by Chiah Wilder
Isa slipped between them. “I’m going to give you guys some privacy.”
After she left, Clotille glared at Rock. “How dare you speak to me that way, especially in front of your sister. Am I your prisoner?”
“No, but you fuckin’ should’ve left me a note, or answered your goddamned phone. And for the record, I don’t believe your shit at all. You didn’t want anyone to know you were here and all of a sudden you’re meeting a friend. You better start leveling with me or you’re on your own, sweetheart.” His chest was heaving.
“I didn’t think you’d get this mad, and I didn’t get your call. My reception wasn’t good.”
“You fucking someone?”
“What? No! Why would you ask me such a ridiculous thing?”
“‘Cause you’re keeping shit from me and I don’t know why.”
She walked over to him and ran her hands up his arms. “I went to see Stephan. He was so happy to see me. It’s been a long time… The last time I was here, I was only able to spend a couple of hours with him.” She bowed her head down. “I miss him so much. I wanted to be alone with him. I hope you understand. Please, let’s not fight.” She leaned in to him and brushed a kiss over his jaw.
He stood rigid, but his anger and tension were melting under her touch, her scent, her nearness. Fuck! He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “Don’t fuckin’ do this shit to me again. You need to tell me where you’re going so I know in case something happens. You know Frederick’s pissed at you. I wouldn’t put it past him to figure out you’re here and come after you.”
“You’ve been in an outlaw club too long,” she breathed in his ear, gently biting his earlobe.
“And you’ve got a real mouth on you, especially for being a damn submissive.”
“You’ve liberated me.”
“So you’re blaming it on me?” He sounded stern, but the merriment in his eyes gave away that he was teasing her. “Give me your lips.” And she did. He cupped her ass cheeks and slammed her against him so they were pressed together as one. Then he kissed her and she kissed him back, and they stood in Isa’s sunlit kitchen kissing as though it would be the last time they’d taste and feel each other.
“Uncle Rock,” a small voice said. He reluctantly pulled away from Clotille and looked at Michael. “Do you wanna go swimming with me, Aline, and Mom tomorrow? She told me to ask you.”
He bent down on his haunches and looked the boy in the eyes. “You can count me in.” He lowered his voice and asked, “Can Clotille come along?”
Michael looked her over and then nodded. “Sure, but you have to go down the slide with us. It’s really fun, and Dad does it all the time.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss the slide. I’m a killer dunker, so I’m just warning you.”
Michael chortled. “It’s gonna be fun. I’m going to the day camp now. The bus picks me up. It’s so fun. We play, swim, and eat our lunches.”
“That does sound like fun. Does Aline go too?”
“She’s too little for my camp, but she goes to one for little girls.”
“Michael, the bus is here,” Isa called out from the living room.
The boy whirled around and dashed out of the room. “See you later, Uncle Rock.”
“He’s such a darling little boy. You’re so good with him,” Clotille said as she sat down.
Rock shrugged. “I still can’t believe Isa was the first one to have kids, and she’s the youngest.”
“Are you talking about me?” Isa walked into the kitchen, a wide smile on her lips. “Everything good now?”
Clotille nodded and Rock tilted his head. For now. Damn, chérie… I wish I could trust you. “Have you been to the bayou since Maman’s land was sold?”
Isa pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. “Charlie and I went out there a couple years ago. It was so disgusting it made me cry. The oil companies are destroying the natural landscape. It’s horrible. A big sign has replaced the shack on Maman’s land. It’s everywhere—Elite Power Inc. I’ll never forget the name. The oil and gas companies are destroying the bayou.”
“That’s Frederick’s company,” Clotille said softly.
Rock jerked around. “That fucker is raping my mother’s land?”
“Who’s Frederick?” Isa asked.
Clotille and Rock exchanged glances. “Someone I knew in Aspen,” she said.
“Well he must be pretty wealthy because his signs are everywhere in that part of the bayou.”
“Did you know he bought my mother’s land?” Rock said.
“I wasn’t sure. I knew he was doing explorations in the bayou in the Lafayette area. That’s how we met when I was still living here. I didn’t know exactly where your mother’s land was.”
“The company is all over the bayou. They own most of St. Martin.” Isa brought her leg up under her buttocks.
“I knew he was heavily involved in the St. Martin project, so I guess if I’d thought of it, I’d have realized it was where your mother once had land.”
Is this what she’s been hiding from me, that she knew that rich fuck had decimated our family’s land? “Did you ever go to see what he was doing?”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t deeply involved in his business.”
Silence fell on the trio until Rock broke through the barrier. “When are you going to visit Pa?”
“Day after tomorrow. You want to join me?” Isa ran her finger around the rim of her glass.
“Yeah.”
She smiled at him while nodding. He hoped he’d made the right decision. He hadn’t seen his dad since the night he’d almost killed him. Life has a funny way of twisting everything up when you think you got it all figured out. He let out a long breath and went out on the patio to smoke a joint.
* * *
Charlie had insisted on taking everyone out for dinner, so Rock asked if they could go outside the parish since Clotille didn’t want her family to know she was back in town. Charlie hauled everyone in his Chevy Suburban and made the drive to Baton Rouge, an hour away. They went to a Cajun restaurant, and both Rock and Clotille raved about the food. It was the first time in years that Rock had had authentic Cajun dishes, and he relished every bite.
On the way back, Michael and Aline fell asleep, and Rock nestled Clotille into the crook of his arm while he listened to the music of his favorite Cajun bands playing over the SUV’s speakers. He smiled when Charlie leaned over and kissed Isa, that simple gesture warming him. Isa deserves to be happy and with a great guy who’ll treat her right. She—fuck, we—put up with such bullshit growing up. Charlie’s good for her.
Less than an hour later, Charlie pulled into the garage and he and Rock carried in two very sleepy children. When they’d tucked them in their beds, Charlie told Rock he was going to turn in. Rock grasped his shoulder and squeezed it, an understanding of friendship and gratitude passing between them before Rock padded down the stairs.
“This is for you,” Isa said as she handed him a white envelope. “It was stuck between the iron grid on the screen door. I always check to make sure everything is locked and I saw it. It has your name on it. That’s strange, don’t you think?”
Rock took the envelope from her and saw that the handwriting was the same as the one on the note he’d received stating that his dad was innocent of killing his mother. “Yeah. Probably someone who knows I’m back.”
“Didn’t you say that you received some strange letters in the mail just recently?”
“Yeah.” He tore open the envelope and found a folded piece of paper inside. He unfolded it and it read “Come to Madame Vincennes’ home tomorrow night at nine o’clock. Wait under the cypress tree. It’s very important. Come alone.” He folded it back and slipped it in the envelope.
“Well? What does it say?” Isa said.
“Just welcoming me home. It’s someone playing with me.”
“Maybe one of the many girls you used to date in high school.” Clotille laughed.
“Isa’s been telling me how several of them have been asking about you in the past year. Seems like many of them have recently gotten divorced.” She poked him in the side.
He’d never told Clotille about the mojo bag or the strange notes he’d received. He didn’t see how it would concern her, and he didn’t want her to get involved in whatever was sucking him in. “Probably. I’m beat. I’m going to get some shut-eye.” He turned around and walked down the stairs, the sound of Clotille’s soft footsteps echoing shortly behind him.
They lay entwined in each other’s arms, and the soft noises she made while she slept comforted him. A sliver of moonlight spilled into the room and the windows clattered in the strong wind. Sleep eluded him as his mind whirred with images and thoughts like a spinning top. Rock hoped he’d find some answers when he met whoever sent him the note the following night. He hated when he couldn’t fit all the pieces of the puzzle. He’d thought for so long that his father had killed his mother, and now the puzzle was jacked up. Finding out Frederick owned the oil and gas company on the land once owned by his family was a shock to him. He hoped Clotille was telling the truth about not knowing anything about the fuckwad being on his mother’s land. None of it made any sense to him: the strange mojo bag, the notes, and now an appointment.
He listened to the pounding of his heart as it drowned out the moaning wind.
Chapter Sixteen
Hawk leaned against the meeting room’s wall as he watched the brothers file in. He and Banger had decided to call an emergency church once Hawk had found out some pertinent information from Liam. He’d been working extended hours to figure out where the Demon Riders were getting their money to purchase the arms from the Gypsy Fiends, and who was funding the Gypsy Fiends’ arms deal. He couldn’t let the fucking Demon Riders get their damn hands on such high-powered weapons. Just thinking of the bloodshed the Insurgents would be subjected to enraged him. The brothers would gladly die for the brotherhood, and he was no different, but when he thought of any harm coming to Cara, his heart squeezed. She was his everything, and he couldn’t even begin to entertain the idea that he could lose her.
He knew the other brothers with women and children felt the same, so it was imperative that the weapons didn’t fall into the hands of rival clubs, like the Demon Riders who were led by the fuckers Dustin and Shack.
“Hawk and I called this emergency church ‘cause we found out some shit about the gun sale that’s due to go down soon. The one with the motherfuckin’ Demon Riders. I’ll let Hawk take it from here.” Banger sat down and gave his attention to the VP.
“After a lot of digging and hacking into programs and layers of security, I found out the Demon Riders have taken on a few more illegal activities. I wasn’t surprised by that since Dustin and Shack made money the same way when they were giving Banger and the mother club the finger and doing whatever the fuck they wanted in Nebraska.”
The brothers grumbled among themselves, cursing the renegade Insurgents who’d sullied their club and disrespected its colors. Chas pounded his hand on the table. “I know I say this every time those fuckers come up at one of our churches, but we shoulda killed ‘em when we had them.” The members yelled out their agreement.
“I agree with Chas. I’m goddamned pissed at myself for letting over twenty years of friendship cloud my judgment. I should’ve ordered the execution of those two sonsofbitches. I fucked up and now the brotherhood is paying for it.” Banger scratched his chin.
“What’s done is done. We’ve all fucked up, so now’s not the time to rehash old shit. We gotta deal with the fuckin’ mess we have in front of us.” Hawk took a gulp of beer. “As I was saying, the money to buy the arms is coming from the Demon fucks’ newest endeavors. They’re into prostitution—and they’re using minors again—counterfeiting, forgery, and it’s looking like they’re dipping into trafficking women.”
“Fuckin’ pussies,” Chicory yelled out.
“I say we should ride to Iowa and burn their fuckin’ clubhouse down with them in it.” Throttle shoved back in his chair, his tattoos shimming across his tense arms.
Hawk watched as the brothers screamed out what they wanted to do to the rival club. He had half a mind to take a posse and ride up to Iowa to kick some Demon Riders’ ass, but he just leaned back and let the anger dispel. After many minutes, the brothers quieted down, resumed their seats, and looked at the vice president.
“Their businesses are something we gotta discuss at another time since we have to break the money flow, or else we’ll be putting fires out like this for too fuckin’ long. Liam found out where the Gypsy Fiends are getting their funding. It’s from Frederick Blair.” Hawk held his hands up as if to quell another outburst. “Frederick Blair is the money behind this deal. He’s getting the weapons from a Russian dealer. And Liam’s goddamned pissed that Blair didn’t use him to make the deal.”
“And Liam kissed his ass by asking us to be the fucker’s babysitter. I knew the guy was a piece of shit the first time I met him. Thought he was too good for us, and he’s as dirty as mud.” Bones shook his head and crossed his arms.
Banger stood up. “Agreed. And the asshole’s fired us from any future guard gigs. Like we give a shit.” All the brothers laughed. “But I’m worried about Rock down in Lafayette by himself. The Gypsy Fiends are there, and I got a feeling Frederick fuckface isn’t too far away.”
“How the hell did a rich dude like him get mixed up with the Gypsy assholes?” Bear said.
Hawk cleared his throat. “According to what I uncovered, Blair owes the Fiends for helping him with a problem he had in Louisiana several years ago. Seems like he cheated some stockholders. Only a couple were brave enough to agree to testify against him, and they ended up disappearing. The whole incident had the markings of an outlaw club. The Gypsy Fiends also run the casinos that Blair owns in Louisiana.”
Banger wiped his forehead with a tissue. “The more shit I’m hearing about this bastard, the less of a good feeling I’m getting with Rock being all alone in the thick of this. It seems like the rich fuck is in tight with the Gypsy Fiends. And he’s still livid about that chick Rock’s taken up with. Liam said he wants her back real bad, and he’s not too happy about Rock plucking her out from under his fuckin’ nose.”
“She wants a man instead of a wimpy fucker,” Wheelie said. “Can we help it if women love biker cock?” The men hooted and whistled as Banger and Hawk laughed.
After the noise died down, Hawk said, “I think we should get some brothers together and go to Lafayette, see if we can offer the Gypsy fucks a better deal with a much bigger price tag. Rock can help us out since he’s already down there. Let’s take a vote on it.”
The vote was unanimous, and by the time church was over it was decided that Hawk, Puck, Throttle, Blade, Axe, Bones, Wheelie, Chicory, Tigger, Bear, Hoss, Blade, Ruben, and Chas would leave early the following morning to make the long journey to Lafayette.
As they drank beer and shots in the great room, Hawk looked around and a swell of pride spread over him. This is what the brotherhood is to each of us. Love, support, loyalty, and respect, and we’ll fuckin’ come together to crush anyone who threatens that.
He finished his beer and left the club, anxious to spend the night making love to his woman.
Chapter Seventeen
Rock tucked his 9mm Glock into his side waistband, his knife went down his boot, and he placed a large padlock with a bandana tied to it in his back pocket. The padlock was like a blackjack and could do some serious damage to someone; it was a favorite weapon of his and many of his Insurgent brothers.
He went into the bedroom. Propped up on several pillows, Clotille watched him, her face illuminated by the flickering screen of the television.
“Where’re you going?”
He walked over to her and kissed her firmly on the mouth while his hands cupped her tits and kneaded them. “Club business.” He pulled away, not wanting to arrive too late. He’d decided to get there early and
hang out to see if he could spot anyone. He wasn’t sure if it was an ambush or a person who wanted to help him, so he’d be prepared.
“What time will you be home?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is your business dangerous?” Worry creased her brow as she sat straighter.
“Chérie, life is dangerous. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry. When I get back, I’ll fuck you real good.” He moved forward and kissed her again, but when he tried to move away that time, she looped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her while her tongue pushed against his teeth, coaxing his mouth to let her in. He parted his lips and her tongue invaded his mouth as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked. “Fuck. You’re making it hard for me to go,” he said against her lips. Her tongue kept pushing in deeper, and his thumbs rubbed her taut nipples. His jeans had grown uncomfortably tight in the crotch, and he knew if he stayed any longer he’d end up fucking her until morning.
He gently loosened her arms around his neck. “I’ll be back,” he whispered in her ear.
“Be careful,” she said, concern punctuating her words. “I really care about you.”
He nodded and headed out of the room. Isa was sitting with Charlie watching television when he walked through the family room. “I’ve got something I have to do. Can I borrow your SUV?” The last thing Rock wanted to do was announce to the neighborhood that he’d arrived with his cams screaming. Charlie and Isa looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t ask any questions ‘cause I can’t answer them.”
“The keys are in the basket on the side table,” Isa mumbled.
“I’ll be back later.” Before the couple could reply, he’d slipped out the door into the inky night.
Rock had been to Madame Vincennes’s house many times when he was a young boy with his mother. She had come to the fortune-teller to find out how she could calm the restlessness in her husband’s heart. She’d leave the house with a bag of potions for all sorts of desires: curing the need for alcohol, keeping him home, making him love only her, and keeping the family safe. Rock couldn’t remember a time when his mother didn’t have a candle burning and some mixture of herbs she’d bought from Madame.
