by Jayne Blue
She put her hands on my shoulders and drew me into a hug. Small as she was, the woman was solid as granite. I hugged her back and stood taller.
“All right,” I finally said. “I’ll go to work. I’m showing the Hutchins Street house in the morning. I’ll be glad to get that one out of my life. It brought me Chase, but it has too much baggage that I’d like to put behind us.”
Josie’s smile dropped. She’d shared her guilt with me over everything that happened with Chase’s mother. I had an urge to tell her about the box I’d taken to Jenny Guffy. She hadn’t called me back yet and I didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign. In the end, I decided to keep that little secret to myself. There was no point in opening that can until I really knew if there were worms inside of it.
“Keep me posted,” I said. “Promise? Bear might reach out to you before Chase does with me. He tries to protect me. I think there’s still a part of him that thinks I’m going to bail.”
“Are you?” Josie leveled her pointed stare at me again.
I took a beat then gave her a smile. “Not today.”
She patted my arm and laughed. “Good answer.”
No sooner had I turned to go before Josie was back on her phone again, barking orders to suppliers for the businesses the club managed and snapping her fingers to round up a few of the prospects that were still out working in the body shop.
The bikes were all parked on the side of the building. I walked over to Chase’s and trailed my fingers along the warm leather seat. I prayed Josie was right and he wouldn’t have to spend a night in jail. Then as Josie waved from the front door, I climbed into my truck and drove away.
Chapter 22
Ariel
The Hutchins Street house was perfect. Nolan had done a fantastic job tending to every final touch. This was the first time I’d let him fly solo on that score and it was clear he had a knack for it. He’d set out fresh-cut flowers in glass vases on every end table. I’d bake a plate of cinnamon rolls in the morning so the scent would fill every room just ahead of the open house.
It would sell, I had no doubt. Between the purchase price and reno, I was all in at two hundred thousand dollars. I stood to clear one hundred grand and maybe more. It would make this house one of my widest profit margins yet. The next project could be even bigger and better. Hutchins Street and all of the north end was changing. Businesses were starting to come back into the industrial park ten blocks over.
“I hope you like it, Pops,” I whispered as I stood in the new foyer opening into the grand living space. I knew he would have. My father would have wanted to be at the open house with me. He’d talk the ear off anyone who would listen about the ethnic history of the neighborhood.
I lingered there, feeling connected to Chase even though he’d wanted to leave everything about this place behind. He couldn’t. No one could. I believe we leave part of our heart and soul in every place we live. How could we not? Sadness, triumphs, grief, loss, love. All of it played out between the four walls that contained us.
I walked to the back of the house where the master bedroom beckoned. “Are you here, Rochelle?” I whispered. Closing my eyes, I tried to shut out the echoes of the horror she’d suffered here. Maybe it would have been better if I’d just torn the place down and started over. Had I known beforehand, I think I would have. Now fresh sunlight stabbed through the French doors bringing perhaps a tiny sliver of hope.
I should have brought champagne. It felt like this room should be rechristened just like a ship. Let it be reborn. Let it provide comfort and solace to a new family with new hopes and dreams. If I were a witch, I would have cast a spell driving out the demons of the past. It would be pretty to think it worked that way.
Finally, it was time to go. I knew I’d probably never be in this house alone again. That was for the best. The deck off the bedroom had a glorious view of a perfect sunset. We’d put a little iron bistro set out there. It was perfect. Everything was perfect. Exhaling, I said one more goodbye and let go.
As I came out the front door, my phone rang, setting my heart flipping. Fingers shaking, I swiped away the lock screen. It was Chase.
“Hey,” I said, breathless.
“Hey,” he answered back. “You in the middle of anything?”
“Are you kidding? Oh my God, I’m going to wring your neck. How are you? Where are you? What happened?”
Chase’s soft laughter both thrilled and infuriated me. How could he be so damn casual? Josie had described this morning as business as usual. God, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get there.
“Baby, it’s all good. For now. Only, I kind of need a favor. You think you could come downtown and pick me up? They’ve kicked us all out.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I said, barely able to get the words out as relief poured through me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to jump his bones. Everything about my feelings for Chase seemed to come in extremes.
He said other things, but I didn’t hear them. I raced to my truck and barreled down Hutchins Street. I knew it wouldn’t do either of us any good if I got pulled over for speeding, but I decided I didn’t care. I raced across the Port Azrael Bridge, saying a prayer that the drawbridge hadn’t been raised. It would have been just my luck to have to wait a half hour for a freighter or something.
I pulled into the Lachlan Federal Building. Port Azrael was small enough that the place housed a magistrate, a satellite office of the FBI, U.S. Attorneys, and a post office all in one. They also had holding cells for prisoner transfers. I pulled into a no parking zone getting a sideways glance from two men standing near the entrance. They were U.S. Marshals. I gave them a broad smile and a wave, then rushed past them.
I had no idea where to meet Chase. He hadn’t said. It didn’t matter, nothing would keep me from him.
“Hey, miss!” one of the marshals called after me. My heart thundered but I didn’t stop. He shouted again, his tone taking greater urgency.
Then nothing mattered. The front door of the building opened and Chase walked out. He twirled his cut around his shoulders and slid his arms through the sleeves. Catching my eye, he beamed.
“You lost, darlin’?” The marshal got to me.
I was already gone. I threw myself into Chase’s arms and showered him with kisses.
Chapter 23
Chase
Ariel was good at pretending. She gave me a bright smile and sank into me as I held her in my arms. But she was scared. Watching me get hauled off in cuffs had freaked her out.
“You gotta be kidding me.” Rick Wallace and Matt Calhoun from the Marshal Service stood on the sidewalk. They’d been local boys for years. Matt was a northie, who’d grown up two streets over. But the way he looked at me as I held Ariel in my arms made me want to smash some shit.
Matt spit tobacco on the ground and stepped around us. He tipped his hat to Ariel. She looked him up and down but kept her arms wrapped around me. I let my baser instincts take over and slid my hand down her ass, pulling her even closer to me.
“Come on,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Ariel was quiet as she slid into the driver’s seat of her truck. Leaning over, she unlocked the door for me.
“Where are we going?” she asked. Her eyes glistened with tears she refused to cry. I knew the answer she wanted. It made sense for her to want to just go back to Mulberry Street and her house. I wished I could give her that.
“I gotta get back to the club,” I said. Might as well rip the Band-Aid off quick. “Bear’s called Church.”
Ariel nodded as she put the truck in gear and backed out. She had a ticket on her windshield. It blew off but she kept on going.
“You’re turning into a regular bad girl, baby,” I teased. The minute I said it, I instantly regretted it. Shit. It was going to be that kind of drive home.
“Look,” I started over. “This was nothing. Saber-rattling. Nothing’s going to
come of it. I promise.”
We came to a stop light and Ariel slammed the brakes so hard my neck snapped. She turned sideways, glaring at me.
“Chase, don’t. Less than twenty-four hours ago you made me another promise. You told me you wouldn’t lie to me.”
“And I’m not now.”
“Right. But don’t say that was nothing. Your club got raided. I watched ten men get hauled off in chains. I’m not asking for the gory details. But if this is going to work ... if we’re really going to do this ... I need you to be straight with me. I need you to tell me what I’m supposed to do here.”
I gripped the dashboard as the light changed again. Ariel didn’t move. The cars behind her started to honk and I raised a brow. Finally, she let out a hard sigh and slammed the stick back into first. The truck lurched as she popped the clutch, but she laid rubber and kept on going.
“I don’t know,” I said. “That’s the God’s honest truth, baby. This is new to me too.”
“I thought you said it was business as usual.”
I laughed. “Yeah, the fed bullshit is business as usual. But you ... this ... it ain’t anything I’ve ever dealt with before.”
Ariel clammed up after that. It wasn’t until she turned down the long gravel driveway back to the club that she finally loosened up. She parked the truck but kept it running.
“I feel like if I make you promise me you’ll be careful, it’ll be a lie,” she said, her voice straining. “Chase ... I just need to know. Dammit. I need to know if we’re together ... if I let myself love you ... should I expect that someday, I’m going to wake up and you’ll be gone for good? No word. No goodbye. You’ll just be gone?”
She gutted me. In just that simple question, she’d squeezed my heart until it broke. I couldn’t look at her for a second. She was right. A day ago I’d promised her honesty and here I was about to lie the first chance I got. So I didn’t. I took a deep, hard breath then finally leveled my gaze at her.
“Ariel,” I said quietly. She put up a hand to silence me. I reached for her.
“Don’t,” she said. “I think you just told me everything.”
I dropped my hand. “What do you want me to do here?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I just ... I need some time. I need to think. I’ll call you in a day or two. It looks like you’re going to be busy for a while anyway.”
Ariel wasn’t wrong. As we sat there, the rest of the membership started to arrive. I’d told her most of the truth, but today’s raid meant trouble of a different kind. It would have to be dealt with. I might be gone for days depending on what Bear dictated.
“You’ll call me,” I said. “Or you won’t.”
I didn’t give her a chance to answer. I slid out of the car and slammed the door. I wasn’t angry. I didn’t have that right. But Ariel had a choice to make. As much as it made my heart ache, I had to give her the space to make it.
I didn’t look back as she put the car in reverse and pulled out.
Chapter 24
Chase
Bear wouldn’t sit. He paced like a tiger behind his chair at the head of the table. E.Z. sat with his head resting on his fists, his eyes following Bear back and forth.
I took my seat next to Dom. He shot me a hard look. When Bear got in a mood like this, there was nothing any of us could do but sit and wait. He’d explode or he wouldn’t. The only person who ever had luck handling him in this state was Mama Bear. She was gone, probably handling business the rest of us couldn’t get to today.
It was Shep who finally spoke first. As Bear’s son, he had the best chance of not getting his head torn off. Come to think of it, maybe that put him at even greater risk. My respect for him notched up just a little.
“Pops,” he said. Shep rarely called him that at the table. “You gotta clue us in. Have you heard from Rivas?”
Bear whirled around, his eyes flashing. “Fucking Rivas.” Whatever the hell he meant by that, he didn’t finish the thought. Instead, he gripped his chair and threw it against the wall. One of the legs cracked off and shattered.
“Jesus,” Dom said. “They didn’t even question me or any of us except for you and E.Z. Not even an overnight hold. This is bullshit. A show. Even one of the agents admitted as much to me. Is there something else going on?”
Bear stood at the head of the table. He planted his hands on the edge and dropped his head. His chair in shambles, he finally straightened and sat on the end of the table.
“You want mine?” E.Z. asked, pushing himself out.
“Sit the fuck down,” Bear said. “It’s all right. Yes. I did talk to Rivas. He said this was bullshit. There’s a hotshot new investigator with the bureau looking to make a name for himself. He’s from Ohio, for fuck’s sake. Guess he made some trouble for the Red Brigands up there. Some of it stuck. As of right now though, it’s all smoke, no fire down here.”
“Fucking great,” Zig said. “One step up, two steps back.”
“Not even,” Bear said. He stood up again and held his hands out, gesturing downward. “It ain’t nothing. Everyone can just calm down.”
A few of us made eye contact with each other. Nobody wanted to point out the obvious that Bear was the only one smashing furniture at the moment.
“Fine,” E.Z. said. “We all know the drill. For the next few weeks, we keep our shit locked down extra tight. I think maybe we get word to our friends in Abilene and Dallas that shipments are gonna be delayed for the next little while. They should be good to go until at least next year anyway. What does Janet say?”
Janet Monroe was the club’s main defense attorney. She was gruff, salty, and the only other woman I knew besides Mama that would stand up to Bear in one of his moods. She’d also gotten our membership out of more legal scrapes than I could count.
“Janet ain’t worried. She’s barely gonna charge me for this morning’s wake-up call.”
“Good,” I said. “Janet says don’t worry. Marco Rivas says don’t worry. So fine. Back to business. Is E.Z. in the rights on this?”
Bear let out a sigh that came out more like a growl. He hated delays. He hated anything but smooth dealings with our partners. A lot of them were looking for any excuse they could to do business with someone else. The Devil’s Hawks M.C. out of Laredo was their usual threat. As I looked around the table, I could see more than a few guys probably thinking the same damn thing.
“This new hotshot investigator,” Deacon spoke up. “He got a name? Seems like maybe we ought to do some homework on him. Make sure he’s an equal opportunity thorn in the side.”
Axle dropped his head and muttered something. “That’d be just what we fucking need,” he said. “And it’s exactly the kind of thing the Hawks have been dying to try. They get the feds stirring up our shit, they swoop in and start taking over our contracts.”
“Sheeit,” Bear said. “Yeah, it’s an obvious play. It’s also the kind of thing that could come back to bite them in the ass later. But Deacon’s right. We need to do some homework on this guy. Marco says his name is Sebastian Wright.”
Deacon gave Bear a slow nod. He had his marching orders. As for the rest of it, this was so fucking typical it barely deserved a meeting. Bear’s mood didn’t make sense. I know I wasn’t the only one who felt it. But Bear knocked his fist against the table and waved E.Z. off.
“We’re done here,” he said. “Until further notice, take E.Z.’s lead. Lay low. If anybody hears rumblings from our partners indicating a certain lack of confidence, you send ’em straight to me. If I need to schedule a sit-down in Dallas or Abilene, I will. Hopefully, it won’t come to that and this shit will blow over. Like it always does.”
There was a rumble of assent around the table. Chairs started scraping against the floor as everyone got up to leave. I was as antsy as anyone to get the hell out of here. I didn’t like how I’d left things with Ariel. I told her I’d give her space to think, but I started to rethink that. Maybe a quick ride over to Mulberry Street was the
better play.
We filed out. Bear stood near the door, his hand on Deacon’s shoulder. He probably had a few more personal details on this Sebastian Wright for Deacon to go on. I got to the door and Bear went quiet. He put a finger up to stop me.
“Hang back a minute, Chase,” he said. “I need a word.”
Though I was itching to check in on Ariel, Bear’s tone and stare weren’t the kind to ignore. I cleared my throat and nodded. He slapped Deacon on the back, dismissing him. Deacon gave me a curious expression. Even he seemed to think Bear’s request odd.
I had a feeling I knew what he wanted. Ariel’s presence in the clubhouse this morning could cause trouble for her. The feds and locals had been known to try shaking up friends of the club. They liked to pump them for information, sometimes scare them a little to test their loyalty. So far, they’d failed at turning any one of our women against us. Though my back went up, dreading this conversation, I knew I could trust Ariel with my heart, if not my life.
Bear shut the door. He started pacing at the end of the table again. Not knowing what the fuck, I took my seat again and waited for him to get to it. When he didn’t, I decided to strike first.
“Look, Bear, about Ariel. I know it wasn’t ideal for her to get caught up in that shit this morning. But she’s tough. She’s not easily scared.”
Bear put a hand up. “I’m not worried about the girl. That’s Josie’s department. If she senses a problem, you can be sure as shit she’ll let us both know about it. That’s not what I need to talk to you about.”
I didn’t like this. Cold unease went up my back in a wave. A million scenarios went through my head about what it could be. Bear had just told the whole membership we had nothing to fear from this latest tussle with the ATF. Maybe we didn’t, but I did.
