Chapter 11
T he trip out to Anaheim was uneventful, thankfully. There was the odd stare, more stoplights than I could count, and as her hands wound around my waist, I felt like that kid who had it all, all over again. The one who was happy to ride around town with his girl. It’s a memory I shouldn’t think about, but I can’t hold back how it feels. Her warm body, her soft caress as she jerks when I pull away at the lights, all of it is a reminder of back then. A part of me I’d hidden away. The happy part.
I know if I pull up to Humble, the clubhouse, or my home, there’s no way out of the questions that will be asked. There will be nosy pricks, no matter what, and I best get used to it. Toni will be with me for the foreseeable future and questions will arise, no matter what. It’s not like I can avoid the boys, my brother, or my sister. That would raise more questions.
At Humble, at least, most of the boys will bite their tongues while she’s near. Therefore, driving down the hill back to Anaheim I muddle through the choice, realizing there’s only one option. Humble.
Seeing Trigger with Radish, his beautiful Rottweiler service dog, along with Mack and Thunder out front, I park in my spot. Cutting the engine, and hopping off, the stares are far worse than I expected. I’m not known for the ladies—I just don’t have the time for it—and even if I have one around, they don’t get on my ride or wear my cut. Plus, Toni is in no way a hang around or a dancer. She’s far better than that. She stands out like a couture supermodel at a pig farm, and I know there’s no way to avoid the conversations.
Her perfectly made-up attire and makeup has her looking like she should be walking into one of the financial buildings instead of Humble, but as she’s letting her long hair out of the helmet, standing beside me with my cut covering her, my cock responds in kind. She’s hypnotic and arresting.
Snapping myself from the Weird Science styled wet dream, I notice the guys standing nearby have the same slack-jawed look I undoubtedly do. I’m grateful neither Apoc or Boyd are here, or they’d have a few choice words for me. Eventually there’s going to be a scene and I know it’s not going to be easy, but a few-minute reprieve would be nice.
Seeing Apoc’s ride in the lineup, along with Boyd’s, I know I’ll have to deal with this problem sooner than I thought. Stepping outside, nearly freezing in his tracks, Boyd schools his features. “Hey, Boss. What’s up?” His eyes slowly travel to mine as he states sharply, “Toni.” He’s been with me through it all. He saw me taken away in cuffs. He was with me in the joint. He knew the truth of how my life was ruined by the woman I loved.
“Hi, Boyd. It’s been a long time.” Placing the helmet back in the saddlebag it came from, she’s visibly frazzled by seeing him so quickly, even though she schools her features.
“Boyd. Mind gathering the boys for church?” I tell him, taking my cut back from Toni. Since the fight at our clubhouse and its subsequent repairs, we’ve made my office in Humble the unofficial church.
“Yeah. Okay.” He isn’t happy about Toni here, but he’s a good soldier and a good friend. He’ll wait to find out what the fuck is going on before setting judgment.
As I hold out a hand, without question, placing her hand in mine, Toni nods.
“Don’t let go. This is a strip club. Not a Louis Vuitton store. Eyes on me if you feel uncomfortable.”
Giving my hand a slight squeeze, she smiles. “Got it, Death.”
Hearing her call me Death instead of Quinny, it actually causes pain. Like my old life and the kid from that time is disconnected from the woman who owned his heart. I don’t correct her though. In this place, at this time, it’ll be easier if she calls me by my road name.
Pulling the door, walking into the darkness, our eyes adjust to the dull interior of the front hall. Standing inside the entrance, carding the underage jackasses who try to gain entry, the hulking form of Curse overshadows Margo, the female door host. The tiny woman grins, eyes Toni with disdain from top to bottom, then winks my way.
I speak to Margo, “We’ll be in church. You’ll be okay here for a bit alone?”
“Of course, Death. It’s kind of quiet right now. I’ll grab a prospect if I need help.”
Turning to Curse, I add, “We’ll need Apoc too.” He nods, staring at Toni, I turn back to Margo. “Grab Hellion if you need someone extra. Yeah?”
“You got it, Death,” she replies, pulling her eyes from Toni to me with a half-hearted smile.
“Curse,” I snap him from his slack-jawed staring.
“Yeah.” Not acknowledging the elephant in the room, he blinks quick before answering, “Right behind you.”
Opening the second set of doors, the sights and sounds blast the air. I doubt Toni’s ever walked into a gentleman’s club, even on a girls’ night. She doesn’t strike me as a woman who’d had that kind of fun. Surprising me though, she strides across the club floor with determination, eyes up and full of wonder.
I acknowledged the odd person as we pass without stopping, as we head directly to my office. As eyes fall upon us, I do all I can to ignore them as we move toward the stairs.
Taking the six steps to the door and entering, I close the door behind us. “I figure it’s best to lay out the groundwork of this situation before the boys arrive. No matter what Martin said, I need to tell the boys what’s going on and why you’re here. Consider yourself a statue. Don’t speak. Even if it’s someone like Tlaloc. Don’t answer. Leave it to me.”
Annoyed, hands on her hips and brows furrowed, she retorts, “Silent? This is about me, and you want me to be, what? A bimbo without an opinion in this? No. I get you haven’t seen me in years, Quinny, but that’s not about to happen.”
Standing before her, looking down on those sultry lips curled in a snarl, they’re taunting me to pull them between my teeth. “You don’t get a choice.” Using my size to intimidate her, without touching her I push her to move until she backs herself against the wall. Resting my leg between hers, my knee rests close to her pussy and I want nothing more than to know how wet she is. I have to put her in her place though. Toni has no power here, not now, not later. This is my club and my life. I’m no longer that kid who let the older men control things, I’m the one who controls things now. I’m the President.
“It may be about you, but this is not your world.” Leaning over, bringing my face close to hers, the intoxicating scent of her perfume wafts toward me. Sliding my hand down the soft skin of her inner arm, grasping her hand, and leading her to the chair in the corner, I command, “Sit there, silently, or I’ll leave you with the strippers.”
She mutters, “I’d almost rather be with them.”
“It can be arranged, Princess. Remember, this is my ass on the line protecting you, and that doesn’t mean I have to be nice about it. So shut up and sit there.” I add, “Please.”
Flaring her nostrils, blowing out a cute breath, like she’s tough against the likes of me, and taking the seat like I’d advised, Toni crosses her legs and arms before furrowing her lips in a deep pout.
I walk to my desk. “You’ll be the death of me, T.”
Taking a seat, pushing my bills, notes, and various other business paraphernalia to the side, I wait for the guys to enter. With a knock, and a “yeah, come in,” the boys quickly fill up the room.
Curse, with his slung arm, takes a seat beside me, whispering low, “You gonna explain this?”
“As much as I can for the moment. Later we’ll talk more.”
“As you say, Boss.”
As they all filter in, taking seats around the room, Boyd wanders in while his gaze never once leaves Toni. He’s not going to take this well, knowing the history and that we have no say in this. I’m sure we’ll have a heated discussion after.
Waiting on my little brother, who is always last and late, the chatter in the room is a low drone as the busybody men, who know my history, are conversing amongst themselves. Their gazes are stern, pissed, and unabashedly annoyed. Curse, Boyd, Des, Trigger, Tweet, and Thunder, don’t make me feel any better about my decision. I want to tell them why I chose this option truthfully, and why I—in essence—sold us to the mayor for the price of our existence. Some younger members may understand; they won’t. Their trust is the only reason I’m still going through with this.
Toni is sitting in a den full of angry, hungry, out for blood wolves. Yes, she may be used to slick politicians, but a room full of men who despise authority, and those same politicians who have caused us so much pain over the years, this is not the same thing. Those who created my incarceration and had no issue with putting an innocent kid in jail for their shortcomings, they’re the number one reason for our hatred of regular norms. The establishment of society. The reason for why we are the one-percent we are.
“Let me start by saying—”
Cut short as the door opens wide, Apoc wanders in. His smile that was ear to ear, brimming with joy, has been replaced with a sneer of disdain. “What the fuck is she doing here!” His voice booms.
“If you’d shut up, you’d find out from your President,” Curse clips off.
“This is in no way standard club shit, Curse. This is family.” Turning and pulling the door wider, Apoc acts as if he has a say in any of this. “Everyone out. THIS is between me and my brother.”
“Tlaloc. This affects us all,” I snap back, using his given name. “Close the fucking door so I can continue.”
As Apoc stews silently, shutting the door with a gentler move then I expected, I begin once more. “This is Antonia Morriso, and for those who have not met her, she’s the mayor’s daughter. We’ve been tasked with her protection.” Looking at my brother, seeing he’s about to blurt out that it’s a bit of a stretch from the truth, I correct the comment before he does. “Let’s just say, I’ve been subpoenaed to guard her. She will be like my shadow, and no one will give her shit. She can go as she pleases in Humble, but she does not leave if I have not. If I’m in the club, she’s in the club. No one takes her out without my permission, no one watches her leave here without me by her side. Understood?”
Apoc doesn’t reply. He stays quiet.
“Okay,” Trigger states flatly with a shrug of his shoulders.
Mack smirks, raises a brow, and leans against the wall. “Got it, Boss.”
“Want us to keep her from the girls?” Curse asks with a smirk. I know he means the strippers.
Looking at Toni, the shock in her eyes states it all. I scoff with a sideways grin, “I doubt that’ll be an issue.”
She’ll be so afraid of them, there’s no way she’ll leave my side. They’re so outside of her wheelhouse that if I found them trading nipple sticker secrets with her, I’d be wholly surprised.
“Can I say something?” Toni asks with an authoritative tone. Turning slowly toward her, surprised by her sharp tone in this space, it feels as if my brows have risen so high they’ve met my hairline. “I know this is not my world. I just want you to know I promise not to be here longer than necessary. I know you’re not happy about it either. I don’t plan on being in anyone’s way, and I have my own life to get back to.”
Well. I didn’t expect that. I thought for sure she was going to rail against the injustice done to her. She’s been dragged from her home, and put under the protection of a man she helped incarcerate. She’s in a room of men who hate her. At least those who know her.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “Anyone else with a question?”
The first to speak is Mack, his tone is nonchalant, “Na.” As if the decision doesn’t matter to him in the least. Rising from the chair, in a disconnected and clearly disappointed voice, his booming tone adds a sense of acquiescence I would never have expected. “It’s cool, Boss. We’re behind you.”
As a few of the others chime out with their approval of the situation, their voices scare me slightly. They all believe in the democracy of the decision, and they’re following me without fault. I gotta admit, I’d expected a different outcome. More than that, I hope this will all work out the way I’ve designed and the mayor comes through with the cash injection we so desperately need.
“We’re done?” Des asks. “As I had a...”—pausing, looking at Toni, he smiles—“prior engagement.” Meaning he was engaged with a woman.
I let out a snickered reply, “Yeah. We’re done.”
Giving the knob a turn, Des, Trigger with Radish in tow, and Mack exit without a second word. Apoc stays behind along with Thunder, Tweet, Curse, and Boyd. These boys are inseparable, and they’ll have a few choice words for me on the subject.
Holding the door wide, Apoc looks at Antonia. “The men need to talk.” He’s telling her to fuck off kindly.
Turning to her with a chin raise, “Go grab a drink. V will make you anything you wish. I’ll be down shortly.”
Not arguing the point, knowing she’s not welcome within this conversation, Antonia seems uneasy but agrees and starts for the door.
“I got her,” Curse comments. “Come on, T. We can catch up. He’ll tell me everything later anyway.”
Closing the door once they’re gone, Apoc leans against it. “No bullshitting. Tell the truth, Brother.”
“Fine. Though this doesn’t leave here.” Looking at each of them, asking for their compliance, they nod before I start, “We’re bleeding cash. The club is drowning in debt after all the hospital bills. Add in the repairs to the clubhouse and the lost revenue from the bar.” I can’t even bring myself to say Obi’s name, but the void of her concoctions has lost us serious coin. “And we’re about to default on mortgages. I had to make a deal with the devil.”
“The devil is a good analogy, Death. I feel like we’ve been down this road before,” Boyd states first. He doesn’t usually pipe up unless the comment is a necessity. Taking over as Sergeant at Arms after Destroyer was hurt in our latest cartel battle, he’s a man who will have my back, even when I don’t. “What I wonder is, what will it cost us in the long run?”
“I’ve thought the same thing. Martin didn’t even blink when I told him that by the end of the day, we are to see seven million in our account. I know he loves Toni, but that is a big number to swallow for a protection detail.”
“How much are we talking about?” Apoc asks, amazed by the amount I just stated.
Picking up my phone, checking the bank account and not seeing a deposit yet, I tell them, “One mil a week for each week I’m stuck with her. Also, I told him he owed me five mil today for my time inside, and I expected that in advance. Beyond that, it’s one mil a week for putting us in the crosshairs of the cartels again. I didn’t expect he’d do it, but I asked for it. We need it. No matter how this runs out, we’re drowning as a club.”
“Seven mil in one day and a mil each week after?” Thunder bellows, smacking the leather couch so hard I bet his hand hurts, with a wide-eyed gaze, “That’s not fucking chump change for anyone.”
Tweet’s one good eye; his left, widens in disbelief. He takes a heavy seat in the chair where Curse once sat, chiming in, “Will that get us out of the red?”
I answer, “Yeah. Just. This was a well-timed gift. If we didn’t get this injection of cash, we were back to running illegal shit.”
“Not that I liked being dirty, but being dirty on our own terms might be better than being in bed with the mayor. This could come back to bite us in the ass,” Boyd states matter-of-factly. “He could use this against us later, yeah?”
“Not really. He’d have to prove it was extortion not coercion or mutually beneficial business dealings,” Tweet chimes in.
“Look.” I try to cut this off at the pass. “Our dealings with the Alta and Huesos cut off a supply the mayor had through the docks. All of it was arranged for the Mano Cartel. We fucked their transportation route in SoCal that gave them direct access to the U.S. and Mexico. Martin used the excuse that he thinks I can be her best protection possible, but I know this was all about cash flow. He was losing money and he needed to get himself rolling again.”
Leaving the wall he’d been leaning against and wandering to one of the leather chairs in front of my desk, Poc finally takes a seat. “I still don’t like her around you. That’s bad history.”
Snickering, I smile as I lean back in my chair to look at the bar cameras, sussing out Toni and if she’s been taken care of. “Yeah. More than I care to admit. Seeing Toni again has definitely struck a few chords.”
“Keep it to striking chords. Let’s not get to bumpin’ the fucking uglies stage.” Leave it to my little brother to think my only reason for doing this is the sex.
“Poc, if sex is a part of this, it’s because I want to fuck her out of my system.” I won’t admit it to his young ass, but she’s been taking up real estate for years in my head and she needs to go.
“So. We’re doing this for the money?” Boyd chirps, knowing he’s asking about Toni without asking if this is about wanting Toni.
“If it helps us rebuild the clubhouse, and if along the way we bank a bit, we’re all the better for it. I’ll protect her for the pure reason of saving the club. Nothing more.” At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
Seeing Toni hanging around here, it could be hard, but for the sake of the club, I’ll keep this relationship strictly business. Even if I want to rip her panties off and shred her voice with my cock.
Content with the answers, stepping toward me with a hand out, I reach out to shake Des’s hand. “We’ve followed you into tighter spots, Death. I think you’ll do right by us.”
Boyd does the same, though his reply is more in line for what I’d expected from everyone. “This better be about the cash, brother. If it isn’t and you’re what breaks the club, I’ll be the first to remove you from the gavel.” Giving me a stare, waiting for my head nod or comment of agreement, I do.
Heading for the door, each shifts to leave except Poc. Once Des, Tweet, Thunder, and Boyd exit, leaving me with my kid brother, in a serious tone I didn’t think he possessed, he states, “I may hate it, but I get it, Brother. Just make sure if you need help, you ask.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Once they’re all gone and I’m left alone, taking a deep breath, I lean forward on the desk. Lying across the multitude of bills, I exhale a much-needed sigh of relief for telling them. The mounting bills, and the worry about my sister’s health, just compounded the stress of not telling them why Toni was here. All of it was weighing on me. Not to mention, the Queen’s book and everything else I have to deal with, it was becoming too much to handle.
“I need a fucking vacation.”