Chapter Four.
Rosie
Calamity still hadn’t returned from his trip with Apache when everyone came down for dinner. Ross Wheeler and his husband had arrived with their children.
He proudly introduced his family, with a lot of love in his voice. “This is Noah, and our daughters Fern and Skye,” he said, and I smiled at the two young girls.
“Hi there,” I greeted warmly. I put out a hand for Noah to shake, and he grinned as he took it. I quickly performed the introductions.
“Helps that you’ve got your names on your cuts,” Noah joked, and I nodded.
“Certainly does! We forget them ourselves. You’ll hear numerous ‘Oi, you!’ around us, especially when it’s our kids,” I replied.
“Ha! Do you have many children?” Ross inquired as they sat down.
“Calamity and I have three,” I responded.
“There’s thirty between us here.” Penny did the maths quickly, and Ross blinked.
“Are you all couples?” he asked.
“Only Christian and I are single,” Falcon interjected. “This lot is responsible for the brood of kids about to hit Ortonville.”
“And some of us are expecting,” Carmelle said shyly, her hand on her stomach.
“You dog! You kept that quiet!” Texas shouted as he slapped Ghost on the back hard.
Ghost beamed in response.
“Congratulations!” I exclaimed as everyone joined in.
“Why are we congratulating the grumpy asshole?” Apache asked as he and Calamity finally appeared.
“Ghost and Carmelle are expecting,” I explained, and Apache grinned evilly.
“Does Drake know?”
“Fuck Drake,” Ghost retorted.
“Congrats, brother,” Calamity said, slapping Ghost on the shoulder. “Carmelle, you’re glowing.”
“Thanks, Prez,” Carmelle whispered, a little shy at being the centre of attention.
“Hi,” Calamity welcomed, turning to Ross and Noah.
“This is Ross Wheeler and his husband, Noah. Ross is the mayor here, and these are their two girls, Fern and Skye,” I introduced. “This is my husband, Calamity, and the president of the chapter we’re opening here.”
“Good to meet you.” Calamity reached out to shake their hand. He took a seat next to me and smiled at Ross. “We’re looking forward to joining the community.”
“You’ll get mixed reactions, I won’t lie. There’s never been an MC here, so some will judge you while others will accept you. The patch on your back will help. The name Rage MC means something. You guys are pretty infamous,” Ross said.
Noah nodded. “The naysayers might be a minority, but there’ll be some. But ignore them; most of the folk here shall welcome you.”
“We’re a clean club. And we plan to open businesses and contribute to the community. I’ll be opening a veterinary clinic and an animal sanctuary. Klutz is also trained,” I said, and Noah looked happy.
“Our local vet shut down a few years ago, so we’ve been struggling ever since for our animals. We have a travelling veterinarian once a fortnight, but he charges a fortune. Any chance you can start next week?” Ross asked, looking hopeful.
“No. Sorry. I need a clinic first, and then we have to buy the equipment,” I replied. “But I’ll see what we can do to speed up the process. Mobile vets are extortionate. Maybe I can come on weekends.”
“What’s going to happen to your current practice?” Noah inquired as the waitress approached.
“Oh, I’ve got several guys who’ll take over running it. I’ll be making them partners. Calamity, and I plan to return one weekend a month to ensure everything is fine,” I replied.
“Klutz and I will partner in opening this one.”
“If we had a building and equipment, would you be interested?” Ross asked after exchanging a look with Noah.
“Depends on the quality and placement. We did wish to open a veterinary clinic nearer the sanctuary we’re opening,” Klutz answered him.
“What else are you looking for?” Noah asked, turning to Calamity. The waitress took our orders as Calamity explained what we intended to bring to the community in the way of businesses.
“Are you here in the morning?” Ross inquired.
“Yes, we’re staying until Sunday afternoon when we’ll ride back,” Calamity said.
“Would you be able to meet me, say, at eleven? I have meetings until then, but if you can join me at the mayor’s office, I’ll show you some potential buildings,” Ross offered.
“That would be great,” Calamity replied.
Our meals began arriving, and we moved to small talk.
Calamity
I could feel eyes on me as I parked up with the club falling in behind. A woman in uniform turned and stared at us expressionlessly.
“Here we go, judgy cop bastards,” Falcon muttered.
“Morning, guys,” she said as she hitched her belt and approached. “I’m Sheriff Eliana Cates.”
“Sheriff,” I replied.
“Ross will be out soon. He’s caught up with a nagging councilman,” Sheriff Cates stated.
“Are you joining us?” Rosie asked as she plastered herself to my side.
Sheriff Cates looked Rosie up and down, and I stiffened.
“You’re the veterinarian?”
“Yes.”
Sheriff Cates leaned in. “I know you’re not working, but I have a pregnant German Shepherd, Maise. I’m a bit worried about her; would you mind checking her over later?”
Rosie smiled warmly. “Not a problem. I’ll come after today’s meeting. How old is she?”
“Three, and she’s my fur baby. Masie’s my pet, not a police officer. She’s with my sister as she’s due anytime soon, and I don’t want her going into labour alone,” Sheriff Cates explained.
“That’s pretty good of you. Dogs can get distressed during birth, and they calm down when their owners are close,” Rosie replied.
The door to the offices opened, and Ross rushed out. “Sorry to have held you up. I had a problem to deal with.”
Cates snorted, and Ross rolled his eyes. “I’ve some property to show you, and Eliana wanted a chance to get to know you. We have some pretty nervous locals here, so being seen with Eliana and me should settle some nerves.”
“Okay, we don’t want to rile the townsfolk up against us. Any help to settle in will be appreciated, but we’re a clean club, to make that clear,” I said, holding Cates’s eyes.
“I’m aware of what Rage MC is. Will people be happy if an MC has moved in? Who knows? We are a pretty quiet small town, and we like the vibe we have. If you’re bringing strip clubs and shit, they won’t go down well,” Cates responded.
“No strip clubs,” I replied, amused. “We’re looking for a garage, an office for Christian to work out of; he manages the Phoenix Trust. We also want a property for a dojo, an event planning office, and somewhere for a tattoo parlour.
We’re also interested in the ice rink, arts and crafts store—and do you have a swimming pool? ”
Falcon’s head swatted towards me. “What?”
“I kind of thought you’d train when you retired,” I said with a shrug. Falcon pursed his lips as Cates scrutinised him.
“You’re Falcon Blackelk! The Olympic swimmer!”
“Yeah,” Falcon replied, looking a little embarrassed.
Ross perked up as he looked at Falcon. “You’d be interested in coaching?”
“Eventually, when I retire.”
“Wait a minute,” Cates drawled as she studied us all properly this time. “You’re Tye Michaelson and play for the Blackhawks. And you’re Harley Michaelson and play for the Cubs, and she’s Thomasina Mae Blake.”
“Please don’t go blurting that around town. Mina is a very shy and private person,” Hunter stated, stepping in front of Mina. The old ladies crowded around protectively, and Cates studied them.
“Ain’t gonna lie, there’ll be some fangirling. And the local teens will probably wish to hang around as you’ll be idols to them,” Ross declared, looking excited. “A baseball player, ice hockey player, and an Olympic swimmer, Martial Arts gold medallist and a Hollywood Star.”
“We haven’t retired yet. We’ve got some good years left, but we want to prepare for when we do,” Ice replied.
“Would you sign autographs?” Ross asked.
“Yeah, but nobody jumps Mina. She might organise a book signing or something, but approaching her in the street is a no-go,” Harley stated.
“That’s fair enough. I think the entire world knows what happened. Sorry to bring that up,” Cates said, and, in her defence, she did look apologetic.
“It’s fine. Everyone’s picked my life apart now and come up with their own ideas. I’m pretty secure with Hunter and my family,” Mina replied.
Cates and Ross both tipped their heads in acknowledgement.
“We’ll do our best to keep prying eyes away. And we’ll put a word out. We have a book club, and they maintain a tight grip on the community. A quiet word will ensure people respect their distance from Mina,” Eliana said.
“That would be appreciated,” Hunter inclined his head in agreement.
“Let’s go look at these properties,” Ross suggested and began leading the way down the street. Locals looked, and many smiled, which reassured me.
Motorbike clubs commonly got a bad rep. Sure, there were shit ones, but not all of us lived like that fuckin TV programme. Programmes like those made people wary; we were often pre-judged, and everyone expected criminal enterprises to spring up.
“This was the former arts and crafts store. It’s for sale, and it comes with the fixtures. The previous owner died and left it to the town as there was no one to inherit,” Ross said, opening the door.
Grace pushed in and smiled as she looked around. “The space is great, perfect for what I need. Are there two levels?” she asked, spotting some stairs.
“Yes. This was a popular store; it was a shame when it shut down, but nobody cared to buy it,” Ross answered her, appearing hopeful.
“I’m interested,” Grace said ten minutes later after checking it over. She glanced at me, and I nodded. If Grace wanted this, then we’d purchase it, but we wouldn’t be gouged on it.
“Who’s the estate agent for this?” I asked.
“That’s Dobsons. I got the keys from them this morning, as Jana had some house showings. Jana’s okay for you guys to look around and said you can speak to her when you’re ready.”
“She’s my sister,” Cates stated, and we nodded in acknowledgement.
“That’s good of her to give you the keys,” Rosie stated.
“We work on trust here,” Ross replied as he locked the store up.
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