Chapter 13 #3
“She’s our sister. You can’t prevent us from having contact with her,” Rome snapped.
Reaper ran his gaze up and down Rome, then icily stated, “Try us. You clearly don’t know anything about motorcycle clubs, so let me educate you.
We always back each other. We’re family, brothers.
And part of the bond is our protection of anyone claimed by one of us.
The claimed individual is referred to as an old lady or an old man, depending on the circumstances.
Aubrielle is Shadow’s old lady. Anyone or anything deemed a threat or inappropriate is removed for her safety.
Blood family isn’t exempt. Is that clear? ”
The tightening of the Carter men’s mouths showed they resented being schooled, but all three nodded. It had been decided in advance that Reaper, as club president, would be the main speaker unless it made sense for one of us to respond or interject. With their reluctant acceptance, Pres continued.
“Now, let’s talk business. You said at Eden that you have a business idea. We want to know what it is and how you see us working together. What are the benefits on both sides?”
His questions shook Oliver free of the trance, or whatever it was he’d zoned into. He straightened and pasted on a genial expression.
“Thank you, Reaper. We want to make it right on both sides. I don’t know if Aubrielle has told you anything about our family businesses.” He paused and got no hint from us, so he continued.
“As fellow businessmen who understand that not everything is as black and white as the world sometimes tries to make it, we believe you’ll see the mutual benefit of working together.
I’ve asked around, and I’m told the Iron Punishers have several successful businesses that, on the surface, appear legitimate.
Punishers’ Eden, where my daughter works, is one of them.
However, there are also whispers about a past where your club wasn’t clean. You were an outlaw MC.”
As he warmed up to his theme, Oliver stood and paced. His hands gestured enthusiastically.
“Your club was rumored to sell guns, drugs, and more. Law enforcement likes to tell us what we can and can’t do.
Why should they be allowed to impact our earning potential?
I’ve always believed that if people are willing to buy or sell a product, why not do it?
Because of this belief, I created my first business.
“If Aubrielle hasn’t mentioned it, we hold dog fights that have been profitable for years. I raised my boys in that world, so they can carry on the family legacy when the time comes. Of course, before they joined me, Jock became a part of it. We believe in the family model as you do.”
We pretended to exchange quick, interested glances to draw him in more. My woman sat there, not saying a word, merely staring at her family.
“What’s the other business?” Crusher asked.
“While dog fights make us money, they don’t bring in the big bucks.
That’s why we’ve expanded into bringing human fighters to the masses.
You’ve heard of fight clubs, I have no doubt.
The payout on those fights is much higher.
Truce is our champion. He’s undefeated. He’s a man who loves to fight and has made his living from it,” Oliver bragged.
“We’ve heard those can be a moneymaker, but you have to continuously worry about losing your dogs, fighters, and attracting replacement ones. And that doesn’t take into account the risk of the cops finding out, arresting you, and dismantling it all,” Mayhem stated.
“You’re right. We’ve developed a proven method to prevent that, which we’ll explain later if you decide to join us,” Oliver added.
“Why do you need us? It sounds like you have a good thing going. You’ve found a way to avoid arrest,” Crusher stated.
“We need men who can get us in contact with other like-minded people to be our customers, and dogs and men to be the entertainment. And to provide muscle for expansion. We want to hold larger fights, but doing so increases the risk of interference from competitors and law enforcement. You know of other clubs we can work with to do similar things. I want to take this beyond just our section of Virginia. I want to have setups in other states. We’d start with those that border our state and go from there. ”
His grandiose ideas were evident not only in his words but also in the almost fanatical gleam in his eyes. His sons were nodding along, especially Rome. Jace was less so. As for Jock, there was greed there as well.
“And the reason you decided on us in the first place was Aubrielle’s association with our club. If you hadn’t heard mention of us when you asked around, would you have come to this meeting?” Reaper asked.
There were several seconds of silence before we got an answer.
“I don’t know. Maybe. But you’ve walked this path. You weren’t run out of business. While I have heard there have been a few arrests over the years, your club remains and thrives, if everything I have heard is true. When you add the connection to Elle, it makes sense,” Oliver explained.
“What do the rest of you think of this idea?” I asked.
“It has merit,” Rome said.
“If Dad wants it, then I do,” Jace chimed in.
Jock shrugged. “From everything my brother and I discussed, this is a good direction to go in. If you can’t support it, then we’ll find another MC who can.”