CHAPTER EIGHT
The Graveyard Saints had taken up residence in an empty warehouse near the docks. No telling how they’d got access but it didn’t matter. They were there and they weren’t leaving.
“You fucking pussies!” she screamed. “You could have at least taken down a few.”
“You know, Neela, I’m getting fucking tired of you blaming us for bullshit you get us into. In case you didn’t notice, those men were carrying weapons the likes of us have never seen. They were experienced.”
“So are we!” she yelled.
“Not like that. We’re experienced out of a need for survival. They were experienced like trained. Seriously trained,” said the man.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” she frowned.
“He’s saying they were military. Most likely Special Operations,” said another man. “I’m not fucking with them. If that’s your plan. I’m out.”
“The only way out is death,” she growled.
“Piss off, Neela,” said another man. “This isn’t your old man’s club. This is ours. It’s different. If I want out, I leave. You’re searching for your daughter to fucking sell her! You don’t even know if she’s worth selling.”
“She’s female flesh,” she smirked. “She’ll sell and we need the money.”
“We need the money because you spend money faster than we can make it,” said another man. She stared at the group of men, her hand on the butt of her pistol at her side. They all mimicked the stance and she frowned.
“What the fuck is this? Is this some kind of mutiny?” she whispered.
“No mutiny, just telling you how we feel. If we want this club to survive, things need to change.” Tank had been in the club for more than twenty years, since he was just a kid as well.
He didn’t get the name by accident. Two-hundred and ninety pounds of massive human flesh.
He wasn’t solid like the men at the diner but he’d kill you just the same.
“Why should it?” she argued.
“You live in fucking luxury while we live in a shithole,” growled another man. Spider was the complete opposite of Tank. He was tall, lanky, wiry and could climb anything. “You take the bulk of our profits and spend it on your little palace on the hill. Did you not think we’d fucking see that?”
“It’s my money! My club!” she yelled.
“When did you get so fucking selfish, Neela? Your old man and those before you, they split everything. You give us barely enough to live on,” said Tank.
“You eat. I feed every damn one of you. I pay you,” she said glaring at them.
“You feed us. Shit food. You barely give us enough to survive on. Why do you think we all still live at the clubhouse? We can’t even afford a fucking trailer,” said Spider.
The men were in a mood and she knew why. This was the first time anyone had challenged them and they’d had to back down. She needed them. For now. If she could find her daughter, get what she needed from her, sell her to the Swamp Rats, she’d have enough to walk away from all of them.
“Fine. You don’t like the way I lead. Fine. Help me get my kid back and I’ll split the fee from the Swamp Rats. Twenty million.”
“We don’t believe you,” said Spider. “You always promise to split but you never do.”
“You don’t have a choice,” she said through clenched teeth. “You don’t like it. Leave. Leave now.”
“So you can shoot us in the back?’ frowned Spider. “You’re afraid, Neela. You have more locks on your fucking house than the White House. You know that we want you gone.”
“Help me with this and I’ll leave,” she said calmly. “I’ll even tell the Swamp Rats to give Tank the money and he can split it between all of us.”
No one said anything, just looking from one man to another. Neela had been in this game a long time and she was cunning, devious, and sneaky as fuck. Not one man believed anything she said.
“We’ll give it some thought,” said Spider.
“Open the doors,” smiled Neela. “Club is open.”
“Club is closed tonight,” said Tank. “We’re tired.”
The men slowly filed out the doors to their own rooms, leaving Neela in the center of the room more pissed off than ever before. In the corner of the room was the one person that could give her some release.
“Let’s go, Bunny,” she said to the woman.
“Stop calling me that,” she said. “You now my name. Use it.”
“You too?” she frowned. “Is the whole fucking club against me now?”
“You need to listen to them, Neela. I’ve been your friend and fuck-buddy for twenty years but they’re right. You don’t share equally with them and you damn sure don’t give a fuck about them.”
“Fuck you! I don’t need you. I don’t need you tonight or any night.” She stormed from the room and the woman just looked at her and grinned.
“Yes, you do.”