by Nella Tyler
As I make my way out, I hear him yell to me, “I’ll look into this Lester Samson guy, but you stay the hell away from that rotten fucking city.”
Chapter Four
Rodney Vinton
I look at our Road Captain, Jack Frack, and try to make sense of Ronan’s comments about Lester Samson.
“Do you know anything about that?” I ask after Ronan’s conversation with Trish.
She hurries herself out of his office leaving the door cracked open, but he’s not done letting her have it.
She breezes past me and I stop her to implore, “Is everything alright?”
“No, everything is most definitely not alright,” she seethes. “That fucking man in there is impossible.”
She tries to move past me, but I place my arms around her in a tight hug.
“Tell me what’s going on, Trish. What were you talking about Lester Samson for?”
“Let’s just say that last night before I met up with you, I did my own detective work.”
“You did what?” Rodney hisses.
“I went to a bar in Hayleyville where I happened to hear this Lester guy talking about a twelve-year-old girl with blonde hair. I could’ve sworn he was describing my baby sister. So, I got his address. When I got back home, I ran it through some searches and found that he has a child endangerment charge against him.”
“So you followed Lester home? Did you find anything?”
“No, but he’s a fucking creep,” she says chewing my head off.
“I wish you would’ve brought the information to me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I know this guy. Lester Samson wouldn’t hurt a fly. I’ve known Les for years.”
“You have?” she inquires.
“Yes, and I’m telling you that he’s not a bad dude.”
“Explain to me then why he has an arrest record for child endangerment?”
“He was merely the victim of bad circumstances.”
“This is a good lead, Rodney. Explain these bad circumstances if I’m wrong then,” she dares me.
“You know what, maybe you should really listen to your father and leave the investigation to the rest of us. I’m not trying to be mean, but you’re too close to all of this. You aren’t seeing reason, Trish. I like you and everything, but please just trust all of us in that we know what we’re doing.”
Ronan emerges from his office, picking up on the last tidbit about her trusting us to lead the investigation.
“Listen to this guy if you won’t listen to me,” Ronan tells her.
“Explain his fucking arrest then,” she commands.
“Alright, if you must know. Lester was driving to the park with his niece in the car, but she unbuckled her seat belt and was playing with it in the back seat. His car drew the attention of police because of a busted out tail light. He got pulled over and arrested and his sister had to come get the kid from the station,” Rodney says.
Satisfied, Ronan tears up the papers with Lester’s information on it.
Trish’s face heats up, but she manages to lean into my ear and say, “Follow me.”
She walks me out to where her father can’t eavesdrop. She tells me intently, “I’m so fucking pissed at you. You’re lucky that you’re so hot, ‘cause otherwise I’d have kicked your ass by now.”
“So you’re holding it against me that you think I’m hot?” My face reddens at the thought and I can feel my pants bulge. Her words travel from my ears directly to my cock and it stiffens in response.
“Again, you’re missing the fucking point.”
“What’s the point?”
“Lester Samson is creepy and there’s something not right about him. I don’t think his hands are clean in this.”
“I think you’re making something out of nothing with Les. He’s just a poor old soul who was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” I try to convince her.
“I think you’re wrong. I’m sorry, but I do.”
I smile at her and she sighs, completely disarmed. Her anger is displaced by a feeling of sweet sorrow. She’s clearly upset about her sister being a victim of kidnapping, but she doesn’t want to take her anger out on me.
“I promise you, with all of my heart and soul, that I will do whatever it takes to ensure your safety. We’re going to find out what happened to your sister and whoever is responsible is going to pay dearly.”
My inflection is domineering.
“He’s dirty, I’m telling you.”
“I wish I could help you out with this Les thing, I just believe with everything in me that you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
She doesn’t let up about any of this when it comes to her sister Sasha and I admire her tenacity and follow through. Where her father erupts in anger, she sees a clear answer.
A police officer calls out my name and I sit down at his table.
“State your full name for the record.”
“Rodney Vinton,” I tell him.
“Mr. Vinton, do you know the victim, Ms. Sasha Fitzgerald?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Do you have any details that could lead us to her safe rescue?”
“No.”
“Do you know of anyone who would like to hurt Ms. Fitzgerald?” he presses me.
“Who the hell would want to hurt a twelve-year-old?” I howl.
“Sir, can you please just answer the question.”
“No! I fucking don’t know of anyone who would want to hurt Sasha. This is all such bullshit. Instead of sitting here answering your questions, we could all actually be out there trying to find her.”
I stand up, tired of this shit.
“Mr. Vinton, I assure you that this is all protocol,” the officer says gesturing for me to sit back down.
“Take it easy, Barney Fife. We all just want to see Sasha returned home.”
“As do we, sir. Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“No.”
“Thanks for talking with me. This is my card should you think of any more information after we leave here today. Any details you may have left out could prove beneficial to her safe return.”
“I get it, thanks.”
I stand up and push the chair forward to the table.
I walk to where Ronan is perched at the bar drinking a beer.
“Enough is enough with this shit,” I tell him of the police presence in the bar.
“As you know, they have their investigation and we have ours.”
He tells the barmaid to get me a beer and we clink them together.
“To finding your daughter,” I state plainly.
“To finding my daughter,” he reiterates my words.
An hour passes and the police officers scatter from the premises. They close up their notepads and gesture to Ronan that they’ll be leaving.
“We think we’ve got what we need,” one yells over to Ronan. He nods and they exit promptly. No one wants them here and they are keenly aware.
“Do me a favor, kid.”
“Yeah?”
“Try to keep Trish out of this. She’s only going to end up putting herself in danger.”
“I feel ya, boss. I’ll try, but we both know she can be stubborn,” I remark honestly.
“She gets that from her mother.”
“Anything you need brother,” I reassure him of my commitment to the club and to our cause.
He nods with a half-smile and I stand.
“I gotta run; Got a few things to take care of.”
He raises his beer bottle once more and I head out.
I breeze through the door with a mission on my mind. I need to learn what I can about Sasha’s disappearance. I pull my helmet on my head and take off out of the Lair’s parking lot.
When I’m far out enough, I pull my phone from my pocket and dial up my father’s second in command. A shady looking man in his mid-fifties, Owen Ketterling is downright evil. In certain matters, he could be torturous, but I focu
s on Sasha. Surely, not even he would lay a finger on a twelve-year-old in a motorcycle club war.
“Owen,” I surmise upon hearing his raspy voice on the other end.
“Who is this?”
“Rodney.”
“Rodney who?”
“Rodney Vinton.”
“What’s good, kid?”
“I know you and my old man don’t always see eye-to-eye, so I thought I’d ask. Do you know anything about the disappearance of a twelve-year-old girl with the name Sasha Fitzgerald?”
“Who?”
“Sasha Fitzgerald. She’s the daughter of the guy who runs the Dragons motorcycle club.”
“And she came up missing?”
“Yeah. No one’s seen her in two days.”
“And you think I had something to do with this?”
“I never said that. I was just looking for information. She’s an innocent fucking kid, Owen, so tell me if you know anything.”
“I dunno anything about any missing kid.”
The line is dead. I look down at my phone and say aloud, “You fuckers better not hurt a hair on her head.”
Shoving the phone back into my pocket, I hop back on my bike and ride the streets looking for Sasha. This search is an awakening for me and I can see clearly that my father’s people would easily lie for the almighty dollar.
Chapter Five
Trish Fitzgerald
I thrash my way through the house, not taking into account that my mother is back from tending to the family store. She shows no interest in my issues, but I force them on her just the same.
“Ya know what bugs the shit out of me?” I blather.
“No, Trish. Tell me, what bugs the shit out of you?”
“The way I feel right fucking now.”
Mom tries to dismiss the conversation there, but I won’t let her.
“Aren’t you gonna ask me how I feel right now?”
“I’ll bite. How are you feeling right now?”
“Like shit.”
“I think everyone is going to feel like shit until your sister is found. It’s natural to be upset. We’re all upset.”
Her failure to comfort me isn’t all that shocking in the least. She spends most of her time catering to my father’s every whim. She deals with me because we are family, but she only puts up with Sasha. It’s a dull nagging in her vacant eyes to see a constant reminder that my father cheated on her all of those years ago.
“I just feel so fucking useless in this whole thing,” I confide in her.
She nods as if she understands.
“I’m of no use to anyone inside of the club or out. This fucking sucks,” I add.
“I’m sure there is some way you can help.”
Her tone sounds hopeful, but I recall my father’s warning to stay out of it.
“No, I ask but dad tells me to stay out of it every time. I come up with one solid lead and that’s more than anyone else, but he basically tells me to go fuck myself.”
She begins wiping down the counter tops at home and turns the dial on the stove to pre-heat the oven.
“You have a solid lead?”
“And then there’s fucking Rodney,” I rant. “Rodney makes me like him and then turns on me the moment dad comes around. It’s stupid, really.”
She reiterates, “You have a solid lead?”
“Yes, I already said that. It’s no use, though. Rodney shot that idea out of the sky. He knows the guy I thought took Sasha. He said he’s a good dude.”
Mom goes back to cleaning the kitchen up and I satisfy my need to sit around and wallow in my own self pity. I plunge my body down on the couch and hit the red power button on the clicker. I reach over to the bottle of wine and drink directly from it.
The television blares relentlessly. I stand up, put the bottle down and leave.
“Alright, well I can’t turn into you, now can I?” I ask aloud as I leave the room and then the house.
I feel the wind in my face as I ride to the Lair. I need some words of wisdom. I seek out Jasmine or any other friendly faces. In a whirlwind, I pass by the Sargent-At-Arms, Josh Lucas, and sit at the bar.
He approaches me from behind and taps my shoulder.
“Didn’t your father tell you to go home?”
“Yeah, but I feel so obsolete.”
He taps me again on the shoulder, but this time it’s more reassuring. He feels my pain.
I see Jasmine standing behind the counter, busy doling out drinks to the remaining members.
“Are ya drinking?” She asks.
“No. I just need to talk to someone who understands.”
“And you think that’s me?” She asks, but feels the flattery in my words.
She looks to the guy occupying the space behind the bar and says, “Hey Jeff, take care of the bar for me, would ya?”
He nods begrudgingly and she walks around to where I’m sitting.
“Alright, let’s talk.”
“I just feel so bummed out that I can’t do anything to help out with the search or the investigation into my sister’s disappearance. It’s awful just sitting around because everyone seems to think I’m made of glass or something.”
“I’m sure your father is just protecting you. He’s a good guy and he doesn’t wanna add insult to injury.”
“I get that. Maybe he was right, though.”
“Right about what?”
“Right about me not becoming a member. He said that most girls my age are draining their parents’ bank accounts and are in college. Maybe I should just leave Hinton Township and go to college?”
“Now do you really think you could leave this town when your sister is still out there?”
“No, I can’t. You’ve got a point.”
“Just promise that you’ll try and take it easy on your father. He’s going through a lot - we all are. We’re a family and we need to look out for each other.”
“I appreciate you lending me your ears,” I tell her. Satisfied that she has been helpful, she gets back up to tend bar. Jeff wears a look of relief on his face when she tells him to go away.
“Hey, Jasmine,” I say with a wave to get her attention. Her eyebrows rise. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the Corkscrew. I need some time to think.”
She smiles and I get off of the red bar stool to leave.
“I could send someone to go with you.”
“I don’t need a chaperone,” I bark.
“I was only trying to help.”
I smile at her. She has always been there for me to listen or help. She’s a good friend who I gather keeps tabs on me for my father. Everyone stares at me looking to see what I will do.
I leave the Lair behind me, this time much slower. With the cool air in my face, I kick a nearby pebble. It solves nothing, but right now I need to be in control of something, anything.
I get on my bike and fire her up. My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it.
A ruckus in the club brings my attention back inside. There’s a fight.
Josh Lucas steps in the middle of Boris and Ken. Two older men taking swipes at each other paints a crooked smile on my face. I take the smile, even if it’s slightly temporary.
“Well, isn’t that a fine fucking how do you do?” Boris asks Ken.
“Fuck you too, you fucking fat twat,” Ken yells from two inches away.
Josh pushes between them, but they don’t care.
“Alright, you guys, break it up or I’ll break it up for you,” the beefy Josh tells them as they all stand eye to eye.
“So I can’t kick his fucking ass?” Ken yelps.
“If you are going to fight, then it has to be fair,” Josh advises them.
“He’s talking about that fat gut of yours, you fucking pig,” Boris snipes.
I grin for the first time since learning of Sasha’s disappearance.
I walk to Jasmine whose eyes are trained on the mischief afoot in the club.
“This is quite the entertainment,” I
tell her with a chuckle.
“We look at it as a sort of an ice breaker around these parts,” she says sarcastically.
Josh addresses all of us: “I guess these two wanna go. Don’t fucking break anything and keep it fair, assholes.”
Boris throws the first punch at Ken. Jasmine appears amused and I realize that neither of us care why they’re fighting. Ken dodges the punch completely and hits Boris with an uppercut. It’s at this point, the place is loud with people egging them on and taking bets.
“My money’s on Ken,” Jasmine says.
“That is, if Boris doesn’t get sick from the smell of the guy,” I counter.
She laughs. The tension is gone.
A rumble from my dad’s office tells me and everyone else that he’s still here. The door cracks open and the light from his office breaks into the back room. Everyone takes notice, but Boris and Ken.
“Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on here?” he shouts to get their attention.
Boris turns to dad and it is evident that he is sporting a black eye. Ken is bleeding from his mouth. They’re both a mess. I hop behind the counter and grab the first aid kit.
Ken sits his giant body on top of one of the little red stools and his flesh spills over. I dab some peroxide on a cloth and wipe his mouth with it. Boris settles on a seat further away.
Jasmine reaches Boris a beer and before he can open it, she says, “Hold it up against your eye.”
Dad says to the room, “Am I fucking invisible here?”
Josh walks over to him and says, “I don’t know why, but those two idiots just started throwing punches at each other. I stepped in to make sure it was a fair fight, but they’ve only tossed insults at each other in between swinging.”
“Boris, you’re already on the verge of getting your ass kicked out of here. I mean, you pull this shit when you know my daughter is missing?”
He looks upset that dad has placed the blame on his shoulders.
“That fucking guy and his bullshit,” Boris rants.
“Yeah, well fuck you,” Ken tells him.
My dad gives them both the evil eye and it shuts them up. I move away from Ken as the stink overwhelms my sense of smell.
Satisfied that everything is calm, dad retreats back to his office. Josh escorts Boris and Ken out of the club under protest.
