“What exactly do you do for a living?” Oh fuck! I guess partial truth is better than a bald-faced lie.
“This and that,” I say, hoping she’ll give up and go to sleep.
“Well, that’s vague don’t you think?” she asks, and I can hear the annoyance in the question.
“I’m tired, Bridget. Do you think we can have this conversation later when I’m not so tired, baby?”
“Okay,” she says quietly.
“I’m not keeping things from you, I really am tired.”
“Ummhmm,” she replies, and rolls over to where her back is against me.
“Night, baby,” I say, hoping to stop her from taking this any further. I wrap my arm around her waist and lean over and kiss her temple.
“Night, Capone,” she murmurs, sleep already overtaking her. Hearing her even breathing, I soon find myself joining her.
Five
Capone
I walk into the clubhouse the next morning, travel mug of coffee in hand, and immediately go into the room where we have church. Seeing that I’m the first one to arrive, I pull out my phone and check it to make sure the store will have what I want so I can grab the television and her e-reader on my way home.
“You’re here early,” Axe states as he walks into the room, his own cup of coffee steaming in front of him.
“Yeah, figured I’d get in early, maybe talk to you for a few.”
“What’s up? Is Bridget okay? That’s one of the things we’re talking about today, that gang her asshole brother was leading. Chief found where a few of them have been hiding here around town, so I’m sure that’s where the message came from the other day.” Say what now? I feel my eyebrows raise to where they nearly hit the top of my forehead. Definitely need to get this information so I can take care of these morons myself.
“She’s fine. This is...shit, man. I’m gonna sound like a fucking pussy here. How did you know you were in love with Cara? I don’t mean that lust shit. Hell, I’ve got that in spades. I’m talking about the ‘I’ll be with her until I draw my last breath’ feeling.”
I see his eyes widen at my statement. Hell, we’re men, so we never talk about this kind of shit, but dammit, I need to know. I don’t wanna fuck things up with Bridget. I know I’d go to the ends of the earth for her, but is that love? He takes a deep breath and then says, “I think love is a lot of things, brother, but know that for me, what made me realize that Cara was it was when I pictured my life without her in it. I couldn’t see her not being there, by my side. And the more I got to know about her, the more I had to have her around. It’s not caring about her past, only worrying about her future and making sure she’s happy and fulfilled. And no, I’m not talking about the sex part. It’s me wanting to take care of her and not giving a shit that she’s gained ten pounds since the twins.”
I close my eyes as I process what he’s just said. “Okay, I get that and think that’s where we’re heading, to be truthful. Now, she asked me last night what I did for a living. There’s no fucking way I’m telling her that I do contracted hits, man, so what the fuck do I tell her?” Even though the assholes I take out are scum of the earth and won’t be missed by anyone, including their families and ‘supposed’ friends.
“Dumbass, you work for the construction company we’re starting,” Hatch states, having come in on my last comment.
“Good morning to you too, asshole,” I reply.
“Seriously, man, you know we’ve been doing little shit around town since that storm and have the equipment, so we’re talking today about making it a reality. We’ve got the skills with several of the guys including Jaxson, so why not utilize that?” This is true, and it won’t interfere with my extracurricular activity. I can make it work, I can also use bidding jobs as an excuse for leaving town.
“And what happens when I have to go out on a job? You know those can take some time.” I put it out there to get their take on it. Hoping that we’re on the same page and they’re willing to work with me on this.
“Just saying, you’ll have a good team in place to cover when you’re gone.”
“What about Bridget?” I ask. No, we haven’t started church yet, but I’ve got Axe and Hatch here, two brothers I trust implicitly, so I’m gonna get this shit out in the open.
“What about her? If you have to go out of town, we’ll tell her you’re bidding on a job and keep an eye on things. You planning on claiming her officially?” Hatch asks.
“Someday, not now, she’s not ready, but when she is, you can bet your sweet ass she’ll be wearing my patch along with my ring on her finger.”
“I’ll get her cut ordered for when the time is right,” Twisted says, walking in and taking his place next to Axe at the table.
Axe looks around the table and sees the rest of the brothers have made their way in. Taking his gavel, he hits the table and says, “Church is now in session and we’ve got a lot of shit to cover.”
“When is it we don’t have a lot of shit to cover?” Smokey asks, as Bandit reaches over and pops him in the back of the head.
“I’m about tired of people smacking me, I’m not a free-for-all here, people,” Smokey growls out.
“Dammit!” Axe hollers out, “This is a fucking club meeting, not a lounging session at a resort club where we can all sit around and hang out with a fruity drink with an umbrella and talk shit. Stop playing around!”
“What he said,” Hatch says, pointing his finger in Axe’s direction with a smirk on his face.
“We’ve never had a serious club discussion with Tweedle-dee and Tweedledum in the room,” Chief states, earning himself the finger from both Smokey and Bandit.
“I swear, I’d have better luck talking to the walls of this clubhouse than I do of having a serious discussion with any of you!” Axe hollers out.
“Enough!” I shout, having had enough of this shit. I want -- no I need, to know what information they have on the Devil’s Demons and their sightings here in town.
“Well, someone obviously didn’t get any judging by his attitude,” Smokey fake whispers. I glare at him and if my eyes were lasers, he’d be dead on the spot. Fucker. It’s none of his goddamn business where my sex life is concerned.
“What I get, or don’t get, is not up for discussion,” I state. Nodding at Axe, I say, “Do we have anything on those fuckers trying to hurt my woman?”
“I had Bandit do some digging and they’re definitely stupid as fuck. They’ve been using their credit cards, so we know for a fact they’re in town. In fact, we know where they’re staying.”
Ah hell, I feel like rubbing my hands together in glee, because this means it’s playtime for me. I’m all for going and getting my ‘equipment’ and ending their lives but know that’s not who we are so I wait to see what he’s got planned. I can bide my time, do a little recon on my own and not go against any club orders. They’ll never come out and say, “Don’t be shadowing these stupid fuckers, Capone,” so all’s right in my world at the moment.
Axe narrows his eyes at me, “What are you planning over there, brother?”
I look at him all innocent like and ask, “Who? Me? Not a fucking thing brother, not one damn thing.” I’m a liar, oh well, I’m already going to burn in hell for my sins.
“Mmhmm, yeah, sure you’re not, and I’ve got some oceanfront property, man,” Bandit states.
“We’ve got them under surveillance because we’ve had a bunch of petty vandalisms and burglaries that started when they hit town,” Chief states.
“I don’t think it’ll solve our problem if they go to jail, man,” I reply.
“No, but what you don’t know is they’ve got warrants back home for shit that’s a helluva lot bigger than what we can pin on them.”
“Like what?” Sometimes I hate that I chose a club that lives on this side of the law. But I love my brothers and wouldn’t trade any of them for all the money I have.
“Trafficking, murder, manufacturing drugs...take your pick. Any one of those will put t
hem away for so long they’ll be old men on social security before they even become eligible for parole.”
“So, then what’s the plan? The sooner they’re gone from our town, the sooner my woman will breathe easy. Well, easier, anyhow.”
“The detective I spoke with has had to bring the FBI in, which means they’re building a solid case before arresting anyone or pressing any charges that could possibly be dismissed, or a good lawyer will be able to get them out of it,” Law explains.
“Does everyone know about this other than me?” I ask, irritated that Chief and Law know more about my woman and her safety than I do. I mean, shouldn’t I have been one of the first to be informed?
“Just Chief, Law, and myself,” Axe replies, “but, they’re part of the investigating team since they’re local. We had zero plans of keeping things from you. We would never do that to you. We all, well most of us, have a woman of our own and know how important safety is for them.”
“We’re invested in this on your behalf, brother. Don’t freak out on us, help us out instead of trying to deter us. We’d never do anything without thinking of you and Bridget,” Law says, and I feel like the wind has been knocked out of my sails. I mean, I know these men, why am I losing my shit?
“It’s called lurve,” Smokey says, and I look at him thinking he’s lost his ever-loving mind.
“What is?” I ask hesitantly, not sure if I really want to hear his explanation.
“The reason you're so outta whack man, it’s because you’re in love and your mind’s all over the place,” Smokey informs me.
“I’m not in love, I haven’t known her long enough. Mind your own damn business,” I tell him.
“Liar!” he shouts, pointing at me. I’m about ready to jump out of my chair and beat his fucking face in. I don’t like it when anyone calls me a liar, it makes me lose my shit.
“Can we get back to our meeting, it’s not recess time yet,” Twisted calls out, so that he can be heard over all of us.
“Alright, so that’s the initial plan for the Devil’s Demons. Chief or Law’ll keep you as up-to-date as they can, Capone. Now, let’s see what else we can cover before y’all go off on your next tangent,” Axe states, pointedly staring in my direction. How did I become the asshole in this situation?
“Whatever, but he calls me a liar again, he’ll need plastic surgery,” I answer him.
“You really want your future sister-in-law pissed off at you before the wedding?” Bandit asks.
Fuck him and the chrome horse he rode in on. If I didn’t care so deeply for Bridget already, I’d walk away because the two of them tend to drive me crazy on my best days. Right now, I’m nowhere near being at my best. “No wedding. Can we keep going? Got shit to do today,” I mutter.
“Yet,” Smokey replies. Fucker. He’s going to push me too far and it’s going to be on. Hannah will be a widow before she even got a year in with his ass.
“Enough!” Axe roars. “I swear to God, I’m gonna start fining y’all if you don’t stop this bullshit. Every fucking meeting, we go through insanity and I leave wondering if we’ve covered it all.”
“I make a motion for fines to be issued if someone has to be told more than once to chill out,” Twisted says.
“I second that motion,” Hatch throws his very unwanted two-cents in. I want to growl at him and Twisted both, but then I think that would be unwarranted in this particular conversation. So instead, I turn my seat around and observe the rest of the room. It’s why they always tease me and call me the watcher. Usually it’s all I do, I hate attention directed at me, so I usually keep my mouth zipped shut in meetings unless I’m needed for a vote, or have had a direct question sent my way by one of the higher up officers.
“Approved. Suggestions about the fine amount will now be taken.”
“Fifty dollars,” Chef hollers out.
“Yeah...that’s not gonna stop you jokers,” Twisted states. “Thinking it needs to hurt. How about a fine schedule so if you do it once in a meeting, it’s two hundred dollars, and it doubles for each offense?”
“Shit, that’ll add up quickly,” Smokey muses. “I’m already paying for half of Emma’s college fund, now I’m gonna be paying for Nan’s next construction job.”
“Not if you keep to the subject at hand it won’t,” Axe replies, a smirk playing on his face.
“Appreciate the help with college, brother,” Law says, doing his best to hold back a grin. “The ladies added quite a bit the other day before they went shopping,” I reply. “I saw the jar and I know the mood Bridget was in when she walked in so I’m sure I contributed quite a bit before Law got there to pick Emma up.”
“Might be time for Smokey to get some help with that ADD he’s got going on. He has a hard time concentrating on the topic at hand,” Twisted adds.
“Aaannnddd....here we fucking go again! Off topic, you know what? I’m done, fuck it, don’t get shot, have a great week,” Axe slams his gavel down and walks out of the door steaming. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed him lose his cool and walk out of a club meeting before. I feel like a kid sitting here, I want to raise my hand and wait for Twisted to call on me so we can ask him what it is we’re supposed to do now.
“So, Smokey, Capone and Law, get me your fines by the end of the day,” Twisted says before he too, gets up and walks out the door.
“Fuck, I think we really screwed the pooch today,” Bandit muses looking at the door.
“Ya think?” Hatch asks. “I mean, we’ve all got fucking jobs to do and we need to know how our businesses are doing and all that shit. Y’all need to keep your cool during church or I’m gonna start knocking heads together.” Great. Now our enforcer is pissed off as he slams his chair back and stalks out the door.
“So...I have a question,” Smokey starts, “are we paying for one or two offenses each?”
“Fuck it, for this aggravation, I’m just gonna give them a grand and call it even. Never seen any of them so pissed off before,” I state.
Law nods and says, “Yeah, me too. We’ve gotta rein it in some, brothers. I know the twins are teething so that’s likely why Axe is on edge, but the shit with Bridget has him stressed as well. No one fucks with family and she’s family, even if you haven’t officially claimed her yet, Capone.”
“It’s about time they put their foot down to make y’all focus when we’re at church,” Chief grumbles. “I’ve got limited time between work and Trin and the girls. I’d rather spend it having a few beers with y’all than arguing over bullshit stuff.” He too stands up and walks out the door. Oh hell no, I’m not being left in the room all alone with Heckle and Jeckle, I’m out. I stand up and haul ass out the door in pursuit of Chief. I hear the wonder twins laughing at my retreating back, but I could care less, being alone with them is more than this man can handle for any given amount of time. Once I make it out to the bar area, I sit next to Chief who is sitting there nursing a cup of coffee.
“What are you going to need from me?” I ask him.
“You planning on staking them out?” he asks.
“That was my intention,” I reply.
“Then that’s what I need,” he states. I nod in understanding, since he’s cleaned house, he doesn’t have the manpower needed to sacrifice someone to sit on them. That’s okay with me, because I’d prefer to be the one who handles that part of the operation. It is my specialty, so I might as well put that to use, especially since it’s regarding my old lady and her safety is at stake here. “You need anything equipment-wise?”
“Nope, still have my night vision goggles and high-powered binoculars so I’m good. Just text me the address where they’re staying and I’ll take care of it.” I don’t mention that I’ll have my rifle on me...you know, just in case.
“Don’t do anything stupid, man. We’re trying to create an airtight case against them. Monitor their movements and call anything in that looks suspicious.” I nearly laugh at him, because I am not one of his cops that he can boss around
. I will respect him though, he is not only my brother, but a close friend of mine. So I nod my head letting him know I hear and understand his given instructions.
“Chief, just saying, if they fuck with her again, I won’t be patiently sitting there with my thumb up my ass. I’ll do whatever it takes for her to never be hurt again.”
“And I get that, one hundred percent, brother. I’d be the same way if it were Trinity. Just...if anything does ‘come up’ and you have to deal with it, make it look like self-defense or some shit, yeah?” I give him a look that lets him know it’ll look like I was fighting for my life, causing him to grin. “Yeah, you get me,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder before he hands his empty mug to the prospect and heads out.
Time for me to head to work as well. I’ve got more bids to work on to see if a construction company will be profitable for us as a club or not. May as well put one of my degrees to work. And hopefully, if I come back with the information Axe wants, I may win myself some brownie points for my colossal screw up during church.
Bridget
Waking up in Capone’s arms this morning was...delicious. Of course, I scooted out of the bed before he woke up and jumped in the shower, but thinking about how safe and secure I felt in his arms had that flame of hope inside me burning a bit brighter. Maybe I can have a relationship with him. He’s made it more than clear that he doesn’t hold my past against me, that he knows if I had been given any other choice, that’s not what I would have picked to do. Smiling as I fold towels, I hear Lulu call for me and head out to the salon floor.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“I uh...can you take one of the walk-ins?” she asks. “Cassarah ran to the bank and I hate making them wait too long.”
“Me?” I ask, pointing to myself.
“Yeah, you. You can do this and I’m right here to help.”
I gulp in a few deep breaths. Shit is getting real, apparently. Nothing like diving into the deep end of the pond. I walk over to the waiting area and smile, saying, “Hi, can I help y’all?” to the man and woman sitting there.
Capone_Rebel Guardians MC Page 7