I lick my dry lips. Dagger misses nothing. He grabs the water bottle from the floor and tips it to my lips so I can drink. “Thank you,” I mutter.
He gathers up the items in the room—my purse, phone, travel bag, and bloody shirt. He doesn’t look at me when he walks to the door. “Some major shit will go down because of you and Red. I’ll have one of the men check on you.” Without untying me, he closes the door. I hear the sound of a key and know I’m locked in.
What the hell did I expect? They’ll kill me soon. I don’t feel sorry for myself. Relief maybe. I brought this shit down and now it’s time to pay up. I close my eyes and try to relax. Maybe this would be a good time to start meditating. Years ago, a therapist provided by social services recommended it. I laughed at her while I screamed inside.
My life has been one long, silent, scream.
Dax
I SHOULDN’T FUCKING CARE. She’s no one to me, but I still replay everything she said. What kind of hell did she live through? Twenty plus years is a long time to plan vengeance and keep the torch burning. How can I not respect that? If I hadn’t killed the man who killed Savannah and my child, I would still want vengeance.
I walk into the front room, where the men are waiting. The only woman in the room is Red. She wisely keeps her eyes down. The men congregate in groups talking quietly. I march behind the bar and grab a beer out of the fridge, untwist the top, and take a healthy swig. I need another minute to gather my thoughts.
I rest the beer on top of the long, marred counter before looking over the room. “We eat and then the officers will meet at the table to discuss what we do with the woman.”
Bear is one of the only men standing. “You need to hold church for that? She should already be dead,” he grumbles.
I give him my full attention. “I’m not Fox. I don’t kill women without a very good fucking reason.”
He’s not intimated, which is what worries me about not acting decisively on this.
“She pointed a gun at you. She knows you killed Fox. Red says she’s his fucking kid even if it’s hard to believe. I say get it over with and let’s move on,” Bear says.
He’s a cold bastard and I wonder why he’s still here. Skull put in a good word for him or I’d be knocking him on his ass right now. He’s saying what several of them feel, I’m sure of it. I hold my temper and thankfully it’s AJ who settles things down.
He stands and faces off with Bear. “We’re a club. The officers vote for what’s best for the club. Our prez isn’t dictating, he’s acting responsibly. Have you fucking forgotten that Fox was a tyrant and did whatever the fuck he wanted whenever the fuck he wanted to?” He glances at me. “I agree with you. We hold church after eating because right now, I’m fucking starving.”
“Here, here,” Skull shouts and tips back his beer. Bear mutters under his breath but doesn’t say anything more. He grabs a chair and falls into it. The old chair squeaks under his weight. Bear’s around my age, packs close to the same muscle as I do, and carries a huge chip on his shoulder much like the woman in the small room. I heard he did time for beating a man to death. Given my own past, I can hardly judge. I’m keeping my eyes on him, though.
It twists my guts that I already know the way this vote will go. I’ll be the one to fucking pull the trigger too. I won’t leave this to Skull or Vampire. I’m now wearing the president’s patch and that patch comes with a price. I remove another beer and drink it down as quickly as the first.
The women made enough chili to feed a village. It’s halfway decent—burns fire through my intestines and has enough salt to raise my blood pressure significantly. Arizona red bottom chili at its best. Hell, I’m starving and willing to eat almost anything. At least this is slightly better than the TV dinners I’ve been living off. The clubhouse has never been known for its fine cuisine. Chips or bags of peanuts are the usual fare. It’s something else I plan to change. We need to be a family and that means we spend time together. Fox had monthly “bring your own everything” barbeques and that was the only “family time” as far as including old ladies was concerned. Besides the barbeques, Fox never wanted girlfriends or old ladies at the club or even on the property. Fridays and Saturdays were brother party nights when the whores earned their drugs.
One of my priorities is making room on the property for the single men. If the tied brothers want to move onto the property, they’re welcome to. The more the merrier. We need to make sure everyone is financially sound and doesn’t do something stupid that lands them back behind bars. I’ve taken over Fox’s room and that leaves two other available rooms plus the small room. We’ll save that one for unexpected visitors. If we didn’t need every penny to get a convenience store started, I’d tear down the clubhouse and build from the ground up. Aluminum siding on the outside and painting on the inside will need to do for the next year.
Years ago, this land was a motorhome park. It still has the hookups but they’re so old we need the electricity cleared by the county. Once that happens, we can build our own small city. It would solve so many problems.
There’s very little talk while we eat. The earlier camaraderie from working together outside is gone. The only bright spot is having the front yard of the clubhouse cleared. We’ll tackle the back yard in the next few weeks.
I hold back a groan at all the shit I need to do.
The chili sets heavy in my stomach when I stand and walk to the meeting room. I glance over my shoulder and the other board members rise and follow.
The room is about ten by fifteen with enough space for a large table and chairs. There are folding chairs stacked against the far wall and that’s it. The room has a ceiling fan and one small boarded window, so the fan mostly circulates the heat.
I walk to the head of the table and pull out the chair. Even though I fucking hated Fox, it’s strange to take his seat. I wasn’t part of the inner sanctum and rarely entered this room. I knew the rule, though—no one sat here but Fox. I pick up the old wooden gavel lying on the table and run my hand over the smooth handle. I glance up and see the brothers watching me.
“Fucking weird,” I say aloud. A second later, I rap the wood sharply on the table.
Church is in session.
Skull, Vampire, Johns, and AJ wait for me to begin. “Honestly, this isn’t what I expected on day two as president.” I scratch my chin and continue. “We have a tough decision and nothing about it makes me fucking happy.”
Skull grunts and AJ starts to speak but then decides against it.
I look at him and then share my gaze with each of them. “At this table we speak our minds. I’m not Fox, and if this club goes down, it will be on us as a group. It doesn’t matter if we agree or disagree in this room. Majority vote carries and when we leave this room, we back it up.” I direct my gaze to AJ. “Say what the hell you need to say.”
He clears his throat before speaking. “Red’s a problem too and it seems you’re overlooking it. Her fuck up could send us back to prison. We don’t know who else knows what went down yesterday. Killin’ a woman ain’t my thing. That said… both of them are a danger to this club.”
My hands are flat on the table and I fight balling them into fists. I knew Red would be a problem. I also know AJ is right in everything he says. “Pauline is a danger to us too and she walked away.” I’m hoping this puts things into perspective. “The men who left the club yesterday walked out with all of our secrets. I’m not stupid and I know we haven’t seen the last of them.”
“What did Red say?” Vampire asks.
I turn to Vamp. “Not much. I didn’t really give her a chance to explain before I punished her.” I give AJ a quick head bob. “I made it severe enough to leave a lasting memory if she ever decides to share again.”
Skull speaks up next. “Fox never gave a fuck about the women. I know they stuck around because of the drugs, but, like us, they have no place to go. They’ve put up with a lot of our shit. I think we owe them a say. What’s strange is that Fox k
ept Red around instead of kicking her ass to the curb like he eventually did to all the other women who spread their legs for him. I’d like to know more about that connection and give Red a chance to defend her actions.”
If I didn’t know better, I would think Skull had a background in communication. That was a damn eloquent speech. I glance around the table. “Are we voting on it?”
“I’m a go for Red having her say,” AJ says, and the other men nod.
“Bring her in, Skull.”
His chair slides back and he leaves the room. A few minutes later, he leads Red in. I can’t read her expression. Skull gives her his chair and grabs one from against the wall. Red meets everyone’s eyes with a little more belligerence than she should. Fucking woman could use a lesson or two in humility. She’s not stupid and must know why she’s here.
“Everything, Red. Leave nothing out,” I say. Skull stitched her face and I have no doubt it hurt like a bitch. The skin around the bandage is red and puffy. Another smaller bandage covers the top part of her breast. It was little more than a scratch of my knife, but I’m hoping it means something to the men in this room.
Red’s long fingernails tap against the table for a moment as if she’s considering. I swear I’ll strangle her if she keeps this up. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know,” she finally says sweetly.
For her sake, I hope she gives us something that will keep her alive. “Start from the beginning,” I nudge when she doesn’t begin talking immediately.
She rests her palms flat on the table and the infernal clicking stops. She exhales loudly before she begins the story. I’m not feeling the regret for what she did. If I’m not, no one the fuck else is either.
“I met Sofia’s mother, Carmen, when Fox brought her to the bar where I worked.” She stares at the wall over AJ’s shoulder before continuing. “Fox and I fucked regular back then. One day, he shows up with this young, beautiful thing on the back of his bike. I’ll admit I was pissed off. Carmen was so innocently pure it was enough to gag you. No one understood what the hell she was doing with Fox. He had the hots for her big time. And he wasn’t as particular back then when it came to skin color. Perry ran the club and had a Native American old lady. You all know that, years later, Fox killed both of them and changed the club to what it was until yesterday.” She takes her eyes from the wall and gives equal attention to everyone at the table. She shakes her head. “Carmen was sweet, vivacious, and incredibly beautiful. You’ve seen her daughter. The two are very similar. Her English wasn’t too good, but she caught on quick. Fox could be quite the ladies’ man when he took the time.” She makes a disgusted face like it pained her to say that. “I watched him devour her completely. He pressured her into using drugs and verbally dragged her down until the drugs were her only escape. It only took a few months before she was addicted and relied on Fox for everything. Once she craved what he provided, he started beating the shit out of her for every small infraction. He called her his Mexican punching bag and said he liked the way she screamed.” Red stops and her eyes turn back to the wall. It’s obvious she doesn’t like replaying these memories. She clears her throat. “Speaking Spanish was one of his major issues. He almost killed her once for saying, ‘gracias’.”
Red glances down at her hands, which are now in fists. “I tried to talk her into leaving him but the drugs held her. I could barely keep up with my own drug habit back then, so I kind of understood.” Red gives a small laugh and her fingernails start clicking again. “Jesus, I won’t deny it. I was glad Fox had someone besides me to beat on.” Her fingers stop moving and she stays silent for a moment. All I can hear in the room is the clank of the ceiling fan. “He began sharing her with his friends. That was the hardest part for her. She’d take a beating, but shit, she hated sex with all those men. I walked a street corner down on Van Buren before I met up with Fox, so sleepin’ with different guys was no big deal for me. Shame was what really controlled Carmen. She’d beg Fox not to loan her out until he beat the shit out of her, stripped her naked, and let those men gangbang her.” Tears roll down Red’s face and I hope like hell they affect the men around this table.
“Go on, Red,” I encourage softly.
“She was pregnant twice before Sofia.” She wipes her eyes with trembling hands. “Fox beat those babies out of her. It’s a miracle he didn’t kill her. Then she discovered she was pregnant with Sofia. She was a dried up old woman and not even thirty.” She looks into AJ’s eyes. Wisely, she knows he’s the one she needs to convince. “I betrayed Fox and helped her get away. I’d do it again too. I’ll pay with my life knowing that I did something good.”
Red takes her eyes from AJ and scans the table. “Fox swore he’d find her and kill her. He looked everywhere. Eventually, one of the boys tagged her walking into a grocery store when Sofia was a year old. When Fox didn’t arrive at the store in time to confront her, he practically screamed this place down. He staked out the store for two weeks before catching her. He beat her so bad she spent more than a week in the hospital. Thank God she didn’t have Sofia with her that day. Fox went down for five years. He served two. By the time he got out, I was off the drugs, but like everyone else here, I had nowhere to go. After Fox did his stint in state, he was more involved in his racial crap too. He got out, took over the club, and made the changes he wanted.” She looks at me. “The men back then were too afraid to mention Carmen. Fox would lose his shit if they did. Most of those men fazed out of the club, were killed in the shit Fox had going down, or Fox killed them himself. There’s really no one around, now that Clutch is dead, who would remember her. I’m the only whore who goes that far back.”
She takes a long breath and lays her cards on the table. “Carmen and I stayed friends and I made sure Fox stayed off her tail. He vowed to kill her and I have no doubt he would have if given the chance. I owed Carmen and her daughter that peace of mind.”
Red reaches up and touches one of the bandages on her cheek. She gazes at me again. “My friendship with Sofia started when she was around eight. Carmen called me off and on through the years. The first time I spoke with Sofia, Carmen was high as a kite and passed out. Sofia picked up the phone. The saddest part… Sofia was only a little girl but her mother sprawled out and unconscious was a way of life. It barely fazed her. I had Sofia write down my number and told her to call me if Carmen wasn’t awake the next morning. I didn’t hear from either of them for six months. When Carmen called again, she had just received Sofia back from Social Services and swore she was off drugs for good. Sofia was in and out of foster care her entire childhood. Carmen never completely kicked her habit and Sofia found her dead of an overdose about a year ago.
Red’s expression changes and anger tightens her lips. “Sofia hated Fox. He killed her unborn siblings, which is something that tortured her. She’s told me for years she would kill Fox one day. In this one way, she’s just like him. She never forgets.” Red zeros in on me again. “Telling her Fox was dead wasn’t a betrayal to this club, it was a celebration. Sofia deserved to be free of that man for good. I don’t know why she pulled the gun on you. I do know she has a temper and street fights to work out her issues and support herself. Her life has never been easy. I don’t care what you do to me, but Sofia is no danger to this club. I told her a week ago about what Fox had planned for Kiley.”
Red bites her lip and I can tell she was in the same quandary as many of us. I let her finish her story.
“Sofia was furious and I think that’s what finally took her over the edge. Just like you, Dagger. Somehow we all needed to draw a line. Sofia drew hers.” Red lifts her hands from the table, sits back, and crosses her arms.
She’s done with her story.
AJ looks at me and I give him a nod.
“Why did Fox keep you around?” he questions.
Red keeps her eyes on the table. “When Fox got out of prison for beating Carmen, the club needed whores. I was clean but still had friends who weren’t particular about what they d
id to obtain their drugs.” She shrugs. “Fox liked new meat. I guess I just made his life simpler in the long run because I could provide what he wanted.”
I have the strangest feeling that Red’s lying. I have no idea why, but I’ll keep the thought to myself. An idea occurs to me. Curly watches Red closely and everyone knows he has the hots for her. To Fox, the whores were not old ladies, they were nothing more than a hole if you needed to get your rocks off. Curly couldn’t claim Red while Fox had the power. Things are different now and it could solve our problem if Curly claimed her.
“If one of the men takes you on as an old lady, will you have a problem with it?”
Red thinks about it for a moment. “I’m sure this is your way to keep me in line. I don’t like not having a choice. That said, if it’s Curly, I won’t complain.” Red stands and looks at me. “If you give me the chance, I’ll be loyal to you. Never felt that way about Fox.”
I nod and she walks out.
The men are silent for several minutes. “That’s fucked up shit,” Johns says.
I push back a bit in my chair. “We have a chance to turn this club around. Killing women isn’t the way we do it.”
“If we let that girl leave, the brothers will revolt,” AJ says.
He’s right. None of us wants to go back to prison and she knows a secret that could jeopardize the entire club. “I think Curly will claim Red. That leaves it to one of us to claim Sofia.” Yeah my dick jumps at the thought. Her wanting to be claimed could be a problem, though.
Skull laughs and breaks some of the tension in the room. “You want her, just admit it and make this easier for everyone at this table.” He’s not stupid. He saw my hard dick before I rubbed one out. She’s a load of trouble. Maybe even more trouble than I can handle or want to handle with all the other shit I need to worry about right now. “Yeah,” I answer honestly. “I want her.” I glance at AJ.
Burn: Outlaw Romance (Hotter Than Hell Book 3) Page 7