by Amy Cecil
“What are you drinking?” he asked with a smile.
Chapter 12
Caden
When I arrived at our meet, all the boys were waiting. “Alright boys, let’s get this shit settled. Appreciate you all getting here so quickly. We had a problem today that I think may be related to Emma and her friend.” I looked over at Tiny and gave him the look that said, “This is all your fault, fucker.” I tried not to be so harsh on him; after all, it was his quick reflexes that helped them get away. But Emma should not have been in that position in the first place, and for that, he was totally to blame. “For those of you who were not involved, Tiny took Emma to her apartment today. When they left, they got a tail. Black SUV, plate #CXY1952.” I looked to Dbag and said, “Get an ID on that as soon as we’re done here.”
Grabbing his pen, he jotted down the number and said, “Right boss, I’m on it.”
I then continued, “Tiny and Spike were able to lose the tail and everyone returned whole. I feel that there is more to this missing girl situation, but I just can’t get all the pieces together to make sense. Hopefully once Skeeter gets inside we will have more answers.”
Doc spoke up and said, “How did the meet with Skeeter go?”
“Good. We decided that he needed to make friends with the Satans. You know, do something that will make them indebted to him. So, Friday night, he is going to Dirty Dick’s. As you all know, that’s the Satans’ off-compound hangout, especially on Fridays. He’s gonna befriend a patched member and tell them that he overheard two guys outside on bikes talking about raiding the bar. It will be enough for them to at least check it out. When they get up to check it out, he will text Rebel. We will be waiting down the road. When they come out, we will do a drive by so that they can see Skeeter was telling them the truth. Boom, the Satans have a new best friend.”
“Ice, are we declaring war on the Satans?” Doc asked.
“Well, that was the next topic up for discussion. We realize that if Skeeter tells them that he overheard us talking about taking down their bar, they will definitely look at it as an act of war. You all ready for that?”
Chig chimed in, “Those motherfuckers killed Red, Ace, and several other brothers. We got some retribution for Red and Ace, but those fuckers still need to go down.”
“Yeah, let’s get rid of them once and for all,” Dbag added.
Looking around the room, it was clear everyone was in agreement. “All those in favor of moving forward with the Skeeter plan, knowing this could ultimately cause a war between the Knights and the Satans, say I.” It was unanimous. “Ok, now that that’s settled, what do you all think about the plan for Skeeter?”
“I like it. Gets him in fast,” Doc said.
“I think we can take eight guys. I don’t care who all goes, but Reb, Hawk, and Spike, plan to be there.” The guys discussed it amongst themselves and it was decided that along with myself, Rebel, Hawk, Spike, that Doc, Chigger, Ryder, and Weasel would perform the drive by. When the Skeeter business was finished, I asked, “Any other business?” The guys looked around, shaking their heads. “We’re done then. Thanks again, boys.” The meeting dispersed and the guys headed out the door. However, I lingered behind. I needed to gather my thoughts. I was about to face Emma again and settle this business between us, and I couldn’t do that unprepared.
When I finally left the room, I scanned the clubhouse for Emma. She was at the bar, with a shot in her hand. What the fuck? It’s only two in the afternoon. That was not like her. I walked directly in her direction. When I got to the bar, I asked, “What are you drinking?”
Emma
I picked up my shot and downed it, slammed the glass on the bar, turned toward Cade and said, “Whiskey.” Then I looked over to Honey and said, “I’ll have another one.” She nodded.
Caden said, “No! She will not have another one, Honey.” She immediately stopped pouring my drink. What is his problem?
“Cade, I want another drink!” I said sternly. Who in the hell does he think he is? He can’t tell me what I can or can’t do. When Cade saw the defiance in my eyes, he knew he had lost this round. Yes, some things never change. Cade nodded to Honey and she finished pouring my drink and brought it over. I picked up my second shot and downed it, again slamming the glass down on the bar.
“Holy shit, Emma. I never knew you drank the hard stuff.” He seemed surprised, and acted as if he was proud of me for some reason. Maybe I just proved to him that I could hang with the big boys. Who am I kidding? It takes more than downing a shot to run with these guys. He continued, “Why are you drinking?”
Defiant, I replied, “I can drink if I want to. I’m a grown woman, Cade. I’m not a child anymore.” Where did that come from? Suddenly, I was angry. He was not my father or my keeper … he reminded me of Mark. Aaggh! Men!
“Calm down there, sweetheart, I was just asking. It’s not like you to be drinking hard liquor in the middle of the afternoon.”
“How would you know what is like me? You haven’t seen or spoken to me in eleven years. I’ve changed, Cade. There are a lot of things I do now that I didn’t do before. Get used to it.” Damn, I was being a bitch. I know this was all stemming from my argument with Mark and I was taking it out on Caden, but he deserved it. In the last 24 hours he has managed to tie my emotions up into several knots. It was making me crazy.
“Emma! Stop! Now!” he said. He was mad. Well hell, he made me mad, too. But then he gave me that look – you know, that one look that your parents gave you as a kid that says, “If you don’t stop now, I’m gonna take you over my knee.” I immediately refrained from saying anything more. I figured it was best at this point to discuss my anger with him in private instead of in front of his entire club.
Chapter 13
Caden
Emma was pushing my buttons, but I could not allow her to disrespect me like that in front of my boys. Luckily for her she got the hint and shut up. She asked Honey for another shot, downed it, and then left the bar, heading toward her room. I imagine she is going to be feeling pretty good in about fifteen minutes when she starts to experience the effects of the three shots of whiskey she just consumed. I had to laugh to myself. I’d never seen Emma drunk. My guess is that I was about to.
Right after Emma left, Dbag came out of the back room. “Ice, got an ID on that black SUV.” Shit, that was fast. He is so good at this shit.
“Whatcha got?”
“SUV is registered to a Mark Grayson. He’s a big-time attorney, works in Erie. Lives here in Edinboro.” Holy fucking shit. Could this be a coincidence? Not likely. In my experience, there are no coincidences. So, why was Mark following Emma?
“You got anything else?”
“Well, I think I might have found something, but I don’t know. I searched both the DMV databases and the crime databases. An incident report showed up about the chick’s disappearance. Emma’s friend.”
I looked at him surprised. “What?” What the fuck is going on?
“Well, apparently, the same black SUV was noted on the report. There weren’t any details as to how or why it was there. It was just arbitrarily listed on the report as a vehicle involved, but with no evidence tying the SUV to her disappearance. I’m not sure, boss, I’ve never seen a police report like this one before.”
Could this be a coincidence, or was there more about Mr. Grayson that I didn’t know? Fuck, now I have not only this situation with Emma’s friend, but now her fiancé. My gut told me that there was some type of link between Grayson and Brianne, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Something with all of this was just not settling well with me. If Grayson was involved, that would explain why that SOB would not help her. I shook my head. No, I was jumping to conclusions. I needed to get more facts before I place blame. Even though nothing would give me more pleasure than to nail that cocksucker to the wall for this.
“Dbag, I want you to find out everything you can on Mark Grayson. And when I say everyth
ing, I mean everything! I want to know how many times he pisses in a day! You got me?”
“Yes sir!” That kid loved this shit. He quickly headed back to the office to start digging. Next I needed to find out what Emma was not telling me. Perhaps she could shed some light on this. I was pissed and angry. The thought of Grayson being involved in this made my blood boil; however, I had to remember to keep my cool with Emma or I wouldn’t get anything from her.
I walked upstairs to her room. The door was closed, so I knocked. No answer. I knocked again: still no answer. I was starting to get worried, so I opened the door. Emma was passed out on the bed. Served her right for drinking like that. I decided to let her sleep. I wasn’t going to get any coherent answers from her in that state. I would wait until she sobered up.
I went back downstairs and decided that I needed a drink. I walked up to the bar and Honey asked, “What’ll you have, Ice?”
“The usual, please.” She grabbed my bottled of Maker’s and poured me a drink. The bourbon was smooth going down with only the slightest burn. After the day I was having, the warmth in my chest felt good. I needed Emma to sober up fast. I was sure she had some information that would help me figure out what was going on with all of this shit. Part of me didn’t think that this was solely a rival MC issue. What kind of guy has she gotten herself mixed up with? Last night I was beginning to feel that I was overreacting in keeping her here, but after today – the tail, and the news about Grayson – I know now that I did the right thing. I asked Honey for another drink.
When she brought it over, she asked, “You look troubled. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Naw, sweetheart, I’m good. Just got a lot on my mind.”
After a few minutes went by, the other brothers that had been lingering around the bar dispersed and Honey and I were alone at the bar. “Ice, can we talk?” Fuck, I did not need this right now. But I’m not a total ass. She deserved to know the truth about us. Christ knows, I hadn’t been fair to her.
I shrugged and said, “Why don’t you take a break. We can talk in my office.” She smiled, finished putting some of the bottles away, and then followed me to my office.
When we got there, she was the last one in and closed the door behind her. As soon as we were completely alone, she ran into my arms. “Ice, I’ve missed you so much.” I tried to push her away, but she was holding on to me so tight … I figured I would let her have a minute. When she started to ease up her grip, I eased her out of my embrace.
She looked up to me, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Honey, I’m sorry, but I can’t. We had fun, but it’s over.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “But why?” she asked.
“Honey, I’m sure you knew this was coming,” I stated matter-of-factly.
“But, Ice, I thought …” She didn’t finish. She knew. I knew she’d been hoping that things would change and I would make her my old lady, but that was never going to happen. Not when my heart always belonged to Emma. And especially not now when Emma and I had reconnected. I was not about to jeopardize that right now. No way.
“Honey, Emma and I have a history. I need to see where this – whatever this is between us – is gonna go. I’m sorry if I hurt you. It was never my intent. But you knew from the beginning I was not in the market for an old lady.”
Sullen, she nodded. “I know, I was just hoping … well, that maybe … oh, never mind.” She turned toward the door, and then looked back at me and said, “We had fun though, didn’t we?”
I smiled, “We sure did.” As she opened the door I called out, “Honey, you know you always have a home here. You take care of my boys and me like nobody else. If that’s what you want, that will never change.”
“Thanks, Ice. That means a lot to me.” She turned again to leave and then added quietly, “I hope things work out for you and Emma. You deserve to be happy.”
“Thanks, Honey. I hope you find some happiness too.” She left.
Whew! That went a lot easier than I thought. I really hated hurting her. She was a good woman and would do anything for this club. She was loyal to the core. However, what it all came down to was that she was not Emma. It’s always been Emma.
Chapter 14
Caden
About an hour after Honey left my office, I heard a knock at my door. “Come in.” Dbag came through the door, looking as if he was the cat that swallowed the canary. “You got intel on Grayson?”
“I do, and you ain’t gonna like it.”
Fuck, could this day get any worse? “What’d you get?”
“As I told you before, Grayson is an attorney. He’s a senior partner in the firm of Grayson, Grayson, and Grayson in Erie. He’s the second Grayson. 90% of his cases are thugs that he has gotten off; he’s famous for it. But the kicker … his number one paying client … Satans Rebels MC.”
Holy fuck. He was right, I didn’t like it. “What else?”
Dbag continued, “Well, the guy is loaded, possessive, and has anger issues. Daddy, who is the first Grayson, has gotten him off on several assault charges against women in the past. I heard that one of the ladies was pregnant. He threw her down a flight of stairs because he thought she was cheating on him. She lost the baby and is living out her days in a mental institution in New York. I guess it really fucked up her head.”
“Damn! Emma is engaged to this guy, Dbag. What is she thinking, hooking up with a bastard like that? Do you think that he had something to do with Brianne?”
“I’m afraid so, Prez. All the signs point in that direction. My guess is that he did something and the MC is covering for him.”
“Fuck! This is not good. I need to talk to Emma now. This can’t wait.” I strode out, leaving Dbag standing in my office. Damn, I didn’t even thank him. But I had to take care of business.
When I got to Emma’s room, the door was open and she was nowhere to be found. Shit. Where in the hell was she? I went back downstairs and scanned the clubhouse. No sign of her. So help me, if she left this compound again, I’ll put her over my knee and spank her ass! I headed for the kitchen, and to my surprise, found her having a cup of coffee with Honey. Oh shit, I sure as hell don’t need this.
“Emma, I need to talk to you,” I said.
“Cade, can it wait, please? I’ve got a splitting headache and would love to finish my coffee.”
“Nope, can’t wait. Bring your coffee. My office, now!” I was more stern than normal, but I needed answers and I needed them now.
As I walked out of the kitchen, I overheard Honey say, “Emma, you better go. Ice isn’t used to waiting for anyone.” By the time I got to my office, Emma was trailing behind slowly. That’s my good girl. I was not in the mood to deal with her independence.
I waited for her to come into the office and then I closed the door.
“Caden, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, Emma, why don’t you tell me?”
Confused, she answered, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Ok, how about I start. Why don’t you tell me about Mark Grayson?”
Still confused, she said, “Cade, I told you about Mark. He was my fiancé.”
Was? Did I miss something?? My head was spinning. There was already too much info in my brain to think straight, and then she drops this bomb on me. When did things change?
“Caden, please tell me what is going on. You’re scaring me.”
“You need to sit down.” When Emma seated herself I continued, “We found out some information about your Mr. Grayson today.”
“Why would you be looking into Mark?” she asked quizzically. I could still see the confusion on her face. I was trying to lay this on her easy; I knew she would freak when she found out that Mark was the one following her.
“Emma, Grayson was the one tailing you and Tiny today.” She looked up at me, but didn’t say anything. Not the reaction I was expecting. I reiterated what I had said, “
Emma, did you hear me? It was Grayson.”
She didn’t seem surprised. What the hell? There is more to this than she has told me. “Damnit Emma, say something.”
After a few seconds, she finally spoke up. “I had a feeling it was Mark. Especially after our phone call today.”
What. The. Fuck! “You better start talking now. And I mean it, you better tell me everything!”
She began to fidget in her chair. I’m sure she was hoping I would cut her some slack. No way in hell. She was gonna spill everything. “Where do you want me to start?”
I knew there was more to this than met the eye. Shit! “How about from the beginning? That’s always a good place to start.”
She began, “I met Brianne in college. She was my roommate. We hit it off so well together, we remained roomies until we both graduated. When I met Brianne, she was dating Mark – that’s how I met him. They had only been dating for a few months before things suddenly ended between them. I never knew all the details of their breakup. Brianne never talked about it, and I never asked or pushed her. I got the impression that he was not the love of her life.”
She took a couple of deep breaths and then continued, “Three years after we graduated we ran into Mark in a bar. Brianne was well over him and was dating someone else at the time. When he started hanging around us, I thought he was trying to get Brianne back. But, it was me he was pursuing. I did not feel comfortable with his intentions. You know, the ‘friend code’ and all.”
I looked at her quizzically, but I knew better than to ask. Realizing that I didn’t have a clue what she meant by the “friend code”, she continued, “Girlfriends have a code: you don’t date your friend’s ex-boyfriend. But Brianne encouraged me. She wanted me to date Mark. So, after several weeks of him pursuing me, I finally agreed to go out with him.”
I was getting frustrated, as I was not sure how all this pertained to the issue at hand. “Emma, I assume you have a point?”