The more Jaz described the town, Mick was starting to wonder if he was going to go stir crazy in this little, hick town. Jaz knew she had to mention The Den, thinking Mick would find out about it sooner or later. She just didn’t know how she was going to tell Mick that she was dancing there. She guessed it was best to just blurt it out. Taking a deep breath, she dove right in.
“Mick,” Jaz said biting her lip, “I have something else to tell you that will shock you.”
He sat up straight now, giving Jaz his full attention. Noticing how worried she looked, he tried to make it easier on her. “At my age, there isn’t much that shocks me anymore, Jaz, so just spit it out.”
“I had a job waitressing at The Den. It’s a bar and there are go-go dancers, too.” Wrapping her hair around one finger, she nervously went on. “Truth is, I kind of dance there now,” she blurted out quickly, looking away from him.
“What does I ‘kind of’ dance there mean?” he said, raising his eyebrows and giving Jaz a serious look.
“You either do or you don’t. Which is it?”
“I guess it’s I do, then.”
“You mean you did,” Mick said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. “No way am I gonna let Nick’s daughter strip in some bar. Not while I’m looking out for you. You’re like a little sister to me, Jaz—you know that. I’ve always tried to look out for you since I’ve first met you, years ago.”
“Yes, I do know that and I love you too, Mick. You’ve always been there for me when I needed you.” Jaz’s tone of voice matched Mick’s when she replied, “But it’s too late, Mick. I already do and will continue to do so. I’m a grown woman now, not a little girl any longer. I’ll do what I have to do to buy that motel. Please understand I’m doing what I need to do.”
Mick saw the determined look on Jaz’s face so he backed off somewhat.
“Okay—but here’s the deal,” Mick said, leaning forward and staring Jaz right in the eyes. “I’m there making sure you’re protected and I take you home. Take it or leave it, Jaz, because if not, I’ll haul your sweet ass outta this hick town so fast, your head will spin.”
Jaz was just about to agree, when Mick continued. “And if I don’t like what you’re wearing, you’ll go change, no questions asked.”
Realizing he was dead serious, Jaz knew she had no choice.
“You drive a hard bargain, Mick—just don’t get too bossy,” she cautioned back.
Jaz’s mouth was clenched so tight, Mick had to suppress a laugh, figuring she would smack him if he didn’t.
Mick went to The Den with Jaz that night to check the place out.
“Hop on, let’s go,” Mick said, giving Jaz a hard look. “I can’t wait to see this joint.”
Jaz picked up on his attitude and knew he was having a hard time with her dancing. Well, he’d just have to accept it, she thought.
Riding on the back of Mick’s bike made Jaz remember things—things she was trying hard to forget. She wondered every day where JD was and if he was ever going to come back to talk to her. And if he did, could she ever forgive him for not trusting in her? He broke her heart, plain and simple. She didn’t know if she could go through that pain again.
“So, this is the famous Den?” Mick grabbed a seat at the bar and looked around.
“Yeah,” Danny answered, putting a beer down in front of Mick. “Haven’t seen you around here. You just get into town?”
“Yep. Just arrived recently. I was passing through when I stopped at the motel for the night and found Jaz there. She and I go way back. I worked for her dad, the tattoo artist that was killed around five months ago. Her mother died in that accident, also. She’s like family to me so I figure I’ll hang around and see how this town is treating her.”
“Drink up, next one is on me,” Danny offered.
Mick sat there hoping Jaz danced first so he could take her home. He didn’t like the atmosphere in the place. Seeing girls taking customers down the back hall didn’t improve his opinion of the place any, either.
When the first dancer walked onto the stage, Mick got an instant hard-on. She was nearly naked with little tassels hanging from her tits and had on thong panties covering her bottom. Wow, he thought, re-thinking his opinion of the place. This is a great place! He would take Jaz home and then maybe head on back.
Jaz was the second dancer and Mick was relieved to see she was covered up more than the previous dancer. When she was done with her set, she walked over to Mick and he bought her a drink.
“Well, did I meet with your approval?” Taking a seat next to Mick, Danny brought her usual rum and coke over to her.
“Yeah, still don’t like it though,” he answered in a hard voice. He didn’t look too pleased, either.
Soon after, Mick asked her if she was ready to go home. Jaz was more than ready. She didn’t like hanging around the bar—too many memories of sitting there with JD assailed her.
Mick noticed her melancholy mood and asked her what was wrong.
“Nothing,” she yawned out. “I’m just tired, could we leave now?”
“Sure thing Jaz, let’s go.”
Mick dropped Jasmine off at the motel and said he’d be back later. Jaz couldn’t help but tease him. “Any particular place you’re heading back to?”
“Go to bed, smart ass. Nosy little girls should mind their own business. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jaz couldn’t help but grin when Mick flashed a wink at her as he was leaving.
The party was going strong at the Satan’s Prophets Support clubhouse in Ohio. Members brought their old ladies and kids along, too. Others were just hanging with their favorite club sluts—as long as they didn’t have their old ladies present. Kegs were tapped and bottles of liquor were passed around. Tables were set up with all kinds of different salads and casseroles that the women had prepared, along with plenty of burgers and hot dogs for the kids. A pig was roasting over the hot coals outside where some members were shooting horseshoes or playing cards. Everyone was mellow and laid back—all except for one.
JD was in a pissed off mood. Earlier he’d taken advantage of some bitch wanting to blow him, but now she was hanging all over him and he’d had enough. He thought back to Striker’s advice and realized how right he was. All this meaningless sex is just one big blur with a lot of nothingness thrown in. He couldn’t stop thinking of Jasmine and why she did what she did. For the thousandth time JD wondered if she was so drunk that she didn’t know what she was doing? He didn’t want to believe that she would be so cheap and easy. How could she get it on with Joe in one of the bar’s back rooms?
When the tramp hanging all over him started rubbing his dick again, he finally blew. “Get the fuck outta here.” He gave her a shove to get her moving. “I’ll call ya if I need you again.” She took off, but not before shooting JD a dirty look.
Seeing JD shove the girl away had Gunner baffled. “What’s the matter, JD?” He shook his head in confusion. “Never saw a man as grumpy as you after getting their pipes cleaned. Hell, man, what the fucks wrong with you?” Puzzled, Gunner sat down next to JD and signaled for a beer.
“Nothing’s wrong with me.” Grabbing a cigarette from his pack, JD looked around the clubhouse and noticed some new faces. “You got some new members since I been here last?”
Gunner turned to see who he was looking at. “Those boys are up from the Cursed Sons MC, near the Pennsylvania-Jersey line. They’re just heading on through, but did have some interesting news to share,” he said, lifting an eyebrow at JD.
Lifting his beer bottle to his mouth, he asked, “Yeah, what kind of news?”
“About that tattoo guy that got run off the road a while back in Pennsylvania. You remember? The one where he and his wife got killed.”
JD’s hand froze with his beer half ways to his mouth. “What about that guy?”
“Pigs ruled it an accident, but seems he was using his shop as a front for a crystal meth operation. Dumb prick thought he could help himself to money th
at wasn’t his and was skimming from the profits.”
Those words hit JD like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. He slowly lowered his beer to the bar getting a sick feeling in his gut. He also knew he wouldn’t like where this conversation was headed.
“Word is out, the drug ring he stole from are on the hunt for the missing loot. At least a hundred seventy-five grand they figure he stole. One thing you don’t do is skim from these boys. I’d sure hate to be in those shoes, whoever has that money. These guys, their specialty is carving people up to get info outta them.”
Swearing under his breath, JD asked Gunner to call the members over so he could talk to them. JD found out that the ring was led by Carlo, a ruthless bastard if there ever was one. He also heard they were out to find the tattoo guy‘s missing daughter, thinking she has the money.
Thankful Jasmine’s last name was different from her father’s, JD figured it was the only thing keeping her safe for now and making it harder to track her down. But he also knew, sooner or later, they would find her. Suddenly nothing mattered other than keeping Jasmine safe. He stood up, slapped Gunner on the back and told him he was riding out.
“Wait till morning, at least,” Gunner advised him, wondering what was so important he had to leave.
JD shook his head, no, impatient to get back to Pennsylvania. “Gotta go now. Could use some crystal, though—to help me make the ride.”
“Well, I suppose I can’t talk you out of going, but that I can do. You got it, bro.”
“And make it the good stuff, not that shit you push off on civilians,” he warned, as Gunner was walking away.
Gunner came back with a rock of crystal meth and a razor blade sitting on top of a mirror. Taking the razor blade, JD cut the crystal up into a few lines and rolling up a dollar bill, he snorted it up his nose.
“Fuck, yeah—that’s some good shit, man.” JD made one final big snort and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “Thanks.” He slapped Gunner on the back again and walked out of the clubhouse.
It was mid-morning, by the time JD pulled in to the lot of the clubhouse back in Pennsylvania. He rode hard, only making pit stops for fuel and to piss. If it wasn’t for the speed to keep him awake, he never would’ve made it back without stopping to get some sleep. He needed to fill Striker and the members in, on what he’d heard.
Roach came out of one of the back rooms. He sometimes crashed there when he was too drunk to drive home. Yawning and running his hands through his hair to try to comb it, he stopped dead when he saw JD sitting at the bar.
“Bout time you got your ass back here,” he mumbled, still sounding half asleep. He grabbed a stool to sit down and looked at JD. “Where the hell you been for so long?”
“Long story, brother. Got any coffee brewing? I could sure use a cup.”
Roach turned towards the kitchen and yelled out, “Prospect, bring two cups of coffee out here, pronto.” Looking back at JD he frowned. He took in JD’s blood shot, half closed eyes and stringy hair. “You look like shit.”
“Yeah well, you’d look like shit too if you just rode all the way back from Ohio, non-stop.” Finishing his coffee, JD told Roach about the drug ring on the prowl for Jasmine and told him to have the members on high alert.
Roach sat there frowning, taking in what JD just told him. Unfortunately, JD couldn’t help himself. He let out a big yawn and sleepily grumbled, “I gotta catch some sleep. Spread the word. When I get up, I’ll fill the club in on all the details. You might wanna keep an eye on Susanna and her friends. If what I think is happening, they might all be in danger.”
Not able to keep his eyes open much longer, JD got up and walked to a back room to crash. Roach watched him go, wondering what the fuck was going on now. He left to inform Drifter and Rebel and the other members to be on guard for new faces around town. Now he was doubly glad that Susanna wasn’t all alone out at his house.
A few hours later, JD repeated to Striker and the club what he’d found out.
“Fuck!” Striker roared, slamming his fist down hard on the table. “Why the fuck would they come here? That’s all we fucking need is Carlo and his boys nosing around.”
“Not sure if they will, but they’re hot on the trail of Nick Wallis’ daughter and think she has the money her father stole. A hundred seventy-five grand.”
“Whew. Gotta give the guy credit,” Striker shook his head, “got balls the size of grapefruits to do something that crazy.”
“The best part of this whole fucked up mess; is that Jasmine Butler, the new manager of the motel in town is his daughter.” JD sat back and watched the expressions on their faces as he dropped that bomb.
Roach and Drifter sat up in their chairs and looked at JD. Shaking their heads, they realized what JD was sure of. Carlo and his gang would definitely be coming to Fulton and the girls were definitely in some serious danger.
Jaz, Renee and Lori were banging on Mick’s motel room door at eleven sharp in the morning. When he opened the door with bloodshot eyes and still half asleep, Jaz should have known…nope. They barged right in and got the shock of their lives. All they caught was a flash of red hair, before the girl in his bed pulled the covers up over her head. The girls were speechless and looked away, all in different directions.
Mick threw his arm around the shoulders that were the closest to him and quickly ushered them out of the room. Closing the door behind him, he realized he was standing there with only his boxers on—thanking the good Lord his morning boner was already taken care of.
Lori was feasting her eyes on his chest, while Renee was mesmerized by the tattoo on his upper left pectoral. It was a ferocious looking tiger with its paws raised and claws out, ready to strike.
And Jaz was admonishing him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Mick, shame on you.” She pointed a finger at him. “And in front of my friends, yet,” she went on, having fun teasing him.
“Shame on me?” He went on to lecture the girls. “You girls should know better than to barge into a man’s room uninvited. What do ya’s want at this unholy hour of the morning?”
“The day is half gone already and we came to take you fishing with us. We have a really good spot to show you,” Jaz said impatiently.
“All right,” he said, rubbing his hand over the morning scruff on his face. “Come back in an hour and I’ll be ready to go.”
“You were right. This is a perfect spot for fishing. How did you ever find it?”
Jaz pointed over to Renee who was having a tough time getting a worm on her hook.
Mick knew from the squeamish look on her face that she didn’t like touching worms. He walked over to her and took the worm out of her hand. “Here, let me.”
Renee tried not to look at him because if she was honest with herself, he was definitely some hot looking eye candy. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone. When Mick’s hand brushed hers, taking the worm and hook from her, she felt a warm rush come over her body.
Mick wondered why the girls hadn’t caught any fish yet. They had been there for over two hours. He caught seven trout, but threw them back because they were too small to keep. Besides, he was waiting for a whopper they could all share for supper that night. When Mick caught a thirteen inch Rock Bass, he looked around for the net and asked where it was? Jaz looked back at him like he was crazy and told him they just catch the fish and throw them back.
Mick was incredulous. “You are kidding me, right?”
With her big, blue eyes opened up wide, Renee answered, “No, why would we want to keep them? Ew, they’re disgusting, slimy things.”
Mick had to laugh. He couldn’t believe he was out here wasting his time with these silly girls for nothing when he needed to be out looking for a job. He had some of his savings left, but it wasn’t going to last much longer.
“Hey, let’s head on back. I have some stuff I need to do,” he complained to the girls’.
“Oh really,” Jaz said with a smirk, “like what?”
&nb
sp; “Like getting a job somewhere, first of all.” He looked back at her with a lifted brow.
Jaz thought long and hard and then an idea popped into her mind. “I bet Danny could use some help at The Den. The manager is off on vacation and Danny was complaining the last time I was there, he’s plumb worn out.” Of course Jaz wondered where Joe was. She hadn’t seen him since that fateful night, but if anyone knew why he left, they weren’t saying. She thought maybe JD had something to do with it, but wasn’t sure. She was pissed. She never had the chance to give him a good punch in his face. If it wasn’t for Joe, JD would probably still be here—but then again, who knew? He said he wasn’t the hang around type. Maybe he would’ve grown tired of her and moved on anyway.
“Of course,” Lori looked at Mick trying hard not to giggle, “if it goes against your morals to work in a place like that, I’m sure we’ll all understand.”
Lori was giggling out loud now and was surprised to see Renee frowning. Hmm, she wondered, what’s up with that? Maybe anti-man Renee was changing her opinion of men?
Danny was only too happy to hire Mick. Jaz telling him how close she and Mick were, since years ago and that he paid for her college was enough for Danny to hire him immediately. Danny had him take over running the bar business so he could spend more time at the books. After Joe got beat up badly that night, he was in no physical shape to take the second set of books he faked with him. When Danny found them, he didn’t know what to do so he kept quiet. He knew Satan’s Prophets MC held a big percentage in the club and he didn’t want to fuck with them. He also knew first hand that it could be a deadly mistake. He needed to think of how to handle the situation without incriminating himself or worse—ending up dead.
Jaz had just finished dancing and was on her way back from changing out of her outfit. She wished Susanna could have been here tonight to give her the usual moral support but somehow, she had managed to make it through on her own. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking, when a man called out to her. Turning her head to look at him, she realized it was a man she had seen hanging around the club from time to time, usually talking with the dancers.
Hidden Secrets (Satan's Prophets MC) Page 11