by Debra Kayn
He walked around the activity, and the moment Risa came into sight, she broke away from Sheriff Colby and ran to him. He caught her to his chest.
"It's okay. Everyone's out and fine." He shouldered her relief and held her erect. "Let's get everyone out of here and take them to the club."
She wiped her face off on his shirt. "How did this happen?"
"I don't know." He gazed down the street. "But I'll find out."
"What are we going to do? Everything I owned, the girls owned, is gone," she said.
He held on to her. "I'll have the men get you all some clothes, and we'll take it day by day. We'll work something out."
"I can't believe this happened." She sniffed and continued. "God, the whole building. It could've been so much—"
"Everyone's fine. That's all that matters," he said.
A crowd gathered, and in the front were men he recognized as customers at Silver Girls. His hold on Risa grew tighter. He had a feeling nothing happened in Federal that the miners didn't know about. The first chance he got, he'd find out what started the fire. If it weren't from a freak accident, heads would roll.
Two hours later, every Bantorus member and employee at Silver Girls sat in the club. Kurt leaned against the bar, his hand tucked into the back pocket of Risa's shorts. The occasional sniffle from the women and quiet talk from the men were the only sounds in the room.
The girls were in shock.
The men were concerned.
And, Kurt had no answers.
The fire chief and sheriff Colby left five minutes ago. From the first inspection, they ruled that the fire started in the back by the exit door. A door that was only unlocked during business hours.
There were twenty-four customers in the building when one of the girls smelled smoke and alerted the others. Crain and Muff remained upstairs in the second story, while Alana and Carrie changed outfits. The fire happened fast and burned hot, trapping the four of them upstairs, until the men jumped out and helped the women to safety.
Tomorrow, when the building cooled enough to allow the fire inspector inside to investigate, he'd learn more. He leaned over. "Do you have your phone on you?"
"Yeah," she whispered, removing her cell. "That and my purse upstairs is the only thing I have."
"I know, angel. Remmy and Ink are shopping now. It might take a couple of days, but Bantorus will make sure you all get what you need. I had insurance on the building too, so...," he said.
"I'm not worried about that." She sighed. "I'm just overwhelmed. So much loss. I don't think it's hit me what happened. I can't believe Silver Girls is gone. My dream of...God, I'm just glad everyone is okay. That's what we need to focus on."
Kurt kissed her forehead. "I want you to take Shari into the meeting room and have her call a couple of the men who frequent Silver Girls the most. Have her ask them if they're all right, and let me know what the men tell her. One of them knows something, and I want to find out what it is. Make sure Shari sounds like a concerned friend, angel. I need answers."
She nodded. "Do you think they know something about the fire?"
"Yeah. Something doesn't add up." He rubbed her back. "Let me worry about it. You girls are safe here, and I will find out what happened."
When she walked off, he motioned his men over to him. If they thought starting a charter was hard, things just got real.
"We're going to have to house the women here. Risa said none of them have family near and we can't expect them to find a place to rent when they can't work." He folded his arms across his chest. "We take care of what's ours, and I need to know how you feel about each one of them. Do you trust them?"
Ink hopped up on the bar and sat. "They're bitches, prez. Not your woman, but the rest, they know what we want and aren't even trying to stake a claim."
"What are you saying?" Remmy moved in closer, sealing the circle around Kurt. "Are you talking out your ass or have the girls mentioned becoming your bitch?"
Ink shrugged. "Rain had a good thing going in Pitnam. The bitches got the cabin, stayed out of our business, and in return took odd jobs Rain handed to them to keep themselves happy. We took care of them, and they didn't hold us back. I can't see what it'd hurt to have that here. The girls...they're club bait, prez. I swear on it."
Listening to the others chime in with their opinion, Kurt had to admit, they had a point. Without women, his men would find themselves unsettled. Nothing calmed a man better than a couple hours spent between a woman's legs. He ran his tongue over his teeth. Risa would flip.
Her stance on sexual activities happening in her place of business came from a need deep inside of her to prove herself above what her mother did for a living. She had allowed the bikers into Silver Girls under the impression they were protecting his investment into the business, but he had a feeling she chose to ignore her suspicions about what happened after business closed for the day and the bikers went to the girls' rooms.
As his old lady, as the old lady to the president, he'd have to run the idea of letting the girls stay here by Risa first. He looked at Remmy, caught him smirking, and internally hated the idea of dealing with the job of informing Risa what the men wanted.
"Hold the thought and don't mention it to the girls yet. I'll talk to Risa," he said.
Ink cleared his throat. "Looks like your chance to talk just arrived."
Risa walked across the room, a frown marring her pretty features. He pushed off the counter, and intercepted her. "What'd Shari find out?"
She glanced at the men behind him. "Can I talk to you? In private?"
He led her down the hallway into the meeting room. Closing the door behind him, he turned and said, "What happened?"
"Shari called Wayne. He's the foreman at Meghoni mine." Risa sat down in the closest chair and flapped her hands up. "He said none of the guys were involved and he was concerned for the girls. He even said a few of them were talking about driving out to the club to see if we were okay."
"Right. Not happening." Kurt pulled a chair out, flipped it around, and sat on it backward facing Risa.
She sighed. "You've got an attitude toward them, but they're good guys, Kurt. I've known them most of my life. They work hard and are protective of the town. They wouldn't start a fire in a place where they like to hang out. They certainly wouldn't put any of the girls in danger."
"I'll consider what you've shared, but angel, the men visit the girls for their own reasons," he said.
"I know." Her lips pursed.
"What?"
She blew out her breath. "Wayne asked Shari if she'd seen a couple of men hanging out around the building lately. When she said no, he told her to be careful. Some of the miners have noticed a group of men leaving the Meghoni mine parking lot when graveyard shift starts. They're out of towners, driving fancy cars. That's all he said. He just wanted to warn Shari to make sure she has one of the other girls around when she walked around town, since the tourist season is starting. When she tried to question him more, he changed the subject."
"That's good." He stood and put the chair off to the side.
Risa laid her hand on his arm. "That's not all."
His shoulders tensed. The tone of her voice warned him he wasn't going to like what he heard.
"I've been caught up in what's been happening between us, Silver Girls, your family coming, and getting used to the new routine, I didn't...I had no..." She blew out her breath. "When Wayne mentioned out of towners in fancy cars, it dawned on me that I've seen a black car. An expensive one. That's not unusual this time of year. We have tourists come by from every state. It might not even be the same one that caught the attention of the miners, but I saw the same black car hanging around before we got together, and then again outside the bar the night you went to jail for fighting."
"God dammit. Why didn't you say anything?" Fear pounded his head. It was his job to protect his woman.
"I didn't think it was important," she said, her voice rising.
"Did you ge
t a look at who was driving it?" he said, checking himself.
The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her more, but she had to protect herself. Not only because she was a woman working in the entertainment business, but because she belonged to him. She was a Bantorus.
"No, the windows were tinted, but the sedan was rich and had a California license plate," she said. "I do remember that."
"Four doors?" he asked.
She nodded. "I think so, but I can't be certain, I was looking at the little round circled statue on the hood of the car. I've never seen one like it before."
"Los Li," he muttered.
He fisted his hands. Rain's suspicions were right. The Mexican mafia decided to make their move while Bantorus MC fluctuated between Pitnam and Federal. Now that they split the club in half over two states, it was easier for Los Li pick them off one by one.
There was no doubt that Los Li was behind the fire. It was something they would do. He was confident the fire wasn't an accident. At least with their club out of the city limits, it'd be easier to guard against something like this happening out here. Los Li had no idea what kind of shape the club was in on the inside. The outside appearance of the buildings was deceiving.
First thing he had to do was protect everyone. He squatted in front of Risa. "You're going to get a crash course in Bantorus MC rules, angel. I need you to listen to what I tell you, and to do what I ask of you."
"You're scaring me," she whispered, grabbing his hands.
"You have a right to be scared. That fear will keep you safe." He squeezed her hands. "Los Li will do anything to take over Federal and run Bantorus MC out, so I'll need your help keeping the girls safe."
He continued talking long after Risa lowered her chin and accepted what he was telling her. He hardened himself against softening the facts. As his old lady, she needed to know what was ahead of them.
"I'll set up a meeting with some of the guys from Meghoni mine, and make sure Wayne is there if you trust him. The more people we have as our eyes and ears, the better protected we'll be." He stood, taking her with him. "Most of all, the girls need to stay inside the club. I'm putting everyone on soft lockdown. No one goes anywhere without checking in with me. We'll have men on you ladies when you need to go to town. I want Los Li to know you're protected."
"I'll talk to the girls," she said.
He nodded. "I need you to do more than that, angel. Right now, they have nowhere to go and they're safe here. The bikers enjoy their—"
He hooked her chin bringing her gaze back around to him when she tried to ignore what he had to say. "Ask them. They want to stay with the bikers. We can fix up one of the old buildings in back once this shit gets taken care of and every is safe. But, it's you who will make the rules that keep the girls in line. If you don't want them in your face, we'll figure something else out to make sure they're safe and can start over. I want you to think about them, and put your own personal morals away. Every MC has their women, and we'd be honored to have them hang around. But I won't harm what you and I have by bringing them in if it's going to come between us. If you find out you can't handle having the bikers fucking your girls, I'll see that they're set up somewhere else."
"Shit," she mumbled. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to them."
"Good girl, angel." He cocked his head to the side. "I'm also going to ask a favor of you."
"Isn't knowing and having the girls sleep with the bikers enough?" She groaned.
"This one's a little bigger," he said. "Tomorrow, when you go to visit your mom, I need to be there. I need inside the prison."
She backed away from him, shaking her head. "What are you going to do?"
"I'll handle that part." He held out his hand, relieved when she slipped her fingers into his palm. "Let's go inform the others, and set them all down and go from what we've learned. You and me, angel. We'll get everyone through this, I promise."
He walked out the door, holding Risa's hand. There were too many loose ends for him to feel better about what he'd learned. He wanted his family safe, but split between Federal and Pitnam, and even his own brother was in California with Lagsturns MC, he hoped he could back his promise to Risa. Depending on what he could find out tomorrow at the prison, it appeared as if they had war on their hands.
Chapter Twenty
Two hours south of Federal, Kurt pulled into the parking lot of the federal prison that held her mom. Risa waited until he shut off the motor, and jumped off the motorcycle. Jump, as in, stumble awkwardly on weak legs, picking the jeans out of her ass.
Kurt followed her off the bike and grinned. She glared. "Shut up."
"Told you it was a long ride," he said, helping her take off her helmet. "You'll get used to it."
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Maybe once I can feel my butt again. It's numb."
He wrapped his arm around her waist, and planted his large hand on her ass, jiggling the feeling back into that part of her body. She laughed, surprised to find he could bring out emotions she thought were impossible on this particular day.
She hated her birthday.
She hated visiting the prison.
She hated how she felt walking away, knowing there was nothing she could do to help the mother she barely knew. Yet, she continued to go, because Lou Lou Kohl was her mother.
"I'm not even sure you'll be allowed back into the room when I have my face to face time." She shrugged out of her coat and handed it to Kurt.
He stuffed both their coats, plus his leather vest, into the side saddlebag. "Already cleared my admittance. I'll be going back with you."
She caught her jaw from dropping. Instead of questioning him on how that was even possible when she had to be pre-approved every single time, even though she was a blood relative, she let him have his secrets. Besides, she was afraid to know how he was able to do a lot of the things she'd discovered and was learning that ignorance was bliss.
Together, they walked up to the security checkpoint. After a quick phone call, the officers let them through the six foot topped with barbed wire fence to continue to the locked door of the prison.
During the time they checked in, she remained quiet. Kurt, whether he suspected she wasn't in a talkative mood or he was considering her feelings, remained silent beside her. Years ago, the visit to the prison made her sick. Now she felt nothing.
The emptiness bothered her more than nerves. She no longer even questioned why she continued to come. The visit was a habit that would be a part of her life until her mother died from old age inside her cell.
The inside door swung open and a uniformed officer said, "Kohl."
She stood, glanced at Kurt, and walked toward the entrance. Kurt's hand stayed on her back. The support he gave wasn't lost on her. She'd never had anyone come here with her, and though he was here for his own agenda, she liked having him near.
"You have thirty minutes, ma'am," the officer said.
She nodded, and made her way straight to the table. Only when she sat down did she allow herself to look at her mom.
At age fifty-seven, the years in prison were not kind to a woman who at one time had the attention of every man in Federal. The lackluster brown and gray hair pulled back into a severe ponytail made her mother look older than her years. The hard-living wrinkles hid any type of emotion from her mother's gaze. Risa clasped her hands together in her lap and sat on the edge of the chair. Only when her mom looked at Kurt did she show a slight smile of interest.
Nothing ever changed. Men always came first in her mother's life, even in prison, apparently.
"Lou Lou Kohl," her mother said. "You?"
Kurt's hand landed on Risa's knee. "Kurt Ramchett."
Her mother's brow lifted. "Ramchett? Where are you from?"
"Pitnam, Washington." Kurt squeezed Risa's leg.
The room closed in on Risa. She turned to look at Kurt. He sat still and cool as if being interrogated by an older woman dressed in a gray drab jumper with handcuffs around her wrists and
ankles were a normal part of his day. The thought that her mom might know Kurt's family name made her sick.
"Ah, yes. You're one of the Bantorus MC members. You have the tattoos," her mom said.
Okay, she was going to vomit. She didn't want to know how her mother knew that, or why she recognized Kurt's tattoos. After spending a weekend with his family, she learned every male member had some form of a flame on his body. If her mother knew...ugh, she wasn't going to go there.
Risa dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand. "Is there anything you need while I'm here?"
"Forty dollars." Lou Lou set her handcuffed hands on the surface of the table. "I'm running short. My approval code is 734A9. They've installed a cash machine out in the lobby."
Same old request. Risa looked at the clock above her mother's head on the far wall. Twenty-five minutes left before she'd be escorted out of the room.
"I take it you two are together?" her mom asked.
"Yes." Risa kept all other information to herself.
They all sat in uncomfortable silence. Risa gazed everywhere but at her mom and Kurt. Throughout the visit, Kurt's hand remained on her leg. Finally, she dipped her chin and stared at his hand. The cuts, now cleaned and treated with ointment, appeared insignificant. Even the bruise on his left cheekbone was barely visible unless you knew what his face looked like before the fight.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions," Kurt said to her mother.
"Feel free. I have nothing but time," Lou Lou said.
Risa traced Kurt's fingers. Up and down, dips and highs, a regular roller coaster of digits. The scars and callouses stood out, and she found him sensitive to touch. The tremor against her leg came from him, not her.
The urge to protect him, to guard him from the ugliness of prison, of her mom, of life in general had her slipping her fingers between his hand and her leg. She held on to him, being his strength, though she wasn't sure he even needed her.
"There's a threat coming from Los Li to Federal." Kurt's voice soothed her. Confident and knowledgeable, he continued. "I need to know what you've heard on the inside."