by Bijou Hunter
Harmony narrows her gaze. “Suck on a lemon, weirdo.”
“Ladies, isn’t it possible you’re both wrong? It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Hey, we’re trying to help you,” Daisy cries, changing sides, so she’s standing with Harmony now.
“I know, but I’m even more confused now.”
Daisy grips my shoulders and stares into my eyes with her bright blue ones.
“Bonn is a good man worth giving another try. That’s my opinion based on what Camden tells me, and I don’t think Bonn would pretend to be celibate and hardworking for his cousin’s sake. I believe he’s grown up and wants to be the man you need.”
Harmony nudges Daisy out of the way and takes my shoulders. “I agree with the weirdo. Yes, Bonn screwed up, and we’ll never forget that. But this isn’t about Bonn. This is about you being happy. He owns your heart and always will. If you see even a tiny shot of making things work, you need to take the chance.”
“Well said, hippy.”
I study my sisters and then blurt out what’s been on my mind all day.
“I’m so horny.”
“Ew,” Harmony says, stepping away.
Smiling sympathetically, Daisy nods. “We know, honey.”
“I’m afraid I won’t think straight with Bonn because I haven’t had sex in so long and he was great at sex.”
“Then you need to fuck him and see if your brain works better.”
“If I fuck him, I’ll be stuck with him because once I get a taste, then I can’t walk away. The last time he broke my heart, I had a baby to distract me from the pain. What will distract me now that Elle is older?”
“If it comes to that, we’ll keep you busy. I have a lot of laundry that needs doing,” Harmony says.
Daisy nods. “I was thinking of painting one of the rooms at the condo. That should give you a few days’ worth of distraction.”
“You two are just as sweet as anthrax-laced sugar.”
“We’ll hug the hell out of you if he hurts you again,” Harmony promises.
“And I’ll ask Camden to kick his ass, but in ways that won’t show. We don’t want Elle worrying over her dad.”
I glance at my daughter playing. “She loves him so much. I never dreamed of living with my dad the way she does with Bonn. Of course, my dad didn’t love me like Bonn loves her. It’s worth trying just to give Elle the family she dreams of.”
“And the one you’ve dreamed of too.”
Smiling, I return to the swing. “Bonn still knows how to make my heart nearly rip itself free of my chest.”
“Worry about satisfying your vagina first and let your heart figure things out later,” Harmony says, swinging now too. “There’s only so much a vibrator can accomplish.”
Daisy sighs dramatically. “My poor sexless sisters.”
“Camden has turned you into such an incorrigible slut.”
“That he has, hippy.”
Her newfound sluttiness aside, Daisy found her man and started a new life with him. I once had the same promise with Bonn. If we can put the past behind us, maybe Daisy’s dream of double dates will come true.
Seventeen - Bonn
Everyone in North Tennessee knows more than a few rumors about Angus Hayes from the nearby town of White Horse. I’ve heard how he hides his victims’ bodies under new construction. My mother once said he ate his enemies’ hearts to gain their strength. She claimed he learned this practice while on a trip to South Africa.
None of the rumors interest me. The facts about Hayes are more impressive. He runs the town of White Horse without the help of organized muscle like a motorcycle club. He acts as a buffer between the Reaper MC running Common Bend and the Brotherhood MC in Hickory Creek Township. A self-made crime boss, he trusts no one.
Driving into White Horse, I arrive at his bunker-style office. An SUV sits in the lot, but I doubt it belongs to Hayes. A man his size would need more room.
Inside the office, I find a blonde woman sitting at a desk. She looks up at me and yawns.
“No soliciting,” she says.
“I made an appointment to meet with Hayes.”
“I must have forgotten to write that down,” she immediately says. “Unfortunately, Hayes is booked all day.”
“Can’t you squeeze me in?”
“Why should I?” she asks, still staring at her computer.
“Well, you did lie about forgetting to write down the appointment. Seems like you could throw me a crumb as a way to make us even.”
Her face scrunches into a surprised frown. “What makes you think I care if we’re even?”
“One day, I’ll work for Hayes, and you’ll see me frequently. You seem like the kind of woman who wallows in guilt when they’ve wronged someone.”
The woman’s frown shifts into a grin. “I seem that way, huh? Well, that’s why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
“I’ll wait to see if he can give me five minutes.”
“He won’t.”
Sitting nearby in the sparse waiting room, I take out my phone and work on a word search.
“I’d offer you coffee, but I don’t want to get up for someone without an appointment,” she says after a few minutes.
“I heard he married a woman named Cookie. Is that you?”
“Yep. I’m sweet as sugar, but he still won’t see you.”
“I’ll wait and see what happens.”
“I already told you what happens.”
Nodding, I return to the game on my phone. Thirty minutes pass before the front door opens and Hayes stalks inside.
“Candy, get me a cup of coffee and take off your pants.”
“We have a guest, and I’m not wearing pants.”
Hayes doesn’t glance at me. He’s too busy admiring Candy’s legs peeking out from her skirt.
“I don’t remember you wearing that this morning.”
“Age destroys the mind, boss.”
Finally, Hayes turns to me and frowns. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Bonn Fletcher. We had an appointment, but our wires somehow got crossed.”
“How do I know that name?” he asks, scratching his dark beard.
“He’s a male stripper,” Candy says. “He’s also the bastard son of Jude Hallstead from that Hickory biker gang. Plus, he also knocked up Ruby Bauer, who thinks you’re her Fairy Godmother. And you said I never do research.”
Hayes smirks but doesn’t look back at his wife. She’s tapping her pen and daring him to turn around.
“What do you want?” he asks me.
“I’d like to discuss taking over Common Bend and running it for you.”
“Take it over for the Brotherhood?”
“No, you’d own it like you own White Horse.”
“What about your daddy?”
“He wants Common Bend. You’ll have Common Bend. Daddy will not be pleased.”
“Gotta love daddy issues,” Candy says.
Hayes sizes me up. He’s a giant man, but I’m only an inch shorter. If he’s looking to intimidate me, he’ll need to try harder.
“Come back, and we’ll see what bullshit you’re spewing.”
When I walk past Candy, she applauds my success. Hayes’s office smells like expensive cigars and a hint of pizza. I sit across from him and let the man frown for a full minute.
“Why the fuck would I want Common Fucking Bend?”
“You’d fucking want it because you’ve worked too fucking hard making White Fucking Horse a nice fucking place just for it to fall fucking apart over a shithole like Common Fucking Bend.”
Hayes exhales hard, maybe realizing I’m mocking him. Or he sees this as a competition, and I just out-fucked him.
“Get to the point.”
“Everyone knows the Brotherhood has wanted Common Bend for decades. The Reapers took it and kept it, but they had another president back then. Mojo and Howler think now is their time to take the town. They figure Cooper Johansson won’t have
the balls to go to war over a town outside of his Kentucky power source. They might be right, and that’s bad for you.”
Hayes shows no reaction. He also doesn’t tell me to get the fuck out of his office, so I know he’s intrigued.
“The Brotherhood should expand south toward Nashville. There’s little point in going north since they’ll hit a block of Reaper territory. Common Bend is a waste of time, but it’s an ego quest for the current president and VP. They’ll take it, though. If you took Common Bend first, you’d protect your investment here and build a line between the clubs. The less they interact, the less their crap will flood into White Horse.”
“I still don’t know how this benefits me. The initial expenditure makes any move risky.”
“I doubt the Reapers want Common Bend, but they won’t let it go to the Brotherhood. Right now, they barely control the town. We’ve already had several coups and how their trouble taints White Horse. This is the town you care about. If you run Common Bend, that’ll protect your investments here. Now if the Brotherhood runs Common Bend, they won’t do much better than the Reapers because neither club cares about it. They’ll both let the town fester, which isn’t good for you.”
“So, I take the town, and you run it. How would that work?”
“Take it might not be the right words. You’d buy Common Bend from the Reapers. I’d keep the drugs and other illegal businesses from coming here. You’d focus on your town, and I’d act as the manager for Common Bend.”
“Would the Reapers sell it?”
“I can’t imagine they want the town, but they can’t let it go to the Brotherhood. If you buy it, they can stick it to their rivals while ditching a problem.”
“How much do you think I’d pay for the shithole?”
“Based on a cursory examination of their income from the town, they’d lose less than a million a year. Most of the meth is pissed away to the dealers, and the brothels pay too much for protection from the cops before the money ever reaches the club. I’d say a few million will be enough for them to write off the town. With proper management, you’d make that money back in less than two years.”
“And you’d be the proper management. Aren’t you a fucking stripper?”
“I have no shame when it comes to making money. I’ll do whatever I need to do for Common Bend to make sure it runs like you have White Horse running. I don’t mind shit assignments or taking crap from blowhard bosses. I’ll just get the job done.”
Hayes smirks at the blowhard thing. “This is about your daddy, right? You want to show him how you’re the best bastard he ever jizzed.”
“No, I want to take Common Bend from him. I’m not looking for a happy reunion. I want to make the old man suffer, and he wants Common Bend. That doesn’t mean he’ll treat the town any better than he does his jizz receptacles.”
Leaning back in his giant chair, Hayes considers the logistics. He isn’t tight with the Reapers, but he nurses a grudge against the Brotherhood. Mojo and Howler often piss trouble in the direction of White Horse.
Grudge or not, Hayes is a businessman first, and he isn’t sure his investment is safe in the hands of a stranger.
“I was under the impression you were tight with the Rutgers twins,” he finally says.
“I am.”
“How do they feel about you shitting on the Brotherhood’s plans?”
“They don’t know, but they’ll like it long term. Camden doesn’t want to spend time and money on Common Bend. The twins want to go south. They’d also like a buffer between them and the Reapers. You’ll give them what they want before they even take over.”
“You know that for a fucking fact or are you pulling theories out of your ass?”
“Somewhere in between.”
Hayes crosses his massive arms and glares at me. “Did you tell anyone else about your brilliant fucking plan?”
“No.”
“Well, you’re working on a lot of maybes and guesses. You don’t even know if the Reapers will sell Common Bend and get out of the way. I won’t fight with them and the Brotherhood at the same time.”
“Then send me to Kentucky to meet with Johansson and see if he’s game. Once he gives you an answer, you can decide if my guesses and maybes are worth the investment.”
“Send you, huh? On my dime, you mean?”
“Why the fuck not? You’re not hurting for cash.”
Hayes scratches at his beard again and then points at me. “If you leave town for a few days, don’t you think someone might get a little curious about where you’ve gone? I don’t want the Brotherhood getting their panties in a twist before I’ve decided anything.”
Without thinking, I blurt out, “I’ll take Ruby and our daughter, Chevelle, with me. No one is gonna think shit about us going away for a family weekend.”
“Now I’m paying for you and your family to take a vacation.”
Narrowing my gaze, I exhale slowly. “To a tiny town in Kentucky. Let’s not pretend you’re bankrolling a trip to Disney World over here.”
Hayes gives me a weird frown before standing up. “Fine. Let me get some shit in order. I’ll let Johansson know you’re coming. You can work with Candy on the logistics of the trip. Hotel and that shit.”
I consider complaining about how his wife doesn’t take her job seriously. Thinking better of throwing shade at his woman, I only nod. We don’t shake hands. Hayes doesn’t even tell me goodbye.
I simply walk out of his office and tell Candy I’ll call her later. She doesn’t look up from her computer game, but I assume Hayes will explain things later.
Eighteen - Ruby
Sally and I decide to check out other Italian restaurants in the area to see what the competition serves. I invite Harmony and Keanu to join Elle and us since my sister is lonely without Daisy.
We drive to nearby White Horse to eat at Pizza & Meatballs. The restaurant is so new that the ladies’ room still smells like paint. The service sucks, even if the food is decent.
“De Campo’s made really good meatballs,” Harmony says, helping Keanu with his cheese pizza.
Nodding, I did like their meatballs. “I think the Hallsteads want a classy menu, but that won’t sell with a town full of rednecks who only want pizza and spaghetti.”
“No, but I can already tell they don’t want to decide anything,” Sally says with a mouthful of lasagna. “That’s why they hired us. We need to make the decisions. They’re only involved to piss off the Brotherhood.”
I wish my mother didn’t mention the club’s name in White Horse. People in this town aren’t friendly to the trash that blows in from nearby towns like Hickory Creek or Common Bend. At least, that’s what the town’s top thug likes to say.
As if beckoned by my thought of him, Angus Hayes enters the restaurant with his wife and her two kids in tow. They get the best table in a corner where the huge man can spread out. I avoid looking at him even though he once helped me out of a jam in Common Bend. Well, technically, he had two assassins help me out, but for Hayes, it’s the thought that counts.
Despite my efforts to ignore him, Hayes stares right at me. With his size and power, he never needs to be subtle. But damn, he isn’t even pretending he doesn’t want to dig into my brain from across the room.
Leaning forward, I whisper, “Can you guys do me a favor and all look at Hayes at the same time? Really stare at him like he’s staring at me.”
“Is that a good idea?” Harmony asks.
“Men need to know their place,” Sally instantly says. “Where is he?”
Once I point at Hayes, we all stare straight in his direction. The asshole doesn’t flinch because he’s Angus Fucking Hayes and can have us killed. I do catch a hint of a grin before he leans toward his wife. Soon, she’s staring at us too. Then her kids notice and stare in our direction.
The family versus family staring contest continues for a few minutes. I’m nearly ready to give up until several loud rednecks enter. Hayes loses interest in me and
focuses his dark glare on the newcomers.
The big jerk acts like White Horse is his personal plaything and no one can join in unless they get his permission first. Clearly, these rude people didn’t get the message.
Relieved that he’s no longer focused on me; I return to eating. “I hope he doesn’t think I owe him because he helped me out.”
“Well you do owe him,” Harmony says.
Sally shakes her head. “She owes no one. He helped because he wanted to, not because he was doing Ruby a favor.”
“Big words about a man who can make people disappear,” Harmony says, challenging our mother.
“He doesn’t waste time with people like us. A man like him has bigger bodies to bury.”
“I still don’t know why he’s giving me the stink-eye,” I mutter. “I saw him months ago while shopping at the mall. He didn’t even give me a second look.”
“Maybe he’s giving Mom the stink-eye,” Harmony says, still challenging our mother.
Sally frowns at her youngest child. “No, he doesn’t like tie-dye.”
“Or people who talk too loud.”
Elle glances back and forth between the shit-talking women, probably hoping she’ll be old enough soon to join in.
“Or grown women wearing a barrette in her hair like a child.”
“Or people who still talk too loud.”
Sally and Harmony laugh at their shit-talking, but I remain nervous. I’ve spent a good long time staying under the radar of bad men. Even in high school, I was wary of dating Bonn because his dad was the VP in a motorcycle club.
I craved safety in a town where too many girls courted trouble. People called me dull or a party-pooper, but I wanted to survive to my thirties in one piece. A goal I plan to keep.
Nineteen - Bonn
Chevelle bounces into the apartment and barrels into me. Her perfect little face stares up, and she gives me a smile missing two front teeth. Behind her, Ruby stands awkwardly. I ignore the grumpy mama while walking with Chevelle into the kitchen.
“I got second place in our race at school today.”
