers in the Southwest. We kept this community safe from the other biker gangs. Your father wouldn’t like to see the Black Hound name tarnished so you could make easy money slapping our insignia on some cheap imported motorcycles from Asia. He’ll he would be rolling in his grave if he found out the club was now incorporated.”
“As club president, I’m taking the Black Hound club seriously,” Dante replied. He always felt uncomfortable being compared to his father. Frank, one his father’s closest friends and club lieutenant, had temporarily served as club president until Dante came of age. Nonetheless, he found the responsibility overwhelming at times. “I’m going to protect our reputation and history. People from all across the world are going to know our name. But it’s going to be as a legitimate business. We’ll keep this community safe. However, we’ll do it through the jobs and money we bring in rather than through armed robbery and violence.”
“It’s not just that,” Lucia added, flipping through some papers in her binder. “There’s this deal in the works where we can license our name to bars and grills. There’s a lot of money to be made in the licensing business.”
Cassius grimaced as if she had described turning the club into a brothel. Suddenly, the expression on his face changed. “Did I ever tell you kids how your father met your mother?”
Lucia rolled her eyes. “I don’t think now is the time for an anecdote.”
Dante, however, was more curious. “What are you getting at Uncle Cass?”
“You see my brother, Vergil, was the younger
one,” he began. “So, he usually got left home with our mother when your grandfather and I worked at the club or garage. However, the little devil made up for lost opportunities getting into lots of trouble at school. Soon, the hell-raiser started to have a reputation among the locals and the law started to take notice. It wasn’t a good thing to have that kind of… prestige when you start getting threatened with prison time instead of detention. The fox sleeps easier when they know the hound isn’t on the prowl.”
Now, Lucia was intrigued. “Go on.”
“Your father needed way to look like a law abiding citizen,” Cassius continued. “So he went to the nicest girl in town from a well-respected family. And knowing his tastes, she also happened to be the prettiest girl in town. He had found someone the entire town liked and he asked her for a date with hat in hand. Being around such a nice, kind-hearted girl transformed his reputation almost overnight. However, it was only just for the cameras. He was a boy scout by the day… and a biker by night.”
Dante smiled at the familiar story. “I guess he didn’t count on falling in love with mom.”
Uncle Cassius shook his head. “The point is that we have a way of dealing with the media by creating a smokescreen. If we get those media dogs chasing after another bone, you can go ahead with your plan of making the company public without any controversy. What better distraction than a fairy tale romance?”
Lucia followed along as she pointed at her brother. “So if we can get someone who is a law-abiding citizen and unattached… we can move the focus from Uncle Cassius’s release to your impromptu and very public romance.”
Dante’s eyes shot opened wide in disbelief. “Wait, what?”
“We need a clean-living woman who will agree to your sham marriage,” his uncle said, far too amused at the scenario. “I guess if she’s a cutie, it wouldn’t exactly hurt.”
“What you’re saying is that I get hitched with some goody-two-shoes so our PR gets a booster shot?” Dante asked incredulously. “How we going to find someone who will agree to this charade?”
“We have the money to pay her off,” Lucia answered, a teasing smile on her face. Indeed, the company had built up a sizeable fortune over the years. “Besides, women would want to be with a handsome guy like you for free.”
“Even if I agree to this… why me? Why not Lucia?”
“Because you’re not only a dashing knight in leather armor but also the head of the company,” his sister teased. “I’m just the company’s CFO. It would make a better headline if the Black Hound’s playboy CEO and perpetual bachelor decided to finally settle down with a nice, kind-hearted girl. It’ll be a fresh start for the company and its young CEO’s personal life. Our marketing department will love that line! We might actually have something here…”
Dante sighed in defeat. “If this saves the IPO…”
“It will, Dante,” his sister answered with a devious smile. She was enjoying this more than any CFO had any right to. “I’ll handle all the details. You just have to play your part as the bad boy biker who will turn over a new leaf.”
“Well then, I’m going to need a smoke,” Cassius laughed. “I might become somebody’s granduncle.”
This was too much for the club president. He rummaged into his jacket for the keys to his motorcycle. “And I’m going to need to take a ride to clear my head.”
“Welcome to Foxtail Farms! This is Trisha Kaplan, how can I help you?”
Trisha knew the name was a bit of a lie. It actually should have been singular as in one farm. However, Foxtail Farms made it sound like a thriving business. She had to keep on a brave face all the time. The fact that she was talking to someone over the phone rather than face to face didn’t change matters.
“Dear sir or madam,” the pre-recorded voice began. Trisha already knew this was trouble from the metallic hiss of the electronic voice. “You’re eligible for a credit card offer with no interest for-”
She clicked end button on the phone. The young woman was surprised to get such an offer considering her rock bottom credit rating. Then again, someone who had to keep herself afloat through credit cards was the perfect target for these telemarketers. It was like tempting a recovering alcoholic with a lifetime supply of vodka.
The farm girl was half a mind to disconnect the phone to stop these devils from peddling their goods. It was bad enough she had to cut off her cell phone plan because the cost was too much. However, a respectable business needed some means of communication with its customers.
That was the big problem. There were less and less customers to talk to. It was tough being the owner of a private farm. Most of her peers had years to build up close relationships with retailers and hone their craft. Trisha was like a high school athlete competing at the big leagues. She hated to admit it but she was hopelessly outgunned and outmatched.
That’s not even considering the big agriculture conglomerates who dominated the region. While they didn’t have the love and care of local farmers, they certainly had prices to attract customers. There was no way for a small private farm to compete with them.
For that matter, there was no way she would be able to run the farm. The bills were started to rack up. Trisha’s line of credit was stretched to its limit. The end was in sight.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. It had to be Enrique. The man had been her father’s close friend and business partner. Now, he was her business partner. The woman rushed to unlock the door.
“Sorry, I was with a phone call,” she said to a man who was practically her uncle. He ran a small chain of grocery stores in a nearby city. He had been a longtime patron of Foxtail Farms. “Come on in, Enrique. I can make us some tea. I have your favorite peach-mango herbal tea-”
The middle-aged man stayed at the doorstep. “I won’t be staying long, Trisha. I just wanted to update you on our next order.”
The woman’s heart sank at the news. “An update?”
“I’ll only be able to buy half a shipment of strawberries,” he said. “As for the kale. I’m afraid we just can’t afford it.”
“Half a shipment?” Trisha gasped. “That barely covers the cost of making it! It’s already hard growing when we have to conserve water for the drought.”
“I’m giving you the best deal I can,” Enrique sighed. “My chain is co-owned by the two other partners. They would rather save few pennies than pay a little extra for your quality. I’m trying to give you as much business as I can.”
Trisha’s shoulder’s slumped in defeat. “Well, I guess that’s just the nature of this business.”
“I know it’s been tough, Trisha,” the man said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I can’t imagine how difficult it has been for you to take charge of the family business, especially so soon after their deaths.”
“It’s in the past, Enrique,” the woman replied, feeling a tinge in her heart. “I’ve gotten over it. Now, I’m trying to get this farm afloat before I drown with it.”
“No young woman desires to spend her days going from leak to leak,” the man replied. “Trisha, you don’t have to do this. There are other to deal with your problems. You could always sell the farm-”
“Out of the question,” Trisha interrupted. “Foxtail Farms in my birthright. It’s been in my family for generations. Mom and Dad worked so hard to keep this place running.”
“I know you’ve been operating at a loss for months,” Enrique pleaded. “Think of your workers. Think of yourself. It’ll be a lot easier to move on if you cut your losses now rather than later.”
“I don’t want to be the one who lost the farm…”
“I know it’ll be hard but you have to do this. I’ve been in this business long enough to know when a business is on its last legs. This farm will go belly up in a few months. You don’t want to get caught under it and end up paying debts for the rest of your life.”
“Not happening,” she said adamantly. “Besides, who would buy a failing business? I can barely afford t
o pay my workers. I’m up to my ears in debt…”
“Listen, the business may not be worth much but the land is a different story,” he said. Her heart sank at his words. Trisha knew he was right but she hated the mere idea of it. “Look Trisha, I’m saying this as one of your father’s oldest friends. You need to do what’s best for you. Don’t let your pride get in the way of your reason. Sell the land and you’ll be able to live comfortably until you find some other type of work.”
TRACKING TRISHA - A Black Hounds Motorcycle Club Romance (The Fox and the Hounds Book #1) Page 1
