That was a laugh, Tessa thought, there wasn’t a day in her life she’d gone crazy or wild. Well, crazy, maybe if tonight was any indication but wild, nope. Rena had invited her to parties and bars, but Tessa always declined, choosing to stay home and be a good girl. Look where that had gotten her—targeted by a biker, almost but not quite a college graduate, and just downright pathetic because she was sitting in her car on the side of the road in the middle of the night, thinking about this shit, staring at her now blank phone. Tessa jumped when the chime indicated she had a text. Damn, she was losing it. Pulling up the text she saw it was from Rena, the text itself simple and straight to the point.
Grinder went out on a run; he should be gone for a couple of weeks.
It’s okay for you to go home.
It should have brought her some relief, but it didn’t, she still didn’t feel safe. Pulling back out onto the road, listening as all her crap scattered all over the car because she may have slammed her foot down on the gas and jerked the wheel just a little too hard, Tessa decided it was time to make some changes in her life. When the lights for Frankie’s came into her sight just a few feet ahead, she decided that was a good place to start. There was a small part of her brain that concluded the crazy might have just morphed into downright delusional, but she was determined to blow off some steam and have some fun.
Tessa parked her car next to a beat up old truck and looked around. Just to make sure no one was lurking. Looking down at herself, she decided her outfit was just going to have to do. She was wearing jeans and her Shack t-shirt. Shit, she’d forgotten about that, she didn’t know if it was good form to go to a bar with another one advertised on her chest. Putting her seat back, she crawled up on it and turned around, so she could rummage through the back seat. Moving books, papers, and mail around, Tessa thought to herself she really needed to clean her car out. When she started pushing empty fast food bags around and accidentally hit the horn with her ass, she thought a better diet might be good, too. Quickly looking around, she was happy to see her honking didn’t bring anyone to see what was going on.
Yeah, sir, please excuse my fat ass while I dig through my backseat, so I can find a shirt to wear into the bar. Hey, I’m thinking about getting lucky tonight, you interested? Oh yeah, she was one sexy beast. Seeing a flash of color, Tessa grabbed at it, finally finding another top. It was a cami, and if she remembered right, a little too small, but then again, this was Frankie’s, and she doubted any of the clientele inside would mind her showing a little cleavage. Looking at the shirt again, she thought, or a lot of cleavage. Thank God she had worn her good black lace bra.
Shaking it out a couple of times, she decided it wasn’t wrinkled that badly. Bringing it to her nose, smelling it for a final test. Smiling, she thought, not too bad. Settling back in her seat, Tessa looked around again and ripped her Shake t-shirt off, briefly considering throwing it out the window. Just as she pulled her head through, she looked up to see, not one but three guys watching her. Tessa shrugged her shoulders and smiled, hell, what else was she going to do? Two of the guys gave her a thumbs up and one winked before they walked away.
This getting wild thing wasn’t bad, so far. Pulling down her visor, Tessa turned on the dome light and cringed at the sight. Looking back over her shoulder, she looked at the three guys again, staggering and tripping all over the parking lot, laughing it up. Oh yeah, she had that beer goggle thing going for her. Cleaning up her smeared makeup, Tessa put on some fresh, feeling a little better about herself. Looking at her hair, she decided there was no hope and started digging for a rubber band or something. She had long hair, but it was also naturally curly, and if she didn’t have product in it, her hair turned into a frizzy mess. Flipping her hair around the elastics until she had a messy bun thing going on, Tessa nodded to her reflection in the mirror; this was a good as it was going to get.
Tessa stumbled getting out the car, hell, anyone would in the shoes she had to wear to the Shake—four-inch spiked, black, patent leather heels. At least they went with her outfit, and they made her ass and legs look banging. What they didn’t go with was Frankie’s gravel parking lot. Would it kill them to get some pavement? Looking at the concrete block building, she realized it probably would. Finally, making it to the door a few near misses later, Tessa shut her eyes, completely aware of what was about to assault her senses. Pulling it open, she opened her eyes slowly once she got inside. The smell of cigarette smoke was so thick, it made her cough, and the dim smoked-filled room was messing with her eyes, they instantly started to burn and water. The next thing was the blaring music. She was a fan of Rock, loved it as much as the next person but not so much listening to it at a decibel that made it hard to think and the fillings in her teeth hurt. Once she turned the corner, she realized why it was so loud; the place was packed, there was a live band tonight. Damn!
Tessa had been to Frankie’s before, multiple times, but she never came on nights like this. Live bands always brought out the crazy people. Well, she wanted to be wild, right? Standing up a little straighter, she walked over to the crowded bar, putting a little extra swing in her hips as she moved. Only to get there and realize there wasn’t a single seat available and apparently, her sexy walk didn’t immediately bring down the masses as she had thought.
Looking around, she noticed a seat at the end of the bar and sprinted for it, just barely planting her ass on it when another person almost sat on her lap. Looking up at the guy, Tessa smiled; he on the other hand grunted and walked away. Yay for her, Tessa thought, great way to make a first impression, not even a little dorky, nope not at all. Shit, maybe this was a bad idea, after all.
CHAPTER FIVE
Creed didn’t have anything to do now but wait, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it in the rank ass hotel room. The longer he was in it, the more it made his skin crawl. He was going to have to get creative though because he couldn’t be seen around town now that he’d made contact and the mission had started. He needed to keep his cover. Playing the part of a druggie was never his favorite thing, but it got the job done, most of the time. The lowlifes the RBMC usually went after looked for weakness, any weakness and being addicted was a major one. It made their targets feel like they had the upper hand, even if it was just an illusion.
There was a small part of him that regretted using Shake in his plans, he was family, and there was a small chance his cousin might get caught in the middle of some shit he couldn’t talk himself out of for once. There was another part of him that knew for a fact Shake was already in deep with the lowlifes of Hazard. Creed figured Shake deserved whatever happened. Then there was reality, Creed knew without a shadow of a doubt if Shake thought he could stab him in the back to get ahead in anything, family or not, he would do it. Creed just had to hope what he had to offer Shake at the moment was a better deal to Shake than screwing him over, at least until Creed got what he needed.
Stepping out of the hotel room into the dark walkway, Creed took in his surroundings and was thankful the place was such a dump. If the hotel had a maintenance person, which he doubted they, sucked. Every light above the room doors were out. Looking further, he noticed that only two on either side of the parking lot seemed to be working. Creed decided to leave his bike right where it was and turned left walking to the end of the building.
The hotel was a typical roadside disaster—L-shaped building with a room every so many feet, parking right out in front of the doors, located just off the highway. It was just after nine, and so as long as he was careful, which he always was, he could leave without being noticed. The hotel was also within walking distance of where he needed to be next. Creed had just made it to the corner of the building and was about to slip around the corner when he heard the rumble of bikes. Shit, he thought no fucking way could the Vultures already be onto him. Creeds mind was spinning. Using the building as cover, he watched as about ten bikes roared down the highway. It looked like they were heading west and fast.
Son of
a bitch, Creed hit the side of the building with his fist letting out his frustration. He had just gotten a small glimpse of the riders’ cuts, but he was damn sure it was the Vultures and if they were headed west, they would eventually pick up and go north toward Lexington. Which meant all his hard-laid plans were up in smoke. Damn it! Shaking out his hand, Creed continued to walk behind the building and into the trees. It didn’t take him long to get to the storage facility. Hopping the fence, he went right to the unit he rented and opened the door. The place had nothing in it but his go bag. Going right for it, Creed opened it up and pulled out one of the five burner phones he had and dialed a number he knew by heart. The gruff voice that came over the line with a “Yo” actually made Creed smile.
“Hey, Kit Kat, how many lives are you on now.”
“Nine as always, mother fucker, Is Mary still singing proud?”
Creed laughed. He’d gotten so much shit for his name over the years, it didn’t bother him anymore, most times he just joined in. Kit was at least creative about it.
“I bet she’s down on the Bayou somewhere, but since I’m so far away, I can’t hear her. Hey, man, you up to do me a solid?”
“Are you a fortunate son?”
“I guess I am,” Creed chuckled. “Is that a yes?”
“Does a cat always land on his feet?”
“Damn, here I thought you would help a brother out. I’ve seen you on your ass more times than I can count,” Creed laughed.
Kit-Kat or Tom Calhoun was one of the best intelligence guys Creed knew outside of the RBMC. He would still be in the service if the caravan he was in on his last mission wasn’t taken out by a suicide bomber in Kuwait. The fucking kid had taken out all but two guys in his unit and one of Kit’s arms. The Airforce discharged him after that due to psychological issues. As far as Creed was concerned, watching all but one of your team die right in front of you while barely hanging on to your own life was a good reason to have “psychological” issues. Didn’t mean the man still couldn’t do his job, just meant he was more determined. But hey the Air Force’s loss was his gain.
“Shut up, fucker and tell me what you need, things around here have been pretty boring since you joined up with those boy scouts down in Defiance.”
That was another thing about Kit, Creed had never told him he was joining the RBMC, but if Kit was interested or considered you family, he looked into things and more often than not, found them out, no one else the wiser.
“Did you hear what happened down there?”
“Yeah, that was some shady shit, rats, bigger rats, and scum bags. You boys aren’t guarding your six very well. I might have to make the trip down there and show Tuck what he needs to do.”
I’m sure he would appreciate the guidance as much as you would if the situation was reversed,” Creed laughed again. “You want an in though, and I’ll sponsor you anytime you’re ready.”
“Nah, I’m cool with what I’m doing now, maybe some other time. Now tell me what you need. I still owe you for helping me out with that situation in Miami.”
“You mean getting that crazy chick to stop stalking you? Hell, brother, I don’t think I was the one who did that, it might have been the six arrest warrants she had.”
“True, but you’re the heartless fucker who let the PD know where to find her and when. But, nah, I’m talking about the chick’s brothers. I could have handled two, but the bitch had seven. Who has that many kids and what kind of fucking Kool-Aid was their mom drinking? Those boys made Tank look small.”
“No, I remember. Damn, dude, you sure you don’t have a couple extra lives out there?” Creed was still laughing.
“Never know, I think I’m just lucky.”
“Yeah, you’re lucky alright. Okay, let’s get down to it. I need you to keep your ear to the ground up there in Lexington. Anything you hear about the Vultures or the RBMC, I need you to relay to Tuck. Can you do that?”
“Damn, you boys are slow, files already started, just send me a secure email address, and I’ll forward it on.”
Creed should have known Kit was already looking into it, but he had to ask, and he was happy he had. “I’ll text you the address in a second. Anything I need to know in the meantime?”
“You down visiting in Hazard?” Kit asked.
“Yeah.”
“You aren’t going to get what you need down there, might want to look for alternative routes to get in tight. Boys got recalled back to the mothership right here in my neck of the woods. Some big meeting, six clubs, all hush hush. Once I find out the gist of it all, I’ll give you a heads up. For now, you might want to blow town and head on over to Frankfort. I have a guy I trust there that can get you where you need to be.”
Shit, Creed had known it, but he was still hoping he had a chance to work his plan.
“I’ll let you know my next step. Talk to you soon brother.”
Creed hung up and sat down on the floor of the storage unit. Fuck, he was going to have to call Tuck and tell him his in was a bust. After his fuck up with Talon earlier, this wasn’t looking good. He also needed to stay in Hazard long enough to figure out what his Aunt was up to. He couldn’t do that shit long distance. Putting the burner away, Creed zipped up the bag and left the storage unit. He still had to meet with Shake. He might not get what he wanted, but he wanted to see what his cousin had planned. Looking down at his other phone, Creed noted he had just enough time to go back to the hotel and ride out to meet Shake. He would call Tuck later.
As he walked back to the hotel, Creed’s mind went back and forth over his decision not to call Tuck right away. He knew he should have, but he still had business to deal with, mainly his Aunt Kim. Although he had pledged to put the RBMC first in all things, his loyalty to the Club unquestionable, he was also loyal to his Aunt. If she was in trouble and he could do something about it, then he felt like he needed to. Fuck, when had life gotten so damn complicated?
Creed saw the hotel up ahead and took the same path as he did before. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so he wasn’t worried about not seeing something. The moon gave him just enough light to navigate. Kit would have already sent the information he had, so the RBMC would be aware of what was going on. Which meant the choice was going to be taken out of his hands, anyway. He had another buddy he could call to keep an eye on his Aunt, but he wanted to do this himself. Maybe if he talked to Tuck personally and let him know what he thought? That was a problem too because he didn’t know what he thought. All he knew was his aunt was acting odd, and Creed had no idea how to sell that to Tuck.
Still debating his situation in his head, he almost missed the whispered voices up ahead. He stopped, then crept forward slowly, coming back to the corner of the building. Listening closer, he heard two voices, one male one female, both extremely familiar.
“Quit being a pussy, Shake, go in there and do what needs to be done!” the female demanded.
“Shut the fuck up, Sherry, you know this shit ain’t that easy.”
“Really! How hard can it be? You have a damn gun, and from what you said, he’s should be shit-faced right now. He is probably passed out. You did give him the real stuff, right? Or did you give him that cut stuff? Creed watched as Sherry continued to yell and Shake started to fidget. Shit, Shake, sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture instead of thinking about your damn wallet,” Sherry screeched, still trying to whisper but getting louder by the second.
Damn, Creed thought, it took all of two hours for Shake to turn on him. He wanted to walk out from behind the building and confront both Shake and Sherry, but he also wanted to hear what else they had to say, so he forced himself to stand back and listen.
“I don’t see why I have to do it, you’re the one that has shit to hide!”
Creed peeked around the corner and watched as Shake shoved something at Sherry. He didn’t know what it was, but if he had to guess, it was a gun. He watched as Sherry pushed Shake’s hands back, and yep, it sure as hell was a gun t
hat dropped onto the sidewalk. Fuck, these two were a menace to society. Either they would shoot themselves, which would be a good thing and save Creed a lot of trouble, or they would shoot an innocent, which he couldn’t have. Creed was just about to come out of his hiding spot when Sherry started to yell at Shake, again.
“Keep on thinking that, Shake, but if Creed finds out your part in Johnny’s death, he will come after you.”
“Creed ain’t going to find out shit! That boy isn’t the same man who left Hazard, plus, the only people who know I had anything to do with it are you and that kid. Pretty boy ain’t going to say anything, or his daddy would kick his ass, so that just leaves you.”
Creed risked a look around the corner again and saw Shake had picked up the gun and was now pointing it at Sherry. It was like a switch was flipped in her attitude, instantly, she went from screeching bitch to slut in two point five seconds.
“Shake, baby, you know I’m only trying to do what’s best for both of us. Creed has to be taken care of before the kid’s old man finds out he’s here. We promised there wouldn’t be any problems.”
When the two of them started to kiss, Creed had to stop himself from gagging, it was like all tongue and spit and they were so loud it reminded him of a bad 80s porn flick. Who the fuck kissed like that? When they stopped Sherry, started talking, but even from where he was standing, he could tell that Shake wasn’t listening, more intent on feeling her up.
“Come on, baby,” Sherry cajoled, talking all nice and sweet, “do the right thing, then we can get on to more pleasant things.”
“Fine, I do this, and you’re going to suck my dick the way I like it. You understand, Sherry? No backing out.”
Creed: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 5) Page 4