by Simone Elise
So heaven help me when I lose her. Fuck. Heaven help the world when Cage Hurley has no true north. Because with every day that passed, I was becoming grimmer.
Autumn
“Dad?” I knocked on the church boardroom, hoping he was inside. Cracking open the door I find him and Cage talking. They went silent as soon as I came in. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know that—” and I paused, seeing a look in my father's eyes that scared me. “Okay what’s wrong?” I redirected the conversation.
Hawk’s eyes were zoned in on me as if I had done something that had given him a headache. Or extremely pissed him off.
“This.” Hawk shoved a piece of paper across the table. “Want to explain when you became owner of another gym?”
“It happened the other week,” I replied smoothly. Knowing that Hawk and the club wouldn’t take my drug distribution well.
“You’re running steroids through the gyms,” he said coolly. “Why didn’t no one fucking tell me?”
Cage and Aaron had known. That was it.
“Like I said I approved it,” Cage spoke before I did. “Got an issue with it Hawk, look at me not her,” he added and took a puff of his joint. “Autumn didn’t go behind the club’s back. She cut us in. In fact, her money has been floating the club.”
Hawk’s glare went from me to Cage. “I don’t give a fuck about her earning behind the club’s back. I care about my daughter doing a crime that could get her ten years!” His voice went up with rage. His fists clenching on the table. “You say you love her. And you let her do this shit!”
He then slammed his fists down on the bench causing me to jump.
“It’s ending now!” Hawk sneered. “Ain’t no daughter of mine going to prison for ten years for drug trafficking!”
“Dad—”
“Don’t fucking start Autumn!”
I had two options. Fold. Or stand tall and keep making my way in the criminal world.
“I’m not stopping. It’s my operation. I cut the club in like expected. But if you think I’m packing up shop because you are worried your little girl might go to prison you are wrong,” I said sternly in return, locking eyes with him. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Like hell you do! Ya just like ya brother. Testing my fucking limits.” Hawk threw his arms up in the air. “I can’t stop him but I can stop you!”
“That’s just it Dad.” I put my hands on my hips. “You can’t stop me. My gym. My drugs. My operation.”
“You’re my daughter!”
“And this is my livelihood!”
“Well, get a job at a store! Cause you aren’t fucking running drugs on my watch!”
“Well this isn’t your decision!”
He kicked the chair back that he had been sitting on minutes ago- standing up to his full six foot height. “You’ll stop because I say so.”
“Um. No I won’t.”
“You fucking will! I won’t have you locked up for your life, on chargers that will stick because you want to earn some pocket money!”
“Pocket money!” I scoffed. “Have you even seen the figures I’m bringing in! It is a hell of a lot more then pocket money!”
“The operation ends now!”
“No.”
“I didn’t promise to look after you to watch you go do something stupid like this!” Hawk continued to roar. “I’m not letting you waste your life with the likes of him doing dirty deeds for the club that you have no right to be apart of. That you—”
I went to argue with him further. But Hawk’s hand went to his chest. I saw his face go white.
“Hawk?” Cage said, as Hawk went silent mid rant.
“Dad?” I said, just as Hawk gripped the table. “DAD!” I screamed when he dropped to the ground.
Cage already had his phone out as I rushed to Hawk’s side. Dropping to my knees. He was out cold. “Dad!” I kept saying over and over again trying to wake him. But he didn’t open his eyes. Not even when I was screaming for him to.
White. White walls. White chairs. White coats. Everything was white at this hospital. The only dash of color was the magazines in the waiting room.
I was staring at them aimlessly, every few seconds tears would build up, run free and then I’d go numb again.
I caused this.
Hawk was in that operation suite because of me.
He had a heart attack, was rushed to surgery that was all we knew.
Jacob kept squeezing my knee, telling me it wasn’t my fault but he wasn’t there. I was the one standing there- screaming at Hawk. Standing by a drug operation and not listening to him.
The tears swelled up again.
“Autumn darling.”
I blinked and looked at my side. Cage’s jet black eyes were coated with concern.
“I need to step out for a bit. Club business.” He was speaking. I wasn’t really listening. I just nodded my head. My whole life I had heard the club business line. I was used to it. Numbed to it. That was how I felt now. Numb.
But then again how was I meant to feel knowing I basically killed my father. The man that always put me first. The man that rescued my family. The man that made sure I wanted for nothing.
Just as Cage got up to leave, a doctor walked in.
Jacob and I both stood up.
“Hawk Watson’s family?” he looked between the three of us.
Jacob introduced us.
“Hawk has suffered a severe heart attack—” With those words I zoned out. Because I had caused it. I had caused my father to have a severe heart attack. Me. No one else.
I don’t know how long I watched the doctor’s mouth move as he explained Hawk’s condition. Wasn’t till he said, would we like to see Hawk, that I zoned back in.
Like a mindless zombie I followed my brother down the corridor. The only thing I felt was Cage’s hand gripping mine.
I thought he had club business to attend to?
Then my eyes landed on my father, and my eyes didn’t well with tears. Nope my body failed me, and I broke down. The one thought running through my head was the argument even worth this? Money comes and goes. But my family, as fragile as it is- was all I had and I risked that all for some drug money.
Chapter 16
CAGE
The club was a president down and running in the black. Our earners weren’t coming through. We owed the Eighty Ones for a gun shipment. We owed the south street gangsters for a shipment of cocaine. We then owed the Midnight Ladies a monthly fee for running our dirty money through their rentals- though we hadn’t run any money through this month, we had a stock agreement that we paid, regardless of whether we ran money through or not. Basically kept their mouths shut.
On top of all that, our brothels had been shut down by the police. Our dock connection had retired, therefore causing us to not get our shipments. Our rental properties were currently vacant, needing renovations. Our growth houses had been raided, taking our harvest just before we cut it up.
I was starting to think Hawk had a heart attack on purpose just to avoid all this shit.
To say we were in the shit was an understatement. Then, there was the few deals the club members had made that also put us in the negative.
Sitting in the church boardroom, all eyes were on me because I somehow had to fix this shit.
Getting the growth houses operating again, wasn’t an option. Starting from scratch was a big upfront commitment.
The brothels needed to be relocated. We had the option of cleaning up them houses and renting them out. But again that took time.
Our rentals needed a ton of money to get them liveable. They had been trashed by the last renters.
The dock connection we needed to make but again, that wasn’t going to bring money in now. To get a shipment ready and shipped to us would be a three month turn around.
The only money we had coming in was Autumn’s cut of the steroid business. We hadn’t even been running drugs through the gyms because we didn’t have the st
ock. We had the cocaine but it was taken in a raid from one of our growth houses.
How the police even knew about those addresses, I didn’t fucking know.
“We need a new operation,” I muttered stating the fucking obvious. “Anyone got ideas?”
Silence.
Great.
“Is it as bad as I think it is?” Jacob said and my eyes went to him.
“The Eighty Ones will murder one of us if we don’t settle the bill. The South Street Gangsters want a war, so us not paying will result in one of us dying. Both will call a war over a debt not paid. The Midnight Ladies, well they’ll go to the fucking cops if they aren’t paid,” I laid it out straight.
Jacob nodded his head and grim tension coated the air.
Wild, Lit, Vod and the other few table members remained silent. No one having any ideas.
“I have an option,” Jacob spoke. “I know a way to clear the debts with the eighty ones, the south street gangsters and the midnight ladies.”
“Well, we are all fucking ears Jacob, tell us.” I said dryly, not expecting him to have an option I was going to like.
“We let Autumn bail us out.”
If I had been drinking, I would have choked. “Like fucking hell that will be happening.” I wasn’t letting my girlfriend, or at least I considered her to be my girlfriend, bail us out.
“Don’t let ya pride get in the way Cage.” Jacob scorched me with his eyes. “We aren’t letting people die over this. Autumn won’t care. We can pay her back.”
“You all want a girl to bail us out?” I looked around the table. “You want Autumn to bail us out of this mess?”
“We don’t have another option. We get the club earning again. We pay her back. And while we are waiting for our new operation to kick start, we just hold back on everything till we are earning.” Jacob was saying it like it was that simple.
“And what new operation would this be? Growth houses? Cause they keep getting raided as soon as we go to cut. Brothels? Cause they keep being shut down. Rentals? Cause we don’t have the money to renovate.” I laid out our operations. “So what is your operation plan?”
“First, we get Electric in,” Jacob said. Electric was an arsonist. “He will take care of the rentals. We cash in for the insurance. Then, we need another permeant earner.”
Fraud. We weren’t above it. “Cashing in on the insurance sounds good. Electric has done past jobs for us, causing wire blow outs,” I muttered putting it together. “But what about the new earner?”
“Well, I know N and F are moving to the west. They have a car yard, which we could purchase, rebrand and then birth cars and bikes through it.”
I nodded my head. That wasn’t a terrible option. “Get in contact with Nate and Fate and see how much they will sell up for.”
“They won’t sell to us.”
“What!”
Jacob smirked. “Autumn’s the key, don’t worry I’ve got it handled,” he said and winked. And then I closed the meeting.
Was shit sorted? No. We were going to borrow money from Autumn to get us out of our debts. Then, by the sounds of it we were going to get her to set up a deal with her cousins.
As much as I didn’t want her to be a part of this world she just seemed to be pulled deeper into it.
Jacob might plan on having a conversation with Autumn but I was the one that was going to have to try and get her to have a break from the hospital. She had been glued to Hawk’s bed side. Even though he was in and out.
Arriving at the hospital. My plan was to get Autumn away from Hawk’s bedside. Get her home, showered and perhaps some sleep before she came back up.
I walked through the hospital on auto pilot. Been here so many times over the past week.
Finally getting to Hawk’s room, I didn’t knock- just walked in seeing Autumn asleep on the lounge in the room.
I sighed. At least she was sleeping. I moved to her side and lowered down to her level. My hand brushing the blonde hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. She was blaming herself for what happened. It wasn’t her fault though. Hawk had issues with his heart before, he just kept it from her.
From us.
From everyone.
I kissed her forehead. And stood back up. I guess I’d just have to wait till she woke up and then I’d take her home.
Home. I wanted to groan. On top of not earning from the club, I knew my days of staying at the club was numbered due to the fact that Autumn and I could never get any alone time being there.
I wanted to buy a house. But that involved money and I was sinking all my cash into the club. Like every other member.
Even Hawk was prepared to put his house back up for sale, even though he just got it back. But like the leading president he is, he was prepared to put his estate up for the hammer to keep the club afloat.
If I had estates, something, I’d fucking sell it as well if it meant Autumn didn’t have to get involved.
Hell, I was prepared to go to a loan shark over involving her. The only thing stopping me would be she would whip my ass if I did- and she found out.
“Cage?”
I turned back around seeing Autumn sitting up, rubbing her eyes. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long.” I walked back to her side. “You ready to head home darling?” I watched her sit up, she looked exhausted. Amazing how cruel the mind can be. I knew that was what was wrong with her. Her mind was putting thoughts in her head that weren’t true.
She wasn’t to blame for Hawk’s state.
“Come home darling, I haven’t slept well since you relocated here.” I put a handout for her, which she took. Her eyes going to Hawk.
“I’m exhausted. I think a night at home is exactly what I need,” she added with a yawn.
Taking her hand, I finally feel peace again touching her. The last week I had been living without that peace and my patience and temper. For everyone’s safety it was a good thing it had come to a end- and now I had her back in my grasp.
Chapter 17
Autumn
When Hawk got out of hospital he was harder to deal with than normal. I had to convince him to stay at the clubhouse- close to us. I knew he wouldn’t let me move in with him while he recovered.
So he didn’t have a choice. He moved into the clubhouse. He called me a pest and to be fair I was hovering around him. I was just worried. I didn’t want him on his own.
CAGE
Deeds. He was a officer of the police force. A man that could be bought and that was exactly what we had done. Buying him and the information that came with him. Meeting him at a secure location he gave me the run of the mill stuff, and then I picked up on he was hiding something from me.
After a few punches, he gave in.
Telling me what we never wanted to hear. There was an informer- coming from the club. Since hearing it, I was trying to pin point who it was.
They knew about the growth houses.
The brothels.
I blew out a mouthful of smoke and unlocked the door. I was tense. Worked up. I had just heard my worst nightmare. The shit that was going down at the moment could result in any of us getting the injection if someone informed on us.
I heard the shower running and the image of her body naked, in the shower, had me gripping the handle as I pushed the door open to the bathroom.
My hands went to my shirt, tearing it off. Pushing my jeans down. I saw her silhouette in the shower. She would have heard me come in wouldn’t she? Then again she had music going.
I pushed my jeans down.
I felt high as I opened that shower door and my eyes went to her naked flesh. Autumn never was a disappointment. Fuck, her body was sinful.
Then she turned. Her eyes didn’t widen. But her lips twitched up.
“Took you long enough.”
But this wasn’t a time for conversation. I gripped her hips, dipping down and kissing her lips; while pushing against the shower tiles. I needed a relief.
The built-up frustration I started to work out.
My hand went over her mouth as she moaned.
She bit my palm, and I pulled my hand away just as she moved forward planting her lips on mine.
Fuck this felt too good.
Images of her. Washing the car. Laying on my bed. Bending over. All flashed through my head. I gritted my teeth. Pulling out, I spun her around and then bent her over; taking her from behind. My hand went back around to her mouth as I sunk into her, going in on an angle, deep.
Fucking hell she was tight.
The water was pouring down, spraying both our bodies. My hand went from her hip, to in-between her legs, rubbing her. I could feel her tightening as I worked the spot. I wanted her to come both ways. I wanted her juices flowing over me.
I saw her hands form fists against the tile wall. And I smirked. Someone was close already. I wanted her coming, I wanted her screaming- in fact, I fucking needed it.
I needed to ruin other men for her.
I pulled her up, with her body pinned against my chest. I buried deep in her, hard and fast while I kept rubbing her. Feeling her body begin to shake. She was fucking close. I could feel her tightening around my dick.
My mouth went to her ear. “Come for me baby girl.”
Her panting was hot on my hand and I heard her moan over the shower, as her nails sunk into my thighs.
“If you think we’re done, you’re wrong,” I rasped into her ear. And then placed her hands on the tiled wall, to help her support her body.
I didn’t make love to her. I fucked her. Hard. There was times to make love, and other times to fuck and this was a fuck moment.
As I lost myself in her, I forgot about the club rat. I forgot that her dad was in her room across the hall. I just fucked her and ended up moving my hand away from her mouth. Letting her moan her heart out. The whole clubhouse knew that night, that Autumn wasn’t quiet in bed- well in this case in the shower.
