Chapter 3
Lynch
“Are we thinking this was a hit or what?”
“Right now, we don’t know anything for certain.
There’ve been several strip clubs in the area that’ve run into trouble with radical groups trying to shut them down, but it’s all been trivial bullshit.
Nothing like this.” There was no missing the concern in Viper’s voice as he told us all, “Menace has been going over tonight’s security camera footage to see if he can come up with anything, but so far, he hasn’t had any luck. ”
Country stepped forward and asked, “So, the whole thing with the fireman and the electrical box was you?”
“I didn’t want the fucking cops involved any more than they already were, so I called in a favor.” He shook his head. “That means we’re on our own with figuring out what the hell happened and finding out who was involved.”
“It’s all well and good,” Country replied. “We’ll come up with an answer a lot faster than the cops will, and we don’t need their asses snooping around the club anyway.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what’s our next move?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?” Widow barked. “We gotta get this place back up and running.”
“Our hands are tied, brother.” Viper shook his head in defeat. “We’ve still got the marshal coming in to check things over, and I gotta contend with all the insurance bullshit.”
“How long’s that gonna take?”
“No idea. I’ve already put in a call to Marco, and he and his boys will be here in the morning to give us an estimate on fixing everything. He doesn’t fuck around, so we should be back up and running in a couple of weeks at most.”
“This whole thing is a fucking mess.”
“Yeah, and it’s about to get a whole lot messier.” Viper’s tone grew daunting as he added, “I got a feeling this is more than some holy roller trying to make a point.”
“Don’t worry, Prez.” Hawk tried to ease Viper’s mind as he told him, “As soon as we find out who’s behind it, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”
“Agreed.” Axel, the Sinners’ VP, looked just as frustrated as the rest of us as he glanced around at all the damage. “We just gotta figure out who’d have the fuckin’ balls to pull a stunt like this.”
“Oh, we will. You can count on that,” Viper assured him. “But it’s going to take some time. For now, we need a couple of you to hang here with the prospects and make sure no one fucks with anything. We can rotate shifts until Marco puts up a new barrier wall.”
“I can stay,” I volunteered.
“Not happening,” Viper replied. “You’ve already been at it all night, and Doc needs to have a look at you. The same goes for Country and Widow.”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s not up for discussion, brother. Get over to the clubhouse and let Doc check you out. If he gives you the okay, you can come back later tonight and lend us a hand.”
Even though we didn’t like it, Widow, Country, and I knew better than to argue with Viper.
Once our president had spoken, there was no changing his mind.
Instead, we all waited for the brothers to get a schedule sorted and then headed out to our bikes.
As I got on my Harley, I turned towards Widow. “Your truck over at your place?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Need to borrow it for a bit. You mind?”
“You know you’re welcome to it.” He reached into his pocket, grabbed the keys, and tossed them over to me. “Just bring it back in one piece.”
Relieved that he didn’t ask what I was up to, I gave him a quick nod, started my bike, and whipped out of Stilettos’ parking lot. I had every intention of following Viper’s orders and having Doc check me out, but there was something I wanted to see about first.
As soon as I reached Widow’s place, I got in his truck and headed downtown. I should’ve felt guilty that my mind was on anything other than the club, and I did. It just wasn’t enough to stop me from driving to the detention center to see if Raelyn and Haleigh were still there.
The officer I’d talked to at Stilettos was reluctant to give me any information on either of them, but when I told him my plans to bail the girls out, he gave me their names and told me where I could pick them up.
He’d also admitted he would’ve let them off with a stern warning, but his partner wasn’t having it, wanting to make an example out of them instead, so they were pretty much screwed.
I couldn’t do much about the charges they’d incurred but figured bailing them out would suffice. It would also give me a chance to meet the woman who’d consumed my every thought since I first laid eyes on her.
Once I got to the detention center, I gave the woman at the front desk the necessary information on the girls and explained that I was there to bail them out. Thankfully, they’d only been charged with a misdemeanor, so I was able to pay the fees without having to jump through a lot of hoops.
Then, I waited.
And I waited.
And I waited some more.
Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the girls came walking through the security doors.
The one who’d caught my eye at the club was even more beautiful than I first though.
Her hair was long and straight, with auburn accents framing her delicate face.
She wore dark eye makeup that made her blue eyes seem even bluer, and she had on a fitted blue-and-green nylon jumpsuit that reminded me of something a skydiver might wear.
She and her friend stood at the front desk, received their court date, then started down the steps.
The second the two noticed me, they both stopped dead in their tracks.
The pretty brunette’s eyes grew wide as she brought her hand up to her mouth and whispered not so subtly to the other girl, “It’s him. ”
Her friend looked equally surprised when she leaned in a little closer and replied, “Yeah, I see that. What’s he doing here?”
“I have no idea.” They were only a few feet away and seemed confident that I couldn’t make out their conversation, but I heard every word. “It’s kind of odd that he’s here, right?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely strange and a little scary, too, but that’s what you get for waving at the guy like you did.”
“He didn’t come here because I waved at him, Haleigh.” After considering the thought for a moment, the cute brunette leaned closer to her friend and whispered, “You don’t really think that’s why, do you?”
“I don’t know, but I get the feeling we’re about to find out.”
Neither of them moved.
They merely stood there wide-eyed and silent as they watched me get up and make my way to them. Trying my best not to spook them any more than I already had, I smiled and said, “I didn’t mean worry either of you. I just came here to post your bail.”
“Oo-kay.” A confused expression marked the brunette’s face as she placed a hand on her hip and asked, “And why would you do that?”
“I don’t know. Just consider it my good deed of the day.”
Her eyes narrowed as she asked, “Do you make a habit of bailing complete strangers out of jail?”
“No.” Chuckling, I admitted, “You two are a first.”
“Okay, so what’s this good deed of yours gonna cost us?”
“Nothing. I was just trying to help ya out.”
“Is that right?” She sounded more than a little skeptical. “Well, we both appreciate your help, and if you give us your information, we’ll reimburse you by the end of the day.”
“No need in that.”
“It must’ve cost a fortune. You have to let us pay you back.”
“It’s all good. Don’t worry about it.”
“Seriously?” she pushed.
“Seriously.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.” She studied me for a moment, then asked, “Will you at least tell us your name?”
“I’m Conor, but my brothers call me Lynch. And what about you?”
“Umm, you bailed us out. Shouldn’t you already know our names?
” She was right. I’d gotten both of their names from the cop at Stilettos; however, I had no idea who was who.
I wasn’t about to tell them that, so I simply stared at the two with a blank expression.
Thankfully, my silence worked in my favor, and the pretty brunette finally answered, “I’m Raelyn, but my friends call me Rae. And this is my best friend, Haleigh.”
“Nice to meet ya. So, you girls wanna get out of here or what?”
“You mean with you?” Rae asked.
“Well, yeah.” I could see the apprehension on their faces, so I quickly added, “Look, I’m just offering a ride. You can take it or not. It’s up to you.”
“Well ...”
“Rae,” Haleigh hissed between her clenched teeth. “We don’t know this guy. We can’t leave with him.”
“He just bailed us out of jail,” Raelyn hissed back.
“So, we didn’t ask him to do that.”
Once again, they started the whole whispering thing like I couldn’t hear them. “But he did, and now, he’s offering to take us both home.”
“And we have no idea if this guy’s legit, or if he’s a psycho killer.”
I was tired, wounded, and my patience was wearing thin. Even though I had an interest in Rae, I was over the whole back and forth bullshit between her and her friend, so I grumbled, “You know what, just forget it. Call a cab or an Uber. I don’t care. You do you.”
Without saying anything more, I turned and started out the door. I thought that would be the end of it, but as I proceeded towards the truck, I heard Rae say, “Now look what you’ve gone and done.”
“What?” Haleigh fussed as they both followed me out the door. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
“You don’t know anything about the man.”
“And neither do you!”
Unable to stand it a moment longer, I glanced over my shoulder and asked, “You do realize I can hear you, right? Like every fucking word.”
“Oh, my God.” Rae grimaced. “I’m really sorry about that. Our hearing is a little off from last night... the wind shear and all that. I didn’t realize we were talking so loudly.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I had no idea what she was talking about, nor did I care. I just wanted to get on with my day, so I stopped and turned to face them. “Do you two want a ride or what? I’ve gotta get some damn sleep.”
“Sleep sounds really good about now.” Rae glanced over at Haleigh, then back to me. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “You’re a good guy, right? You’re not gonna kill us or anything?”
“I’m far from a good guy, but I’d never hurt either of you. Not now. Not ever.”
“Okay, then we’d really appreciate the lift.”
“You got it.”
The girls followed me over to Widow’s truck, and while they seemed a little hesitant, both hopped inside without arguing. Once they were both buckled up, I started the engine, then turned to Rae and asked, “So, where are we headed?”
“I don’t know.” Raelyn looked over to Haleigh. “Should we go to the car or just head on home?”
“I really need to get home and get changed, or I’m going to be late for work. And I really can’t afford to be late again—especially after last time.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re probably right. Why don’t we just get him to take us home, and then you can drop me off at my car on your way to work?”
“Yeah, I think that’ll be okay.”
“Great.” Raelyn then turned to me and smiled. “You can take us to our place.”
“Sounds good. Just need an address.”
“The Village apartments at Green Hills. It’s over behind the mall.”
“Yeah, I know the place.”
I knew Green Hills well. Everyone did. It was one of the nicer areas in Nashville where folks with money tended to migrate due to its upscale boutiques and restaurants.
I wasn’t exactly surprised that Rae and Haleigh lived there. I could tell just by looking at them that they were high-class chicks, which made me wonder how they’d ended up in the back of that cop car.
I knew it was none of my business, but that didn’t stop me from asking, “So, what did you two get into last night?”
“We jumped off the Hyatt’s rooftop bar.”
“You did what?”
When Rae realized I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about, she explained, “We parachuted off the rooftop of the Hyatt hotel.”
“You gotta be kiddin’ me.”
“Afraid not.”
“And you got arrested for it?”
Rae shrugged, then continued, “Apparently, the police believed we caused mass hysteria when we all jumped off the ledge. People thought we were committing suicide or something crazy like that, and they called the police. We just happened to be the last two who jumped and got caught.”
“Oh, shit. That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.”
“So, what kind of trouble you two gonna be in for causing such ‘mass hysteria’?”
“I have no idea.” Rae glanced over at Haleigh. “I’m hoping it’ll just be a manageable fine and maybe some community service, but it’s hard to tell. The judge may not be too lenient, so I’m thinking we’re gonna have to get a lawyer to be on the safe side.”
“Yeah, I’d think that would probably be for the best.”
Haleigh sank down in the seat and groaned. “My parents are going to have a coronary.”
“Maybe we won’t have to tell them.”
“I wish, but I don’t think we’re going to have a choice in the matter. It’s going to cost a fortune for the lawyer, and there’s no telling what the court costs and fines will be.
“We’ll figure something out.”
“I certainly hope so because I don’t want to go back to jail.”
I was a little surprised that the two had found themselves in such a helluva tight spot.
They seemed like smart girls who had to know the risks involved when they stepped out on that ledge, but for all I knew, that could’ve been what drew them there.
I would’ve asked, but seeing how the tension was building between them, I decided to save it for another day.
When we got to the Village apartments, Rae pointed to their place and said, “We’re in 3C.”
I pulled up to the front door, and they both hopped out, then turned to face me. Haleigh feigned a smile and said, “Thanks for this. We really appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
With that, she darted for their front door. Raelyn, on the other hand, remained rooted at the truck’s door. Her eyes met mine, and once again, there was that unexplainable pull towards her. It was a feeling I wasn’t accustomed to, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t know why you did all this for us, but we really appreciate it.
I really appreciate it. I kind of made a mess of things and wasn’t sure how to get us out of it.
And then you came and saved the day. I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to repay you. ”
“Oh, something tells me you’ll come up with something.”
“You think?”
“Without a doubt.” I gave her a playful wink. “You have a good one and try to stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises.” She gave me a warm smile, then said, “Bye, Lynch. I’ll see you around.”
“I certainly hope so.”