by MLJ Quigg
“We have two strip clubs that have six dancers, four waitresses, two bartenders and a manager in each. We usually have around six to ten security personnel at each. It’s open seven days a week from six p.m. to five a.m.” I started writing down on the pad and was nodding. Mike and I could cover these with our teams.
“We have two bars that are also open seven days a week. Sunday to Wednesday we are open from ten a.m. until midnight with one bartender and three waitresses working, Thursday to Saturday from ten a.m. to three a.m. with three bartenders and four waitresses. We have two security guards Sunday to Wednesday and three on the other days.” I looked around the room and everyone was nodding their heads, so I continued writing.
“We have a nightclub that has six bartenders and a DJ. Open Thursday to Saturday from eight p.m. to three a.m. We have two at the door and six on the floor guarding.” Man, I hadn’t been out to a nightclub in years. Might have to check it out.
“There is the adult store, which has two employees and one guard. Then there are the two mechanic shops that we all work in, as well as a tattoo shop that one of our boys runs with three artists working for him.” I wonder if Dave knows the tattoo artist. Will have to ask him. I looked up at Derrick from the pad I was writing on and nodded for him to continue.
“Overall, we have about forty guys to do security, but we need them at the moment. We just need to cover the strip clubs, bars, and nightclub for a while so we can concentrate on other things,” Derrick explained.
Holy fuck, that’s a lot of businesses. No wonder they are so well known, I thought to myself.
“Are you looking for just straight security, or are there any problems with the staff we need to be looking out for?” I asked.
“No, staff shouldn’t be a problem, but if any is found, call me, and we’ll go from there. We are mainly having problems with the business premises themselves. Look, this is between us, okay? I’m probably getting out of line here, but, guys, I think we should tell her the basics of what’s going on. It may be safer for everyone in the long run,” Derrick stated.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Dozer said.
All the other guys agreed.
“This is confidential, okay? No one outside this room is to hear anything,” Derrick continued.
“Of course.” I nodded.
“Over the last two months, there have been break-ins at the strip clubs and bars. We’ve had windows that were broken and graffiti written on the outside walls of the nightclub. We need you to cover the inside, and we will have watchers on the outside. There is more, but it won’t affect you in any way,” Derrick said.
“All right, sounds easy enough. We usually work in teams of six men, but we can work in bigger teams for the strip clubs. Mike and I can lead those taking shifts with Barry and Matt. I’ll only work until midnight, and one of the other guys can take over. Weekends are out for me as that’s time for the kids and me. I won’t change that for anything. I’m assuming we would cover for the girls at the end of the night, as well?”
He nodded his head.
“We’ll put Eric and Tom on the bars, and they can work out how many men they want. We’ll put Felix on the nightclub, and he can add more if needed, as well,” I said.
“Do you guys have enough manpower for that?” Dozer asked.
“We have over two hundred and fifty men in our employ. Seventy-five are overseas at the moment, and seventy-five are on assignment all over Australia, so yeah, we have it covered,” I said.
“Wow, okay, sounds good. Just wasn’t sure. I didn’t know you guys were so big. Man, that’s amazing,” he said in awe.
“This place took us six months to get everything renovated and up and going. I took over full-time when I finished rehab, and Mike joined us when he got out. The twenty guys who rescued me kept in contact and asked if they could come to work for us when they got out of the service. We had all become a family, and they wanted to be in on the action, so to say. They are now my team leaders, and it has just grown from there. We will be opening offices in New York and London within the next three months,”
I said.
“That’s amazing. You’ve done a fantastic job, and I’m so sorry about your parents. They were pretty cool,” Derrick said.
“Thanks. I’m pretty proud of this place. Dad and I worked our butts off getting it up and running. It wouldn’t be what it is today without his input. Some days, I still can’t believe they are both gone, and I miss them so much. Mum died in June last year of breast cancer. They found a lump, and two weeks later, she was gone, just like that!” I said, snapping my fingers. “Dad died of a heart attack in October last year. He was as fit as a fiddle and training new recruits, and then he just collapsed and died right in front of us.” I smiled sadly, getting teary.
I took a breath and changed the subject.
“Okay, enough sad juju. So, does the plan we have sound all right to you guys?” I asked, looking at all of them.
They all looked at each other and nodded.
“Right, then, let’s hash out this plan, and we’ll go from there,” I stated.
We spent the next hour going over everything and coming up with a fee suitable to everyone. They would be taking it back to the rest of the guys, getting a vote on it, and would let me know when they had an answer.
When they were leaving, I gave Derrick my phone number and address and asked him to come over to talk. I didn’t usually give my information out, but I wouldn’t keep them from him. He had a right to know the kids, and I would never stop him from seeing them.
Derrick
We all walked into the club very solemnly.
I went straight up to the bar, and asked Trina, the club girl manning it, for a Wild Turkey.
She gave me a strange look but did as she was told.
‘I sculled it, drinking it all in one hit, and said, “Again.”
I yelled after sculling that one. “Fuck,” and then I threw the glass into the mirror, smashing it.
Trina screamed and ducked, getting sprayed by the glass.
“Sorry,” I mumbled to her, then walked off to my office. I sat at my desk and took out the photo of Monique and me when we were together.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I wish things could have happened differently,” I said aloud, tracing her face with my finger as the tears started to fall.
I couldn’t believe the hell Monique had gone through. This was entirely my fault. I should have stayed or at least brought her with me here. If I had just called her back, explained things, or kept in contact, maybe none of that would have happened.
I put my head on my desk and tried to breathe through the tears. I had no idea how long I stayed there before I heard a knock on the door. I lifted my head, wiped my eyes on my sleeve, and took a deep breath.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Dozer walked in, shutting the door behind him.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fuck no.” I sniffled. “This is entirely my fault. I can’t believe the hell she’s been through.”
“No, it’s not. This is a situation where no one could have known what was going to happen.”
“If I had called her and explained things, kept in contact or brought her with me, none of it would have happened.”
“You don’t know that, Derrick. There is no use in playing the what-if game. There’s nothing to say that if she had come with you, nothing would have happened. You can’t know what’s gonna happen in the future. You just have to learn from your mistakes.”
“She was drugged, raped, and tortured, Doze. She nearly died giving birth. I should have brought her here with me. Fuck.” I end with a sob.
“I know, Derrick, but she’s strong. She kinda reminds me of you, actually. She hasn’t let it bring her down, though—she’s a warrior through and through,” he stated, using my real name.
“Fuck, Marty. She is, isn’t she? I thought she was going to kill me. When she walked up to me, she looked fam
iliar, but I couldn’t place her. She looks different but the same, if you know what I mean. Fuck, she’s a quick little thing. I’ve never seen someone take down so many guys so fast,” I replied, having used his real name.
I passed over the photo to him, and as he looked at it, he shook his head sadly.
“I see what you mean. She’s older and has slightly different features. It could easily be mistaken. When she flattened me, she put me on my arse so quick that I didn’t even realise what had happened. All I remember was watching her hips as she walked over to you, and then bang, you were doubled over. I just acted on reflex and grabbed her. That’s the last thing I remember. Fuck, she hits hard, though.” He laughed.
“I know, man. Watching her fight from behind gave me a chubby, but seeing her from the front got me so hard. Fuck, she’s stunning. I have no idea how she’s done it,” I said.
“I’d say it was for those kids. They are her life, and you can see it as plain as day.”
“I agree. They are as cute as fuck even if they are little smartarses and tough as hell.” I chuckled.
“I was thinking the same thing. Man, Madilyn is a mini Monique and looks nothing like you. She’s such a little cutie. The boys, though, they are so much like you that there is no mistaking you’re their dad,” Dozer said.
“I know, right? When they first arrived, I was so focused on Monique, expecting her to attack me again, that I hadn’t noticed them, but when the kids came back, all I could do was stare at them.
Fuck, man, the boys are so much like me.”
“So, man, what are you going to do now?” he asked.
“I’m going to call her and get to know my kids. Hopefully, I’ll get to know Monique again.”
“Well, then, I wish you the best of luck. I know Monique’s the only one you’ve ever loved and it killed you to let her go,” he replied.
“How about we have a drink, then call church in an hour to go over the details so I can let Monique know,” I asked. “Sounds good. Let’s do this.”
We both stood up and headed to the common room.
“Church in an hour. Have a drink and relax until then,” I yelled, getting nods from everyone in return.
I went up to the bar.
“Sorry I scared you, sweetheart. Some really bad shit happened, and it got the best of me. I just needed to calm down,” I apologised to Trina, giving her a sad smile.
“I can help you calm down more if you want,” she said, giving me a seductive look.
“Nah, it’s all good now.”
Fuck, not this again. Why did she have to be so clingy? She was usually my main fuck here, but I’d told her on multiple occasions it was only to relieve stress, nothing would ever come of it. I didn’t do relationships.
Now that I knew Monique was back in my life, even though it might be for the kids at this stage, it still felt like I was betraying her, and I would never do that willingly.
“All right, guys, here’s the plan. If you guys agree, I’ll let Monique know, and we’ll go from there,” I said, starting church.
After relaying everything we had discussed in the meeting, they all agreed it was a good plan to go ahead with.
“Anything else you want to bring to the table?” I asked, looking at all of my brothers.
“Are you okay, boss?” Trigger asked.
“Yeah, I will be. It was a massive shock to see Monique and find out what she’s been through, but we’ll get there. All I can do now is be there and get to know my kids. Fuck. I still can’t believe I have kids,” I replied.
“I know, right? Man, those boys are your clones, and the girl is cute as fuck.” Macca chuckled.
“Dave and I were talking when you went into the meeting. He’s the guy who owns the tattoo shop in the city that I’ve been raving about for months. He was telling me he did all of her work, and the amount of scarring was horrendous. There are some spots that he couldn’t do because it was that bad,” Tatts stated.
“I don’t know how she did it. It would have broken me long ago,” muttered Bluey.
“I think we all would have broke. She’s stronger than any of us,” Hulk said.
That was a shock. Hulk was one of our strongest members.
I just smiled sadly at everyone and took a deep breath as I tried to get my emotions back on track.
“Okay, let’s call it a night. I’ll call Monique and tell her what we have decided. You all have a good night. I’m going to bed, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I slammed the gavel on the table to finish church.
The guys all called, “See ya,” as they headed out.
After they left, I went upstairs, calling it a night.
Monique
I walked into my house at nine p.m., slumped onto the recliner, and kicked my heels off with a sigh. Man, it had been a long day. I looked over at Dave and Mike on the lounge and smiled sadly at them
“Hell of a day, huh?” I said.
“You’re telling me,” Mike replied.
“Thanks for looking after the kids for me. Claire will be back on Monday, so things shouldn’t be that hectic from then on.”
“No worries, hon. We love your kids. Are you feeling better now?” Dave asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I feel a lot better than I did before. That was some crazy shit. I’ve never gone off like that before,” I muttered.
“I know. That’s why I asked,” Dave replied.
“The kids want to know if they can come over to our place tomorrow night. I know they are still grounded, but we’ll uphold that,” Dave asked.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Don’t let them get away with shit,” I stated.
“Never do.” Mike chuckled.
“Well, goodnight, sweetie. We are going to go, and we’ll pick up the kids from school tomorrow, okay?” Dave stated, rising out of Mike’s arms.
I nodded and followed them to the door where they both hugged me and gave me goodbye kisses on the cheek.
After I set the alarm system, checked the door and windows, and made my way upstairs, I checked on the kids and gave them a kiss goodnight. Then I went to my bedroom, got into my pyjamas, and climbed into bed to think about the day I had.
Derrick was still gorgeous. I couldn’t believe my actions toward him today. It was so not like me. He’d just pissed me off so much.
I started to nod off, and the next thing I knew, it was eight in the morning, and I’d slept through the alarm.
“Fuck,” I yelled, jumping out of bed.
We were so late. I raced into the kids’ room to wake them up, telling them they had half an hour before we were walking out the door.
Jumping in the shower, I got ready for work in ten minutes, which was a record for me. I raced down to the kitchen, and fifteen minutes later, the kids came running into the kitchen where I was having coffee and getting cereal ready for them.
They scarfed it down and rinsed their bowls, placing them in the dishwasher. They were such good kids. I didn’t have time to make them lunch so they would have to have a lunch order.
We walked into the garage and jumped into my metallic silver Porsche Cayenne SUV.
“Mum, can we see our dad this weekend?” Jackson asked.
“I have to talk to him first, and then we’ll organise something, okay?”
“Okay, I’d really like to meet him properly. I miss not having a dad,” he said.
“I know, honey, but I won’t keep him away, so you have nothing to worry about there. Now, Uncle Mike and Uncle Dave are picking you up from school today so you can have a sleepover. Behave yourselves, okay?” I stated.
“Yes, Mum,” answered all three.
Once I pulled up to the school, they kissed me on the cheek and told me they loved me, and then they jumped out and ran over to their friends waiting for them. I pulled out and headed towards work. As I went around the corner from the school, my phone rang.
Noticing it was Derrick, I answered, “Hey, Derrick, what can I do for you?”
“Do
you have time to talk? The guys approved the plan, and we’d like to go ahead with your company. Plus, I would like to talk about us, please?”
He sounded so sad that I gave in. “I can come to you, or we can meet somewhere else.”
“You can come to the clubhouse if you want. I’d like to show you my world so you know the kids would be safe here if you ever want to bring them around,” he replied.
“Sure, send me the address, and I’ll come now if that’s okay?” “Okay. Sure, I’ll see you soon,” he replied.
Once the text arrived, I entered the address into the GPS and started to make my way over there. The GPS said it would take around forty-five minutes to get from Strathfield to Penrith, but with peak-hour traffic, who knew how long it would take.
I pulled up to a chain link fence surrounding a huge four-storey warehouse at the address I was given, and a guy I hadn’t seen before walked towards me
“Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked politely.
“I was given this address and asked to come here by Derrick,” I answered.
“There’s no one by that name here. Are you sure you have the right address?” he said.
“I’m pretty sure. Let me call him, and I’ll see,” I said as I rang Derrick.
“Hey, are you here yet?” Derrick answered.
“I’m not sure. There is a guy at the address you gave me who says there is no one by the name of Derrick here. Maybe I do have the wrong address.”
“Sorry, baby. I go by Thor here. Not many people know my real name. Just tell him you’re looking for Thor.” Derrick chuckled.
I looked at the guy and didn’t have to say anything.
“He heard. The poor guy’s as white as a ghost.” I laughed.
“I’ll come out front and meet you at the door. Can you let her know where to park, prospect?” he asked before hanging up “I am so sorry,” the prospect stated.
“Hey, it’s fine. That happens sometimes,” I reassured him.
He showed me where to park on the right side of the clubhouse. There was a row of parking spots for motorcycles to the left of the front door, which had a couple of really nice bikes in them.