“I’m just kidding with you,” King winked as he slapped his hands together and shrugged. “Right, you all good?”
“Yep,” Courtney smiled as she pushed her hands deep into her short pockets and swayed on her heels.
“I’ll be back later,” King said as he grabbed his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder. “I need to go back to the club house to sort a few things. Can you set up the back room here for us tonight? We’re having a meeting…”
Courtney’s heart sank. She still had so much to do and now she was going to have to rush it so that she could prep the back meeting room which was currently full of trash and boxes.
“Sure,” she smiled happily, even though inside she was screaming with rage.
“Thanks, you’re a star,” he grinned. “We’ll all be over for it around eight, so make sure it’s all done by then.”
Courtney looked down at her watch, it was almost 2pm and the place opened in an hour. She was going to have to work like mad to get it all done, but she knew she could do it.
“No problem at all,” she did a mock salute and smiled.
“Catch you later,” King said as he lit another cigarette and walked toward the door.
Courtney couldn’t help it, but she let her eyes fall down to his rock hard butt and let them linger there as he left.
“That can be my compensation,” she said aloud to herself. “For being over worked and underpaid…”
She would rather have King for real, but the odd glance and a wicked fantasy would have to do for now…
3.
Courtney worked like mad and the club opened as normal at 3pm. She had done everything she needed to and as the girls who danced started to drift around the club room she told them she was going to have to head out back and prep the meeting room.
“Can you keep an eye on things out here?” she asked Crystal, another new girl who had come to Tanner’s after its transition from Red X.
“Sure,” Chrystal smiled.
Courtney made her way to the right of the stage and out of a dark doorway which led down to the office. She rarely ever went down there because there was never any real need, but every time she did find herself taking a trip down there she liked to check out the photographs that had been placed carefully along the walls.
The men of the Forsaken Riders were so secretive and tight, she had no real idea of what they were capable of, but what she liked about them the most was that they had honor. They looked after each other and they had integrity. That, above all else, was what turned Courtney on. She had never had a man who had been as respectful as she had seen some of the bikers be with their women, and she craved it more than anything. She let her eyes skim over the old photographs, at some of the MC’s history that had been placed along the hallway as a reminder of how many years of loyalty had gone before them. Courtney wanted to be a part of a family like that, but she knew she couldn’t just be with anyone… she wanted to fall in love properly… not just settle with any old biker because it would be easy.
She pushed open the door to the meeting room and groaned. It was dark and dirty in there and she knew she had another few hours of hard work ahead of her… but maybe it would be worth it… maybe she would get a raise or a few extra days off for her trouble…
As she opened up some trash sacks and started to sweep in the mountain of old papers and porno mags she laughed to herself and smiled. They really would all be screwed now without her. She was sure of that. She was part of the glue that held the Forsaken Riders together… and she was sure it wouldn’t be long before she met someone who would be perfect for her and she could forget about King for good.
***
Later that evening the club was starting to fill up with the Friday night regulars and some clientele from out of town. Tanner’s was bustling and Courtney worked the bar alone and chatted and smiled to her customers to make sure they had a good time. She had been there for almost twelve hours straight, but she didn’t feel tired one bit. She was riding the wave of the atmosphere and getting drawn in to the excitement.
Chrystal was taking to the stage and she wore a long sheer white robe which she had tied delicately at the waist. She was such a beautiful girl and Courtney found herself being hypnotized by her and her petite blonde frame as she wrapped herself around the pole and made it look so effortlessly easy. Courtney was so different to her, it was a stark contrast. She wasn’t tiny, blonde and bone thin like Chrystal, she was curvy with big breasts and a perfect hourglass figure. Her jet black hair was cut in a blunt bob and she wore dramatic make-up which made her look vampy rather than sweet and innocent. She sometimes wondered what it would be like to dye her hair lighter but she felt as if a part of her identity would really be missing. Ever since she was a teen she had been a fiery brunette and she was proud of the way she looked. She had never had a man not fall at her feet… except King…
Maybe that’s why I like him so goddam much… she thought.
The door to the club swung open and the bikers started to filter through. Courtney found herself watching them intently as they split off into different groups, some of them approaching the bar, some of them watching Chrystal for a few moments, and some of them going straight toward the door that led to the back meeting room.
“Hey Courtney,” Carter smiled as he leaned over the bar and motioned for a drink.
Over the months, Courtney had made it one of her top priorities to remember what each and every one of the Forsaken Riders liked to drink, so she never had to ask them. She nodded and smiled and reached straight for the refrigerator where she pulled a cold beer for Carter.
He nodded and winked at her when he took it and made his way over to the door that led to the meeting room. King was stood in the doorway, watching and waiting for the other’s to catch them up and just as the majority of them disappeared inside he caught Courtney’s eye and held his hand up in the air, summoning her.
Her heart almost hit the floor. She turned and looked over her shoulder, assuming one of the other bikers must have been standing behind her, but it was no one but truckers and punters.
“Court,” he mouthed before he waved his hand again.
She pulled her apron off her waist and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. As she wandered towards him a million ideas flashed through her mind, all of them creating different scenarios as to why King would want her there, but most of them ended with him pushing her down on the table in a fit of passion, and reaching for her panties…
“We’ll need some drinks,” he said. “Can you bring us in some bottles of Jack?”
Her heart sank. She knew it was getting ridiculous, she had to forget him. He was a taken man and she would never do that to another woman. Lexi and King were in love and she had to forget him and move on. She had to find someone of her own.
“Of course!” she smiled a little too enthusiastically.
As she walked back to the bar she cursed herself for being such a fool. She was a beautiful woman, and she was wasting her time on pining for a man she could never have. It was time for Courtney to find her great love… even if it meant leaving Slate Springs for good… She had never admitted it to herself before, but she wanted a man more than anything… a husband… a family of her own.
She sighed as she reached down below the bar and felt around for the whiskey bottles.
She wasn’t going to be overlooked anymore.
She had to take charge of her own destiny.
It was time to live her life.
***
Courtney stacked the bottles of whiskey onto a tray along with a selection of glasses and an ice bucket. She lifted it high onto her shoulder and made her way toward the door that lead out to the back meeting room. As she shoved it open with the side of her arm and made her way down the dark corridor, she could feel the eyes from all of the photographs on her… hundreds of eyes, from hundreds of years, all following her as she made her way down to the Forsaken Riders’ meeting.
&nb
sp; When she reached the closed door she turned around and tapped it gently with her heel whilst keeping a tight hold of the tray balanced on her shoulder. Within a minute it creaked open and Bull, one of the newest members of the charter, opened it and glared at her with interest.
“Drinks,” she smiled and he stood back and let her inside.
The room was quiet and fogged with smoke. There must have been at least thirty men in there, all of them with cigarettes or cigars clamped between their teeth. Courtney tried not to cough as she made her way further into the room and stepped to the side where there was a tall bench in the corner.
In the center of the room was the main table. It was funny, if the circumstances hadn’t been so different, Courtney could have almost been a secretary walking into a conference room and setting up a corporate meeting… But here, in the back of Tanner’s Bar… the atmosphere was very different indeed. Courtney could feel the tension the second she set foot in there.
The bikers all sat around the large, oval, center table, and she walked around each one and placed a glass in front of them. Some of them nodded and some of them tapped her hand in thanks, but a few were so tense and preoccupied, they didn’t even seem to notice she was there.
“We have to act now,” Lynx said. “We’ve already waited too long.”
“No,” another voice interjected. “The more time that passes, the less they’ll be expecting it…”
“Oh please,” another of the bikers stepped in. “They know what’s coming to them… the longer we leave it, the more it’ll drive ‘em nuts.”
“I don’t care about them being driven mad,” one of the old men said. “They need to suffer for what they’ve done… they need to know there’s only one club out here in this desert.”
Courtney felt her arms prickle into gooseflesh. She had had the feeling that there was trouble brewing with another club, and now it looked as if it was all about to come to a head.
Maybe another club was responsible for killing Marv and Tanner… she thought.
“We wait,” King said strongly as he got to his feet and commanded the entire room. “No one makes a move until I say so.”
“And what…” one of the younger members interjected. “We just let them think they got away with it?”
“They haven’t got away with it,” King said. “And trust me… it’ll be worth the wait…” he smirked and Courtney found her eyes falling on him, fixating and unable to move…
The room hushed and she moved back towards the bench where the ice bucket and bottles of whiskey were waiting. She kept her back to the table in the center of the room and pretended to be in the middle of something so she could listen in. She could tell that King was about to announce something… and she was desperate to know what.
“Oh yeah,” Carter said. “And how do you know… what do you have in mind?”
“It’s not what I have in mind,” King said sternly before he let out a low chuckle…. “It’s who.”
Suddenly there was a buzz in the room and Courtney felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingling. The suspense was killing her.
“Who you have in mind…?” Carter mused. “Well I could only guess…”
“And I bet you’d be right…” King said with amusement.
“I thought you said he’d never come back…?” Lynx asked eagerly.
The murmurs coming from around the table were drowning out the conversation and Courtney found herself straining to hear. Whoever they were talking about was obviously causing a lot of excitement within the Forsaken Riders circle.
She picked up the bucket of ice and a bottle of whiskey and slowly began her journey around the table. Gently and quietly dropping a couple of ice cubes into each glass and topping it up with Jack.
“Quiet,” King silenced them all and Courtney had to suppress her smile.
“I spoke with him last week and it’s the reason I called this meet here tonight…” he paused and looked around the room slowly. “We have his support in whatever we need to do… and he’ll be here every step of the way to make sure vengeance is served.”
The murmurs started again and Courtney heard whispers of no way, and no, it can’t be…
“It is,” King said. “It is happening.”
Lynx smiled and clapped his hands together and Carter slowly nodded.
“We’ve put all of our differences aside for the good of this club,” King continued. “…Gunner’s coming back.”
4.
Courtney was so excited she could barely concentrate as she packed up and began to head home at the end of her shift. King had let her off early, instead of having her there for almost fifteen hours, he told her to go home at around ten and she wasn’t about to argue.
She picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder as she waved up at a few of the girls on the stage and made her way to the front door. As she pushed it open and found herself out in the cooler night air she sighed and breathed in deep.
The stars above her twinkled brightly and it was then she suddenly realized how exhausted she’d become. She looked down the highway and at the trucks thundering past and knew that it would be easy for her to hitch a ride, but she didn’t think she could handle the conversation or the possibility of it being some pervy trucker who picked her up. So she turned her back on Tanner’s and made her way on foot. Her heavy boots kicking up sand and dust as she walked along the road and back towards town.
Since Courtney had been in Slate Springs she had been staying at a motel not far from Main Street. After she had started working hard at Tanner’s, King had offered her refuge at the club house, but she didn’t feel right about trying to settle in there when most of the guys were either single or with someone.
She had met some of the other girls on occasion and she had liked them all, but there was something about her little motel room which had come to feel really like home to her, and she wanted to stay where she felt settled and obligation free. There was still a part of her that knew she had to keep the motorcycle club at arm’s length and she didn’t want to end up in any tricky situations.
As she got closer to home and the green neon sign from the motel came into view, she smiled. Just thinking about her comfy bed was making her want to squeal with glee.
“Not far to go,” she coached herself. “You can do it.”
Her feet were heavy and as she rounded the corner and into the parking lot, she sighed with relief.
The light from the office was still on and she dipped her head in to say hello to Elspeth, the landlady.
“Hi Elle,” Courtney smiled.
“Oh hello dear,” she said as she looked up from the book she was reading. “Long day?”
“Very,” Courtney yawned. “I’m going to go straight to bed after I’ve had a hot bath.”
“Sounds good to me,” Elspeth laughed. “If you need anything, you know what I am.”
“Thanks,” Courtney smiled. “Good night.”
“Night Courtney.”
She waved goodbye and turned on her heel. As she made her way down to her room across the wooden walkway she stretched her arms high above her head before she reached for her purse to find her key.
One of the things that annoyed Courtney the most about not having a car was that she didn’t have a big set of keys that were easy to find. The motel key was the only one she carried and it always seemed to vanish into some corner or tiny crevice of her bag and she could never find it when she really wanted it.
“Damn key,” she whispered as she dug around searching, her arms and legs now both weary and on the verge of giving up.
Just when she was about to trudge back towards the office and to ask Elspeth for the spare her tired hands clasped around it and she grinned.
“Yes,” she whispered.
She pulled the key free from her purse, slipped it into the door, undid the lock and stepped inside.
The room was dark, hot and airless. It had been sealed all day and the sweat started to bu
bble up onto her forehead almost immediately. Courtney moved quickly to the window and heaved it open before closing the curtains and slamming the front door closed behind her. She quickly flicked on the table lamps and the TV for some background noise, before she went into the bathroom, put the plug in the tub and started the faucet.
The room steamed up quickly, but as she peeled off her clothes she found herself not minding. It was so hot in there it was as if she was in a steam room and as she sat back on the edge of the bath and started to remove her make-up her mind started to drift back to the conversation that she had overheard in the back room at Tanner’s.
Gunner, whoever he was, was coming back to Slate Springs.
As she turned the name over in her mind she conjured up images of who this mystery man could be and why he seemed to cause so much excitement and such a stir around the bikers earlier that evening. Who could he be to induce such a wide reaction…?
The tub was almost full so she shut off the faucets and swirled the water around with her hand to make it even. As she stood up and cocked her leg over and into the red hot water she gasped but quickly found her body becoming accustomed to it. She slid down so she was fully immersed and slowly let her head go under the water. As it flowed over her hair and she felt it fan out around her she ran her fingertips through her scalp and sighed. She had been waiting for this all day.
Her whole body seemed to instantly relax and she closed her eyes. No matter how much she tried to switch her mind off, all she could think about was her day and night at work and about the mysterious biker who had been brought up in conversation. She thought back to the meeting and to how all of the Forsaken Riders had been so worked up and bloodthirsty for revenge. She didn’t know who their target was, but she was sure that whatever they had done to the club, they clearly deserved it. In her time in Slate Springs, she had never seen such a reaction from the guys, and she could sense that something big was about to happen.
[Runes of Argyl 01.0] The Runes of Argyl Trilogy Page 73
