“Why not?” she screeched. “That guy should be locked up!”
“It’s going to be taken care of,” I said, remembering Trevor’s words.
“What does that mean?”
I sighed. “I think he’s going to be roughed up.”
She was silent for a few seconds and then laughed. “You can’t be serious? By who? Oh, wait… by Tank and his biker friends?”
“Something like that.”
“I doubt that’s going to help. It might scare him, for a while, but only really sick fuckers do that kind of stuff. He’ll start up again, eventually. Seriously, Adriana, Jason needs to be locked up before he rapes some other poor, unsuspecting girl.”
“Easier said than done. I don’t have any real proof that he did anything,” I answered.
“You were drugged. That’s evidence enough.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t see him do it, and I’m sure I don’t have any more of it in my system. I don’t know if you heard, but I threw up all over him before he could even get my sweater off.”
She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, I know it’s not funny but… I’m just picturing his face when you puked all over him. That must have been priceless.”
I smiled. It was scary at the time, but thinking back, he deserved that and so much more. “He was pretty pissed. Great timing on my part, though.”
“Obviously, it couldn’t have been any more perfect,” she agreed.
“I just wish it would have happened before I got in the car with him. He dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and I had to call Tank’s friend for a ride.”
“Tank’s friend?”
“Well, I tried calling you,” I replied, not ready to tell her too much about Trevor, yet. After the conversation with my mother, I wasn’t too sure about him myself, anymore.
“I know, I’m sorry. I actually ended up going over to Jeff’s. I told Krystal, but she forgot.”
Jeff was a guy who she sometimes hooked up with after clubbing. They used to date in high school.
“It’s okay.”
“You know, I wonder if the other guys were in on it,” said Tiffany, sounding angry again. “Gary and Brian. And… what was that other guy’s name? Lucas?”
“Yeah, that’s it. I don’t know if they knew about it.”
“Fucking assholes.”
“Have you ever seen any of them before?” I asked, knowing she hung out at the clubs frequently.
“Not that I remember. I mean, it’s possible, I guess. I may have just never noticed those guys.
My phone vibrated. “I gotta go,” I told her. “It looks like my mom’s trying to get a hold of me.”
“Okay. Call me later.”
“I will.”
I hung up and called my mother back.
“Can you come in, a little earlier?” she asked. “Gerald’s got a migraine and we’re swamped with customers. I need you to take customers.”
“I’ll be there within the hour,” I told her.
“Thanks, Adriana.”
“No, problem.”
We hung up and I exchanged the sweater and white skirt for a short-sleeved black dress, knowing that my parents had always preferred their salespeople to dress more formally.
As I was putting my hair up, I thought about my father and how much I missed him. He’d been both of our rocks and had spoiled me rotten, growing up. The thought of someone shooting him and then laughing about it, brought tears to my eyes.
How could anyone give such little regards to a man’s life?
Especially someone who was so much more than what those robbers had been. My father had been a kind man. A decent man. He’d been involved with the community and had given to charities. He’d even volunteered his time at the local shelter, during the holidays, to remind himself that anyone could fall into hard-times.
“It could happen to any of us,” he once said to my mother when she’d first complained about him leaving us on Christmas Eve, to volunteer. “One day you have everything, the next, you lose your job and struggle to put food on the table for your children. Look at the presents under our tree, Vanda. Imagine that there’s nothing there. Nothing. Or nothing in the refrigerator. No ham. No Turkey. Not even a piece of bologna. Then, imagine what it’s like to have to look into your child’s face and tell them that there is no Santa Claus because you can’t afford to buy them a gift, let alone a full meal.” Then, she said, he grabbed the credit card and went to buy as many toys as he could carry to the shelter, after purchasing a Santa-Claus suit. It became a tradition and the following year, Vanda began to help him while I stayed behind with my grandparents, not having a clue as to what they were doing. Then, when I was old enough to understand, I helped wrap presents and even went with to deliver them. It wasn’t until we moved to Iowa, after they’d been robbed, that things changed and the volunteering stopped. Dad was diagnosed with lymphoma and his health began to deteriorate rapidly. Despite chemotherapy and trying other kinds of homeopathic treatments, he died within eighteen months.
Remembering our last moments together, I went into the safe, under my bed, and took out the necklace my mother had given to me when I’d graduated high school. The one that my father had designed, for the occasion, but hadn’t lived to see it. It was chunky, with white-gold chains, and a round pendant that contained a large dark blue sapphire. My birthstone. The gem, itself, had to be close to ten karats, and worth more than my new car.
I put the necklace on and blinked away the tears in my eyes. I decided to wear it to work. Not only in honor of my father, but as a reminder to why I needed to stay away from Trevor, no matter how hard it was to resist that sexy, blond biker.
Chapter Seventeen
Raptor
“What the fuck you just say?” I asked, staring at him in shock.
Slammer smiled grimly. “He’s your half-brother.”
“My mom had another kid?”
“Yeah. This was long before Mavis and your old man, hooked-up. About six years before that time, I believe.”
My heart was pounding in my chest. I had a fucking brother? “How come I never heard about him?”
“She was probably too scared to say anything around your father. He beat the shit out of her enough as it was.”
“Is that why she took off?” I asked, feeling a lump in my throat. Did she take off to be with her first son, while leaving me behind?
“She left to get away from your father. She knew that I’d take care of you. I told her that I would and she trusted me. She’s my second cousin. Did you know that?”
“Yeah, I think you mentioned that before,” I said, staring blindly down at his desk as the shit sunk in.
“Anyway, Mavis took off but she didn’t even try to collect Jordan. She knew better than that. Plus, he was an adult by then. Nineteen, I think.”
“Who’s Jordan’s father?” I asked, looking up at him.
“His name is Acid and he’s from California. Part of the Demon Rebels. I think their chapter is located in Sacramento, but I’m not totally sure. Never had any dealings with any of them.”
“Acid,” repeated Tank. His eyes widened. “Holy shit, I know who you’re talking about. I saw something about him on the news, last year. I think he’s doing time for arson, or some other shit.”
“Oh, he’s doing time, but it’s not where you think,” said Slammer, smirking. “That fucker is dead.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, still in shock that The Judge was my older brother.
“You can ask The Judge about it,” he replied, nodding toward the folder. “When you give him this and the cash. Which reminds me.” He walked over to the safe and opened it up. “The money is in here,” he said, holding up a large padded envelope. “Ten-thousand dollars. Make sure he gets all of that or we’re fucked.”
Tank whistled. “You sure you don’t want me to take care of Breaker? I’ll do it for half.”
“Sorry, but we just can’t risk it.”
Tank frowned but didn’t say
anything.
“Ten thousand, huh?” I said, as he handed the package to me. “So, does he know about me?”
“Yep.”
That knowledge kind of pissed me off. “He knows about me. So, why don’t I know about him?”
“I made a promise to your mother. Hell, she pretty much begged me not to say anything to you. She wanted to wait until the right time to tell you herself.”
“And when would that be?” I mumbled. “On her deathbed? I don’t have any contact with her as it is. Fuck, I don’t even know where she is.”
“She’s in town, actually,” he said.
I didn’t say anything for a while. The bitterness that I felt for Mavis abandoning me, still gnawed at me at times. I didn’t even want to hear any more about her. “How come Jordan’s never tried getting in touch?” I asked, changing the subject to him.
Slammer took a few seconds to answer. “Let’s just say that I don’t think Acid was an easy man to live with and now Jordan doesn’t have much empathy for family and from what I can tell, he’s a cold sonofabitch himself. He even refused to meet your mother.”
“From what I’ve heard, he’s a loner,” said Tank. “In fact, I heard that he hates people. All people.”
“Maybe not. Maybe so. Whatever the case may be, he is a mercenary and having friends and family would be more of a liability.”
“Yeah, I get it. So, who all knows about him?” I asked, wondering where the leak was coming from.
“Up until a few weeks ago, only your mother and I knew who The Judge really was. But, then she showed up here, asking me to set up a meeting between the two of them. To be honest, I think she wanted to have him do a job for her. Anyway, when he said ‘no’, she got drunk and whined about it to a couple of our brothers. Later that night, they approached me about it, and I had to come clean. I told them to keep their fucking mouths shut, though. Obviously, one of them didn’t. Horse. Well, he told Chopper, and Chopper told, Buck, and you get the idea… Anyway, the last I checked, everyone but you two knew about it.”
“Fuck,” said Tank, shaking his head. “That got out of hand pretty quickly. And why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I’m your second-in-command. Not to mention your son.”
“I just did.”
Tank snorted. “Still, it’s easy to see how Mud learned about it. I doubt there’s a fucking conspiracy.”
“They all gave me their solemn word that nobody else would find out about it. Nobody. And that they’d keep their fucking mouths shut,” said Slammer.
“They probably told their Old Ladies, and that’s how it leaked,” I said. “You know most of them are always running their mouths about this thing or that.”
“Exactly and that’s why I warned them about keeping it quiet. From what I gathered, none of the Old Ladies know about it, either.”
“Still, I don’t know,” said Tank. “They may have promised, but shit happens. People get drunk and talk shit. Do we have a traitor in our group? I don’t know. More than likely, it’s just a couple of guys who can’t hold their liquor. Don’t get me wrong, I’d kick their ass if I found out who leaked it.”
Slammer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know. It’s why nobody else is going to learn about the hit on Breaker. Nobody. Got it?”
“Of course,” I said.
Tank nodded.
“When did Mavis find out about the Judge?” I asked.
Slammer frowned. “Well, to tell you the truth, I fucked that up myself, a couple of years ago. She was over at the house and we were sharing a bottle of Quervo Gold. We started talking about you and then Jordan and Acid. Said she didn’t even know if Jordan was alive, since he’d basically disappeared off of the face of the earth. That’s when I told her.”
“Mavis was over at our house?” asked Tank. He looked at me to see my reaction. “Thought she was the one who’d disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“No, shit,” I said.
“I know. I know.” Slammer rocked back on his chair. “Look, there’s something I never told you, but Mavis dropped by, quite a bit, asking about you.”
“I didn’t know that. Funny, she could have just came to me directly,” I said dryly.
“She was scared and confused.” He sighed. “I hate to say this but with all of the beatings your mother took over the years, she’s not the same person I once knew. I mean, she always had a drinking problem and hung out with some real assholes, but now… let’s just say that she’s not all there. Not mentally.”
I gave him a disgusted look. “I wouldn’t know the real Mavis. She kept her distance from me, even when I was a kid,” I muttered, thinking back to my childhood. The fighting. The drinking. Even the drugs. The closest thing I had to a real home was living with Slammer and Tank. I certainly wasn’t going to hold a grudge against him because he never said anything. He had his reasons.
I sighed. “So, where is she living now?”
“I guess she’s been staying with a girlfriend.”
“And she wants to hire ‘The Judge’ for a hit?”
“That’s what I’m guessing,” said Slammer.
“You know who?” I asked.
“Not too sure. You hear from Butch, lately?” he asked, smirking. “That would be my first guess.”
My old man, Butch, was in prison for drug smuggling. “Nope. Just that time two years ago, when he asked me for some money. Said I owed him, because he gave me life.”
Tank grunted. “What a fucking prick. You didn’t give him any, did you?”
I shook my head and smiled. “I gave him what I felt he deserved. My middle finger.”
Slammer’s cell phone went off. He picked it up and looked at the screen. “It’s Frannie. I need to take this call.”
“So, how do I reach Jordan?” I asked.
“He’ll contact you. I gave him your number. And, for fuck’s sake, don’t call him Jordan. Call him Judge. Hey, Darlin’,” he said, answering the phone. I had to smile when I noticed his voice raise to a higher tone.
Tank nodded toward me and we got up and left the office.
“Remember what I said about keeping your mouths shut!” hollered Slammer as we walked down the hallway. “And don’t miss church!”
“You want me to head out with you?” asked Tank, as we stepped back into the bar. “Make sure that money stays safe.”
I patted the envelope. “It’s safe with me. Besides, didn’t you want a piece of Misty?” I asked, nodding toward the bartender, who was waiting on a couple of regulars.
“Fuck no. You heard what the old man said. I’m not going near that shit. Not after Breaker infected it.” He sighed. “In fact, I’m going to call Krystal. Make sure it’s still on for tonight. You still want to go and hunt that fucker down, don’t you?”
“Jason? Yeah. He needs some guidance counseling.”
Tank grunted. “No shit.”
“I’ll meet you at the clubhouse,” I said, walking toward the doorway with the file. “I’ve got a couple of errands to run, first.”
“Okay, Brother.”
Chapter Eighteen
Adriana
When I finished putting my makeup on, I slipped on a pair of black pumps and a lightweight overcoat. Then, I locked the house up and walked over to the garage, where my Verano was parked. When I started the engine, I noticed that I was getting low on fuel, so on the way to Dazzle, I stopped at a fuel station. I’d just started pumping gas when I noticed that a big, black truck had pulled up behind my car. Ignoring it, I continued filling my car with gasoline.
The person in the truck got out and I heard footsteps come up behind me. “Darlin’, I thought that was you,” said a gravelly voice.
I turned around to find myself looking up into the cold, flat eyes of the biker who’d been harassing me at Griffin’s. Breaker. I tried to remain calm.
“Sorry?” I said, pretending that I didn’t know him. The guy was even scarier in the daylight, the scar on his face standing out like a warning
sign. Something told me that he’d probably deserved it.
“You’re the hot little number from Griffin’s last night. You must remember me, Darlin’.”
My heart was pounding as I pulled the nozzle out of the car and shoved it back into the machine. I’d barely filled my tank, but I wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Knowing that he’d gone to prison for rape, was terrifying. Especially since he was obviously still interested in me. “Sorry. You must have me confused with someone else,” I answered, laughing nervously. “I get that all the time.”
He smirked. “I don’t think so.”
Ignoring him, I pulled out my receipt and tried getting into my car.
“You know, I’d never forget a face like yours,” he said, blocking my way.
“Excuse me. You’re in my way.”
His eyes went to my necklace. “Fuck me, is that a real sapphire?”
I put my hand over the stone. “No. Of course not. It’s costume jewelry. Now, if you’d please get out of my way, I really have to be somewhere.”
“Are you okay, honey?” asked a little old lady, pumping gas across from me.
“Mind your own business, Grandma,” said Breaker, stepping out of my way.
The woman quickly turned away and continued pumping.
“Nosy old bitch,” he muttered and then turned back to me. “You meeting up with Raptor?”
I ignored him.
He chuckled. “You look like you’re going on a date. He’s not going to be happy knowing that you’re seeing someone on the side.”
I was about to tell him that I wasn’t seeing anyone, including Raptor, but caught myself. That would have been asking for more trouble. I forced a grin. “For your information, I’m going to work but I will be seeing him later.”
He grinned slyly. “Work, huh? Where you work, Darlin’?”
I couldn’t help it. I was tired of his questions. “It’s none of your business,” I said, slamming the door shut. I quickly started the engine and locked all four doors. As I backed away, I noticed that he was laughing.
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