by Erin Osborne
“Yep. That’s the easiest order I’ve had all day,” she says, writing it down.
“Are you the only one working?” I casually ask.
“Yep. The other girl walked out just before you came in. No one tends to stick around here too long,” she answers me. “I’m Gloria, waitress and owner of the place.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Hollie. I’d be willing to help you out if you need someone,” I tell her, making a decision on the spot.
“Are you new in town?” she asks, really looking at me.
“Yes. I got here last night. Been thinking about staying on for a while,” I tell her honestly.
“You hiding from anyone?”
“Nope. Just needed a change of scenery,” I answer.
“Okay. How about you work the lunch rush and dinner tomorrow? You staying across the street?” she asks.
“I am. At least until I find a place of my own here.”
“Okay. Let me make a call, I may know of a small home for rent. It’s not much, but it’s just been remodeled and updated,” Gloria tells me.
“Sounds good. Thank you,” I answer, as she leaves to go place my order with the cook and check on the other tables.
Just before I get my food, the men sitting across the restaurant from me make their way out the door. One man comes over to me.
“Hollie?” he asks, not getting too close to me.
“Yes,” I answer, looking at his cut to see the name Bender on the front.
“I’m Bender. You’re goin’ to be workin’ here?” he asks.
“I am. Start tomorrow afternoon for lunch,” I tell him.
“Okay. One of my guys will be here until the rest of us show up for dinner. You need anythin’, let me know. Satan said he gave you my number,” Bender tells me.
“Okay. Thank you,” I tell him as Gloria sets my plate down in front of me.
Bender and the few guys with him leave the place and I eat my dinner. It’s so good. Because I’m eating an early dinner, I order another one to take back with me. If I work tonight, I’ll be up late so this will give me something to munch on.
“Can I get my check?” I ask Gloria as she sets my container of food down on the table next to me.
“It’s already taken care of, honey,” she tells me. “Bender and the guys paid for it before they left.”
“Oh. Well, that was nice of them,” I reply, not sure how to take this information. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. And thank you for calling about the house for me. I’m looking forward to seeing it in the morning.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for offering to help out. Not many people do because of the club coming in here. Bender is like a son to me and keeps the trouble away,” Gloria says.
“Oh. Do you know Satan and his guys too?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“I do. You know him?” she asks.
“I do. My sister is married to Satan. They’ve got two little ones,” I tell her.
“Well, I’m gonna have to call him. That little shit never told me he was married,” Gloria says with a smile on her face.
“Okay. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her, grabbing my food and walking back to my room.
I feel better than I have in a long time. There’s no situation with Capone hanging over my head. I have a job and hopefully a place to live now. And, I’m out from under the watchful eyes of Satan and my sister. I’ll miss the hell out of them, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I’m carving my own place out in the world and it’s time for me to do it. Without the help and guidance of everyone around me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Capone
HOLLIE HAS BEEN gone for over a week now. She’s talked to Raine, Satan, and Axel, but not me. That shit hurts like nothing else ever has. She has made the decision to shut me out and I’m not sure why. Something happened we don’t know about and it’s going to take a lot for her to answer any questions about it. That’s just how she is.
Satan is not letting me go anywhere alone. I’ve been banned from going to Steel Mills and seeing her. I’m not sure if that’s an order from Satan or something Hollie has asked him to do. I will find out one way or another. But I’m trying to respect both Hollie and Satan as my club President. If I go off now, it’s not going to be a good thing. I’ll be tempted to drag Hollie’s ass back kicking and screaming.
Bender has been giving Satan regular updates about her working and moving into a new home. It’s a small house not that far from their clubhouse. She’s been busting her ass helping Gloria out. We all know Gloria.
Gloria has owned the restaurant in Steel Mills and we always stop in there when we go down to see Bender and his guys. We don’t make the trip often, but after hearing about Hollie working for Gloria, I want to make the trip. Not just for Hollie, but to see Gloria too. It’s been too long since we’ve been down there to see her.
She’s a woman who has basically taken in every member of the Blazing Outlaws MC. It doesn’t matter what chapter we belong to, when we’re in town, we better stop in to see her. Otherwise, Bender hears about it from her and we have to make a second trip down to see her. We’re all like her kids and she treats us as family.
I remember the first time a regular customer made the mistake about us being in there. She banned the man from the restaurant and told him she’d be sure to let his wife know the way he talked about other people and how he was cheating on her on a regular basis. The man’s wife was the local minister. I’m not sure why she chose the man to marry, but she did. Gloria is always taking flack for serving us and letting us in her establishment, but she could give two fucks what anyone else thinks about it.
Anyway, today I have to go pick NeNe up for her next appointment. She’s been calling non-stop about needing money and I’m not having it. I’m ready to change my number so she can’t bother me anymore, but I need to know if something happens to the baby. And this is the only number Hollie has for me. So, for now, I have to keep it and dodge her damn calls or hang up on her like I’ve been doing.
It’s about time to head out and pick her up, so I leave the clubhouse and make my way to the SUV. I have a brand-new one sitting out behind the clubhouse, but she’s not riding in that. The only person who will be in it besides me is Hollie. It’s my personal vehicle and NeNe doesn’t deserve the right to be in it for a minute.
I pull up to the house she’s staying in for now and see Steve sitting on his bike. We’ve been leaving Axel more at the clubhouse because he’s distracted with Hollie being gone. He still takes his turns watching the house and NeNe, but Satan’s been keeping a close eye on him too. We’re all expecting him to head out to Steel Mills any day now. He misses his best friend and sister.
The front door is open, so I walk in. NeNe is on the phone and I hear her talking to someone. Staying in the shadows as much as possible, I listen to her end of the conversation.
“You’re sure she’s not gonna come back to town?” she asks.
After a minute, she stomps her foot in frustration.
“You were supposed to fucking follow her and make sure she didn’t come back here. Capone is going to make me his ol’ lady eventually and it will be easier with that bitch gone. You’re not supposed to be watching her like a fucking lovesick fool. And you’re sure you told her, her family would be targeted if she came back here?” she asks.
“Okay. Well, I have to go. Capone will be here soon to get me and I don’t want him finding a damn thing out about what I’ve been doing and the plans I’ve put in place,” she says on a pause. “Yes, I’m sure I can get back into the businesses and get the money. He won’t give me any even though I know he’s got more than enough. I’ve got everything set up to take the entire club down with one phone call. Capone makes me his ol’ lady or they all fucking fry.”
I watch as NeNe hangs the phone up. I’ve got seconds to make it back to the door and act as if I’m just walking up on the porch. Knocking on the door,
I walk in and see her standing in the living room with her hands on her hips.
“You’re fucking early,” she says.
“No, I’m on time to get you. Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I tell her.
The sooner we get to the doctor’s office, the sooner I can let Satan know what I’ve discovered. Our mole is none other than fucking NeNe. Even though she didn’t mention talking to anyone, my gut tells me I’ve heard more than enough to bring it up to the Pres and put her away. Now, instead of getting money when my kid is born, she’ll be lucky to get out with her fucking life.
NeNe’s checkup goes good. I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat again and they scheduled her for an ultrasound. When the doctor asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby, I said no. NeNe just looked at me as if I don’t have the right to make that decision. Well, I’m the one making all the decisions from now on. She has no say in a fucking thing being done for this baby anymore.
When we were waiting for the doctor to come in, I sent a message to Satan and told him what I’d heard. Well, I gave him the short version of it. He told me to bring NeNe there after the appointment. We’re going to get what information she has and then she’s getting locked in a room at the clubhouse. No one will let her out. They’ll make all her food and make sure she eats it. She’ll have one of the rooms we had made for prisoners in the clubhouse. It’s got bars on the windows and nothing she’ll be able to use to hurt herself or the baby.
The Prospects will be the only people she sees and that will be when they take her food to her and pick up the previous tray. Other than that, she’ll have no contact with anyone and won’t be allowed to keep her phone on her. I want to know who she was talking to so we know who the fuck took Hollie in the middle of the night and made her leave town.
“Stoppin’ at the clubhouse for a minute. I need to see Satan,” I tell her.
NeNe’s eyes light up as I take her to the clubhouse. She thinks she’s going to be able to talk shit and treat everyone like shit, just like the last time she was there. No, she’s going to be in the fucking hot seat and no one’s going to give a fuck. We won’t hurt her, but she will be answering our questions. If she doesn’t, Satan will make one phone call and we’ll bring in the woman he met to deal with her. She won’t be touched until the baby’s born. That’s my only stipulation. My child is to be protected at all costs.
“Oh, can we hang out for a while?” she asks, trying to sound innocent and failing.
“I don’t know. Probably not because you don’t know how to act and no one wants you around. The only reason I’m takin’ you in is because I don’t trust you,” I tell her.
“Capone, don’t be like that. We’re good together. You need to open your eyes. Have you even seen Hollie?” she asks innocently.
I grip the steering wheel tighter, almost to the point I’m afraid I’m going to break the damn thing. The bitch has the nerve to ask about Hollie when she’s none of her business. Fuck her!
“You don’t speak her fuckin’ name again. Do you fuckin’ understand me?” I ask her.
“Don’t yell at me, Capone. I’m not supposed to be stressed out or anything else,” she says.
NeNe doesn’t give a fuck about my baby growing inside her. The only thing she wants is to use the child as a way to get what she wants. Well, she’s about to learn I’m not the man to mess with and the club isn’t the club to fuck with. NeNe will get what she has coming to her and I’m not going to fucking save her. The only thing I want from her is my child and that’s what I’m going to get. I have enough evidence against her to ensure the baby is mine and she signs her rights over.
“Let’s go. Satan’s waitin’,” I tell her after pulling into the parking lot at the clubhouse.
Everyone’s bike is here and Raine’s SUV is also parked in her spot.
“Oh good, I see the Queen bitch is here,” NeNe murmurs.
“Shut the fuck up. This is why no one likes you and wants you around. This is why you’d never make an ol’ lady to anyone,” I tell her.
“I’m gonna be your ol’ lady, Capone. Just wait and see,” she says, an evil smirk on her face.
“We’ll see about that,” I tell her, opening the door and ushering her inside.
Every member and Raine is sitting around the common room. No one’s saying a word as they all face the door to the outside, waiting for us to get here. I let Satan know when we left the office so he could make sure everyone was ready.
“Have a fuckin’ seat,” Satan says, pointing to the chair in the center of the room.
“I don’t have to listen to you. I’m not part of the club anymore,” NeNe says, not taking the President seriously.
“He fuckin’ said sit, and you’re gonna sit,” I tell her.
NeNe still tries to get away from all of us until Raine stands up.
“These guys won’t lay a hand on you, but I fucking will. They said fucking sit and you’re going to listen. I won’t hurt the baby because I like Capone. But, you’re going to fucking do as told for the first time in your miserable, rotten fucking life,” Raine growls out.
I look around the room as NeNe finally moves toward the chair and makes a show of sitting down. She realizes I’m not going to say a word to Raine about how she’s being treated right now. As I look in the back corner, I see a woman I’ve never seen before.
The woman is looking at NeNe with narrowed eyes. She’s dressed in all black. The only thing in color is her long, platinum hair that’s put in a high ponytail. And her long as fuck red painted nails. The woman hasn’t taken her attention off NeNe even though I’m sure she feels my eyes burning into her.
I turn my attention to Satan and he nods his head. This is the woman he was talking about before. He’s already brought the bitch in. Part of me is happy as fuck while the other part is worried about it too.
“Why don’t you all get this little fucking intervention or whatever you want to call it over with. Or, I’m gonna get the fuck outta here. If I’m not here to fuck, I got no reason to be here,” NeNe sasses again.
“NeNe, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of ours. See, Raine won’t be gettin’ her hands dirty by the likes of you. But, our new friend, Simone, has no problem with skanks like you. In fact, she likes you to fight. Simone knows about the baby, but she will make sure you answer our questions and if you don’t, she’ll save every ounce of anger until Capone’s kid is born. Then your fuckin’ ass is dead by her hands and you’ll never know when or where it’s gonna happen,” Satan says as Simone walks forward.
“I-I-I don’t know anything,” NeNe mutters, realizing the predicament she’s in now.
“Yeah, you do,” I tell her. “Overheard you on the phone earlier. Simone, speakin’ of that, can you get her phone for me?”
Simone goes to reach for NeNe when the bitch holds her phone out and hands it over to the hitman. Or hitwoman, not sure what to call her. That was easier than I thought it’d be.
“Who were you talkin’ to earlier?” I ask her.
“You don’t know him,” she says.
“Not what I asked,” I tell her. “Won’t ask again either. You either answer my questions or you’re goin’ to be dreadin’ us lettin’ Simone loose on you.”
“It was the man Hollie knows as Clay. That’s not his real name,” NeNe answers.
“And what do you know about Hollie bein’ taken from her home in the middle of the night and threatened if she comes back here?”
“I told him to get her and threaten her. She’s the reason you won’t make me your ol’ lady and I know it. If she’s gone, you won’t have her in the front of your mind. I’ll be able to make you want me again,” NeNe answers.
“Never would’ve happened. After what you did, I’d never make you my ol’ lady. You’re not someone anyone can trust and you were around the club long enough to know that. Now, let’s talk about the club. How many of the businesses are you stealin’ from?” I ask.
NeNe goes pale as sh
e realizes I heard more of her conversation than just the part pertaining to Hollie. I can see her mind working as she tries to come up with an excuse about what she’s been doing.
“Let me fill everyone in on what I heard. She’s been stealin’ from more than one of our businesses. And if I don’t make her my ol’ lady, we’re all goin’ down. Now, you can either tell us how that’s gonna happen. Or we’re gonna go in and search each buildin’ from top to bottom until we figure it out. Your choice, NeNe,” I tell her.
“Fine. I’ve been skimming for years now. It’s not hard when you keep the money in the safes in the offices at each spot. It didn’t take me long to crack the codes on the safes either. You guys are really fucking stupid,” she answers.
“What is gonna be found in there?” Satan asks, getting pissed at her.
“In the Den, it’s cocaine. In Blazing Babes, there’s weed and stolen money from another prominent business in town. Then in Blazing Ink, I’ve put pictures of underage girls with tattoos on them,” she answers, proud as hell of herself.
“Go search them. Top to bottom. I want everythin’ found and brought back to me,” Satan answers. “Is it worth it?”
“What?” NeNe asks.
“To know you’re goin’ to be a prisoner here until the baby’s born. Then Capone can do with you as he pleases. Or he can make the call to our friend here and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of. So, was crossin’ the club really worth it?” Satan asks.
“Capone won’t let anything happen to me. I’m the mother of his child,” she tries to say.
“Bitch, you ain’t nothin’ to me. See, that’s the last thing you’re goin’ to hear today. The second my child is born, you’re goin’ to sign your rights away. You will not have a thing to do with my child. And if you refuse, I’ve already got more than enough evidence to have you taken out of my child’s life in court. I don’t want to go that route, but I will. Or, like Satan said, I could just call our new friend and have you taken out permanently,” I tell her. “I hope you like your new accommodations.”