15. Replace You
Chapter 15
Replace You
Steel
An hour outside of Jacksonville, Simone cracked open a diet soda. “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but did you rent a truck just so you didn’t have to follow me?”
I felt my lips quirk. “Sweetheart, I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep up with you, the way you drive. At least not without getting a ticket, and the way the last two days have gone, a speeding ticket would’ve been a sure thing.”
She made a tsk-ing sound, but smiled at me. “I don’t have that bad of a lead foot.”
A chuckle rumbled from my belly. “It sure isn’t a light foot though.”
“True. Why did Rafferty have to get the truck?” she asked, sipping her soda.
“Is the doctor cool with you drinking diet soda? Won’t it harm the baby?”
“One a day is fine, and it has less caffeine than coffee, which I can’t seem to stomach, and that's a bummer. You aren’t changing the subject on me, though. Something’s up – are you on some do not rent list or something because you spent time in jail?”
I laughed. Her ability to coax things out of me should alarm me, but it didn’t. “No, I didn’t have a ton of time yesterday, and the only rental place I went to, the prick behind the counter took one look at my license and gave me shit about how I couldn’t take the vehicle out of state.”
She stared at me, her left eye narrowing. “You’re leaving something out.”
“We got the truck, that’s all that matters.”
“Oh, no, no,” she said, wagging a finger in the air. “There’s a story here, handsome.”
“I lost my temper. Not enough sleep does that to me. It wasn’t cool, but—”
“So you kind of are on a do-not-rent list.”
“No. Just not at that location.”
She laughed and I glanced at her. The joy and happiness on her face made her more beautiful, and hell if she wasn’t glowing with pregnancy.
Damn, she was gorgeous. How had Jordan fucked shit up with her?
Where the hell did that question come from?
Deep down, I wanted to repair my relationship with him. A paternity test couldn’t erase the years I’d spent with him and Debra or the years watching him grow up from afar. No matter how much shit Debra had spewed about me, and how much of a brat Jordan could be, I held hope that he and I could have a relationship as adults. His headstrong nature posed a problem – especially when he should be willing to hear my side of things. My relationship with Simone was only going to be another obstacle.
Still, I had to wonder why he’d string her along instead of manning up and making a clean break.
Rather than ask her that outright, I asked how she liked her new job.
“It’s good. Challenging, that’s for sure.”
“Are you in over your head?”
“No, it’s just different from learning about it in school, that’s all. What do you do for money? I suppose you take a cut from club members’ dues every month?”
I grinned. “Yes, but officially I work for one of the businesses the club owns.”
“Really? In what capacity?”
“Silent partner.”
“Convenient,” she muttered.
“It is. Keeps me from having to pay self-employment taxes, which are much steeper.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw her nodding. “You know, it was taxes that got Al Capone caught, right?”
“I’m aware. What’s your point?”
“Just being cautious. Seems silly to take precautions about speeding tickets, but you could end up in the big house for tax evasion.”
“I’ll keep it in mind, Jade. You need to pee again?” I asked, when we passed a sign for an nearby rest area.
“Not quite yet, but I could stretch my legs.”
“You ever been to Augusta?” I asked as I veered the truck onto I-16 West.
“No, I haven’t,” she said.
“Not sure what you do at your computer job, but the city’s known for the Cybersecurity facility.”
“Yeah, but that’s part of the Army.”
“There are likely contractors that work with them.”
She turned to me. “Are you trying to talk me into moving?”
“I’m just letting you know some things that might interest you,” I hedged.
We needed to have a conversation about where she wanted to raise the baby. I didn’t want to split my time between two cities, so I knew she wouldn’t want to do that with a newborn in the picture. But, I figured I could put that off – after all, it flew in the face of what I’d said to her at Bike Week about taking things one day at a time.
“Do your chapter presidents ever come in for visits to the Mother chapter?” she asked.
I glanced at her and back to the road, exiting onto Highway 25. “How do you know… Volt tells you when he’s visiting the mother chapter?”
She wobbled her head. “Not exactly. He and Har, the president of the Biloxi chapter, talk about it.”
My gaze cut to her. “You overheard them talking about it, you mean.”
“That’s neither here nor there. Does your club do things like that?”
“I try to make that shit happen at rallies instead, but sometimes they do. Surprised you would be in a position to overhear Volt and Har discuss anything. Most chapters seven hours apart don’t see each other that often.”
“Aunt Abby went to college with the daughter of the Biloxi president before he was taken out in a crash.”
“The president before Har.”
“Right. And then there’s Stephanie and Suzie, they’re sisters who both wound up with Riot members.”
“So it’s women that tie the two chapters together. Typical Riot.”
She looked at me askance, irritation shining from her eyes.
I shook my head. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.”
She scoffed. “You’re not saying it’s a good thing either.”
I tilted my head. “It’s unusual, that’s all.”
“Probably so. Are we hitting the clubhouse first? Or your pad?”
I chuckled. “I have a four-bedroom house, I wouldn’t call it a pad.”
“Wow. Why so many bedrooms?”
“I’d intended to move Debra and Jordan in there as a surprise once the threat to Jordan was resolved, but a week before closing on the house, I found out she was cheating with a member of a different MC.”
“That’s… harsh. And you never tried to find someone else or thought about selling it?”
I shook my head. “It’s a fuckin’ great house with everything I ever wanted, plus my nearest neighbor is five miles away.”
“Anti-social, much?”
“I prefer the term ‘private.’”
She nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Why would you say that?”
She grinned. “Five miles gives you a fair amount of leeway if you have someone there against their will.”
I drew the truck to a stop at a traffic light and looked at her. “Simone, I would never bring an enemy to my place.”
Her head dipped. “It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t follow you there.”
The light changed and I faced forward. “And you think I’d kill someone in my own backyard?”
“Maybe. I think you’d shoot them and ask questions later. If it’s five miles to your nearest neighbor, I’m guessing you got a fair amount of property and you have somewhere you could hide a body – and by hide, I mean bury.”
I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re a crazy woman. My nearest neighbor is five miles away because my property sits between two tree farms. You’ve been watching too much television. It’s a shitload of work for one person to bury a body.”
“Enter your brothers, maybe prospects, but that depends on how much you trust them.”
Before I could disspell her vengeful ideas, my cell buzzed, Torque’s name on the display.
I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear. “Yo, I’m about twenty minutes from my place. Let me call you back.”
“Shit. Is there anyway you can come here first? Knuckles and his enforcer put a beat down on Circles and two of his direct reports.”
None of the brothers had ‘direct reports.’ Circles dealt with prostitutes though, which meant two of the girls had been beaten, too.
“I don’t have you on speaker, but how do you know who was behind it?”
“Circles didn’t report into Tie as scheduled. Tie found him just before the ambulance showed. Circles had just enough energy to tell him who did that shit.”
I blew out a sigh. “Yeah. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“If you’re twenty minutes from your house that puts you half an hour from the clubhouse.”
“Yeah, I’m picking up the pace.”
“Don’t get a fuckin’ ticket, man. The cops are itchin’ to bring you in for any fuckin’ thing they can.”
I let my foot off the gas. “Right. Thanks for the reminder. Be there soon.”
I set the phone back in the console.
“No grand tour of your home, I take it?”
“Not yet.”
“I get to see your clubhouse instead?”
“Seems so.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“Shit’s hitting the fan, Jade. Didn’t want to drag you into this, but I guess I’m gonna see what you’re really made of.”
Torque running out of the clubhouse forced me to park the truck closer to the front of the compound than I’d have liked. I hadn’t seen him haul ass like that in years.
I leapt out of the cab. “What’s wrong? Is Circles gonna make it?”
Torque stopped a few feet from me, breathing hard. “It’s not Circles. We got another problem.”
“Yeah, you doing a fuckin’ hundred-yard dash told me as much, Tor.”
He gave a feeble grin. “I still got it, motherfucker. But Debra’s here.”
Simone had come around the hood of the truck and stood next to me. “Debra… as in Jordan’s mom?”
Torque’s blue eyes darted to her, then to me. “Yeah. You didn’t tell me you were bringing her with you.”
I didn’t tell him a lot of things – for many different reasons. To be fair, I’d hoped to keep Simone away from the clubhouse this trip. As usual, that plan was shot to hell already. I gave a small nod. “Now you know she’s with me.”
Torque raised his arms over his head, getting his breathing under control. “Want me to give her a tour of the compound, show her the fire pit, keep her away from Deb and the other catty bitches.”
“It’s okay, I can handle it. This isn’t the first time I’ve been to a clubhouse,” Simone said.
A thoughtful expression took over Torque’s features. “You think you can handle it? Debra alone in there, sure. The catty club whores on their own, probably so. But all those women at one time, sorry… Jade, I’m puttin’ my money on them breaking you.”
Simone looked up at me. “He knows who I am?”
I turned to her. “He knows I call you Jade. Simone, meet Torque. Torque, this is Jade as far as anyone around here is concerned. She’s Volt’s daughter.”
Torque’s eyes widened at me. “Fuck. You didn’t tell me that.”
I pressed the tip of my tongue to my canine tooth, thinking. “And she’s Jordan’s ex-girlfriend, which is likely what brought Debra here.”
“Yeah, she’s been ranting about that non-stop. You really know how to step in it, Steel,” Torque said, turning around to lead the way.
The front door of the clubhouse slammed open and Debra stormed toward us. Her brown hair with blonde highlights was pulled into a high ponytail, which should have made her look younger. Instead, she seemed to be trying too hard. The anger in her eyes put me on alert. I’d never seen her so riled.
“Get back in the truck,” I muttered to Simone.
“She’s already seen me, Steel. I’m not running. Not from her.”
I gave my head a short shake. “That kind of anger, she’s unpredictable right now, Jade.”
She gave my hand a squeeze. “I can hack it.”
“Stop right there, Debra. You need to cool your shit,” Torque said, stepping between us.
“Don’t play go-between right now, Tor. He says he gives a damn about his son, but he’s screwing Jordan's ex-girlfriend.”
A handful of the club girls had followed Debra outside, because those bitches ate up drama with shovels, not spoons.
“It’s all right, Torque. Get those bitches back inside the clubhouse or they can be kicked out of the compound – permanently.”
“You got it, Prez,” he said, and strode to the front door, waving his arms as he went. “Get inside or you’ll get tossed out – forever, bitches.”
Debra’s hazel eyes cut to Simone. “That’s what he does. A woman makes him uncomfortable and he tosses her aside.”
Simone stared at Debra, obviously considering her words. “He didn’t do anything like that. Whatever you have to say to us is private. Those women try to eavesdrop, that’s offensive in many ways. He hasn’t tossed anyone out – yet.”
I fought off a smile, because she was good. Zero attitude in her words, and all truth aimed at Debra.
“He’ll replace you,” she said in a venomous tone.
She shrugged. It irritated me that Simone could even think I’d do such a thing. “Maybe, but I shouldn’t have to tell you that he can’t replace his baby’s momma. Oh, that’s right. You’re a baby-momma, but to some other man.”
So much for being good.
“Simone,” I muttered.
The way Debra’s lip curled, the gloves were coming off. “And you cheated on my son with his father !”
Simone tilted her head. “Actually, Jordan dumped me in front of our friends and didn’t have the spine to do it in private. I had no idea who Steel was when I met him.”
She flicked a finger toward my cut. “His name’s right there, or can’t you read ?”
Simone’s voice returned to the calm tone she’d used earlier. “Both the restaurant and the hotel prohibit wearing colors inside. So, while my reading capability is excellent, he wasn’t wearing anything to indicate he was with an MC.”
“Don’t get condescending with me, Missy.”
I interrupted before Simone could argue any further. “What the hell do you want, Deb? To bust my balls? You did that, now leave.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re done in Jordan’s life. Any relationship you wanted with him is gone.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “You made sure that would happen his entire life, bitch. But he’s an adult now. It’s up to him whether he has a relationship with me, though, if he wants his last semester of college paid for, he’ll have to treat me with respect.”
She aimed a fake smile at me. “You already gave him the check.”
That was true, but when I’d checked my bank balance yesterday, the check hadn’t cleared.
I kept a stony expression as I bluffed, “He hasn’t cashed it and I’ll put a stop-payment on it today, if you press this any further.”
Her eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t.”
I leaned toward her. “You’re fucking with me, and you know good and damned well how I treat bitches who fuck with me. Now, get gone.”
She stared at me for a long moment, then locked eyes on Simone. “And to think I liked you for Jordan.”
With that, she turned on her flip-flop and stalked to her car.
“I don’t think she’s finished,” Simone muttered.
I moved in front of her. “She is for now. I got other shit to deal with in there. My plan wasn’t for you to see the clubhouse like this.”
With a small smile, she said, “It’s all right, Steel. I know things get crazy at clubhouses.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “My club isn’t anything like the Riot.”
She nodded with wide eyes. “Yeah, that’s clear from the number of nosy club bunnies who followed her out here.”
My eyes closed and I took a calming breath. I opened them and lowered my face toward hers. “Torque has an old lady. Hell, Shelly might even be in there.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
My brows arched. “And he might have one or even two of those nosy club bunnies – who aren’t his old lady – in his lap. You get me?”
Her jaw shifted. “I get you, but I’m carrying your baby, not Torque’s. Do you behave that way, too?”
I shook my head. “No. The reason he’s got multiple bitches hanging on him is for two reasons. The first is because he gets off on the extra attention. The second is because they know he’s VP. Shit happens to me, he’s in charge. Those women don’t give a fuck about him. They give a fuck about being the President’s old lady and the edge it gives them with the other women.”
She chuckled. “Like that means anything.”
Skepticism twisted my lips. “Your mom doesn’t get special treatment?”
“Not really. All the old ladies matter, but club girls also know their place.”
I dipped my chin. “And there’s the difference in our clubs. Somebody made it clear to Riot club girls how shit works. Around here, I don’t get involved in club girl shit. Hell, I used to enjoy a decent cat-fight. But hear me, Jade, I don’t want you getting in a fucking cat-fight. You understand me?”
She nodded. “I do, but I’m not going to shy away from standing up for myself.”
I tipped my head back, caught sight of a smattering of clouds, exhaled, and looked back to her. “Where’s your gun?”
She smirked. “Still in the glove box where you made me put it four hours ago. Should I go get it?”
“No. Leave it, please. It will make me feel better.”
“Funny, it would make me feel better putting it back in my purse.”
I couldn’t fight my grin. “Being cute here isn’t going to help you, sweetheart.”
“Fine. Should I just hang in your room, or would you prefer I get to know the club bunnies?”
I took her hand and led her toward the clubhouse. “Now who’s anti-social?” She responded with a fake grin. “You can hang in my room if you want, but you might be better off to try making some in-roads.”
She nodded. “You’re right, but out of curiosity, if I need to get into your room, is there any chance I can get a key?”
I ran my thumb and forefinger along my chin, then I dug my keys out of my pocket, and pulled my room key free. “Yeah, that’s a good point. Here’s my key. My room is across the hall from where we have church, so you don’t need to wander upstairs or down the main hallway.”
She took my key and nodded. “Got it. No Alice in Wonderland shenanigans.”