by Kylie Parker
“And what shit is that?” Bruce asked, ignoring Vincent’s last sentence.
“Well, the feds were all over our asses for more than a year.” Vincent said with a sigh. “They kept pressing locals, asked them all kinds of questions. They took me for questioning three times. They came up with nothing. No one ratted.”
“That’s good to know.” Bruce commented. “What do you mean by ‘legitimate enterprises’?”
“Nothing is certain yet.” Vincent confessed. “Right now, we’re just studying our options. We’re torn, really. Some guys suggested running a porn website. Others want to start an electronics store. I like both those ideas.”
“Porn?” Bruce squinted at him.
“Right.”
“What do you need me for?” He inquired, unable to keep his voice down.
“Relax.” Vincent maintained his composure. “You can either work security on the studio, or, if you want to, you can drive the store truck.”
“You got me worried there.” Bruce laughed.
“What, you thought I was going to offer you a job as a porn star?” Vincent joked.
“Yeah.” Bruce chuckled.
“Anyway, think about it. Like I said, we’re not ready yet. The way things are moving, we won’t be ready before December.” Vincent said.
“I really like that.” Bruce confessed. “But what about my workshop?”
“It’s open all day, right?” Vincent inquired.
“Yeah.”
“Keep it. You can work there after 3pm, if you choose the driver’s job. No deliveries are done after that. Security clerks can work nights.” Vincent’s reply widened the smile on Bruce’s face. He was very intrigued indeed.
“I’ll think about it.” He nodded.
“Nice talking to you, son.” Vincent said with a grin, getting up from his seat. “Call me.” He continued, patting Bruce on the shoulder. Closing the door behind him, the aging biker left Bruce in a major dilemma.
“He’s right. Both those ideas sound pretty good. If those businesses grow, we could all make great money. Keeping the workshop sounds fantastic, too. I don’t want to leave it, especially after all the hard work I’ve put in. But, is the club really going to stay out of any illegal activities? I doubt that. Even if Vincent wants to quit running guns and mulling drugs, I don’t think they’ll let them. First, he needs to find other crews, greedy enough to want to replace the Sons. I don’t know if they’ll like the idea of being under the FBI’s microscope.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The following night, Bruce and Matt visited “Burning Rubber”, a vintage bar close to their workshop. Frequented mostly by bikers, it resembled “Java Jimmy’s”, the place where Bruce and Melissa had first met. Being the owners of the only workshop in a ten-mile radius, the two friends received a very warm welcome. Well known and very respected, they were treated like celebrities. Most of the customers who were there at the time either hugged them or high-fived them.
“It sure feels great to be home.” Matt confessed, sat at the bar, rolling a glass of whiskey between his fingers, under the sound of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.” “Everybody knows our name. People love us. I wouldn’t change this for the world.”
“Me neither.” Bruce agreed. “I missed these hoodlums.”
“For our next road trip, I think we should ride to Miami.” Matt suggested. “It’s always hot there. And there are ladies everywhere.”
“It rhymes.” Bruce joked. “Maybe we should.”
“Yeah.” Matt chuckled. He threw a quick glance at the clock across from the counter and then looked back at the large, grey door, over his right shoulder.
“Say…” He spoke, with a cunning smile on his face. “That’s a really great song. Do you like it?”
“You know how much I love AC/DC.” Bruce laughed. “Why are you asking, anyway?”
Matt leaned to the left and whispered in his ear:
“Because you’re about to be.”
Confused by his friend’s words, he looked deep into his eyes. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the customers on the tables to the right were all staring at the door. Curious, he averted his gaze from them and looked in that direction. There was a gorgeous blonde at the door, scanning the bar. It was Julia. Not used to seeing beautiful women in a bar like “Burning Rubber”, almost every biker had fixed his gaze on her.
“Son of a bitch.” Bruce groaned. “You invited here, didn’t you?”
“Good luck.” Matt silently mouthed to him, hopping off his stool. Bruce felt the blood pumping in his veins faster by the second. He was not ready for this. Meeting with Melissa’s cousin would only revive his pain. His initial thought was to leave the bar. However, Julia did not deserve that kind of treatment. She had been good to him and Bruce had not forgotten about that.
“Interesting music.” She commented, taking up Matt’s stool.
“Hey, blondie.” Bruce winked at her. “It’s good to see you. I never thought I’d see you here. In Boston, that is.”
“Trust me, Bruce:” She put a little force in her voice. “Visiting the east coast was not part of my plans.”
“I’m not even going to ask why you’re here.” He stated.
“Melissa doesn’t know about this.” Julia assured. “The funeral was this morning. She’s a nervous wreck.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Bruce shrugged his shoulders.
“Look…” She drew in a sharp breath. “I know you’ve been through a lot. Both of you have. But I don’t think you understand. Let me explain things to you. I’m sure that Melissa still means a lot to you. You’re in love with her. Don’t deny it. But, to the outside world, she’ll always be Frank Howard’s daughter. They don’t care if she’s this…” She faltered. “Wonderful woman, a really great person, fun, loving understanding… Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be for her to live with that legacy?”
“No.” Bruce replied.
“Melissa has to leave Vegas.” Julia remarked. “She needs to move to a place where people don’t think of her as a villain. She’s too fragile; she can’t do this alone. She needs you.”
“Your cousin betrayed me, Julia.” He grumbled. “She went behind my back. She thought that dear old daddy would let me live and that we’d all live happily ever after. But here’s the thing.” He paused and leaned towards her. “I don’t believe in fairytales.”
“Says the guy who fell in love with someone in days.” She laughed. “If that’s not a fairytale, I don’t know what is.”
Julia’s last sentence left Bruce speechless. It suddenly occurred to him that his short relationship with Melissa had changed the way that he thought.
“She made a mistake.” Julia added. “She shouldn’t have trusted him. She knows that now. Let’s be honest with each other, shall we? You were a gang banger once. Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, it was a motorcycle club. You and I know very well that you guys were not just a bunch of Harley enthusiasts. It was your comrade who killed Howard. Melissa told me about it. Don’t tell me you’ve not made mistakes.”
“She almost got you and Matt killed!” Bruce spoke in a loud tone.
“God…” Julia gave an exasperated gasp. “Look, I just flew all the way from Vegas, to try and talk some sense into you. I thought it would be easy; Melissa said you were understanding. I guess she doesn’t know you that well.”
“I am.” He claimed.
“I don’t think so.” She disagreed. “In fact, you must be one of the most stubborn, self-centered people I’ve ever met. I tried to make you understand, but you just can’t get over yourself. If you really loved her, you’d have forgiven her by now. Have a good night, Bruce.”
“I’m sorry about that, brother.” Matt interjected, returning to the bar. “She said she had to talk to you.”
“I’d appreciate a ‘heads up’ next time.” Bruce complained. “Anyway, Vincent paid me a visit last night. He wants me to go back to the M
C. He said they’ll go legit.”
“I know about that.” Matt confessed. “It’s bullshit, if you ask me. The Sons will never change, man. The porn studio is just an excuse to deal drugs.”
“Deal?” Bruce asked. “I thought they were just mulling.”
“Yeah, so did I.” Matt said with a nod. “You remember Phil Winston, right?”
“Yeah, he’s an old member. Why?”
“I met with him this morning. He said that they’ll use the studio to distribute drugs to porn actresses. They love coke. The electronics store will be used as a front, too.” Matt said, adding to Bruce’s already immense frustration. His worst suspicions had just been confirmed. The “Blazing Sons” were never going to do anything legitimate. On the contrary, their illegal activities would expand. He was ready to consider reuniting with his old comrades, but now, that hope was gone.
“So much for going legit, Vince. You lied to me. I guess I should have seen that coming. I really wanted to believe you, man. A comeback sounded like a great idea. But, not anymore. What now, Bruce? You’re going to go back to your dull life, fixing bikes all day long? What about your dream of having someone waiting for you at home? Are you going to give that a second chance or have you given up on it?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Having to deal with heartbreak and the loss of her father, Melissa was an emotional wreck. She had inherited a huge fortune, but money could not heal her pain. That money was dirty; she had no idea how many people had suffered for Frank to make it and that fact only added to her misery. In her agonizing pain, Melissa struggled to find hope. She blamed herself for pushing away Bruce. Two days after her father’s death, Melissa had hardly slept. Going to work felt like an impossible thing to do. She kept reminiscing about the happy memories that she had with him, but she also recalled the moment when he had flipped the table over and yelled at her. His angry words echoing in the warehouse and his frozen eyes haunted her mind.
Once again lost in her thoughts in her living room and on the verge of tears, she heard her doorbell ring. It was Julia.
“Jesus Christ, Melissa!” She exclaimed, gazing at the black circles under her cousin’s eyes. “You look like hell!”
“Nice to see you too, Julia.” Melissa spoke, with a bitter smile on her face. “Come in.”
“I’m not going to ask how you’ve been.” Julia murmured. “I think it’s pretty obvious. I’ve just come to tell you that I’m here to stay. My suitcase is in the car.”
“Girl, what are you talking about?” Melissa sounded surprised. “What about your job?”
“Nah, screw my job.” Julia waved her hand in front of her face. “Jeffrey could use a break, especially after…” She faltered. “You know.”
“Thank you so much.” Melissa whispered, putting her arms around her cousin’s back. “I could use a friend right now.”
“I thought you should know…” Julia spoke, gently pushing her back. “I went to Boston.”
“What?” Melissa’s voice turned into a high-pitched squeal.
“Yeah. I set it up with Matt. You should have seen his face, when I walked in that bar.” Julia smiled.
“Well, you shouldn’t have.” Melissa protested.
“Why?”
“I know how it went.” She spoke in a firm tone. “He’s still mad at me.”
“How can you be so sure?” Julia posed another question.
“Something in his voice told me that day.” Melissa explained. “He said ‘goodbye’ like he meant it. Why did I talk to my father, Jules? I keep…” She faltered. “Racking my brain and I just can’t find an answer.”
“You said you thought it was the right thing to do.” Julia spoke in a calm voice.
“How could I have been so naïve?” Melissa whispered.
“Naïve?”
“Come on, girl. Bruce was right. I was naïve to think that my father would let me follow him.” She continued. “You and I both know he’d kill him, the moment he arrived in that truck.”
“I guess we’ll never know.” Julia said.
“Actually, I do.” Melissa admitted. “I’ve been going over some of his business deals. For some strange reason, most of his partners over the years have ended up dead. Cause of death? Asphyxia, electrocution, car accident, heart attack, suicide… A guy even fell off the twelve floor of a hotel. Whenever a job went south, he had his partner killed.”
“Unbelievable.” Julia commented. “Look, why don’t you go get some sleep?”
“I can’t.” Melissa said with a sigh.
“Why’s that?”
“Because…” Her voice broke. “Every time I go to sleep, I keep having the same old dream. We’re in my aunt’s house, dancing to that old song. ‘Love Bites’. We’re hugging, we’re kissing and then…” Melissa’s lips began to quiver, as tears welled up in her eyes. “The window just bursts wide open and this huge, black shadow snatches him away from me!”
“It wasn’t a shadow that broke you guys up, honey.” Julia whispered, wiping the tears that were streaming down her cousin’s face. “It was his ego.”
“Please, don’t say that.” Melissa requested. “He’s not selfish. He’s just hurting too much.”
“I beg to differ.” Julia slightly raised her tone. “You guys would be together if he wasn’t just too goddamn selfish.”
“Stop it!” Melissa yelled, breaking out of her embrace. “He put his life on the line for me. How many selfish people would do that?”
“You may have a point there.” Julia sighed. “I still think he’s overreacting, though. Anyway, if you don’t feel like sleeping, why don’t you go put some clothes on? You need to get some fresh air.”
“I need to stay home.” Melissa groaned. “I miss him so much.”
“He’s thousands of miles away, sweetheart.” Julia said. “You need to let him go. This is not healthy.”
“I don’t care, Jules.” Melissa muttered. “I think I should go to Boston. Maybe seeing me will change his mind.”
“Oh, hell no!” Julia cried. “You’re not going anywhere, you hear? Ok, you screwed up, you said you were sorry… What else can you do? Please don’t tell me you’re going to beg him!”
“You’re right.” Melissa spoke, running her hand through her hair. “I’ve done everything I could.”
“Finally!” Julia cheered. “Now, go get dressed.”
“Alright.” Melissa said. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here, honey.” Julia said with a grin. “Anywhere but here.”
Chapter Thirty
Melissa suggested that they went to “Java Jimmy’s”, maintaining that it was one of the few places in the city that it played good music. Of course, Julia did not like that idea, as she believed that visiting the bar that she had met Bruce would probably make her pain worse. Despite her cousin’s persistence though, Melissa did not back down. She would either go to “Java Jimmy’s” or go back home.
Still, the two women were in for an unpleasant surprise, as soon as they arrived at the bar. The neon sign was off. There were no motorcycles parked on the side of the road whatsoever. It was completely dark inside.
“What the hell?” Melissa hummed, looking through the glass façade. “I spoke to Jenny on the phone this morning. She said she was working tonight.”
“Too bad.” She detected a hint of irony in Julia’s voice. “Let’s go somewhere else.”
Melissa dropped her gaze. Just before she did though, she caught a glimpse of a small, elderly, male figure. It was Jimmy, crossing the street.
“Evening, ladies.” He said. “Melissa, I hope you’re feeling better. You looked in pretty bad shape at the funeral.” He went on, pulling they key to his bar out of his pocket. “I’m sorry about tonight. I had a family emergency.”
“Hey, Jimmy.” Melissa chirped. “So, the bar stays closed for tonight?”
“I forgot my cell phone in the kitchen.” Jimmy said. “You can stay if you like. Take the key. Just
give it to Jenny tomorrow. And, unless you want to start pouring drinks to strangers, don’t play the music too loud and don’t turn on too many lights, ok?”
“Lovely.” Melissa smiled broadly at him, as he pushed the glass door open. “I can’t believe we’ll have the place all to ourselves.” She headed towards the bar, as Jimmy made his way to the kitchen, to the right. He pressed a switch on the wall. Four, red and green overhead spotlights were lit.
“What are you having?” She asked, turning on the stereo in the far corner of the counter.
“Some vodka would be nice.” Julia replied.
“Coming right up.” Melissa said, picking up a glass from the wall cabinet.
“Goodnight, ladies.” He waved, leaving the key to his bar on the counter. As Melissa grabbed the bottle of vodka, a very familiar song introduction filled the air. Def Leppard’s “Love Bites.” She abruptly turned her head to the right. Bruce was standing in the corner across from her, with his arms folded across his chest. Her grip on the bottle and the glass loosened. They slipped through her fingers and fell to the floor.
“Screw the vodka.” Julia winked at her, walking up to Bruce.
“Thanks a lot for this.” He spoke.
“Take good care of my girl.” She said in a firm tone, handing him over the key to her car. Bruce nodded, the sound of quick footsteps on the hardwood floor audible over the music. Melissa jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing her in the air.
“I love you.” A soft whisper left her lips, as tears spilled from her eyes.
“I love you too, baby.” He whispered, sensing her hair on his cheek and her tight grip around his neck. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”
“I’m sorry, too.” She sniffled. “I lied to you. I didn’t trust you.”
“Look at me.” Bruce urged with a whisper, gently pushing her back. Melissa’s lips were shaking, as her happy tears continued to flow down her cheeks. He couldn’t stop the tremor in his hands. A faint smile spread across his face, as he looked deep into her reddened, puffy eyes. “I want to take the love of my life with me, back to Boston.”