Chapter 33
*~* Fury *~*
Inever dreamed that married life could be so good.
It’s like having your cake, eating it, and then the ingredients magically appear all over again!
Jamie and I talked about having a family, and we decided that as we were still going at it like rabbits, her expression, the likelihood of contraception failing was high, so we’ve ditched it.
I’ve spoken with Pres about having a plot in the compound and he’s okay with it.
Guardrail is going to speak with me and Jamie to get the plans drawn up.
I’m going to leave most of it to Jamie as she’ll be the one spending the most time there.
I don’t mean that to be my Neanderthal speaking, but I need to get myself to work and support my family.
I can help out at any of the club’s businesses, but I’m not what you’d call qualified for any of them.
I mean, yes, I can labor in construction and at the storage facility.
I can sweep the barbershop floor and I can do very basic mechanic stuff.
There’s probably some muscle needed in roadside recovery, but none of the businesses hold any interest for me.
Maybe I need to find something to get my teeth into and make my own.
Wow, listen to me wanting to be all white-collar.
Jamie has a good income, but we’re not sure what that will look like once she starts making babies. Pretty much all of my dollars will be eaten up by the house construction, I’m sure. I’m good with that, but I don’t like the idea of having nothing to fall back on.
I haven’t seen much of Mateo since we got back from the wedding.
He did a fine job as my best man, and although I said thank you, I don’t feel it conveyed just how grateful I was.
He pulled me back to earth at some critical points in the ceremony, I know that.
Mateo and Spirit certainly looked good together as well.
They looked comfortable and relaxed, which may sound old-fashioned or outdated, but if I were either of their parents, I’d be happy to see that.
Mateo is the perfect gentleman around her, and when he brought her to the clubhouse to introduce her, he was attentive and sensed when she was being overwhelmed by all the brothers.
He quickly took control and asked the guys to give them some space.
When all of us get together, our welcome can be a little much for someone who has spent so much time alone.
Ghost told me that Mateo went to see Thorn personally and told him he was hoping to have more than a friendship with Spirit when the time was right.
Apparently, to Thorn’s credit, he sucked it up and gave them his blessing.
Ghost is very proud of his son’s actions, and they seem to be back on an even keel with their relationship.
I’m heading over to the clubhouse this morning to spend a couple of hours catching up on things.
Hopefully Mateo will be around and I’ll get to say thank you again.
Maybe ask how he’s getting on with Spirit and the boys.
That darn Malinois sure loves him and hates me with equal passion.
I’m convinced he wouldn’t think twice about taking me on.
Without one of Jamie’s shotguns, I wouldn’t fancy my chances either.
That thing moves like a ballistic missile when it wants to, and those teeth would probably do as much damage.
Arriving at the compound, I see Noah has his turn on the gate. Construction will be a pair of hands short today then. It also means I might catch Mateo free. Leaving my hog out front rather than running her around the back and out of sight, I leave my helmet on the mirror and head inside.
Walking into the rec room, a knife whistles past my nose and sticks into the head of a wooden target. Stopping dead in my tracks, I look to see what’s going on.
“I thought I told you to lock that door?” Vortex asks Mateo, with not a kindly look in his eye.
“I did lock it. You know I did. Pres went to go out earlier, and you were here when he tried the door and then went out through the kitchen.” Mateo defends himself with enough conviction that even though I wasn’t here, I believe him.
Vortex gives a ‘humph’ as though he’s not sure and then walks over and locks the door behind me.
“So Pres isn’t in then?” I ask no one in particular.
“No, he hasn’t come back yet,” Mateo says, twiddling with the knife in his hand, which he is obviously itching to throw, but I’m in his way.
“He’s back. He came back about ten minutes ago.” Vortex gives Mateo a smug look because he knew something that Mateo didn’t.
“You fucker! You let him in while I was getting us coffee, and you didn’t lock the door again!” Mateo lifts his arm as if to throw the knife, and Vortex holds his hands up in mock surrender.
“I may have overlooked that fact about the door, but as a prospect you will always shoulder any blame. You know, one of my old officers had a saying, my mistake, your fault.” Vortex tips his head and winks. I don’t know where everyone has got this winking thing from lately.
Just then, a woman appears from the hallway to the stairs.
At one time I’d say she was a stunner, but the years haven’t been kind to her, or she had the longest paper round in history.
I see Vortex straighten up at her presence, and I have a little smirk.
I’ve never known him to show any kind of serious interest in a woman before. Interesting.
Mateo, on the other hand, has a different reaction to her.
He turns his attention to me and says, “Fury, I don’t think you’ve met Bri’s older sister, Clodagh.
Vortex and I helped her move here, as a favor to Saddle and Bri.
” I may be imagining it, but I thought Mateo put a little emphasis on the ‘older’.
“Ah. The mysterious three-day mission that you two went on.” Turning from Mateo to Clodagh, I say, “Hello Clodagh, pleasure to meet you.”
“It could have been a greater pleasure if we’d met before your wedding, honey.” She bats her eyes at me and I swear I hear Vortex growl a little.
“You wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I’m definitely not your type.” If Vortex is interested in her, I don’t want any part of any flirting or game playing on her part.
“Mateo, can you come with me to see Pres, please?” I think leaving Vortex and Clodagh alone for a while might be a good thing.
“Oh, well. I’ll just go back to my room for a nap if nothing interesting is happening.” She gives a look to Vortex that I think was supposed to be either a come-on or dismissive. I couldn’t tell which.
Mateo excuses himself from Vortex and follows me towards Pres’s office. Knocking and entering when Pres calls out, I slip into a comfy chair and look at Pres.
“What do you want, Fury? I’m busy.” Pres sits back and waits for me to say my piece.
“I want a job.”
Pres and Mateo look at me as though I have grown a second head or something.
“I want a job,” I repeat as Pres hasn’t said anything. “Okay, I need a job.”
“What do you think I am? A fucking recruitment agency? Get the fuck out of my office and find yourself something productive to do. If you expect me to find you a job, I guarantee you won’t fucking like it.
Now, get out.” He stands up as though he’s about to throw us out so I follow Mateo and we damn near scuttle out with our tails between our legs.
As soon as the door closes behind us, Mateo turns on me. “What the fuck, Fury? You drag me in there and throw me under the bus with Pres! He’s going to have eyes on me twenty-four-seven now, because he’ll think I had something to do with that shit. What the everlovin’ fuck!”
Before I open my mouth, the office door opens and Pres stands there. “Get your asses back in here!” Turning, he goes back to his desk but parks his butt on one corner rather than taking his seat. I swear I hear a gulp from Mateo behind me.
Not knowing what’s coming, I decide to stand at ease. Legs to shoulder width and hands clasped behind my back. Mateo follows my lead as he must think it’s some sort of requirement.
“Don’t push any more of my buttons, you fuckwits. Drop the fucking soldier shit and sit the fuck down.”
“I wish I’d hit you with that fucking knife when you walked in now, then I wouldn’t be in this fucking mess,” Mateo vehemently whispers to me.
“Care to share that with the rest of the class, Mateo? You want to behave like kids and whisper, I can treat you like kids.”
“No, Pres. Sorry, Pres.” Mateo keeps his eyes on the wall behind Pres’s desk, and I feel sorry for getting him into this. Though I can’t say how I even got myself into this, never mind him.
“You two fuckwits want a job so I might just have one. There’s a bar come up for sale just outside the town limits.
It has a bad name for drugs and fighting.
You two numbskulls can go over to the realtor, get the keys and have a good look around the place.
If you think it’s worth our time to take it on and turn it into a legit business, you’ll be manager and bar manager respectively, running the place.
Now, fuck off. Wait. Take Pens or Bank with you.
They know which realtor it is and I don’t entirely trust you two numbnuts. ”
Grabbing Pens, we exit the clubhouse like our asses are on fire. We explain to Pens on the way to the realtor’s office what’s happened and how we got involved. Well, I explain, Mateo complains.
Looking around inside the bar building doesn’t take long.
The place needs gutting and renovating to a better standard.
The structure itself looks solid and workable, but the place stinks and everywhere you look you see evidence of drug use.
How the local police haven’t shut it down before now is a wonder.
One that I don’t want to think too deep about, either.
We all agree that it could be turned into a money spinner, but we’d need some serious security for the first few months until everybody realized that it had become a place for fun and relaxation, not continuing as a recreational drug center.
Reporting back to Pres, who’s still busy with the pile of paperwork that was on his desk earlier, he listens to Pens while watching Mateo and me closely.
“You two fuckwits think you’re up to the task? Speak now or forever hold your piece. That’s what they say isn’t it, Fury?”
“Yes, and yes, Pres. We are definitely up for it.” I look at Mateo and hope he’s willing to go into this with me. I think we’ll make an awesome team.
“Yes, Pres. I’m in.” Mateo gives him a chin lift, and I see determination in his eyes.
“Right, liaise with Pens and don’t bother me again unless it’s life or death. Which it may turn out to be for one of you, or both.” He goes back to his paperwork and once again, we scuttle out, though not with our tails between our legs this time.