Chapter Seven
COLE
Hearing the sound of pipes rumbling, I stop working on the bike that got dropped off this morning and turn to see who’s turning up to the garage. It’s been a long couple of weeks, and I’ve been run off my feet with all the business I’m getting. Shit, I’m even thinking about hiring another mechanic.
The first day I got the keys to this place, I invited my boys over to my house before I moved out.
We had planned for the last six months to travel around on our bikes, knowing that we finally had the time to take our bikes on the ride that we’d been talking about for years. This plan included Keith, and although he wouldn’t be joining us, we still wanted to do it in his memory. But now it seems I need an excuse to get out of it, and it had to be a good one.
The only thing I could come up with was that my parents needed me. So, I dished up a lie about how they had damage to their house due to the storm that happened last month and needed me to help them with some of the repairs that insurance didn’t cover. They all know how much I love my parents and how close we are.
Once I explained to them why I could no longer go on this ride, Luke piped up, saying they would delay the trip and help me out at my folk’s house. I didn’t know how to reply to that. It just goes to show what kind of men they are. Men who are willing to give up a long-awaited trip to help me.
But I couldn’t let that happen. A trip away for them would be good as it would give us the distance I need in order to be undercover. So, I explained to them how this ride was in honor of Keith’s life and how it was his dream, and they needed to see it through. It took a while to convince them, but finally, they agreed, and I was so happy they did because if they didn’t, I don’t know what the hell I would come up with.
Standing, I look up at the bikes parked at the front of the garage and notice Tyler out the corner of my eye, standing and wiping his hands with a towel.
“Here they come,” he whispers under his breath. “Act cool. Remember, your name is Seth.”
Trying to act cool, I nod at him, but my heart is beating a million miles an hour. This is it, don’t fuck this up.
Four bikes park side by side. There are two on one bike, and the one who’s sitting at the back jumps off and places his helmet on the seat.
This man has streaky, blond hair and a blond beard. He looks a little rough around the edges with a ripped T-shirt that hangs long over his jeans and a leather cut open with the RBMC logo stitched on the corner.
When he steps closer, I read the name on his cut. Shooter . He is the owner of the bike Tyler has been working on. He has a scar from the corner of his left eye to the edge of his cheekbone. Even with the beard covering it, you can still see it. When he notices me, he stops, looks over at Tyler, and then back at me.
“Who the fuck are you?”
His voice is deep and irritated.
Stretching my hand out to shake his, I say, “I’m Seth, the new owner of this place.”
He looks down at my hand, ignores it, then looks at Tyler.
“Where the fuck is Brent, Skinny?”
Fuck, what was the reason Brent left again? Did we even discuss it?
Luckily for me, Skinny answers without delay.
“Brent had to go to Oklahoma. His dad passed away from a heart attack, and he had to head home. Not sure when he’ll be back or if he will come back at all. Said something about having to move in with his mom to help her with the farm.
Shooter frowns, and for a moment, I get the feeling he won’t believe Tyler’s story. But then he looks over our shoulders and sees his bike sitting there with a new exhaust pipe.
His lips lift in a smile. “There she is.”
Striding past us, he makes his way to the bike and squats down, looking it over. Tyler follows him and explains all the work that he has done.
I leave them talking when I notice the others getting off their bikes and walking inside the garage. I recognize Vinney right away from all the pictures I’ve been looking at. He has this authority about himself and is the first to step into the garage, followed by the others. He’s tall, wide in the shoulders, and has a buzz cut. He looks like he’s in his late fifties.
Next to him is a man with longer gray hair. He’s skinny and looks like he hasn’t showered in a while. As he gets closer, his cut reads VP - Mikki. And then, as I thought, the man at the front has a cut that reads Vinney. President.
I hadn’t expected to meet them so quickly.
The other two hang back a little as Vinney and Mikki step in closer.
Vinney eyes me from head to toe, then asks, “Who the fuck are you, and where is Brent?”
“Hey, there, I’m Seth, the new owner of this place. Brent had to leave to go back to Oklahoma. His dad died.”
Trying to break the ice, I look over their shoulders and say, “Wow, now that’s what you call a Harley.” Moving around them, I walk past the other two bikers and don’t miss their names on their cuts before I approach the bikes.
“Yup, these are a man’s bike,” I explain as I walk around Vinney’s bike, looking as if I’m sizing it up.
Vinney comes in behind me and says, “What you say your name was?”
Looking up at him with a smirk, I say, “Seth. Pleased to meet you.” Reaching my hand out to him, I wonder if he’s going to accept or ignore it like Shooter. But luckily, he accepts it.
I must admit, he has a hell of a grip on him.
“So, you’re the new owner of this garage?” His green eyes narrow in on me, and I can’t tell If he’s pissed or just curious.
“That’s right. I took over this place a couple of weeks ago.”
He places his hands on his hips, and I catch sight of a gun that’s hidden beneath his cut. Trying to focus on something else, I ask him how long he’s been coming here.
“A couple of years now,” he states, looking around the garage.
“So, Brent’s back home, is he? Didn’t know he’s from Oklahoma.”
Placing my hands in my jeans pockets, I reply, “Yeah, I don’t know him well, but this garage was for sale, and I snapped it up quickly. It’s a good business.”
He smiles, showing a missing tooth on his upper jaw. You can tell he doesn’t look after himself. His skin is burned, with wrinkles forming around his eyes and mouth, proving that he’s a heavy smoker. Speaking of smokes, my hand rests on my lighter inside my jeans, and suddenly, I realize exactly what I’m doing here. I need to earn their trust.
My eyes glance to his cut, and I say, “So you’re the president of the Royal Bastards? I’ve been meaning to meet you.”
“Oh, yeah?” he questions, eyebrow raised. “And why’s that?”
Shrugging, I say, “Just want to offer my services to let you know I’ll look after you and the club if you need anything done on your bikes. I’d be more than happy to do the work at a discounted price.”
The other men laugh and step in next to Vinney. “Who said we do any paying?” the skinny VP who goes by Mikki says.
“Um…” My eyes shoot to Tyler, and he gives me a quick shake of his head, proving what they’re saying is right. I laugh.
“My bad, gentleman, looks like you already had a deal with Brent.”
Mikki places his hand on top of Vinney’s shoulder and taps it.
“Looks like this asshole needs a bit of a lesson.”
Panicking on the inside, I try hard not to show it on my face.
“Hey, fellas, he’s all good. You should see how Seth knows his way around a bike. He added that extra air drone to Shooter’s bike,” Tyler adds, walking the few steps toward us and pointing to Shooter’s bike.
Shooter whistles, his fingers running over it. He looks over his shoulder at us. “You see this, Prez… he’s done a hell of a job.”
Feeling relieved, I hold my breath, waiting for Vinney’s next words.
He doesn’t talk but turns around and walks toward Shooter, squats, and takes a closer look at the work I’ve done.
Out the corner of my eye, I look over at Tyler, who’s reaching for a smoke from his pocket and lighting it up. I don’t smoke, but God, do I need it right now.
Mikki follows Shooter and stands there, his head bent, also looking at the bike.
Vinney stands and walks back toward us. “You did a hell of a job, Seth.”
Smirking, I nod. “Thank you.”
“To thank you, why don’t you join us at our club tonight? You might as well get to know the other boys, as they’ll be regulars here.”
Shit, this is my in.
“I’d be honored, Vinney,” I reply, knowing I’ve got an in. If I can get into their clubhouse, it means I will have an opportunity to earn their trust. I just have to make sure I don’t fuck this up.
Mikki steps closer to us. “Hey, Prez, how do you know we can trust this man?” he asks, followed by a very heavy smoker’s cough.
“Hey, you okay there, brother?” I ask Mikki, coughing up a lung.
He gains his breath back and inhales. Then he grabs his packet of cigarettes from underneath his T-shirt sleeve and lights one up.
I want to ask him if he should really be doing that. But it’s not my place to tell him what to do, plus, he already doesn’t trust me. I don’t want to add to that.
He lights up his smoke and inhales, followed by blowing the smoke out in my direction.
Trying hard not to cough, I keep my eyes focused on him, proving that I’m not scared of him.
Vinney asks, “Is there a reason why we shouldn’t trust you, Seth?”
“No. Nothing I can think of,” I joke.
He smirks. “Ten o’clock tonight, we’re having a club party, other chapters of the Royal Bastards are coming down to party with us, and bitches will be there too. Do you have a woman, Seth?” He scratches his beard, waiting for my reply.
Shaking my head, I say, “No. Not right now.”
He smiles, the gap in his teeth visible once again. “That’s good.” He laughs, tapping me on the shoulder.
“Lots of pussy out there. Don’t settle down with one, you got me?”
Laughing along with him, I answer, “I got you.”
Vinney takes his leave and says, “See you at ten.”
Mikki eyes me before he says, “Prez might want to give you a chance, but I don’t. I don’t trust you, fucker.” He throws his half-finished smoke on the floor and follows Vinney to his bike.
“I’ll get you the keys to your bike,” Tyler tells Shooter before he leaves us and steps into my office, grabbing the keys to his bike.” Hearing the sounds of engines, I find Mikki, Vinney, and the other two sitting on their bikes, waiting on Shooter.
“Hey, brother,” Shooter above the sound of the bikes. I turn to face him. “Appreciate the work you did on the bike. I’ll buy you a drink tonight at the clubhouse.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I reply, thinking he might be my way into the club. If I can gain his friendship, he might vouch for me to become a member of the RBMC.
“No problem. We will celebrate tonight. I’ll see you later,” I say, walking him and his bike out of the garage. Shooter sits on his motorcycle, starts it up, and the sound echoes all around us. His smile is wide as he revs the engine. I smile back, and he sticks his middle finger up before he takes off out of the driveway, following the rest of them.
“Fuck, you did good. I was worried there for a second,” Tyler says as we both stand at the opening of the garage, watching them leave the driveway.
“Tell me about it. Don’t know about Mikki, though. He’s going to be a hard one to get on my side. He already doesn’t trust me.”
“Mikki’s like that, Seth. He was the same with Brent. But one thing you have that Brent never did.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve been invited to the clubhouse by the fuckin’ president. He must like you. That’s gotta be a positive. Good idea putting a new air drone on Shooter’s bike. Seems you’re already on his good side,” Tyler says, winking at me.
“Yeah, well, I’m hoping he can be my way into the club. If I befriend him and get him to trust me, then maybe he can vouch for me to become a member.”
“Fuck, this is all happening so fast.”
Tyler walks over to the side table where parts are lying and grabs his packet of smokes. He grabs a cigarette and lights it, then takes another and lights it with the burning tip of the first.
Walking over to me, he hands me the smoke and says, “You need to get used to this. Here.”
Knowing he’s right, I accept it and bring it to my lips, inhaling. The smoke burns my throat, almost causing me to choke, but I don’t. I’ve never liked the taste. I tried smoking when I was younger before I joined the military, and other than looking cool doing it, there was absolutely no reason to pick up the habit. I didn’t enjoy it one bit.
“Man, you gotta look at least like you’re enjoying it.”
Smirking, I take another drag, and this time try to look like it’s not the most disgusting thing on this earth.
I’ve always looked after my body. I believe your body is a temple, and you should look after it, especially when I was training for the military. We needed to be fit and at our best. Our frame is what protected us, so we had to make sure we looked after it. I was at the gym two times a day, working on my strength to ensure I was able to protect myself and my squad, no matter what.
“That’s better, now you got it,” Tyler teases and I continue to smoke.
“I’ve been here for the last couple of years and haven’t been invited to the club once. This is your first interaction with them, and you’re already invited to their clubhouse. I would come with you, but I don’t think they’d like that.”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” I reply, taking another drag before I throw the butt on the floor and step on it with my foot.
We continue to work for a little longer, trying to get as much done as we can. This place has been busy since I took it over. It’s made some good money, and I must admit, Brent did a hell of a job running it.
Five o’clock hits and Tyler announces that he’s done for the day. We chat for a while before he reminds me that if I need him, I can give him a call. I thank him and lock the garage after he leaves, making sure no one is around.
Once alone, I head to the desk in my office, grab the phone Theresa gave me, and dial my landlord.
“Hey, everything okay?” Theresa answers, her voice filled with concern.
“Yeah, I’m good, but I’ve had a breakthrough.”
“Already?” she says, surprised.
“Yeah, well, they came into the shop today.”
“Wait… the Royal Bastards came in?”
“Yup, they came to pick up Shooter’s bike. Vinney and Mikki were with him and a couple of others.”
Silence…
“Theresa, you still there?”
She breaks her silence. “Oh my God, Cole… you move fast.”
“Seth,” I correct her.
“Pardon?”
“My name is Seth.”
“Crap. Sorry, Seth.”
Smiling, I say, “No problem.”
“The good thing is that Shooter took a liking to me. He was happy with the work I did on his bike, and Vinney was too. He told me to come around to the clubhouse tonight for a drink.”
“Seth, you need to be careful. I know this is what we wanted, but I didn’t think this would happen so quickly. Please be careful,” she repeats.
“Make sure you take the lighter with you tonight. Anything you find out will help if we can get it recorded.”
Rubbing my jaw, I agree with her, “I didn’t think I would get an invite already, but I did, and that can only be a good thing, right?”
“Right.”
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happier than this.”
“I’m sorry. I am happy. It’s just with Keith’s death, I feel like I’m throwing you into the lion’s den.”
“Don’t worry so much, Theresa. I’m just going for a drink.”
“I guess, but still, these men are dangerous. You need to be on alert.”
“I will be.”
Ben and I won’t be too far from the clubhouse. We’ll be parked in a black van down the street, listening in. I need you to know, Seth, if anything bad happens and you need to get out of there, I want you to use a code word to let us know you’re in trouble.”
“A code word, hey?” I ask, sitting on top of my desk.
“Mmm, let me think. What about fire?”
“Sounds good to me. Fire it is.”
“What time will you be there?”
“Vinney told me to be there at ten. So, I think I’ll get there just after.”
“Okay, shit. I need to call Ben and get things together. Remember the lighter, please.”
“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll have it on me.”
“Okay, good. Now go and get some rest before tonight. Sounds like it will be a late one.”
“Yeah, sounds like it. That’s a good idea. Right, okay, we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll give you a call.”
“Okay, sounds good. Now, don’t forget the code word in case you run into any issues.”
“I won’t, Theresa.”
“I’ll see you later. Bye.”
“Bye.”