Chapter 18
*~* Whack *~*
Sitting outside in the compound, I watch in fascination as Ghost puts the women through their paces.
I’m not fascinated because they are women, more the fact that they want to put themselves through this.
It is grueling to watch, and the fact that I’ve been through this shit myself makes it even more fascinating.
Not once have I seen him go easy on them.
Every exercise, every training move, they have all been the same as the brothers have to go through.
I wonder if Saddle or Bank have noticed that their old ladies are toning up.
Neither are old, old ladies, but they are not youngsters either.
If you know where to look, you can see that all this training is certainly having a positive effect.
I spoke to Ghost before the session started and asked him how Pattie was coming along.
I’ve heard several of the brothers talking about her lately, and not in the way brothers usually talk about the club women.
I know Vortex doesn’t use the club women, and he was saying some interesting stuff to Hellion.
Pattie approached him for some extracurricular lessons in knife fighting.
He emphasized the fighting part, and that she wasn’t interested in the fancy showboat throwing stuff, like some of the brothers liked to see.
He thinks she could overtake Mateo in skill level while he’s convalescing, and that’s high praise indeed.
Mateo is good with a knife and soaks up his training like a sponge.
Molly, Jamie and Anya all take it seriously, but I don’t think their hearts are in it as much as Pattie’s.
Something clicked within her when she stood in for Jamie, and it sure as hell hasn’t clicked off since.
I’ve not heard any more about any of the brothers disrespecting them either.
Maybe all this training has put the fear of God into whoever it was.
When Ghost takes them off for a run, I decide to get a cold drink and walk toward the kitchen door. As I get closer, I hear Mella’s voice drift out the open doorway.
“Stupid bitches are all they are. Why on earth they need to half-kill themselves three times a week is beyond me! If there’s any trouble, the brothers can get themselves hurt sorting it out.
It’s not what we’re here for. Julia, are you going to get this kitchen tidy any time soon so we can get a drink and relax?
” Mella has a strong, bossy vibe in her tone that tells me she is just sitting watching while Julia is doing all the work.
Walking into the kitchen, I smile at both women.
“Julia, I need to speak to you in my office. Nothing to worry about I don’t think.
Mella, you can clean both the fridges out while you’re waiting for her.
If she’s not back in time to help with those, you can do the freezer too.
” I give her the look that says I mean she has to get all three done and that she’s going to be doing it alone.
As she opens her mouth to argue, I shut her down.
“Well, as you have so much more energy than the others to burn off three times a week, I think I’ll be finding more for you to do in future.
” Knowing she’s been overheard, she thinks twice before saying another word.
Taking a bottle of water from the fridge, I make a point of looking where everything is, so I know when I check back later if everything has been moved.
I take Julia into my office, and we chat for a while. I’m sure she doesn’t think that’s why I brought her here, but I’m doing a little fact-finding. It seems that Julia is lacking in ambition and hasn’t given any thought to the fact that at some point she will be ‘surplus to requirements’.
She has quite a bit to say about Anya and Pattie. It seems she looks up to them and finds Pattie’s new enthusiasm for life surprising. She has very little to say about Mella, so I play it carefully to dig into what is eating at Mella.
After some careful questioning, I think I have the basis for Mella’s attitude.
She thought she was going to become an old lady to a brother, preferably an officer, preferably Cannon or me.
Barbara arriving on the scene has taken an iron out of her fire, and if she thinks she has a hope in hell of catching me, she has another thing coming.
Hearing all the women in the rec room, I send Julia off on an errand to clean my room, only to keep Mella from getting any help, and then go and see what the women have to say.
I’m surprised to see Thorn behind the bar, but as all the prospects rotate through different tasks, it shouldn’t surprise me really.
Andy and Thorn run the barber shop but still have to do their bit the same as the others.
Seeing Ghost and Thorn trying to have a conversation while Thorn is serving gives me an idea.
I prepare a text to all the MC stating it is half-price happy hour for the next two hours.
Before I press send, I grab Pattie’s attention.
“Could you do me a favor, Pattie? I want to give Thorn and Ghost a couple of hours together, so do you think you could tend bar for that long, on your own? I mean, if you feel you’re sinking at any time, just holler and someone will jump in with you.
” I raise my eyes questioningly, and I already know that I have her hook, line, and sinker.
“Of course I can tend bar for two hours, Pres. I won’t need any help, it’s normally pretty quiet around here during the week.
” Pattie grins at the thought of doing something different, and I grin at my own craftiness.
As soon as Thorn is out from behind the bar, I press send and wait for the stampede.
Half an hour later, the rec room is buzzing.
It is packed with brothers and officers alike.
I sit to one side, with Breaker, Molly, Fury, and Jamie.
Molly keeps catching me watching Pattie and I just grin at her.
When she gives me the look that asks if I’m interested in Pattie, I just shake my head in the negative.
“I have an ulterior motive, Molly, but it’s not that. ”
“God help her, then. God help her.” Molly returns to her conversation with Breaker and I continue my observations.
At exactly two hours, Thorn returns and I notice that once Pattie has given him the lowdown on whatever she feels he needs to know, she asks him for something.
He looks at me and holds up the liquor cabinet keys, then nods questioningly to Pattie.
Appearing to give it a moment’s thought, I nod yes and watch a little longer.
In only ten minutes, Pattie hands back the keys to Thorn, and all the optics and liquor shelves have been replenished.
You’d never know that there had been a rush of ordering on half-price drinks.
Feeling very smug, I excuse myself from the table and go back to my office, grabbing Pattie and her drink on the way. Getting her settled in her chair, I grab a glass of my personal stock of bourbon and look Pattie in the eye.
“You could have just asked the question, you know. There was no need for the subterfuge, Pres. Unless there was more to it than I’m making of it?
” She takes a swallow of her drink, and it doesn’t seem to bother her.
“It’s plain tonic water. They were all buying me drinks, or they thought they were.
The register will be up against the stock later. ”
“I had more questions than you could have answered in the two hours. This way it gave me all the answers I was looking for and a few I wouldn’t have thought to ask.
Like, how did you down so many shots. I’ll speak to Thorn later and anything that the register is up, will be classed as your tips for that stint.
” I take a swallow of my own drink and enjoy the slow burn as it goes down.
“What do you want from your life, Pattie?”
“If that’s a proposal, Pres, you’re barking up the wrong tree. When I find my man, he won’t be from an MC, that’s for sure.” She empties her glass and then points to mine. Taking my bottle, I give her a good measure.
“We’re not that bad, surely?” I ask with a glint in my eye.
“Not at all, but I don’t want my man meeting up with any club brother that I’ve done the deed with and comparing notes.
I won’t keep my history a secret from the right man, or any man.
I’m not ashamed, but it doesn’t need to be discussed in an open forum either.
I want a good job, a house, a yard with a white picket fence, and a soccer team of kids. ” She takes on a dreamy look at this.
“Not sure how the job and a soccer team of kids will fit together.” That’s quite a tough call to have both, I’m thinking.
“Not really. You see, the women in my family run to twins and triplets. I’m a twin myself. Not identical. You wouldn’t know it even if we stood next to each other. I have twin brothers, too. Don’t get me started on how many cousins there are.” She laughs as she looks like she is picturing them.
“Well, twin Pattie, I have a problem and I think you’re my solution. What do you say to that?”
“Hell, Pres. Many times have I been called a problem child, but never have I been anyone’s solution.” Knocking back her bourbon, she smacks her lips and offers her glass for a refill. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
It doesn’t take too long for me to explain what I have in mind, and to be fair, she takes it better than I expected. No dramatics, no arguing, no self-deprecating bullshit. She asks some tactful questions and listens to my reasoning.
As everyone is here tonight, because of the reduced price of alcohol, I call church. Everyone troops in, some the worse for wear already, but they gather and once I bang the table, they quiet down fast enough.
Fury makes himself a target when he asks if he should go get Cannon.
“Really, Fury? Fetch him if you want to, but you will not only have to explain to him that he has another five days in quarantine, but you’ll also have to explain to everyone in this room the same damn thing.”
“Cannon can sit this one out. He don’t have much useful to say when he is here.” Bandit slurs the words, but the entire room goes quiet. “What? You’s all knows I’m right.”
“This is just a quick vote on something. It is unusual, but I don’t think it’s a big deal, or I would have waited until a full church.
You all know that Mateo will be out of action for a few weeks.
We don’t have a set timeframe for his recovery, but I don’t think we should rush it either.
He took a pretty bad beating from those assholes.
I want to keep the bar on schedule, so I want to propose someone to step up as Deputy Assistant Manager.
So basically, filling in for Mateo but can remain as his deputy if all goes well, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t.
” I take a moment and look around the room.
Everyone is okay so far, except Bandit who looks as though he’s asleep already.
“Okay, so I propose the deputy is Pattie.”
There is definitely a stunned silence, and then Fury states in a loud, clear voice, “AYE”.
Before anyone else says anything, Bandit wakes up and starts mouthing off at me. “No fuckin’ way. Not a chance. I’m not having a club whore running a business when I got to work construction all day…”
Bear, who is standing behind Bandit, punches him in the side of the head. “Don’t take any notice of that idiot, Pres. He’s just having a loud nightmare. He won’t remember where he got that headache from in the morning.”
“Let’s make this easy. Anyone say ‘NAY’? Good. All those in favor, say ‘AYE’, and say it loud and clear. I want them to hear it in the rec room.”
The entire room shouts ‘AYE’ and I’m sure Pattie heard it loud and clear.