“This is a courtesy visit. We bought the Wayfair Warehouse out on 76. We’re planning to turn it into a clubhouse for our new chapter. We have a few local boys and a couple who are wanting to return somewhere closer to home, so it’s time to open a local joint.”
“And we fit in that equation how?” Jamie gave nothing away with her tone or body language. Man, if Ghost could see his daughter in action right now, he’d be proud as fuck.
“Well, I don’t think we have any competing interest so really this is just a courtesy to say hello and let you know our intentions. We won’t be steppin’ on your toes, and hope you won’t dance all over ours.” I groaned inwardly knowing his sexist comment was going to go over about as well shit scented flowers.
“You run girls?” Jamie surprised me yet again by ignoring his last comment, even though I thought I saw a suppressed eye roll from her.
“No ma’am.” Spike answered.
“I’m too young to be a ma’am,” she countered. Of course age would get her goat while she could bat away a sexist comment without flinching. “Run weapons?” She continued on with her questions. “Drugs?”
“No offense, sweetheart, but our business dealings are just that. Club business. We don’t go telling anyone about our setup and you really don’t need to know. We’ve checked. Let’s just say, we don’t have any common businesses with yours.” Peety started to get indignant, but ended with a strong, no-nonsense flow.
“Well, Peety,” Jamie started with her hackles finally raised a bit. “It is absolutely our business if your club tracking illegal shit through our town causes problems, inciting violence, and dealing with unknown criminal elements. That shit can be unpredictable at best. We run our club shit in the more, well mostly, legit side of things. If violence and general idiocy run off our paying customers where will that leave us?”
I didn’t anticipate Peety’s answer being a good one, and I couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie anymore. I needed her eyes on me. “Well, Jamie, I’m pretty sure you know all too well what our MC gets up to, and you also know we handle our shit, sugar.”
Jamie’s guard dogs, Tash and Keys, went on high alert immediately. Hands moved to their side arms without a moment’s hesitation. Peety and Spike both comically looked back and forth between Jamie and myself, no doubt wondering what the fuck was up.
“Jamie?” Peety finally questioned while the girl herself stood stock-still staring at me like I was the ghost of Christmas past. I suppose that would be sort of accurate. “They said her name was Angel, or Angel Girl, whatever.”
“Her road name, I’m sure. This one here is definitely Jamie though.” I winked at her as I mentioned her real name again. Her eyes narrowed on me and fists clenched at her side.
“How do you know that?” Spike managed to ask the question I’m certain everyone in the room wanted to know.
I couldn’t hold back the grin that exploded across my face as I answered. “She just happens to be my betrothed.” I snickered.
“I’m not your anything, Scott.” She fumed at me, using my given first name, just as I’d used hers.
“Betrothed?” Both Peety and Keys managed the one-word question at the same time before Peety continued on. “Who the hell is she?”
“You’re looking at Ghost’s long lost, wayward daughter, and the woman promised to me eight years ago. Jamie Fucking Murdock.”
“Holy Fuck!” Tash whisper-shouted the words. Those were my sentiments exactly.
“Welp,” Jamie started as she began to move a little further away from the desk. “I’d say this meeting is just about over for today.”
Peety chuckled. “Nah, little princess, I’d say we’re just getting started.” The idiot thought he had something to hold over her head now. I could see it in his beady little eyes as they focused in on Jamie. He was going to ruin everything.
Faster than I could react, since I was busy eyeing Peety, Jamie had a Glock 19 pointed at me. Damn, that probably said a lot about built hostilities. Not that I understood why she’d be pissed at me to begin with. Hell, I was the one with the grudge to hold. I’d finally given in, was okay with being with her and knowing I wouldn’t be holding her back only to have her up and disappear on me anyway. “You’re all leaving, right now.” She jiggled her gun a bit before continuing. “This gun is the least of your worries too, believe that. We can tie you up as tight as we did Winter’s Renegades, or you can leave within five minutes and we’ll think about leaving some scraps for you to rebuild on.”
“You threatening your own daddy’s MC, girly?” Peety had turned colors again. His rage obviously getting the best of him. Ghost would hear about this later. I wasn’t so sure Peety was the best choice for Prez of this location considering the nature of the business. I especially had concerns now that I knew Jamie was here too.
“Nope, I’m giving you guys the advantage the WRs never had. Nothing personal, it’s all about protecting our business.” Jamie walked around the desk, keeping her gun trained on me the whole time until I gave her a smile and the smallest of nods. She finally lowered it, which made me feel a little better about the situation. I didn’t know what sent Jamie running all those years ago, but somewhere inside her there had to be a little trust in me since she lowered her weapon. That was what I hoped as I continued to listen to her speak anyway.
“We settled here in unclaimed territory, in the mountains, so we could do our thing and not have to worry about petty bullshit with other clubs. I know why Winter’s Renegades wanted in here, and we shut them down before they could follow through.” Now, she definitely had my attention. “What I’m wondering now is why your club chose this place. I know my dad made an error in judgment with regards to my particular situation, but I never though he’d trade in flesh.”
My head snapped up, glare hard on her face. I couldn’t believe she’d suggest that about the club or her father. “Your father, our club, we don’t traffic in humans. Ever.”
“Well,” she chastised. “You can’t honestly say never since he tried to sell my soul off to the devil by his side. What were you supposed to get out of it again? Two chickens and a goat?” She mocked, I thought I heard Spike snicker, but ignored it. “No, that’s not it.” My fists were balled tightly by my sides at this point as I wondered how we’d gone from accepting our lives together seven years ago to this unrestrained hatred she was heaping my way now. “Oh, I know. A new bike and a shiny VP patch. I see things worked out for you even without me. My condolences to whatever woman he finally pawned off on you.”
As if I ever needed Ghost’s, or anyone else’s, assistance in getting ass. I had more bitches vying for a place as my old lady than I cared to count or bother with. None of them fit the bill. I’d had my one shot at that life and she’d walked away. If only Jamie knew the truth. Being with her would have meant never being VP, or part of the inner circle, at all. Her father wanted more for her than a man who was dedicated only to the club. He regretted the time he missed with his wife and daughter on all the runs he took. When his wife died, there was no getting that time back. That’s how Ghost had put it to me anyway when he told me if I chose his daughter I’d never advance in the club. I’d chosen her anyway.
“No old lady, Jamie,” I finally breathed out. “I was promised you, and I’ve ben waiting to collect. I’ll be sure to let your dad know you send your love, Sugar.” I tossed her a wink and walked out of the office we were in. Peety and Spike trailed out behind me.
Thirty minutes later we were back at the warehouse and the entirety of what had just gone down was still sinking in while on replay in my head. Peety stormed off as soon as we got back mumbling about a “clusterfuck” of a situation. I couldn’t disagree.
“That was some unexpected heavy shit,” Spike finally said from beside me. “Wanna talk about it, man?”
“Man, you sure as fuck don’t look like Oprah, and I’m not all about sniveling into tissues while you try to be.” I meant it as a joke to get him to back off. I fucked that
attempt all to hell.
“So, she broke your heart, huh?”
“Fuck!” I shouted, before taking a minute to breathe through the bullshit emotions clouding my judgment. “I need to call Ghost.”
“On a scale of one to fucked, how big is he going to blow?”
“Epic fucking proportions man. He’s had himself convinced she was dead somewhere over the past couple of years. Didn’t think she could still be alive and not get in contact.”
“Damn, that’s tough. I don’t envy you that phone call, brother.”
I snorted out a half-assed laugh. “Be my guest, because I don’t envy me either.” With that I moved to the temporary accommodations I was living in. It was a shell of a bedroom, but considering construction was on going in the warehouse, it was the best they had to offer just yet.
The phone rang three times before someone picked up. It was a woman. “Hello?”
“What the fuck are you doing answering Ghost’s phone?” I yelled.
“He’s in the shower,” the woman stated quickly.
“Who is this?”
“A-Ashton,” she stuttered out. I knew her. She was a newer club whore, probably Jamie’s age. Hell, probably someone she had gone to school with back in the day. Just the thought of him with someone his daughter’s age turned my stomach. Some days, I didn’t know what Ghost was thinking.
“The fuck you doing with my phone?” I heard the devil himself bellow out.
“I just… it rang, and you…”
“You never fucking answer my phone. EVER. Get the fuck out!”
I waited to see if he would pick up the phone or hang up.
“Who is this?” He asked finally.
“Me. I have news, Ghost.” I didn’t bother waiting or easing into it either. “She’s here.” Silence answered. Maybe I should have said her name. Maybe it had been so long he didn’t realize whom I meant.
“Are you telling me you found Jamie down in Georgia?” His voice had gone quiet and I waited a moment to answer. “She’s been eight hours away all this time?”
“I don’t know about all this time, but she’s here now.”
“I’m coming,” he said.
“Wait,” I called out before he could hang up.
“What?”
“There’s more. You know the female MC I told you about earlier?”
“Yeah. She’s a member?” He huffed out.
“Yes and no.” I started, trying to best figure out how to drop this bomb.
“What the hell does that mean, Sweet?”
“She’s the goddamn prez, and their place is no damn joke.”
I could have sworn I heard him snicker in the background. That couldn’t be right though. “Well, I’ll be damned. Guess she couldn’t take the biker out of her blood, after all.” With that the line went dead and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect in the next eight to ten hours. I hoped for Ghost’s sake that his reunion with Jamie went better than mine did. That reminded me. I had one more person to tell.
Sweet: Found Jamie. Ghost is on his way. You better catch up.
Quickshot: R U Fuckin Wit Me?
Sweet: Nope. She’s here.
Nothing else came in so I put my phone back in my pocket and went to let Spike know to expect company. He could pass the info on to Peety himself. I had some sorrows to drown before my MC family got here, and I had to pretend that shit didn’t hurt all over again.
Bonus Chapter Four
We stopped for gas half way between the S.H.E. compound and the new Aces High clubhouse. Ghost looked rung out after speaking to Jamie. “He gonna be okay?” I asked Quickshot, nodding to Ghost.
“Are you kidding? He has a second chance with his daughter; of course he’ll be okay. What about you? What was with the tour of her club’s women?”
I glared over at Quick then, the anger I’d been holding back bubbling up. “She believed some fucked up lie, left without a word, and kept us in the dark for seven fucking years. What, am I supposed to want to jump back into being friends? Being more? Fuck that. One fucking conversation. That’s all it would have taken to straighten out the bullshit lies Marisol told. She didn’t care enough to give that to me though. Hell, she knew two weeks before she left what she was going to do. All of our last moments, last conversations…” I swallowed down the bile that was rising in my throat. “I was busy planning on marrying her, building a life with her. She was busy mentally packing her bags, man. I’ve had seven fucking years of thinking about that fact. Two fuckin’ weeks she knew.” I kicked a rock and heard a huff of breath from Quickshot.
“I know, Sweet. Hell, when I saw her I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be angry or relieved. Somehow, I’m both. And fucking proud of all she’s accomplished too. It’s a crazy mixed bag of fucked up.”
“That it is. I’m just trying to keep my distance because I am so fucking conflicted. Part of me is sucked right back to the past where she’s mine and I feel that possessive protectiveness. Then I ask myself what the fuck I’m doing because she was never mine. It was all an illusion. Maybe it wasn’t even Marisol’s lies that sent her away. Maybe she’d only been biding her time all along.”
“Nah, man. There was no faking the way she lit up around you back then. Well, once she got over your stupid shit anyway.”
“Shit!” We heard Ghost call out while looking in his saddlebag.
“What’s up Ghost?” One of the other guys asked.
“I need to head back. I forgot to give Jamie her mom’s photo album.” He tossed his leg over his bike. “You guys head on to the clubhouse, I’ll drop it off and head back that way.”
“Quick and I will go with you,” I offered. I wasn’t about to look too deeply into why in the hell I would offer to go straight back to Jamie when I just talked about how pissed off I was with her, and how I was trying to keep my distance. It definitely was not worth examining too hard.
“Nah, no need,” he argued.
“Look, I get that she’s your daughter, but they’re another MC. They have a club that, I’ll remind you, has already held me at gunpoint once. You’re not going in there alone. I don’t care if it’s to drop off homemade brownies and it’s that time of the month for all of them.”
“Fine, but just you two. Everyone else head back.”
It took fifteen minutes to get back and when we did we got held up at the front door by a cute little blond. “Hey, sweetheart, Ghost here needs to drop a special book off to Ja-um-Angel Girl.”
“I’ll take it to her,” the girl offered in a breathy voice that told me flirting with her would get us exactly what we wanted.
“Nuh-uh. He needs to see she gets it personally. What’s your name again, precious?” I was throwing all grades of charming smiles her way as I spoke.
“Jesamine, but everyone calls me Jesa.” The leather jacket she wore had an RC instead of an MC patch, making me wonder what level of importance she held here.
“Jesa, sweetheart, why don’t you just escort us to wherever Angel is? I promise, she’ll thank you for it.” I lowered my voice. “The book has pictures of her momma in it. I don’t think she has any others left.”
“Aww,” Jesa’s eyes grew misty almost instantly. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. The girl looked around, almost guiltily. I’d bet anything she was looking for a tabled member of the club. When she didn’t find what she was looking for she opened the door wider for us to come in. “Follow me. I think I saw her head upstairs.”
“Great! Thanks, sweetheart.”
The girl blushed and led us to the stairs. Voices carried down to us as we began our ascent up the darkened stairwell.
Angel Girl (S.H.E. Book 1) Page 34