Duke

by Candace Blevins

  “Yeah, I picked up on the fact you had it a few seconds, but I’ve never known that to happen before. I don’t know what it means, but apparently you and Duke aren’t talking to each other telepathically, right?”

  “I haven’t heard his thoughts, if that’s what you mean.”

  His voice grew sharp and he told her, “Hold.”

  She went quiet, as he’d told her that was the word he’d use when the men on the op got back in touch with him.

  She turned and saw a screen with red dots, all grouped together, showing up.

  “Look back to your own screens, please. I need you to be sure no one does anything to the compound. Their cellphones are coming back online, I expect to hear from them shortly.”

  Gen had wondered why Brain wasn’t following them, and now she knew. They’d turned their cellphones off, and likely the GPS units on their bikes so there was no way to trace where they were. Made sense — if they’d gone to do something illegal, they wouldn’t want technological proof they’d been there.

  “Roger that,” Brain said, obviously talking to one or more of the men and not her. “We have eyes on us, but no activity. Lockdown level two implemented.”

  “Sending images of the vehicles now, as well as info I’ve pulled on visible people.”

  Ten minutes later, Gen watched the bikes fall into line behind the two vehicles she had on camera at the moment. Four bikes behind each car. A quick glance told her Brain had the other two on cameras farther away from the compound, and those two cars had bikers behind them as well. They went off her screens and she turned to watch but Brain said, “Keep an eye on the compound, please. They’ll follow these cars out of our territory, but we need to make sure they don’t have another car close. They’ve used decoy cars in the past.”

  Gen saw nothing else suspicious for a while, and then suddenly someone was standing on a corner looking at the entrance.

  “Brain, not sure, but this guy doesn’t look right.”

  Brain took one look and started barking orders into his headpiece. Half the bikers peeled off from the cars they were following out of the territory, and Brain ordered all in-house brothers to battle stations.

  “I’m pulling your views to my monitors, but leaving them for you as well. If you see something just tell me the number of the screen, don’t go into detail, okay?”

  “Got it.”

  When the bikers roared up to the man standing across from their entrance, he didn’t look at all afraid of the eight bikers practically surrounding him. The engines shut off and Duke got off his bike and walked to the man.

  She had a feeling Brain could hear the conversation, but she heard nothing except the hum of all the computers.

  The conversation lasted a while, but no one else got off their bikes. Duke and the other man both looked relaxed, as if they were having a normal conversation, but Gen had a feeling there was nothing casual about this discussion.

  Gen zoomed in on them better and decided both men were equally hot, but for different reasons. The other man looked as if he had both African American and Latino features. He was about the same height as Duke, his chest not quite as large, but his arms much more defined.

  A sleek looking black Jaguar pulled up beside them, and the man tilted his head and Gen read his lips this time as he said, “We shall see.” He stepped to the car, slid into the passenger side, and was gone.

  Brain uttered a breathy, “Fuck me,” and said, “Everyone home. Lockdown level three. I need Duke straight to the control room.”

  He clicked some keys and said, “It’s just us. I needed to pull in extra help, so don’t go ballistic when you walk in. I followed protocols.”

  Gen heard the keys clacking again and Brain said, “You did excellent, Duchess. Duke’s gonna change clothes before he comes to you. When he gets here, go to him if you want, but let me talk at first, okay?”

  “Is he mad I’m in here?”

  “He isn’t pleased, but he trusts my judgment. My guess is he’ll do a walkthrough of the compound after he changes, and by the time he gets here he’ll be okay.”

  Gen was still watching her monitors and said, “I think one of the drivers from earlier is back, but in a different car.”

  Brain hit a few keys and said, “Bash, need you outside. Green piece-a-shit Honda. We just ran him off, he’s back.”

  Gen watched her monitor as Bash strode out of the gates and down the sidewalk until he saw the Honda. Without pausing, he stepped into the street, rammed his fist through the opened side window, grabbed the driver by the back of the head, and slammed his head down on the steering wheel. He pulled his hand back enough to unlock the door, retracted his hand, and opened the door.

  The skinny black man in the car pulled a gun, but Bash grabbed it and tossed it away before pulling the man from the car and slamming his fist into the man’s face and ribcage two dozen times.

  Brains voice came softer as he said, “We give one warning, Gen. We don’t mess around with protecting our people.”

  “I can see that.”

  “You gonna freak out on me?”

  “I’m still processing everything, Brain. I promised Duke I’d wait until we talked before I started freaking out.”

  “Not sure if that’s good or bad, but it shows me once again you don’t just react emotionally, you take the time to think it through. You’re good for him, good for us. I hope you decide he’s good for you.”

  Bash threw the man into his own passenger seat and drove the car off. A club Expedition followed him, and Brain said, “He’ll drive him outside our territory, and Gonzo will bring Bash back in the Expedition. He was an idiot for thinking he’d be okay just changing vehicles. We’ve already demonstrated that doesn’t work. Good call on your part recognizing him, though. Not everyone would’ve.”

  “Do I talk to you about the women, or are those Duke questions?”

  “Someone give you trouble?”

  “Some were ultra-nice, but it felt more like brown nosing. Some were passive aggressive bitches, and two were just outright snarky attitude.”

  “Duke needs to hear it. You can tell me, too, but he’ll have to be the one to give advice.”

  “What are the odds he’s… been with… them?”

  “Oh no. Not touching that one with a ten foot pole.”

  When Duke finally walked in, Gen went to him saying, “Don’t be mad at him. He needed help, and I didn’t mind.”

  “Beautiful,” he said, his expression patient but unhappy, “there aren’t a lot of things I’m going to ask you not to do, but you can’t tell me how to be with my brothers, and you can’t boss them around. Brain and I’ll talk later, and our conversation isn’t your concern. It’s nice to know you didn’t mind your time in here, but I can’t talk about it right now. I came to get you in case you’re hungry. I’m starving.”

  “I could snack on something, actually.”

  He nodded and pulled her into his arms. “Worried about you here with the women without me around to act as a buffer your first time. Probably not a bad thing you spent some of that time in here. I know you have stuff to tell me, and I know we need to talk about shit from earlier in the day, but I’m exhausted and I’m gonna ask you to just let me hold you without having to answer questions.”

  “Okay, but at some point in the future, I’ll expect the same courtesy.”

  “Not a problem, Beautiful, just as long as waiting doesn’t endanger someone I care about.”

  “Consider me support staff for the evening, then. I can tell you’re tired, you aren’t just putting me off because you can.”

  Gen sat quietly with him as he ate with the other men. The women were under guard downstairs, so she was the only one with the men. Brain came out to eat, too, and though he said someone was spelling him, he had a tablet in front of him as he ate, cycling through various cameras.

  Gen happened to be looking at it as she saw something off, and Duke felt her tighten up. “What is it, Beautiful?”<
br />
  “Maybe nothing. Brain, can you go back to what was camera five on my wall?”

  Brain swiped back and she said, “The guy walking the dog. He’s dressed like an old man but doesn’t walk like one.”

  Duke reached for a walkie-talkie in the middle of the table and sent someone to check it out. “You have a good eye, but Brain needs to head back to the control room and handle it from there.”

  Brain stood with his food and tablet. “Good point. I’ve got it for another four or five hours, and things should settle by then enough for me to let JB take over. Get some sleep with your Duchess and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Gen’s alarm went off at seven forty the next morning. She’d told Duke she needed to leave by eight, but felt bad about disturbing him as it’d been a little after one when they’d finally gone downstairs and crashed. They weren’t in the big couple’s room. Apparently, the top guys were afforded their own area downstairs when in lockdown, so they were in a room with four other couples instead of twenty plus.

  Duke shut off her cellphone alarm, lifted her, and carried her into the hallway, closing the door quietly before setting her down, pulling her into his arms, and reaching for his own cellphone.

  He hit a button and barked, “Status update.”

  Gen felt Duke’s body tighten a little at whatever the news was, and jumped a little as he gave a curt, “Thanks,” and disconnected.

  “Sorry you had to sleep in your clothes. C’mon, we both need coffee before we figure out how our days are gonna go.”

  “I have an eleven o’clock appointment, Duke. I told you last night.”

  “Coffee first, Gen.”

  She was trying hard not to get too pissed off at him, but he wasn’t helping. She’d never dealt well with high-handed males trying to tell her what to do, and Duke had a way of pissing her off even faster than most.

  “Please, Duke. I don’t want to fight. I did what you wanted last night and kept my questions to myself, but I need to go home and get dressed today, and just to be sure we keep up the communication, you’re rapidly heading towards irritating me.”

  A few women were in the room, making coffee and arranging baked goods on a table against the wall. They watched quietly, but at least one of them seemed a little shocked.

  For his part, Duke downed his cup of coffee and poured another. “Ten minutes. Sit down and drink your coffee. I’ll be ready to talk about your day in ten minutes.”

  “What, you want me to bow to you or something? Yes, Your Majesty? I’ll do as you order? Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to find a bathroom and brush my teeth, pull my hair into a ponytail. Then I’m going to get in my car and leave. I realize I can’t open the damned garage door, so if you don’t arrange for someone to let me drive out, I’ll call a cab and I’m sure I can arrange to get my car back later. It’s eight o’clock in the morning. Bad guys are asleep. When you gave me the option of here or my brother’s house, I clearly chose wrong. Keep it up and I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

  Gen turned on her heels and went down the hall until she saw a bathroom. When she came out, Duke was leaning against the wall on the other side of the hall, his arms crossed, his eyes focused.

  “Sorry I was gruff,” he said.

  She shook her head. “I can’t deal with you right now, Duke. I just can’t.” She turned towards the steps. “Which is probably okay, because you apparently have a bunch of shit to deal with as well, and don’t have time for me.”

  “I have to be sure you’re safe, Genesis. Paco cleans up okay, and I trust him to watch your back. He’s showering now. Give him ten or fifteen minutes to shave and change into dress clothes, and he’ll stick with you today. He’s young enough you can call him an assistant or an apprentice or whatever.”

  “Brain said you were shorthanded last night. You don’t need to be sending people to bodyguard me, Duke.”

  “Let me worry about manpower issues.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Gen dropped her final clients back off at their house at six thirty that night, and looked to Paco as she drove off.

  “I need to run home, pack a bag. I’ll run you downtown, drop you off at the compound, and then I’m going to my brother’s house.”

  He shook his head. “That won’t work. Let’s see if we can’t get someone to pick me up from your brother’s. Duke won’t want you driving away from the compound by yourself.”

  Gen shook her head, realizing it would do no good to argue with Paco. He was following orders and she’d have to talk to Duke.

  Duke’s motorcycle was in her driveway, and he sat on her front porch. She looked at Paco, “Did you let him know we were headed home?”

  “No. He made it clear I was here as bodyguard, not spy. Wanted you to trust me.”

  She grimaced. “The tracker on my car. Of course.”

  Duke tossed his keys to Paco as they walked up. “You’re off duty. Thanks for taking care of her. The problem should be resolved, though we’ll need to be on high alert tonight. I need to be here with Gen, Brain will let me know if I need to meet up with you later, otherwise, I’m out of pocket tonight.”

  * * * *

  They watched Paco drive away, looking odd in a suit on a Harley, and Gen unlocked her front door and went in, assuming Duke would handle the alarm, which he did.

  “If something happens to one of your people tonight because you aren’t there, it’ll be my fault. We do need to talk, but I don’t want to pressure you to be here.”

  “I kind of went off the reserve today, Beautiful. Two groups who’re normally enemies decided to team up and work together against us. All the enforcers of both groups are either in the hospital or being taken care of by loved ones because the hospital isn’t an option for them. Most of their top guys are in a world of hurt, too. They don’t have the people to do anything tonight, but just to be sure none of the other groups joined their side, I called a meeting with the leaders of all of them, and formed an alliance with one while making arrangements to ensure the others know not to side with…other factions.”

  “So we can talk?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “You’re a pimp?”

  Duke closed his eyes a few seconds, opened them, and said, “I won’t lie. If you don’t want the responsibility of the answer, don’t ask the question.”

  “Find a way to answer it, Duke. I’m not making any promises.”

  “We take care of our girls, we don’t just pimp them out. We don’t recruit, we take on the women who are going to do it anyway, and we give them a safe working environment. No one roughs up our girls ‘cause they know they’ll get it back tenfold.”

  Gen sat on her living room sofa, stunned he’d admitted it.

  “We haven’t started yet. We’re just getting things lined up. I voted against, but I lost, so I put someone in charge, told him to line up a doctor who’ll do the regular bloodwork and take care of birth control pills or IUD’s or whatever, and insisted we do this high class, not skeezy. We have a dozen women ready to start this weekend, but someone talked because two of them were beat up by their current manager.”

  Gen stood and looked out the window as she gathered her thoughts, and kept her back to him as she said, “So, the pimps are fighting over the women, and the women are being treated as objects in every way possible.”

  “Yeah, but we didn’t hurt them. We provided a doctor, and have them in a safe house while they recover. I have my most compassionate people guarding them, so they’ll have water when they’re thirsty, someone to help them when they need it.”

  “Why did you put my car in the garage?”

  “It isn’t immediately obvious if you’re home. The bedroom is in the back of the house, and your car stays in your garage. I wanted it hidden at the compound, too, so no one could verify for sure where you were.” He sighed. “If you ever want out, just call whoever’s in the control room, ask them to ope
n the door so you can leave.”

  “And I have to trust your promise they will? Not easy for me to do after you held me and wouldn’t let me leave the other day. This tells me I can leave as long as you’re okay with my leaving, but I’m trapped if you decide I need to stay.”

  “I’d like to say you’re wrong, but if I feel you’re in danger I can’t promise I won’t use whatever advantage I have in order to keep you safe.”

  Gen turned back to him, and he pulled her into his arms. “Go upstairs and get a shower, change into something more comfortable. I’ll look and see what Amy’s left in your refrigerator, look over her notes, and figure out how to turn it into dinner. You want wine or beer?”

  “Rum and Coke.”

  He chuckled, but then touched her face, his eyes serious, questioning. “Are we good?”

  “I can’t answer that right now, Duke. I’m still processing everything.”

  * * * *

  Gen only had one rum and Coke, and she noted several times how easy conversation was for them.

  If she was smart, she’d cut him loose, but they worked so darned well together. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to walk away.

  And she knew he’d keep trying to convince her to come back to him, if she tried to break it off.

  She thought back to what Abbott had said about the difference in a pack and the motorcycle club, and she asked, “How often do votes not go your way?”

  His eyebrows drew together and he asked, “That’s an odd question. Why do you ask?”

  “I know they voted against you about my gun, and then they voted against you for this other thing. It seems to me, being the club president should give you more oomph, so you can get stuff important to you to go your way.”

  “Sometimes it does, other times it can make things more difficult. I get one vote, just like everyone else.” He contemplated her a few seconds and asked, “What is it you really want to know, Gen?”