Swerve Chapter 6 #2
They planned to share the news with everyone.
I was given permission to tell Annette and Electra.
When Electra’s name was mentioned, Paige lamented that she hadn’t had the chance to meet and talk to the new addition at Recovery yet.
Before we parted ways, she insisted she would fix that oversight.
I tried to assure her that Electra didn’t take it as a slight.
She hadn’t met all of the club, as far as I knew.
Unless they’d been in the office the times I’d stayed home, which was possible.
Reentering the building housing Recovery’s office, I was hit with the sound of raised voices. One was an angry male, and then I heard Electra. I flew through the inner door to the office and came to a halt.
The man yelling was backed against the wall. He was eyeing Dozer, who had him pinned against it. My dog wore an intimidating expression that shouted, Move and I’ll eat you, motherfucker.
“Woman, get this fucking killer away from me. What kind of place is this where you keep a mankiller on the premises? It should be against the law. If he bites me, I’m suing your asses,” the guy snapped.
His tone offended Dozer, it seemed, because my dog woofed and moved a step closer to the man. The guy cringed. He saw me and pleaded with me.
“Hey, mister, do you see this shit? Call the cops. Have them take this killer to the pound so they can put his ass down. He’s too dangerous to be left out like this. He should be chained up somewhere with a logging chain he can’t break.”
“Buddy, I have news for you. That dog is mine. He wouldn’t hurt a fly unless he had reason to believe someone was a threat. I don’t know what exactly happened here, but it’s clear that you did something to set him off. And someone will put down my dog over my fucking dead body,” I snapped.
“Oh, that’s just great. I guess being half a man like you are, you think you need some beast like this around to protect you,” he sneered.
I’d heard worse, so his remark rolled off me.
However, it didn’t have the same effect on Electra.
I heard a growl, but it wasn’t Dozer who made it.
The sound came from Electra. Annette was giving the guy a dirty look, but I noticed she was standing as far back as she could, with Electra between them.
“If you don’t want to see who tears you apart first, me or Dozer, you’ll shut your mouth and not say anything like that again to Swerve.
You were asked to leave, but you didn’t.
Dozer is protecting us and those who stay here.
You triggered him by refusing to leave and raising your voice,” Electra snarled.
“You asked him to leave, and he refused?” I reiterated to be sure I heard correctly. Annette nodded.
I glared at the intruder. “What the hell is your name, and what are you doing at Wrath’s Recovery? If you’re a visitor, this isn’t the way to get inside.”
“I came to check this place out. I’ve heard a bunch of rumors about what goes on around here.
I was curious, so I thought I’d see for myself.
I asked these two women what happens here.
They refused to tell me without seeing some kind of identification.
When I refused to show them any, they claimed I had to leave.
“I don’t believe what I’m hearing about this place being some kind of shelter.
It has to be something else. You’ve got a bunch of women staying here.
They rarely seem to leave. This isn’t some apartment building.
And I’ve been told a bunch of bikers run it.
The only thing I can think of is that you’re running an illegal prostitution business.
If so, what does a guy gotta do to get on the clientele list?
What do you charge? I have a bunch of friends who’ll be interested in becoming clients if the price is right.
Are they clean whores? And do these two service as well? ‘Cause I could go for the feisty one.”
The bastard leered at Electra, even though Dozer still had him cornered against the wall. His assumption about what kind of place we ran was one thing, but to leer at Electra the way he did and slide his eyes all over her made me want to give him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.
“Dozer, heel. To Electra,” I ordered.
Dozer gave me a reluctant look, but backed up.
He kept his eyes on the guy and backed away to place himself squarely between the women and the man.
I knew he was torn. His first instinct was to protect me.
However, I could do more than even my dog knew to defend myself.
If shit got ugly, I couldn’t worry about myself if I had to worry about the women.
As the guy’s gaze landed on me, I saw Electra point to the desk, then give me a thumbs up.
Good. They’d triggered the silent alarm that’d been installed at the desk for emergencies, such as someone trying to force their way into the building.
I wondered if they’d done it, then why hadn’t I gotten an alert on my phone?
That would be something to check out after getting rid of this clown.
“Let me make myself very clear. The Horsemen of Wrath MC does not deal in prostitution. Period. This place is a recovery second-chance outreach for people impacted by abuse in various forms. Yes, the majority of the people we help are women. They don’t feel safe to leave the grounds often.
I suggest you leave and not return. And tell the ones who’re telling this ignorant shit around town to shut up.
They don’t know what they’re talking about, and I don’t believe they’d want to be on the wrong side of the Horsemen.
We don’t suffer fools lightly,” I snapped.
He stared at me for a few moments, then gave me an incredulous look and snickered. “What’s this, we don’t suffer fools lightly crap? You’re acting as if you’re a Horseman.”
I swung my chair around far enough to let him see the back of my cut and still keep him within my line of sight. When I fully faced him again, his mouth was hanging open.
“You’ve got to be shitting me. Since when do they let cripples into a motorcycle club? Don’t you have to be able to ride? Fight?”
“I can ride and fight. As long as I meet those stipulations and I pass my prospecting, then there’s no reason why I can’t be. They’re not as close-minded as others.”
The man blinked, and then a crafty look crossed his face. I didn’t like the looks of it. “And they left you to protect all these women. Hmm, well, isn’t that nice of them?”
It was as if I read his mind even before he made a move. When he lunged toward the women, I ordered Dozer, “Stay. Protect.”
I knew Dozer wouldn’t like it, but he’d do as I asked.
Annette screamed, but there wasn’t a sound out of Electra.
To get to the ladies, the creep had to pass me.
As the bastard passed me, I propelled my wheelchair forward as hard as I could, which made the footrest ram into his ankle.
He stumbled, cried out in pain and anger, then his body clumsily pivoted to face me. He was seething mad.
I didn’t wait for him to take another step before I rammed into the front of his legs, tipping him forward toward me.
As he leaned over to try and catch himself, I slammed my fist into his lower jaw with an upper cut.
I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head a second after contact, then I shoved him away from me.
He toppled to the floor like a tree and lay there, unconscious.
As I focused on the guy, my brain hadn’t registered the sound of bike engines.
With him subdued, the sound of them clicked, and then they were gone.
I was about to ask if the women were okay when a sobbing Annette came racing around the counter.
Dozer was torn. He was staying with Electra, but wanted to get in front of Annette.
“Dozer, at ease,” I told him.
The door to the office flew open, and in rushed three club brothers—Punk, Lucky, and Butcher.
They came to a stop when they saw the man on the ground and me, trying awkwardly to pat Annette, who was bent at the waist with her arms around me, sobbing on my shoulder.
Dozer had walked over to stand over the guy.
Electra was next to him, calmly examining the man.
“You guys are late to the party. I’m afraid my dance card is all filled up. If you wait for him to regain his senses, he might dance with you,” Electra wisecracked.
“What the hell, Swerve?” Butcher grumbled.
“Yeah, Swerve, and why did you sound the alarm if you were gonna deny us fun?” Lucky asked the room in general.
“I’m sure I can sweet-talk you into making an opening on your card for me,” Punk said to Electra.
His expressions showed his male appreciation for her. And while I couldn’t blame him, it made me want to do to him what I did to the man on the floor—the one who was beginning to stir.
“Cut it out, Punk,” I growled.
“Is he the only one?” Butcher asked, toeing the guy with the steel toe of his boot. The man groaned weakly, but his eyes were still closed.
“He is. He seems to believe this is a brothel. I don’t recall that being in my job description,” Electra kidded before she glanced at me, then sighed.
“Annette, honey, you’ve got to let go of Swerve. You’re choking him,” she told our receptionist.
Annette slowly eased away from me. Her eyes were wet and red from crying, and my shirt felt soaked. Annette sniffed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to choke or soak you. I was just so scared for all of us.”
“It’s alright. You’re safe. Electra, would you take Annette into the back, get her something to drink, and have her rest? My brothers and I will take care of removing the trash,” I told her.
Electra seemed hesitant to leave, though I wasn’t sure why. Annette gave me anxious peeks, then shuddered when the man moved.
“Dozer, go.” I pointed to the women, then to the back hallway.