by Vera Quinn
Chapter 22
Kane/Rome
“Hey, you okay?” I ask Tara. I close the door and walk over to her hospital bed, sitting on the edge next to her. “Lena was trying to get you to leave with her? I am glad Bud and Cricket were here.”
“Me, too. Mom wanted me to go with her so Liam could have another conversation with me. Her words. I’ve never seen my mom that way. I know she was in the diner when Liam assaulted me and then left with him, but to come in here to get me to go to him is just crazy. Mom really thought I would go. She said Liam had a job that he wanted to give me so I could support my family. Her and Sheila are working with Liam somehow. She wouldn’t explain it to me. It’s the second time this week I have been scared for my life. I don’t feel safe here, anymore. What if Liam tries to get to me?” Tara is near tears.
It’s ripping my heart out. I lean towards Tara before I think. I have her in my arms and my lips are on hers. I want to her to feel the safety I have for her.
I swipe my tongue over her sweet full lips and she opens for me. She has the sweetest taste. A taste I devour. I am like a man quenching a deep thirst. A thirst I didn’t even know I had and I am drinking my fill.
I hear a knock somewhere but I don’t want to pull away. Tara is the one that pulls away. We are both breathless and Tara’s lips are slightly swollen from our passion. I look at the door and Bud is standing there with a grin on his face. “Yeah?” I can’t get a straight thought. My cock is rock hard and I try to adjust myself without drawing attention.
“Mildred is here. We are going to be in the waiting room.” I see now that Mildred is standing behind Bud.
“Yeah, can you give us a minute? I’ll need to be leaving soon. Are the prospects still out there?” I try to calm myself.
“Both the guys Devil left are in the waiting room and sure, we’ll give you two a few minutes. We just wanted to let you know that Mildred will be staying in Tara’s room tonight so there will be no worries in case Lena comes back. We will just be right out here.” Bud backs out the door but I see the big smile on Mildred’s face as they leave.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” Tara said in a small voice.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.” I start to get up but Tara grabs my arm. I start to pull away but I remember if I move Tara around too much it may cause her more pain, so I relax.
“I wasn’t embarrassed because you were kissing me. I was embarrassed because we got caught kissing. I’m not used to public displays. I liked the kiss.” Tara is looking at her hand on my arm. She has a blush on her face. Tara is so innocent.
“Tara, I know you are twenty-two years old. Surely you have kissed in public before? Please tell me you are not a virgin.” I know this is probably going to embarrass her more.
“Geeze, Rome! No, I am not a virgin but I do not see where that is your business and I am not accustomed to talking about my sex life with anyone, let alone a man I barely know.” Tara tells me and her face is as red as an apple. I smile at that. Tara is uncomfortable talking about sex and she may not be a virgin but she is innocent.
“Tara, I don’t mean to embarrass you but you need to get used to talking to me about everything. I’m sorry if I was too rough with you with that kiss. I couldn’t help myself.” Tara looks up at me.
“You weren’t rough. I liked it.” She stops but then looks at me again and I see a look of curiosity. “Are you a virgin Rome? I mean, I have heard the stories from Sheila about the wild sex parties at the Feral Steel clubhouse. Is that what you are interested in? Because that is not me.” Sheila has run her mouth. That’s the only reference I have for the club.
“Tara, you will learn, I do not share a lot of myself with people but since we are going to have a relationship, I will try. I want you to share, so I will try to as well. I am far from a virgin but I have not been with a woman since I joined the Feral Steel MC. I do not fuck women that get passed around.”
I watch for a reaction from Tara and I may have seen a little relief but she doesn’t give much away. “I don’t know how the Feral Steel MC was run before I was here but there are parties at the clubhouse, still, no woman gets anything but exactly what she comes there for. I have seen your sister there at some parties but not enough to even know who she was until someone brought it to my attention. I do not drink and I don’t fuck club girls or hang arounds.” I let that sink in. “Now, before I was distracted with that kiss.” I look at Tara’s lips again but I can’t be distracted. “Bud just said Mildred is staying the night. The two prospects are going to be here and I will be back first thing in the morning. We have a vote and I can’t miss it or I would be here. You are safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
“I trust you, Rome. I want to try with us.” I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. I will protect Tara.
“I will never let you regret it.” I reach over and kiss her forehead. “I need to get on the road. I am getting you a phone tomorrow and I took care of your hospital bill.” Tara starts to say something but I cut her off. “You are mine to care for. Just go with it. You said you’d try.” I think Tara is going to argue but I see in her eyes when she gives up the fight.
“Alright but I am paying you back.” I know I have won this one. I kiss her lips but I don’t let myself linger. I don’t want to be riding my bike with a hard cock. I adjust myself as I stand up. Tara avoids eye contact and it makes me smile.
“I’ll send Bud and Mildred in.” I don’t want to leave but I know it can’t be avoided. I walkout in the hall and Bud is talking to the nurse at the desk. Mildred is standing outside the waiting room and I wave for her to come over to me. She stops in front of me. “Give me your phone.” She hands me her phone without question. I call myself from her phone and as soon as I hear my phone ring twice, I hand it back to her. I take my phone out and text the number. “If you have any trouble, at all, contact me.”
“Will do.” Mildred says. “Don’t hurt my girl.” Mildred looks up at me. I give her a head nod. I see Cricket walk in with coffee and hand a cup to Rix.
“Anything looks suspicious, text or call.” The both look at me.
“Will do.” Rix tells me. “One of us will be patrolling this floor and the other on the door.” I bob my head in acceptance and walk out of the damn hospital, again.
The ride back to the clubhouse is short and uneventful. The kiss is still searing my lips and I feel the burn all the way to my cock. Tara has started a simmer that is going to inflame us both. The only question is how long it will take me to bust down those walls she has built up? One thing I know, I will not stop until I do.
I walk into the clubhouse and I see Devil and Hacksaw standing at the bar. I approach them and they both look at me. “Didn’t expect you for a while.” Devil says to me.
“I could say the same.” Devil smiles.
“The brothers are waiting on us.” Hacksaw says and we follow Devil down the hall. Bowie is standing at the door taking phones and weapons. Devil is the only one that keeps his phone in church but this time he puts his in the basket, too. We don’t carry weapons as much as we once did but with the trouble brewing, we have gone back to it. I left mine in my saddle bag. We are all seated and Bowie shuts and locks our door. Devil stands in front of his chair. He bangs his gavel to get everyone’s attention.
“We all know why we are here but I want to take care of some regular business first.” Devil looks around at us. “It’s time to vote on Rix and Cricket. Rix left us for a while because of family issues. We approved the leave and when he came back he has done nothing but prove he is dedicated to the Feral Steel as a club and as family. Cricket has been a prospect for a longer time because he needed to mature. We all saw he wasn’t ready before but the last year he has stepped up and proved his loyalty to the club and family. I want a vote. It’s time to make them a member or cut them loose. I am going to ask each officer for their vote and then a yea or nay for the rest. If any officer has an issue with either prospect, then
express now.”
“I move that we give both prospects their cut; they’ve earned it. I have no problem with either and would trust them both with my back.” Hacksaw calls for the vote.
“I second the vote. They will both make good brothers.” Bowie seconds the move. Devil’s eyes move to Crockett.
“I vote yes for both. Assets to the Feral Steel both.” Crockett adds.
“I vote yes. Cricket can help with the tech side of things and Rix is always the first to help any of us.” Tito confirms.
“I vote yes.” Tex doesn’t say anything else. It has all been said.
“Yes.” Cowboy says.
“I agree with Tito.” Oz votes.
“Alright, you know my vote is yes. All yea.” The rest of the brothers agree. “Any nays?” There is silence. Devil bangs his gavel. The vote passes. We’ll get them their cuts and have a patch party as soon as this situation is handled.
“Second thing. Cowboy, you have answers on the security cameras yet?”
“I am still getting estimates but this is going to be a major investment just from what I have now. Fortunately, we live in a small town but the problem is that the businesses are scattered. So, except for a few, all will need multiple cameras plus the town street cameras. I have had to get Oz to tell me which brands to use because my expertise is not security cameras. With his help, I think I have the product we need.” Cowboy takes a breath and sees if everyone is keeping up. “This is going to take a few weeks but everyone needs to know this is not a going to be cheap and it might be more than we can take on.” Cowboy sits down.
“This needs to happen, so keep us updated. We’ll find a way to make it work. For now, let’s set this issue aside.” Devil tells us all.
“Next issue, Titus Douglas has brought a proposition to us. He wants to give us the dirt on the Brothers Bonded by Business and then have us deal with them. That includes Liam Davis, the man that attacked Tara Blount, who is now one of our family. I am going to give you my thoughts on this and then the floor is open so we can discuss it.”
Devil paces back and forth at the head of the table. “My knee jerk reaction was to tell the asshole to go and fuck himself. I don’t like or trust him but I know he is the lesser of the two evils that are the head of THC. I just don’t know how far this band of thugs will go and who they have in their pockets. Oz, do you have any updates?” Oz stands up and looks out at us.
“I’ve talked to all the business owners in town and they all say the same. A group of men come in and suggest that they could provide protection from the vandalism for a price. The price would give them protection and a membership in the Brothers Bonded by Business. Some businesses have been hit repeatedly but not like the gym or the diner. Bud told them straight out no, and as far as I know, we were never approached at any of our businesses. Sal said he was approached at the gym before we purchased it.
“BBB are a registered business at the courthouse at the county seat, with a DBA, and they are members of the community council. So, if you look at them on paper they are completely legal and they have friends in the mayor’s office.” Oz looks at us all.
“There have been some business owners who have joined. The bakery owners, a daughter and a mom, Kate Lee and Martha Lankford, said someone had broken into their bakery a few times and they never stole anything, just left graffiti on the windows and walls and destroyed her baking supplies, her counters, and broke everything that was glass. They joined the Brothers and all harassment stopped but they said no one from the Brothers was ever at their place except to collect the money. That’s another thing, the Brothers insist on cash payments and they come to collect it. The last time they came in to collect they said there was going to be an increase to all members. The ladies told me that they can’t afford the increase and now they’re afraid what the Brothers will do when they inform them they are withdrawing.”
“That is one of the oldest strong-arm scams. How in the hell do they think they can get away with it?” Hacksaw says.
“Are there any leads on Liam or Tig?” I ask Oz.
“Both are in the wind. We did get a lead on Lapin and Brown but they won’t help us. They are both dead. Their bodies were found out in an old barn outside of town but I have no other details on it. They were found this morning and you know how slow things happen in the sheriff’s office.” Oz replies to me. Oz sits back down.
“Durfee is burning up the phone lines with Ralph Stills and they don’t care that the connection was found. They aren’t using burners. It’s like they are rubbing it in our faces.” Tito puts in.
“Can you give us a run down on all the players? Because this sounds like it is involving more people in our area, and any way you look at it, that it is bad for us.” Tex asks.
“We all know Titus Douglas and Leonard Durfee are the head of THC Hempcan Inc. Besides the visit from Douglas and the phone records between Durfee and Stills, we haven’t had anything from these two. Ralph Stills is the man that organized Brothers Bonded by Business but it is run by Liam Davis and some college buddies. They have local guys working with them as muscle.” Oz answers Tex.
“What if what Douglas is offering is a set up? He could be feeding us information to get us to step back over that law line and then get evidence on us. We get rid of his problems and then he snitches on us and we go away and that gives him free reign.” Crockett has a good point.
“Or feeds the Brothers information on us at the same time to set up an ambush. That way he weakens us both.” Bowie puts in.
“Both good points. Either one is not good for us.” Devil is right also.
“We are getting nowhere. We have nothing to work with and we still don’t know what the end game is.” Creole adds. “These people have come into our town and started a racket, but why this small town if they don’t have a goal in sight? This is penny ante shit. If all the business owners in this small town pay these assholes even five thousand a month, it is not enough money to give the Brothers a big enough payday. These are college boys that could make more money with a real job. Come on, even if they are dumbasses, this doesn’t make sense. None of them have records so that means they are either smart enough not to get caught, or they do what they need to do to keep their noses clean. That means they are expecting a big payday.”
“I don’t trust Douglas.” Slick is to the point. “He doesn’t give out free favors.”
“We need to stop the violence to protect what is ours. We don’t eat shit for anyone.” Devil says vehemently.
“What if we flip the script on them all?” I ask and all eyes are on me. “Douglas is in a giving mood. Who is to say we need to take the information he wants to give? We tell him the information we want. Location of the Brothers. That is one of the problems for us. Ralph has roots here and we can find him but all the others are in and out. We need schedules of where and when they are going to be. Then we can do reconnaissance on them. Find their routines. We can do our own surveillance and find out when to hit them ourselves. Who says we need to do it on Douglas’s timeline? If he doesn’t know when it is coming, he can’t give information. We can turn the ones into the authorities that haven’t touched the Feral Steel.
“Devil, didn’t you say that one of the BlackPath MC members was once a US Marshall? Maybe he can give us a law enforcement we can trust.” I would rather kill them all but it’s not worth the risk if we can avoid it. “Maybe he doesn’t want to just hand us the Brothers but Durfee, too. If the two are on the outs, then maybe Douglas is looking for the Feral Steel to do his dirty work. Then when his business associate disappears he will be in the clear. If they are not ready to dissolve their business ties now, I’m sure Durfee will be if his side business is nipped in the bud. Douglas knows as well as we do that Durfee is ruthless. Douglas has a young family.”
“What you’re saying is go back to Douglas and accept but under our own conditions.” Devil is considering it.
“Tell him we want him to sweeten the deal.” I ha
ve everyone’s attention. “His business is worth millions. You want city wide security cameras. Tell Douglas to throw in the equipment by donating it to the town and that will make it more affordable for us to get the equipment for the business owners. Corporations donate to towns all the time. They get the tax write off.”
“That could backfire on us. Dealing with Douglas is still like playing with fire and we can’t afford the burn.” Slick says cautiously.
“Trigger was a US Marshall for a lot of years. He also helped raise Callie, to a point. He’s like an uncle to her and he would help us if he can.” Devil is thinking it out in his head. “Tito, who is next in line to takeover for Durfee?”
“There’s no one else. In the event of Durfee’s or Douglas’ demise or incarceration, all power reverts to the other one. That clause in their business charter completely confused me. In most corporations, either it goes to their heirs or it is buy out. Not so in this case. It reverts to the surviving owner or in case of incarceration the one not in prison. On release, the ownership reverts back to previous owner.” Tito informs us.
“If one of them goes to prison the other gets all rights and what about the board of directors? No one steps up?” Hacksaw asks.
“From the information I have found, the board of directors are a sham. Paid lackeys with college educations. Whatever Douglas and Durfee say, goes. The corporation is everything it is supposed to be on paper but it’s not the way they operate.” Tito is the best so if he says it, then it is true.
“If we take Durfee out for Douglas then Douglas owns everything, what happens if they are both gone?” Tex asks.
“Dissolution of all assets and divided among the board members after a payout to the heirs of the two.” Tito seems incredulous. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. I don’t know how they got the paperwork through.”
“We could divide and conquer then. Say we do this for Douglas and see how far he wants to go, if he is giving up just the Brothers, or if Durfee is part of the deal. Then we can concentrate on Douglas afterward, plus, get him to add the security cameras for the streets of the town.” Devil is forming a plan.