9. Sapphire
SAPPHIRE
“Sweet Mother of All Things Holy,” Ruby says as I grab the surveyor by the scruff of the neck and yank him backward.
He’s a puny little man, a pen pusher, but regardless, I’ll fuck him over.
“What the fuck are you doing on our land?” I demand as he squirms like a fish caught on a hook.
He waves his arms frantically. “I, I…”
I shake him again. “Spit it out, we haven’t got all day.”
“There’s been a m-misunderstanding,” he stammers. “I must’ve crossed the boundary without realizing it.”
“The hell you did,” Jade puts in. “There’s a fence right here. You just trespassed by accident?”
“You’re working for Lanzetti, aren’t you?” I fire at him, already knowing the answer.
Diamond has suspected spying for the last few weeks after the enclosure was cut on the east point of the property. The horses were spooked. Then our clubhouse gate was vandalized.
We know they’re trying to psych us out, but it isn’t going to work.
He gulps, clearly not expecting a bunch of chicks to make him shit his pants. I guess it sucks to be him.
His face reddens, and he begins to sweat. The badge on his jacket reveals his name is Greg.
“Now, don’t give yourself a heart attack,” Ruby says. “You’d best be outta here before things get ugly.”
“What? You think we should just let him go?” I challenge. It’s all for show, to scare him. Ruby is as old school as I am. “Some of the wells run deep around here, Greg. It’s not like you’d be missed.”
“I-I have a family,” he bleats. “It was a mistake, p-please.”
I tug him harder. “Just tell us if Lanzetti sent you. That’s all we want to know.”
“That is, unless you want to be shipped off to the Gulf of Mexico?” Jade taunts. “It can be arranged, us Stilettos are resourceful when we need to be.”
No truer words have been spoken.
“Girls?” Dustin says, sidling up on his horse, Mustang. “What’s going on?”
We all turn to look at our stable manager, who’s now glaring at our trespasser friend.
Dustin is a sturdy guy and not to be messed with, but he’s a real sweetheart to the women of the club and those who know him well. He’s a cowboy at heart and a good soul.
Jade fills him in, “He’s trespassing, Dusty.” She’s always called him by that nickname. Some of us have noticed the glances they’ve shared. Even though nothing has transpired between them, personally, I think they’d make a cute couple.
“You all okay?” he asks, sliding off Mustang. He’s in his usual work gear, including chaps and a cowboy hat, and while his focus is on Jade, that sentiment alone is why we keep him around. He keeps an eye on things, works hard, and he’s loyal.
“We’re fine,” I answer for everyone. “We caught this asshole trespassing. He’s just leaving.”
Dustin folds his arms over his chest, his glare ice cold. “What are you doin’ here, and who sent you?”
“The company! Zoro Holdings,” he blurts. “I-I don’t know much about who they are. They paid me to come and survey the land…” He thrusts a bunch of papers at us. “It was a routine job.”
From his trembling hands, I’d say he’s been set up, or he really is fucking clueless. Plus, he’s probably doing this off the books, hence why he’s so nervous.
“I don’t suppose this Zoro Holdings has something to do with Lanzetti, does it?” Ruby asks, sarcastic as all shit.
He looks like he’s going to piss his pants when he says, “I-I think there’s a possibility, I have heard that name before?—”
Still holding him by the scruff of the neck, I shake him again. “Spit it out, you either have, or you haven’t!”
“Y-yes, Lanzetti, it rings a bell.” By now this man’s face is as white as a sheet, and he looks like he might pass out. Honestly, what a clown.
“Yeah, I’ll bet it does,” Dustin mutters. “So, why are you here on private property?”
“To survey the boundaries of the land. I’m recording the official land titles,” he says, eyes darting to all of us in turn like he doesn’t know where to look.
“What else?” I put in.
He clears his throat. “S-subdivision planning. There are legal compliances that must adhere to local planning laws, zoning rules, and infrastructure requirements.”
“And you had no idea you were trespassing?” Dustin sounds skeptical. “Find that a little hard to believe.”
“I’m with you there,” Jade agrees wholeheartedly.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean any harm.”
We all stare at him, and finally I let him go. He stumbles backward as get in his face. “You tell Lanzetti from the Stiletto Riders that Rustic Grove isn’t for sale. None of this will ever be his, not for any price, got that, Greg!”
Greg nods, then turns and skedaddles back the way he came. He gets snagged on the fence and rips his pants. Dustin sighs as he strolls over to free him. Red-faced and now bleeding from the barbed wire, he makes a run for it.
“Slimy fuck,” I mumble. “Talk about a snake in the grass.”
“Diamond is gonna be pissed,” Jade says.
“Tell me about it,” I retort. An uneasy feeling washes over me.
“We need this sit-down.” Ruby, looking just as angry as I feel, points in Greg’s direction. His retreating figure heads toward his truck, parked on the other side of the ravine. “And fast, this shit can’t keep going on. What’s gonna be next?”
“An electric fence for one,” Dustin says. “That’ll keep the assholes out.”
He hasn’t got a bad point, all things considered.
My phone pings, and I pull it out of my back pocket. My eyes widen when I see Sin’s name on my screen.
Sin
You free?
I frown, reading the text.
Sin
I had a fight with my mom in front of Mika. It’s bad
Sapphire
I’m here if you need to talk
Sin
I hopped on my motorcycle, needed to think
Sin
I’m here, in Saddle
Oh, holy crap.
Sapphire
At the clubhouse?
Sin
No, your place
I look up to the girls and Dustin. “Gotta go, I’ll report this to Diamond. In the meantime, everyone needs to be more vigilant. Looks like we need the prospects set up in every damn corner of the property.”
“Damn straight,” Ruby agrees.
I take off toward the house. I used to have a room at Rustic Grove, but now I have a cabin on the far side of the property, along with Ruby.
Dustin lives adjacent to the stables; he likes being close to the horses.
Diamond plans on building more so all the Stilettos can have a private residence here on Rustic Grove.
The rooms upstairs are for new members, or strays as I like to call them, who need a place to crash.
Right now, only Jade, Emerald, and the two prospects, Gem and Coral—all of whom were rescued from trafficking—reside upstairs.
Emerald keeps the house in order and cleans a couple of the Airbnbs in town.
The other non-committee members, like Topaz and Garnet, are here as much as they can be in between working for Onyx, who manages the club’s local bar and restaurant, the Rusty Spur.
Pearl, our Secretary, runs Saddle Hop, the best café in town.
Everyone in this MC has a job, including me.
I own the local garage, and I’m a fully qualified mechanic, though these days I only work on custom bikes and leave the running of Saddle Up to my business partner, Leroy.
He might be a grouch and not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s loyal and loves his job.
Sapphire
I’m on my way
I greet my motorcycle in the lot out front, jump on, and fire her up. My place is half a mile across the property, secluded among a nestle of trees. Ruby’s cabin is close to mine, but she’s over at the beauty salon, Spurs and Sparkle, so she won’t know Sin is here.
Things must be bad if Sin is in Saddle. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him for the last few days. I can still fucking feel where he’s been.
I charge down the side of Rustic Grove and onto the dirt road that leads to my place, ignoring the fact that my heart raced the second I got his text.
He’s here.
In Saddle.
Come to think of it, how does he know where my cabin is?