Chapter Seven
Cheshire
Hatter had told me to stand down, but I couldn’t. I’d ridden into town to pick up a few things for Eliza when I’d seen them outside town hall -- Mayor Davis and Robert Lewis. They weren’t quite as rotten as the sheriff, but… the two of them made me sick. I was ready to take them all down and bury them six feet under. They were making this town rot.
I’d immediately pulled over, unable to stop myself. Hatter was going to have my ass for this, but I didn’t care. My boots echoed off the concrete as I strode down the sidewalk. Mayor Davis and Robert Lewis stood there, smirks plastered on their faces like they owned the place. I wanted to knock those smug expressions off their damn faces. Too many fucking witnesses, though.
“Ah, Cheshire,” Mayor Davis drawled, flicking an imaginary speck of dust off his immaculate suit. “What brings you to our humble abode?”
“Cut the shit, Davis,” I spat, stepping closer until we were almost nose-to-nose. “We know about your little arrangement with Sheriff Holmes.”
“Is that so?” he replied, feigning surprise. “Well, I must say, I’m impressed you managed to uncover that particular tidbit.”
“Enough games,” I snapped, my temper flaring. “You’re going down, and we’re going to be the ones to take you there.”
“Ha!” Robert Lewis barked, his laughter cold and empty. “You and what army, Cheshire?”
“An old man and a snake don’t scare me,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest. “Especially when they’re both crawling in the dirt. You think you’re untouchable, but you’re wrong.”
“Such big words for someone who’s clearly out of his depth,” Mayor Davis said, his voice dripping with condescension. “But let’s not be hasty, Cheshire. I’m willing to make you a deal.”
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. I only wished I had a way to record this conversation. No way I’d be able to take out my phone and open the recording app.
“Abandon this foolish crusade against Sheriff Holmes, and I’ll ensure the Underland MC remains untouched by the law,” he offered, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Really? That’s your grand plan?” I scoffed. “Sell our souls to the devil himself? I’d rather dance with the Reaper than side with scum like you.”
“Such loyalty,” Robert Lewis sneered. “But what has the Underland MC ever done for you, Cheshire? The club’s nothing but a bunch of losers.”
“Watch your mouth,” I growled, fists clenched at my sides. “The Underland MC is my family. We may be flawed, but we’ve got each other’s backs. Each and every man in the club has served in the military. Those men are heroes. That’s more than I can say for you two.”
“Your loyalty’s misplaced, Cheshire,” Mayor Davis insisted, his voice growing more insistent. “Align with us, and you’ll have power beyond your wildest dreams.”
“Sorry, Davis, but there’s not enough money in the world to make me forget who I am,” I replied, my voice cold as steel. “I’m an honorable man through and through. No amount of sweet talk can change that. I’d sooner die than become like you.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “But don’t say I didn’t offer you a chance. You’re making a grave mistake, Cheshire.”
“Only grave I see is the one y’all are digging for yourselves,” I shot back, turning on my heel and walking away. If I stayed there, I’d take a swing at them, at the very least. Worst case, I’d kill the bastards right here in front of anyone passing by.
I’d often wondered why evil people were put on this earth. I still didn’t understand why. All I knew was I’d do whatever I could to get rid of trash like those two. I hadn’t survived hell on earth to deal with this shit in my own backyard. Hatter and I had a plan. But before we could implement it, we needed to clean house. Once the sheriff was gone, these two would be next.
Keep walking. Don’t look back. Don’t do anything stupid .
The air was thick with tension, like the calm before a storm. I could feel it in my bones -- this was far from over. Their gazes were locked on me. I didn’t have to see them to know. I could feel it.
“Cheshire,” Robert Lewis called out, his voice dripping with venom. “I think it’s time we settle this like men.”
I paused and glanced over my shoulder. He cracked his knuckles menacingly and stepped forward, a smug grin plastered across his face. Shit. I knew I needed to keep going, to ignore him… but I couldn’t.
“Fine by me,” I replied, rolling my neck to loosen up. My hands were already itching for a good fight. “But just to be clear, you asked for this. I tried to walk away, and you wouldn’t let me.”
Robert lunged at me like a caged animal, his fists flying. But I was ready for him. I sidestepped his first punch and delivered a hard jab to his ribs. He grunted in pain, but his eyes never left mine -- filled with rage and determination.
“Is that all you got?” I taunted, ducking under another wild swing. Robert’s face was growing red with frustration, and I loved every second of it. He was strong, no doubt about it, but he was slow and predictable. And I’d fought far worse than him in my day.
He came at me again, and I dodged and countered with ease, each of my hits landing with precision. It wasn’t long before he was gasping for breath, sweat pouring down his face. I could see the defeat in his eyes, but he refused to back down.
“Enough!” I snapped, grabbing his wrist and twisting it until he cried out in pain. “You’re clearly not going to win. Just back down while you still can. Or do I need to put you down?”
I shoved him away, watching as he stumbled and fell to the ground in a heap. As I turned my back on him, I wondered if he took it as the sign of disrespect I intended. You never turned your back on an enemy -- except in this case, I wasn’t worried he’d take me down. The fucker was far too weak for that.
I knew I’d have to tell Hatter what happened, and he’d likely chew my ass out. I’d crossed a line. However, the little shit hadn’t given me much of a choice. I knew I needed to cover my ass, and fast. I pulled out my phone and shot off a text to March.
Pull camera footage near town hall. I need proof I didn’t start the fight with Robert Lewis .
My phone rang almost immediately.
“What the fuck?” March asked the second the call connected.
“Watch what happened. You’ll understand. I did my best to walk away. The asshole just wouldn’t let me.”
“Fine. But you know I have to tell Hatter since you’re asking me to do this,” he said.
“Yeah. I was going to talk to him when I got back anyway. I grabbed a few things for Eliza. Have one more stop to make before I head back.”
“I’ll hold off as long as I can, but if he walks by and asks what I’m doing…”
“No worries, March.”
I ended the call and got on my bike. I’d picked up some essentials for Eliza, but there was only so much I could fit in my saddlebags. Jo had tried to lend her some clothes, but they weren’t close enough to the same size for that to work. I’d told her to order some stuff, and it was being delivered later today, but I wanted to give her some things to make her feel at home right now.
Stopping at a corner market, I ran in and found the magazine section. I had no idea what Eliza liked, so I grabbed a few different types of magazines, then picked up a romance novel. I knew Jo liked them, so I hoped Eliza would too. If nothing else, maybe it would give the two women something to bond over.
Once I’d checked out, I headed back to the clubhouse. I wasn’t sure why I felt so drawn to Eliza. Although, anyone could see she was beautiful under the bruises and cuts. It was more than that. Beauty could fade over time. What Eliza had was something else… a magnetic pull I didn’t understand, but I wasn’t going to question it.
The moment I cleared the doorway, I saw her at a table with Jo. The other woman gave me a wink and hurried off, leaving me alone with Eliza. I set the bags down in front of her.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, but…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I, um, just wanted you to feel more like this was your home and less like a temporary resting place.”
She gave me a soft smile. “Thanks, Cheshire. No one’s ever done something like this for me before. It was sweet of you to think of me.”
Not really . I’d done it because I wanted to get closer to her. Hatter was the only one of us with a woman, and after watching him with Jo, I’d started to think that’s what was missing in my life. Eliza had dropped into my lap, and it had almost seemed like fate.
“Why don’t you put your things away, then meet me back here for a drink? I’d like to learn more about you.”
Her cheeks flushed and she gave me a quick nod before hurrying off. She seemed innocent and sweet, the exact opposite of the women I’d dated in the past. Maybe it’s why I found her to be so damn cute.
Before Eliza had a chance to return, the doors to the clubhouse slammed open. Mayor Davis, his face a mask of fury, stood with a group of men at his side. They looked like muscle for hire.
“Since you won’t listen to reason, Cheshire,” he snarled, “I’ll have to deal with you and your misguided club another way.”
What the absolute fuck? The man had clearly lost his mind. When I’d left him and Lewis on the sidewalk, it never crossed my mind one of them might show up here. Honestly, I hadn’t thought they had the balls for it. Seemed like the mayor did.
With a wave of his hand, Mayor Davis signaled for his men to attack, and chaos erupted around us. My brothers and I sprang into action, fists flying and bodies colliding as we fought to defend ourselves and our home.
“Stay focused,” I shouted over the din, my knuckles connecting with an attacker’s jaw. “We’ve got each other’s backs!”
Despite the intensity of the battle, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at how well we were working together. We were united in our cause -- and no amount of threats or violence would ever change that. Besides, after being in combat, this was nothing. If the mayor thought this would scare us off, he was delusional.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, making me feel unstoppable.
“Cheshire, behind you!” Absolem’s warning reached my ears just in time, and I ducked, feeling the wind from a punch that would’ve connected with my face. I countered with a swift uppercut, watching in satisfaction as the bastard dropped.
“Thanks,” I grunted, not breaking my focus from the battle. I could hear Eliza’s terrified screams in the background, but there was no time to comfort her now. We had to win this fight first. I could only hope she was out of the way.
“Keep it together, boys!” Hatter yelled as I drove my knee into an assailant’s gut. The man doubled over in pain, and I finished him off with a powerful right hook. I glanced toward the Pres and saw he was more than handling the men attacking him. Two were already on the floor at his feet.
Why the hell were there so many? It seemed like for every three we took out, more came inside the clubhouse. I’d thought he only had the guys standing with him, but it seemed reinforcements had been outside. The next man I dropped look familiar, and I realized he was a deputy.
“Eliza, stay down!” Knave barked. I turned to find her, and saw Knave kick a man in the head before he could reach Eliza. She pressed tight to the wall, her eyes wide.
“Cheshire, incoming!” Absolem shouted again, and I turned just in time to see a burly man charging toward me, fists clenched. I sidestepped his attack, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to slam him into a nearby wall. His head hit the floor with a sickening thud .
“Is that all you got?” I taunted, my breathing ragged but my grin firmly in place. Smiling while beating someone senseless often left them feeling disoriented. But inside, I knew we couldn’t keep this up forever. I needed to find a way to end this insanity before any of us sustained serious injuries -- or worse. Then the mayor did me the biggest favor ever.
“Retreat!” Mayor Davis finally yelled. “Get out of here, you worthless cowards!”
His men fled, leaving behind a scene of carnage and destruction. Our clubhouse was in shambles, with broken furniture and shattered glass littering the floor. We were battered and bruised, but we’d won.
“Everyone okay?” Hatter asked, his voice hoarse from shouting and exertion. My brothers nodded, their eyes filled with a mixture of relief and anger.
“Eliza,” I said, turning to her as she stared at me, tears streaming down her face. “You’re safe now.”
I hurried to her side and pulled her into my arms. She crumpled against me, and I felt her tears soaking my shirt. She might have lived with a brute of a man, but this type of fight was probably not what she was used to.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“We protect our own,” I replied, feeling an unexpected pang of tenderness toward the frightened woman. “And that includes you.”
“Listen up,” Hatter called out, as he surveyed the damage around us. “We may have won this battle, but the war’s far from over. Mayor Davis and Sheriff Holmes will keep coming at us, harder and stronger each time. We need to be ready.”
“Damn right,” Absolem agreed. “Let’s clean this mess up and take a breather before we have to jump back into the thick of it.”
“Underland MC stands strong,” I declared, meeting each of my brothers’ gazes in turn. “We won’t let them tear us apart. We’ll bring justice to those bastards -- together.”
As we began to clean up the wreckage, I looked around the room and spotted Jo coming in from the kitchen. I urged Eliza to go to her and helped my brothers with the mess the fight had left behind. I’d have to talk to Eliza and come up with a plan for future events like this. If it happened again, I needed to know she was hidden somewhere safe.
* * *
The women were tucked into bed, and the rest of us were once more focused on what we needed to do next. There wouldn’t be any rest or fun until we’d handled this problem.
“I’m here if anyone needs me or has questions, but like I’ve said before, Cheshire has point on this one. So I’ll let him assign the tasks,” Hatter said.
I scanned the room. “Knave, I need you to track down connections between Sheriff Holmes and any other criminal organizations he’s tied to.”
“The Pres and March, I need you two to investigate any properties or assets linked to Holmes. There has to be something hidden that can help us build our case against him.”
“Absolem, keep digging into his financial backers,” I continued. Absolem nodded, his brow furrowed. He knew if we could track all the money, we might be able to cut off his finances and leave him hobbled.
“Lastly, Rabbit, you’re going to use your skills to gather intel from the streets. We don’t know who else might be involved with this scum, so we need ears everywhere.”
“What about me?” Carpenter asked.
“I want you to work with Jo and Eliza on some self-defense and find them places to hide if something like today’s fight happens again. I think we’ll all be able to focus more if we know they’re safe.”
“On it,” he said.
“And me?” Mock asked.
“I need you to rotate through everyone with a specific task and help as needed.” Mock gave me a brisk nod.
“Am I chopped liver?” Tweedle asked. “Makes me think I’m fucking useless or something.”
“I want you on standby to watch over the women. I can’t think of a more important task,” I said.
“Fine.” Tweedle looked aggravated, but I could tell my words had pleased him.
“Let’s get to it!” I commanded, and the room erupted in action.
As we split up and set our plan in motion, I could feel the tension in the air. We were walking a dangerous tightrope, navigating a treacherous world of underground crime and corruption. One misstep could cost us everything.
* * *
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I slipped into the darkened office of one of Holmes’ associates, rifling through drawers and files for any incriminating information. The acrid scent of stale cigar smoke hung heavy in the air.
“Got something,” Rabbit whispered into my earpiece, his voice barely audible above the hum of traffic outside. “Just spotted a meeting between some of Holmes’ men and a couple of guys from out of town. Looks like they’re making a deal. I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but it looked like cash was handed off.”
“Stay on them,” I ordered, my fingers gripping the edge of the desk as I strained to hear any noise that might signal someone approaching. “We need to know who we’re up against, aside from the locals.”
“Understood,” he replied.
There was no room for mistakes, no chance for second-guessing. We were all in this together, each member of the Underland MC playing their part in the fight for justice. And as we delved deeper into the shadows, uncovering the depths of Sheriff Holmes’ criminal empire, I knew we were inching closer to our goal -- and there would be no turning back.
* * *
As the night drew on, our efforts began to bear fruit. The intel we’d gathered painted a picture darker than any of us had anticipated. Huddled together around the kitchen table, I shared our findings with the team.
“Sheriff Holmes has been running this sick operation for years,” I said, fury filling me at all the rotten things he’d gotten away with. “He’s got his filthy hands in every corner of this town, and it’s time we put an end to it.”
Absolem nodded. “We can’t let that bastard get away with this any longer.”
“We’ve got the upper hand now. We just need to play it smart,” Knave said.
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. “We need to gather more evidence, and then we’ll bring him down -- hard. We can’t turn him in to the law since he is the law. Which means we’ll have to get justice our own way.”
Rabbit was the only one not here. He was still tailing the sheriff and the men from out of town. My earpiece buzzed with an incoming call, and I connected it.
“Cheshire,” Rabbit’s voice whispered through my earpiece, urgency lacing every word. “You need to see this.”
“Talk to me,” I replied, my heart pounding in my chest as I braced myself for whatever revelation awaited.
“Found some sort of ledger,” he said, the faint rustle of paper filling my ears. “Names, dates, amounts… It’s all here, man. This is the key.”
“Bring it back,” I instructed, my breath catching in my throat as the implications of his discovery sunk in. “This could be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
“Got it,” Rabbit responded.
I ended the call and looked at my brothers. “Rabbit found what we need. We’re one step closer to bringing those assholes down.”