Bail Out

by Jade Chandler

  I didn’t want to admit to anyone what my father was doing. It’d been so hard to even tell Jessica, but if I wanted Gus’s help, I’d have to pay the price

  So I told him about Daddy and how he’d changed, ending with the stupid deal I’d agreed to.

  “You should get married, then divorce the deadbeat after Jack signs over the company.” Gus leaned back in his chair hiking up the foot recliner.

  “Why does everybody say that?”

  “Jack ain’t going to let you win any other way.” He shook his head.

  “I got DeRulo, and I’ve signed at least another 150K in bonds in the past two weeks, I’m halfway there.” It surprised me how successful I’d been.

  “And how you plan to get the other half?” He squinted his eyes at me.

  He knew what I wanted but the old man was going to make me ask, maybe even beg. “I want you to convince Jerry to let me go after Stone Larson alone—that’s a $200,000 score right there.”

  Gus sputtered, coughing up his last drink of bourbon. The bottle still held inches from his lips. “Girl—”

  “I need the cash and I can do it,” I pleaded. Pride had no place in my life right now.

  “That man’s a dangerous killer who has a whole gang supporting him. No way any one man or woman—” he nodded in my direction, “—will take him down alone.”

  “Have Jerry give me 72 hours on my own, then send in the clowns.” I leaned forward, meeting Gus’s eyes.

  He grimaced and set down the bottle. “Forty-eight hours, and then there will be three others on his case.” He eyed me. “I need you to understand how dangerous this is and be careful.” He drank more of the bourbon before turning my way again. “You won’t get him alone, no one will, but I know this kid, Rebel, biker and bounty hunter. He’d make a helluva partner on this one.”

  “Why wouldn’t I use one of the bounty hunters we have?” She frowned at him.

  “Because your daddy will give the credit to whoever in the company helps you.” Gus’s face drooped. “He’s not going to play fair.”

  “I’m his damn daughter. He has to abide by the terms.” I didn’t want to think about what it meant if Daddy was working against me.

  “And you wrote those all out?”

  “No, but...but that’s ridiculous, we’re family,” I stuttered. Fear flashed through me and took root deep inside me. He wouldn’t go that far, play dirty, just to keep me out of Jackson Bonds.

  * * *

  The next morning I stalked Daddy’s office, waiting for him to get inside. Gus’s words had haunted me and kept me from sleeping last night. Five minutes after nine I stormed through the reception area. Doris raised her eyebrows and went back to her coffee. I threw open the door and stomped inside.

  Agitation eroded my confidence and I felt like, and probably looked like, a little girl on the verge of a tantrum. Why did parents have the magic power to reduce you to your worst childish behavior?

  “Sugar dumpling, I’ve missed you. Sit down and tell me about you.” He grinned wide and gestured to his table.

  Those words pricked my heart, it was what he’d always said when I came to see him. Once upon a time the words had warmed me, even made me feel safe. Now they stirred the sickening stew of emotions curdling my stomach.

  “So this deal we made—”

  “It was a mistake, I know.” His condescending tone matched the way he patted my hand. “You ready to be reasonable?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” I kept my tone even. “I think we need to define the conditions of our deal.”

  His eyebrows bunched together like two wooly caterpillars on the move. “Now what’s this about?”

  “The terms, I want to be clear on them. I’m already halfway to the goal so—”

  “How do you figure?” He blustered.

  “I raised the first hundred with DeRulo.”

  He nodded.

  “Another 150 on bonds and—”

  “Whoa there, you don’t count bonds signed, only bonds delivered.” He tapped his pipe in the ashtray.

  “Why?” Heat melted the calm I’d been able to maintain.

  “Way it is on the books and you know that—what do we count as revenue?” He lit his loaded pipe and the comforting scent of his tobacco filled the room.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. We didn’t count bonds as revenue until the bonded appeared in court and the money was ours, free and clear.

  “Exactly.” He must’ve read the look on my face. “And I’m not cutting corners on this.” He leaned back in his chair. “You got 15 days—”

  “Seventeen days,” I corrected him.

  “Seventeen days to raise 400K, it’s not going to happen.” He puffed his pipe with his eyes lit with satisfaction.

  Damn him.

  “What choice do I have if I want to keep this company?” I gritted out the words.

  “Get married, I said that.”

  I surveyed his face looking for humor or a sign he bluffed, but my father was dead serious.

  “Have Doris type this shit up.” I stood, shoving my rage deep down. “So I’m clear what I can do to earn the company I deserve—the one you got with no strings attached.” I turned sharply and marched out of his office before I said something I regretted.

  A couple of people started to move toward me as I walked to my office but I waved them away. I would scream if I opened my mouth. My phone pinged, and I opened an email from Gus. It was to the point. You have 48 hours starting now. The contract was attached. I grabbed my purse and stopped by the front to let our receptionist know I’d be out on a case the next two days.

  He tried to ask me questions, but I knew better than to tell him. It’d take exactly ten seconds before my father knew and that wasn’t going to happen. He’d flip a gasket if he knew I planned to bring in Stone alone. While not a suicide mission, it was going to be dangerous, especially since I couldn’t use anyone at the company to back me up.

  Chapter Five

  Rebel

  I got word from Gus that the contract on Stone Larson was in process. By Friday at this time, I could bring in the badass and earn 200K, making up for losing DeRulo. I headed to my place, a small two-story house on the outskirts of Ardmore to pack a bag. I crossed the hardwood floor of my living room to the kitchen where I poured more kibble for Harley, my huge-ass tomcat. His water container was full and the pet door gave him free access in and out of the place. He and I were tentative roommates who got along best if we weren’t on top of each other for long.

  “I’ll be gone three or four days. Someone will look in on you.” I met the cat’s yellow eyes. “Don’t shred them this time.”

  He licked a paw as if he considered my request. The bastard could be mean as hell if he got in a mood. He’d scratched up the prospect who had drawn cat duty last time I was in Dallas. I ran up the stairs and threw some clothes in a bag. I grabbed my shaving kit off my black dresser. I should make the bed, but I left it, even as it bugged the neat gene I’d inherited from my mom.

  I started out the door, but turned back and got my club jacket from the closet. The jacket would be necessary to hide my piece. I knew Stone a little. We’d played poker one night when I’d been at a roadhouse outside of Fort Worth. A member of the Angels of Death, he was beyond lethal and his club would back him all the way. Unlike the Brotherhood, the Angels made their cash in the worst ways possible—drug trafficking, along with a handful of other totally illegal sidelines. At least Stone wasn’t an officer in the club, if he was then we wouldn’t have created the bad blood between our clans, even for the 200 large.

  I stopped to pet my huge black cat before heading out the front door. I locked it behind me and hurried down the steps to my bike. I stowed my gear in my saddle bags and headed south. I tagged JoJo to tell him I’d be out. Delta had
left two days ago on some personal mission, so we were a man down until he got his family shit straight.

  Dusk settled on the streets of Dallas with dark approaching fast. I turned off the interstate into Angels territory, wanting to scout out a few places tonight. I parked next to another chopper-style bike and headed inside Roscoe’s, a dive bar. While a group of Angels dominated the floor with five or six tables pushed together, I saw Devils, Bastards and Dragons all present. I waved to Domino, one of the three Devil’s Brigade members at the bar. Eyes followed me on the path from the front door to Domino at the far side of the bar.

  “Hey, brother.” He clasped me in a back-slapping hug. “Long time, no see.”

  I sat on the bar seat next to him, one he’d cleared for me. “Too long. Let me buy you guys some good whiskey.” I gestured for the bartender and ordered our drinks.

  We shot the shit awhile, remembering other nights we’d gotten drunk together.

  “Tell me if the stories are true?” His light smile didn’t hide the serious glint in his eyes.

  “What stories?”

  “The Brotherhood cleaned house, got rid of some in a very permanent way.” He let his words trail off.

  “Man, we’re solid, better than in all the years I’ve been with them.” I wasn’t talking about our club business with anyone. “We’re busting at the seams with prospects.”

  “That’s what I hear. Bones sent us up this way to see if we can reap any new prospects.” Domino shifted in his seat. “I hate recruiting. Any advice for an old friend?”

  The Devils weren’t as bad as the Angels but they weren’t even close to legal. Normally based outside of Austin, Domino was far from home. I assessed him and an idea hit me. “Maybe we could trade info.” I let my eyes linger on the group of Angels in the middle of the bar.

  “Could do that.” He stroked his beard. “I talked to Shorty earlier. He says they’re getting ready for the party of the century, tomorrow night at their compound—welcome home bash of sorts.”

  Stone would be in town, and I wouldn’t have the contract yet but surveillance wouldn’t hurt.

  “My understanding is he’s still a loner, not much for staying on site.” He grabbed a handful of peanuts and chomped on them.

  I ordered another round of whiskey. “Good to know.” I leaned back in the chair before I threw back all the whiskey in my tumbler. Setting it down hard on the scuffed wood bar, I signaled for another round.

  “If you made a run up to Bound there’s maybe ten hopefuls hanging on. We don’t have the capacity to add them.”

  “You picked out the best, then,” he growled.

  “For us, anyway, but we’re not the same kind of clubs.” I shrugged, looking straight ahead. “We got this recruit problem by going to the Daytona Bike Show a year ago. All of a sudden word spread and we’re turning punks away—good damn guys we have no room for or no willingness to make room for.”

  “Daytona? No shit?” He eyed me then smiled wide. “You heading back there?”

  I shook my head. “We got more recruits than we can handle, and that was from one visit. We cancelled our plans to head up to Sturgis.” I’d been glad that had been canceled because I’d been on the list to go. I hated recruiting because glad handing wannabes wasn’t my idea of fun. I’d rather punch their too-eager faces.

  “What we think?” I snatched up a hand of pretzels and swallowed them before speaking. “There’s a longing to belong—to be outlaws.”

  “These boys you turned away. Was it because they were too violent or too weak?” Domino cut through the bullshit.

  “Some of both. You know our businesses, there’s a type that fits and a type that don’t. But some of those boys might like your style.”

  “You fucking Brotherhood boys always stay right on the line, not really stepping over to our side.” Domino chuckled.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You talking shit about mine?” My voice dropped low.

  He leaned back, palms up. “No way. Each to their own, but makes me think a ride up to Bound might be worthwhile. And that’s not even counting the girls working there.”

  I settled back and sipped my drink, calm now that I’d made my point. More than a few clubs thought because we didn’t run guns or drugs, we were weak. As a club, we’d made it a priority to set those assholes straight because reputation mattered in our world.

  We shot the shit another hour or two and I drank more whiskey than I intended but that suited me just fine. Back at the hotel I set an alarm for ten before I sacked out for the night.

  My alarm beeped, creating a reverberating pounding in my head. Fucking hangover. I scraped the hair from my forehead and pushed myself up. Silencing the alarm, I shuffled into the motel bathroom. The water was hot but the shower spout too low. I dipped my head under the water stream and let it wake me up.

  In my room, I dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and my Brotherhood jacket. It provided better cover for the piece I wore shoved into the back of my jeans. Since I might run into Stone, I needed a gun. No doubt he’d be packing.

  JoJo had called last night while Domino and I drank ourselves stupid. According to JoJo’s friend, Stone had a woman in Dallas, one few supposedly knew about. I had my doubts he’d show there, but it was the best lead I had.

  I started my bike and drove the six blocks to the address. I drove by once and then parked around the corner. Sitting around on a bike for any amount of time was suspicious, to say the least, so I walked half a block down to the bus stop bench and sat down. Eyes focused straight ahead, I could still see the house in my peripheral vision, but no motorcycle sat in front of it. Probably a dead end.

  Twenty minutes passed. I sat there ignoring each bus that stopped beside me. Since this area was lousy with drug dealers, I’d look like another dealer or mule. My mood soured faster than my ass went numb. A red truck drove by and my attention focused on the blonde driver behind the wheel. What the fuck was she doing here?

  I pulled my phone out and punched Gus’s number.

  “Hey, son, what can I—”

  “Why the fuck is Elle Jackson after Stone?” I didn’t believe in coincidences.

  “Calm down. She’s got an exclusive on him until tomorrow night, so you steer clear.”

  “How?”

  “Her old man’s doing her wrong, and she finagled a chance to get the bounty first.” His breathing was so fast each word sounded like a wheeze.

  “You did this.”

  “I knew that girl when she was a baby.” He didn’t even sound guilty. And why would he? Elle was a family friend, and I was just a new kid on the scene. I got it, even if I didn’t want to understand.

  “She can handle this?” Why did I ask that? It was none of my concern.

  “She says so.” Doubt sounded in his words.

  Fuck. “I’m out of here. Not watching her take more money from me.”

  “Son, you should—”

  I hung up before he said anything else. I stood and headed back to my bike. I kick-started the motor, putting my foot on the gear pedal, but I didn’t go anywhere. If she missed him then I’d have no idea where to look for him. He wouldn’t be back here. Anger clawed its fingers deep into my chest. Who was this girl? Why did everyone act like she was royalty? No one ever gave me special treatment. In fact life took pleasure in bitch-slapping me every chance possible.

  I turned off the bike with a jerk of my hand and pocketed the key, stalking back to the bus stop. The princess was parked across the street from the girlfriend’s house, well away from me. I stared forward and clamped my jaw tight. Even if Stone killed her, I wouldn’t care. Nope. No interference from me. But after Stone kicked her ass, I’d follow the biker, so I’d be ready to pick him up when my contract went live.

  I recalled the generous splay of tits she’d laid out on the ba
r at Lucky’s. Fuck. I wiped the image from my mind along with her tight ass in the red dress. She’d done just fine taking down DeRulo, but there’d be no con-game with Stone. Hell, I planned to bring JoJo in when it was time to take Stone down. I didn’t trust the odds of taking him down one-on-one. Maybe 60-40, but I liked a higher percentage on my side.

  The garage door opened on the run-down bungalow and Stone rolled his bike backward out of the garage. Blondie dropped the pickup into gear and blocked the drive, along with my view. Then Stone ran across the front yard before the crazy woman tackled him at the hips. He faltered but didn’t go down.

  Damn, she had guts. I wouldn’t want to go hand-to-hand with him. She brought her Taser up to the small of his back. He jerked and went down, but he wasn’t close to out. I started to stand and made myself sit back down. This wasn’t my business.

  Stone flipped and kicked out. The blonde flew through the air and hit the dirt hard. Stone was on top of her before she got up. The sun glinted off a metal blade. Son of a bitch. Stone liked knives and he was going to kill the blonde idiot.

  Not thinking past that, I stood, pulled my Glock and fired. He was too far away for an accurate hit but I fired again, hoping to scare the bastard away before he carved a smile across her throat. I ran full out, shooting again. Stone glanced up, saw me coming with the gun, and moved off Blondie. He ran for his bike, I heard it start as I crossed the street toward the woman who was still down. Fuck, had he already killed her?

  Chapter Six

  Elle

  I tried to cough and breathe at the same time, and I choked again. The bastard had knocked the wind out of me when he’d landed on my chest. The gunshots had saved my life. I craned my head and spotted the redhead I’d seen at the bar a few weeks ago. What the hell?

  I successfully sucked in a lungful of air and pushed myself up to sitting just in time to see Stone ride away. Dammit. Fury filled me. I’d lost my one chance to get him. He’d be smoke in the wind now. By tomorrow, four other hunters would be on his trail. My odds would be slim to none. How could I even hope to go after him again? He’d overpowered me in seconds.