Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
MILLIE
The buzzing sound on my nightstand is the first thing I hear, although I don’t realize what’s happening. My eyes are still closed, and I’m lost somewhere between a dream and reality. The buzzing seems so very far away, and then it stops, only to start again.
That’s when I realize it’s my phone dancing around on the nightstand. When I force my eyes open, the only light in the room comes from the dancing rectangular device a few feet away from me. My blackout curtains are putting in the work, keeping this place dark.
Reaching for the phone, I squint as I attempt to focus on who is calling me. I’m not about to answer if I don’t know who the hell is on the other end of the line. I’ve made that mistake before.
Honestly, with everything that happened in Vegas that sent me packing, I probably should have dumped my phone somewhere along the side of the desert highway and bought a burner.
The name takes a moment to register. It’s Heidi. I haven’t spoken to her since I arrived here in Raleigh. She was one of my mentors in Vegas, though she’s only about fifteen years older than me, but she turned into more than just a mentor.
She’s my friend.
My best friend.
But the last thing I ever wanted to do was make my friend a target, and I’m afraid I may have inadvertently done just that by leaving her there, because they are naturally going to go to her to look for me, and I didn’t even think about it at the time.
But now that my head is somewhat clearer, I’m wondering what the hell I’ve got her mixed up in.
“Is everything okay?” I demand the moment I touch the speaker icon to answer the call.
My phone clock reads that it’s noon in Raleigh, which means it’s nine in the morning in Vegas, and there is no way in hell that Heidi is voluntarily awake at this hour. She’s still working at the club, though in more of an admin role, but she’s there every single night, all night.
“A couple suits came looking for you.”
I don’t even have to ask her what they wanted. I already know, and by her tone, she’s not happy about it. They wanted me. And they wanted to kill me. I saw something I shouldn’t have, and now I’m being hunted.
I just hope they won’t be able to track me down.
It’s the main reason I didn’t tell anyone, not even Heidi, where I went.
I’m not that smart, and the fact that I came not only to my home state but also to a place less than an hour from my hometown is probably not a great idea. I just didn’t know where else to go. I was scared out of my mind, and I panicked.
“Those are bad dudes, girl,” Heidi murmurs into the phone.
“I know,” I say.
The other end of the phone is silent. I think that maybe she’s hung up on me, but when she begins to speak, I realize she hasn’t. What she’s doing is choosing her words wisely so she doesn’t upset me.
She shouldn’t.
I need to hear it, because I fucked up—big time.
“Don’t tell me what happened. I just need to know if you’re safe.”
“If they’re there and haven’t found me yet, I’m safe.”
She clears her throat, then her words come out low, and I know she’s being serious. She wants me to take this in and let it soak down to my bones. I close my eyes, inhaling a deep breath and letting it out slowly as I wait for her to continue.
“They will find you, honey, and when they do, it will not be pleasant. Do you have someone there who can keep you safe?”
I bite my bottom lip as I think about Axton and how I’m fairly positive it’s him who followed me last night, how I’m certain I saw him in the club last month . And then I think about who he is. Not the police officer part of him, but the Vicious Reapers part of him, and I realize that he can.
If anyone can keep me safe, it’s Axton Colter.
“I have someone who can keep me safe.”
“But?” she asks.
I laugh softly, because if anyone knows me, it’s Heidi. She can hear it in my voice, no doubt. The hesitation is without a doubt present, even though I can’t hear it myself. It’s there. I can feel it.
“That would require me going to him and asking him.”
“And you would never do that because you’re stubborn,” she mutters. Before I can respond, she continues. “But you’re going to, because that’s the whole reason you left Vegas. It’s him, isn’t it? The man you love.”
“Heidi,” I warn.
She hums. “I expect weekly updates.”
I don’t get the chance to respond because she ends the call, and that is that. But she is not wrong, and there is no fight in me for anything she said, because she was right in all of it.
Delusionally, I came here because it was familiar and far away from Vegas. In reality, I came here because I know if anyone can protect me, it’s Axton, and even if he hates me, I am confident he will protect me. It’s just who he is to his core. Even if he was a shit boyfriend, we loved one another.
And although I don’t want to admit it out loud, and I probably never will… I still love him.
I’ll always love him.
PIGGY
“Lorenzo is going to shit bricks if we get involved with the strip club. He’s still side-eyeing us on a regular fucking basis about his piece-of-shit kid,” Goose calls out.
He is not wrong.
“How do I take back the offer for security on that club?” Bullet asks.
“We got our fingers in too many related pies,” Shocker growls. “We need to cut ties with it all. Take a bit of a financial hit and regroup.”
He’s not wrong. It’s probably the sanest suggestion that’s going to come out of this church meeting. But it won’t be the one anyone agrees to.
Not that we’re money hungry as a whole, because I would take a financial hit if it meant we were done with this shit and moving forward. The biggest issue is that we have nothing to move forward with.
So cutting off our noses to spite our faces is not in the best interest of the club or any of the members. We all have bills to pay. There are more families these days than not, and there’s nothing wrong with needing to make money to support your family.
I suck in a breath and hold it for a moment as I wait for the men to talk. I have no idea what to suggest or how to go about changing the direction of the club.
I don’t mind the security aspect, at least when it comes to concerts and shit like that. I don’t mind selling equipment, either, and I don't mind having it fall off trucks.
But even if I don’t mind those things, they don’t make a shit ton of money, and I’m not someone who is going to be able to do them all. My day job, like Ivy’s, takes a lot more time away from the club than it helps the club.
I don’t feel like it’s my place to suggest a goddamn thing, at least when it comes to daily operations.
“We have some big decisions to make, but brainstorming hasn’t given us anything,” Viking announces.
“No,” Bullet mutters. “It hasn’t, and as much as I want to think that I could come up with some grand plan, I got fucking nothing.”
Admitting that you have no idea when you’re the president of the club is brave. I don’t know if he realizes it or not, but it is. Most men don’t admit a goddamn thing, so to have him confess that he doesn’t know what to do, it’s a breath of fresh air, honest to fuck.
“So what the fuck do we do?” Maverick asks.
We share knowing glances with one another, trying to figure it out ourselves. We’ve got a whole bunch of fucking nothing. Sucking in a breath through my teeth, I push back as I stand.
I walk over to the window and look out at the parking lot. I’m not sure what the fuck to do, but I do know we can’t continue like this. Not as men and not as a club. Rocking back on my heels, I turn around to face the room.
I want the strip club job. But that’s selfish. I want it for one reason and one reason only: for her. For my Millie. So I don’t even mention it, because it’s not for the club. It would be for me, and that would be wrong.
“I don’t think going legal is the answer,” I state.
The hush that falls over the room is palpable. I’m the very last person in this room who should suggest doing anything illegal. I’ve taken oaths, but my commitment is to the club first and the police department second. I know that goes against everything my job demands of me.
But I don’t care.
The Vicious Reapers are my family, and that is where my loyalty lies.
That is where it will always lie.
“Are you sure you mean what you’re saying?” Lightning asks.
“I’m sure,” I state without a moment of hesitation. “We’re not going to be able to support our families on being legitimate. We need the illegal shit, and we’re good at it. So let’s pivot and make the best of the situation we’re in.”
Shocker begins to clap. It’s slow at first. He builds speed, and then the others join in. Hell yeah. I had a good idea for once. It doesn’t happen often, but here I am. When the clapping stops, I clear my throat before I return to my chair.
Sinking down in the seat, I press my lips together because I don’t have much else to add, to be honest.
“No trafficking women, and I don’t want a stable, either,” Bullet states.
“I can agree with that,” Lightning affirms.
Me too.
“Let’s get brainstorming,” Bullet announces.
So that’s exactly what we do, though I have to admit, we pretty much suck ass. I’m not sure how we can come up with a random, wonderful idea that will make us money, but I’m ready to listen.