by Chiah Wilder
Her insides twisted. He’s such a fuckin’ ass. “I’m kinda busy here, you know?” She wiped the sweat trickling down the side of her face.
“I’m just being neighborly.”
“I know, but I’m not in a chatty mood right now. I’ll give you some peppers in a bit, okay?”
From the corner of her eye she saw him cross his arms. “I hate peppers.”
She shrugged and he stalked off. A sigh of relief blew from her parted lips, and she began attacking the weeds more earnestly. A few minutes later, she heard squeaking behind her and turned around. A small shiver zinged up her spine as she met Walter’s hard gaze. The guy had placed his lawn chair right behind her, in full view of her butt. Redness crept up her neck as she suddenly became aware of how short her shorts were.
With a beer bottle in one hand, he stretched out his legs in front of him and continued staring at her. Determined not to let him rattle her, she turned back to her task. The asshole unnerved her; he was always staring and watching her every move. It was like she was an insect under a magnifying glass.
All at once, he started breathing heavily behind her, and the resolve to ignore him slipped away from her. She stood up, quickly watered the plants, and then picked up the bag of weeds. Without even a glance, she headed to the side of the house.
“You’re doing a great job with your garden, little lady. I know you can hear me. If you don’t like me looking at you in your cute shorts, you shouldn’t wear them. But I bet you love the attention, don’t you? Women like you—”
She slammed the door, cutting off his ugly words and insinuations. I can’t stand that creep. Ever since she’d moved in, he’d made her uncomfortable. At first she’d thought he was just trying to be friendly in an awkward, socially inept way, but as his movements and words became bolder, she decided he was just an asshole. Lately, he’d begun to make her feel dirty and violated by his words and actions. She wished he’d just stop. Everything about her rental was great except for him.
And the landlord. Raven groaned and Sooty perked up her ears. She still couldn’t fathom that Muerto was her landlord. She’d been in the unit for months and had never had any dealings with him. Maybe I should tell him about Walter. But what would she say? That Walter stared at her? Muerto stared at her plenty, boldly assessing her and not giving a shit how it made her feel. How does it make me feel when he checks me out? Excited. Nervous. Pissed. But she liked it when he showed that he liked what he saw. With Walter, it just made her feel icky.
No, Muerto wouldn’t understand about Walter. He’d probably come over and join him the next time she was gardening.
Men… ugh!
The ringing phone interrupted her as she poured some dry food in Sooty’s bowl. Setting it down on the floor, she put the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
“This is Deanna. Did the plumber come out and fix your sink?”
“Yeah, he came out last night. The landlord really delivered fast on this one. I should deal with him directly all the time.” She laughed.
“Don’t call him. You need to deal with me or Jay. I’ll talk to Mr. Ruiz. Do you understand?” Her voice was tight.
Is this the hour of freaks? First Walter and then this one. “He told me to call him if anything comes up, but I’m dealing with you guys. As long as the problem gets taken care of, I’m good.”
“He told you to call him? Why would he do that?”
Her foot locked under the chair and she dragged it from the table, plopping down on it, a frown etched on her face. “I don’t know, Deanna.” Sighing, she tapped her foot against the hardwood floor. “Is there anything else you wanted?”
“No. I just want to reiterate that if you have any problems, please call me or Jay, not Mr. Ruiz. We’ll make sure he knows if there’s a problem. Do you understand?”
Raven clutched the phone. “Well, I don’t know, Deanna. It seems kinda complicated to comprehend. I gotta go. Bye.” She clicked off, anger riding down her spine. “She drives me fuckin’ crazy. She acts like she’s in love with him or something.” She picked up Sooty and kissed the side of her face. “Today’s my day for weirdos. It’s better when I stay in the house and don’t answer the phone. We don’t need them, do we?” She smiled when her cat meowed and moved her ears forward.
She pushed away from the table and went to the back room, Sooty padding behind her. When she picked up her paintbrush and dipped it into yellow acrylic paint, she laughed. “Can you imagine what our landlord would say to what I’ve done to this room?” Sooty stared at her. “He’d be pissed. A guy that cocky needs to come down from his pedestal a bit. I bet he always gets his way with women.” She glanced at the large paint can in the corner. She’d planned on painting the room turquoise, but she’d been so busy filling jewelry orders that she’d put it on the back burner.
She grinned. “Guess what we’re gonna do this weekend, Sooty. We’re gonna paint this room and I may even paint a goddamn rainbow on the back wall.” She had no idea why she was taking such pleasure in defying and goading him, but she was. Something about him made her nervous and excited. She had to make sure to push him far away from her, and what better way than showing him that she was the one woman who wouldn’t fall for his good looks and swagger.
Her hand moved over the canvas, creating many small dots of color on the buildings in the city scene to give the illusion of texture. She worked furiously, loving that her unfounded anger at her landlord fueled her on. Each time she saw his smart-assed face in her mind, she stippled faster, and when she remembered his arrogant words, she painted more passionately.
After several hours of nonstop painting, she stepped back and viewed her efforts. The folkloric city jumped off the canvas, and she could feel the pull of the twinkling stars, the brightly lit windows, and the rolling hills in blue, purple, and pink. She smiled as elation spread through her. She was going to have to think about pissing off her landlord more often; it made her paint well.
Chuckling, she gathered her brushes and headed to the kitchen to wash them out and then figure out what to eat for dinner. Maybe she’d take a trip to the pool hall soon. She may even do a bit of hustling; nothing big like the last time, just a few bucks.
And if he gives me attitude, I’ll give it back to him tenfold. After all, the cockier they were, the sweeter it was to pull them down.
Chapter Five
Muerto leaned his chair back against the concrete wall as he watched his brothers sliding into their chairs. Steel had called church to address the issue of the new strip club, the Climax Lounge, off Ash and Cedar.
“Did Zach stay until closing last night?” Crow slipped into the chair next to his.
“Yeah. Jaime stayed extra to help wash the glasses.” He ran his hand over his five o’clock shadow. He had such a thick beard that if he wanted to stay clean-shaven, he had to shave a couple of times a day. The women seemed to like the roughness of his beard, so he usually left it for a few days.
“Jaime? She always seems like she can’t wait to haul ass outta there after her shift. Did some lucky guy pick up Brandy?” Crow took a gulp from his Dr. Pepper.
“You’ve got the hots bad for her, dude.”
“Wish the feeling was mutual. She’s into you. You should try her out sometime. I bet she’d show you all kinds of fun.” He raised his eyebrows.
Muerto laughed. “She’s an employee, so off-limits. Anyway, she doesn’t do it for me. I know she’s hot and all, but even if she didn’t work for the club, I wouldn’t be interested.”
“Are you fuckin’ nuts? If she offered her primo body to you, you’d turn it down?”
“I’m not saying that. I mean, if she gave herself to me, I wouldn’t turn her down. I just wouldn’t pursue her. There’s a difference.” Muerto leaned forward on his chair and grabbed a beer that was in a cooler on top of the table. He twisted the top open and took a long pull.
“Well, I’d fuck her good and hard if she even looked at me. I know you got your
eyes on that pool shark. What the fuck’s her deal? Did she come in last night after I left?”
Muerto’s jaw hardened. “No, and I definitely don’t have my eye on her.” The night before, he’d been hoping she’d drop by, but she didn’t, and it pissed him off to no end. But what really got him was that he even gave a shit whether she came in or not. She’s nothing to me. Why the fuck do I care if I ever see her again? She’s nothing but a mouthy pool hustler who happens to be my tenant. So what if she’s gorgeous and sexy? I can get gorgeous and sexy any day of the week.
“We ready to start here?” Steel’s deep voice filled the room, silencing the idle chatter. He raised his bent knee and rested his foot on a chair. “We’ve got a new strip club in town. It’s called the Climax Lounge.” Snickers circled around the room. “I know, fucking clever. Anyway, we don’t have a problem if another strip bar opens in Alina, but this one happens to be run by Jimmy Delarosa, and we know what a greasy fucker he is.” The brothers laughed as they voiced their agreement with their president.
“You think it’s a front for laundering? Remember the scam that asshole was doing a while back?” Goldie brought a can of Pepsi to his mouth.
“I thought the attorney general sent him to the pen for scamming all those old people,” Chains said.
Paco stood up, whistling loudly through his teeth. The members quieted down. “The slimebag did a two-year stint for screwing old people out of their money, but he’s back and running the strip club. Since he’s involved, we know it’s a slimy operation. The question is who the fuck is backing it?”
“Also, there’re rumors that he’s hiring underage girls, and that’s bullshit.” Steel’s green eyes flashed. “No way we’re gonna tolerate that in our county.”
“Where are the rumors coming from?” Muerto asked.
Steel leaned forward. “I bumped into Sheriff Wexler when I was coming out of the hardware store yesterday, and he casually mentioned it to me. He told me that he’d been in there but all the women had good IDs. Said a couple of parents have complained that their daughters got hired at the club to clean tables and sweep up.”
Muerto pushed his chair back roughly. “I’m so fuckin’ tired of the badges wanting us to do their goddamn jobs. Wexler’s got a few deputies. Why don’t they figure this shit out? They’re nothing but a bunch of inept dumbasses with handcuffs. Fuckin’ morons.” He shook his head as several of the brothers voiced their agreement with him.
“That may well be, and we do count on their ineptness, but do I have to remind you that we were able to score a half-million dollars on our last gun run while Wexler and his deputies looked the other way?” Paco darted his eyes to each of the brothers. “We need the badges to stay the fuck outta our business.”
“Paco’s right,” Steel said. “We need to check this out. Delarosa’s gotta know we won’t tolerate that shit. When he got back in town a few months ago, Diablo and I went over and basically told him that if he wants to keep walking, he’ll respect our rules. And that means no scamming the old residents, no messing with girls under eighteen, and no drug dealing. Knowing him, he’s fucking up.”
“Where’d he get the money to start the club? He must’ve stashed a shitload of the dough he got from scamming. I heard he’d bilked millions. I thought the government got the bulk of it,” Sangre said.
“That’s what we gotta find out. You’re working on that, right, Chains?” Steel jerked his chin toward him.
“Yeah. So far it looks like Delarosa was a dumb fuck and didn’t even try to hide the dough. The state got whatever was left. They’ve been giving it back to the victims. He didn’t put the money into this club, not from what I can see.”
“He’s too stupid to have done it. He’s got backing,” Eagle said as he rolled a joint.
“I can snoop around and see about the underage girls. I gotta go in there and check some shit out for a family matter anyway,” Muerto said.
“Sounds good. Let me know what you think,” Steel replied. “Before we hear from Sangre about the various businesses and their income, I want to let you know that Breanna wants to get a lot more businesses involved in the October biker rally. She wants this year to be the biggest year for the amount of money we raise for Bikers Against Child Abuse. So if you know anyone who has a business and wants to rent a booth, hit me up, or have them call Breanna directly. Now let’s go over some routine business….”
Muerto tuned out the rest of the meeting. As long as he got his cut from the club’s businesses, he was good. The dispensary was booming in both medicinal and recreational marijuana sales, and the income from the club’s other dealings gave him more money than he ever dreamed he’d have. The good income enabled him to help out his mother and sisters, plus buy several properties in and around Alina. Each member had a share in the club’s profits, and the rest of the money was rolled back into the club.
Soon church was over and the brothers headed to the large room where the prospects had their drinks waiting for them, and the club girls had their warm bodies ready. The brothers milled around as Muerto went up to the bar and picked up the beer Ruger placed in front of him. Before he could bring it to his lips, Ruby came up next to him, her strong floral scent making his eyes water.
“You interested in a little lovin’?” she said as she rubbed against his arm.
He smiled. “I would be if I didn’t have to go to work. Sorry. Another time, okay?” He drank a deep gulp.
Ruby pushed her lips out in a pout. “All you do lately is work. And when you’re here, you’re too tired because you worked too hard. I’m dyin’ here, baby.” Long nails scratched up and down his arm, pebbling his skin.
He cupped her chin. “I don’t think you’re gonna die if I don’t fuck you. I already see you eyeing Brutus.” He brushed his finger over her lips. “You know I’m right. Go on over to him. I know you both want it.”
“You sure you’re good?” she asked, though she was already walking away from him. Not waiting for his answer, she hurried to Brutus, who enclosed her in his massive embrace.
Muerto chuckled and then drained his beer.
As he argued with Army and Chains about the hottest women Easy Rider had used in its magazine, his phone rang. He looked at it and saw the management company’s name flashing.
“I gotta take this, guys.” He walked outside and answered the phone.
“Hi, Muerto. I was just wondering if you were going to be at the pool hall tonight.”
“Oh, hey, Deanna. Yeah, I’m working tonight. Why? Is something up?”
“I have a lease I need to bring over to you to sign on one of the apartments in the Duncan Street property.”
“Can’t it just wait until tomorrow? I can swing by the office.”
“Tomorrow’s my day off, so that won’t work.”
“Just give it to Jay.”
“That won’t work either. He’s going to be inspecting tomorrow for some of our other clients. What’s wrong with me coming by the pool hall? Don’t you want me there?”
“No, that’s cool. I just thought I’d save you the trip.”
“You know it’s not a bother for me,” she said softly.
He breathed out. “Okay. Then I’ll see you later. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Perfect. I’m looking forward to it.” Her giddiness and excitement pricked his ears.
After she hung up, he slipped his phone in his pocket and ran both hands through his thick hair. Deanna sounded professional, but a tinge of neediness came through loud and clear. About eight months back, he’d made a stupid mistake and spent a week fucking Deanna’s brains out. She was an attractive woman and it’d been a cold, rainy night, and when she’d invited him into her house to wait out the storm, he’d accepted.
He’d thought she had a nice rack and a great pair of legs. He loved the way she’d wear her tight skirts that showed off her toned calves and her rounded hips, but he stayed back because she was a professional contact. But that night, in her house
with the fire crackling in the fireplace, his glass full of whiskey, and her soft willing body too close to him, he’d thought “What the fuck?”
They had an intense, short-lived, torrid affair, and when he’d decided it was time to move on, he’d thought she was on the same page. It wasn’t like he’d promised her anything. As he remembered it, he’d told her it was just a fling and he didn’t do relationships or long-term anything, and she’d agreed. But then he’d had to endure several teary, whiny phone calls and meetings until she finally understood.
Women were always doing that shit to him: saying they understood it was just a fling, then cussing him out and accusing him of taking advantage of them when he walked away after the passion had died for him.
As much as he could, he limited contact with her, preferring to deal with Jay. But every once in a while, he had to talk with her, go over business contracts and leases, and even meet her without the benefit of Jay being there.
Going back into the clubhouse, he grabbed another Dos Equis, downed it, bullshitted a bit more, and then headed to Balls and Holes for his shift.
Chapter Six
All the pool tables were filled, and Brandy and Jaime were rushing around filling orders as Muerto made the drinks as fast as he could. Of course Zach was a no-show. This was the third time that week. He’d called an hour after he was supposed to be at the hall with some inane excuse that Muerto couldn’t even remember. The dude’s history. I’m gonna get another bartender. This is bullshit. He’d started off working out great, but his work ethic was disintegrating.
“You doing okay?” Brandy asked after she yelled out her order.
“Yeah. Zach’s ass is history though. I contacted one of my buddies to help out. How’re you holding up?”
“Okay. I didn’t think we’d be this crowded on a weeknight. I’m not complaining though. I like the tips, but I woulda worn shorter heels if I’d known I’d be on my feet all night. You got my order, cutie?”
