BoyScout (The Rebels MC)

by Avery Abbott

  “I’m upset with Scout.”

  He frowned. “Why? For doing what you promised you would?”

  I took out a fry and took a bite. “He betrayed my trust, Slider.”

  “Did he?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He looked down at me like I was the devil in this scenario. “Did you tell him all your dirty little secrets or did he figure it out all by himself?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “It is, Shaw, Harley, whatever the fuck you want to go by. He took a risk letting you in and you kept slamming the door on him. You left him no choice with Smokey. That asshole, Charles, was obsessed with you, like the other women, and they’re all missing, or dead, Shaw.”

  I fell back onto the bed in shock.

  “I guess no one told you that part, yet. As far as I see it, you owe your life to him, because he’s the one that cared enough to save it.”

  He left, slamming the door.

  He never returned with my water.

  And then I didn’t care if Scout or any of them were watching me; I cried into his pillow until I fell asleep. I didn’t even touch the food, since Slider’s words had ruined my appetite.

  Chapter 30

  BOYSCOUT

  They were all inside the chapel later that evening when I came in with the files Slider and I had gotten up in L.A. I tossed them on the table and pictures flew out. One by one they were picked up. “What is this shit?” Hound asked first.

  “This shit is why I did what I did. His name is Charles Conley. He lives up in Calabasas, has a wife, two kids and a dog. He has a side gig going on weekends. He likes to go into those bondage, dominatrix clubs and good old regular strip clubs like L&L.”

  “Where Shaw was dancing,” Slider interjected.

  Smokey turned red. He addressed me. “And correct me if I’m wrong, brother, but you knew she was my kid and you still let her fucking dance there?”

  “I know. I tried, Smoke. I did, I begged her to quit.”

  “You should have come to me.”

  “I know.” I shook my head, blazed up a cigarette. “I’m sorry, and I know the last thing you want to hear is how much she means to me, but I kept that secret for her. She promised she was going to tell you. I figured it would be easier on both of you if she did. She didn’t, so then I stepped in to save her from becoming one of those chicks.”

  Slider picked up the disc. “Most importantly, Smoke, put Scout and Shaw’s relationship aside. This motherfucker kills women as he bangs them. Asphyxiation. He gets off on it. We’ve been doing our best to watch over her, keep tabs on her. She said she cancelled, so we backed off, but Fiona called Scout, upset, saying she it was back on and that he fed her some bullshit about a dying mother and since her mom just passed, he knew it was her weakness.”

  “Where did you get all this?”

  “We took a road trip, called in a favor to the L.A chapter. They helped us out. We have a choice. We can take all this to the cops or we can handle it the old- fashioned way.”

  Smokey’s eye’s closed as he pinched his nose. “All right. Let’s vote on it.”

  “Before we do,” I jumped in the fray. “He had a partner, we don’t know who, so there’s still a risk for Shaw. It’s a woman. They tag teamed a few times. She may know of Shaw already. We’re not sure.”

  “Jesus H Christ.” Hawk lit a cigarette and eyed the photos.

  “All in favor of turning over the info to the cops?” Hound and Hawk were the two that voted for going the legal way. “Sorry, brother, we don’t know this kid from Adam. I’m not willing to risk this club, daughter or not. Rather go the legal way,” Hound told him.

  “All in favor for handling our business?” Smoke asked, pissed.

  The four of us raised our hands.

  “Four against two.” Smoke looked away from Hound and focused on Kick. “Kick I’ll need all the info.”

  “Already got it. His mom isn’t dying. She lives in Orlando, Florida with four cats for crying out loud. It’s all a lie to get Shaw where he wants her.”

  “And this was going down Saturday?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “You two want out, you can stay and babysit.” Smokey suggested to Hound and Hawk, angry they voted no.

  “Fuck that. Club voted and we do what passes, always have. We have your back. Let Loverboy babysit as punishment.” Hound added.

  “I’m not sitting this out. I’m the one pulling the trigger,” Scout boomed.

  “Sit down, Scout,” Smokey hollered at me.“I’m doing this; not you. He’s right. You and Slider can stay put, since you both are all about keeping shit from your brothers. And you both know you’re answering to that, but we’ll vote on that later, after we finish with this asshole.”

  We both nodded, knowing our fate could end in two ways. Stripped of our patch, or our asses kicked by each member.

  Chapter 31

  SHAW

  When I came down Scout was at the bar with some bleached-blonde bimbo sitting on his lap, his hand dangerously low. They had lied about the one-day watch. I had been there for five days, holed up in a room. They finally had started letting me walk around here and there. She leaned her barely covered chest into his. He smirked, his gaze traveling to her fake D-cups. They had decided I wouldn’t be a flight risk after they told me who Charles Conley was, so I had no desire to run, and do it alone with a murderer after me.

  Besides, they were around whenever I got brave enough to come down, so running was not an option, since someone’s eyes were always on me. Women were constantly coming and going wearing outfits like I’d wear stripping.

  I’d had enough of his little show and tells designed to make me jealous, so I made my way over. Kick was sitting on the stool next to their little show on full display, so I sauntered around the bar, grabbed a shot glass and filled it with whiskey.

  Kick had this sexy aura about him that I couldn’t figure out. He was tall and lean, but built, had sweet brown eyes and brown hair, and was maybe in his late twenties, early thirties. I slammed it back and then poured another. “Hey, Kick, you feel like teaching a girl how to play pool?”

  I noticed three things simultaneously: Blondie had no clue what was going on as she raked her long, hot pink painted nails down Scout’s cheek; Scout’s eyes had grown as dark as a storm brewing, and Kick looked to Scout for permission. He shook his head.

  “Sorry, Doll.” Kick stood and walked down the hall, slamming the door behind him.

  I leaned over the bar, giving him a view of my real C’s. “Is this how you think you’re going to get me to forgive you? You won’t let me talk to anyone and that’s not fair. I’m bored out of my mind.”

  “Oh, so now you want to talk?” His hand went around Blondie’s waist. “You feel up to it, you know where my room is, Sunshine.”

  Crossing my arms, I shot daggers. “I don’t want to talk to you. I wanted to talk to Kick.”

  “In case you haven’t clued in yet, Darling, I’m the only ears willing to listen.”

  I looked away to see Slider approaching. “You’re mean.”

  “And you’re a bitch.”

  My head swung back to him. “I am not a bitch. Take it back.”

  “How many weeks have I known her, Slider?”

  “I don’t know. Couple of months.”

  “A couple of months of you being a cock tease, pretending you needed me, when in reality you just needed someone. Poor Tommy, is all I have to say; he’s been harboring that little crush for years. Me? Just a few weeks, and I fell for it. Hard. But, Shaw, understand this, I will not make the same mistake twice.” He slammed back his beer, patting Blondie’s ass. “C’mon, Baby, let’s go up to my room.” He said to her, but his eyes were drilled on mine.

  She got up and took his hand. “Maybe think of doubling,” I paused, disgusted, giving her a once over. “On second thought, triple bagging it since you’re now shopping down on the corners of San Diego for your nightly ente
rtainment.” I looked at her. “You do look familiar—what corner is it again? Market and First or Park and Island?”

  “Bitch,” she mumbled.

  I turned and stormed away, but he called out. “That’s it, Shaw, do what you do best, run to your room like a good little girl. I need to go get my dick finally wet.”

  I stopped short of the stairs and swiveled to face them. “What’s your name, Blondie?”

  “Maureen, why?”

  “Well, Mo, I hate to break it to you, but it’ll my face he sees while he’s fucking you. Enjoy yourself.”

  Scout growled, releasing her and stomped toward me, but Slider interjected, grabbing my arm and hauling me up the steps. “Okay, Shaw, playtime is over.”

  He shoved me into my temporary room. I whirled around. “What’s your problem?”

  He stepped up, steamed, and peered down. “I’m looking at it.”

  I gasped. “What did I ever do to you?”

  “Nothing to me, Shaw. It’s him I’m worried about.”

  I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “He seemed fine to me. In fact, he’s probably doing way better than us right now.”

  His hands lifted and rested on the door. “That’s the problem, Babe, he isn’t. He’s my best friend, and these little head games you keep playing are killing him. He won’t walk away from you, so you need to let him the fuck go, so he can.” He shook his head and pulled the door closed. I could hear his retreating steps since his words had me holding my breath.

  I chewed for a long time over that information. If Scout were so in love with me then why would he sleep around and shove it my face?

  Chapter 32

  BOYSCOUT

  I paced in the safe room, which I was now using since Shaw was in mine. Maureen watched my every move, batting her eyelashes. She came behind me, wrapping her hands around my waist, both slipping inside of jeans. “We doing this or what?” She purred in my ear.

  “I need you to stay in here for twenty minutes.”

  “Why?” She rubbed my shoulders and I let her because it felt good.

  “Because, I asked you to.”

  I was so pissed at Shaw’s blatant flirting, so pissed she called me out, and so angry she suddenly felt the need to verbally lash out every time she saw me. And, so, damned angry that I still loved her more than I cared to admit. I’d been trying to make her jealous with the other woman. I was trying to move on and forget her, and I was trying to pretend for Smokey’s sake that I could move on.

  After fifteen minutes and a decent massage, I couldn’t stand to look at her. “Just leave.”

  “What? Why?”

  I stepped forward and yanked her hands from grazing my dick. “Because she’s right.”

  “Who? That girl downstairs?”

  “Get the fuck out,” I seethed, slamming my hand in the wall.

  “Fine. I’ll go see if Slider wants to play.” She left as I continued to pace and think. I was purposely bringing women into the club and throwing them in her face, not touching any of them. I just wanted her to think she wasn’t under my skin like a bad case of psoriasis.

  A tap at the door pulled me from my thoughts. My heart prayed it was Shaw, my head prayed it wasn’t. I swung open the door to find Hound standing on the other side. “Smoke wants to see you in the chapel.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I could admit to being disappointed it wasn’t her. With every day she was here, I had to get drunk enough to pass out so I wouldn’t go to her nightly, begging for her to forgive me, or risk Smokey putting one through my skull. I could’ve gone home, but was too afraid to leave her.

  I jogged down the steps to see Shaw sitting at the bar with a drink in her hand, watching Slider fool around with Maureen.

  “I thought you ran to your room to bury your face in my pillow and cry?”

  Her eyes were trained on Slider and Maureen. He had her practically naked and pushed up against the wall. “You don’t mind that Slider has his tongue down her throat after leaving your room?” She asked, curiosity in her eyes.

  “Don’t give a shit, Shaw. She’s no one to me.”

  “That’s not very nice. You were just with her.”

  “Sex is just sex when there’s no feelings involved. The ending is the only outcome I’m looking for.”

  “So you two, just… did it?” Her glassy eyes widened.

  I felt like an asshole, but I had to make her believe I moved on. “Yeah. She actually knows how to suck a cock, unlike you.”

  Her bottom lip jutted, quivering, like she was doing her damnedest not to cry and stay strong. I couldn’t take looking at her sad, shocked eyes, so I walked away.

  Smoke was waiting, a tumbler full of his favorite scotch in his hand. “Sit down.”

  I did.

  “What’s up?” I knew exactly what was up, but felt the need to ask.

  “I want to know all about her and you?”

  I shrugged. “Not much to tell. I went to find her like you ordered me to. I did, moved her to M&B instead of L&L, as you know. I don’t know, she just seemed so sad and alone, I befriended her and then it developed into something more. When I found out she was your kid, I tried to get her to reason with you and quit her job, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She’s used to running. My guess is she’s terrified of what all this means for her now.”

  “Did you sleep with her?”

  I wasn’t surprised by his question. I knew he’d want to know. I shook my head. “No, but in all fairness, I would have. I didn’t have a condom the night we hooked up.”

  He stroked his beard. “What else?”

  “She came here not only because she lost her mom. She had a boyfriend who beat the shit out of her, so she ran here to find you.”

  “But she didn’t.”

  “No, she started making money and a lot of it. She decided after reading that letter that she didn’t want to meet you anymore and could make a life for herself.”

  He leaned forward. “And you planned on keeping all this from me?”

  “Jesus, no, Smoke. I was going to tell you. I gave her a deadline. She knew she had put me in between a rock and a hard place.”

  “Yet, you still had to share.”

  “Yeah, asshole bumped up their weekend retreat.”

  His head tilted as his fingers steepled in front of his mouth. “I need the ex’s name?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I took care of him already.”

  He sat up straight. “You took care of him?”

  “Yeah. He’s gone. He admitted he was going to rape her months back, possibly worse, but a neighbor heard her scream and he had to split. He found her here and I dealt with him.”

  He nodded. “Good. Now, answer me this; you in love with my kid?”

  “Yes,” I answered, flatly.

  “She in love with you?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. If she was, she isn’t now.”

  “You know you’re like a son to me, so I hate hurting you.”

  “I know. It’s cool, Smokey. I know the rules. I don’t want to hurt her like I just did five minutes ago. We need to sort this out.”

  “How did you hurt her?”

  “Pretended to fuck Mo and threw it her face. I think I need to go back to my place. I need to avoid her.”

  “All right, but I need to ask you a favor before you do that.”

  I sighed and pulled out a smoke and lit it, trying to calm my nerves. “What?”

  “We’re going to up to L.A. tomorrow. I want you to keep your eye on her. I know I’m asking a lot of you when it comes to her, but I need someone I can trust to keep her safe.”

  A week had gone by and I was surprised they hadn’t gone after Charlie yet, and it left me feeling punchy as hell that something bad would happen to her, so I was glad to hear they were finally making their move.

  “Absolutely. The one thing you won’t need to worry about is her safety. It’s my top priority, but as soon as you guys get back, I have to leave for my own
sanity.”

  He nodded. “Understood. Now, before you send in your partner in crime, I have a confession to make.”

  I sat up straight, curious.

  “You should have fucking told me weeks ago. I had Carla plant the coke and cash in her locker.”

  I stood, stomped my butt out and slammed my hand on his desk. “What the fuck? We voted on her not stripping.”

  “I know. Hawk and I talked it over when Howie called one night, pissed we were pulling her out of L&L. She was bringing in a lot of cash for the club. We needed it. Anyway, that shit is on me. I did that to my kid not knowing. You letting her dance is on you, not me.”

  I shook my head in disbelief, shocked he went behind my back.

  “Send him in on your way out.”

  “Yep.” I left the office furious to find Slider.

  Chapter 33

  SMOKEY

  Kick, Hound, Hawk and I were staying at motel off the 101. Each one of us took turns, watching and learning Charlie’s routine. Scout and Fiona had filled me in on his intentions for the weekend after doing some digging. Slider found his excuse about his dying mom was just that, an excuse. She lived in a condo in Boca Raton, Florida, and was healthy as a horse.

  It was now Tuesday. Three days had gone by. I checked in several times on Shaw, with Slider informing me she was fine—pissed, but good. I’d deal with her attitude later. One problem at a time. She had been with us a week and I’d barely spoken to her. I didn’t know why, other than it brought up old ghosts of me and Dee.

  Charlie had hit up one strip club and a seedy bar, coming out both times with women. We had wanted to take him out then, but couldn’t risk witnesses. We knew his office opened at eight AM, so we planned to get him on one of those winding roads when he left for the day.

  Taking no chances, we left our kuttes in the motel room. The four of us rode out with me in the lead. There was a small joint directly across from his office building where we set up shop to wait him out. We ordered lunch. Viper, from our L.A. chapter, had forwarded the information on make, model and plate number he had lifted from the DMV when he’d hacked into it for us. Now it was just a game of wait and see.