Chapter 5
FINGER
Six floors to check the club women have done what they were told to do.
I’m sick of chasing their asses and I reckon Tracker had the better idea of demolishing this place and building a smaller clubhouse with all modern conveniences.
I know we’ve spent a lot of cash making this place livable, but it’s a fucking warehouse.
It’s cold, dusty and will never feel like home.
Opening and closing doors to rooms that are occupied I look into bathrooms and see they are clean, and I’m damn pleased because honestly, I am sick of chasing around after these women.
By the time I’m on the second floor, I’m sure the rooms I lock and class as vacant are going to stay that way.
I’m pleased the brothers that went to the Satan’s Guardians MC settled in okay, and from whispers I heard are thinking of opening up a new chapter of the club.
We’ll see, often gossip is just that, gossip, with no truth in it.
Walking into Tracker’s office thirty minutes later, I throw myself into a chair and give him a look that tells him I’m sick of all the shit going on.
“What’s up with you?” Tracker asks, and I know he’s taking the piss because he knows me better than most anyone at the club.
I sigh, sit up a little straighter in my seat and with the flattest sounding voice I can manage, “Report. All bathrooms are clean and the club women have for once done as they were told.”
“Do we have many rooms locked?” Tracker looks up from the laptop he has opened in front of him.
“Eight or nine. I locked them up tight. Save time for the women, and stop the men blundering in, making a mess and then fuckin’ off leaving it for someone else to clean.”
Tracker nods, and when the door opens, we both look to see Cap walking into the office. He places a mug of coffee in front of Tracker who gives him a nod of appreciation.
“The common room is a shithole again. Yvonne said she’s going on strike. I laughed, but you know she gave me a look that could have shriveled my balls, so I stopped laughing damn fast.” Cap takes a seat and looks at me before giving his attention to Tracker.
Tracker asks, “Where’s Rides?”
Rides is our Sergeant at Arms, and most people think he’s Road Captain because of his name.
In fact, he got it as a prospect because when he was doing his time, he was riding a fucking Yamaha and not a Harley.
The name stuck, but I tell you nobody can ride a bike no matter what make it is, better than Rides.
I like to think the name suits him because of that at least these days.
I shake my head because I’ve no idea. I’ve not seen him all day. Cap shrugs so it appears he’s not seen him either.
Cap changes the subject since none of us know where Rides happens to be right now.
“I think Phoenix, Winger, and Joker should step up the perimeter checks. They can pull in the prospects because we all know they need some experience on perimeter checks. If this threat from ZeBach sticks then we need to cover our asses.”
Tracker nods, “Yeah, organize that Cap. We’ll call church and cover what Cilla told us, but we need to watch some of the brothers. I’ve noticed absences from around here, and watch Snake. Something is going on with him.”
Cap’s phone buzzes and taking it out, he checks it before looking up with a grin on his face.
“Seems our missing brother, Rides is at the diner and doing his best to have your lady, Cilla, tell him if anyone is following him around. He’s staying until she tells him something. Well, that’s what he’s telling me.”
Tracker jumps to his feet and has that fuckin’ look on his face that says we could get into some trouble. But not the murdering kind—just to fuck with people for the fun of it kind.
“She’s not my lady. I don’t know where you all get that she’s mine. I met her briefly at the bar, along with other brothers I might add, yet none of you are saying she is theirs.” I huff and get out of the office before I let loose on Cap and give him a knuckle sandwich.
Tracker is chuckling under his breath, finding this all amusing, much to my annoyance.
Tracker is a complicated man. He is tough and takes a man out if needed without a second thought, yet he would give his life for a child he doesn’t even know.
He has a wicked sense of humor, a loyalty to his brothers that some of us struggle to live up to, but on the whole, he is the best man I’ve ever met, and will likely ever meet.
A woman is going to need to have something special about her to catch his eye.
He had a fancy for one of the Satan’s Guardians MC old ladies, Kennedy, but he was a little too late to grab her before one of them claimed her.
She is a feisty one, and I’m sure keeps her old man on his toes.
She’s just the type that Tracker needs, but they don’t come along very often.
Half an hour later we walk into the diner and see Rides at a table watching Cilla, and I mean his eyes are following her around the room as she is serving. Anyone can see she is getting annoyed, but he isn’t caring one bit.
We take a seat at his table, and the three of us give Rides a seriously long look. Tracker growls, “What the fuck are you doing?”
Rides shrugs. “I want Cilla to see if I have any family following me around. You all know I lost them in that car wreck. I want to be sure they are good wherever they are. If Cilla can tell me, then I can put it to rest after all the years I’ve stressed about what happened.”
Cilla steps up to the table, holding her small pad and giving us a bland look. “What can I get you guys?”
Cap quickly answers for all of us, “We’ll have coffee and the breakfast special, Cilla, please.”
Cilla points her finger at Rides, “I’ll speak to you after my shift.” Before anyone can speak she whirls around and heads back to the counter. I look at Rides who now has a huge grin on his face. Cap is shaking his head, and for some reason Tracker is rubbing his chin.
I watch what is going on but keep quiet. The last thing I need is everyone to start with the Cilla being mine thing again!
After we’ve eaten Tracker thanks Cilla and asks if she can update on anything more regarding ZeBach.
Cilla scrunches her nose and then pats Tracker’s arm, which amuses me because people are usually averse to touching him unless invited.
Something to do with the aura he puts out we all decided at one time when drunk and having a meaningful discussion about our Pres.
“I’ll speak to you also after my shift finishes. I will…”
“Just because they had the breakfast special doesn’t mean it’s still early, Cilla. You’ve done more than your share of work these last few days. Take an early break and speak with Tracker and the very annoying Rides,” Shelby gives Cilla a pat on the shoulder and a tip of the head to get gone.
After giving us all a nasty look Cilla walks away from the table. Shelby takes the cash Tracker throws down for our order, and we head out the front where we lean on our hogs and wait for Cilla to appear.
Rides is shuffling every few seconds and eager for Cilla to leave the diner. Cap sighs and slaps Rides upside the head. “Give it a rest, man. She’ll be here in a minute, then you can ask her what you need to.”
Cilla steps out of the diner, jacket over her arm and a determined look on her face. She heads towards her truck, and once unlocked she throws her jacket on the passenger seat and turns to look at the four of us that have followed her. She folds her arms, then looks at Rides.
“I just want to know if my family is alright. They died in a pileup, and I need to know they are not suffering,” Rides throws out before anyone can say a word.
Cilla’s attitude calms, and she closes her eyes. We can all see she is doing something, but we’ve no idea what. Opening her eyes, she looks at Rides and gives him a sweet smile. “Your mother, Florie, wants me to tell you…”
Rides gasps and grabs hold of Cilla’s hands. We can see he’s being gentle, but we all took a small step forward, which was an involuntary reaction to seeing a man move quickly towards a woman. “Yes, my mother’s name was Florence, but she liked to be called Florie.”
“Well, your momma says she is fine, your family is fine. Stop acting like a jerk. Her words not mine, Rides. She said to tell Benjamin that she doesn’t like the name Rides but understands why you have it.
She also said to find a woman, settle down and create a new family.
” Cilla turns to Tracker, “She likes you and said you have created an unconventional family, but your family over on her side is well.”
Cap holds his hand up to stop Cilla from telling him anything. “I don’t want to know, Cilla. If my family is having issues, there is fuck all I can do about it, and I’m not about to die so I can do anything either.”
Cilla takes us all by surprise when she giggles at Cap’s comment but looks at Tracker turning serious.
“Bono said you have three days before someone is going to set a bomb at the clubhouse. He doesn’t know who it is, but it’s someone who is not with your brotherhood.
You need a serious watch, Tracker, or you’ll not see it coming, and then it’ll be too late. ”
“Anything else, Cilla?” Tracker asks, and I can see he is trying not to let his monster temper out in front of her. The pulse beating at his temple is a sure giveaway that he’s about ready to blow his fuse.
“Nothing, but I will relay any message Bono gives me. Oh, Finger, your Grandmama Pearl says she is sorry you lost a finger, but she’s proud you ended the sorry son of a… Oh gosh, why do you all do this to me?”
Cilla is looking up at the sky, and I can imagine my grandmama saying exactly that.
She was a feisty one, and she would have asked why I’d not had the finger sewn back on.
But when you are thousands of miles away from home in a different country, you don’t have that option.
I don’t stop the chuckle, and Cilla gives me an eye roll before climbing into her truck.
We watch her drive away before making our way back to our hogs.
Seems that is all we are getting from Cilla today from the ghosties that she sees.
Rides, however, has lost that stiffness to his shoulders that he always carries.
It’s obvious he is feeling much easier now he knows his family is okay in the life beyond.
It seems weird thinking of people who have passed being alive so to speak somewhere else.
My worry is about the fuckers we’ve put in the ground during war or because they just needed eradicating!
“Come on, let’s get back. We have to work out how we are going to stop this fuckin’ bomb being planted.
Let’s get church called and cover our bases.
Cilla will let us know anything new Bono has for us, and we all take her seriously.
Any brother not doing that we make sure they learn the lesson.
You get me?” Tracker is more than serious, and we know learn the lesson means they’ll get a beat down until they do learn it.