Chapter Eight #3
“I think hiring her for one fifty is your best bet,” Cleo said.
“Oh, is that what you think? Did I ask you, Cleo?”
Watch that goddamn attitude, Barry. It was on the tip of her tongue, but Cleo handled it.
She frowned. “No. But if you want a second opinion on what’s fair” —She reached for her bag— “I can call Wraith. I’ll let him know you don’t think much of my opinion and ask what he thinks.”
His face paled slightly and he waved his hand.
“Fuck!’ Barry snapped. “That’s not what I meant. Put down your phone.”
Cleo turned, smiling. “Oh, okay.”
Barry shifted on his feet and gripped his hips. Addison kept her smile at bay, but she was thoroughly amused by the fear tactic Cleo used. Well done, girl.
Barry sighed. “One fifty.”
She flattened her hands on the bar. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a bartender.”
And I’ve got a job!
****
Meetings with Inez weren’t mandatory for the whole club.
Except for Ace and Cross. It was rare that both the president and VP weren’t in attendance.
Occasionally, one would serve without the other.
This specific meeting required a few other members.
Cross, Ace, Wraith, Gent, and Cypher had arrived an hour ago to discuss the ongoing concerns about the deal bartered with Satan’s Hex.
As of now, there weren’t any direct issues, but Cross had reservations whether they could maintain the distribution without going out of state.
“They pay?” Inez asked, taking a deep drag from her cigarette.
“Yeah,” Ace said.
“And you know who they’re selling to?”
“Yeah.”
Inez scoffed. “So what’s the fucking problem?”
Ace straightened in his seat, eyeing her. “The territory they cover doesn’t add up. They’re taking in way more than they can sell.”
“Unless they venture out of their perimeter,” Cross said.
Inez shifted her gaze between him and Ace, squinting. “They ain’t stupid enough to sell in ours.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Inez. Bunch of fucking idiots running Satan’s now.” Gent chuckled.
It was true, they were fucking idiots. But they knew better than to try and distribute in Killcreek or the Underground’s territory. That left few places where they could unload the product in the state.
“They won’t sell in ours or Oz’s.”
Inez cocked her brow, and her lips twitched. “We worried about Mayberry?”
Mayberry was code for Ghosttown. The small town and the club, Ghosttown Riders, came with a protective shield. Neither Oz, Rogue, and Trey, nor Inez and Killcreek claimed the area, but all understood it carried the protection of the Underground.
“They deep into anything?”
Cross shook his head. “Ninety-five percent legit.”
Inez snorted, which rolled into a laugh. “Jack Reilly rolling over in his fucking grave hearing that, I’m sure.”
Jack Reilly was the original president of Ghosttown. Cross had very few interactions with him, but knew a lot about him. He was a legend for most clubs though never with Killcreek. They were a different breed under the Underground. They didn’t have much connection to him. Other than one.
Inez sipped her vodka, eyeing the men. She placed the glass on the counter.
“How’s his boy?”
We don’t talk about that. Ever. There was only one connection to Ghosttown, and it was through a brother. The core members, along with Inez, were privy to the information. No one else. And it would stay that way.
Ace narrowed his gaze. “Ask him.”
The corner of her mouth curled. “His mama’s been gone for a while now, right?”
Ace shrugged, seemingly indifferent to the topic. It was a facade. No brother in the room was comfortable discussing this. Even Gent, who had something to say about everything, remained silent. The tension was thick, but Inez continued to push.
“How long has it been?”
“Ask him,” Ace repeated.
“I’m asking you.”
Ace’s jaw squared. “I got nothing to say. You wanna know something about that? You call him in and ask.”
Inez smirked. “You giving me orders now, Ace?”
“Not giving you anything, Inez. Not about that.”
The corner of her mouth curled. “Taught you boys well, didn’t I?”
Yeah, she did. Loyalty was everything. None of the brothers would break code, no matter who asked.
Inez may call most of the shots when it came to business, and she’d created the club under Ace.
But they had their lines of separation. The club as a whole held many secrets about its members.
They were a brotherhood who protected each other.
“How’s my Jane Doe?” It was a swift change in subject.
The question wasn’t directed to anyone in particular, but Cypher stepped forward. Aside from Cleo, he’d have the most intel on her and her well-being.
“Good. Keeps to herself.”
She arched her brow. “You keep those prospects away from her.”
Cypher shook his head. “They know better than to talk to her. I’ve made that known. She would’ve told me if there was a problem.”
“Getting tight with her?”
“No.” Cypher scoffed. “That girl’s not tight with anyone but Cleo.”
“Even that’s questionable,” Wraith added.
“Why’s that?”
“She only gets together with Cleo at the motel. Won’t come to our house. Cleo’s invited her a few times, but Jane refused, so she let it go. She doesn’t fully trust Cleo with her ties to us.”
No one blamed her. Jane had been through a lot. Or so they imagined. The club was still in the dark about what had gone down. The only person with details was Inez herself, and the woman was a vault when it came to Jane. Cross suspected Ace knew more, but he hadn’t said anything.
“She taking over for Cleo at the clubhouse?”
Ace nodded. “Comes in three times a week and cleans. The last month she’s been coming to the parties.”
“Really?”
“To clean. Keeps to herself, a low profile. Barely know when she’s there, but Joker keeps tabs on her.”
Gent snorted. “Like it’s his fucking job. He’s giving me Wraith vibes.”
“Fuck off,” Wraith snapped.
Cross wouldn’t join in on the taunting, but it was accurate. Joker, the newest member of the club as of six months ago, had taken on watching over her. As far as Cross knew, they’d had very little interaction, but he stayed close when she was around.
“I’m thinking our boy has got a little crush on her,” Gent smirked.
“Well, you let that motherfucker know he better not act on it.”
“He knows,” Cypher said.
Inez nodded, taking a drag from her cigarette.
Cross folded his arms. “You got a plan for her?”
“Yeah,” Inez said but didn’t elaborate.
Ace scoffed. “Keeping this one close to the chest?”
“I have my reasons,” Inez said, leaving no room for discussion.
“And would you like to share them with the class?” Gent teased.
Inez took a deep drag from her cigarette, directing the smoke toward Gent. “Baby, you’ll know when I want to share.” She sighed. “Anything else?”
There was a long stretch of silence before Ace looked over at Wraith.
If the president was waiting on the enforcer to come forward, he’d be waiting a long time.
Wraith continued to scowl but made no move to speak.
They’d brought it to Inez when they found out about Cleo writing to Addison.
They’d already done a deep dive into her, so they’d laid everything out for Inez.
Surprisingly, she didn’t seem bothered by it.
Cross had expected a concerned reaction. Inez gave the opposite.
“Cleo’s pen pal,” Ace said, not elaborating further.
If he had to guess, Ace was going to give the least amount of information necessary for Cleo’s sake. If Inez shut it down, Addison would be on the next flight home.
“Still doing that?” Inez rolled her eyes. “Goddamn it, that girl loves to write a fucking letter, doesn’t she?” Inez shook her head, grabbed her glass, and finished off the last of her vodka.
“It’s gotten a little more complicated.”
Inez slammed the glass on the table and pointed at Wraith. “I fucking warned you if this became a problem, you’re shutting it down.”
“It’s not a problem.” He growled.
“Wraith,” Ace warned.
“What the hell is going on?” Inez snapped.
Cypher held up his hand. “I’ve continued to monitor all the messages and calls. Wraith’s read all the letters.” He gestured to Cross. “So has Cross. There’s nothing problematic.”
Inez shifted her eyes to him. “You back that.”
He drew in a breath. “Yeah.”
“So what’s the fucking problem?”
Ace clasped his hands. “She’s here.”
Inez slowly picked up her cigarette and took a drag. She blew out the smoke and took another. Silence was never a good sign when it came to Inez.
Cross arched his brow, shifting his gaze to Ace. His president hadn’t given in to the tension in the room.
“We didn’t know until a few days ago. Cleo only knew when she got the call from Addison that she was in the area.”
“You met her?”
Ace nodded. “Yeah.”
“And?” Inez snapped.
She was asking Ace, therefore no reason for him to answer. He did anyway.
“We looked into her, Inez. There’s nothing saying she’s an issue. According to her, she wanted to meet Cleo.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Hasn’t given any reason not to,” Wraith said and Inez lifted her hand, silencing him. Her eyes were trained on Cross.
“You believe we got nothing to worry about with her?”
The ball was officially in his court. If he showed any signs of concern to Addison being in Killcreek, Inez would shut it down and send her home.
No pleas from Cleo or any other members would trump Cross’s.
It was a surefire way to get rid of Addison.
No questions, no opposition. This was solely his choice. It should’ve come easy.
“Cross?” She arched her brow, waiting.
“She’s not a concern.”
Inez slowly nodded. “You want her to stay?”
Cross laughed without an ounce of humor. “I don’t give a fuck.”
“Yes or no?”
Fuck! He drew in a breath, folding his arms. “She stays.”
He felt all eyes on him but kept his on Inez. She angled her head and nodded.
“Alright. Now get the fuck out.”
It was the usual parting words from Inez. Cross waited for Ace to pass and stepped in line with Wraith.