by Erin Osborne
Walking back out to the bedroom, I can hear Clay walking into the house. He’s close to the bedroom door as I check to make sure the safety on the gun is off. I still don’t even know if it’s loaded, but I’ll have to take my chances. The only reason I know about the safety is because I’ve seen it in one too many movies and Capone has explained a little bit about guns to me. Looks like we’ll have to up our lessons and I’ll have to learn how to shoot in case something like this happens again.
“Hollie, I know you’re in here. Just like I know you’ve already called in reinforcements. I know your every move. You’ve felt me, I know you have,” Clay taunts from the other side of the door. “Make this easy on yourself and just open the door.”
“Go fuck yourself, Clay,” I tell him.
“Tsk tsk, Hollie. Is that any way to talk to the man who’s about to take you from your family? I have the power here, not you, so quit acting like you do. You should’ve just been with me from the beginning and left this scumbag behind. Now, NeNe is gone and you’re about to be gone too,” he says.
“How do you know NeNe’s gone?” I ask him.
“Because we were working together to bring the club down. The bitch spilled her guts to them and so now I’m just going to take you and call it a day. We’ll leave Willow Creek behind us and start over somewhere new. You won’t have to take care of NeNe’s little fucking brat or be with a scumbag biker like Capone. Hollie, you deserve better and I’m the man to show you that,” he says, ramming his body against the door to get in.
I raise the gun in my hands and I’m shocked to find my hands steady as can be. I’m not shaking or scared of what’s about to happen. The only thing on my mind is protecting Amber and myself. I’m calm and collected as I realize I have this under control until the guys get here. I’m prepared to do what I have to in order to protect our home.
The door finally breaks in and I see Clay standing there with a sinister smile on his evil face. This is not the man I met in the diner. The man standing before me is someone I don’t want to know or have anything to do with. A man who’s lost his damn mind and I’m not going to be a part of whatever plan he has in place. Not this time.
“Hollie, put the gun down. You wouldn’t want to hurt that baby, would you?” Clay asks, stepping into the room.
“I’m not going to hurt a hair on her head and neither are you. Clay, you need to leave before the guys get here. I’m not going anywhere with you. You’ve lost and it’s just a matter of time before they find you and you end up with a fate worse than NeNe’s,” I tell him.
“Oh, you are coming with me. If you don’t, I’ll make sure NeNe is reunited with her daughter and you won’t stop me. She’ll disappear and Capone will never find his brat,” Clay tells me.
“So, were you fucking NeNe? Or are you just her errand boy?” I ask, trying to stall for more time.
“We were lovers. Does that make you jealous?” he asks, coming even closer to me.
“Not at all. If you want to fuck around with sluts, that’s your decision,” I tell him.
Clay growls at me and I can see in his eyes he’s about to rush me and take the gun from me. He’s dumb as hell if he came in here with no weapon on the chance Capone was home. Or a Prospect was here with me. But, if he’s been watching, then he would have known no one was here with me.
“You come one step closer and I’ll shoot,” I tell him, giving him his last chance.
“You don’t have the guts. You’re still the same scared little girl who was kidnapped, tortured, and raped. Hollie, you belong with me and I’m going to make it happen one way or another. If we both have to die, then so be it,” Clay says, walking further into the room.
Before he can take another step, I hear the rumble of several bikes screaming into the yard. Clay looks up and I know it’s now or never. He’s going to rush me and use me as a way to get out of here. He knows they won’t shoot me just to get to him. Well, fuck him. I’m not going out like that.
I pull the trigger and watch as Clay’s body falls to the floor in the bedroom. At the same time, there’s yelling from the men and Amber’s startled cries sounding from the bathroom. I’m still looking at Clay’s body and wondering if he’s dead, but I’ve watched horror movies and I know if I go close to his body, he’ll jump up and grab me. Yeah, that’s not going to be me.
I’m still standing in the same spot when Capone, Satan, and Wrath run into the bedroom. My eyes haven’t left Clay’s body as the three men come to a halt just inside the door. I can feel their eyes on me as they inch closer. Even though I’m in the room with them, I feel as if I’m outside my body and this is all happening to someone else. It doesn’t feel real to me and I know it’s going to hit me hard.
“Smalls, you okay?” Capone asks, keeping his voice low and calming.
“I’m good. Is he dead?” I ask, finally tearing my eyes from the man.
“I’m not sure. I only care about you right now. Can I have the gun, Holls?” Capone asks as I look down and find the gun still in my hand.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry I used it. I wasn’t sure what to do. And I wasn’t going to let him hurt our baby girl,” I tell him, holding the gun out for Capone to take.
“It’s okay, Hollie. I’m glad you remembered where it was. Where is Amber?” he asks.
“She’s in the tub with her blankets. I need to check her,” I say, starting to come out of the haze I was in.
“No, let Wrath grab her. He’ll check her over to make sure she’s okay while I get you in the shower. You need to get cleaned up,” Capone tells me.
When I try to look down at myself, he holds my chin in place and leads me from the room. He’s not going to let me look at Clay’s blood marring my skin and clothes. I don’t need to see it though because I can feel it seeping into my pores and soaking the front of my clothes. It’s sticking to me and I begin to tremble in the aftermath of shooting a man in our home.
“Hollie, you gotta stay with me,” Capone says as he leads me to the bathroom by Amber’s room.
“I’m with you,” I tell him as I blindly follow him.
Once we’re in the bathroom, Capone strips me out of my sweats and tank top before he strips his own clothes. He hands everything to someone on the other side of the door and I know they’re going to be destroyed so there’s no evidence of what happened here today. Even if it’s self-defense, they don’t want me to go through the stress of a possible trial and jail time. I know how the club works in that regard. Even if they don’t realize it.
Capone adjusts the water to the right temperature and leads me under the hot spray. It washes the blood from my body as Capone holds me in place for a few minutes. Soon, he begins to wash my hair and body with the soap I normally use. He washes my hair twice and makes sure it’s completely rinsed before using a washcloth with my body wash to clean my body.
He scrubs my body clean as I just stand still and let him take care of me. My body is trembling and I know I’m some form of shock right now. Capone takes care of me and leads me from the room in a towel with a second one wrapped around my hair. He leads me upstairs to the room we set my bedroom furniture up in and lays me in the bed. Once I’m covered up, he slides in with me and just holds me.
I can hear all sorts of movement downstairs and I know they’re taking care of Clay’s body and trying to make sure the blood is removed from the carpet. I’m not sure how they’re supposed to accomplish that feat though. As far as I’m concerned, we can replace the carpet because I don’t see it coming out. That’s something to think about another day though. For now, I simply want to lay in Capone’s arms and not remember a damn thing about the last hour or so of my life.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Capone
IT’S BEEN TWO days since Axel busted into church, something he knows better than to do, to alert us to the fact Clay was at my house and no one was there with Hollie and Amber. Two days I’ve been watching Hollie as she puts the incident behind her and moves on
with her life. And two days since I held her in my arms as she slept peacefully.
The day after she killed Clay in our home, Hollie went back to talk to her counselor. Because she’s protected under their oath to keep patient confidentiality, cops weren’t called and no one knows what truly happened. Hollie didn’t go into massive details, just that she shot a man who broke into her home. She doesn’t even officially know she killed the man in question and I’m not going to tell her she did.
Other than talking about it with her counselor, Hollie hasn’t talked about it again. She avoids our bedroom and I have a feeling we’ll all be moving upstairs permanently. It’s fine by me, I’ll just have a bathroom and walk-in closet added to the biggest room upstairs. Hell, if she wants to move somewhere new, we can do that too. I’m not going to make her live in a place she’s not comfortable or doesn’t want to be. That’s not fair to do to her.
Hollie told me she felt as though she was being watched and followed when she was in Steel Mills and I know I’m the only one she told. Raven or Bender would’ve called if she told either one of them about the situation. I did tell Satan and the guys here about it and we were setting up a schedule for a Prospect to be with her and Amber while I wasn’t at the house. We just hadn’t finished it yet. And I didn’t think the asshole knew where we lived. Otherwise, Hollie and Amber wouldn’t have been left alone at the house. They’d have been with me at the clubhouse.
Today, Axel and Wrath are at the house. Wrath is fixing the doors and ripping out the carpet. He’s redoing the floors and making sure the blood staining the wood won’t come through any new carpet we may put down. I told him if he has to rip the wood up altogether to go ahead and we’ll make sure to lay new flooring down before placing new carpet. It doesn’t matter what we have to do as long as Hollie is fine with it.
I’m at Blazing Babes and the doctor should be here soon to test all the girls. I’ve had enough of their shit and I’m ready to fire them all. If I had new girls hired already, they’d be out on their asses. Even with me coming back to work, they’re not pulling their weight. And now, they’re demanding more money. I’m ready to tell Satan I’m done with Blazing Babes and he needs to put someone else in charge of the place. But, it’s my job and I’m going to do it. These girls are going to meet Raine today. I know they’ve heard of her, but today they get to see her in action.
Walking into the strip club, I see the girls sitting at the large table in the middle of the floor by the stage. Raine and the doctor are standing up against the stage and I know they’ve been waiting on me. I stayed a few extra minutes at home to make sure Hollie was okay with Wrath and Axel being in the house before I left.
Rationally, I know she’s not backsliding, but there’s still a part of me that’s expecting her to break down any second and start asking questions she doesn’t need the answers to. I’ll be there when it happens. In the meantime, I want to make sure she’s comfortable with what’s going on in our home and who’s watching over her.
“Alright, girls,” I say, walking up to stand next to Raine and the doctor. “Today’s the day we find out if you still have a job or not. Personally, I’m ready to fire all your asses and I think you know it. But, I’m goin’ to turn the floor over to Raine and you will listen to her.”
“Why do you think I’m gonna listen to some bitch who hasn’t been in here before?” one of the dancers asks.
“Because I’m Satan’s ol’ lady and wife. You will respect what I have to say or you can show yourself to the fucking door right now. Is that understood?” Raine asks, looking at all the girls.
They all nod their heads and wait for her to continue.
“So, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re all going to go in with the good doctor here and he’s going to give you pregnancy tests and other tests for all kinds of things. Including drug use. The club doesn’t tolerate the use of anything by its employees and you all signed contracts stating you wouldn’t use. We’ve already seen that’s not the case. So, stand up and get in line. Then, we’re all gonna have another chat about what you are going to be doing as part of your job description. If you choose not to do it, show yourself the door now and don’t waste our time,” Raine says.
I lean against the stage as the girls all get in line to follow the doctor into the bathroom. Raine follows them so none of them can try claiming any shit happened when it didn’t. So, she’ll be in there until the last girl is done and then she’ll have the rest of her say. I’ve already told her what’s pissing me off about the strip club and she’s pissed as hell about the situation.
I’m playing on my phone when the doctor and Raine make their way back to the main room. I put my phone away and get ready for the rest of the meeting to take place. There are so many other things I could be doing with my time, but instead I’m here babysitting grown ass women who want to play games and take advantage of other men being here in my place. It’s done and over with as of today. I’m just going to start firing people and not give a shit if they’re the ones to blame or not.
“Now, that’s all taken care of. It seems like we have more business to go over. Capone, didn’t you already talk to the girls about making sure the place was spotless after every show and how it’s their job to make sure the cleaning gets done?” Raine asks, looking at me.
“I did. Wrath was here when I did it because he was the main one here at the time,” I answer her.
“Great. Now, why isn’t it being done?” Raine asks the women. “I mean, the club pays you to be here until the strip club is spotless. On top of all the tips and other money you make. Yet, you’re going to fuck around and not do your job just because Capone hasn’t been here. That’s not how things work around here and you all know it,” Raine says. “I’ve watched the footage with Satan and I know who’s been working and who hasn’t. In fact, you’ve been stealing from the club. So, I’ve got a list of you who are no longer employed here per Satan’s request.”
“That’s fucked up. None of us steal from here,” one of the girls says, standing from her chair.
“You’re the first one who’s out the door. You’ve been seen behind the bar doing shots and pouring shots for customers who aren’t supposed to be in the club after hours. Get your shit and get out,” Raine says. “Who are Candy, Lisa, and Bambi?”
I look at the three girls who do almost everything together. They work together, live together, and I’m pretty sure they’ve fucked guys together. Not my business though.
“We are,” Bambi says.
“You’re also gone. You’ve been making the rest of the girls here clean while you sit on your asses or cut out early. Which is funny as hell because your timecards are all marked with the same time as the rest of the girls. So, whoever is helping you is also fired. You can speak up now, or I’ll watch more of the tapes and find out what’s going on,” Raine tells them.
“It was me,” the new girl says. “I thought I was helping them out, so I clocked them out when I did.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Raine says. “How long have you been here?”
“Two weeks.”
“So, you’re still on probation? I’ll have to talk to Capone and Satan about what to do about you. Stay seated. The rest of you all have a job. The three bimbos can get the hell out with the other bitch. Get your things from the changing room, and if one thing is out of place, you’re going to pay to replace it. Now, move your asses, I’m not playing with you,” Raine says.
The girls do as she says and leave the main room. I stand my ground until the other four are out of earshot. They don’t need to hear any part of what I have to say now.
“Now, for the rest of you. You all know you’re to be cleanin’ everythin’ until it shines and you haven’t been. You’ve been doin’ the bare minimum and I’m tired of it. This is now the second conversation we’ve had and I’m not goin’ to have another one with any of you,” I tell them. “Get your asses up and get this place clean. You’re all gonna be doublin’
up on your routines and then cleanin’ up after close.”
The girls get up and get working on cleaning the place while Raine and I walk into the office for a few minutes. I’m sure she’s going to talk to me about Hollie or something else and I’m all ears.
Before she can say a word, my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I pull it out and see an unknown number on the screen. Usually, I don’t answer these calls, but something is telling me to answer this one.
“Hello?” I ask.
“Capone, I need help. I’m in trouble and I need some help to get out of it,” NeNe says.
“Why should I?” I ask her, putting the phone on speaker. “You’re not part of the club anymore and I owe you nothin’.”
“Capone, please help me,” NeNe pleads. “I’m in big trouble with a club here and they’re after me. They know about the baby.”
“The baby you have nothin’ to do with?” I question.
“Yeah. They know I signed my rights away to her. I don’t think they care.”
“Well, if they come after me and the baby, you’re goin’ to be the one to blame. I told you not to contact me ever again and I fuckin’ meant it. I’m not helpin’ you and the club sure as hell ain’t helpin’ you. Get yourself out of your own fuckin’ mess,” I tell her, hanging up the phone.
Raine sits across the desk from me and stares at me. She can’t stand NeNe any more than anyone else can. I just hope she’s not thinking I should help the bitch after everything she’s done. I’m not that forgiving. Ever.
“What a skank. She thinks because of the baby you’re supposed to drop everything for her and do as she wants?” Raine asks.
“I guess so. I ended up not givin’ her the money I was goin’ to. Not after she stole from the club and had your sister kidnapped by that stupid fuck Clay,” I answer.