by Jade Kuzma
“Yeah!”
“Okay… Make sure you eat as much as you can so you have energy.”
“Will Teddy be there?”
“Teddy…”
“He’s my friend. And Doc and Jordan.”
I laughed at the thought of her making friends with club members.“You like them, huh?”
“They’re funny! They always make funny faces and make me laugh.”
“They’re funny, all right…”
“They’re your friends, too, aren’t they? You like them, don’t you?” Sage ate her pancakes like she didn’t care about hearing the answer to her questions. I smiled softly at her and nodded.
“Come on. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can go to the park.”
Chapter 18
THEO
A group of middle school kids was playing some football in the grass. On the other side, there were people scattered around. Reading books. Having picnics. Soaking up the sun. An older couple sat on a bench near the small pond to one side. It was a busy day at the park. You couldn’t blame everybody for coming out. The weather was perfect for a day out in the open.
I walked through the park and saw Summer watching over Sage, who was standing in grass and blowing bubbles in the air.
“Hey… Got your message.” I moved close to Summer and she smiled softly back at me. She still seemed hesitant to be around me. Hell, she didn’t even smile for very long. I knew she was just holding back though, considering what we did the other day. Summer was always shy around strangers but never around me.
“Glad you could make it,” she said.
“I wouldn’t miss out on spending time with my two favorite girls.” I crouched down in front of Sage, her attention taken completely by the bubbles. “What are you doing, pretty girl?”
“Blowing bubbles. Watch!” She held the ring up to her mouth and blew a burst of bubbles into the air. Her eyes widened in amazement as they floated around then landed on the ground with a pop.
“You know what’s really fun?” I said. “See if you can blow them up as high as you can.”
“Theo…” I ignored Summer’s warning and picked the girl up in my arms. Sage squealed with a giggle and blew more bubbles up toward the sky. The sound of her laughter was even enough for Summer to stop being concerned.
“See?” I said. “Blow them up as high as you can.” I propped Sage on my shoulders. She rested the bottle of bubbles on my head while she kept laughing in delight. The entire time, Summer watched me, her arms crossed. She narrowed her eyes at me, stuck between wanting to smile and wanting to warn me to be careful.
Sage had her fill and I eventually set her back down on the ground. She collapsed into a heap on the grass, picking at the blades between her fingers. Just then, a passerby walked by with their dog. It was a real energetic kinda pup. Some sorta beagle. And as soon as Sage put her eyes on it, she laughed with the same delight she had this entire time. The dog rushed up to her and started sniffing Sage, its tail wagging and its tongue hanging out.
“Sorry,” the woman with the dog said. “He gets a little excited when he meets new people. Especially kids.”
“That’s all right,” Summer said. “They both seem like they’re having fun.”
I stood next to Summer and enjoyed the sight of Sage trying to pet the dog without getting slobbered on in return. Every giggle from the little girl was just as amusing as the next.
“What’s his name?” Sage asked.
“I call him Rome. And I think he likes you,” the woman said. “Maybe you can play with him some more. Tire him out. He needs the exercise. It’ll help him relax when I take him home tonight.”
“Okay!”
Sage got up and started running a short distance around the grass while the dog chased after her.
“Be careful!” Summer shouted.
The three of us watched while Sage played with the dog. The stranger was smiling just the same as us.
“She’s a beautiful girl,” she said. “What’s her name?”
“Sage,” Summer replied.
“Sage… Pretty name, too. She looks just like you two.”
I gave Summer a glance but she didn’t look back at me, clearing her throat while she looked down at the ground.
“Can I ask you two a favor?” the woman said. “I’m heading over to the bakery and Rome gets a little wild from time to time. Do you think you can watch over him for a moment while I get something? I promise it’ll only take a second.”
“Sage looks like she’s having a lot of fun with him. Sure.”
I crossed my arms and sighed while I watched Sage fail to stop the small beagle from pouncing on her. “This is nice, ain’t it? You. Me. Sage. Beautiful weather in a beautiful town. What more could you ask for?”
“You paint such a perfect picture.”
“I’m not painting a picture, Summer. It’s right here in front of you.”
“Is it?” She arched an eyebrow at me. “What are you up to right now?”
“What are you talking about? I’m here with you—”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, what would you be doing if I wasn’t here? I’ve got work waiting for me back in the city. A good job at a good school. What have you got besides the MC?”
I chuckled and nodded to her. If I were another man, I would’ve taken offense. “I get by just fine with the Bone Pit. The club is doing just fine.”
“Doing just fine, huh? And what are you doing? Going out and collecting bounties on serial killers and rapists? Dealing drugs under the table? Extorting local businesses?”
“I don’t know where that’s coming from but the MC never got involved in any of that. Not for a long time. Jordan knows what kinda rep every MC in this town has got but things have changed around here, Summer. MCs haven’t been moving weight since the Reapers messed everything up. We provide businesses with protection only when they need and ask for it.”
“And the bounties?”
“The only bounties we collect are when the pigs aren’t doing the jobs they should be doing. The Bone Pit’s a legitimate business I work at. Ash and Grant are showing me the ins and outs of the garage, so I’m just as good a mechanic as them. Doc’s books are legit. Business is booming in Ivory. We’re making real money. You teach economics. You can see the numbers for yourself.”
“Fine, fine,” she sighed. “So maybe you’re making legit money. That still doesn’t solve our problems.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What are you talking about?”
She didn’t respond immediately. But even with the sight of Sage laughing and playing with the dog in front of her, Summer still couldn’t work up the energy to smile.
“I was having breakfast with Sage this morning and Detective Bradford showed up.”
“What the hell did he want?”
“He told me what Moore is up to. Apparently, he and my ex were trying to get in on the drug trade here in Ivory. That’s why Moore needed the money so bad. Now he’s getting mixed up with some group. Some cartel or something.”
“The Picardo Cartel?”
“That’s it. Bradford said you might’ve heard about them. They’ve been looking into getting business with the MCs around here.” Summer glared at me like I was about to keep something from her. But she already knew just as much as I did, so there was no point in hiding anything.
I shook my head and sighed. “We got a visit from Picardo himself the other day.”
“So you are in business with the cartel—”
“We didn’t invite him over. He stopped by to let his presence known. Hell, I don’t think Doc has even run it by Jordan. We’re not going into the drug business, Summer.”
“No… No, of course not. Because you know I could never explain something like that to Sage. Unless you planned on keeping it a secret from her.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide from my daughter.”
Summer kept her arms crossed while she stared at Sage. Even though I was complet
ely honest with her, it still looked like something was bothering her.
“What is it?” I said.
“It’s Moore. He’s still out there. Bradford said he might come back.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you or Sage.”
“It’s not about me or Sage. It’s about you. If you’ve got any kind of connection to this cartel, then you’ve got a connection to Moore. You think he won’t wanna come back to Ivory? You think he won’t try to start something with you and your club?”
“Moore comes anywhere near me or the club, he’ll regret it.”
“Detective Bradford feels the same way. That’s the same reason he’s watching me.”
“What? Are you telling me…” I looked around the park. It took me a few seconds but then I spotted the car parked on the curb. Its windows were tinted, which made it even more obvious. I was about to walk over when Summer suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Theo… Don’t…”
“I can do something about this.”
“Of course, you can. But that doesn’t change the fact that it happened. Back when we were together. When I was up in the city with Roger. And now when I’m back here in Ivory. I’m tired of it, Theo. I’m tired of all the drama. I’m tired of worrying. I’m tired of potential fistfights and gunfire. I’m tired of being followed. I’m tired of wondering if there’s some danger lurking out there when I’m just trying to enjoy my day with my daughter. Do you understand that? Do you know what it’s like, just wanting to live a normal life but not being able to?” She glanced down at the patch on my chest and shook her head. “No, of course you don’t. You’re loyal to your club. That’s the reason you’re part of the MC in the first place.”
“Summer… When you left me, they were all I had.”
“I’m here now, Theo. I’m here. Sage is here, too.”
I looked at my daughter. The dog had her pinned down, licking her cheeks with its tail wagging back and forth. Sage kept struggling with the biggest smile on her face.
Just then, the stranger arrived and grabbed Rome by the leash. “Thanks for watching him. And thank you for wearing him out. If you’re around here this time tomorrow, maybe you can tire him out again.”
While the woman walked off with her dog, Summer scooped Sage up into her arms and wiped the slobber from her cheeks. “Oh, look at you… You’re a mess. I have to take you back to the hotel and get you cleaned off.”
“You got any other plans today?” I said.
“I don’t know. Sage and I will figure something out though. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
Summer gave me a look that was more than enough for me to know what she was thinking. I had business with the club to take care of. Spending time with her and my daughter would have to wait until I got it handled.
Chapter 19
THEO
Outside in the bar, it was a quiet afternoon in the Bone Pit. In the club chapel, it was just as quiet. But there wasn’t a single man who was relaxed.
Jordan. Rex. Doc. Micah. Ashton. Grant. Every member of the club was on deck. And with how thick the tension was in the room, it was obvious some shit was up. Nobody was smiling. Everybody was silent before Jordan got everybody’s attention.
“The rumors are true. Aaron Picardo and the Picardo Cartel are back in Ivory. It’s been decades since they’ve had any kind of presence. Looks like Aaron is just crazy enough to wanna get started.”
“Crazy but you gotta admire his ambition,” Rex said. “With the Triads gone and the Yakuza not wanting anything to do with it, not to mention Emerson getting himself into that mess he was in… Aaron Picardo wouldn’t be stupid enough to start moving weight unless he’s got a real good fucking plan.”
“His plan don’t matter,” Ash spoke up. “People are always gonna be pushing shit in and out of Ivory. Nobody can stop it. Not the MCs. Definitely not the cops. I think even the feds have stopped bothering.”
“The feds will come around if Picardo makes enough noise,” Doc said. “From the looks of things, he plans on making a lot of noise. I don’t think the man came here to start a small business. Back then, the Picardo Cartel was an empire. From here all the way to the big city, there wasn’t a fiend taking a hit that wasn’t messing around with Picardo product.”
“The question is whether or not we’re dealing with Picardo,” Grant said. “The man said it himself. Nobody moves weight better than an MC. We move fast. We know the streets. We can deal with the cops.”
“Is that what it’s all about?” Micah said. “We’re falling in line with the Reapers? Making the same mistakes they did? It ain’t exactly a secret what happened with them and the Triads. We all know what happened with the feds. Shit is grimy.”
Micah made his thoughts clear. Everybody in the room had voiced their thoughts except for me. Not that I needed to say anything. I’d get my vote when it came down to it.
“We’re making good money,” Jordan said. “Profits in the Bone Pit are up. Ashton and Grant are making scratch at the garage and it won’t be long until we’ve got our own place to serve the city. I trust Doc to invest club funds so that we’re all seeing a return. But… Cartel money would accelerate club growth. Picardo’d be paying a lotta cash for easy work. We’d get in and get out when we made what we wanted.”
“In and out,” Micah said. “I don’t think working for the cartel will be that easy. Something tells me the deal we make with Picardo will be a little more permanent.”
“You’ve made your concerns known, Micah. Anybody else wanna say something? Teddy?”
They all looked at me. I searched for something to say but there was nothing, so I just shook my head.
“Six votes,” Jordan said. “Move weight for the Picardo Cartel. What do you say, brothers?”
“I’m out,” Micah said. “We worked too hard for the clout this club has earned in this town to throw it all away now. I won’t risk it.”
Micah was the newest patch but you wouldn’t know it from the way he spoke. He was as sure of himself as any man I’d ever met.
“No,” Ash said. “Mikey’s right. It’s more than just about the cash. We don’t know what we’re dealing with when it comes to the cartel.”
“That’s the whole point,” Rex said. “You gotta take a risk if you wanna make some cash. Shit goes down, we’re out. I ain’t never seen a problem the MC couldn’t solve. I say we do it.”
Everybody at the table turned toward Grant. He was close with everybody but Ash was a brother like nobody else. They stared at one another. Grant seemed reluctant but eventually nodded.
“The money sounds sweet,” Grant said. “But money ain’t a problem for me. We’ll get another chance. I say no.”
“That’s right,” Doc said. “The club will get all of the opportunities they need. One way or another. We’ve earned the respect of everybody in this town. There’s always a job out there for us. No deal.”
“Four to one,” Jordan said. “It looks like you’ve already made up your minds. You haven’t said a word though, Teddy? You got a vote.”
“Don’t matter,” I said. “I’ll abstain.”
“Fair enough. Four to one against. Motion fails. Picardo will just have to find someone else to be his personal drug mule.”
“I think he’s already done that.”
“What’s that now, Teddy?”
Everybody turned their attention toward me. I stared down at the table as I went over the details in my head. It was more than just a simple distraction though. This shit was bigger than the shit we just talked about.
“Summer had a meeting Detective Bradford. They talked about Moore. The motherfucker’s still out there and he’s got the cash the police set up for the ransom.”
“Ha!” Rex leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet up. “The guy’s a piece of shit but you gotta admit, it’s kinda funny he’s walking around with police money.”
“I’d be laughing if I didn’t know what he was planning on doing wi
th it.”
“And what’s that?”
“Bradford suspects he’s trying to get into business with Picardo himself. He needs the money to set up his own operation, show Picardo he has what it takes to be a part of his business. Summer’s ex tried to cross him and he was hellbent on getting the money. Now we know why.”
“Shit…” Jordan sighed. Everybody else at the table knew what this shit meant.
“As long as Moore is still around, he’s a threat to the MC. He’s a threat to me. He’s a threat to Summer. I planned on killing him if he ever stepped foot in town again but now it’s a fucking priority.”
“You won’t get any argument from me,” Rex said. “Any man who kidnaps a little girl for some cash doesn’t deserve to live. We ain’t putting this shit to a vote. We find Moore and I’ll put a bullet in his head myself—”
“No. He fucked with Summer. That was the only mistake he ever had to make. I’ll take care of him.”
“Now we just need to find him.”
“If he’s making a deal with Picardo, he’s in Ivory. Shouldn’t be too much trouble. All we have to do is keep our ears open.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. People knew better than to try and interrupt a meeting in progress.
Jordan opened it up and it was the prospect.
“What is it, Q?” Jordan said.
Quinn was usually confident, even though he was just a young prospect. Right now, he looked like he just killed someone.
“There’s someone here,” he said. “Someone who wants to talk to Teddy.”
I popped up from my seat. “Who?”
“I don’t know. He just said it was an emergency.”
Shit…
Quinn wasn’t stupid enough to waste our time playing a prank. I knew something was up. I looked around at the table and we were all in agreement that I needed to handle this. I stepped outside and into the bar. It was still early in the day, so it was mostly empty. But even with a crowd, a motherfucker with ink all over his face wasn’t exactly hard to spot.
