Chapter 13
thirteen
COLE
It had been a few days of peace and quiet with no Goldilocks sneaking around, and a few more without people coming in to shoot up my bar.
I was pissed off about one of them, and relieved about the other.
Goldilocks was finding her way into my thoughts more often than I liked.
I was going to have to do something about that. Rules, or no rules.
Then Finn called me a little after midnight. His voice was slightly panicked, and he sounded out of breath. There was a lot of noise in the background and raised voices fading in and out.
“Cole?” I knew by his tone that there was trouble.
“What the hell did you get yourself into, Finn?” I asked.
“I don’t… I mean, everything is fine. I just need…” Finn trailed off, and there was rustling on the other end of the call.
“Bailey? This kid better hope to God that it’s you,” a familiar voice came through the phone.
“Rusty?” I asked, already frustrated with this back-and-forth phone passing.
Rusty was one of my buyers. A buyer I’d had for a long time, and for good reason. He paid on time, only kept receipts in his head, and played by old-school rules. He was the kind of man you didn’t cross, and if Finn had messed up my business relationship with him, there would be hell to pay.
“Your boy must be light in the head,” Rusty said flippantly. “He came in here with his mouth running, and he closed both his damn ears.”
“What did he say?” I asked, running my hand over my face.
“He tried to tell us that we owed more on this upcoming drop. He said that you were done getting taken for a ride and that we owed you a ‘disrespect tax.’ What the hell is this ‘disrespect tax’? Because I can tell you right now, I am not paying you a single cent more than what we agreed on.”
I clenched my jaw and turned on the barstool so Maddox and Gage couldn’t read my facial expressions.
“The kid is talking out of his ass. Nothing more than we agreed on,” I said.
“You breed them brave, I’ll give you that, Bailey. Stupid, but brave,” Rusty snorted.
“He touched product?” I asked, reluctant to hear the answer.
“No, it was delivered clean, and the count was correct. Everything was running like normal until the kid thought it was a good idea to try and get clever with us.”
“How many guns are on your floor?” I asked.
“None. You know we move fast.”
“The kid is all talk. I’ll deal with him when he gets back,” I said, hoping that would be enough for Rusty.
“You know that in this line of business, talk turns to blood,” Rusty said, clearly still irritated.
“It doesn’t need to tonight. Don’t kill him. I’ll deal with him running his mouth,” I said. “If Finn were here, I would throttle him for being so stupid.”
“Give me a reason not to,” Rusty said, low and serious.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll take care of this in person,” I said, hanging up the phone.
I stood up from the barstool, too quickly to go unnoticed.
“Is there a problem?” Gage asked.
“Finn,” I said. “It's always Finn.”
Maddox groaned and stood up to follow me. “What did the kid do now?”
“He asked for money that wasn’t owed. Dumbass thought he could charge a disrespect tax.’”
Gage squinted at me. “On whose authority?”
The memory hit me like a wrench smacking my ankle.
His mouth running the other night at the bar, and me only half listening to him.
I’d been distracted. Distracted by the strawberry blonde with the sharp tongue and sharp chin.
The one who had held my hand so gently, after biting me.
A distraction like I hadn’t had in a long, long time.
Ever, maybe. Goldilocks was the only thing I’d been focused on.
Finn had wanted to handle something and had said something about being backup.
Did I agree to let him do this? No, I was pretty sure I’d gone back on that, but had Finn been really listening? Of fucking course not.
“I think this is my fault,” I said.
Gage’s mouth pressed into a thin line.
“Do you need backup?” Maddox asked.
“No,” I said instinctively. I knew Rusty would respect me coming on my own, calm and ready to smooth things over. If I brought a crowd with me, he would see it as a threat.
“Lock the front at one and kick out anyone who overstays their welcome. You know what to do if I’m not back by two. Burn all the accounts and get rid of any stock we have.”
Maddox nodded and stepped behind the bar. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and scanned the room.
“What about Finn? Do you want me to head over to his mom’s apartment in the morning?” Gage asked.
“If I can get him out of there alive, then I’ll deal with him before breakfast.”
Gage nodded, and I turned to head out. I grabbed my cut, gun, and the keys to my bike before slipping out the back door of the shop.
I needed the cold air on my face more than anything else.
The night was thin and mean. I could feel the salt in the air even though the coast was miles off.
Kicking the bike to life, I headed east. The engine rattled off the walls of the alleys I used to make my way to Finn.
I opened the throttle as soon as the road was clear in front of me.
The wind whipped at my face as the ride stripped away every last thought except one.
That this was happening because I’d been too focused on the blond.
I’d been more invested in the way she watched the room and how all the men in the room watched her.
I let her get in the way of taking care of one of my own.
If something happened to Finn, I would have no one to blame but myself.
It was getting harder and harder to quell his curiosity about MC life.
He wanted in, and I was starting to wonder if I could really stop him. Kid was determined.
The meeting spot was behind an old and run-down lumber yard.
The place had been a ghost town for years, and now its only use was as a place for stray cats and unsavory business deals.
Rusty liked the spot because the stacks of old, graying lumber made a series of mazes that would confuse anyone unfamiliar with the layout.
It was easy to tuck men away, unseen and unheard, and pretend that you were alone.
I pulled up to the rusted-out gate and killed the engine.
The gate screeched open, letting everyone know I had arrived.
Rusty stepped out of the darkness like a boulder.
He was a big man with an even bigger belly, but he still moved like he could pack a nasty punch.
Two of his guys flanked him, both of whom I recognized from the multiple deals I’d done with Rusty.
Just over his shoulder, I could make out Finn sitting on a stack of pallets with his hands zip-tied in front of him.
“Bailey,” Rusty said, more of an accusation than a greeting.
“Rusty,” I matched.
We stood the customary distance apart. Not close enough to reach the other person, but close enough that I could smell the menthol on his breath.
“So, you thought it was a good idea to send me a charity case?” he asked.
“I sent you a clean delivery. The charity case sent himself,” I responded.
“I didn’t realize that the Hounds took in kids to their ranks. Your standards are falling.”
“He isn’t patched in, but the Hounds are in his blood. None of this is relevant. I will take care of this in-house. How can I make it so we can both just walk away from this?” I asked.
“Why should I let him stand on those legs a second longer? The kid needs to learn a lesson, and I could make him an example so none of your guys think they can try anything like this again. He said something about being done taking short money. Something about ‘we know our value.’”
“The kid hears ‘value’ and thinks it means cash in his pocket,” I said, not glancing at Finn. “He hasn’t learned enough about our kind of business yet.”
“Maybe he needs to learn what happens when you run your mouth,” one of Rusty’s guys said.
“Don’t,” I said, taking care to keep my tone even. Not raised or sharp.
Rusty raised an eyebrow at me. “Why should we let him walk away?”
“Because I would consider it a favor,” I said.
Rusty nodded to me to continue.
“I would owe you a favor, and you know that I keep to what I owe,” I said.
“I like favors,” Rusty said, starting to pace. “But I like examples too.”
“You make an example out of one of mine, and I will make one out of you,” I said firmly. “Same principle.”
Rusty didn’t laugh. He didn’t smile.
“Do you really think I’m going to buy from you again after all this?” Rusty asked, barely maintaining his composure.
“I think so, and here’s why. I’ll give you back half of what you paid me,” I answered.
Rusty blinked slowly, like he had misheard me.
“I’ll call it a stupidity tax for my stupidity. I’ll write it down on a receipt for you so next time anyone tries to shake you down, you can point to that receipt and tell them that Bailey paid to keep the peace. Everyone else pays you to keep their teeth.”
The night was silent for a beat too long. Rusty clicked his teeth before his lips curled into a controlled smile. He chuckled, a low rattle sounding in his large chest. I knew he liked the principle of the deal and the money even more.
“Half?” he asked finally.
“Cash. Right now,” I responded. “But this is a one-time deal. You let my kid walk, and you get half back.”
“Done,” Rusty said. He nodded to one of his henchmen, who walked over to Finn and dragged him by the arm to where Rusty stood.
I pulled out my roll and counted the bills slowly so Rusty would notice I didn’t flinch at the amount. I pressed the cash into his meaty palm and kept my eyes locked on his.
“You cut the kid loose,” I said.
Rusty pulled out his pocketknife and sliced through the zip tie with one quick movement. Finn rubbed at his wrists but was smart enough to keep his head down.
“Best watch it, Bailey. Boys like that one sink ships. You keep using up favors on him, you’re going to end up broke,” Rusty said, turning to leave.