by Susan Stoker
Chapter Eight
The next few weeks went by quickly for Cruz. Neither he nor Mickie had been able to get together after their date, but he was keeping a close eye on her.
Ransom had come into the club one night ranting about how he was going to kill Angel’s “motherfucking sister” if she didn’t butt out of his business. From what Cruz was able to understand, she’d had another conversation with her sister about all the parties she’d been going to and had actually threatened to call the cops on the club.
Knowing Mickie could really be in danger, Cruz had stepped up.
“I’ll keep my eye on her, Ransom.”
The president eyed Cruz for a moment before responding. “Fine. She’s yours. If she so much as thinks about calling the fuzz, I’m holding you responsible.”
Cruz knew what that meant. He was as good as dead if Mickie followed through on her threat. “I’ll be so far up her ass she won’t have time to think about her sister or the cops,” he reassured the president.
“I’ll bet you’ll be up her ass all right,” Roach commented slyly.
Cruz had slugged him in the stomach hard, but hadn’t said a word.
The club had upped its partying and were including Angel and her friends almost every night. They’d established somewhat of a routine, where the women would sit on one side of the room, smoking joints and drinking, while several members of the club entertained them. The other side of the room was more hard-core…and Ransom had slowly been allowing a few of the club whores and strippers to attend. He still wasn’t allowing any full-out orgies, but Cruz had been there a few nights where it was obvious the couples weren’t merely making out.
Angel was loving being the center of attention at the parties. Her friends were all very impressed she was dating the president of the club and were happy to shell out as much money as Ransom demanded in return for the unending joints.
The more parties they attended, the looser they got with the money—and their inhibitions. Cruz had hoped that the women would be smart and see what was going on, but so far no one had clued in. It even seemed a few of the women now thought they were “dating” some of the club members.
Bridgette and Cissy had even tried cocaine the other night at the party. Ransom was a first-class asshole, but he obviously knew what he was doing with the women. Cruz knew there was a party being planned where the women would be fully introduced to what it meant to be a “member” of the club.
They weren’t old ladies, so that meant they were all being groomed to be club whores. Granted, the club had never had any whores who could actually afford to buy the drugs they were given, rather than earning it between their legs, but there was a first time for everything.
The nights Cruz got to speak to Mickie were the highlights of his existence at the moment. They might not have been able to get together, but the two-hour phone calls and the hilarious texts were almost worth the wait. Almost.
Cruz remembered the phone call that had really made him admit he was continuing his relationship with Mickie not to keep her safe…but because he honestly liked her. He’d called one night late after getting home from yet another party at the club. He’d never been a partier, and the constant loud music and half-naked whores, along with the stress of making sure he blended in with the uncouth club members, was exhausting.
He’d picked up his phone and dialed Mickie’s number before he’d really even thought about it.
“Hello?”
Cruz could hear the sleepiness in her voice and cursed. “Hey, Mickie. It’s Cruz. Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to hear your voice.” Cruz heard her stifle a yawn before she spoke again.
“I’m glad to hear from you too. How was your day?”
“Long. Yours?”
“Actually really good.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. This woman came in, obviously stressed out. She had three kids with her and her car was acting up. She didn’t have a sitter and had to bring them all with her. It was supposed to be a quick check-up, but the mechanic told her that it was most likely going to take all day. She looked like she was going to cry. I don’t work the front, but I couldn’t just sit there. I mean, haven’t we all had days like that?”
“What’d you do?”
“I may or may not have kidnapped one of her kids.”
Cruz almost spit out the water he’d just swallowed. “Uh, you do know that’s illegal, right?”
Mickie giggled, and Cruz was reminded of when she’d lost it while he was changing her tire. He smiled remembering the look of pure and utter joy on her face then, and could almost envision it now.
“Okay, I might not have actually kidnapped her, but I asked the woman if she’d mind if I took her five-year-old and kept her busy for a while. I reassured her we weren’t going to leave the building and that I’d be right around the corner. She was relieved, but still worried. She checked on us at least five times before she left us alone.”
“Are you allowed to have kids working with you?”
“Well, no, but my boss was out today, so I just went with it. I got her some crayons from the waiting room and let her go to town. I made up scenes for her to color and we actually made an entire book.”
“A book?”
“Yeah. I told her a story and she drew the pictures. I swear, Cruz, it was the cutest thing ever.”
“I bet.” Cruz could almost picture Mickie laughing and helping entertain a stressed-out mom’s child.
“Luckily, the mechanics also had pity on the woman and they were able to get her car done before their estimated time. I was sad to see Rachel go, but her mom was super happy I’d entertained her for a few hours.”
“Do you want kids?” The question came out before Cruz could think about it. They’d talked quite a bit, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of question you really asked someone when you were first dating.
“Yeah. I didn’t think I was really mom material. I mean, look how Angel turned out.” Mickie sighed, but continued before Cruz could refute her words. “But I’ve been able to look back now and see that my own parents had a big hand in what happened. And now I know what not to do. I suppose I should be thankful to them for that at least.”
“I think you’ll be a great mother,” Cruz told her honestly. “You saw how stressed that woman was today and didn’t hesitate to jump in and help. And if you were able to keep that little girl entertained with only paper and crayons for several hours, you’re going to be the most popular mom on the block.”
“Thanks. I have no idea if it’ll ever happen, but I’m not ruling anything out. What about you? Do you want kids?”
Cruz thought about it for a moment before answering. “I didn’t think so until I saw Dax and Mack’s relationship grow.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know about my first marriage, it was a disaster, and I never wanted to bring a child into a situation where he or she wouldn’t be the most important thing in my life. And I always thought having a kid would act as a dividing line between two people. That all the attention and love would be showered on the child, instead of the relationship. But seeing how Dax puts Mack first in his life, and in return she puts him first in hers, I got it. Having a child wouldn’t tear that attention apart; it would only bring it together more.”
“But your dad loves his wife, right?”
Cruz could hear the confusion in Mickie’s voice, and he tried to explain. “He does. Barb is the best thing that could’ve happened to my dad after my mom died. But they don’t…it’s not an all-consuming love. They both loved me, but I also felt like an outsider around them as I got older. I never wanted any child I might have to feel like that. So I figured I’d be a better uncle to my friends’ kids one day.”
“I’d love to meet your friends someday, they sound like awesome people. And Mack was really funny on the phone.”
I’d love t
o meet your friends someday. Her words settled into his psyche as if she herself burrowed into him. But they also scared the crap out of him. One part of him wanted her to meet Dax and all of his other buddies, but the other part of him knew that meeting his friends was just another step to this woman burrowing her way closer and closer to his heart. And the further in she got, the more it would hurt when she dumped him after finding out all his secrets.
Cruz had no idea when he’d be done with his undercover assignment, and there was no way he could let Mickie meet all the guys and Hayden before then. She’d know for sure he’d been lying to her. But he wanted it. He wanted to bring her around to the group barbecues. He wanted to put his arm around her and stand next to her and laugh with her at the things that came out of Mack’s mouth. He wanted it all.
“I’d like that, Mickie.” The words sounded inadequate to his ears, but they were completely heartfelt. He heard her yawn again. “I should let you go.”
“Yeah.” She agreed with him, but her tone was reluctant.
“I hate that our schedules aren’t meshing. I want to see you.”
“Me too.”
“Okay, I’m going to do my best to see what I can do to make that happen, yeah?” Cruz asked.
“Yeah. I’m off this coming weekend.”
Cruz sighed, thinking about the big party Ransom had planned for that Saturday. Now that Angel and her friends were regulars at the club, he was raising the stakes. He hadn’t expounded on what “raising the stakes” meant, but Cruz had a bad feeling about it. Ransom was getting impatient with the paltry amount of money he’d been making off the women with the pot, and wanted to up the ante. It was likely he was going to officially push Angel and the others to start paying for the harder stuff.
“This weekend isn’t good for me, dammit.”
“You work too hard,” Mickie told him sincerely.
If only she knew. “You should know that while I’m working, I’m usually thinking about you.”
“Hummmm, interestingly enough, it’s the same with me.”
Cruz smiled. “I’ll text you. We’ll figure it out even if it’s just for a quick lunch during your break.”
“Cool. Be safe this weekend.”
Cruz was startled by her choice of words. “Safe?”
“Yeah. With whatever security thing you’ve got going.”
“Ah. I will. Sleep well, sweetness. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later, Cruz.”
Cruz had sat on the couch for a long while after hanging up with Mickie. She hadn’t lambasted him for calling so late and waking her up. She was empathetic and did her best to help others around her. She wanted kids. The more he learned about her, the more Cruz was determined to keep her safe from the shit her sister had gotten involved with…and the more he wanted to keep her for himself.
Chapter Nine
“Listen up, assholes. We’ve got two things happening tonight. One, there’s a big shipment coming in around eight. Bubba, Kitty, Knife, Dirt, Smoke, and Tiny, you’ll head out to pick it up. Don’t fuck this up. The other thing that’s going on is Angel is coming over again tonight with her rich-bitch posse. Some of them have been getting nervous with all the whores that have been around. Tonight there will be no fucking on the floor in front of the rich-bitches. I’ll allow that slut, Dixie, to be here tonight, but that’s it. I don’t give a shit if you take Dixie into the back and fuck her there, but absolutely not out here. Am I clear?”
There was a chorus of agreement from the members. Cruz was torn. He wanted to be at the club to watch out for Angel, he felt as if he owed it to Mickie, but he had no idea what he’d actually do if something went wrong. It wasn’t as if he could risk his cover for her. And that was the horrible dilemma he faced, the moral conundrum he found himself in.
But ultimately, Cruz knew he needed to be at the drop-off. He needed to know who Ransom got his drugs from. That was one step to stopping the increase of all the shit into the city and ending his assignment. God knew the drugs would never stop, but if Cruz could cut off this one big supply, it’d make a huge difference, at least maybe for a while.
Ransom continued with his commands to his men. “I’m gonna push the bitch tonight. It’s time to step it up a bit. I’ll get her relaxed with the weed then bring out the blow. Nobody fucks with her tonight. Got it?”
“What about her friends?” Tick yelled out.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about her friends. Just don’t scare them away. We’ve got them almost where we want them. We’ve had too many lame parties with them to fuck it up now. Feel free to make them feel good, but no fucking on the floor. Feel them up, get them off, whatever, but don’t screw this up for the club.”
“Rich pussy. My fucking favorite,” Donkey exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. Donkey had gotten his nickname because he liked taking women up the ass. He was a big man, all over, and Cruz felt extremely sorry for any woman who Donkey got his hands on. He wasn’t gentle; he just took what he wanted.
Cruz glanced over at Roach; he could tell the man was jonesing for Ransom to be done with Angel so he could make his move. The way Roach had had his tongue in her ear when they were in the van was enough of a clue. So much for the ‘loyalty to one’ all the prospects were supposed to have.
If Ransom knew Roach had touched Angel, and what the man had said to her, he’d lose his shit, not because it was Angel but because for now, she was his property. Cruz knew better than to tattle. That was the quickest way to lose his standing in the club.
“All right, get the fuck out of here.”
The members slowly made their way out of the room. Cruz strode over to where Bubba was standing with the others.
“Let’s get the hell out of here, Smoke. We got shit to do.”
* * *
Four hours later, Cruz walked back into the clubhouse with the other members who’d been tasked to pick up the drugs. The pickup was tremendously helpful for Cruz’s mission, but he knew it wasn’t over yet. They’d met with Axel, an extremely violent and dangerous gang member who Cruz knew worked hand in hand with some corrupt government officials in a small Mexican city just over the border.
The Mexican government had been working hard on battling corruption in their members and the police force, but so far the lure of the money drugs brought in was winning over doing the right thing.
Thankfully, Cruz hadn’t had any interaction with Axel in the past, so his cover was safe for now. He just knew of him from Conor and TJ, both of whose agencies, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and Texas Highway Patrol, had dealt with him extensively.
Bubba had met with Axel around Lackland Air Force Base, west of the city. They’d talked for a bit then they’d all gotten back into their vehicles and driven even farther west. Bubba had handed Axel a bag full of hundred dollar bills, and Axel tossed Bubba the keys to a truck and directions as to where the truck would be. They’d driven back into the city and found the truck sitting in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
Cruz was disgusted by how easy and simple the transaction seemed to be. Eighty feet away, inside the restaurant, kids were screaming and laughing and playing on the playground equipment. And here they were, driving away with almost two hundred thousand dollars in cocaine and weed. It was insane.
Bubba had driven the truck back to the MC hangout and now the guys were ready to party. Ransom had taken Bubba aside and they’d had a short conversation. Obviously satisfied with how the drop had gone down, Ransom clapped Bubba on the back and the two men had disappeared into a back room.
The party at the compound was in full swing. The music was loud, there were women everywhere, who the hell knew where they all came from, because they certainly weren’t all strippers, whores, and old ladies, and the MC members were living it up. Cruz could tell they were holding themselves back because of Angel’s friends, but they were still partying a hell of a lot more hard-core than most normal people would, and harder than when the women had been th
ere in the past.
Cruz could spot Angel’s friends easily. They were dressed as they always were when they came to the parties, as if they were at a fancy New Year’s Eve party or something. Short skirts, high heels, glittery skimpy tops. They were sitting in a cluster around a table, laughing uncontrollably. It was obvious the first part of Ransom’s plan was already in play. They were high from the joints they’d recently smoked and were having the time of their lives.
Donkey, Tick, Camel, and Roach were standing around the group of women, obviously waiting for their chance to make a move, while across the room, a crazy bastard named Vodka—because he’d once guzzled an entire bottle of the stuff and stayed standing throughout the night—and another guy who Cruz thought was named Steel, were sitting with Dixie. They were following Ransom’s decree—barely.
Dixie was a club whore who’d do just about anything to score some coke. Vodka and Steel were sitting side by side on the disgusting, beat-up old couch, and Dixie was draped over Steel’s lap, sucking Vodka’s dick. Cruz could see Steel’s hand moving rapidly under her skirt, fingering her as she serviced Vodka. His hand was on the back of Dixie’s head, controlling the speed and the depth with which she took his dick down her throat.
Cruz turned away in revulsion. Jesus.
Just then, Ransom came into the room with Angel, who must’ve been waiting for him in one of the many backrooms. She made her way over to her friends, her hand a death grip on Ransom’s arm. Cruz could tell he was tolerating it only because she was a part of his plan.
“Hey everyone! You remember my boyfriend, right? The president of the club.” Angel winked ridiculously at her friends. They all tittered in response and greeted Ransom.
Angel continued, “He said he’s got a surprise for us tonight.”
Cruz winced, knowing what was coming.
“You ladies having a nice time?” Ransom asked. When all the girls nodded, he continued. “Good. Thank you for your generous donations to the party tonight, I’ll personally make sure you’re all rewarded. But let me know when you’re ready for some real fun, and you’ve had enough of this pansy joint shit.”