Bared: Dirty Cruisers MC

by Brook Wilder

  “The strong one?” Elle snorted the question cynically and he knew she wasn’t asking for an answer, but he gave her one anyways.

  “Yeah, the strong one. You always have to take care of yourself, you always have to take care of everyone else. But when are you going to let someone else take care of you, Elle?” Honey shook his head, desperately wanting to draw her closer but he could see the stiffness in her shoulders, the tension in the way she held herself ramrod straight, “There’s a difference between being strong, and being brittle. I hope you figure that out before you break.”

  Honey turned back towards the office, Elle’s hand still clutched in his and even though she didn’t say anything else as they walked, neither did she try and pull her hand away from his and for some reason, that small, negligible thing had hope burning like a beacon inside him. Hope for Elle. Hope for them.

  As they walked into the office Elle spotted Carla and quickly headed in her direction leaving Honey standing there, already missing the feel of her moving next to him. Joel, Hot Wheels and Tucker all had their heads together as a fourth man, one he recognized as a member of their rivals the Nomads, Sparkplug. He barely had a moment to wonder why the other man was there at all before his question was being answered.

  “Sparkplug brought some new information to light that we all need to know about,” Joel said softly, but even so it drew everyone’s attention. For the millionth time Honey wondered how any of the crew members could doubt Joel’s ability to lead when he’d seen it in action time and time again.

  Everyone walked closer until they were all standing around the small round table that Joel, and the other three were already arranged around. Joel cleared his throat.

  “Sparkplug, if you wouldn’t mind?” Joel said stolidly. The other man looked surprised for an instant but then nodded slowly before speaking.

  “Alright. I’ll keep it short,” The big man spoke, his voice gruff but his eyes direct as they moved from person to person, “Before I…left the Nomads I found out that Damaris, our leader, cut a deal with Viper. Apparently, before all that shit went down with the Dirty Cruisers, that asshole had approached other crews, told them about the farm, and Joel’s plan.”

  “That’s why I haven’t been able to get a jump on anyone,” Hot Wheels fumed quietly, but at a look from Sparkplug she grew silent once more.

  “Like I was saying, Viper cut a deal with Damaris. In return for a percentage of the weed for dirt cheap, Damaris would back Viper if there was a split in the Cruisers. He promised help taking over the crew, and the farm.”

  “The farm!” Carla cried out, a horrified look on her face, “they can’t do that! They can’t just think that they can walk in here and I’d sign in over to them.”

  “Actually, that’s exactly what Damaris thinks, Carla.” Sparkplug shook his head slowly, “And believe me, with enough…pressure…you would. You would do anything they say.”

  “That’s not true,” Carla replied weakly, and Joel reached over and held her hand, a sad look shining in his silver eyes.

  “You would. But it doesn’t matter because we’re not going to let it get that far.” He said, his voice solid, not a hint of the fear showing that merged with the sadness in his gaze.

  “What–What are we gonna do, sugar?” Hot Wheels finally spoke up, asking the question that everyone else was thinking, “Damaris has a mean streak as wide as the Mississippi.”

  “She’s right.” Sparkplug interjected, “You need to take him down all at once, otherwise he’ll retaliate. And he has no mercy when it comes to his enemies. Or his friends either, really.”

  Joel was silent for another long minute while he thought, and Honey took advantage of the moment to sneak a sideways glance to his right where Elle was standing next to him. Her face was still pale, but there was a light in her eyes now. A protective light. A light that said she really cared about these people and what happened to them, and that meant the world to Honey because in reality, they were his true family. Them, and Elle too if she would ever admit it.

  “Okay. I’ve got an idea, but it might be crazy,” Joel started and Hot Wheels snorted.

  “Sugar, what we need right now is bat shit. Go ahead.”

  “We don’t have the man power to face the Nomad’s head on. I did some digging at the clubhouse and there’s a lot of tension. A lot of the crew members are uneasy with Viper and any loyalty to him is starting to crumble except for the new guys he brought in but I guess there’ve been some…examples made of people trying to leave. It would take me weeks to make any headway there.”

  “We don’t have weeks,” Sparkplug said, interrupting, and Joel just gave him a solemn nod of agreement.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “We might not even have days.”

  “I know. Which is why this plan just might work. We need to pit Viper and the Nomads against each other. Viper doesn’t know that the Nomads are trying to undercut him and make a deal with me directly and the Nomad’s don’t know how unstable things are within the Cruisers. If we could play them against each other, it might just be the spark we need to let them destroy each other and give us enough time to come up with plan b.”

  “What’s plan b?” Elle asked, the first time she’d spoken since they walked in and the sound of her voice soothed something wild inside him.

  “Plan b is what we do after all this shit hits the fan.” It was Hot Wheels who answered, but Honey shook his head.

  “How?” It was only one word but Joel understood, and for some reason he looked uneasy.

  “We send someone in, to the Nomad’s. As a mole, pretending to be one of Viper’s. They let slip that the deal is off, that Viper wants more. If Damaris knows Viper it should be easy to convince him that the man’s getting greedy. Make the demands so unreasonable that Damaris has no choice but to either back out, or confront Viper. Either way, it’s another crack in the already weak ties that’s keeping the Cruisers together.”

  “But…our family.” Hot Wheels said, a profound sadness in her voice at the thought of watching their crew implode. Honey knew exactly how she felt, and by the looks on their faces so did Tucker and Joel. Even Carla wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. But then Joel’s words finally registered and a sudden anger filled him.

  “This is a great plan and all, I mean even assuming that it works, but you’re forgetting one thing. Damaris knows all of us. And the Nomads. They all know us. And they damn well know that we are not one of Viper’s thugs. How is this plan of yours supposed to work if we don’t even have someone we can send in as a mole?” Honey fumed from his side of the table, staring everyone down and it took a few minutes to realize that Joel’s silver gaze wasn’t on him, but just to his right.

  “Damaris doesn’t know all of us, Honey.” He said softly, finally flicking his eyes towards him and Honey’s whole body went stiff with shock as the implication of what his friend and leader was saying hit home.

  “Oh, hell no! You can’t mean what I think you mean! That’s…that’s insane! That’s completely mental! There’s no way in hell that’s going to work, Joel. It’s crazy!”

  “I know,” Joel said on a soul deep sigh, “But it’s the only chance we’ve got. Unless you’ve got a better idea?”

  Chapter 25

  Honey looked from Joel, to Elle, and then back again, his anger coming to a boil at his leader’s words.

  “No. No way in hell, Joel.”

  “What? What is it?” Elle asked, finally noticed that everybody’s eyes kept flicking towards her before quickly looking away again.

  “This is bullshit and you know it!” Honey exploded again, not even trying to hold back the glare he shot at Joel but the other man didn’t even flinch, just returned it with a steady look of his own.

  “I know It’s not ideal–.”

  “Not ideal!” Honey shouted, banging his fist on the table in front of him, “Joel, you’re talking about sending a lamb into a rabid pack of wolves, no offense Sparky.”
r />   “None taken.” Sparkplug said, but there was a growl in his voice that said otherwise.

  “You can’t be serious Joel. She won’t do it. You can’t force her to do it.”

  “I know I can’t, and I wouldn’t force her to anyways. This is too dangerous not to be all in.”

  “She won’t. I know she won’t Joel so just go back to the drawing board and let’s come up with a slightly less psychotic plan–.”

  “Why don’t you ask her whether or not she’ll do it.” Elle interrupted, her voice low and edged with an anger that had all the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

  “Look Elle–.”

  “She has a right to make her own decision.” It was Carla who interrupted this time and Honey turned his glare to her.

  “I know she does but this is–.”

  “She’s right, sugar. She’s a big girl and she can think for herself.”

  “I know damn it! I’m just trying to–.”

  “Just tell me Joel.” Elle didn’t even look over at him as her words intersected his, cutting them off once more and it was all he could do not to growl or rage or smash something. Honey had to clench his fists to keep them still by his side and Sparkplug’s barely concealed look of sympathy sure as shit wasn’t helping any.

  “Joel.” Elle said again, this time her tone brooking no nonsense when he stalled on answering her question.

  “Okay, okay.” He breathed out a huff of irritation and Honey would have normally taken a perverse satisfaction at seeing someone else on the losing end of a battle of wills with Elle, but now the only thing he could feel was dread sinking like a lead weight in his stomach.

  “The only way this plan works is if Damaris believes that the mole really is one of Viper’s lackeys. One of his core group. The only problem with the plan is that Damaris and the Nomads know everyone here. Everyone except you.”

  “But yesterday, the attack here. Didn’t those men…” She trailed off, and Honey could see her throat work as she swallowed hard to keep her fear at bay, the same fear that he could see shining plain as day in her big, dark eyes.

  “They were all too far away to get a good look at you,” Carla said softly, obviously still unsure of this plan too, but Joel had been right. They didn’t have a better one, and they were out of time.

  “What about S–Scorpion?” Elle finally asked. Honey hated how small her voice sounded when she asked about the man who had grabbed her, had threatened her.

  “I think I may be able to help with that.” Sparkplug said, “I can draw him away from the warehouse long enough to give you the time you need. No one knows you.”

  “And once I’m done with you, no one would recognize you either,” Hot Wheels spoke up, her drawl thick as she directed a small smile towards Elle at the other woman’s look of confusion, “You didn’t think we were gonna send you in there in that ancient dress and a cardigan did you? For Christ’s sake, is that a cat embroidered on the front?” Hot Wheels peered at her, then shook her head, “No, that’s all gonna have to go. You look an extra from ‘Leave It To Beaver”. Don’t worry though, I’ll fix you right up. None of those assholes will ever doubt it.”

  Honey noticed that Elle had turned a little green while Hot Wheels had talked, but he thought it had more to do with whatever Wheels had planned than the prospect of walking into a warehouse full of large, angry, rough bikers. There was no way he was going to let her go through with it.

  “Excuse me?” Elle said, turning her angry gaze towards him and he groaned, realizing he must have just spoken out loud. But all he could do was continue on.

  “I’m not going to let you get yourself killed.”

  “I’m sorry, Honey. That’s not your choice to make.” Elle’s voice was hard as she spoke and he should have read the warning signs, should have backed off, but fear had him stepping forward anyways.

  “Please, Elle. You don’t have to do this. We can figure out another way. There has to be another way.”

  “There isn’t.” She shot back, still glaring at him but then she looked towards Joel, “This is our best shot, right? To stop what Damaris is planning? To save the farm? To save Carla?”

  Joel flicked his gaze towards Honey as if asking for forgiveness but that was the furthest thing from his mind as his leader spoke. He could have murdered the man then and there if it would stop him from talking.

  “It is, Elle. It’s the best chance to get out of this without anyone getting hurt.”

  “What about Elle?!” Honey shouted, throwing his hand out, unable to keep his temper bottled up any longer, “She can’t do this, Joel. What if she gives herself away, what if she says something that tips him off? Do you really think Damaris is just gonna let her walk out of there once he figures it out? No. Absolutely not. I’m not letting this happen. You’ll just have to find another way.”

  Honey was shaking by the time he’d finished his impassioned speech and he had to cross his hands over his chest to keep from reaching out and strangling someone. Preferably Joel for bringing up the dumb ass plan in the first place.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “What did you say?” Honey burst out, the words firing into the air and Elle flinched back but she didn’t look away as she spoke.

  “I said, I’ll do it.” Her words were soft and full of a confidence that he knew was misplaced and that fear inside him grew, reaching out, turning his blood to ice.

  “Elle, no. Please, don’t do this. You could get hurt, you could–.”

  “And if I don’t, the people I love will get hurt. Don’t you understand?” Elle glanced around the table, shaking her head and Honey was sure she wasn’t even aware that she’d used the word love. For a second he wondered cynically if he was included in that group but shove the thought away. It hurt too much.

  “I have to do this Honey.”

  “No, you don’t. It’s real easy. You just say, ‘sorry, Joel. I’ve just realized how completely idiotic it would be to put myself in the hands of a power hunger leader of a notorious biker gang. I think I’ll just go home and have a nice cup of tea instead.” Honey sighed as frustration filled him but he fought to moderate his tone, “So how easy that was?”

  “You are…You are an asshole, Honey.” Elle finally shot back and Honey was shocked, more at her use of profanity than the anger gleaming at him from the depths of her dark eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her swear before and it took him aback. But before he could respond, she was already talking again.

  “You really think that I would just leave my friends when they needed me most? Is that what you really think of me? That I’m weak? That I’m a coward?” She took a step forward, driving her finger into his chest so hard that he knew it would leave a bruise, “I don’t desert the people I care about, and sure as heck don’t go back on my word.”

  “Well, you’re word is going to get you killed.”

  “Fine then! At least it will be my choice!” With a growl of anger she spun on her heal, barely stopping to throw the words at Joel. “I’ll do it.” And then she was shoving open the office door and moment later had disappeared outside.

  Honey looked hopelessly around the small room but only silence greeted him before he to turned to follow after her but he’d taken barely a step before a slight but strong hand pressed to his chest stopped him.

  “Sugar, just give her a minute, okay?” Hot Wheels looked at him, understanding and sympathy shining in her pale green eyes and it was almost his undoing but he took a deep breath, and then leaned back a little. Maybe Hot Wheels was right. Maybe he should calm down a little before storming after her. The others were huddled together, hashing out the details of the plan, he assumed. The knowledge was a bitter pill to swallow and he looked away quickly.

  “You really care about this girl, don’t you?” Hot Wheels asked, drawing his attention back down towards her. She was looking at him with her head tilted to one side, a sharp look in her eyes now. Honey shrugged.

  “I love he
r.” He answered simply and those pale green eyes widened before nodding slowly.

  “I thought so.” Hot Wheels grinned up at him, “I knew from the very first time that I saw you two together that that girl had you wrapped around her little finger. And damned if she didn’t want you there, despite all her protests. She’s different, Honey,” She said, her voice suddenly growing serious, “But that doesn’t make her weak. She’s about as strong a woman as I’ve ever met, and I’ve met my fair share. You didn’t see, but when she went up against Scorpion, she didn’t even flinch.”

  Hot Wheels shook her head, looking inward for a moment before glancing up at him again, “Just, let me talk to her, okay? You stay in here and make sure they’re not planning anything too crazy for her, alright?”

  After a long moment, Honey finally nodded, that weight still crushing him but he knew he could do more good for Elle in here than he could running all over the farm chasing after her. He had a feeling she wouldn’t exactly welcome him with open arms just then anyways.