Chapter 8 #2
Etain bursts out laughing. “There won’t be leftovers, Tess. These guys can eat.” She rolls her eyes and adds, “A lot!”
“What can I do to help?” I ask.
“We were thinking Texas toast with herbs and cheese to go with it and tossed salad,” Sasha says.
“I’ll start buttering the bread,” I respond, and set to work beside my new gal pals.
Hawk
The guys are working like fiends to get as many cars as possible ready for pickup tomorrow morning.
Most are tune-ups and oil changes, the quickest and easiest jobs to do, and I’ve got Lee and Declan working on those.
Shooter and Flex are working together on a new transmission for an older man who refuses to trade his car in for a newer one.
Ben is in his late sixties, and he’s had the same car for most of his marriage.
Ben’s wife died a year ago, and he still mourns her every day.
The car holds memories for him. He and Patty went on a cross-country vacation in that car.
They drove their three kids home from the hospital in that car.
Ben can’t let it go and confided to me that it would be like letting another part of her go.
It took me weeks to locate the parts I needed to rebuild his transmission, but I couldn’t let him down.
I’d like to be working on the car myself, but I’ve got an engine that’s been promised for first thing because the Parsons are going out to meet their newest grandchild in Montana, where their daughter and son-in-law live.
I keep my eyes peeled for Ruth. I don’t really have the time to get into it with her, but we’ve known Ruth long enough to know she won’t be deterred.
She’s like our den mother. She gives us shit, gets in our faces when she sees something she doesn’t like, but she’s got love for the club and for each one of us.
She runs her bar, minds her own business, but has her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in our town, especially when it affects someone she cares about.
Ruth is a straight shooter and tells it like it is, so I refuse to give her any bullshit answers.
Ruth has hated Bronson from the first moment she laid eyes on the man. She told us then that the man wasn’t to be trusted. I agree with her, but our club is new, and although we can call for help from our sister clubs, I fucking hate owing markers to anyone.
The last time that happened, the Redemption Riders were set up to take the fall, and a good man is sitting in a prison cell because of it.
I’ll never make that mistake again. We all feel guilty, but Phantom, our club brother, confessed to the crime before we could come up with a plan that would protect all of us. He made the supreme sacrifice.
Ruth comes straight through the bay doors and stops by Drifter, who points in my direction. As soon as she sees me, she stomps right over. She stops in front of me, but before she can get a word out, I hold up my hands.
“Let’s go to my office. The guys are working, and we’re trying to meet deadlines.
” I motion for Ruth to go ahead of me, then open the door that leads into the main compound and guide her down the far hall, opposite from where I hear the women working in the kitchen.
I indicate the armchair for Ruth to sit in, and I settle into the one next to her.
“This is not acceptable!” Ruth hisses angrily.
“What isn’t, Ruth? The fact that Bronson is having a hissy fit because Tessa’s not interested?
Or the idea that he’s willing to put her behind bars if she doesn’t agree to have her shop turned into a drug front?
Or could it be that he decided to give us a warning shot, but instead of torching Tessa’s shop, he came after ours?
Perhaps it’s because he’s not happy about Motown and Tessa living happily ever after? ”
“I don’t like any of it. What’s more, he’s up to some nasty shit. There’s been talk about him expanding his empire, as he calls it, and he doesn’t care what deal he made with Hawk, he’s not sticking to it,” Ruth says.
“How do you know about his empire?” I ask, using her word for it.
“Because when people drink, they talk. Most of the time, they spout shit, and I ignore it. But a couple of weeks ago, two guys came in and sat at a table for hours, whispering to each other. I got the feeling they were trouble, so I started sending over drinks,” she says with a smirk.
“No good man continues to take free drinks the entire night. One or two, maybe, but their conscience gets the better of them. I knew they weren’t good men.
So, they drank. The more they drank, the louder and looser their lips got.
They work for Bronson, and they’re in charge of bringing in product.
It wasn’t until I heard them say that they were setting up legitimate businesses as fronts in town and selling their product here that I got interested. ”
“Why didn’t you come to me then?” I lean forward with my elbows on my knees. “I could have gotten a jump on this.”
“It’s all talk until you have proof to base it on,” she insists. “What were you going to do without proof? You know he’s got cops on the take.”
“Right.” I nod. Ruth isn’t wrong on that count. I’ve got nowhere to go without evidence, and I need to find a detective who isn’t connected to Bronson.
“Right after that, I saw Bronson hanging around Tessa. I thought it was about Tessa, but it was all about her shop. Who would suspect a cute candle store is a drug warehouse?” Ruth shrugs.
“I thought he was going to go after Tessa, but when Motown showed up and staked his claim, I figured he’d move on to his next victim.
It wasn’t until last night, when those same guys showed up at the bar and Bronson came in with them, that I realized he hadn’t given up.
He was pissed off. I couldn’t get close enough to hear because it would be suspicious.
I did hear about the cops and Tessa’s shop.
I heard that they were going to teach someone a lesson, but that’s all I heard until Tessa called me to fill me in,” she finishes.
“Now tell me what we’re going to do about it. ”
I take a deep breath, lean back in my chair, and close my eyes.
This is a mess. We don’t have the manpower we need to take Bronson down on our own.
We have good, solid men in the club, but there just aren’t enough of us to go at this alone.
Bronson can’t be trusted. Talking to him would only make him think he’s got the upper hand in negotiations.
“It’s time to call in the troops, Hawk,” Ruth says quietly. She knows I hate to hear it, but she says it anyway.
“There’s always a price to pay…”
“Not always. Go to the man you can trust. He’s waiting for you to call, and you know he’ll back you up.”
“Phantom—”
“It isn’t the same situation. Guard would never do that to you or the Riders,” she insists.
“I can’t keep calling him to solve all our problems,” I push back.
“You’re not going to have a club at all if you don’t get some help,” she points out. “Right now, you’re outnumbered and dealing with dirty cops. Guard has a ton of contacts. He can help, and you know it. He’ll let you take the lead. You can trust him.”
“I know!” I say, exasperated. Guard would do anything to help me and our club, but I want us to stand on our own.
“Pride is a good thing, but not when it gets in the way of doing what’s right for everyone involved,” Ruth replies calmly.
“I’ll make the call,” I tell her with a grimace.
She grins. “What’s the plan and how can I help?”
“So far, the plan is to get those cars out of here so we have time to concentrate on Bronson. The women are in the kitchen making dinner. And it seems like I have to call in the cavalry.”
“I’m going to go help Tessa, Etain, and Sasha, and check to make sure Tessa’s doing okay after what happened today.
” She gets up, but instead of leaving, she cups my cheeks in her hands and looks deep into my eyes, like she’s seeing right through to my soul.
“You are the president of the Redemption Riders. This club is going to grow and flourish, and one day, you’ll be having this conversation with another young president who is going to need you.
Never forget this moment.” She kisses my forehead like a mother does her child, then leaves me to my thoughts.