Joy thought to herself, yeah—if they ever let me in that shop again or we aren’t all locked up.
“Sure I am. I’ve never had such a royal escort!” She looked at the merry band of bikers and took a deep breath. Today was certainly not the shopping trip she had planned.
Mad Jack led the way and his bros followed with Jersey and Joy in the rear. As they entered the store the owner—a bleached out, blonde haired, over-tanned—woman gasped. Her friends all gathered around her, stunned at the rowdy bunch of bikers entering the store. As Joy walked past, she grinned widely at the women.
Jack smirked, “Roberta, you got the rent yet? You’re three months behind and I’m here to collect it. I heard my cousin was in here and you were fucking rude to her. She wanted to get Kima something for the new baby. You know my sister had a little girl, right? So you are gonna make it all good, aren’t you?” His face was hard and he was nearly snarling.
Roberta looked like she swallowed a pickle, “No, I didn’t know she was your cousin. I didn’t think she belonged in my store. How would I know Kima had a baby?”
Jack looked at her with an evil grin. “Your store? Nah, I don’t think so. You aint been able to make the rent, have you? My dad owns this store. Do you think I belong in here?”
Jersey was staring at Roberta as if she was dog shit and told Joy to shop. The rest of the bikers were roaming around touching whatever they liked and the women were just staring at them in shock.
“I asked you a question, Roberta—do you have an answer for me? Because if my cousin offends you, I guess me and my bros must be offending you, too?”
“Of course not, I was mistaken. I had no idea she was a Regan. What can I do to make this better?” Roberta had a visual of her store being overrun by dirty bikers trashing the place. Touching all her beautiful baby things and she was almost shaking.
Jack finally smiled. “I guess whatever we want for my sister is on the house, right? Remember the rent is past due and I will be telling my dad how you treat customers. He’s all about making sure the customer is happy.”
Roberta swallowed, “Of course, whatever you want for Kima is on the house.”
Joy knew just what she wanted and that was the huge purple teddy bear in the window display.
“I want that teddy bear in the window, that huge purple one. Also, I want the wooden chair it is sitting on too and these outfits. I think that’s all. Jersey, do you want me to grab something for you, too?” Joy smiled like an angel.
“Sure Joy, grab some blankets. I think some of those knitted ones would be good.” Jersey was enjoying this shopping trip.
Black Dog, a Nefarious MC member walked up to Roberta, “You give good head? Got a big enough mouth on ya, don’t ya? Do you wanna go in the back room and show me?” He nodded to a curtained off area and laughed at the look on Roberta’s face. “Oh, I’m not good enough for a bitch like you?” He laughed at the look on Roberta’s face.
The bikers all started to laugh at Roberta and she didn’t know what to do. The thought of the biker expecting her to give him a blowjob in her store had her near tears.
Her sister Wilhelmina was looking at Black Dog and liked what she was seeing. Wilhelmina was the baby of the family and she thought Roberta was a stuck up snob.
“Would you give me a ride on your bike?” Wilhelmina was tugging on Black Dog’s arm and he looked down at the younger, prettier sister.
“You go for a ride with me sweet thing, I can’t promise I’ll bring you back to work.” Black Dog was busy making plans in his head. “What’s your name?”
“Wilhelmina but my friends call me Willie and I don’t have to come back here. I’m quitting, my sister is a pain in my ass to work for!”
Black Dog grabbed a few stuffed animals and Willie’s arm. “Let’s go, Willie. Roberta, I’d have let you suck me off, but Willie here is way younger and a lot prettier so you’re beat. Not that I figured those pickle puss lips would do much for me, but I was willing to let ya try to get me off.” He laughed at the horrified look on her face and shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re missing bitch. Willie, I think you and me are gonna get along real well. I can’t wait to meet the rest of your family.”
The bikers had grabbed what they all wanted and were shuffling out the door laughing as they looked at Roberta staring at her sister. They had made out like bandits and doubted Roberta would realize how much she had lost in revenue until they were long gone. Black Dog stood waiting for Willie as she got her pocketbook.
“Wilhelmina, I forbid you to go anywhere with that criminal. You can’t just up and quit on me, either. What do you think our parents will say?” Roberta seemed to be in shock.
“I don’t care what they say and I want my pay in cash now. I’m sure you’ll call them right up and I don’t have to answer to you or them. I have my own apartment.” Willie wasn’t going to listen to her older sister. She wanted to go with the hot biker.
Black Dog snarled, “Pay her and we’ll be on our way. She’s of age and she just quit. Or do you want me to open that cash register and take what you owe her? I got no problem giving her a bonus too for having to put up with you.”
Roberta quickly opened the cash register and paid Wilhelmina what she owed her. She looked up in horror as Willie was pointing out a rocking horse to Jack. It was handmade and cost more than any other toy in the store.
“Think you can get this over to Kima’s house for me, Joy? She will love this, don’t you think? Roberta, I’ll make sure Willie is fine; Black Dog is really a nice guy so you don’t have to worry about her. I’ll even put in a good word with my dad for you. Just have the rent paid up as soon as you can. He will be impressed with how nice you’ve been to my sister. And I’m sure my cousins will want to buy more of this shit, you’re selling.” He was turning on the charm.
Roberta seemed to have lost her voice and just stood there in shock, not believing all of this was happening in her lovely store.
Jack was carrying the horse out and Joy smiled back at Roberta, “Have a nice day and I will certainly make sure I shop here again.”
Once outside the bikers pilled their stuff into Joy’s truck and Willie climbed on behind Black Dog on his bike. They roared off leaving Jersey and Joy standing by her truck.
Jersey was smiling and Joy was laughing. “Did you have a good time shopping, Joy?”
She smiled happily, “I sure did and I’ve got to get this stuff over to Kima’s house, do you want to follow over me over there?”
“You just need my help unloading it, huh? That was fun wasn’t it? Sometimes it’s fun to put people in their places, but we don’t normally do shit like this.”
“Jersey, just help me get the presents over there and then we can take a nap, all of this has worn me out. You promised me dinner and a night out remember?”
“And I get another dance right?” Jersey looked at her expectantly.
“Yes, of course you do—but inside the house tonight. No shows for peeping Fiends anymore.” Joy got into her truck and waited until he gunned the motorcycle behind her. Today had been exciting and she wondered what Kima would say about the truckload of presents. The day was beautiful and the sky was blue. Tonight was going to be perfect—unlike last night.
Chapter Sixteen
The trip to Maryland had tired Hunter out and he was showing it. They had stopped at a diner for a quick bite to eat. Thorn and Tears were relieved when they got home and he decided to take a nap. He headed right for his bedroom leaving them together in the living room.
Thorn was restless and tired also, but his mind couldn’t stop thinking. He looked around at the Lodge. “I can’t believe all of this—the marina, the fishing boats, the cabins and the hunting and fishing guide trips…how the hell am I going to be able to handle all of this? I knew someday I would do it, but now? I’m not sure I can do everything my dad does.”
“You grew up learning how this place works, Thorn. You’re already doing most of the work and yo
u do employ people so it isn’t like you’re on your own, really. I plan to take some courses for accounting and hotel management anyway. Maybe you need to spend more time with your dad and listen to what he tells you. I’m sure he’ll be leaving you some sort of business plan or guide.” Tears voice was calm and she made sense. “I need to collect the towels and get them washed and see what notes the guests may have left. You should lie down and sleep, too.”
He watched her as the door slammed behind her and she went down the steps to where the mound of towels was. He should hire some more workers. This was a lot to put on Tears. It was near dinnertime and she was just starting on the wash. Hell, it was a lot to think about and Thorn wanted to talk to somebody, but he promised he would keep his dad’s secret. Going behind his back would piss the old man off and Thorn wouldn’t know until he spoke with the doctors what was happening. He really wanted to talk to Elena—just seeing her face would help calm him down. Elena was like his mother except a lot younger. Picking up the phone, he dialed her number. He let the phone ring a few times before she picked up.
“Elena, how are you and the little one? I was thinking of stopping by in a bit, if you aren’t too tired. I’ve got a present for you, too.”
“Oh, Thorn! I’ve missed you so much, of course you can come by anytime—you know that. You sound odd, what’s wrong? Hunter’s being grumpy again?” The one thing he loved about her was the fact she never tried to badmouth his dad as much—as she rightly could have. She might tease that Hunter was grumpy, but lately it was the honest-to-God truth.
“I miss having you around here. The Lodge isn’t the same without you and I miss your cooking, too. I don’t know…got some shit I’m going through. Tears is trying so hard to take over—doing all you did, but it’s too much for her. I’d like to hire some more workers for the fall season since she wants to go to school. What’s new with you? I’m sorry I didn’t get over to check out those tire tracks from the other night.”
“Oh, JJ, Jerz and Thrash have all been poking around up there. Good luck with hiring anyone, Hunter will have you washing the laundry and cleaning those damn cabins. He hates new people around. I have a new roommate. Thrash and V’s sister Kat is staying with me. Joy got some help from the track since she’s working so much and I can’t do much of anything. JJ and some of Nefarious are here tonight since Joy and Jersey are going out to dinner and to the clubhouse. We’re having a sort of cookout and Thrash is hanging around. Would you like to bring Tears over and have a burger? Just make sure Nailz knows. I don’t need him yelling at me.”
“Yeah, that’d be cool. I’ll have her call him and we’ll head over in a little bit—thanks, Elena. Did you make any of your famous potato salad? Nobody makes it like you do.”
“No, I didn’t—but I’ll make some just for you. See you in a bit.” Elena sounded tired and Thorn wondered if she would have the baby soon. With all she did, it was strange she didn’t go into early labor.
Tears was dripping sweat as she came in, “Towels are all in the dryer finally, but I can’t fold them tonight. My dad will wonder where I’ve been all day. I guess I should get home.”
“Elena invited us for a cook out. Give him a call and make sure you can go.” Thorn felt bad at seeing Tears so exhausted.
“I’ll just head home and take a quick shower, then I’ll meet you there. My dad has a way of finding stuff out. Do you really want to talk to him today? I think you’ve had a rough day and my dad will want you to hang around…” Tears didn’t think Thorn was up to dealing with her dad, Nailz.
“That works for me. I’m not really happy about sneaking behind his back with all of this, Tears. Nailz is a brother. Why my dad wants to do it like this I’m still trying to figure out. I guess to save my ass from a beat down? I’ll meet you over at Elena’s then. She has V and Thrash’s sister living with her. I wanna see what she’s like. After the whole China thing, the last thing Elena needs is taking on another nutcase.” Thorn sounded concerned and Tears picked right up on it.
“I could have stayed with Elena. They didn’t need to bring a stranger there if Elena needed help. Kima always thought that V’s sister should’ve visited her and she has never wanted to meet her that I know of. I hope she isn’t like her mother.”
“Baby…you’re working here, you want to go to school—how much do you think you can do in a day? Nailz didn’t even want you working here. It was your grandparents who thought a job would be good for you.” Thorn hugged her tightly, “I don’t know how you manage to work here, help Jo and ride with Joy besides sneaking out to see me.”
Tearney smiled. “I manage and that’s all that matters. Soon we won’t be sneaking around. School, I can do at night if I have to. Let’s just make sure your dad gets everything he’s asked for.”
Thorn sighed. “We’ll try and that’s all we can do. Can you bring Dragon with you? Hunter wants Elena to have him.”
“Of course I can! Come on, Dragon—let’s get into the car. You’re such a good boy.” Tears loved the big dog and knew Elena would be happy to have him back. “Plus, bringing Dragon gives me a good excuse to go to Elena’s.”
Thorn nodded his head in agreement, “True, now get going.” He kissed her deeply and watched her drive away. Dragon was hanging his head out of the window, happy to be in the car.
**
Pulling down the gravel lane to Elena’s on his bike, Thorn went slowly not to disturb the horses. It was a habit for him since he’d been around horses all of his life. He missed them at the Lodge. If Tears wanted a few, he wouldn’t have a problem with that. Elena and Joy were always finding ones that needed homes. And the guests liked to feed them carrots. Maybe in the future they could offer horseback riding at the Lodge, Elena had always wanted to do that, but Hunter wasn’t interested. She had tried to so hard to improve the Lodge and was usually shot down each time. However, the ideas Hunter used had made great improvements to the Lodge. Her ideas were good ones and he’d gladly take her suggestions after Hunter was gone. Thorn had mixed feelings. He wanted to be honest with Elena, but he had made promises to his father. Would Elena hate him after Hunter was gone? He didn’t think so but he was worried about it. As he pulled up, he noticed a pretty, blonde haired girl watching him. So this was Kat, he thought. Very much the opposite of his black haired, Tears. Blondes weren’t his thing after he had fallen for Kima and lost her to Veiko. This one looked too much like a female Thrash. He got off his bike and headed toward the picnic tables. Elena was sitting close to Thrash and she looked happy. Thrash was a decent bro and he was glad he was looking out for her. However, it felt strange not seeing her with his Dad. Oh, he knew the reasons all right, but he wasn’t sure he liked them.
Walking over he forced a smile on his face, “Elena, you look good—big, but good,” he joked.
She tried to get up, but Thrash made it clear he didn’t want her getting up by putting his arm around her shoulder. Thorn noticed the strange look on her face. Was she uncomfortable with Thrash? If so—brother or not—he’d have words with him. Thorn went over and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Are you feeling okay, mama? You look really tired.”
“I’m very tired and my ankles are swollen. Thrash here has decided I should sit as much as possible. I did make your potato salad—it’s in the fridge. Go get some and burgers are on the grill. Where’s Tears?”
“Stopped home to shower, but she’ll be here soon. Is that your sister, Thrash?” Thorn nodded at Kat who was standing there looking at him like he was a prize stallion or something. He wasn’t at all comfortable with how she was looking him up and down either.
Thrash glanced at him, “Nailz is okay with you and Tears? I find that hard to believe. My sister is more your age—maybe you should take her for a ride? Kat, this is my bro, Thorn.”
Kat walked closer, hips swaying and smiled up at him. “Hi, Thorn! I’d love to go for a ride on your bike any time you want to go. I live here now and I don’t know anyone yet.”
“Ye
ah, nice to meet ya, Kat. I’m kinda busy running the Lodge. I just dropped over to check on Elena.” He was trying to be nice, but he wasn’t happy that this chick was pushy or that Thrash made that comment about Tears. He wasn’t interested in any woman but Tearney. Thorn would have to clear that up and fast before she got here. Tears was a lot like Kima and she’d flip out if this chick was hitting on him. His head started to ache badly.
“My sister is looking for a job. Until John Regan comes through with one, maybe you could use her at the Lodge?” Thrash was pushing Kat at him and Thorn was beginning to think the chick was trouble. Nor did he appreciate Thrash pushing his sister in his face.
“That will never happen, Thrash. Hunter doesn’t want to hire anyone he doesn’t know personally and he is cheap. If he didn’t know Tears, she wouldn’t be working there. So give Thorn a break. Tearney has it under control and I doubt she needs any help.” Elena had caught the look on Thorn’s face. She smiled slightly to let him know she’d handle this. “Kat can do the stalls here and help me—wasn’t that part of the deal, Thrash?”
“Do stalls as in cleaning up horse shit? No thank you! I didn’t sign up for that. Nobody told me I’d be shoveling any shit or I’d have found another place or stayed with Thrash, like I wanted to. I like dogs and cats, not horses. They scare me. I’ve never been near one. Thrash, you didn’t say that I had to work in the barn.” Kat tried to pull off a pretty pout, but she was angry.
Tharsh stood up and motioned to his sister, “A word, Katri. Now, in the house. Elena stay put, Thorn can get you anything you need. I’ll be right back.” Thrash was livid and stalked off into the house.
Kat gave her brother a furious look, but she followed him into the house.
Thorn dropped down on the bench next to Elena. “You sure you want that girl living here? She acts like a bitch and if she hits on me when Tears gets here, it ain’t gonna be good for her. Tears may be worse than Kima ever was.”
Blindsided (Bound For Hell MC Series Book 3) Page 8
