I tried not to let the discouragement I felt during the week follow me into the weekend. It was hard being a mostly sober bartender. Sure, I wasn’t afraid to have a beer every now and then, but I felt that I’d left that life behind, and I was careful to monitor my consumption closely.
Friday night had been stressful. I’d gone out to dinner with my brother, then straight to work from there. Of course, being Friday, it was one of the two busiest shifts of the week. Carl, the day shift tender, was pissed at me for being a few minutes late. I was already dreading what he’d say to me tonight.
But it wasn’t my fault the roads throughout the town were shitty, and I’d run over a large piece of glass I didn’t see until the last second. I could get the tire changed myself, but I had to be careful of my work uniform, and it was going to take some time for me to do it.
Cutter had taught me how to take care of myself when I was on the road. And most of the time, I was glad for it. Hell, he had done a fine job of scaring off any potential boyfriend I might have had through the years, so I didn’t have any man to fall back on.
But then, since the death of my parents and the way Cutter and his men treated women, I didn’t want there to be a man for me to fall back on in life. I wanted to be able to do it myself, and I always had.
Now, I pulled the jack out of the back of my trunk, as well as the tire from beneath, and working as quickly as I could, I managed to get the damn thing changed. I didn’t know when I’d have the chance to get stupid thing patched between both jobs I was working, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask Cutter or any of the other Souls to do it for me, so I’d have to worry about that later.
I rolled my eyes, brushing my hands off on the back of my pants and putting the jack back in the trunk. I was already more than half an hour later – twice as late as I had been the day before -- and I had a feeling Carl would be livid.
You can’t afford to lose this job. Cutter’s never going to let you live down the fact that he put you through college until you get him paid off. Don’t screw this one up, Meg, just don’t.
I ran my hands through my hair. For the bar, I let it down, leaving it wavy and rather unkempt. It was a sexy look, Carl had told me more than once, and the men liked it when the lights got low and they were a few drinks in.
I was disgusted at the thought of being an object for them to stare at as they drank, but I couldn’t deny that it got me an awful lot of tips. Those were what carried me through with Cutter, and they were what made the whole second job worth it.
The teaching salary I got was enough to pay for my apartment and keep food on the table, but it wasn’t good for much else. Especially since I would use anything extra that I did have to help a kid who was struggling.
I knew the more hope I could give any one of my kids, the less likely it was for them to drop out. And if that meant I had to go without new clothes or wear shoes that I hoped no one would notice, that was good enough for me.
I pulled behind the parking lot to the bar, choosing to park on the street instead. I’d long since learned through several dents to my rear end and a broken headlight that people were going to drive after they had too many regardless of the law or what we tried to discourage, and I was sick of my car getting hit.
Of course, it didn’t eliminate the problem completely, but it worked well enough that I didn’t have to worry so much about it as when it was in the parking lot. I sat in the car for a few minutes before going inside, preparing myself for what I was going to say to Carl, and how he was going to treat me. It wasn’t going to be pretty, and I didn’t expect it to be, but I did need to be mentally prepared.
There was a whole new side of me that came out when I wasn’t at school. There, I was a lot more reserved and politer, encouraging the kids through kindness and cheerfulness to make it in life. In the real world, however, I was independent and sassy.
I wasn’t afraid to stand up for myself, and I would tell off anyone that deserved it. But Carl was my boss, and I didn’t know how I was going to get through the next hour without him firing me. Then again, knowing a man like him, he might make me work the shift tonight, then call and tell me I was done in the morning.
With a sigh, I decided it was time to face the music. There was no sense in putting it off, and the longer I waited to get inside the bar, the worse it was going to be. I roughed up my hair, trying to make it look more like he liked, then with a sigh, I climbed out of my car, locking it behind me and walking toward the bar.
But, as soon as I rounded the corner to the door, I noticed there was a lot of commotion going on inside. People were shouting and throwing things at each other. There were some who were running out the door with bloodied noses and black eyes.
Some were laughing and talking about how wild things got and how quickly, then there were others who were trying to push through the door and get in on the action.
I grabbed someone who was on their way out and held them by the shoulders, trying to make sense out of what was going on inside. “What happened? Is there a fight in there?”
“Oh, man! You have no idea! People are going nuts in there!” she said with a drunken laugh.
“Why?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go in if there was a fight. Carl would just have to understand that one. Hell, for all I knew he could be in the thick of it, and I wasn’t going to get involved if he was.
“I don’t know,” she said with another laugh. “Some biker guy started it, then everyone else just got in. It’s wild, man!”
I got the impression she was out of her mind on more than just alcohol and let her go.
Goddammit Cutter. Really? You have to start shit at my job? You’re such an asshole! I steamed as I stomped in.
I pushed through the people who were standing in front of the door, reaching a break in the crowd just in time to see a tall Adonis of a man covered in tattoos throwing Cutter to the ground. I didn’t hesitate. I might not help Carl in a fight, but Cutter was my brother.
I didn’t agree with the MCs, and I didn’t give a damn there was a patch on the back of the guy’s cut. He messed with my family, and I wasn’t going to stand by and just watch. I grabbed an empty beer bottle from the table by the door and brought it down on the back of the man’s head, hard.
He whirled around, raising his fist as though he was going to hit me. In a split second, I was shocked by his piercing blue eyes and striking features, but also braced myself for the blow at the same time.
However, he stopped short, evidently quickly processing that I was a woman and didn’t want to hit me. In fact, the expression on his face changed so rapidly, he might have spoken to me had someone not grabbed him from behind and yanked him back into the brawl.
I was in shock and didn’t know what to do with myself. There were people everywhere. Without warning, Carl was suddenly beside me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “We’re going to have to get the cops in here, this is getting out of hand!”
He had to shout in my ear to be heard, and I nodded, shouting back, “I know! I’ve been trying to get through the door for the past twenty minutes, and I couldn’t!”
“It’s been insane!” he shouted. I figured the little white lie wasn’t going to hurt, and it would get me out of trouble in the morning.
Hell, if Cutter was going to start shit like this, I may as well use it to my advantage.
God knew he’d do the same thing.
5
Trip
“And don’t come back!” the man shoved Gunner out the door, nearly causing him to fall off the edge of the steps and trip into the street. But he regained his balance despite the fact there was blood pouring out of his nose and we all had bruised faces.
“I’d have to think that means he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Gunner said.
We all laughed and Brutus looked from one of us to the other. “I told you that the rumors were true.”
“Well now, he never said that they were,” Axle said with a
grin.
“No, he just about pushed my nose through the back of my head instead,” I said as I ran my hand over the tip of it. I could still taste blood from the residual bit that was dripping, but it didn’t feel broken.
“Damn, and that was good beer, too. I really think we could have figured out if this place is Irish,” Gunner said.
“For the love of God! Just look on line!” Brutus rolled his eyes, and Axle laughed. I shook my head. Leave it to them to still be arguing about whether the bar was Irish or not when we’d just been thrown out by the bouncer. He seemed to focus on getting us out of there more than he was worried about clearing up the brawl.
But then, he might have seen us as being the cause of the whole thing.
“That was bullshit. Cutter threw the first punch, and we’re the ones who have to go?” Axle shook his head. “You might think this town was biased or something.”
“Go figure,” Gunner said. “We going to hit up somewhere else, or call it a night?”
“I don’t think anyone is going to serve us if we show up looking like this,” I said. “Let’s head home and clean up. We didn’t exactly get what we came here for, but I’m happy with what we learned.”
“That makes one of us,” Brutus replied. I gave him a look, but he refused to make eye contact. There were times when it was difficult to be the leader in a group of men who all wanted to be leaders. But then, I did understand. He had been a high-ranking officer in the service. It was the loss of one of his eyes that caused his discharge.
Sure, he left the military with honors, but that didn’t change the fact he missed his calling in life.
All of the members in the club had taken the time to get to know the stories of the other members. We wanted to be there for each other in a brotherhood, and that meant we had to have a level of respect for what other members went through.
But still, there were times when I felt he would rather be the leader of the Angels, and that just wasn’t going to happen. I was founder, and I was the president, and I would remain that way until I couldn’t anymore.
“What the fuck did everyone else get involved for?” Gunner asked when we climbed onto the backs of our bikes. “We could have had that settled in a heartbeat if we didn’t get jumped by the whole goddamn pub.”
“People just looking for a fight. Any way for them to get their aggression out, and they’ll take it,” I said. “Let’s just be glad that it stopped there. I don’t trust people down here not to yank out a gun and start shooting up the place. I’m down to stand my ground, but I’d hate for someone to get caught in the crossfire.”
“Amen,” Axle said quietly. He had lost his best friend and blood brother in combat. From what I understood, it had happened right in front of him, and the man had been caught between him and a bullet. Though it had been a heroic act on his brother’s part, and I often reminded him of that fact, it didn’t change anything.
Even if Axle wasn’t blaming himself for what happened, I knew it had to be damn painful for him to deal with that sort of thing, and I didn’t bring it up unless he did.
“You all good to make the drive back?” I asked. Changing the subject was often the best thing to do, and he seemed relieved to get the thought out of his mind.
“Of course we are. We only got a sip on that damn beer before Cutter came over to start shit!” Brutus said. “I swear it’s like that guy has some sort of beacon that tells him when there’s one of us around and he just can’t resist a good fight.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said with a chuckle. “Any bones broken or anything we’re going to have to get taken care of before we head home?”
Everyone assured me they were good to make the hour-long ride back, and we set off. I had a lot on my mind, and I was glad we couldn’t talk when we were on the road. It was clear Cutter didn’t want us getting too close. Whether it had something to do with the cartel, or just the fact that he was still running guns and dealing drugs in general, I didn’t know, but that was a strong reaction to have, even for Cutter.
The man was always impossible to get along with. He liked things his way, and if he didn’t get his way when he asked for it, then he would start throwing his fists around. However, he didn’t have any kind of military experience. That meant that we could take him out of sheer experience alone.
Provided everyone played by the rules.
For me, there was an unspoken rule of the street. If you didn’t pull a gun on someone, then they better not do it to you. But Cutter didn’t feel that way about anything. I knew he saw life as something to serve him. If he could get an advantage by shooting someone in cold blood, he’d do it.
That’s why it was no surprise to me that he would be involved with the cartel. He didn’t care what he did as long as he got the paycheck at the end of the day. And, I could imagine smuggling drugs not only into the country but then distributing them throughout the surrounding areas came with a hefty paycheck.
It had to, if that’s what he was in to these days.
So far, I hadn’t heard of anyone getting hurt over it. At least, not lately. Not since I could pin him getting involved in the trade. But what concerned me most about the situation was that drugs were being sent through my town.
Once they crossed into my city’s limits, then they were my problem, and I would fight until my dying day to make sure they didn’t take root. Sure, one might argue that they were just passing through, but I wasn’t having any of it.
Ridgecrest wasn’t a drug run. It wasn’t a gateway from Barstow into the rest of the country, and I wasn’t going to let Cutter or anyone else treat it as though it was.
It was only a matter of time before someone started distributing it in town, and we would be right back to where we were before the Angels took over. I wasn’t about to let that happen. Ever since the Angels were involved in fighting the crime and keeping the streets clean, the assault rates fell, the arrests for drug related activity fell, and people felt safer than ever.
Cutter might want his pay, but he wasn’t going to get it at the cost of my town, or the people who lived there. I didn’t care what I had to do to stop him, even if it meant going to war.
I hadn’t been in a war with another MC for over five years, and I’d long since hoped those days were behind us. But I didn’t want the other MCs to take our silence for weakness, or our inactivity in that realm for complacency. We would fight for what we believed in, and we would take what was ours.
It was dark by the time we got back to the shop, and we were all exhausted. I was glad we made it back okay with the injuries we’d sustained, though no one had gotten too hurt in the brawl.
“That was wild,” Axle said. “A little too wild for me. I’m going to head out.”
Gunner had already peeled away from the group to head home as we passed his turn, and Brutus agreed with Axle. “I’m going home, too. I’ll be here in the morning though, Trip.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. “I’m going to do a bit of my own research before I come to the shop in the morning, so open things up in the office for me, will you?”
“Will do,” he headed out and I walked through, shutting off the lights and making sure the doors were locked. I didn’t really have a lot going on in the morning, but I didn’t want to get up early with the way my nose was already throbbing.
Hell, it was going to be another hour at least before I made it to bed, and after the week I’d had, I wasn’t going to be up at the crack of dawn. One of the benefits of being president – and owner of the shop – was that I got to delegate when I needed, and right now I had to.
I headed home alone, and my mind started to drift. Not to the fight or the fact we were about to have another drug crisis on our hands, but to that beauty at the bar. I couldn’t believe she had hit me over the head with a bottle. Feisty little thing.
I hadn’t gotten to see her for long, but damn, I liked what I saw for as long as I did. She was petite, fierce. Her eyes were emerald gre
en only enhanced by the green of the lights in the bar, her body curvy in all the right places.
She looked at me with a defiance in her face that dared me to land the blow that I’d raised. But shit, I’d never in my life hit a woman. Even one who had just hit me with a bottle.
There was a goose egg on the back of my head by the time I got home, but I couldn’t help but chuckle. Whoever she was, she wasn’t pulling any punches. I wondered why she’d gotten involved in the fight, and why I had been her target. Perhaps it was because I was the one with my back to her, and others were facing that direction.
Maybe it was random, and she just hit me because I was the one closest to her and she had the weapon in her hand.
Whatever her reason, I wished I’d had the chance to talk to her. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life, and for that brief second, our eyes met. I never spent much of my time with women these days. I’d take one home from the bar every now and then, but I never got into anything serious with anyone.
I was too busy with my own life to worry about something like that. And besides one woman I’d known briefly before I went into the Service, none ever really caught my eye for more than a one-night stand. But that woman tonight, she had been different.
There wasn’t anything I could put my finger on that made her stand out from any other girl I’d met in a bar. But she was definitely different.
If only she hadn’t been so pissed at me.
6
Megan
I pulled the screaming tea pot off the stove and filled my mug with the hot liquid. It was a quiet night, and I was relieved for the break. Sunday was the only day of the week that I got to take off, and it was rare for me to get the entire day off.
More often than not, I would spend most of the afternoon working on projects for the kids the following week in school. I had my list of kids I knew I’d see, and I’d print out papers to give those who came in who hadn’t seen me specifically before.
Protecting Her: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 3