by Ravenna Tate
Since the club was open that night, they only worked until mid-afternoon. “We’ll get the rest tomorrow and on Sunday if we still need more time,” said Rahab.
“I can’t thank you guys enough for helping me with this.”
“It’s no problem. Did you give your landlord notice you’ll be leaving at the end of this month?”
“Yep. He wasn’t happy.”
“Fuck him. You don’t owe him anything.”
“Where are you going to move?” asked Phenex, eyeing the ripped-up carpet in the corner of her living room.
“She’s staying at the club for a while,” said Rahab.
“Just until I find a new place.”
“There’s plenty of time. Stay as long as you want.”
Liz caught the grin passing between Mastema and Phenex. The thought of living there permanently no longer seemed as confusing or improbable as it once had.
“We’d better head back,” said Mastema.
By Saturday afternoon, they had emptied out Liz’s apartment and she took her keys to the landlord’s apartment. He tried to give her shit about handing them in before the end of the month, but Rahab put a stop to it.
“She’s paid her rent through the end of this month. All her utilities are paid for the month as well. Use her fucking security deposit if there’s anything you have to fix in there that she did, but you won’t find anything. The assholes who broke in did all that damage, and we have pictures to prove it. So she’ll be expecting that deposit back, too, or you’ll see her in court.”
“You can’t sue me for that.”
“Of course she can,” said Phenex. “She’s a paralegal, remember? I think she knows the law better than you do.”
“I’ll be expecting a check no later than the fifteenth of next month,” said Liz, handing him a piece of paper. “Here’s the address to send it to.”
“Fine. Fine! But I’m doing an inspection first.”
“Do it now,” said Mastema, taking out his cell phone. “We’ll record it for you.”
It was worth the extra half hour it took to document all the damage, and get her asshole landlord on video saying she hadn’t done any of it. When they got back to the club, there was just enough time for them to eat dinner before the first dancer was due on stage. Liz couldn’t stop smiling. Having bikers for friends was a definite advantage in some situations. She’d given up hope of getting back that deposit, but now she would have it. Every little bit would help.
****
Sunday morning, Rahab and Liz were woken by someone knocking on Rahab’s door. “What is it?” he called.
The door opened, and Mark Laddie, one of their prospects, poked his head in. “Emergency church. Ten minutes.”
“Fuck.” He crawled out of bed and pulled on his sweats and a t-shirt. What the fuck time was it?
“Everything okay?” Liz sat up, peeking at his cell phone on the nightstand. “It’s only seven in the morning.”
They’d gone to bed no more than five hours ago. “No clue. Gorgon called an emergency church.”
“I’m coming, too.”
He stopped her as she was climbing out from under the covers. “You can’t do that. You’re not a member.”
“Well … no. I’m not. Sorry. I’m used to being part of meetings.”
“I know you are, but you won’t be part of them here. I’ll come back as soon as it’s over and let you know what happened.”
It was obvious she wasn’t happy about being left out of this, but that’s the way it was. At times like this, it was easy to forget she’d only been here one week. It felt like she had always lived here, and that she belonged to him.
As he made his way downstairs, he acknowledged he’d have to do something about that one day, but there was no hurry. They were both happy with this arrangement, and he wasn’t hurting anyone.
“What’s happened?” asked Phenex, joining him in the downstairs hallway.
“No fucking clue.”
“Has to be important for him to drag us out of bed at the crack of dawn.”
“No shit.”
“So, are you and Liz official yet?”
Phenex’s grin set Rahab’s teeth on edge this morning. “No.”
“Why the fuck not? You haven’t gone near anyone else since she first came here. What the fuck you waiting for?”
He stopped walking and faced Phenex. “You got a lot of fucking nerve saying something like that. How long did it take you to finally tell Meghan you wanted her as your old lady?”
“Fuck you!” Phenex shoved him and walked away. Rahab laughed it off. He’d made his point.
Phenex and Meghan had danced around each other for two fucking years before they each finally stopped obsessing over what had happened to them in the past, and admitted their feelings went way beyond the close friendship they’d formed. Sure, they both had legit reasons to keep others at a distance, but that’s not what was happening with him and Liz.
He was giving her time to adjust to life here, that was all. And, he was getting used to the idea of fucking only one woman for the rest of his life. Nothing more. He wasn’t stalling. It wasn’t the same thing. Not even close.
Just keep telling yourself that.
“Settle the fuck down!” Gorgon’s big mouth and him banging his fist on the table pulled Rahab back the present. “Vassago got a phone call from Donny less than an hour ago.” Gorgon paused for a second, and a nasty shiver ran down Rahab’s spine. The room went deathly quiet.
“Pete Magano was shot, but he’s not dead. Shoulder wound, but he’ll live. He was out walking on his property last evening, just before sunset, and his dog ran out of a shed and into the woods, barking at something. Pete just got the dog and Donny speculates they didn’t know about it, so they weren’t ready for it. The guy’s aim was off because of that.”
“Was it one of di Stefano’s men?” asked Tannin.
“Probably. Pete’s wife and sons searched the property, but found nothing. Digger is trying to find out who was sent here. We do know one thing for certain. Roberto di Stefano is still in Queens. He hasn’t come here.”
“Does it matter?” asked Mastema. “He’s sending men to kill people. That’s enough.”
“Whatever happened to that sit-down Donny was trying to have with di Stefano?” asked Rahab.
“He’s still working on it,” said Vassago. “It’s not looking good for it to happen, especially now.”
“Screw it,” said Gorgon. “The contracts are signed. Donny owns Vito’s businesses. Why the fuck should he care about the sit-down now? We all know di Stefano had Vito and Tony killed. And that he tried to have Pete taken out, too.”
“It’s Donny’s business whether he wants to talk to di Stefano,” said Vassago.
Gorgon shrugged. “Fine with me. Just sayin’ who gives a fuck now?”
“He gives a fuck because he’d rather come to an understanding with this man than let what’s left of Vito’s organization become target practice for the asshole.”
When Vassago and Gorgon stared each other down, Rahab resisted the urge to grin. He had to agree with Vassago on this one, though he wouldn’t say so out loud. Donny was just trying to protect what he’d fought to acquire, and he was trying to keep di Stefano’s attention off this area. It was business, nothing more.
“Fine,” said Gorgon, finally. “I get your fucking point. Donny is protecting his turf.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay. Moving on. We need to stay alert. It can’t be a secret to di Stefano that Donny comes here often. This club could become a target if he decides to go after Donny.” He banged his fist on the table. “We’re done for now.”
Vassago lingered behind, and it soon became obvious he and Gorgon weren’t done with their discussion. It was tempting to stay, but it wasn’t his business. Rahab made his way back upstairs and to Liz, who was waiting in bed for him. He had his own problems to work out, and she was at the heart of it.
Chapter
Twenty
After Rahab drove Liz to the office downtown Monday morning, he felt like he needed a stiff drink when he finally got back to the club. Although he hadn’t shown it in front of her, driving through rush hour traffic on a Monday morning in light snow had been worse than facing down Gorgon in one of his pissed off at the world moods.
He thought he would crawl back into bed for a few hours, until he saw Donny’s car parked in the back. “Fuck!” Now what the hell had happened?
The smell of eggs and bacon greeted him as he walked into the back hallway. He could hear Donny’s voice down the hall. Chloe spotted him first. “You want some breakfast? There’s another meeting for the officers only this time, in the church. You have about fifteen minutes.”
“When did Donny get here?”
“About half an hour ago.”
“Any clue why?”
She shook her head. “Your usual for breakfast?’
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks, Chloe.”
“I’ll bring it in.”
Rahab ran upstairs and took the quickest shower he’d ever taken. He still smelled like sex, and wasn’t in the mood to get teased for it, or field questions about Liz. He got downstairs as Chloe and Natalie were carrying in the last of the officers’ breakfast orders.
After taking his seat, he waited for Gorgon to start the meeting. “Donny has news for us.”
“Please keep eating while I talk,” said Donny. “You all heard about the attempt on Pete Magano’s life Saturday evening. Digger was able to confirm it was not the same person sent here to kill Tony Penito. I suspect di Stefano is getting cautious because he knows how many people are looking out for me and Pete.”
“Is there a hit out on you now, too?” asked Tannin.
“Not that I’ve heard about, but that doesn’t mean I’m not expecting it. Either way, there will be no sit-down between me and Roberto di Stefano. I would have been willing, but he has made it clear he is not, and never will be. As for Vito’s organization, I’ve absorbed it and the men who worked for him. Those that wanted to stay, that is.”
Donny took a bite of eggs, chewed and swallowed them before he continued. “Man, these are good. I would have come here yesterday to tell you about Pete myself, but I was in a meeting all day with former members of Vito’s organization.”
He ate more food while they all waited. This was agony. Just fucking tell us already!
“I gave them a choice. Join me or leave. Fine by me either way. But, I warned them if they left, and I heard they were feeding information to di Stefano, I’d have them killed.”
Donny sipped his coffee, loudly, while he let that sink in. As nice as Donny could be, the times when he talked about having people killed, as casually as he remarked on the food here, made Rahab’s blood run cold. If they ever betrayed this man, he’d kill them all himself without a moment’s hesitation.
“Then I met with the Outlaw Dogs. The ones that still follow Howler, I mean. We’ve reached an agreement, similar to the one I have with your MC. They still own the Last Stop Saloon, but I’m going to lend them money to turn it into a top-notch bar.”
He held up his hands as he glanced around the table. “Don’t worry. No competition from them. They aren’t interested in running a strip club. But the town already has enough dives. It needs at least one upscale bar.”
“And the Outlaw Dogs are okay with this?” asked Mastema. The doubt in his voice made Rahab grin. That had been his first thought, too.
“Yeah, they are. They’re happy to know they’re not on their own any longer with Vito gone, and that I haven’t left them to be open season for di Stefano’s men. Oh, and you no longer have to worry about any shit from them. I pressed on them the importance of cooperation, not competition.”
“So … now we’re friends with the Outlaw Dogs MC?” asked Rahab.
“You don’t have to be friends, but you won’t get any more trouble from them. They no longer have an urge to cut in on your profits. They’ll be too busy fixing up that shithole, and making money from it to pay me back.”
Pretty slick. Donny had once put Vito over a barrel after he tried to ruin Rai. Now that he was dead, Donny had swooped in and taken over his organization, his legit businesses, and neutralized the Outlaw Dogs MC. Rahab leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“What about the men who followed Mad Dog?” asked Vassago. “Do we have confirmation they’re based in Lorain now?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee they’ll leave this town alone.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Gorgon. “At least they’re no longer right down the road. We’ll deal with their shit if we have to, but for now it’s business as usual.”
“Just don’t ask us to have a fucking picnic with Howler and the gang,” said Mastema.
Everyone laughed, including Donny. When the meal was over, Rahab called Liz to tell her what had happened.
“It sounds like good news to me.”
“It is, and it isn’t. I talked to Vassago for a moment after the meeting, and he said a man like di Stefano doesn’t simply let things go. He’ll try to get to Pete again. And even if he hasn’t put the official word out, he knows by now that the only way to end this is to take out Donny.”
“But why? Donny is no threat to him. Let him have the rogue MC. Who cares?”
“It’s not that simple. The more bosses that are in this territory, the more crime we’ll have, and the more shit we’ll have to put up with from rival groups. It was bad enough before Donny and Vito reached their understanding. But … hang on.”
Rahab checked the hallway outside his room. He wanted to be sure no one overheard this. Just in case, he went into the bathroom. “I don’t mean any disrespect to Donny, but compared to men like di Stefano, Donny’s organization is small potatoes in terms of resources and manpower behind it. If di Stefano moves in here, in time, he will take over everything.”
“Including your strip club.”
“Yes. Including that. We can’t let that happen. Donny is family, too.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“Not much we can do.”
“Maybe someone needs to take di Stefano out?”
A shiver ran down his spine. It was both sexy and scary to hear Liz say that. “I hope you didn’t just say that where anyone heard you.”
“I didn’t.”
“That thought crossed my mind, too, but it’s Donny’s call to make.”
“Do you think he’s made it?”
“I don’t know. Vassago would know, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable asking him.”
“Got it. Sorry, but I have to return to my desk.”
“It’s okay. I’ll see you at five.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Her voice was so sexy that Rahab’s dick grew hard. “Me too.”
****
By the end of her second week living at the club, Liz could no longer deny two things. She’d never been happier living anywhere, or with any other group of people. And, she’d fallen in love with Rahab.
Sunday night, as she helped Rai dry the dishes, she finally broke down and told her. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never fallen in love. I haven’t let myself get that close to anyone.”
“Just tell him.”
“And what if he rejects me?”
“What if he doesn’t?”
Liz sat down on the nearest stool. “Rai, I’m so scared. This is all new to me. I’ve never had a real family. I’ve never had a relationship that went past a week or two at most, and even those were nothing like this. It’s crazy that I’m almost thirty years old and have never experienced either of those things.”
Rai sat next to her. “Hey, it’s not crazy. Not considering how you grew up. Look, I honestly don’t know how Rahab feels only because he hasn’t told me. As far as I know, he hasn’t told anyone. All I can tell you is what I see. What we all see.”
“And what’s that?”
“Are you kiddi
ng? He’s crazy about you. He hasn’t gone near another woman since you first came here, and believe me, they have tried.”
She knew that. Liz had noticed the way some of the sweetbutts and dancers looked at him when they sat in the club every night. “Is that some sort of litmus test? Whether or not he’s fucked anyone else?”
“Well, it’s a sure sign he’s ready to be exclusive with you. I haven’t been here nearly as long as Chloe or Meghan, but I can you that Rahab was not the kind to be with one woman and one woman only. Not for longer than it took to fuck her, at any rate.”
“I’ve heard that from others, too.”
“You can believe it. Of them all, he’s the one the other members thought least likely to end up with an old lady one day.”
“This is going to sound insane, but how do you tell a guy that? I mean, it’s not like I ever had a mother to tell me, or friends in high school or something.”
“You just tell him. Come right out and say it. Rahab’s a blunt person. He appreciates directness.”
“This is scary. More than walking into that apartment and finding it trashed was.”
“What are you afraid of, besides the one thing that won’t happen?”
“Everything.” She hardly knew how to put it into words. “Everything I thought was true about what I wanted is wrong. I thought if I let a guy into my heart, it meant I was weak. That I’d have to give up my dreams. I thought I couldn’t have it all. That I’d have to choose. I’m so afraid of being broke, Rai. Of not being able to work or pay my own way.”
“Well, again, I can understand why. But that won’t happen. You have a great job. They love you there, from what I’ve heard. You’ll go to law school one day, and then the sky’s the limit for you.”
“And I owe you an apology.”
“Me? Why?”
“For the way I hounded you with questions about your choices. It was rude of me to make those assumptions about you.”
“Well for whatever it’s worth, your questions didn’t offend me. I understood where you were coming from because I worked hard to get where I was. I gave up a lot. When you do that, it’s hard to switch gears or change direction, especially when you aren’t given a choice.”