“Not a problem. I’ve made a huge lunch for everyone, but I didn’t know there wouldn’t be anyone here. So you picked a great day for lunch.”
They exited the car and walked into the club house. Emma felt better than she had in weeks. Not only was Rafe thinking about her but he’d asked Fat J to help them escape town together. She could get all anxious and nervous for how it was going to be done but she didn’t think that would benefit her right now. Now was all she had and she’d been living moment to moment for so long she’d almost forgot what hope felt like. It was empowering, encouraging and the thought that she may even have a future that was very bright lit something deep within her. This was the Emma she knew… the one she’d thought had been lost. She was happy to welcome herself back and start thinking about her future.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
A good shower, a good shave and the busting of a quick nut was enough to get Rafe a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. He could hear people in the house rustling around and decided it was time to talk to Aaron. There were a lot of things he wanted and needed to say. The first was an apology.
It didn’t take long to find him as his boisterous laugh made it easy, but when Aaron spotted him the laughter died in his throat. The rest of the room became pretty silent as well.
“Hey, Aaron. Can I talk to you?”
One of the guys sitting on the other side of the table yelled out. “What ever you have to say you should do it in front of all of us. We’ve been fighting like dogs with the fucking Reapers for a few weeks while you were on unplanned vacation. Think you could have filled us in on what was going on fuck head?”
Aaron looked at the man with the balls to yell that out. “I will do what I see fit. Rafe is the man in charge under me and until I say otherwise he will be given the same respect as you give me.”
“I guess that’s whether that’s earned or not?” the mouthy man was new, Rafe hadn’t ever seen him before but that didn’t stop him from walking over to his chair and pushing the man out of it. As he hit the floor Rafe had his boot on the man’s chest.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are but you don’t know me and unless you are planning to meet me with my foot up your ass I suggest you settle the fuck down and shut up.” Rafe didn’t want to have to have a 'who’s dick is bigger' contest right now, he had better things to do with is time. Watching the man struggling under his boot didn’t make him feel good he just wanted to be done with this. “What’s your name, son?”
“Jimmy Dean.” The man wheezed, trying to breathe around the big boot that was pressing against his chest.
Rafe looked down at the man on the floor and tried to tell from his face if he as bullshitting him. Then he looked over at Aaron who seemed amused by this whole encounter. He nodded and tried to hide the smile on his face.
“Well look here sausage boy… how about you get to know the place and find out what’s what before you start running your mouth. Don’t let your mouth write a check that your ass can’t cash.” Rafe took his foot off the man’s chest and gave him a few seconds to catch his breath before offering his hand and helping him up. He didn’t want to humiliate the man but if a guy didn’t put his foot down everyone would just talk to him like they didn’t give a shit.
“Thanks,” Jimmy, who would forever be known as Sausage Boy, said. Rafe thought that the man had better do something heroic soon because Sausage Boy was a hell of a name to keep in the long run. He nodded at him to let him know his words were received.
“Aaron?” Rafe called as he walked out the door. He didn’t want to have to fuck up everyone in the place because they had a beef with him. He understood it yes, but that didn’t mean he was in the mood to deal with it. He settled for going into the office room that had mostly been where Aaron did all the figures and business deals. He found a nice seat across from the desk and sat like he was waiting for an interview.
It took a few minutes but soon Aaron came in. Rafe knew he was going to take his time because of the way he’d walked out and assumed the president would find him. Aaron looked around the room and saw the seat behind the desk was where Rafe thought he was going to sit, but he moved to a large comfortable couch that was behind Rafe’s seat.
“I take it this is business?”
“Why would you think that?” Rafe asked, wondering why Aaron would think it was any thing else.
“Well there are times you want to talk to me and you sit over here in your favorite chair and I sit in this chair but I’ve never seen you sit in the chair by my desk.”
“Times are definitely changing.”
“Come on over here and tell me what in the hell is going on… and what is your part in it. I’ve heard all kinds of outlandish stories and some don’t seem far from the mark. I can see you doing some of the things that I’ve heard but I can’t see you killing a man over a woman. That doesn’t ring true to me.”
Rafe got up and walked over to his favorite seat and looked at the man he’d known for a long time. This man had brought him into a club that was more like family than a bunch of guys trying to make a few bucks and guided him with knowledge of how to get along and make a difference. Eventually he rose up in the ranks and his intuition and sharp shooting had earned him a spot as the VP of the Mountain Tribesmen. There were those who thought he was too young but he’d earned their respect and now was just accepted as the second in charge.
“Here’s the truth… I never meant for any of this to happen, but hind sight is 20/20 and some of the things that have come from it I wouldn’t trade for anything. I did go to the first annual Night of Riley that was held over at the Reapers club house.”
“I always said you had more balls than brains, but even I can’t believe you did something like that. If you’d have been caught you’d have been carried out in a cement box they’d have buried somewhere.”
“I know but I was restless and I wanted to see the masked party everyone was talking about. I thought I could get away with it since everyone was supposed to wear a mask, so who would recognize me?” Rafe explained.
“I’m guessing someone did?” Aaron added quickly.
“No. I wasn’t found out but I met up with one of the Reaper’s club girls. Her name is Emma. She had been circling me all night and I was drawn to her. I don’t know if it was her red hair or the way she moved her ass when she walked but I started the conversation with her and led her outside. Honestly I was just going to get in her pants and that would have been the end of it, but when she took off my mask something changed. I don’t know if it was because she told me we had been with the same foster mother for a while or because her sweet ass knows how to fuck but there was something that was different about her.”
“So you did kill a man for her?” Aaron sighed as he asked like he wanted to know the truth but on the other hand maybe he was better off without it. The man liked to play it safe, which was why they were a good pair. He was the cool to Rafe’s fire and they did well running this club together.
“Hold on, man. I’m getting to that. So she gets a call the next morning and it’s a friend of hers from the club but she’s calling from the president’s phone and she was terrified. There was supposed to be some sort of meeting. Later that night she texted me later to meet her at Schaffer's Tavern, the tone of the text was frantic and I probably should have put more thought into meeting her there but I went.”
“You were supposed to meet her. with all the other Reapers there?” Aaron looked like he didn’t believe the craziness of this story but he sat there and continued to listen.
“I don’t think she was thinking right because she said she’d been given to Mark to be his old lady.”
“This is the same Mark that ended up dead, right?” Aaron confirmed. He was good at keeping up with Rafe’s stories there were times he was amazed the man was following some of the convoluted shit he got into.
“Yes.”
“The one you didn’t kill?” The man looked leery and Rafe just wanted the man
to wait until he got to that part because it wasn’t as cut and dry as Aaron probably wanted it to be.
“I’m getting to that part, damn Aaron I’ve never known you to be this damn impatient.” Rafe was trying to get the story out but this man just kept cutting in.
“I met her in the bathroom and she’d been worked up pretty good. There were bruises where there shouldn’t have been and I knew I wasn’t that rough with her.” Rafe paused there and looked to see how this was going over as Aaron didn’t like to hear about woman getting hurt if it was unavoidable.
“I’m sitting here patiently and now you want to lag in the story. I hear someone did the woman wrong and apparently it was in a few places that you couldn’t get to with regular contact. I’m going to assume you were up to some naughty business in the bathroom, but I don’t understand how you met her in the bathroom. They have facilities different from ours and they aren’t even that close to each other.”
Rafe wasn’t going to go into the tunnels and pathways that ran in that place because he’d already exposed that secret to one person and didn’t want to do it again.
“Just take my word that it can be done.” Rafe watched Aaron’s eyes narrow but the man knew when to leave things alone, but he didn’t doubt the man would revisit this question.
“When you’re involved anything can happen. That I can believe.” Aaron said as he nodded his head like he was thinking of all the dumb shit Rafe had pulled off while he’d known him. It was going to take him a long time if he was going to categorize everything Rafe had done in his past.
“She asked me to just talk to him and when she looked at me like I was some freaking super hero I couldn’t say no. I should have because I wasn’t thinking. What the hell would I have been able to say to that man that would make him take it easy on Emma or give her some time as she wanted?”
“Since you were all hot to climb between those thighs again you had to know there would be a problem if you were trying to stop him from getting more of her.”
Rafe looked at Aaron wondering if the man was just trying to piss him off or was he really just saying what he thought. He decided to just finish the story and tell him he was leaving the club.
“I went out to talk to the man but before I could get to him he’s calling Emma all kinds of names and telling her all of the disgusting things he was going to do to her. I was getting a bit upset but I calmed myself down to just talk to him.”
Aaron was sitting with his arms crossed like he’d heard this story already, and he wasn’t sure what version he thought he knew but he could bet it wasn’t the truth.
“Mark just pulled out a gun and said he knew what kind of conversation I wanted to have. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that but I wasn’t. I grabbed the gun and we tussled over it for a few seconds and then it went off. I didn’t know which one of us was shot actually, but I was hoping it wasn’t me.” Rafe finished with his story and looked at Aaron to see what he was thinking of his tale and explanation of why he was away for so long.
“You’re saying this was self defense?” Aaron was wrapping his mind around this but you could tell it was something he thought was so far fetched it was almost hard to believe.
“Yes, but I didn’t stick around after I heard the police sirens because I knew that no one was going to believe that. I saw an older woman in the window with a phone in her hand. She is the only witness to what happened but she was too far away to make out faces because she was in the window and I couldn’t make out much of her appearance.” Rafe was talking so fast he was almost out of breath. He didn’t have a real father figure in his life before he’d gotten to the club but right now he felt like he was trying to explain why he’d brought the car back late on a school night.
“Damn it, Rafe. Anyone would be a bit nervous when they were going to have a talk with you. You’re one of the best sharpshooters we have and everyone knows it. Hell most people have seen it. You’ve shot the heel of people while they were running away from you.’” Aaron got up from his seat and walked over to the window. “What they are saying is true… at least partially. You did kill Mark and they are mad as hell. I don’t know what he did for them but it must have been important. They’ve been showing up almost every place we’ve been ready to screw up deals and fight. They want you bad so what are you going to do… make that, what do you want us to do?”
“It means a lot that you have my back on this.” Rafe couldn’t believe that they’d still stick by him even though he’d gone to their rivals party, fell for one of their girls and brought the wrath of the whole Headless Reapers on their heads.
“I didn’t like that you just up and left without a trace. We didn’t know what was going on with you, but I know sometimes you’ve got to do what you must. We are men and sometimes we’ve got to make the hard calls.” Aaron walked over and offered Rafe his hand. When he grabbed it he was pulled up and into a hard man hug with lots of hard pats on the back. “I’m glad your back.”
“Thanks Aaron, but I don’t think I’m going to be here long. I’m going to be leaving the club.” Rafe waited for that bomb to settle and was surprised when the man nodded.
“You are never officially out of the club but I can understand if you think you need to get away for a while.” The man was showing him much more kindness than he’d expected or felt he deserved and Rafe didn’t know what to do with all of that.
“Explain awhile, because I’m thinking it’s going to be years before I’ll be able to come back. The Reapers aren’t ever going to leave us alone as long as I’m around and think we messed up some portion of their business.” Rafe wanted the man to know what he was thinking because he didn’t want to let him down again and he wanted to give him the straight facts like he’d have done for him.
“I understand that a while may be never again, Rafe, I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted or needed to come back the door is always open.”
“I’m glad you understand. I was expecting a lot more in terms of anger.” Rafe was blown away by the sincerity and thoughtfulness of his president.
“I can’t say I’m happy that you tipped what was a very good rivalry into the threshold of violence but it was bound to happen. Both sides have been walking on egg shells for a good while.”
“Do you think it’s odd that the Reapers know where you are and when you’re going to be there? I don’t like to go pointing fingers but it sounds like you’ve picked up a spy somehow. Unless you think they’ve been in here to bug the place.”
“There is no way they could have gotten into this place unless they did it like you and walked in the front door. We don’t wear masks here so that would make it pretty difficult.” Aaron said but he looked like he was thinking about it.
“What about the new guys you brought in? I saw a couple of new faces but the mouthy Sausage Boy is the one who draws the most attention to himself. I don’t know if I’d think it’s him. Most spies are quiet and helpful and that one seems like he’s got something to prove.”
“Well, Jimmy is Brett Argan’s son so you’re right about him having something to prove but I’ll look into the other guys. See… this is what I’ll miss if you do go away. You’ve got an eye for things Lucky.” Aaron looked wistful for a minute but quickly got away from that. They were the type of men who took what came to them and tried to make the best out of it.
“Either way this goes the Reapers are going to know that I’m back in town so I’m sure there is going to be some escalation. I got a text from Emma that said she was in trouble and needed some help.”
“If we storm over there to get her it may get us all killed and whoever survived would not rest until this club and all that were in it were gone. That’s how it would be if they came over here with that shit.”
“I got a text that she could meet me tonight at Fenceway Park around 9 pm.” Rafe told Aaron.
“Wow that’s bold. You know she didn’t write that, don’t you?” Aaron looked like he was checking to
see how deep in love he really was with this girl. Rafe cared for her and hoped it would be more, but he wasn’t love stupid yet.
“I figured it was a set up especially since it’s so far out. She probably wouldn’t want to go that far by cab and she doesn’t have any transportation that I know of. I need to talk to Fat J to find out what he knows.”
“I always knew you had that man in your pocket. He’s friendly to both sides but what you’ve been able to get from him with supplies and information made me think you guys were friends and not acquaintances like he acts with everyone else.”
“It’s good to know smart guys… how do you think I ended up here with you?” Rafe tapped Aaron on the back as he left the room to get in contact with Fat J. He was really going to miss this place and most of the guys.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
“Well, well, well…” Joe stood in front of Emma in a place she swore she was going to see in her nightmares for the rest of her life if she ever got a rest of her life.
The Don's Baby: A Bad Boy Romance Page 41