14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
I’ve barely closed my eyes when my cell phone vibrates on the nightstand. I peel my arm out from under Gwynee as she mumbles something in her sleep.
“This better be good,” I tell Hero.
“We’ve got a problem.”
I sit up, becoming alert. “How big of a problem?” I ask as my feet hit the floor and I go out onto the terrace to keep from waking Gwynee. I grab the pack of smokes I left out here earlier and light one up, taking a hard drag.
“We’ve lost the shipment.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Wish I were.”
“You better fucking find it or it’s coming out of your ass.” I end the call and finish my cigarette. This is a big problem.
His mistake could get us all killed.
I glance back over my shoulder to where Gwynee sleeps peacefully in my bed.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
To protect all that I’ve worked for.
“She doesn’t look like Dave. Tell me you’ve got my money or the trailer with my product. Do not tell me you brought me some chick with small tits in his place.” I stare at Hero and the woman he has with him. She looks like a scared little bird about to flap their wings for the first time and take flight.
Hero shoves the scared girl toward me, and I notice him holding her hand. This is an interesting development, and the last thing I need is another one of my guys being fucking lovesick. Lunatic has been moping around for weeks.
“Dave is in the wind. This is his daughter. Figure we can use her to flush the rat bastard out or to earn out his debt.”
I pound my fist down on my desk. Earn the money out. What’s he thinking? We don’t pimp women out.
“You got something worth fifty k?”
She meets my hardened gaze, shaking like a damn leaf in a windstorm. “Me. I could sell my virginity.”
I scratch at my chin, trying to tamper my temper. Dave’s a pathetic piece of shit allowing his daughter to be dragged into my office to offer her body up as payment for his betrayal. I’d never let either of my girls be used like this. A fucking chess piece on a board. Even if we find her dear old dad, I’m putting him six feet under for being such a piece of shit. “You think your snatch is worth fifty?”
She shrugs at me while I’m running through all the ways I’m going to murder my VP for such a colossal fuck up.
“Can you dance?” She could make decent money at Legends even if she doesn’t have a great rack. Some men are into the thin look. This whole situation has my head ready to damn near explode.
“Like on a pole?”
“Nah, sweetheart. Tap dance in a princess costume. Yeah, on a fuckin’ pole.”
“It can’t be that hard.”
I cut my attention back to Hero. “Since you fucked this deal up by hiring her ol’ man for the job, I’ll leave it to you. Audition her for Legends. If she can’t dance, guess you got yourself an auction to organize or a debt to pay.”
“Prez,” Hero growls.
He knows we don’t sell women and I doubt he has fifty grand lying around. He better sharpen his detective skills and get creative to find Dave.
“Your dude Dave fucked us. You brought her into the situation. It’s your mess to clean up. I don’t care how you do it. I want that money or that trailer. Both would be preferable. Now, take your charity case and get the fuck out of my office.”
Once the two of them are out of my sight, I lean back in my chair, wondering what the fuck he was thinking. I let him take the lead on this because he needs to start bearing more responsibility. This is going to be his club someday, unless Tree proves worthy.
I was never blessed with a son. Only two wild ass girls who I’m surprised haven’t made all my hair fall out yet. No. I can count on Hero to do that. He knows I’d never allow a woman to be sold for a fucking profit or a debt. Guess he’s trying to scare the truth out of her. I’d go about this shit a different way, but the only way Hero will learn is by making mistakes and I’ve gotta give him the room to do it even if it kills us both.
“It’s like a fucking circus around here,” I complain to Gwynee as she brushes her teeth.
“I don’t know. I’ve always loved clowns.” She spits in the sink, then rinses her mouth. Things between Gwynee and Lucie are nowhere near thawing out. I don’t know if they ever will. “Ophelia is a sweetheart. Did you see that way Hero was looking at her this morning?”
“Yeah. I’m aware.” Another fucking headache I don’t need. Lucie’s always saw Hero as hers. He’s never going to claim her. I see that now. I’ve always considered him to be the son I never had, but always wanted. Sissy’s got a schoolgirl crush on him, but I know he’d never look at her romantically. Truthfully, I wouldn’t want him to, but if she was ever going to be an ol’ lady when she’s older, I’d rather it be to someone like Kidd. He’s closer to her age.
Hero’s gone and fallen for Dave’s daughter. A big fucking complication. One he can’t afford. “It’s like a fucking soap opera,” I grumble as I strip out of my jeans and climb into bed.
Gwynee laughs, coming up behind me. She wraps her arms around my waist, pressing against my back. “Welcome to the real world, baby. Life is messy. Love is complicated.”
“Don’t I know it?” I huff and climb into bed, ready for this day to be over. Can’t believe Lucie pulled a damn knife at breakfast this morning like she was deranged. Girl was feral like a rabid animal. Would be fucking hilarious if it was one of them reality shows, but it’s my damn life.
“I know you’re stressed about everything,” Gwynee whispers, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You shouldn’t take it all on yourself.” She tugs a silky tank top down over her breasts and dabs some lotion on her knees and elbows.
“It’s my job to take it on,” I reply gruffly. But she’s right. I’ve been carrying the weight of everything for so long that it’s all I know. I’m not used to sharing the heaviness of day-to-day life struggles and the drama of my girls with anyone. Old habits of bottling everything up is a hard habit to break. And it’s not one I’m sure I want to change.
I’m the leader of my club and the man all our chapter presidents look to. I can’t afford fuckups like this and yet here we fucking are.
“But you don’t have to do it alone,” she says softly, glancing back at me over her shoulder as she pulls her shorts up her legs that match her tank top. “It’s not Hero’s fault. We can’t always choose who we love and by the looks of things, he’s been bitten by the love bug. Lucie had her shot with him, and she blew it.”
“The love bug,” I mock with a snort. “Doesn’t make it any easier to watch,” I grumble back at her, shoving my misery aside. It’s been one hellish day, and this is fucking headache has been building since the moment I opened my damn eyes this morning. I close my eyes and feel the mattress dip as my woman climbs into bed next to me.
I draw her dainty hand up to press my lips against her knuckles. I hook an arm around her waist, pulling her close enough so she can snuggle into my chest right where I want her.
“Tomorrow will be better.”
“From your mouth to the big man upstairs’ ears,” I mutter, and she rewards me with a quick peck on my lips.
“We’ll get through this, Clayton. Together,” she says my name, and the soothing cadence of her voice lulls me into a sense of tranquility.
I simply nod at her, my words lodged in my throat. It’s moments like these that make me realize how much I’ve needed this woman by my side. The way she effortlessly brings a calm to the storms within me is a power no one else possesses.
No one knows how to read me better than Gwynee. I only wish she’d been born a decade or two earlier and that I’d met her before my ex, but then I wouldn’t have Sissy. As much as she’s a pain in the ass, I love my kid more than life itself.
“Get some sleep,” she breathes the command against my skin after several minutes pass. Her lips press to the hollow point of my throat, and she slides back down to curl into my side.
“I will.” The peace that settles over us urges me to let go of my worries for the time being and give in to rest. Hero will navigate a way out of this mess, even if I have to allow him to fuck up some along the way. It’s the only way he’ll learn. I only wish it wasn’t such an expensive lesson for all of us.
Especially Lucie. She’s never known true heartbreak outside of losing loved ones to a tragic accident. Losing your first love hits differently than any other loss. I suppose some of it is my fault. I’ve always pushed her toward Hero, hoping he’d fix her and save her from herself. I’m seeing now that the only person who can straighten Lucie up is her fucking self. God help us all if she doesn’t get her shit together, and fast.
I’ve given Hero two days to pull his head out of his ass and figure out where Dave disappeared to with the shipment we were running for the Juarez Brothers.
I’ve been fielding their threats. First, I told them there was a mechanical issue with the truck and we had to hook up to a new rig. Made up an excuse about the cops spooking our guys and needing to lay low for a few days until the heat dies down. I don’t think they bought any of it. I wouldn’t either, but we’re running out of time and options. I’ve got enough money to live comfortably, but I damn sure don’t have three million lying around to pay for a botched drug run. These men don’t care who, what, or why. They only think in numbers.
The cartel doesn’t have feelings or give a fuck about anything or anyone other than their bottom line.
They’re our largest source of income and we can’t afford to lose them or to piss them off. These are men you don’t fuck around with. It’s a lesson I’ve been trying to teach Hero for months. He’s always been a hothead, but now he’s losing focus over a girl.
He knows the risk, which tells me he’s in over his head.
I dial him to see where he’s at with this.
“I need to know what you’ve got,” I tell him, leaning back in my chair. I can picture him looking disappointed. Like a failure and it kills me to let him fumble so fucking hard, but he knows as well as I do that we’re in deep fucking shit if we don’t fix this soon.
“I’ve got nothing, Prez,” he admits, sounding as frustrated as I feel. “I’m trying, but Dave’s vanished off the face of the earth.”
“Not good enough, Hero.”
“I’m working on some leads.”
“You’ve got until the end of the day to come up with the cash or to bring me Dave’s head or we’re all fucked.” I hang up on him and make another call.
It’s time to take matters into my own hands and show Hero how a Prez handles business. He’s had his chance to prove himself.
“You find what I’m looking for?” I ask Tyrant.
“Yeah, Prez. Questioning him and his bitch now.”
“Does Hero know?”
“Not yet.”
“Let him squirm a bit.”
“You sure?”
“You questioning me?”
“No, Prez.”
“That’s what I fucking thought. Let me know what you get out of Dave.”
A few hours later, Hero storms into my office and slaps a thick envelope down on my desk.
Sissy is sitting here watching the fucking show. Kid sees and hears way too fucking much, but she knows to keep her fucking mouth shut. I’m going to strangle Hero when this shit is all over if the Juarez brothers don’t burn us all out first.
“What’s this?”
“Twenty-five in there. Down payment on Dave’s debt.”
“Already fucked her, didn’t you? I sure as fuck hope you know what you’re doing. Your pretty little pussy cat won’t like you much once you kill her daddy.”
“Be my problem, won’t it? Like this deal going south.”
“Gonna let that slide this once. Warned you about Dave. Next time, you’ll fuckin’ listen.”
“Right,” he mutters. His cockiness is going to be his downfall. This girl has him forgetting his place. Forgetting that I taught him everything he knows. “You’ll get the other half tomorrow when the bank opens.”
“I’m calling church later. Make yourself available.” He storms out and Sissy goes running after him. I snort. Girl has no chance in hell of him seeing her as anything more than a pest like a little sister. He’s too old for her and I know he’d never entertain her other than giving her a rough time or to piss Lucie off. And that ship has sailed and sunk somewhere in the fucking harbor.
Later, I get another call from Tyrant letting me know that what I suspected was true.
Hero doesn’t know it yet, but he was right about the fucking Depraved Sinners. Dave sold us out to them. The cunt he was shacking up with is related to those scummy bastards.
This means war.
No one fucking steals from me and lives to tell about it.
I rally my guys and put the club on lockdown.
This ends tonight.