by Amy Cecil
“Really?” she asked, surprised. She glanced at me as if questioning Hawk’s words, and I nodded as confirmation that what he was telling her was true.
“Really,” I said with confidence. I wanted to make her understand that we weren’t the bad guys. “Peyton, I know when you look at us, at this clubhouse, you see bikers. Your immediate thought is bad news. I get that. We all have a bad rap because of some that show no respect. For us, it’s different. We respect civilians. Have we done what you would consider bad things? Yes. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’ve put a good many people in the ground. I have no regrets or remorse for that. They were violent, evil, disrespecting assholes. Those men made a living from the abuse of others. We have zero tolerance for that sort of shit.” I paused for a moment to let her take this all in. Then, I continued, “What it comes down to is bad guys killing even worse guys. And if someone hurts one of our own … well, I am sure you can figure out the outcome of that. The only time we involve a civilian is if it’s biker business, like now. But I can assure you, nobody in this club or affiliated with this club wants to hurt you.”
She was silent for a moment, then asked, “May I have a drink?”
“Sure,” I replied, then I turned toward the door, opened it, and called out, “Dbag, bring the Jack and three glasses.” He immediately got up off the couch and headed over to the bar.
Within five minutes, our drinks were delivered. As Dbag was about to leave, I said, “Hey, thanks. Why don’t you stick around?” He nodded and took a seat next to Peyton. I poured us all a drink and asked Dbag if he wanted one, which he refused. The kid wasn’t much of a drinker … how he ended up in this crowd, I will never know. I handed Peyton and Hawk theirs and we downed them.
“Ok, I’ll tell you what I know.” She took a deep breath and then continued, “I met Mark Grayson six years ago. We met in a bar and hit it off. We started dating. We dated for ten months before I turned up pregnant. Mark was angry, but we decided to get married and do right by our child. A week before our wedding, Mark became convinced that the child I was carrying was not his. He went into a jealous rage and beat the living shit out of me. After he was done using me as a punching bag, he apologized and rushed me to the hospital. He made me swear not to tell them what he’d done. He made up a story that I was mugged and he’d found me outside my apartment like this. I was sure they didn’t believe me, or Mark for that matter. But no questions were asked. I almost lost my child. But by the grace of God, my son was born prematurely – but he survived.
“The last thing I wanted was to be married to an animal like that. So, I postponed the wedding. My excuse to Mark was that I didn’t want to get married until Tommy (that’s my son) was out of the woods and home from the hospital. Surprisingly, he agreed. The day Tommy was released from the hospital, I ran. I took my son, every penny I had saved, packed one suitcase, and left. I bought train tickets, bus tickets, and airline tickets, all going different places. I rented cars in 10 states, 9 of which I never stepped foot in. I did not want to be found.”
She motioned for another drink and I poured her one and handed it to her. She downed it, set her glass on my desk, and continued. “I had a friend who created identities, and I purchased one for me and my son. For four years, I was left alone. I thought I had done it. Then, one day, Tommy and I were coming home from the store, and sitting on our front porch was Mark. I thought I was going to lose it right then and there, but knew I had to be strong for Tommy’s sake. When we got to the porch, he said, ‘I need your help. We need to talk.’ He then turned and just walked into my house. I was shocked that he’d just walked into my house. I was sure that I’d left it locked. I found out later that he owned my house. All those years, he knew exactly where I was. And you know what the kicker was? He never even acknowledged Tommy. His flesh and blood little boy, and he couldn’t even look at him. What kind of man does that?
“That was the day that I found out that he needed a key witness in a case. He told me that I had to testify to the identity of a murderer to help him win a case. I refused. That was a huge mistake. I should have known better. After I received another beating from him, he told me that if I didn’t help him with this, he would make sure that my son – not his son, my son – would not live to see his fifth birthday. At that point, he knew he had me. Whether he meant it or was just bluffing, I was not going to risk my son’s life. But I truly doubt that he was bluffing. It was not until I walked in to that courtroom that I found out who he was defending.”
I could not believe what I was hearing. This Grayson guy was truly fucked up. The thought that Emma could’ve married this asshole made my stomach turn. Thank fuck that was not gonna happen. “Peyton, honey, what happened after you testified?”
“Grayson said I needed to stay in Pennsylvania. He said he may get to know his son again, which I had assumed was a scare tactic. After what he had done to me, I realized what kind of man he was. He would be the last person I would want to be in my son’s life. That alone was enough to scare me enough to do what he had asked. He said that if I ran again, he would be able to find me just as easily as he had before. So, here I was, back home, with a kid and no job. About two days later, Grayson called and said that Kandi’s was looking to hire a bartender. I’d had experience tending bar, and nothing else was panning out. My mom was able to watch Tommy in the evenings, and I could be there to get him to school and pick him up after. It seemed like the perfect solution. I was hired, and six months ago I decided to start dancing. More money, if you know what I mean.”
I looked over to Hawk. “That son of a bitch planted her there.”
Hawk replied, “It is sure looking that way. Question is, now what do we do?”
I looked back to Peyton. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything – the smallest thing could be significant.”
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “Nah, I really can’t think of anything.”
“Well if you do, will you let us know? You can get to one of us through Callie at the club.”
“Sure.” She got up to leave and then asked, “How am I going to get back?”
“Give us a minute. Why don’t you have a seat at the bar out there and I’ll have Dbag give you a ride back to the club.” She started to walk out of my office when I remembered I needed to remind her of something very important. I called after her, “Peyton.” She turned to face me. “I know this goes without saying, but you are not to talk about this meeting with anyone. Not even Callie. Understood?”
“Understood. And you promise that my son and I will be safe?”
“I do. Just make sure nobody knows that we have met or that you have been to the clubhouse.”
“Ok.” She turned to leave.
When she closed the door behind her, I looked over to Hawk. “I want two guys on her and her son. Keep her safe.”
“You got it, chief. Now back to my question, what are we gonna do about this?”
I shook my head. “Fuck if I know. You boys got any suggestions?”
“Boss, I think we should do nothing,” Hawk replied.
Confused, I looked up to him and asked, “What’s your thinking behind that?”
He sat down in the chair that Peyton had just vacated, leaned forward and said, “Hear me out. If we do something now, we lose the advantage. If we do something, then Grayson and the Satans know we know that Peyton is a plant. She may be a plant that they haven’t used yet, but she is still in place for when they need her. With all this going on, they are gonna need her real soon and my guess is that she will need to get an ‘in’ with the club. Why don’t we give her one before they ask?”
“Wouldn’t that give her away?” I asked.
“Not if she is dating one of the brothers,” he replied.
Holy shit, he was on to something. We both turned toward Dbag. “No, no, no … guys, come on. Don’t make me do this. I mean hell, she’s hot and all, but I just met her today,” Dbag pleaded.
>
Hawk and I started to laugh. “Look at it this way, you might actually get some pussy.”
He turned away in disgust, mumbling under his breath, “You guys are sick.”
Hawk was still laughing and then said, “Go out there and get your girl, we need to tell her about the new love of her life.” We both broke out into hysterics. I really didn’t know what was so funny about all this, but it felt good to laugh. All this shit had been going on too long. I truly didn’t believe Dbag had been with a chick before. We’d never seen him with any of the sweetbutts. He spent more time with his computers and surveillance equipment. He was such a freaking nerd, but he was invaluable to the club.
Dbag came back with Peyton, who looked upset again. “I thought we were done?” she asked.
“We were, but now we need your help with something,” I stated.
She walked over to the chair and sat down, defeated. “What?” she asked exasperated, as if she was saying, “What else do you guys want from me?”
“Peyton, like I said before, if word gets out that you and I have spoken, your life and your son’s life will be in danger. So, I am going to have two men watching you both at all times.”
Relieved, she said, “Thank you.”
She started to get up to leave when I added, “There’s more.”
“Oh?”
“We are convinced that Grayson and the Satans told you about this job to use you as a plant against the Knights,” I said.
She immediately chimed in, “But they haven’t asked me to do anything – just to not leave the area. I swear!” She was starting to get a little hysterical.
“Peyton, calm down, please. We know that. But that does not mean that they won’t be asking you to get them intel on the club. If that’s the case, you will need to be ‘in’ with the club. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I’m guessing that I’ll need a reason to hang out at the clubhouse. Something that would be airtight,” she said. I was impressed; I’d expected a dumb brunette, but she was a smart cookie. I guess with what she had been through, she would have to be.
“Exactly. We came up with a plan that will work like a charm. You are gonna start dating Dbag here.” I slapped him on the back and lightly pushed him toward her.
“But … I can’t,” she protested.
Dbag chimed in and said, “See, I told you, this isn’t going to work. She doesn’t want to do it any more than I do.” He was desperate. I felt bad for the kid, but we would have never asked him if we didn’t need him. And he knew that too.
“Look you two, I don’t have time for this. Dbag, take Peyton back to work. If you two are having relationship problems, work it out. I’m not a dating counselor.”
Knowing that he had no other choice, Dbag reached for Peyton’s arm and guided her out of the office. “Come on Peyton, let’s get you back to work,” he said, defeated. She started to protest, but soon realized that we weren’t going to budge on this.
As they left my office, Hawk and I burst out laughing.
Chapter 25
Emma
Rebel and I carried all the packages and my bags inside. The inside of the cabin was just as charming as the outside. Not the best of furnishings, but still much more homey than I’d expected. This place would make a great romantic getaway for Caden and me. A smile came across my face while my brain faded off into dreamland.
“Hey, you ok?” Rebel stirred me from my fantasies as he walked past me and dropped the bags he was carrying on the kitchen counter.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.” My voice faded for a moment, and then I said, “Leave those. I’ll put the food away. It’s the least I can do since you did all the driving.”
“Not going to argue with you there, darlin’.” He smiled and plopped himself down on the couch, taking out his phone. I assumed that he had a girlfriend of some sort, or perhaps even an old lady that he was texting.
“Checking in with your girl?” I asked.
“Naw, ain’t got one of those. Just letting Ice know we're here and all is good.”
As I started to put the groceries away, I figured this was a good opportunity to find out more about my protector. “So, why no girl? Haven’t found the right one yet?”
He chuckled. “Oh I found the right one, she just hasn’t figured that out yet. But someday, she will.” He said it as if he completely believed it. Good for him. I wonder who it is. Maybe I have met her.
“Do I know her?”
“Now, Emma, don’t you go worrying your pretty little head about my love life.”
I should have known he wasn’t going to tell me. So, I decided to change the subject to something I knew he would talk about. “So, what would you like for dinner tonight?”
Ah, the mention of food perked him up quick. He sat up and said, “How about we grill those steaks. It’s a nice night.”
That sounded awesome. “You got it,” I replied. I finished putting away the groceries and checking out the kitchen – if I was going to cook, I had to know my way around. After I got everything put up and familiarized myself with my surroundings, I was tired. I wanted to speak to Caden and then take a nap. I worried about him as much as he worried about me.
I looked over to Rebel and he was sound asleep on the couch. So, I guessed I was going to explore on my own. As I stepped into the great room from the kitchen, to the left I could see large glass patio doors that lead to a nice-sized patio. I walked over to look out and saw a whole other kitchen and living room out there. All open, with screens that could be pulled down if needed. It was beautiful. I turned back toward the inside of the house and walked past the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and headed toward the stairs. “Hell, with the right furnishings and décor, this place could be gorgeous,” I thought to myself.
I proceeded up the twisting, turning spiral staircase to see what was up there. It lead to a loft that overlooked the great room. I hadn’t noticed that before. I peeked over the rail and saw that Rebel was still asleep on the couch. I guess our early departure was a little too early for him. As I walked down the hall, I noticed several bedrooms that lined the perimeter of the loft. I peeked into the first room: no bed. It was fair to assume that this was not going to be my room. The next bedroom had Rebel’s duffle on the bed, so I was guessing that he had claimed that room. After checking two more rooms, I finally found my bags in the nicest room of them all. Wow, this room was gorgeous. The furnishings were very masculine, and I think it was fair to assume this was most likely Caden’s room. Was this Caden’s house? Where did he get the money for a place like this?
Just as I was placing my bags on the dresser to free up the bed, I heard a beep coming from my purse. That damn new phone. I will never get used to that ringtone. I need to change it to something that’s more familiar. When I got to the phone, it was ringing. The number that showed up on the caller ID was the same number that Caden had been texting me from, so I was sure it was safe to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. How’s my girl?” I heard the sweet sound of Caden’s voice through the phone. Relief washed over me.
“Oh Caden, I’m good. But, I miss you.”
His low baritone chuckle warmed my heart. Then he said, “Sweetheart, it’s only been a few hours.”
He was right. I was being ridiculous. “I know, you are right,” I said sheepishly.
“So are you all settled in?” he then asked.
“Yes, Rebel carried in the bags and groceries and I put everything away. He’s taking a nap on the couch, and I was thinking about doing the same.”
He interrupted, “Wait, what did you just say?”
Confused, I answered, “Rebel’s asleep, and …” Before I could finish, Caden began yelling into the phone.
“What the hell, you guys just got there and he’s already sleeping!? Emma, put that asshole on the phone!” Oh boy, he’s mad now. But he’s about to get even more mad.
&nb
sp; “No!”
“Emma, don’t you tell me no. He’s there to watch you, and he can’t do that through his fucking eyelids! Damnit, now wake his ass up and put him on the phone!”
It was a good thing that Caden wasn’t here and we were having this conversation over the phone. He was being unfair to Rebel, and I was not going to allow it. If he was here, I probably would not win this argument, but since he was not, I was proud to say that I would be the victor. “Caden Jackson, now you listen to me! That man just spent the last several hours driving me up here to God knows where. He deserves some rest. He is sound asleep on the couch, and I will not wake him. Calm down, we are just fine. Besides, like I told you, I was just thinking about taking a nap myself. Someone kept me up pretty late last night, and then woke me up too early this morning,” I said teasingly.
I expected more anger, but what I got instead surprised me. He chuckled into the phone and then said, “Oh baby, just you wait until I get up there. You better get used to that bed you are sleeping in, ‘cause I plan on keeping you there for a long time. And sweetheart, don’t think I am letting your little lecture slide, you will pay for that too!” The way he said this gave me goosebumps, and I could feel the wetness pool between my legs.
I had to change the subject. “So, how are things going in Edinboro?”
“Good,” he said.
“Is that all you are going to tell me?”
“Emma, we talked about this,” he said, frustrated.
“I know, we did, but you said we could discuss this stuff when you weren’t in front of the others. It’s so hard being kept in the dark, Caden. I’m trying, really.”
“I know baby, I know you are. Maybe if you look at it this way: in all likelihood, the less you know, the safer you are.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does to me. Emma, you have to understand that there are some things you cannot know, even when we are alone. If you ask about something and I can tell you, I will. Just know we have this rule to keep our women safe. If you cannot accept this, then this won’t work between us. I need to know babe, you in or out?”