Chapter 16
The first few hours they were on the road were tense. Tally’s excitement about finally getting out of her apartment and heading to Pennsylvania quickly died as she took in the gravity of what they were about to do. Anyone could present themselves as ‘nice’ on the internet. Was she leading Simone into a hornet’s nest?
But she couldn’t believe her mystery man— shit, Scar —that Scar would associate himself with people who would do her harm. Fuck, maybe she was being na?ve. Maybe there was a way she could convince Simone to get her to Mount Grove and then leave. Either stay at a hotel in town or head back to Atlanta.
They stopped for the night just over the border of Virginia near Blacksburg. Not wanting to use a chunk of their cash on a fancy hotel, they pulled into a motel parking lot to stay the night. Tally kept a firm hold of her cane as Simone got their bags out of her car and led them to their outside door.
The silence between them held a lot of tension, but Tally wasn’t sure how to fix it. Simone was helping her because she was her friend . That was it. Friends helped each other. Had Tally been pushing for independence for so long that she hadn’t even realized just how much at arm’s length she’d kept herself from her own best friend?
Worry for Scar made it difficult to eat, and the fact that they had grabbed fast food for dinner didn’t help much. Tally was not one for processed foods. She picked at the salad she’d ordered while Simone ate her cheeseburger and fries.
“Not the worst burger I’ve had,” Simone said around her bite. “Yours are better, of course.”
Tally forced herself to acknowledge that with a short, “Thanks.”
Fear of the unknown had her wired and distracted, but lack of sleep over the past two nights had at least helped her to nap some on the car ride up here. The smell in the motel room might give her nightmares. It wasn’t a crappy motel. According to Simone, it belonged to a larger chain of hotels, but it still wasn’t the nicest.
“What time did you want to head out in the morning?” Simone asked, like she was trying to fill the silence. “Early?”
“Yeah,” Tally answered honestly. The sooner they headed out, the sooner they got to Mount Grove, and the sooner she would get answers. If the Via Daemonia wouldn’t talk to her then that, in and of itself, was an answer. A shitty one, but an answer.
What if her dad was right about Scar? What if he was a bad man? Doubt that she was leading her best friend into danger had her pushing her barely eaten salad away from herself.
Unable to stand the tension anymore, Tally got up and started to get ready for bed. Even some sleep was better than no sleep.
Tom had done something to both their phones that prevented them from being tracked, so Simone was able to call him and talk to Amelia and Grayson as she got ready for bed, too. From the sound of it, Simone spoke like they were keeping Grayson. Tally hoped so, but also knew, legally, it wasn’t that simple.
Maybe she could get her dad to pull some strings and?—
Fuck. Tally flinched. Her gut reaction was to call her dad. Because he was her dad . He’d always been there for her, never given her a reason to doubt him before yesterday. What was it about Scar that made her doubt her own father so profoundly now?
Or maybe it had nothing to do with Scar. Maybe it was how her dad had acted. All on his own. After all, it wasn’t like Scar had been conscious to defend himself against her father’s attack. It had been so quick, so blindsided. Cruel, even.
She knew her father was a hard man, professionally. But he’d never been with her before. Not until yesterday. Sure, one could argue that he was protecting her, that he feared for her safety, but then why not stay with her? Why leave as he did? Why rush out of his own daughter’s apartment like he’d finally discovered the treasure he’d been searching for all his life?
The story of Ahab and Moby Dick came to mind. Had her father finally captured his whale? Was that why he had acted so out of character? Why he’d practically run out of her apartment without even checking in to see if she was okay?
Tally shifted on the mattress, realizing something that hadn’t occurred to her until now with her current train of thought. If he truly believed that Scar was there to harm her, why hadn’t her father checked her over for injuries?
Simone was in bed now too, the two queen beds separated by a nightstand. Tally knew she was still awake though. Both quiet, Simone’s breathing implied she was not yet asleep either.
Guilt had her opening her mouth. “My dad started training me when I was four. He wanted me to be ready to face the world, to learn to live in it my way , instead of fearing it. In the past, when I told people about it, they compared me to Daredevil or doubted my abilities to the point where they demanded proof. When I moved to Atlanta, I knew I’d have a spotlight on me for being ‘The Blind Chef’ and I didn’t want to stand out anymore. I just wanted to fit in, I guess. When I met you and Tom, and by extension Mark, it seemed like I was finally getting my wish.”
Tally took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I lied. I know it was a lie of omission, but it was still a lie. You’re right. I kept a part of myself hidden from you and I’m sorry. You truly are a great friend and I don’t deserve you.”
She heard Simone roll over on her bed to face Tally. “Remember when Tom and I first started dating? I told you how great he was and felt like he was too good for me? You slapped me upside the head and practically told me that I was being a moron, that my self-worth should never be defined by a man. I am beautiful and amazing and Tom would be lucky if he landed a girl like me.”
Tally’s lips twitched in memory. “I remember.”
“I don’t know what’s going on between you and this Scar guy. Personally, I’m not sold on him. There’s too much unknown. But you , Tally Meacham, need to stop defining yourself by your independence . You think you have to do everything on your own, to always prove yourself worthy of those of us ‘with eyes’. That’s bullshit, and it stops right now. You’re amazing and you know it. The entire culinary world knows it! But asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you less . You need to be strong enough to accept help and still know your self-worth.”
Tally wiped the lone tear that had fallen from her eye. “I will work on it,” she vowed. “I might need some help,” they both chuckled lightly, “but I promise I’ll work on it.”
“Good. And I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Simone.”
“Get some sleep, Tally. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Impatience for the next day rose up in her once more. “Goodnight, Si.”
There was a few minutes of silence before Simone let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Damn it, I need to pee again. I love my daughter, but damn, that girl messed up my bladder control. Be right back.”
As Simone walked off towards the bathroom again, Tally settled herself more under the covers. In a little over twelve hours, she would hopefully have some answers. The leather cut she was wearing under her pajamas warmed her bare skin as if in anticipation.
* * *
“All right,” Simone said with a bit a wariness in her voice, “based on the GPS, I’m assuming the entrance to their property is that big gate up ahead.”
The windows were down in Simone’s car. Tally needed the fresh air to help calm her nerves and found the mountain summer breeze to be more comforting than she expected. The small town had a nice smell to it, including coffee beans and a delicious, doughy scent from a local bakery. Nothing like the exhaust and stink of the city. Having grown up in Alexandria and then going to college in Washington, D.C., Tally had been a city girl all her life and hadn’t spent much time in small towns like Mount Grove.
The atmospheric contrast was surprisingly pleasant.
“All right, we’re here. Last chance to turn back, Tal.”
Tally felt the car make a right hand turn and then brake. She had no intention of turning back. Not wanting to stick her head out of the window like a dog, she asked Simone, “What do you see?”
“Not much. There’s a large black gate in front of us. We’re next to what I guess is a guardhouse, but it’s empty. I can see the roof of a building in the distance, but it’s down a small slope so I can’t see much beyond the drive and grass.”
“Is there a call box or some way to buzz the gate open?”
“Yeah. Hold on.” Tally heard the click as Simone unbuckled her seatbelt. Then the rustle of her friend reaching out the window. A buzzer sounded, followed by silence. Simone sat back in her seat. After several tense seconds, Simone asked, “Now what?”
Tally shrugged, unsure. “Maybe they’re not home? It is a Tuesday.”
It was a good thing that Simone was a stay-at-home mom and was able to drop everything to help Tally without needing to fake a medical or family emergency to get out of work. When Amelia started school in a few years, Simone planned on going back to work as an antique restorer.
Tally was practically running away from her responsibilities to come here. Her restaurant had just burned down and there were countless things she should be doing, and yet she wasn’t doing any of them.
A male voice came over a speaker to their left. “Can I help you?”
She felt Simone turn to her. Tally leaned over the center console to bring herself closer to the box. “Um, we’re here about Scar.”
There was another long moment of silence before the whirr of the mechanical gate sounded. Simone put her seatbelt back on before putting the car into Drive. The car started forward slowly.
Tally leaned her head towards the open window, breathing in the grassy air. She got a sweet, almost bitter scent, that made her think of the dandelions and buttercups of her parents’ backyard.
“We’re approaching a very large building. It looks maybe two stories. The club’s logo is on the front of it, so we’re definitely in the right place. And there’s a shit ton of motorcycles parked out front. I see some houses in the distance too. Like a mini community. It’s… Well, it’s really nice looking, to be honest. Paved walkways, clean, and I think that’s a kids’ playground set back there.”
Tally felt the car curve to the left slightly.
“Two guys just stepped out of the building. I think motorcycle clubs call them ‘clubhouses’, but don’t quote me on that.”
Tally gripped her cane tighter. She felt awkward now, wearing the cut under her shirt. It was big enough that she’d had to tuck it into her jeans, but she hadn’t been able to take it off that morning when she’d gotten ready to go. Like she needed it for protection. The leather felt good on her skin.
“One guy’s definitely older, fifties-ish. Best way I can describe him is a ‘yummy silver fox’. I’m happily married, but damn, that guy is hot. I’d put him as the leader, I think. It’s the way he’s standing. He also has tattoos down his right arm.
“The other guy is younger but still older than us. Maybe early-forties. Dirty blonde hair with some gray. And believe it or not, he’s got a baby strapped to his front. They’re both wearing the same sort of cuts we found in your bedroom.”
Simone parked the car, putting up the windows.
“Remember,” Tally said softly, “you need to pretend I’m blind.”
“You are blind,” Simone scoffed.
Tally scowled, unbuckling her seatbelt. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Simone got out.
Tally waited for her to walk around to her side of the car. They’d agreed that Tally should overemphasize her blindness until they knew more about what they were walking into. It had been Simone’s turn to slap Tally upside the head that morning for her suggestion that she drop Tally off alone.
Simone guided Tally up and out of the car. Since Tally didn’t have her own set of sunglasses, Simone had already given Tally her pair before they’d pulled up to the gate. Tally’s eyes were fake, so she didn’t need to worry about accidentally looking into the sun and burning her retinas like someone with eyeballs who was blind or visually impaired did.
It had been a long time since Tally had needed someone to ‘guide’ her as Simone was now, but it was sort of like riding a bike. She never really forgot. Simone looped her arm through Tally’s and started them forward.
“Step,” Simone warned as Tally’s cane connected with the lip of a sidewalk.
Tally was not comfortable going into the situation completely blind, though. She clicked her tongue every ten seconds or so, a more discreet sound than her usual. She also loudly tapped her cane on the sidewalk to help fill in the gaps.
She got a variety of smells, both about their location and the two men they were approaching. To her surprise, the strongest scent was baby lotion. Bikers who smelled like baby lotion?
She did not get a hint of metal from either of them, leading her to believe that they were not armed. However, that did not mean they weren’t dangerous. Both men were over six feet and well-muscled. The one with the baby strapped to his chest also had a whiff of sugar coming off of him, like cotton candy.
“Hello,” one of them said. His voice was older and had a gruffness to it, reminding her of her father’s. A closer sniff and Tally caught the scent of cigar tobacco. “I’m Steel, President of the Via Daemonia . This is Lucky, my VP. The message we got was that you were here about Scar. What is it we can help you with?”
Tally deliberately held her hand out too far to the right. “Thank you for seeing us.” Simone took her wrist and guided her hand to the left. A large, calloused palm took it. Though his grip was gentle, it held a note of power. This was not a man she wanted to mess with. “I’m Tally and this is my best friend, Simone. I have some questions about Scar that I’m hoping you can help answer.”
The hand dropped hers. “I have some questions of my own,” Steel said. His tone implied concern and skepticism. “Would you like to come inside? I have to warn you. We were in the middle of a meeting when you rang through, so my officers are also inside. But word travels around here like wildfire. No doubt others will come when they hear you’re here about Scar.”
“Please,” Tally said, adding a bit of eagerness to her voice. “We’ve been driving for hours. Could I trouble you for a glass of water and a bathroom?”
“Of course,” Steel answered.
Tally felt the other guy, Lucky, head inside. Simone gently pulled Tally’s arm, indicating for them to walk forward. Tally heard the creak of a glass door and felt Steel at their back. Air conditioning blew at them. Simone stepped back to let Tally through the door first and then quickly reclaimed her arm.
The moment her cane hit the hardwood floor of the interior, Tally’s surprise went up. A few more taps and she started to get a more complete picture. To their right was a lot of wood and a half counter. A bar, she realized. The smell of alcohol was present but not overwhelming like one would expect inside a biker clubhouse.
Furniture was to their left. Like a seating area. There was a larger piece, likely a couch, and some medium size pieces. A loveseat, maybe? And several individual seats.
The room itself was big with an extremely tall ceiling. Metal stairs were directly in front of them, maybe twenty feet or so. The further inside they walked, the further her sense of the building extended. There were doors on the wall under the stairs and a hallway in the way back to the right that led somewhere.
A door swung open on their right, closer to the bar, and Tally got the immediate impression of a kitchen. The distinctive smell of the stainless steel gave her a sense of nostalgia and sadness for what she’d lost.
“Ladies, the bathroom is this way.”
Simone guided her to the left, past the seating area. Two doors faced them and the smell of disinfectant and soap hinted at the bathrooms beyond.
“Do you need anything else? We have sandwiches already made from our meeting, but we keep a fully stocked kitchen.”
Tally shook her head. “I’m good. Simone?”
“Just the water,” her friend answered. “Thank you.”
Simone stepped forward, opening a door for Tally. She walked inside, her cane touching tile instead of hardwood. She knew immediately that it was a ladies’ room with stalls and not an individual bathroom. That was good.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Simone lowered her voice. “Why did you want to come in here? We stopped an hour ago so we were ready when we got here.”
Tally handed Simone her cane. “I need to get this off of me. I feel like an imposter wearing it here.”
Simone gasped when Tally raised her shirt to reveal the cut. “Why are you wearing that?” Simone hissed. “Clubs take their cuts very seriously, Tally. Wearing that is like a serious offense in their world.”
“We have no idea what ‘their world’ is like,” Tally snapped back. She stripped off her t-shirt and tucked it between her knees so she could take off the cut. Handing that to Simone too, she said, “Put it in your purse.”
Quickly, Tally put her shirt back on, feeling for the tag to know the front from the back. Simone was a mom and carried a massive purse with everything from a first aid kit to a flashlight to toddler’s shoes to snack bags filled with Cheerios . She heard the zipper open and then close as Simone put Scar’s cut inside.
Despite being fully dressed, Tally felt naked without it. But Simone was right. She had no right to wear it, not here at least.
Simone walked into one of the stalls and flushed the toilet before coming out to turn on the sink to simulate the sounds that one of them had used the facilities. After turning on the hand dryer, she asked, “Ready?”
Tally wasn’t but she said, “Yes,” anyway.
Together, they headed back out into the main room.
* * *
More people than Steel and Lucky now filled the large area. Tally was still counting voices and footsteps when Simone whispered, “There’s eight men and two women—sorry, five women. Three more just came through the front doors. Besides the baby strapped to Lucky’s chest, another woman is also holding a baby.”
Someone approached them and the smell of tobacco told Tally it was Steel before he spoke. “I apologize for the additional people. I did try to warn you that news spreads around here like wildfire. Thankfully, we were able to keep the club kids away. I don’t want them a part of this conversation. Please,” Tally felt a breeze of air, indicating that Steel had swept his hand in front of himself, “there is seating this way.”
Simone guided Tally to their right. Though it wasn’t necessary, as Tally had a clear image in her head of where everything was thanks to the hardwood floor, Simone helped Tally through the maze of furniture and to one of the loveseats. She sat down beside her and then said, “Thank you,” as she accepted two water bottles.
Simone cracked open the water bottle before picking up Tally’s right hand and placing the cold plastic into her palm. If Tally could roll her eyes, she would have. What, Simone didn’t want to drink it for her too? Maybe transfer it to Tally’s mouth like a mama bird?
She knew she told Simone to play up her blindness, but damn.
Tally tried to keep the annoyance off her face and took a sip of the water. “Thank you.”
Others filled in the seats around them, making Tally feel like she was under a heated spotlight on a Broadway stage. The air was tense, like they were waiting for some bad news. And she could sense them all staring at her.
A different man spoke up. “How do you know Scar?” his voice wasn’t entirely friendly.
“Bulldog,” Steel snapped. “I apologize,” he said more gently to Tally and Simone. Tally sensed he was sitting the closest to them. The other man who had spoken, Bulldog, was further back. Without using echolocation, Tally couldn’t tell who had sat down where or who was still standing. “Bulldog is my Sergeant at Arms and was Scar’s best friend.”
Was? Tally stiffened slightly. Had they had a falling out or something?
Not knowing how else to explain what they were doing here or to prove that they did know Scar, Tally reached for Simone’s purse. Apparently it was a good thing she’d taken the cut off, because otherwise she’d be doing a striptease for these strangers.
Taking out Scar’s cut, she held it out to Steel.
Fast motion and heavy footsteps sounded as someone approached them quickly. Tally’s grip on her cane tightened, but no one came at them directly. She sensed a large presence by Steel and then the distinctive sound of leather.
“Where did you get this?” It was Bulldog who spoke, only this time his voice was soft. Like he was barely breathing.
Not able to stand it anymore, Tally clicked her tongue in his direction. Bulldog was massive, easily six and a half feet tall. She knew he was bald too and would guess that he had a lot of facial hair. He was standing right next to Steel, gripping Scar’s cut.
Tally tipped her head. The emotion coming off of Bulldog was intense, like grief.
Not ready to answer the question of where she’d gotten the cut from, Tally asked, “I need you to tell me about Scar. I need to know if he’s a good guy or a bad guy.”
The room seemed to hold its breath, the only sounds coming from the two oblivious babies.
A woman answered from Tally’s right. “He was the best guy.”
There was that word again: was . Why were they talking about Scar in the past tense?
“Tally, Simone, this is Harper.” Tally recognized Lucky’s voice. “She’s my better half and was also Scar’s friend.”
Tally couldn’t take it anymore. Rather than greeting Harper as social etiquette dictated, she demanded, “What do you mean by was ?”
“He died.” Tally turned her head in Bulldog’s direction. “He was shot saving one of our ol’ ladies.”
Utter despair crashed over her like a tidal wave. Dead? No! Tears welled in her eyes. How could that be? He’d escaped her father and then somehow… When? Tally dropped her head into her hands, not wanting witnesses to the spiral of emotions she knew were being displayed on her face.
Simone put her hand on Tally’s back, rubbing her soothingly as Tally rocked forward. “When did this happen?”
“Over two months ago.”
Tally froze, mid-rock. Two months ? Was it possible they were talking about two different men? But then how had her mystery man gotten their man’s cut? No, she’d felt the scars on her mystery man’s throat. She knew he was Scar. Their Scar.
“Does he talk?”
“What?” someone questioned.
Tally sat up, angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks with the palms of her hands. “Does he talk? Scar?”
She got the distinct impression the others were waiting for Bulldog to answer. She tipped her face towards the big man, waiting.
“No,” Bulldog finally answered. “At least, not in many years.”
It was him.
“You said he died over two months ago? Then how was he standing in my apartment two days ago?”
A flurry of responses went up. From gasps of shock to words of denial. Someone started praying. Everyone was talking over each other and it wasn’t until Steel silenced them with a sharp whistle that they all stopped.
Steel’s voice was harsh but held no malice. “I am going to need you to explain that statement. We put our brother to rest two months ago. If he’s…” Steel cleared his throat. “If he’s alive then we have a right to know about it.”
Tally reached for Simone’s hand. The raw emotion in Steel’s voice was like a sledgehammer to her heart. Between Bulldog’s reaction and now Steel’s, Tally knew that these people truly cared for Scar.
What would their reaction be when they learned her father had kidnapped him?
Tally turned her face in Harper’s direction. “You said that he was the best man. Why? Did you not believe him to be dangerous?”
Steel made a sound as if he was going to speak again, but Harper spoke first. “It’s okay.” To Tally, she said, “Scar was very dangerous, but there’s no one I trusted—” Her voice cracked. “ Trust more to protect my children.”
Meaning that the baby Lucky had strapped to his chest wasn’t their only child. Not that that truly mattered, but Harper’s statement about trusting Scar was powerful. A good mother would do anything to protect her children.
Tally squeezed Simone’s hand for support as she shifted in her chair towards Steel and Bulldog again. “About a month ago, Scar showed up in my apartment. I didn’t know why he was there at first and mistakenly thought he was a bodyguard my father sent to guard me. He was just… there .” Tally shrugged, unsure how else to describe it. “He never spoke, which I found disconcerting at first, but then started to take comfort in his presence. The knowledge that he was there and had my back.”
She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling cold. “I started cooking for him. We became, uh, friends, I guess.” She winced, the word feeling inaccurate. Needing to feel something other than sorrow, Tally forced out a laugh. “I didn’t even know his name until yesterday when we found that,” she pointed at Scar’s cut still in Bulldog’s hand, “in my apartment.”
Not knowing what else to say, Tally stopped talking. How did she explain what had happened to Scar? These people were learning that their friend and brother was still alive, but it wasn’t like he was about to walk through the clubhouse door. Was she only giving them false hope that their brother would return to them?
“Forgive me for the indelicate question, but how blind are you?” Tally turned towards the new voice. It was a woman sitting fairly close to Harper and Lucky. “I’m Dr. Tessa Collins, by the way. I apologize for the inquiry but your friend acts like you’re completely blind but you, uh, don’t. You said that Scar was in your life for the past month, but I’m having trouble understanding how or why he would reveal himself to you. Most of the time we don’t even know he’s in the room until he was, uh,” she struggled to find the right words, “suddenly there.”
Tally fought the urge to slap herself in the forehead. Apparently, she sucked at playing being blind. Removing the sunglasses, she handed them back to Simone. “I’m entirely blind. I was born with bilateral anophthalmia. I use echolocation to ‘see’, for lack of a better word.” Though she sensed confusion from others, she didn’t from the doctor. “And I suspect Scar didn’t reveal himself to me and never meant to, but I knew anyway. Once he realized he couldn’t hide from me, he stopped trying to.”
“Why would Scar go to you?” another woman asked. She was sitting on the other side of Lucky. “If he was alive,” her voice cracked, “why would he go to you? Who are you to him?”
Tally shook her head. “Nobody,” then corrected, “at first. But we…bonded, for lack of a better word. I care about him. I…” Tally’s face scrunched as she tried to process the whirlwind of emotions going through her. “I feel like we could have …” Tally flinched at the past tense. Clearing her throat, she professed, “Scar’s mine. I don’t know if that means he’s my friend or someday more, but he’s mine. He means something to me.”
It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest at the confession, the declaration.
The silence that followed was broken by a man saying in a low, almost jovial voice, “Holy fucking shit. Scar’s got a woman.” Which was then followed immediately by the slap of skin, like someone had hit him.
“Where is Scar now?” Bulldog demanded.
Tally flinched, but not at his question. At what her answer would have to be. These people, Scar’s family, were owed the truth. Only, she didn’t know how to explain it.
A phone notification went off. Tally’s ears picked up Steel reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. After a moment, he said, “Our computer whiz of a brother is telling me to ask you about your father, Tally.”
Tally felt her skin go clammy as cold chills rolled through her. “What?”
Another message, followed by a sigh. “He also says he wants to try your crème br?lée the next time he’s down in Atlanta.”
Well, fuck. So much for anonymity. Clearly, whoever their tech wizard was, he was very good if he found out who Tally was already. Had he run Simone’s plates? Maybe they should have taken an Uber to the clubhouse.
But this was Scar’s family. She could trust them, right? Fuck, what did she know? She couldn’t even trust her own father right now.
“Can you help him?” Tally asked, desperate. “You’re all former military, right? Can you help him?”
Others quickly started talking, demanding to know what she meant by her questions, but again they all stopped at a signal from Steel.
“Where is he, Tally? I swear to you, we’ll help him. But we need to know where he is.”
Tally took a deep breath, considering her options. What she was about to do went against the very beliefs she’d been raised to uphold. She was about to betray her father in an irreversible way. But Scar needed help, and she was the only one who held the answers these men needed to find their missing brother.
“My father is Henry Meacham,” Tally said in a soft voice. Like if she didn’t say it loudly, it wouldn’t be such a betrayal. “He runs a paramilitary group out of Washington, D.C., named Primis.” Swallowing hard, she confessed, “He took Scar. He captured Scar out of my apartment two days ago…and I think he’s holding him prisoner.”
After a second of silence, all hell broke loose.
* * *