by K. J. Dahlen
The bartender, a big man with tattoos up and down his arms narrowed his eyes at her question, then shrugged. “I’m here to serve drinks, not to answers dumb questions.”
Cassie narrowed her own eyes then taking her drink, she began to wander around the club. She watched everything without seeming to notice anything. Slowly making her way toward the back hall, she saw one of the dancers enter the Ladies room. Placing her glass on the table, she headed that way herself. Pushing open the door, she saw the dancer checking her makeup. “Hi.” She nodded at the dancer.
“Hey.” The dancer nodded back.
“I was wondering if you could help me.”
The dancer stopped what she was doing and stared at her through the mirror. “What ya looking for?”
Cassie held up her hands. “I just need some information on one of your dancers.”
The woman frowned. “Sorry no can do, sister. We don’t give out info on each other. We protect ourselves and the club.”
“I can relate to that. I’m not asking for anything but if you have a dancer here named Peaches. I really need to find her. To make sure she’s okay. I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I do need to find her.”
“Sorry honey, can’t help you, club rules.” The dancer moved toward the door.
Cassie moved aside to let her pass. “She’s my friend and I need to know she’s all right,” she whispered. “I swear, that’s all I want to know.”
The woman paused. “If Deke finds out I told you anything, I’ll be in so much trouble.”
Cassie shook her head. “He won’t find out from me. If you see her, tell her to call me at the Star Bright motel, room 104. Just get the message to her. Nobody has to know we even spoke. Please?”
The dancer nodded then left and the door closed slowly behind her.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Cassie let a deep hopeful breath.
A few minutes later, she walked out of the rest room and to the main door of the dance hall.
~* * * *~
She didn’t see the three men that followed her to the parking lot and watched as she got into her jeep and drove away.
One of the men lit a cigarette and as the smoke cleared he said, “Deke might want to know about this.” He turned and walked back into the club. As he made his way to the back room where the offices were, he nodded to the bartender.
At the big oak door of Deke’s office, the man paused briefly and knocked. When Deke called out, he opened the door and came inside. The office was neat and tidy. The large oak desk in front of him was littered with papers and a laptop but he paid them no mind. As his eyes met the man’s behind the desk, Wiley swallowed hard.
Deke was a big man, six foot six inches, and at least three hundred fifty pounds of raw muscle. His short black hair was brushed back away from his face and his eyes were the color of ice. His hands were just as big as the rest of him and could easily break a man in half. “What’s up, Wiley?”
“We have someone sniffing around, asking questions about one of the dancers.”
Deke sat back in his chair. His fingers steepled while his steely gaze met his Sergeant at Arms. “Now who would be foolish enough to do that?”
Wiley shrugged. “It was a young woman. She first asked Hal about her but when Hal wouldn’t give her any answers, she went into the ladies room after Candy. I don’t think Candy would talk, but you never know what chicks are gonna say.”
“Bring Candy in here,” Deke ordered as he got up and moved from behind his desk.
A few minutes later, Wiley escorted Candy into the office.
She took one look at the big man’s face and began to tremble.
“I understand we had someone asking about Peaches.”
Candy groaned. “She asked but I didn’t answer.”
“What did she want to know?”
“She said she was a friend and just wanted to know if Peaches was okay,” Candy answered truthfully. “She told me to have Peaches call her.”
“Call her where?”
“She’s at the Star Bright, room 104. I swear boss that’s all she said.”
Deke stared at the woman for a moment then nodded. “It’s okay, you aren’t in trouble, but the next time someone asks anything, you better be the one to bring it to my attention, not Hal or Wiley. I run a good place here and give you girls the protection you need to feel safe. I need you to look out for each other as well.”
Candy almost wilted in relief. “I understand boss. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you first thing.”
Deke watched as she turned and left. Then he looked over at Wiley. “Maybe you and a couple of the boys should go find this woman and bring her to me. I need to know what she wants with Peaches.”
“Sure thing Prez.” Wiley grinned as he turned to leave.
“Don’t hurt her man,” Deke called out, “Just bring her in.”
Wiley nodded at two other men and they all made their way to the parking lot. Mounting their bikes, they roared off.
A few minutes later, they parked near the Star Bright Motel, just down a few spots from the Jeep he’d seen the woman drive away in. Wiley glanced around the parking lot. No one else was around and he didn’t want trouble.
Dismounting their rides, they all made their way to the door of room 104. He knocked and waited for an answer. When it didn’t come right away, he pounded on the door.
A moment later, it was thrown open and a young girl stood there. “What the hell do you want?” she growled.
Wiley took a moment to look at her.
Dressed in a white motel robe she was a small woman, her long, red, wet hair fell to her waist in tiny ringlets. Her green eyes snapped with impatience.
Wiley was both impressed and puzzled with the fact that she didn’t seem to fear them. “The boss wants to see you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “Well maybe, I don’t want to see your boss. Did you ever think about that?”
Wiley’s brow rose as he stared at her in astonishment. “When Deke says come lady, you come.” He reached out to grab her.
She backed a step away. “I’m warning you, I don’t like to be touched. And this Deke joker can go fuck himself. Who the hell does he think he is?”
Wiley growled and stepped forward to grab hold of her. “He’s the fucking President of the Satan’s Spawn MC, that’s who the fuck he is!”
“I told you I don’t like to be touched.” She seethed as she took another step back.
“I don’t really give a shit what you like or don’t like. You’re coming with us.”
As soon as he grabbed her arm, she went postal. Her knee met his groin and before he even fell, she roundhoused his jaw and laid him out on the floor.
The other two men with him were stunned for a moment then charged at her.
She kicked one of them in the stomach and grabbed the other by his balls. Squeezing them viciously, she dropped him to the floor while giving the first one a hit to the eye.
He dropped beside Wiley and all three men laid there while they groaned.
She stepped away and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door, she got dressed and a couple of minutes later, rejoined the three men.
They were just starting to pick themselves up from the floor.
“I warned you not to touch me.” She moved over to the bed, picked up her purse, and stood at the door. “Let’s go see this boss man of yours. I have some questions I need answers to and since he’s THE PRESIDENT,” she emphasized the words with sarcasm in her voice. “He should have all the answers I need.”
Wiley ran his hand along his jaw and felt the bruise she’d given him. His eyes sparkled with fury. “You’re riding with one of us.”
“Like hell I am,” she snapped as she made her way out the door. “I have my own vehicle and I’ll meet you there.” She walked over to her jeep and got inside.
Wiley and the others got on their bikes and revved the engines. When they tore out of the p
arking lot, she followed them back to the club. They were waiting for her to get out of her jeep and then they followed her inside.
Hal, the bartender gaped at them.
Wiley and Jared had bruises on their faces and Jack was holding his belly. Jack and Jared made their limping, groaning way to the bar while Wiley motioned for her to go down the hall to the back of the club. Two other men fell in behind her but they were far enough behind her to not bother her much it seemed.
Wiley knocked on the door and when Deke called out, Wiley opened it and motioned for her to go inside.
Deke glanced up at his man and looked stunned to see the bruises on his face. “What the fuck happened to you?”
Wiley raised his eyebrow and motioned toward the woman standing next to him.
Deke turned and appeared to be surprised to see her glaring back at him.
“You know, if you want someone’s attention, it behooves you to be polite about it. Instead of ordering your muscle men to fetch me, you could have asked nicely.”
~* * * *~
Deke was shocked. He couldn’t for the life of him find the words he wanted to blast her with. His men looked just as stunned as they gasped at her statement. “Do you have any idea who I am?” he finally growled.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Of course I know who you are. Do you think I’m stupid? You’re the great big boss man of the Satan’s Spawn, Deke Tory.”
Jack and Jared joined them and Deke could see both men were in pain. Jared was holding his stomach while Jack was holding an ice bag to his balls. He glanced over at the little slip of a girl and noted she didn’t seem to have any bruises on her at all.
Standing proud with her shoulders back and at all of five feet nothing, her red hair flowed down her back and her bright green eyes observed him carefully. Her arms were crossed over her ample chest and she couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and 10 soaking wet.
“Who the hell are you anyway?” he finally asked.
She shook her head. “My name isn’t important, my mission here is.”
“And what would that mission be?” Deke asked.
“I’m here looking for a dancer named Peaches. All I want to know is if she’s okay. I’m not looking for trouble of any kind I just want to find her.” She paused and stared at the big man behind the desk. “Why is that so difficult for you jackasses to figure out?”
Deke felt a streak of rage go through him. “This jackass protects his dancers and when someone he doesn’t know starts asking questions, he wants to know why.”
She dropped her arms and took a few steps toward his desk. Placing her fingers on the wooden surface, she leaned toward him. “Do you know Peaches?’ she asked him softly. She gazed unto his eyes.
“Yes, I know Peaches,” Deke finally told her.
“Is she okay?”
He frowned at her question. “Yes, she’s okay. Why would you ask me that?”
She stood away from the desk. “I just wanted to find her and talk to her. I didn’t mean any trouble. Will you have her call me? I need to speak to her.”
“What the hell did you do to my men?” Deke asked softly.
His men shifted nervously. They knew when he spoke in that tone of voice he was in a fine rage. They knew to steer clear of him at that point. They almost felt sorry for her, almost. As if Wiley thought she would soon see his temper, he grinned.
“I warned them that I don’t like to be touched. They didn’t listen.” She shrugged. “Maybe now they will.”
~* * * *~
Deke stood to his impressive height and she could finally see just how big a guy he really was. Dark hair, wide shoulders and muscles to spare. He could snap her back like she was a toothpick and Cassie felt a second of fear but nothing showed on her face.
Walking around the side of his desk, he came close to where she stood. “So you don’t like to be touched huh?” He steel colored eyes brined at her.
Cassie narrowed her eyes and took a step back. When he took a step forward, she could feel the power building up inside her. She matched his temper but she knew she couldn’t match his brawn. Her mind zipped through defensive moves she’d used in the past. “No I don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you but I will if you force this.”
Deke barked a laugh. “I don’t think you could touch me but I could definitely hurt you.”
“No man will ever hurt me again.” She sneered. “I don’t care how big, brawny or fucking stupid they happen to be.”
Wiley gasped and paled. He watched with fear on his face waiting to see what Deke would do. No one, certainly not a woman had ever called this man stupid and lived.
But Deke surprised everyone by throwing his head back and laughing. When he stopped laughing, he looked her in the eye and said, “Lady you have balls, I’ll give you that. Just don’t ever call me stupid again, or I will hurt you.”
“You could try,” she vowed under her breath. “Then don’t act it and we’ll get along fine,” she said louder than before.
“I still need a name.” Deke seemed calm and cool as he went back to his chair and sat down. Opening his desk drawer, he brought out a bottle of Black Velvet whiskey. Grabbing a couple of glasses, he poured out two shots and put one in front of her.
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t drink, sorry.”
Deke nodded. “What’s your name?” he asked her for the third time.
“Cassie.”
“Just Cassie?” he asked.
“Just Cassie. Kinda like just Cher or Madonna.”
Deke glanced over at Wiley. “Why don’t you find Peaches and bring her here.”
Wiley nodded and left the room.
Deke motioned for Cassie to sit while she waited for her friend. “Is there something other than whiskey you would like to drink?”
“Black coffee works for me.” Cassie sat down. “If you don’t have that, water is good.”
Deke looked over at Jack and nodded.
Jack got up and left the room.
“So, tell me about you and Peaches?” he asked as he poured another shot.
“We grew up together in the same hell hole until I got big enough to take care of the both of us. We’ve been together since we were five years old.”
“How did you lose track of her then?” Deke looked curious.
“Some jackass snatched her off the street when she was coming home from work about three months ago.” She glared at him. “I’ve been looking for her ever since.”
Deke frowned. “She came here looking for work. I had nothing to do with how she got here. That ain’t how we roll.”
“I didn’t say you were the jackass but somebody is and when I find them I intend to kill them,” Cassie vowed.
~* * * *~
Wiley entered the boarding house and went to Peaches’ room.
When he knocked on the door, she called out with a sleepy, “Come in.”
Wiley opened the door and found her in bed.
She raised her gaze to him and looked confused. “What are you doing here?”
“You got a visitor.”
“A what?” Peaches asked as she got out of bed.
“Some dame is looking for you.”
Peaches’ nervous gaze focused on the bruise on his jaw. “Cassie is here, isn’t she?”
“How did you know?”
Peaches smiled as she studied the bruises on his face. “She warned you not to touch her didn’t she?” She laughed. “That girl.”
Wiley grabbed her by the arm and squeezed. “That girl is in a whole mess of trouble. She’s going head to head with Deke at the moment. If you mean as much to her as she thinks, you won’t waste any more time. Let’s get going.”
Peaches looked upset as rushed to get her clothes on and followed Wiley out the door.
When they entered the club, Hal nodded and Wiley grabbed her by the arm again, dragging her toward the back to Deke’s office. Throwing open the door, he pushed Peaches inside.
Pea
ches stumbled and almost fell as she called out, “Cassie!”
Cassie turned and jumped to her feet. Rushing over to her friend, she hugged her. “I thought I’d never seen you again.” Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the best friend she had in the world. The two of them had been through so much together. Taking a step back, she noted the faint bruising on Peaches’ arms. Looking into her friend’s eyes she asked, “Did he hurt you baby girl?”
Peaches glanced at Wiley and shook her head. “No not really. These guys play rough but no, he didn’t hurt me.”
Cassie turned her head and glared at Deke. She sneered at him but didn’t say anything. Then she turned her glare to Wiley. “If you touch her again, I will kill you.”
Peaches gasped, turning to Wiley. “She didn’t mean anything by that.”
“The hell I didn’t. You’re not their plaything, to use and abuse. You are a dancer.”
“Enough!” Deke shouted. “Who the fuck do you think you are, coming in here threatening my men? What gives you the right?”
“Who do I think I am?” Cassie shouted back as she stomped over to his desk. “I’m somebody who’s sick to death of being threatened by big apes like you who thinks he can bully his way through life. I’ve had to scratch and claw my way every day and I don’t take shit from nobody. Do you hear that? I won’t take shit from you or your men.” She raised her hand and slapped him.
The sound echoed in the office. Wiley gasped loudly as he took a step back.
Deke got to his feet again. Everyone could see the rage on his face as well as the red mark from her slap.
Peaches rushed forward and grabbed Cassie, pulling her back away from the desk. “She didn’t mean it Deke. Please don’t hurt her,” she begged.
Deke nodded to Wiley.
“Oh, no! Don’t do it, Wiley!” Peaches yelled.
Pushing Peaches out of the way, he grabbed Cassie by the arms and crushed her to his chest.
Dropping forward, she lifted her left foot and slammed it into his balls. When she felt his grip loosen, she jabbed her elbow into his gut and rammed her head back into his face.