Chapter 6
Set Up
Motown
I give Declan a nod as I ride past him on my bike.
He’s positioned himself close to the shop, with his truck under a shady tree, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the Cozy Corner Gift Shop.
Declan’s been a prospect for over a year, coming up on two.
He’s done everything the club has asked of him and gone above and beyond many times over.
Declan knows a final vote is necessary to make him a full member of the Redemption Riders.
All the members must vote a resounding “yes” for a prospect to be patched into the club.
Lee is the other prospect. He and Declan are extremely close.
It looks like when Hawk calls for the vote, he’s going to want the brothers to vote on both prospects at the same time. That day is fast approaching.
Hawk is under a car when I come into the mechanic shop. Hawk has so much to do that he rarely gets a chance to get his hands dirty, which is sad because he’s one of the best mechanics I know. He’s like me and loves to hear the purr of an engine coming to life.
I knock on the hood of the car. “Hey, brother, need a hand?”
He rolls out. “Nah, I’m almost done. I didn’t see you last night at the compound. All good?”
I smile. “Better than good. I took Tessa for a ride last night. Got back late and got the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks.”
“You two solid?”
“We’ve still got to talk shit out, but we’re on the right track.”
“That’s good, brother. You deserve a good woman by your side,” he says, coming to his feet and wiping his hands on a clean rag. “I hear you got Declan on babysitting duty,” he says with a chuckle.
“Not taking any chances. Bronson’s an asshole.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” He blows out a breath.
“Ruth was there this morning to warn Tessa about him. I think it freaked her out a little,” I tell him.
“Ruth was there?” Hawk raises his brows in surprise. I get it; Ruth doesn’t go all out for just anyone, which means she has a soft spot for Tessa.
“Tessa’s easy to like,” I say. “I promised Ruth I’d bring Tessa by the bar tonight. I thought it would be a good time for Etain and Sasha to meet Tessa. Do you think you can make it?”
“Are you kidding? If I tell Etain about Tessa, wild horses won’t be able to hold her back,” he replies.
He’s not wrong. Etain is an all-or-nothing kind of girl.
I’m not worried about the two women getting along because I know that Tessa is pure heart.
I think Etain, Sasha, and Tessa are going to hit it off right away.
“Right.” I grin. “Tell Etain to rein it in a little.”
“I make no promises,” Hawk responds as he looks over my shoulder to where Drifter is coming in with several of the other brothers. Shooter and Decker fall in on either side of Drifter, with Flex coming up behind them with an arm around Lee’s shoulders, talking to him quietly.
“What’s up, Riders?” Shooter says.
“Going to Suds Up tonight,” Hawk says. “Motown is bringing his girl, Tessa. It might be a good time for her to meet his brothers.”
“We might scare the shit out of her,” Flex jokes.
“Your ugly face might do that,” Shooter says, giving him a friendly jab.
It’s obviously a lie because Flex has more than enough women throwing themselves at him.
Since Drifter came off the market, Flex is getting more attention than ever from the biker bunnies.
Shooter is more aloof and doesn’t partake in the goods these women are openly flaunting.
It’s not that Shooter is a saint. He gets plenty of pussy, but doesn’t like the easy fallen fruit.
He likes to work for it. Shooter says it makes sex all that much better.
Decker just shakes his head and grins at Lee. “This is why you’ve got to stick with me, kid. Those two flap their jaw a whole hell of a lot, but I get the job done.” Lee laughs but doesn’t say a word.
“What do you say? Lee, are you going to join us at Suds Up tonight?” Hawk asks.
“If I’m invited,” Lee responds, then adds, “I’d hate to be the guy who takes all the single women away from the rest of you.
” The guys go quiet for a moment, then break out into whooping laughter.
This is the first time Lee’s ever given a playful jab of his own to his brothers.
He’s a loyal, trustworthy brother, but has been so quiet, to the point of being secretive, that the rest of us were wondering if he fit into the club.
Declan caught on that we’ve been having second thoughts about Lee and begged Hawk to give him time to come out of his shell.
That was fine with the rest of us, but Drifter wasn’t convinced and took Lee out for a long ride on their bikes.
I don’t know what was said on that trip, but when Drifter and Lee returned, Drifter eased up on Lee.
“All right, Romeo, let’s see how many ladies fall at your feet,” I tease.
“This is all well and good, but we’ve got cars to fix and bills to pay,” Etain shouts from the office door.
Etain is our bookkeeper, soon to be our accountant, and is also Hawk’s fiancée.
Most days, Etain works from home so she can balance her course load and the books for the shop, but every once in a while, she likes to come in for a visit.
She stands at the edge of the platform in high heels, a swanky tight gray skirt, and a bright blue button-down shirt, which fits her like a glove. Her vibrant green eyes are on us, and her long red locks complete her fiery personality.
“Behave, Ginger, or I won’t take you to meet Motown’s girl tonight,” Hawk mockingly threatens. Like he’d be able to deny Etain anything.
Her heels click on the floor as she comes toward us and stops by her man, immediately wrapping her arm around his waist and tilting her head up with a pout on her lips.
“Hawk,” is all she says, and it’s all she needs to say.
Hawk is gone for his woman. He saw her at the local diner telling off her ex, and he knew that anyone with that much fire was meant for him.
“Yeah, baby,” Hawk says, kissing her.
“I’ll call Sasha. We can’t leave her behind,” Drifter says, grabbing his phone.
“I’ll call her,” Etain announces. “We have to coordinate outfits.”
“You can call her after I call her,” Drifter insists as he moves away to make his call.
I think it’s just an excuse to speak to his girl.
Drifter tried like hell to deny his feelings for Sasha.
He’s had a thing for her since we settled in this town.
Sasha’s loved by everyone. She volunteers at local events and charities, visits the elderly and brings them treats, and is undeniably in love with Drifter.
Drifter and Sasha had a rough start, but they reached the other side stronger together.
Etain playfully slaps my arm. “Who is she? Will we like her?”
“I don’t go in for chick talk, Etain. But I’ll say this: I can’t imagine anyone not liking Tessa. She’s the owner of the Cozy Corner Gift Shop in town.”
Her face lights up. “Oh my God, I’ve been meaning to go take a look at her place.
I drove by a couple of times, and it looks so quaint.
” Etain’s face softens. “I’m happy you found a good one, Motown.
You deserve it.” She excuses herself, probably because she sees Drifter returning.
I would bet my last dollar that her next call is to Sasha.
Those two became best friends the moment they met.
“I hate to say this, guys, but we’ve got work to do,” Hawk states as he looks around the crowded shop and the parking lots that have more cars we need to get to.
We all hunker down to get the job done. Things will be easier when Raven is done with his last tour of duty and comes home for good.
He’ll be back soon. The man whose absence guts the club the most is Phantom.
He’s the brother who took the fall for the club and is serving a prison sentence that he should never be doing.
It eats at all of us how it all went down.
We got revenge for our club brother, but it doesn’t make it any easier to know that a good man is sitting in a cell instead of standing by our side.
Declan
The same delivery guy has been to the shop three times in the last couple of hours. The van he’s driving looks legit. I called the number on the van to make sure it was a reputable delivery service company, and it all checked out. And yet my gut tells me something’s not right.
I learned from an early age that if you get a sour feeling in your stomach, then something’s going to happen, and, in my experience, it’s never been good. I don’t want to freak Motown out, just in case I’m wrong, but I think it’s time to meet Tessa in person.
I cross the street and enter her store, where several other ladies are shopping.
Tessa divides her time assisting them and answering their questions with a smile.
Motown has great taste. Tessa’s a natural beauty.
I see the boxes stacked on the counter, unopened.
Tessa hasn’t had a chance to see to them yet.
The hairs on my neck stand up, and I know shit’s about to get real.
Police are driving through the neighborhood.
In most cases, this is a sign of cops doing their job.
However, I know that cops who are patrolling the street do not park and get out of their vehicles unless they’ve been called.
I grab the boxes off the counter and beeline for the back door.
“Hey!” Tessa shouts.
“Motown sent me. Trust me,” I say, not waiting for a response. I run out the back and into the alley. Immediately, I rip the address off the packages and hide them in the dumpster. If they’re found before we can get back here, I don’t want Tessa’s address to be on the boxes.
Next, I dial Motown’s number.
“Get over here and bring Hawk. Something’s going down,” I say as soon as he picks up.
“Tessa—”
“Fine for now, but the cops are here, and I don’t think it’s a ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ call,” I tell him. “I’m going to go back inside to back Tessa up.”
“Be there in five,” Motown practically shouts into the phone, and I can hear the thunder of footsteps before he hangs up.
“Miss Honeybush, we’ve had an anonymous call from someone stating that they believe your shop is a front for drug dealing,” I hear as I come through the front door.
I ran around the building and came back in the main door to hopefully throw the cops off from looking out back.
Two very large police officers have Tessa cornered. She’s gaping in stunned surprise.
I push between the two officers and stand next to Tessa. I hope Motown gets here in a hurry. Someone’s trying to set Tessa up.