“Let’s get the deep fried onion,” Onyx said with a nod to Michele. “Thanks Michele.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad to see you guys out in public together, finally, it’s nice.” Michele walked away.
Shocked by what Michele just said, Topaz leaned in close to him and softly asked,. “Why is everybody commenting on us? Finally?”
“Because everybody has to get into each other’s business. You do know there was a pool?”
“A what?” she asked while sitting back.
“Oh, guess everyone else had decided we were either fucking and not telling people or were about to.”
She let out a light chuckle. “I’ll admit I may have stared a bit longer than I should have at you.”
“Fine, a few times when you danced I wanted more than a conversation.”
A commotion across the restaurant caught Topaz’s attention.
Music switched, getting a bit louder and several of the girls were coming out on stage. Strutting on stage, they began their routines. Seeing a stripper on stage was far from an oddity, but she didn’t want Onyx to think of another woman. Part of her wanted to either turn off the music or perform a lap dance to make sure his focus was only on her and not Lyna on the front pole. Turning back to Onyx, she could see he wasn’t even looking at the girls. His eyes giving her his full attention. In a pair of jeans and T-shirt she didn’t think about holding the attention of one man for very long. Done up, with a good bra and short skirt she had the right parts for the men, but this was different for her.
Members drifted in, their arrival on point, knowing when the girl started for the night. They sat at the tables near the stage, a common occurrence for the single men, especially the prospects if they weren’t tasked to do grunt work, to come and watch the dancers.
Bounty and Cream came in, his arm protectively around her belly as they walked in lockstep. Bounty raised his eyebrow at Topaz and she countered, cutting her eyes to Cream’s abs. He smirked and directed Cream toward a table in the corner. They came in here often to eat dinner, especially since the house they purchased was still partially under construction.
As the place filled, Topaz knew people were noticing her and Onyx sitting in the middle of the restaurant. She didn’t need a spotlight to be cast. Instead of her heart beating wildly from nerves, she found it didn’t bother her at all. If anything, it was a statement that they were together. One she needed people to take note of.
16
Onyx woke up in the morning and looked down at Topaz in his bed. Once the restaurant filled last night, she eased into what he was doing. Putting not only her, but himself on display. He didn’t want to enjoy the bit of envy in more than a few men’s eyes as they saw the two of them. At times, the glance made between her and another man made him nervous. Bounty especially because his memory wasn’t so short he’d forgotten the few days she didn’t leave his room. The blond kid showed his focus was completely on his woman who had water with their meal instead of alcohol. Anyone could see the man named the dark-skinned goddess Cream because the look on his face when she was around was like a cat wanting to lick a saucer of the sweet nectar.
Topaz was still sleeping, nestled into the crook of his arm, but he needed to meet up with Hack. They had plans this morning to figure out the intel and location of the ACT UP group. The bath they took the night before had been less sexual, but more intimate in so many ways. When she laid between his legs, the heat of the water ate into his sore muscles as the bubbles covered her body.
Now was not the time to remember the feel of the two of them blocking out the world. With a kiss to her forehead, he rolled her over and made sure to take note of the lace outlining her hips before covering her otherwise bare body. He sat on the edge of the bed, reached for his leg leaning on the night stand, and held it for a moment. Not once had Topaz done what he feared a woman would do, play with his stump like some oddity for their amusement. Maybe it was because she tended to him, but the way she looked at him as a whole man was a shot to his ego he needed right now. Tugging on the sleeve, he created the suction needed to put his leg on. The first step of the day was always a test. Standing, finding center… then stepping. No longer was he the guy who could roll out of bed and go. Even with his leg feeling better and Red’s ass shot helping him heal, Onyx wasn’t going to test the limits. Now to cross to his dresser, get a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Socks and boots followed then he was ready for the day.
Taking in the sight of Topaz in his bed, he wondered if they’d be like the rest, move in together. He knew space was needed at the clubhouse, but he lived with Hollywood who bought the big house outside town to fill with kids. Not roommates.
Heading downstairs, he found the coffee already brewed and poured a cup. Digging through the cupboards, he located a box of cereal and let out a sigh. The clubhouse was full of women who cooked. Free usually worked late, so it was every man for himself.
“Hey,” Hollywood greeted him then poured out the last of his own cup of coffee, before retrieving a thermos. The starch of his uniform fighting with the smell of coffee for dominance. “Free said you put on quite a show last night at the Roadside.”
“Did she now?” Onyx replied as he filled his bowl with Frosted Mini-Wheats.
“Didn’t know you could handle a pole, so what exactly where you doing?”
“Sad you missed it?” he questioned before splashing the milk a bit in his bowl. “I took Topaz for dinner, that’s all.”
“Not what Free said,” he replied capping his thermos. “She indicated you were practically in the center of the building mean mugging any man who looked at your table.”
“I was hardly mean mugging people.”
“But you were in the dead center of the building.”
“I’m a cop on disability, Jim, not an architect,” Onyx said in his best Dr. McCoy voice, original not the remakes. “So I took her out, had a good time and came back here and had a better time.”
“She upstairs?”
“Yeah, that an issue?” he questioned.
“Nope, tell me something,” Hollywood asked. “She gonna be staying over a lot?”
“Not necessarily,” Onyx replied, his mouth half full with cereal, they had a dozen other things to handle before that could come up.
“Well, I have to hit the station,” Hollywood said, hanging his duty belt over his shoulder. “Text me if you need anything for ACT UP.”
For the first time, the gesture with his belt didn’t make Onyx jealous. He wasn’t missing the job because there was more in his life. “You aren’t worried about crossing lines?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The man did, but hear no evil, see no evil. The people of the county didn’t care as long as drugs weren’t flooding the area.
With a quick slurp, Onyx emptied his bowl and headed out to the ranch. Arriving outside the same time as Hack to the clubhouse, he made his way over to Onyx. Clasping hands, the men pulled in quick, then crashed on a set of chairs on the porch, “Onyx I think I found a way into the ACT UP group.”
“I’m ready when you are. Let’s do this.”
Hack took out his laptop and notebook from a bag he had strapped to his back. “I think if we hack into their drones, we can get their location of where these rats are located. Once we figure out their location, we can send in the spies. Red will decide who is going in.”
“I wish I could be one of those guys. But my skin isn’t the right color.” Onyx frowned.
“Me either,” Hack replied. “They only want ‘real’ Americans. We’ve got enough men around here I figure we know exactly where they’re at, we can scope out local bars. Make comments. They know Hollywood is ours, so we can’t send in the sheriff.”
“They should be in recruit mode.”
“Yep, they are. I found them on social media and they have drones that they use for scouting out areas around their location. To catch stupid shit like let’s blow up a garbage can. Look at this.” Ha
ck pointed to a map on the computer. It was an aerial picture of what appeared to be a big farm.
“Are you for sure this is their location near Berrington?” Onyx couldn’t contain his excitement, the man was rarely wrong.
“I’m positive. Now all we have to do is tell Red and he can decide what next. Let’s go find him.” Hack got up and secured his laptop before strapping it to his back. “Let’s go Onyx.”
Onyx was right on his heels. He wanted to figure out what they were going to do now that they had a location pinned. They both got on their cycles and drove the half mile or so to Red’s house.
Once they arrived, Onyx parked his bike and dismounted. The home had been built before he joined up, but it was still new. Two stories, similar to the main house Maggie lived in with a nice porch and spacious rooms. As he followed Hack up the stairs and knocked on the door, he couldn’t help thinking beyond the moment. To when or if Topaz and he decided they needed a home. Would they take one in town or have one built on the compound?
Red answered the door holding the one year old Harlow. Her red curls circling her head as she smiled, her mouth a bit less gummy as her teeth were finally starting to come in.
“Hack what’s up?”
“I got the intel we were needing and wanted to bring it to you as soon as we figured it out. Now is the time to make plans.”
“Come on in guys.” Roadkill smiled as she walked up to Red’s side.
“No, we just wanted to bring something to Red. We can’t stay.” Hack handed over the notes he’d scribbled to Red then turned to Onyx. “Let’s go.”
Onyx followed Hack towards the motorcycles.
“You’ll never be a doctor,” Red yelled. “I can actually read this. Church in an hour. This is great stuff guys.”
Hack waved over his head then got on his bike and Onyx followed. Returning to the clubhouse, Onyx parked his bike while Hack continued on toward his home. He probably had to tell Preacher Girl that he was going to be busy the next few days or so.
Waiting the hour for all the members to come to the clubhouse was painful for Onyx. Maybe he should have burned the time running back to get Topaz. Instead he sat, watching daytime TV like someone’s auntie. He wanted this all resolved, so he could get on with his life. Their relationship was a direct threat to everything ACT UP stood for, which meant he had to neutralize them if there would ever be a future for him with Topaz.
Moving up to the room where they had chapel in, Onyx waited for his brothers.
Hack was the first to arrive and sit. His ever present laptop getting hooked up to a screen. “This is good that we’re going to do something about ACT UP that group needs to be stopped.”
“I agree. They’re bad people,” Onyx said. “When Duke—Hollywood said come to Montana to join an MC, I thought he was crazy. Even when he was trying to live in both worlds. Now, I’ve seen he wasn’t living in two worlds, just two cities.”
“Turnabout isn’t quite a city.” Hack’s finger typed away and soon the TV screen on the wall had lit up with a map and plot points. “But yeah, I get it. Freaky’s side project aside, helping women, shutting off a drug pipeline and taking down a group like ACT UP keeps me hopeful for the future.”
Leaning back in his chair, Onyx put his hands behind his head and didn’t realize stretching would hurt so bad. He groaned and bent forward.
“Are you still sore?”
“Yeah, these ribs just don’t heal very quickly. I’ll be in a comfy spot and forget that I took a beating. I move or stretch and my body reminds me it’s only been a few days not months.”
The rest of the men walked in and Red took his seat at the table.
Onyx looked around and saw that it was just the officers and himself.
Hollywood walked in still dressed for duty.
Red spoke up, “I wanted Hollywood here, so we know what to do to stay on the level. We don’t want to get caught by the law and end up in jail ourselves. That just won’t do. Hack and Onyx have found the location of ACT UP. Let’s get prepared to send in undercovers and see if we can get intel on the inside. Who should we send in?”
“I say let’s send in Cass and Baldy,” Hack suggested. “They can use the garage as an excuse to get in on their property. Tow in a car or something.”
“You really want to send two men whose children have been personally threatened?” Onyx asked.
Both men fisted their palms.
“You can’t do that when they call your sons and daughter mud rats,” Onyx went on. “And you? You okay with them talking about the wetback kid with the Steels? Even if they don’t know you, who’s to say they won’t be talking and thinking they’re comedians.”
Rage burned in both men’s eyes as he spoke of their kids. Names that were nothing, entry level compared to what the men would really call them. At the same time, talking about what they would do to Lil’ Mama, how they would show her what a real man was before they cut her throat. Lil’ Bit not so much. He wasn’t going to use the kid gloves because the men across the table from him knew what existed in the world, but they never had it thrust upon them.
“Red and Hollywood are out of the question, they know them,” Hack said. “And I’m not comfortable sending anyone else. Ya’ll want us to hurl shit at you until you don’t react?”
Both the men in question exchanged glances.
“You really think they’ll say shit?” Baldy asked.
Cass had yet to unclench his jaw.
“They circle you with a Steel MC Garage logo on the side of the truck,” Onyx said. “Expect the worst.”
“We can toss another magnet logo on the side,” Baldy said. “Leave the number and hide the logos.”
“Good idea,” Red piped up. “Now, let’s figure this out. Baldy, you can tow in a car and say someone sent you with it. Take Cass with you for backup. Once you get in on the property, you can figure out how many people they have there and if there is women and children there.” Red picked up the papers he had laid in front of him.
Onyx hadn’t thought about women and children. He just wanted to end this group of people that had stepped over the line when they took him. The women may not be innocent, but the children—they were. Any hate they spewed was taught and not truly understood.
“I got this.” Baldy nodded. ”We can go in and figure out what we need to do. Then what is the plan?”
Red smiled. “We’re going to bomb the shit out of them. At least the ones close to us. The others I want Hack to relay to the Steels in their state and they can do what’s best. Brick is ready when we are.”
“You good Cass?” Hollywood asked, his demeanor a duck on the water. Cool, calm and collected, but Onyx knew what bubbled under the surface. Hollywood had that way, the good cop, aware of the danger, but not about to poke a bear when there were other ways.
“Yeah.” Cass ran his hand over his head as if it were a white board needing to be cleaned. “Just threw me off a bit, never heard anyone call my babies anything worse than wild hellions and that was their mother. Lil’ Mama’s told me things she’d been called growing up, but those are my kids you know. They’re my heart, I’m the one they puke on when they’re sick and the one they bring books to before they go to bed at night.”
“I feel you,” Onyx said. “But I don’t want your reaction to make it so their uncles in here have to raise them.”
The cool blue of Casanova’s eyes cut across the table and recognition of how serious this could get finally hit the man. These people had a hatred, deep seeded, coming from their own fear factor. One, where truth and fiction twisted in a horrific blend of pain.
“Back to Brick,” Red said. “The man is twisted and wants to go for some rainbow theme because of them co-opting the name ACT UP.”
“Now, he’s just trying to show off,” Hack said. “But I kinda like it. Is he gonna make us blare the soundtrack to Rent as he pushes the button?”
“Fifty bucks says he holds his fist in the air yelling ‘Act Up figh
t AIDS’,” Baldy said shaking his head. “While I appreciate Rosario Dawson stripping and the fact Beno now knows how many minutes are in a year, we really shouldn’t have let Brick watch it.”
The men let out a light laugh at the insanity that was Brick and how he’d been since that fateful night when Lil’ Mama tried to teach the men about theater.
An unease crept up Onyx’s spine, but he’d promised Topaz he’d speak on her behalf. “Topaz said she knows how to set explosives,” Onyx added. “She was taught by Dell in New Mexico, she was the one who reset the charges at the cabin.”
“That’s good to know.” Red made sure to have full eye contact with Onyx before stating his next point. “If you’re okay with sending her, we can have her in the second wave with Brick and Cass. Three experienced with munitions would cut time down, but from the gossiping hens you’ve made it pretty clear she’s your Ol’ Lady. You aren’t just fucking.”
“By gossiping hens I assume the men who were at the Roadside?” Onyx said, getting a nod from Red and he took in the room of brothers. “Fine, yeah, I like her more than peanut butter and jelly with a cold glass of milk and I don’t want her hurt.”
“They can get the job done at least twice as fast with the three of them. But Baldy and Cass… we need that intel before we do anything.” Red hit his gravel on the table. “This meeting is adjourned.”
Topaz couldn’t believe it! They actually trusted her to go with Bounty, Brick and Cass and set the bombs they had in the back of the van. They were going to set explosives around the entire compound of ACT UP. Baldy and Cass had come back with all the information they needed to know about the group.
Though, Cass needed at least ten minutes alone to scream when he came back. Lil’ Mama was holding tight to her toddlers’ hands as Preacher Girl rocked Maddox. All not understanding why Daddy was broke down on his knees slamming his fist into the ground. When little Braxton broke free of Lil’ Mama’s hand and ran over calling Daddy, everyone with in ear shot lost any hold they had on tears.
Topaz: Book 8 of the Steel MC Montana Charter Page 18