Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
A few of the brothers sat at a table in Boggs Bar. The bar was on the north end of town. Mostly industrial businesses, a few bars, and three or four restaurants were located in the area. Most people considered the area the wrong side of town. It was deep inside what was considered the Red-Light District.
It was one of those places where the men were known to hang out. Booths hugged the walls, and pool tables and dart boards were the main entertainment. A small stage for a band sat against the far wall. Stripper poles flanked both sides of the stage. Well-worn wooden stools stood like soldiers along the old maple bar, and a TV hung above an old, framed mirror.
The owner/bartender was Boggs, an all-around good guy as long as you played by the rules . . . and he made the rules. When he brought another round over, Teller made sure to thank him with a nice tip added to the bill. Keeping an eye on the patrons in the bar, Teller listened to the casual conversation the other brothers were having .
“Don’t forget we have company coming in for the birthday party.”
Player tipped back his beer bottle. “We need to get a Marilyn Monroe dress and some hooker-red lipstick.”
“You going drag on us?” Razor asked him.
Choking on his beer, Player shook his head. “Not me. Evidently, Croon lost a bet. I’m not sure what the bet was, but the dress and the lipstick were requested.”
“Costume shop on Twelfth.” Blackjack shrugged. “My friend works there,” he added when he got the stare-down.
“Who’s rolling up?”
“Squatch and Croon.”
“Just the two?”
“Seems so.”
“We’ll make sure they have a good time while they’re here.”
“Is this a surprise party for the VP, or does it matter?”
“The party, no. What Croon and Squatch have in store, yes.”
“Why are they coming all the way up here again?”
“Croon and Squatch are bringing up a ‘69 Road Runner for Joker.”
“Make sure you have your phone ready, Player. Shit’s gonna get fun while the Provo boys are here.”
Oh, they were gonna be more than fun. Now, if he could talk Croon into popping out of a cake, that shit would be epic. Tapping his fingers on the bar top, Player started plotting and planning. He just needed a cake big enough to fit the brother inside.
Things had been quiet the past month. Unusually quiet. Some of the guys said to enjoy it, but Teller knew from experience that when things went quiet, trouble was coming. The thought hadn’t popped into his head when a familiar face entered the bar. The dark-haired beauty who walked in was one they had all met before. Watching as she took a seat, Teller noticed another dark-haired female walk in after her. This one, he had met at the clinic where Razor worked. Lottie.
Everyone at the table settled down as, one by one, they looked in the direction of whatever had caught Teller’s attention. “Isn’t that Sway?” Joker asked as he watched the two females.
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“Do we know who the other woman is?” Joker asked.
Before anyone could comment, Razor scooted his chair back. “She works with me. I’ll find out why they’re down here.” He moved through the small crowd until he got to the bar. “Lottie.”
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Oh.” Lottie laughed as she ran a hand down Razor’s tattooed arm. “This is my best friend, Sway.” Lottie glanced at Sway, who knew exactly who Razor was. “Sway, I think you’ve met Razor.”
“We’ve met. How are you, Razor? ”
“I’m good, hanging out with some of the brothers.” Not being one to drag shit out, he cut to the chase. “Where’s Vicious, Sway?”
Sway squared her shoulders as she stared at Razor. “Remember, we got into an argument, and he walked out. I haven’t heard from him in a week.”
That explained a lot of shit , Razor thought. “I’m sorry you two are arguing. Can I ask what it was over?”
“If you must know, he thought I was looking into Tesh’s death.”
“Were you?”
“I’ll never stop wanting to know what happened that night, or who had a hand in it.”
“I see. I’m sure he’ll come back around. Sometimes, it takes him a minute to find his way.”
“Well, it’s up to him. You can remind him that he walked out, not me.”
Razor kept his mouth shut about how long it might take for Vicious to say he was sorry. “Why are you two hanging out at Boggs? It’s not normally a place where ladies like you come.”
“We’re living on the edge tonight, Razor.” Lottie smirked. They needed Razor to go away. Dawson was meeting them with a friend, and he didn’t like when Lottie was talking to other men. Tonight was about cheering Sway up since Vicious had left her crying a week ago.
“Listen, Razor, any other time, I’d invite you to have a drink with us, but we’re waiting on my boyfriend. So, could you,” she paused as the door opened and Dawson stepped inside, “go away?”
Razor knew the bounds when it came to another brother’s ol’ lady, but Lottie wasn’t one. Leaning in, he reached for her long black hair and tugged her to him, pulling her off her seat slightly. “I’m watching you, little girl.”
Lottie didn’t give an inch, glaring at Razor she smiled. “You don’t know me, asshole, so let go before I fucking make you,” she said through gritted teeth and a hostile smile.
Razor let go and stepped back. He had no idea what had come over him. One thing he knew for a fact was he didn’t like the feeling. Not taking his eyes off Lottie, he spoke to Sway. “Vicious won’t like this shit, Sway.”
“Probably not, but he left me, so what I do is my business.”
Razor walked off, pissed and somewhat turned-on by Lottie’s defiant attitude. No woman had ever dared stand up to him. Either he was slipping, or she was what he’d been looking for in every woman he’d ever come across. Leaving the two women to visit with ‘Lottie’s boyfriend’, Razor went back to his table and sat down. As he did, he locked eyes with the guy, and he didn’t like what he saw.
“What’s going on with those two?” Teller asked, knowing trouble when he saw it. And those two were up to nothing but trouble.
“Trouble, and it’s gonna come back around to us,” Razor mumbled, picking up his beer.
Teller leaned in so he could talk to Razor quietly. “How so? ”
Pointing his beer at Sway and Lottie, Razor gritted his teeth as he answered Teller. “They’re digging into Tesh’s death.”
“We didn’t have anything to do with that, did we?” Teller watched Razor, who was staring down Sway’s friend. “Razor! Did we have anything to do with his fucking death?”
“Fuck no, but we know who did.”
“Who?”
Razor turned his attention from Lottie, who was flirting her ass off with her boyfriend and another guy who had joined them at the bar, to his President. “Not the Bloody Scorpions. But the guy sitting with them is Dawson Franks, and the other guy flirting with Sway is one of his fighters.”
Teller scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck.”
“You can say that again, Teller.”
“At every fucking turn, those assholes are in our shit. Now, Dawson Franks is mixed up in this shitshow. I’m not ruling out the Scorpions possibly playing a role in Tesh’s death, but I don’t think they pulled that trigger. Ya feel me?”
“I feel ya. There’s only one way to deal with the Scorpions.”
“Well, those days are coming sooner than later.” Teller didn’t need reminding that the Scorpions were a thorn in their sides. They were like bad grass—every time you killed a patch, another one popped up. Before he retaliated against the group, he’d have to make a call to Jameson.
If the National President ordered them to take care of the threat, they’d unleash hell on the Bloody Scorpions. The other issue was Dawson Franks. The guy managed multiple underground fighters. The Royal Bastards owned their own fighters and came up against Dawson and his fighters often enough to have a business relationship based on a mix of hate and respect. If Vicious and Razor were correct in their thoughts, Dawson was in deep shit.
“Razor, we don’t need problems with Franks on a personal level. So, whatever you’re thinking in that head of yours, stop.”
“Teller, I’m just wondering where Vicious is and why he’s not handling his woman.”
“Leave it alone. It’s his business.” Teller felt uneasy about Sway sitting at the bar with another man. The right thing to do would be to drag Sway out of there kicking and screaming, but they didn’t need a scene or have the cops called.
Teller scooted his chair back, and without another word, he got up and walked toward the bar. He wanted to wave off Blackjack and Havelock, but after his next move, he might want the backup. Weaving through the small crowd of locals, he made his way to where Sway sat. “Sway.”
Sway heard her name and sighed. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Teller a bored look. “Yes?”
“Can I speak to you? It’ll just take a minute.”
“Sure. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Easing out of the chair, she was happy for the intrusion. Sitting there making nice with Dawson’s friend gave her the creeps. He was giving her information on who he thought was responsible for her brother’s death, but to her, it sounded forced and full of half-truths. “What’s up? ”
“You need to get your things.”
“Why?”
“I’m taking you home. And if you come along without making a scene, I’ll think about not calling your ol’ man.”
Crossing her arms, she wanted to shout for the world to hear that Vicious had left her. “I appreciate it?—”
“No. Get your things and do it right now.”
“Fine, but I’m only going because those guys are giving me the creeps.”
“They aren’t good people, Sway.”
“What about Lottie?”
“She can come if she wants, but she looks quite content with her current situation.”
Sway looked toward her friend and her eyes went wide. Lottie wasn’t one for a lot of PDA, but there she was, making out with Dawson like a horny teenager. When the show stopped, Sway tracked the direction of Lottie’s glare. She was staring down Razor, who looked pissed-off. “She’s playing with fire,” Sway mumbled.
“You can say that again.”
“Give me a second.” When Sway went to walk off, she saw how Dawson’s buddy was looking at her and she turned back to Teller. She wanted to tell him to call Vicious. Instead, she simply asked if one of them could step back over with her. She didn’t have to say a word as Blackjack moved around her. Sway feigned shock when the man gathered up her coat, scarf, and purse .
“Lottie, are you staying or coming with Sway?” Blackjack asked her best friend as he tossed cash on the table to settle her tab.
“No, I’m good. This is my boyfriend, Dawson Franks.”
“We know Mister Franks.” Blackjack stuck his hand out to see what Franks would do. When he shook it, Blackjack didn’t miss the tick in his jaw. “Is this one of your boys?”
“Yeah. This is Clay.”
Blackjack put his hand out for Clay and waited for the man to take it. When he did, Blackjack pulled the guy out of his seat and held him tight to him. “Stay away from my brother’s ol’ lady or you and I . . . will be seeing each other again.”
“Hey, man, she was flirting with me. I’m just here for the beer.”
Blackjack let Clay go, keeping his eyes on the guy. Blackjack was sure he’d gotten his point across. “You guys have a nice evening.”
Normally, he wouldn’t turn his back on an enemy, but Blackjack knew his brothers had his back. When he handed Sway her belongings, he looked at Razor. “I tried to get Lottie to leave with us. She said she’s good.”
Everyone watched Razor head for the door, shoving chairs and patrons out of his way. Sway stumbled along as Teller and Blackjack moved her toward the door. She managed to look at Lottie before disappearing outside.
“You have two choices. Door one, I call Vicious to come get you. Door two, we take you home and call Vicious afterward. ”
“Door two.”
One of the guys chuckled. “Didn’t think you’d be a coward, Sway. Especially being Vicious’s ol’ lady.”
She didn’t know which one had said it, but they needed to get over it. “I hate repeating myself. So, for the last time, he walked out on me,” she snapped.
“Leave it alone,” Teller said to the brothers as they loaded up in the cages.
Sway sat in the back of Teller’s car, wondering how long it would take him to call Vicious. And what would Vicious do with the information? After a solid week of not hearing a damn peep from him, Sway wished she didn’t care. The truth was, she was hurt. Deeply.