by Esme Beal
He stayed staring out the window. His quiet intensity was slightly unnerving in the comfortable surroundings of the diner. The moment of silence between us gave me a chance to know he really meant everything he said.
“It’s working,” he sighed. “The West Bay isn’t as interesting as it used to be but I’d take that over how it was before.”
He turned back to me. I couldn’t help but nod to him. “You should be proud. You’ve done a lot for the city. You and your crew changed things. I think some of the other crews are starting to follow in your footsteps. They’re making sure everybody else has the same respect for the city. Not as many dealers on the streets. Don’t notice many muggers lurking in the alleyways.”
“What’s not to like about that?” He took a bite of pancakes, grinning like he was satisfied with himself.
He was a Charger. Leon and the rest of the Demons would probably crucify me just for even talking to him. But that didn’t matter. I was comfortable around Cade in a way I couldn’t describe. I had to remind myself not to let my emotions get the best of me.
This was a one-night stand. That’s all it was. We’d go our separate ways and that would be that.
“The offer still stands,” he said. “You’re ever around Brickstone, feel free to stop by.”
“You said you wouldn’t give me a free beer, so why would I even bother?”
“Good point. Who knows though? You might meet someone interesting.”
“Tempting.”
We enjoyed the rest of our breakfast in peace. I had the rest of the day to myself. A part of me wasn’t eager about dealing with Leon, knowing he was still upset about my failed negotiation with Pico at Hagen’s. But my time with Cade was enough to put me in a good mood, at least for the moment.
Chapter 7
CADE
Soriah wasn’t much different from most of the newborns I’d seen coming into Brickstone lately. Always calm. Always peaceful. Even though their parents would tell you otherwise, they were never any trouble. Soriah wasn’t a handful from what I could see.
Then again, just one look at Kellen was enough to see he wasn’t getting much sleep. The purple bags under his eyes. The half-open stare. The hair that was a little more disheveled. Even his beard looked more crooked than usual.
‘Guru’ was one of the older guys in the Chargers but now he looked more like it. He still managed to have a smile on his face.
“Zak?” I said.
“At home with the baby girl.”
“Sparrow?”
“Hanging out with his fiancé and their kid.”
“Mossy?”
Kellen gave me a stare like I already knew the answer. And I did, though that didn’t stop me from wanting a response from him.
“This is something you’re just gonna have to get used to—”
“I know, I know,” I said. “Save it. Bryce already gave me the whole spiel about how the Chargers will always be around even though everybody has started a family. That doesn’t mean you guys don’t gotta come around for the meetings.”
It was the middle of the afternoon. I sat in the meeting room at the back of Brickstone Bar. There was nothing fancy about it. Just a table with some chairs lined around it. The walls were bare and could probably use a new paint job. I never noticed it until now because there were so many empty chairs.
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms. I hadn’t said another word when Kellen started chuckling.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. Sitting there brooding because the boys aren’t around.”
“I’m not brooding. I’m just… not used to it, that’s all.”
“Well, you’d better get used to it. This is what we’ve been going for. The West Bay is almost as peaceful as the Northside. Detective Kennedy isn’t threatening to send a task force to clean up the streets. And we hustled Leon out of enough money from the fights that we can start working on that project your brother always wanted to do.”
The Demons were the most notorious group in the West Bay. They arrived only recently but they made enough noise to get everybody’s attention. Leon was the kinda guy who’d do whatever it took to get ahead. We’d shut him up for the most part and got a hefty payment in the process.
I stayed leaning in my seat while I thought about how fortunate I was to see everything I wanted to come to fruition. Hearing it from Kellen was just another reminder of something I already knew. Now there was the annoying boredom I had to deal with.
“Just because the streets are safer doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility,” he said. “The Chargers have to stick around so people know not to mess with us.”
“People already know not to mess with us. Pretty damn boring around here, if you ask me.”
“Would you rather deal with the boredom or the gang violence?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
“Exactly.” He slapped his hands across the table and leaned forward in his seat. “Besides, the Chargers still got work to do. I just had a run-in with an old friend of mine. His name’s Bobby. Works at an old bar on the other side of the West Bay called Bobby’s Bar.”
“A guy named Bobby runs a place called Bobby’s Bar? I never woulda guessed.”
“I ran into him at a coffee shop. He’s a little more stressed out than usual. You know how it is running a business. Had a bad feeling so I asked him about it. Told me he’s getting roughed up.”
“Roughed up?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Some gang is trying to extort money out of him. For protection. Says if he doesn’t pay up, something is gonna happen to him.”
“Did he say who it was?”
Kellen shook his head. “Bobby was already spooked enough just talking to me about it. I told him the Chargers got everybody’s back but he still didn’t wanna spill the beans.”
Kellen had said enough to get my attention. I never would’ve admitted I was grateful to hear that his old friend was running into some trouble I could potentially fix.
“Bobby’s a friend of mine,” he said. “He didn’t talk to me but maybe he’ll talk to you.”
“Even if he wasn’t an old friend, you know that’s what we do. Just send me his address and we’ll check it out later today.”
“Um… Actually…” He shifted his eyes away from me. Kellen was never reluctant about anything, so I knew something else was up. Judging from the look on his face, it wasn’t hard to figure out.
“What is it this time?”
“Zak wants to go to a movie. We’ve been stuck inside of the apartment for so long, he’ll do anything to get out. I figure today’d be a good opportunity—”
“Fine, fine. This situation with your friend Bobby isn’t anything I can’t handle by myself. I’ll go have a talk with him and I’m sure I’ll settle this with whatever club is giving him a problem.”
“That’s why you’re in charge, Cade.”
I stayed in my seat, staring at the wall. I already assumed Kellen had left the meeting room as my mind started to wander.
“Cade?”
I didn’t respond to him immediately.
“Yo, Cade.”
He said it a little louder and finally got my attention. He narrowed his eyes. Even though his face looked so tired, he was still grilling me like I was hiding something from him.
“What’s wrong?”
“You already know what’s wrong,” I sighed. “I’m bored. Don’t worry. I’m sure this situation with Bobby will tide me over until—”
“No, no. It’s not that. There’s something else.”
“Here we go…” I rolled my eyes as he got up from his seat. He walked over to me, leaning forward across the table and looking down into my eyes. I stared back at him and waited for him to see himself out.
He kept his narrowed gaze on me, trying to drill a hole through me. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open like he’d seen a ghost.
“What is it?” I sighed again.
>
“Is there… Is there someone? Did you meet someone?” He leaned forward and sniffed me.
“What the hell are you talking about—”
“You did. Come on, Cade. You can’t hide it from me. I’m an Omega. We can sense these things.”
“You make it sound like you’re some rabid animal…”
“Don’t try to deny it.” He took a seat right in front of me. I looked away but that didn’t stop him from locking his gaze on me. Outside of my brother, the one man I trusted more than anybody was Kellen. I could tell him anything. But right now, all I wanted was for him to go away.
That wasn’t gonna happen though. “If I tell you, will you leave me alone?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you need Guru to give you some advice.”
I slowly shifted my eyes back toward him. “I don’t need Guru to give me advice on a one-night stand. You never gave me advice before. I don’t need it now.”
“I don’t know…” He leaned back in his seat, turning his head and examining me like I was some kinda science experiment. “This one seems a little different.”
“And do your keen Omega senses tell you that?”
“My Omega intuition. My old wisdom. The innate knowledge that comes from being a father. You might say it’s a one-night stand but I think this one is a little different.”
I rolled my eyes. “I could expect this from Mossy. Sparrow. Zak. But now you’re hooked onto my sex life like schoolgirl gossip… Fatherhood must have you really bored.”
“It’s just the opposite. Fatherhood’s the best thing in the world. I think it’d be great if you joined in. I think you’d be a great father.”
“Earlier this morning, someone suggested the Chargers were a lot like the police. I didn’t think I could be more offended.” I leaned forward and looked Kellen right in the eye. “Thanks for proving me wrong.”
“Ha!” He popped up from his seat and slapped me on the shoulder.
“Go on… Get outta here…”
“Hey, make sure you check on Bobby for me.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Kellen left me alone in the meeting room with my thoughts.
Brock was still on my mind. Even with Kellen gone, I was still embarrassed to admit it. Before I could let such a pointless thought get to me, I shook it out of my head.
“Bobby… Let’s go settle some business.”
Chapter 8
BROCK
I picked up a case of beer before heading back to the warehouse for the rest of the day. The place was just like it always was. The club members lounged around on the couches without anything better to do. The smoke filled the air despite how spacious it was. Some of the guys looked like they were still recovering from the night before. The sight of everybody relaxing always put a smile on my face.
I set the beer down on the table then suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. No matter how many times Leon did it, I never got quite used to how intimidating he was.
“Missed you last night,” he said. “Thought you’d be hanging out with the boys. You tired of us?”
“Not tired of you.” I laughed and shook my head. “Just figured I would hit the road by myself and get a drink.”
“You know I’m just busting your balls. You do what you gotta do.”
“Did I miss anything?”
“Not anything you haven’t seen every other night. Just a night of drinking and debauchery.”
“Sounds like I missed a hell of a party. I’ll get in the kitchen and start cleaning the place up.”
My tasks with the Demons weren’t much different from what an Omega usually did. While the rest of the gang was busy working on projects and scheming to figure out a way to make ends meet, I kept things in order in the place we called home.
I was just about to get started with the dishes when I noticed Leon had followed me into the kitchen.
“You can get cleaned up,” he said. “But don’t worry about dinner. The boys and I are heading out to pick something up.”
“That’s great. Sounds like a lotta fun. Where are we going?”
“Not you. I got a job for you.” Leon walked up to me with a seriousness in his eyes. It wasn’t anything different from how he usually was. The man made you listen even when he had nothing to say at all. “Pico doesn’t wanna pay up. That’s fine. We’ll get what we need from him eventually. I need you to head over to another place to collect a payment. It’s called Bobby’s Bar.”
“Bobby’s Bar… I suppose I’ll be looking for a guy named Bobby.”
“That’s right. You have a chat with Bobby. Make sure he pays up. He gives you any problem, remind him that he’ll be dealing with me next. You got that?”
“Sure. I’ll take care of Bobby…” I turned my attention back to the dishes and turned the water on. Leon watched me for a moment but didn’t say anything.
I couldn’t help a feeling in my stomach though. Ever since I had breakfast with Cade, something was bothering me.
Just before Leon walked out, I called out to him. “Can I ask you something?” He slowly turned back around, his eyebrows raised. “Why do we have to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Check people like Bobby for payments.”
“You were there at the fights last time. I dropped a damn hefty payment in front of Cade and the Chargers. The club can’t take care of itself without money.”
“I know it’s just… Maybe there’s another way to make some money. There’s so much open property in Snow Falls. Maybe we can take some of it. Legitimately. We can start a business and make some real money. And we won’t have to worry about trying to strong-arm people.”
He chuckled at me. Even when he smiled, there was something intimidating about him. “And what are you gonna open? An ice cream shop? You gonna sell postcards and stamps?”
“I don’t know. It’s just—”
“We start a business then the city will want its cut. Pretty soon you get punks like Ashton Webb wanting their share. Next thing you know, they’re horning in on your business. You might think it’s legitimate but there’s no difference between a businessman with paperwork and a dealer who’s working the corner. What we’re doing is cutting out the middleman.”
Leon had a way of explaining everything from his perspective that anybody would be able to understand it. It didn’t hurt that he was so intimidating.
But even after listening to him, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe there was something else we could do.
He put a hand on my shoulder and looked me right in the eye. “Something wrong, Brock? You not liking the way I do business?”
“No, it’s not that—”
“After everything we did for you. After everything we provided for you. You just wanna walk away? Because I’ll let you walk away if you want. But you know that you owe me.”
“It’s not that… Really. You know how grateful I am. I just want what’s best for all of us.”
“What’s best for the Demons is what we’re doing now. Get the payment from Bobby and we’ll invest in my newest project. We do that, we’ll be back on our feet and we’ll all be living comfortably, you hear me?”
“Yeah…”
He patted me on the shoulder and turned around to leave. I didn’t say anything even though there was still something on my mind.
I kept my head down while I finished washing the dishes in my makeshift kitchen. I wasn’t anxious about heading over to Bobby’s Bar to make the collection. But I knew the Demons were more important than anything else in my life. I couldn’t let Leon down. I couldn’t let any of them down.
Chapter 9
CADE
Bobby’s Bar wasn’t much different from the other holes you’d find in this part of town. The musky smell. The faint music. The atmosphere of patrons who looked like they just wanted to have a drink and be left the hell alone.
It was later in the day with t
he sun just going down when I arrived. The night was just getting started with people starting to trickle in. A couple of biker clubs looked like they could start something but minded their own business.
I found an empty stool at the bar and got the attention of the bartender.
“What are you having?”
“Not here for a drink,” I said. “Just looking for Bobby.”
The bartender was a burly guy. Long, dirty black hair that needed a wash. Same for his scruffy beard. I wouldn’t have given the guy a second look if he wasn’t eyeballing me so bad.
He crossed his thick arms and showed off the tattoos up and down his sleeves.
“What do you looking for Bobby for?”
I scrunched my face in confusion. “I’m a Charger. Just wanted to talk. I heard he had some problems he needed taking care of.”
He looked down at the patch on my chest. The skeptical look on his face didn’t go away but I didn’t hold it against him.
I watched as he headed to the back of the bar. A few seconds later he stepped out with another man and pointed at me. “That asshole wants to talk to you.”
“Asshole?” I said under my breath. “Is that what I get for trying to be a nice guy?”
The other man walked up to me. He was older with a pair of gold-framed glasses that hung on the tip of his nose. His head was bald on top with the hair around his head as white as snow. He was old but he wasn’t frail. The guy was definitely big, his white shirt stretched by his belly. His suspenders looked like they were struggling to keep his pants on.
He walked right up to me and raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”
