So Hot MC Boxset

by Blair Grey

  “I’ve spoken to him about other things that also pertain to The Executive Viper.” Carl eyed Johnny for a moment. “You’re well-aware of that fact, Johnny. You came into this bar while our council had an audio meeting with the Irish Reaper’s president. We asked you to step back out. You recall that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I recall that. I meant have you asked him about the fires.” Johnny looked around at the men in his general area. “I think every man here should be made aware of the transgressions your daughter made.”

  Ralph came up beside me, leaning in close. “Trouble in paradise?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. And I need to put a stop to it, ASAP.”

  “Got ya.” He smiled. “Quite a turnout last night too. You’ve got that place rocking, buddy.”

  He’d taken another night off from working at Joe’s bar to come to the Executive Viper. He and I had gotten to hang out, a thing I realized I’d missed doing. “Yeah. With what’s going on, I might have to steal you away from Joe. You still game for that if I need you?”

  “Sure thing.” He raised his fist and we bumped them. “You and me, compadre, always.”

  When I looked at Carl, I saw red slowly filling his face but then Steve came up behind him, putting his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll tell them.” Steve took over while Carl stepped back to the bar to down a beer to calm himself. Johnny’s words had pissed the man off royally. “Sarah Davis insulted the owner of Horney’s Babes, Cane Brumley. He’s a member of the Irish Reapers and demanded retribution for what she’d done. And before anyone asks, she enticed seven of the women who worked for him at his club to come work for her and Axel at The Executive Viper. What the man asked for wasn’t too much to ask and we agreed to it. He even apologized for a transgression he’d made toward Sarah as he had no idea she was our president’s daughter. That whole thing has been cleared up. Isn’t that right, Axel?”

  It hadn’t been entirely cleared up, but I nodded anyway. A thing Johnny noticed. “So, Sarah has fired the girls and went to the other strip joints to blackball them?” he asked with a grim expression.

  “She will be doing that soon. I’m going to be with her as she does that to make sure she’s protected.” The man rubbed me the wrong way. I tried not to let it show though.

  Once again, Johnny had something to say, “Then we can’t discount the Irish Reapers involvement in the fires, if Sarah hasn’t done as they’ve asked her to.”

  Carl agreed, “We cannot discount them, no. You’re right, Johnny. But we have more to say about these fires. Whoever started the first fire, the one in the kitchen, did so between nine and nine-thirty this morning. We know the security system’s codes to gain entry and to lock the place back up were used around those times.”

  Steve’s face dropped as he looked at Carl. “You can’t be serious.”

  He nodded and I watched Steve like a hawk. The color had drained out of his usually tanned face. The way he stumbled back to take a seat on the chair nearest him, told me he was stunned. Why - I wasn’t sure.

  Maybe he knew he was caught. But maybe he knew that he’d let someone else have access to the codes. Whatever it was, he needed to speak up.

  Only he didn’t say a word as Johnny had another idea. “It seems to me that one of those girls Sarah brought into the club from the one our rivals run would be to blame for that. This has the Reapers written all over it.”

  Steve looked at me for an answer, “Can anyone get the codes from your office, Axel?”

  “Nope.” I shook my head as I looked around to see if anyone had a guilty expression. “Sarah and I have a foolproof way of keeping the codes safe. They’re not written down anywhere. Well, that’s not entirely true. They are written down in the files that are kept here.” I looked back at Steve. “Aren’t they?”

  “Under lock and key,” he protested. “And surely you don’t think I would do something like that. I’ve got the security codes to every business we own. None of them have had a damn thing happen to them. I have to think along the same lines as Johnny does. The girls from the Reapers strip club have to be behind this. Cane may have used one of them as a spy.”

  Carl seemed just about as stumped as I still was. “Well, we know you didn’t have anything to do with this, Steve. No one is blaming you. You are above reproach. But the files are here. Yes, under lock and key.” His eyes moved over the room full of men - his brothers. “But we have an honor code here, don’t we?”

  We sure did. And it seemed that maybe at least one of us wasn’t honorable at all. I waited to see if Steve would say a thing about anyone else in our MC having access to his office. The way he chewed his lower lip told me he was worried about his lack of security playing the main role in this whole thing. “Mable is the only person who isn’t a member of this club who has access to everything in this place,” Steve offered.

  The way the whole group groaned, said no one thought it would be the old woman who’d worked at the bar since way before any of us were a part of the MC. “I don’t think she can move fast enough to do all that has been done,” I let him know. I wasn’t sure what anyone would think of my idea, but I thought I had to give it a shot. “Would everyone be okay with telling us all where you were around nine this morning? A show of hands will be fine.”

  My brothers weren’t all throwing their hands in the air to answer my question. It seemed some of them had to take a moment, but eventually, all hands were raised.

  Carl nodded. “It seems we have a few who seemed reluctant. Perhaps telling the entire MC isn’t a thing everyone feels comfortable with. So, what do you all say to telling our chaplain where you were at nine this morning? A show of hands is acceptable.”

  Everyone raised their hands and I was left feeling a bit bummed out by that. Maybe it’s not anyone here after all.

  “Good,” Carl said. “Those of us who were here at the council meeting we had this morning before nine and during the nine o’clock hour may leave. We know where you were. Everyone else may go, after talking in private to the chaplain in his office. And if anyone has any confessions to make about anything, feel free to tell him anything and the council will tend to that. Thank you all for coming on such short notice.”

  All my hopes had been dashed. I headed out the door to go see Sarah. Ralph came with me. “So, you’ve got a firebug problem, Axel. I think a little surveillance will clear that up. You want me to watch the club for you? I can see you’re stressing the fuck out.”

  “I could use your help, yeah. I’ve got people going over there to clean as we speak. I left the place open too. I wasn’t thinking. You being there would make me feel so much better.” I finally had someone I could count on. “Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver. I’ve got to go deal with Sarah. The woman in making me crazy.”

  “Yeah, I can see that.” Ralph gave me a nod as he went to get on his bike. “I’ve got your back, brother. I’ll be watching the place for you. No worries.”

  But before I got to my truck, Carl called out to me, “Hey, Axel, come here a minute.”

  Turning around, I went back to him. “Yes, sir.”

  “Would you do me a solid and keep Sarah under your watchful eye until we know who did this? If the Reapers, and Cane being one of them, still have it in for her, she might be in more danger than we’re aware of. I wouldn’t put it past those sons-of-bitches to be giving us false hopes that they’re letting things go. It does seem kind of easy, you know what I mean?”

  “So, you still think it’s only them in on this?” I still wasn’t sure. I had no idea how anyone could get the information only Sarah and I had to gain access to the building.

  “I am leaning toward that, yes.” With a deep sigh, he went on, “See, I’ve always thought they were to blame for my wife’s murder. And these acts seemed aimed at me. The kitchen. My kitchen that I was so proud of. And even the storage room. If you’ll recall, I had that brought in to keep all the extra kitchen supplies in it. And the poor man across the street just got t
argeted because Sarah went to get proof of who’d committed the crime. By the way, we need to make sure that man knows there’s no need to involve the authorities or his insurance company. We’ll pay for him to rebuild.”

  “I’ll get to that right away. As soon as I pick Sarah up. I’ll keep her with me until we find out who the enemy is.” Leaving my MC brothers behind to see if they could get anything out of anybody, I felt happy about only one thing.

  Carl trusts me to keep his daughter safe.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarah

  Eve led the other girls into my home – even though both my father and Axel thought it to be a terrible idea for me to meet with them. I’d put out some finger sandwiches and tea on the coffee table to help make them feel at home.

  Mom had taught me some little tricks in the hospitality department. Her being from the south didn’t make her the typical southern belle, but she had kept aspects of it. “Thank you all for coming.” I gestured for them to take seats. “Please, feel free to grab yourself a sandwich or two and serve yourself some of the fresh tea I’ve just made.”

  “What a cute tea set,” Janice commented as she picked up one of the dainty cups. “I think my grandma had a set similar to this one.”

  “Mom got this set from her granny.” I took a seat too, not wanting the girls to feel like I was trying to put on airs by taking over the meeting. “I’ve never gotten the chance to pull it out before to entertain anyone.”

  Eve’s eyes moved all over my living room. “Nice place, Sarah. Very nice.”

  “My father put up the down payment.” I didn’t want them to think I’d been able to make that much money at The Executive Viper already to be able to afford such a nice place. “My first payment is due on the first of next month. I hope our club makes enough so I can get paid enough to cover it.” They needed to understand that I was just as in need of a job as they were. I was on their side.

  Eve stood, going to look at a picture of my mother and father that hung on the far wall. “And who are these people to you, Sarah? I recognize the man. He’s part of the Iron Cobras, the president, I think. I saw him at our club on opening night.” She turned back to face me. “And I know that’s his wife.”

  “You know all that, but you don’t know that those are my parents?” I got up and went to stand next to her. “You’ve seen my mother before?” I thought her to be kind of young to have had anything to do with my mother.

  “I had no idea those were your parents. But first, I want you to tell us what you plan to do about helping us out.” She walked away from me, going back to the others to take her seat.

  “Well, I’m thinking about doing what you asked me to. I’m thinking about going to Cane to see if he and I can make a deal that will leave you all working for The Executive Viper. But you should know that I will only do that if I know that I can trust each and every single one of you.” I took my seat again, eyeing each one of them. “There have been two fires at the club this morning. And one more that burned the little store across the street from us to the ground. Someone got into our building using the security codes to get in and out.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Sandy said as her eyes went wide. “So, do we even have a place to work?”

  “Our building is still standing. There was minimal damage done to the kitchen. The storage shed was a total loss though. We’ll be ready to open on Tuesday, as planned. But the thing is that someone got into the building and there are only three people who know how to do that.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried to let them know that I wasn’t going to stick my neck out or put my body on the line for anyone who was out to hurt our business. “So, as you can see, I need to know that I can trust you all before I go trying to save your jobs.”

  With a heavy sigh, Eve seemed ready to come clean. “Look, none of us had a thing to do with those fires or letting anyone into the club. None of us have the codes - that, I can promise you. And if you need confidence in us in order to save our jobs, then I’ve got something I can tell you. But the thing is that when I do, my ass will be on the line. They’ll know that I was the one who told you. I’m the only one outside the MC who knows about this.”

  Lacy seemed a little worried as she looked at Eve. “Eve, if your ass will be on the line, that means ours would too. So think about what you’re going to tell her. You know how they use us against each other to get us to do what they want.”

  I understood completely. “So, what you’re saying is that the Irish Reapers did something that I should know about. But you’re also saying that I’ll have to figure out how to protect you all if I take the info you give me and do anything with it. Is that right?”

  Eve nodded. “See, you can take what I tell you and do nothing about it. You can just know it, is all. And that’s what I would like for you to do. But I know that what I’ve got to say is very personal to you and you might feel you have to do something about it. Which is up to you. But you can’t leave us to the Irish Reapers. You need to know that what I have to say will get at least me killed – and these guys don’t like to just merely kill anyone. They like to torture them. Killing my friends in front of me would most certainly be a thing they would do to punish me for breaking my silence.”

  The weight of what she’d told me felt heavy. While I wanted to know what she had to say, I wasn’t sure how I would react to it. And I really didn’t know how in the hell I would keep seven women safe from a cutthroat MC.

  Looking from one woman to the next, I knew I’d already put them in too much danger. “As it is, I’ve got to give myself up to the man I wronged for taking you all away. But that’s just punishing me. And I can handle that. What I can’t handle is putting all of you on the Irish Reapers’ chopping block.”

  Eve looked confused. “So, tell you – or no?”

  I still wasn’t sure about that either. It seemed like she had information on my family. I knew the Iron Cobras and the Irish Reapers were bitter rivals, but I didn’t know exactly why that was. I’d grown up in my father’s MC. If he’d wanted me to know the background story on their rivalry, he would’ve told me.

  Sometimes not knowing some things are for the best. Those were words he’d told me and my mother more than a few times.

  Would just knowing that Eve would tell me something that could get them all killed be enough for me to trust them all? What I would be giving up would be a couple of the most significant things I possessed – my body and my relationship with Axel.

  Axel would never forgive me for going to Cane and presenting myself to him in trade for the girls he’d dubbed stolen. A huge part of me would die by allowing Cane to have me, even if it was just a one-time thing.

  One of the most important things my father had taught me was that I had to make the wrongs I’d done right – no matter what it took or how hard it was. He was the type of man that other men respected. I wanted to be able to hold my head as high as he did.

  My father had done things that other men wouldn’t have had the courage to do. He came home once with a gunshot to his arm that my mother had to tend to. Another time he had a knife wound in his side that she had to take care of. Dad took the brunt of things when he had to. And now, I needed to do the same.

  But curiosity gnawed at my insides. Eve had information on my parents. My mother’s suicide or accidental overdose was a thing my father considered to be murder.

  I knew my mother didn’t do drugs. So, the autopsy showing that she had them in her system made no sense. I had to side with my father that she’d been murdered.

  I could either right the wrong I did to the women who sat in front of me. Or I could possibly right the wrong that had been done – not only to my mother but to my father and myself as well.

  It would take courage to right either wrong. What I had to decide was which one mattered the most. In order to make a decision like that one, I had to have all the facts.

  Perhaps Eve didn’t have anything as important as information on my
mother’s death. Maybe it wasn’t anything nearly as valuable as that. Still, I had to know what it was so I could see which way the scales would tip. The greater weight had to be the side I took.

  “Eve, tell me what information you have. But let’s do this in private. You know, in case I decide to only keep it for myself. That way, no one else will know your secret.”

  Nodding, she got up. “Okay, let’s go somewhere private.” She looked at her friends. “Not that I don’t trust you all, but you know the code. Sometimes it’s best you don’t know certain things.”

  They all nodded in agreement as I got up, leading Eve to my bedroom upstairs to be sure no one overheard us. I turned on the television to make some noise just to be safe. “Okay, girls. Make yourselves at home.”

  Leading Eve upstairs, I felt a little unsteady on my feet. So much was at stake and I felt like I’d dug myself a pretty deep hole I already had to get out of. Would letting her put her secret into my head only make it that much deeper?

  After I closed my bedroom door, Eve turned to face me with tears in her eyes. “Sarah, if I would’ve known who your father was, I don’t think I would’ve taken the job. And I know that my leaving is the real reason Cane and the rest of his MC is making such a fuss. This might seem cowardly of me, but it is what it is. I’ve been hiding out with the other girls since I left Cane’s strip joint.”

  “Why is that?” Out of all the girls who came to us from Horney’s Babes, Eve was the one I’d always known was the most apprehensive about leaving.

  “I had no idea the Iron Cobras had anything to do with The Executive Viper until we were there practicing, and I saw all the tats and patches from that MC. If I would’ve known that, I would’ve stayed right where I was with Cane.”

  Her honesty made me feel even worse for enticing them to leave Cane’s to come with us. “I shouldn’t have left that part out. I can see that clearly now. It put you all in jeopardy as well as making the tension worse between the Iron Cobras and the Irish Reapers. I will make things right again. No matter what I have to do.”