• Eleven •
· Eleven ·
“I see it’s real nice and friendly down here in Miami.”
Briar
This was my first night playing at my new job. We’d made it to Miami two weeks ago, and I’d decided, for now, we needed to stay here, where hiding was easy. Dovie was tucked safely in our new apartment; although it didn’t have a security guard, it was in a nice area. There was a burger place right across the street in a little shopping complex that also had a bookstore. Dovie loved going to eat there, and then we’d go to the bookstore, where she would spend hours.
The stack of bills that Bash had given me came to three thousand two hundred dollars. Way more than he’d owed me, and I would pay him back. It had given me time to get settled in with Dovie and make sure staying here was the right move. I could already tell that the beach bar I had gotten a job at got a lot of bikers. The place was nice. Clean and classy even. The fact that it was full of mostly bikers was odd, but this was Miami, and life was different down here.
Paradise Brew also didn’t sound like a place where men and women in leather and tattoos wanted to hang out. Pepper Abe was the owner, and although she was young and attractive, she was feisty. I’d seen her talk to some of these rough-looking men like they were children. I liked her. She had their respect, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t envious of her. No one treated her like she was just a piece of ass they wanted to own or control. They treated her as if she were an equal.
I wondered how she did that. She was a beautiful woman, and men had to see that. I wished I knew her trick. She owned and ran a bar on the beach. Yep, in my next life, I wanted to be Pepper Abe. Someone who didn’t get by on their looks.
“It’ll be a packed house tonight. Saturdays are always big. The Judgment comes in and fills the place up. Your tips should be great. The boys are good about tipping,” Pepper said, walking backstage with a bottle of water in her hand that she held out to me.
“What’s The Judgment?” I asked, confused.
She waved a hand. “Sorry. I forget you’re new to town. The Judgment MC. They’re a biker club. The biggest one in Florida.”
My eyes widened. “Like a real biker club?” I asked.
She grinned. “Yeah, but you’ll be fine. There isn’t a one of them that would cause any trouble here. Sure, they’re gonna make a few catcalls and stupid shit like that because, well, you’re stunning, but Micah, my older brother, is their VP, and he’d have their head on a stick if they even tried. When he and his wife, Dolly, get back from their trip to Europe, you’ll meet them. Now, if you need anything, just let me know. Give me a wave, whatever.”
I felt better about this biker thing now that I knew they weren’t about to stand up and start shooting at each other. Her brother was their VP. That explained her clientele.
She gave me a thumbs-up and turned to leave. I picked up my guitar. Pepper had said she didn’t mind if I used my own, and I was looking forward to playing onstage with it again. Opening the water, I took a long drink as I listened to Pepper announce tonight’s entertainment.
There were some cheers and a few shouts about how it’d better not be Swift-type shit from some deep, rough-sounding voices, but Pepper simply told them to shut up and stop being dicks or she’d remind them where the exit was.
I was nothing like Swift, but that didn’t mean I was against her music. She was incredibly talented. I’d just grown up listening to Loretta Lynn, June Carter, Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, and of course Dolly Parton. I was country to my roots, but not the way most country singers were today. There was a twang in my voice that I didn’t try to change.
Taking a deep, steady breath, I slid the strap of my Fender over my shoulder and made my way out the door and up onto the stage. At first, the place went silent, and I knew this was my cue to take control of the room.
“Hey, y’all,” I said, smiling out at the mix of bikers, some business-looking people, and possibly some vacationers.
It was definitely heavy on the folks with leather vests on though. Several shouted out different greetings. There was one marriage proposal by a biker, and someone else yelled out their number.
“I see it’s real nice and friendly down here in Miami,” I said, using my flirting skills as I ran my fingers over the strings. “I grew up in the deep South, if my accent didn’t already give that away, and my favorites are the classics. But I’m also open to requests, so feel free to come right on up with one at any time. But to get us started, I’ll pull one out that I think can get any crowd warmed up.”
More shouts and whistles. I blocked it easily enough as I strummed the first chord of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” By the time I was on the second line of the song, three couples had made their way out to the dance floor. Smiling, I lifted my eyes to look back at Pepper, who stood at the bar with her arms crossed over her chest, grinning. She gave me a nod and held up the glass of beer in her hand.
I was gonna be okay here.
When I had walked in a week ago and asked to speak to the manager and Pepper walked out, I’d been worried. I wasn’t used to working with women. Men I could get to do things easily. But women were another thing. Pepper didn’t hire me immediately, like most men did. She walked to the back and brought a guitar out, then handed it to me.
“Show me what you got,” she’d said and stood back, waiting on me to do just that.
I’d been so surprised at first, but it only took me a moment to gather myself. When I started singing, her eyes lit up. I felt a real sense of accomplishment. When she’d hired me, it had been because of my voice, not my looks. There was a power in that. One I wasn’t used to.
I moved on to “Before He Cheats,” “Jolene,” “My Church,” “Strawberry Wine,” “Suds in the Bucket,” and then finished the first set with “Mama Tried.” When I stepped back, the bar erupted in clapping and shouting.
“I’ll be back shortly. It’s time for a drink,” I said over the noise and turned to head down the stairs.
Pepper came walking through the crowd, looking thrilled.
I hadn’t let her down, and it felt really good.
When she reached me, she put her arm around my shoulders. “Dear God, woman, you can sing. You were good when you sang for me last week, but seeing you work a crowd like that? You held back on me. Just wow. Come on. Drinks on me,” she said, leading me through the crowd and shoving at a few arms of men who tried to come close enough to talk to me. They all obeyed her too.
“What’s your poison?” she asked me as we reached the bar.
I normally only drank water since I had to drive, but it was early, and just one wouldn’t hurt. I felt like celebrating. “Jack Daniel’s,” I told her.
“On the rocks?”
I nodded.
She turned to the bartender. “Fix her up.”
Then, she looked back at me. “That hip thing you do and the way you walk around the stage, batting those lashes of yours, is a talent I want. You are a complete package up there.”
I laughed at her description. I’d never really had female friends in my life. Or any friends really. I moved too much. Dovie was my only friend and family.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I guess I don’t see myself that way.”
Pepper raised her eyebrows. “What way?”
I shrugged. “Like you’re describing.”
“Have you looked in a mirror? Should we go do that now?”
I laughed again, feeling embarrassed. “No. I … I’m aware of how I look. I just haven’t ever thought about the other stuff being … that impressive. I love music. Singing, playing the guitar. Writing songs. But that doesn’t make me good at it. I mean, I can carry a tune but …”
Pepper picked up our drinks from the bar and handed me one. “I’m going to have someone video it. You need to see yourself. You are too good to be singing at my little bar, but I’ll keep you! I might have a riot from this bunch if I talk you into going somewhere else. And as for those songs you write, why don’t you sing them here?”
“Hey, Pep, we expecting problems?” a burly man with a leather vest, tattoos, and long hair in a ponytail asked as he stepped up in front of us, stopping me from having to answer that question.
I wasn’t ready to sing my original stuff here just yet. I wanted to get the feel of things first.
Pepper set her drink down and straightened. “No. Why?”
He nodded his head toward the door. “Couple of Hughes men just walked in.”
Pepper visibly relaxed, and she let out a sigh. “Probably here for a drink,” she replied. “Must have business in town.”
She took my arm. “I don’t want to leave you here to get proposed to and mauled. Come with me. I need to go greet our honored guests,” she said the latter with sarcasm.
I walked with her over to the three men who were taking a seat at a table toward the middle of the room. It was as if the rest of the crowd had backed away to give them plenty of space. Were they cops? I studied them. One was huge. Tall with wide shoulders. The other two weren’t as large, but one of them was covered in tattoos and looked more like the bikers here, where the other two stood out.
“Huck Kingston,” she said, and my ears instantly perked up. “Didn’t know you were in town. Hope it’s for pleasure and you’re not about to do something that’ll make a mess in my bar.”
The massive man turned. His eyes went from Pepper to me, and then they narrowed before he looked back at Pepper. “Not today,” he replied. “Stopped by as a favor to my cousin. We were in town, and he asked me to check out things here.” His eyes swung back to me.
Cousin. He was Storm’s cousin. Kingston. But how had he known I was here? Fucking Mafia.
I stepped forward and smiled a little too brightly. “Y’all are just everywhere, aren’t you? I can’t seem to get free of you. Tell Storm that I am just fine, but thanks for stalking me so efficiently.”
Huck cocked an eyebrow as he studied me for a moment. “Huh,” he said, then shook his head before looking back at Pepper. “Seems I misunderstood the reason I was asked to stop by. I wasn’t given all the details. We’ll have a round and whatever special you have tonight in the kitchen.”
Pepper looked at me, then nodded. “All right then. Kye, Six, good to see you both. How’s that baby boy of yours, Kye?”
The blond guy grinned. “He’s fucking awesome.”
Pepper chuckled. “Glad to hear it. I’ll fix y’all up with the best we got in the back tonight.”
She nodded her head for me to follow her as she moved from the table. When we were far enough away, she leaned close to me. “How do you know them?”
“Who? The Mafia? Because technically, I don’t know those guys, but I know the cousin he’s referring to. He’s in Georgia though. I assume those guys are here in Florida.”
Pepper nodded. “Yeah. So, you aren’t in trouble with them, are you? Because if so, I know someone who can fix it. I’ve got connections to the boss, and when I say boss, I mean, THE BOSS. The one who runs all of the Southern Mafia. The Florida branch is the main one. It’s run by Blaise Hughes, and he controls the entire bunch. Even those hotheads in Louisiana.”
How many states was the Southern Mafia in? They were clearly larger than I’d realized. Maybe I should have gone north. I wonder how far north I’d have to go to get away from them.
I shook my head. “No. I’ve done nothing to any of them. They just wanted a man dead, and he was already dead. King Salazar isn’t sure I’m telling the truth, so he’s watching me.”
Pepper’s gaze watched me steadily. “You’re not hiding anyone from them, are you?”
“No. The man they want dead is very dead. I would have happily handed him over to them if he were alive. He was a sick bastard.”
She took a deep breath. “All right. But you’re sure he’s dead? You’ve seen his dead body? Because you do not want them to think you’re lying to them.”
I swallowed hard and glanced around before looking back at her. “He’s dead.”
“How did you know him? Why did they come after you to find him?”
I wished she’d let this go, but she was being careful. Making sure I wasn’t about to be an issue for her. I understood that. “He was my father.”
She sucked in a breath. “But you wanted him dead?”
I nodded.
“You can see why they might not believe you though, and if he’s not dead—”
“I killed him, Pepper.”
She stared at me for several moments, and I knew my admission might get me fired. I waited, and she finally let out a long breath.
“Well, okay then.” She blinked a few times. “It’s time to get back up there.”
I didn’t move. “You aren’t firing me?”
She frowned. “Why would I do that?”
I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. “Because of what I just told you.”
Pepper pointed her finger and swung it around the room. “I grew up with this. Bikers. My dad was one. My brother is one. You killed a man who deserved it. Not a reason for me to fire you. Clearly, you can hold your own, and that’s good to know.”