CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
-:- TwoCents -:-
Axel, Drag, Buzz, Knuckles and I are standing in front of the clubhouse, all with arms folded over our chests and giving lethal stares towards the vehicle that has just pulled into the compound.
Meat, Star, Jo and Pais climb out of the vehicle, and apart from Meat and Star, Jo and Pais look worried, thinking about what is going to happen next.
Axel takes a small step forward, points at each of them, to make his point. “Office now.”
Meat and Star jauntily walk into the clubhouse, holding hands and looking like they really don’t give a fuck. Jo is looking at the ground as she shuffles her way past Knuckles, and Pais is looking worried, but not to the degree of Jo.
I follow behind Jo and once in Axel’s office the women, including Star, sit in a chair with their man behind them. I place a hand on Paisley’s shoulder so she knows I am here, no matter what happens next.
It’s damn obvious that Axel is only just holding onto his temper. But it would not be wise for Knuckles or myself to step in and say anything at this point in time.
Meat looks like he doesn’t give a shit and neither does Star. She’s humming under her breath, and Axel keeps giving her nasty looks, but it’s going clean over her head as far as I can see.
“You all are in deep shit…” Axel takes a calming breath before he continues. “Paisley, you knew you were here for safety, yet you went off with Jo, who is not well trained, and fucked off with these two fucking idiots. You will help Heather, Dee and Lina clean the clubhouse and I will inform those three you are doing the bathrooms.”
“Okay,” Pais responds.
I have to place my hand over my mouth to stem the amusement with her meek response, but I recognize the underlying sarcasm she has flowing.
“Jo, you will take a week off from writing…”
“No, oh no, Axel, don’t do that.” Jo starts to complain, but Axel gives her the evil eye. She snaps her mouth closed, knowing if she keeps complaining, she’ll get in even more trouble.
Knuckles pats her shoulder and she puts her head down, looking at her lap. I’m sure this is not going to sit well for her because she has deadlines she has to hit.
Axel turns to look at Meat and Star and stares at them for the longest time. Neither of them shows any sign of being bothered, and that’s not going to sit well with Axel.
“You two, you will wash and polish every brother”s bike as it comes into the compound. I don’t care when they come in, you clean them. As soon as they return, you will clean it again. You will do this for two weeks. You will also wash up after the evening meal, by hand. You will not use the dishwashers for a week, and Star, you will be here the whole week. You are also grounded. You do not leave the compound. When you have no bikes or kitchen duty, you will help where needed in the clubhouse.” Looking at Meat, Axel shows his teeth then snaps them together, looking like a rabid dog.
I side-eye Meat, but he has no reaction whatsoever. Just shows how fucking crazy he is in my opinion, because if Axel had done that to me I’d have thought I was ready to receive a bullet.
“Any trouble from you with this punishment, and I’ll have your treehouse destroyed with the fucking tree.”
Now that gets a small reaction from Meat, and I am pleased when Buzz walks into the office. His entrance takes the attention away from the Axel versus Meat stare-off. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. All this lot are just on their way to their new duties. Get moving, and the punishment starts now,” Axel snaps.
Taking Paisley by the hand, I guide her to our room, where she stands looking at me with a mix of defiance and nerves. I say nothing, just watch the emotions running over her face.
“I’m sorry, okay. It just happened, and it wasn’t planned. The guy was seen outside the compound. We took him off the road first, then to a place Meat and Star knew, buried him and came back,” Pais says, and I pinch the bridge of my nose because fuck me, Axel knows none of this. He just thinks they went for a fucking joy ride.
“You killed him?”
“No, we buried him up to his neck and left him. He has his phone in his pocket,” Pais says, and says it as though I’m stupid.
Turning, I walk over to the window because I don’t know if I want to laugh hysterically or spank her ass until she can’t sit down for a month. I take a while to get control before turning back to her.
“You do as Pres has decreed. If you don’t, you will be removed as an Ol’ Lady and told to leave the compound. You are my wife and Ol’ Lady, but you are still under the rule of the President of the Club. Be quiet, do your punishment and then we’ll talk more about this.
“We are still not sure what is happening with the Hudson Miller thing, and until he is taken down, you are not safe.” There is something in her expression that has me nervous, but she has her lips tightly zipped so I know I’ll get nothing out of her at this point.
“Okay,” Pais replies and heads out of our room to find Heather or one of the others.
I walk down to my office and sit behind my desk with all sorts of thoughts running through my mind.
My phone vibrates and picking it up from where I’d placed it on the desk, I see it’s Jig.
Jig: Trike will be brought over tonight.
TwoCents: Okay, but put it in the barn where my cabin is being built.
Jig: OK. Don’t you want to give it to Pais?
TwoCents: [laughing emoji] Oh, she’s not getting it just now, she’s on punishment duty Pres laid down.
Jig: Shit. You can tell me all about it later.
Wings steps into my office and gives me a smirk. “Ol’ Ladies, hey. Not sure I want one if they are going to run around causing trouble.”
Shaking my head at him because honest to goodness, I’m not sure he’d find an Ol’ Lady that would put up with his bullshit. “What do you want?” I ask.
“Axel wants all officers in his office.”
That’s all Wings needs to say before I’m out of my seat and walking out of my office and into Axel’s. With all the other officers inside, the door is closed and we wait for what’s going on.
“I’ve had a phone call from Boardman Charnwood. Hudson Miller is under arrest with enough proof of what he’s been involved in to not be allowed bail. The last 24-hours the FBI has been arresting judges, a senator and four CEOs of large companies. It’s a real shitshow from what I’m told, but they have this trafficking ring ripped down with the fuckers having no chance of walking away from what they have been doing.” Axel has a huge grin on his face as he relays this information.
“So, Pais is safe now? Did he say if she was all clear to have her life back?” I ask.
“He said he has more than enough to not involve Paisley. She doesn’t have to give evidence or anything. He made sure she came out of it clear, keeping her name away from what went down.” Axel taps his knuckles on the desk. “He did right by her in the end, TwoCents. Let’s give him the benefit for that, but if he comes back again, I’m going to tell him he can go to the pigs. He doesn’t know we have gators on hand, of course, so it’d be a shock facing them instead of pigs.”
Knocking on the door has PT, who is standing the nearest, open it and grin. Opening the door wider, we all see Forest, with none other than the asshole Aaron.
“Come in, what’s going on?” Axel asks.
“I came to introduce Aaron to everyone as I made him a deputy this morning.” Forest keeps the Sheriff’s office running clean, but he also would turn a blind eye when needed. This fucker needs to know this too, and if he steps out of line, I’m sure Axel will take him to Nell’s without a second thought.
We all shoot the breeze in Axel’s office for an hour before making our way to our own duties. I watch as Forest takes off with Deputy Asshole as I think of him, and I’ll be keeping one ear to the ground on what he’s up to.
Later in the evening, I take Pais over to the barn and show her the trike. She is excited when she sets eyes on it, until I tell her she isn’t getting her ass on it until after her punishment is over, and Axel gives her the all-clear to resume as normal.
She walks slowly around the trike, focusing on the fire engine red paintwork. The flames that edge the Raging Barons logo, tank and panels have been done in gold leaf rather than paint. The large rear wheels are stunning with chrome spokes and enhance the old school look of the original bike. The two leather seats are wide and the front seat has been hand tooled with ‘Property of TwoCents’.
I don’t think she realizes that she’s speaking out loud as she mumbles ‘oh my God’, ‘that’s beautiful’, ‘look at the seat!’ It’s as though her thoughts are just being verbalized without her knowledge. It has me grinning because she does this so often.
Watching her sit on the trike and hold the handlebars has me catch my breath. It seems so unfair to deny her training at this point that I almost relent.
“I can’t wait for my punishment to be over and start learning how to ride this gorgeous beast. You’d best keep your word, husband, and teach me well.” Walking over to me, she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses the ever-lovin’ shit outta me.
“That was all your own work, Pais, but I’ll take that any day of the week.”
Walking back to the clubhouse I can see Pais is more than a little down in the mouth, but she has to know that we are all under the orders of the President. It’s not something that will ever be changed, and if she can’t live with that, we are going to have an enormous problem between us. I could leave the club, but I would always resent the fact. The club is my family and my way of making a living. I can’t see myself being happy anywhere else, and on top of all that, my cabin is being built here.
“You going to be okay, Pais?”
“Yes. I knew I was going to get into trouble. I just didn’t know I was going to get a punishment. But next time Meat and Star want to get up to something, I’ll walk away fast.” Pais looks up at me and giggles. “But you know, the idiot looked funny buried up to his neck. I don’t think he was that bright. As my dad used to say, his elevator didn’t go to the top floor.”
Throwing my head back, laughing, I give Pais a hug before we make our way to our room. It’s been a hell of a long day and we are both worn out and ready to get some serious shut eye.
What the hell is going on? My phone is blowing up. Grabbing it from the bedside table, I see it’s Nell. Now that’s odd.
“Hello, Nell, what’s wrong?”
Nell is talking fast, but with a low voice. “You need to get to Belvederes Restaurant now. I need you to get me the hell out of here and back to my place.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, as I’m getting dressed clumsily with one hand.
“Vincenzo is here with me, and he’s saying he’s taking me back to his place. I can’t get the boys to come for me or they’ll cause a ruckus. I need you to get here, and get me out the restroom window and hurry the fuck up,” Nell snaps.
Rushing to get to the restaurant, I take the club”s truck because no way am I putting Nell on the back of my hog. Stopping around the back of the restaurant, I see Nell hanging out of a damn window.
“Come get me out of here,” Nell whisper shouts.
Struggling to get her clear of the window, because that window is only a top opener. It’s a small space to drag her out of and I don’t want to hurt her. “It’s a good thing you’re not a large woman, Nell, or you’d be stuck with Vitale at this point.”
Once in the truck, I quickly take off for Nell’s place, and she is watching behind us the whole time. “He’s got to have noticed and will be on our ass any minute. Can’t you go any faster?”
“Nell, I’m going faster than I should be. Now relax, we’ll be at your place in no time.” But, before we get another mile down the road, we have a black limo flying towards our ass. I put my foot to the floor and thankfully, we are near Nell’s.
Hitting her driveway, the truck’s backend swings but I get it under control and slam to a stop right in front of the door, which opens with Graham, Richie and Tank standing holding shotguns.
Nell jumps out, shouts, ‘We’re even’, and disappears into the house, leaving me to face the fucking limo which is now coming down the driveway.
“Go around and out the back gate. Graham will let you through,” Tank states, but his eyes are firmly on Vitale, who has stepped out of the limo.
Now, I’m nobody’s fool, and I take off around the house quickly to the back gate and then floor it to the compound. It’s not long before I’m back in bed and snuggling into Pais.
Oh, fucking shit, I’m snuggling? Damn, I’m not telling any of the brothers I was actually ‘snuggling’.