by Ravenna Tate
Chapter Twelve
The Cornish hens were a huge hit, as were the garlic mashed potatoes Meghan had made, and the salad that Rahab had helped with. They also had green beans with bacon, and plenty of bread. Chloe had told her the guys couldn’t seem to eat a meal without bread. Earlier, Rai had made apple pies for dessert, and they intended to top those off with vanilla ice cream.
Liz had been close to tears a few times while helping the women make dinner. The entire experience had been so domestic and normal. Something she’d never had much of. She hadn’t intended to tell them about her past, so when Meghan had asked her where she learned to cook the hens, she’d flat out lied.
The truth was that she had learned how to make them from a guy she dated for a few weeks. He was a chef in a restaurant on the west side of Cleveland, and they served basic foods like that. But she hadn’t wanted to go into detail or talk about other men in front of Rahab. Not that it would matter. They were only having sex. But still…
Right. Only sex. Nothing more.
What he’d said about convincing her to stay here instead of at her apartment had caught her off guard, and it was exactly why she was so conflicted about him. Listening to Chloe and Meghan talk about going back to school had made her more determined than ever to follow through with her plans.
Not that they had terrible lives here. Not at all. They were fun people and obviously very happy, as well as very much in love with their men. It shone through in everything they said and did.
However, she couldn’t help noticing that only a handful of the members had old ladies, and every unattached woman here was a dancer or a sweetbutt. Most were both. This wasn’t a lifestyle she understood, but one thing stood out clearly. The only woman here who had a job other than her assigned domestic duty was Rai. She worked part time for Donny, and used an office here when she did.
And that was fine because these women were content with their lives in this club. It’s just that Liz wasn’t sure she could ever be. Having her independence, and keeping relationships short-term and casual, had also meant no one interfered with her goals.
Rahab leaned close, chipping away at her resolve once more. No one had ever affected her this way, and she didn’t know how to handle it. She had no frame of reference.
“Are you having a good time?”
“Yes. The food is good, isn’t it?”
“It’s great.”
She suspected he hadn’t been asking about the food, but they were at a massive table with about fifty other people. Not the place or time to have a serious discussion.
“Liz,” said Kayla, “what’s the difference between what a paralegal does, and what a lawyer does?”
“Money.” Everyone laughed, including Rahab. “Seriously, they make a heck of a lot more than I do, but there are differences. I can’t give clients advice on the law or on legal procedures, I can’t represent them, and I can’t prepare original documents.”
“But weren’t you working with some sort of contracts over the weekend for Donny?”
“Yes, but under the direction of one of the attorneys at the firm, and none of the wording was mine. In other words, I can type them up, but a licensed attorney has to tell me what they need to say.”
“Don’t you know how they want them worded, though?” asked Rai.
“I’m learning, yes. And in time, I’m sure I’ll be taking on more responsibility, but for now, my work is carefully supervised.”
“Why didn’t you go to law school right away?” asked Natalie.
“Money.” A few people laughed again. “I’m taking the step approach to this.”
“Do you enjoy the work?” asked Janel.
“I love it.”
“Donny scares me.” She hugged herself. “If I had to work that closely with him, I couldn’t do it.”
“He’s a very nice person, actually.”
“He is,” said Rai. “It’s different when you’re talking business with him. He’s like anyone else. Taking care of his family, and making sure he holds onto what he’s worked so hard for.”
She gets it. Liz smiled at Rai. Of all the women here, she probably understood the most what it was like to have a career and independence. Then again, she’d lost her entire business and yet here she was, old lady to Tannin. And she glowed. Clearly, this suited her.
How had she dealt with that? Did she feel as if she’d given up anything? Did she hope to form another marketing firm one day?
Rahab leaned close again. “You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“Just taking it all in.” She glanced up at him and forced a smile to her face. “You’re like a family here, and I’m enjoying the atmosphere.”
The light in his eyes reassured her she’d said the right thing. “We are a family. Any one of these men and woman would do whatever they could to protect the club and the MC. The patched members of this MC would die for one another if need be. All the officers and most of the long-term members grew up together.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
“Most of us are from Creek Ridge or close to it. Tannin was best friends with Gorgon’s older brother, Scotty. The strip club is named after him.”
Liz glanced around. “Which one is he?”
“He died in a fire over twenty years ago, along with other members, and some of our parents.”
“Oh, God. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know.”
Russell had given her a vague history of the club, but she didn’t remember that particular detail. “How did the fire start?”
“Arson.” His expression grew cold and his voice soft. “I’ll tell you the entire story later.”
Liz nodded, glancing around again, but no one appeared to be paying attention. There were so many conversations going on she could barely hear Rahab right next to her. After dessert, they still lingered a while, talking. When Rai and Chloe rose, that seemed to be the signal for everyone else to do the same.
“Do you need help with the dishes?” asked Liz, addressing Rai.
“No. You go on and hang out with Rahab. We’ve got this covered.” Liz had been hoping to ask Rai a few questions, so while Rahab was busy talking to Tannin, she moved closer. “Do you have a second?”
“Sure, but grab a stack of plates and follow me. There’s a lot to clean up.”
Liz followed Rai into the kitchen, carrying a stack of plates. “How did you deal with losing your business? I mean, this lifestyle seems so at odds with running a marketing firm.”
Rai smiled. “I fell in love. And, I’m still doing work I enjoy, only now it’s for Donny.”
“But don’t you plan on using your MBA again? I mean, will you start another business one day?”
“Liz, I’m happy. This is my home, and these people are my family. Tannin and I are planning on having children. I’m not sure what it is you want to hear, but I came to terms with everything Vito caused to happen to my business a while ago. I realize now it was for the best. I never would have met Tannin, and I never would have found this place, if all that hadn’t happened.”
Chloe and Meghan were in the kitchen now, too, so Liz and Rai moved to the far end. “Why are you asking? Are things getting serious with you and Rahab?”
“You sound surprised they could be.”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s just that of all the officers, I would have thought Rahab would be the last one to fall for a woman, if he fell at all.”
“Things aren’t serious. I’m just trying to grasp everything.”
“Well, for the record, living here with one of them wouldn’t prevent you from going to law school.”
“But what would I do with the degree?”
“Plenty of things. They will always need attorneys. So will the firm you currently work for.”
Rahab poked his head into the kitchen. “There you are.”
“Give me your phone number,” said Rai. “We’ll talk another time, okay?”
“Thanks.” After they exchanged phone numbers, Liz walked over to Rahab, putting her arms around him. “They don’t need my help after all.”
“Good.” He kissed her. “Because I have other plans for you.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
Chapter Thirteen
Monday morning, Liz was tired and sore, but she also found herself smiling more often than usual. Several people asked her how her weekend was, with a tone in their voice that suggested they knew exactly how it had gone.
Rahab had driven her here, navigating rush hour traffic as if it didn’t even faze him. She was impressed with his calm demeanor while driving. “What’s your secret?” she’d asked him.
“I’m thinking about fucking you, and how can I get upset when that’s going through my mind?”
Liz had laughed. It was flattering as hell that he found her such a comfort during a stressful event.
“Got a minute?” Russell’s voice pulled Liz out of her reverie.
“Sure.”
“Come into my office.” Shit. What was wrong? Was he upset she’d spent the night at the club, twice now? But how would he have known about that? She took a seat across from his desk, but perched on the edge of the chair.
“The contracts are done. Fantastic work, by the way, on making sure Donny was happy with the way they were worded. You put in a lot of time outside of normal hours, and there will be a bonus on your next paycheck for it.”
“Thank you.” She was stunned. He wasn’t upset at all.
“Donny is coming here this afternoon to sign them, along with Paul Magano.”
“Weren’t there supposed to originally be two additional people on them?”
“Yes. That’s what I wanted to tell you about. Obviously, this needs to be kept in confidence, since Donny and Paul are now clients. The other former lieutenant for Vito Cinquepalmi, Joey Penito, was shot and killed in his apartment several days ago. That’s one of the reasons Donny pushed so hard to get these contracts done.”
Liz put a hand to her mouth but said nothing. Her heart raced. It was one thing to understand what these men did from having been told about it. It was quite another to have met them, and realize the man you were fucking lived among them every day. Did the MC members realize how much danger they were in all the time? How did they deal with it?
“Usually, Donny is able to keep incidents like this from becoming local or national news.” Russell frowned in the way that Liz now recognized as him trying to carefully choose his words. “Donny has relationships with the local sheriff’s office in Lorain county. But this has leaked out, and Donny believes it was done deliberately.”
“Is someone trying to make him look bad?”
“Someone is probably trying to undermine the legitimate end of the businesses he’s taking over. Liz, may I speak plainly with you?”
“Please do.”
“I only gave you a thumbnail sketch of the MC and its history. You need to know the full story if you’re going to be working so closely with Donny.”
“I’m going to be working that closely with him?” That was news to her.
Russell smiled. “Yes. He was so impressed with you that he asked me to make sure when a paralegal was needed on any of his work with this firm, you were the first choice.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
“Well, you’re welcome, but I’m the one who should be thanking you for doing such a great job. You’ve only been with us a month and you’ve already caught the attention of our most important client. That’s a work ethic you don’t find these days.”
Liz moved back in the chair and smiled. She wasn’t in trouble at all, and it felt so damn good to have her work recognized.
“That being said, I want you to understand the complicated history of this club and the MC. Donny and Gorgon have given me permission to tell any of my staff who needs to know, and I believe you now have a need to know.”
She’d rather have heard this from Rahab, but she could always ask him more questions if need be to fill in the blanks.
“The strip club is named for Scotty Westfall, who was four years older than Gorgon. Gorgon’s real name is Billy Westfall, and Scotty was his brother. Tannin’s real name is Sterling Tanner, and you likely have heard of his father, Preston.”
“He’s Tannin’s father?”
“Yes. Sterling and Scotty were best friends in school, pretty much from the beginning. But Preston didn’t want his oldest son and heir apparent hanging out with a bunch of bikers, and men he dismissed as mere criminals. Scotty’s family owned the land on which the current club sits, but at that time, their building was nothing more than a run-down pile of wood with doors and windows.”
Rahab had said Scotty died in a fire that was arson. She knew where this story was going, and had to blink back tears.
“When Sterling was eighteen, his father pretty much had figured out that his son wasn’t going to business school and follow in his footsteps. They fought about it, badly enough that Preston blamed the MC and Scotty for Sterling’s decision. Preston was and still is such an egotistical bastard that he had the place torched in retaliation. There were people inside, including Scotty and children younger than him. Few of those inside survived because the building was old, and it went up quickly.”
“Why isn’t Preston in jail?”
Russell snorted. “A man like Preston Tanner protects himself when he commits arson and murder. But Sterling walked away and never looked back. He joined the MC and goes by the road name of Tannin. He also took his entire trust fund and invested it, using the proceeds to help build what they have now.”
“Wow.” She hadn’t realized that Tannin was behind the magnificent building they lived and worked in.
“Yeah. Don’t ever mistake those men for a group with no more ambition than to watch naked girls on stage, drink, and have sex. They’re a fiercely loyal bunch who would do whatever it took to protect their loved ones and their property.”
She had to tell him that she and Rahab were seeing each other. In fact, she should have said something as soon as she’d come in this morning. Although “seeing each other” was hardly the correct description. They weren’t dating. But a lot had happened over the weekend, and Russell needed to know.
“They’ve had their share of trouble, and not only from other Mob bosses.”
“Russell, before you continue, there’s something you need to know.” Liz took a deep breath, hoping this didn’t screw everything up. “I’ve recently become involved with one of the officers. Intimately involved. And by recently I mean since Friday night.”
“Which one?” He never even flinched.
“Rahab. Dave Sherrard.”
“The MC officers are not clients, Liz.”
“I know, but Donny is, and he has business connections to the MC.”
“True. Okay. If something comes up involving their specific business and a client of ours, such as Donny, that will be an item you can’t work on.” Russell leaned forward. “I do have to remind you, though, that you can’t discuss anything you learn in this office about another client, including Donny. I understand he’s very close to the officers. Jimmy Vaccaro, who goes by the name of Vassago, is Donny’s cousin.”
She nodded.
“But just because he might discuss it with them doesn’t mean you can. Do you understand the differences I’m outlining?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“All right. Thanks for telling me. So, back to my story. The strip club is their sole source of income, and they are doing very well because of it. Between Tannin and Vassago, who is their Treasurer and has a good head for investments, they’ve taken excellent care of their capital and profits.”
She didn’t realize their income source was completely legit. She had assumed they had their hands in other ventures.
“A group of men who also grew up in Creek Ridge started an MC of their own about fifteen years ago. You likely have heard their club name mentioned
by now. They called themselves the Outlaw Dogs MC, and at first they simply hung out in a bar called the Last Stop Saloon and left the Demons on Wheels MC members alone.”
Liz settled back further in the chair.
“But as Scotty’s Place grew in popularity, some of the Outlaw Dogs realized how much cash it must also be raking in. They bought the Last Stop Saloon and tried to make it into something more than what it was, but it never caught on the way the strip club did. Their former President, a man with the road name of Mad Dog, began encouraging his members to try to get in on a piece of the action at Scotty’s Place.”
“Is this where the Mob bosses came in?”
“Yes. Donny and Vito both were already working in the area, but they left each other alone as long as one didn’t try to muscle in on the other’s territory. Vassago told Donny about the harassment from the Outlaw Dogs when things got physical between the groups. Donny then made arrangements with the Demons on Wheels MC officers to protect them, not only from rival MCs but also from the local cops who were constantly harassing them over petty violations, or sometimes no violations.”
She nodded again. Now it all made sense.
“In the meantime, Mad Dog made an agreement with Vito that he would offer them protection, but that MC also became involved in some of the illegal ventures Vito was running. They needed the income, and the bar wasn’t bringing in enough for them. They also needed far more protection from the cops than the Demons on Wheels MC, and Vito was able to give that to them as well.”
“The Last Stop Saloon is nothing but a hole in the wall bar.”
“Yep. And it never will be anything else now. The MCs continued to be rivals, and Mad Dog grew more unstable over the years. He became absolutely obsessed with cutting in on the profits that Scotty’s Place brought in. He began seeking out other Mob bosses and having secret meetings with them. He thought if he found someone more aggressive than Vito, he’d get his wish about having a cut of the profits.”
She’d heard something over the weekend about a rival Mob boss, but wasn’t sure who, or what the issue was.