by Wilder, L.
“Just taking all the necessary precautions to make sure you’re safe,” I tried to assure her. “If you need me, you’ve got my number.”
“I do.”
“Try to get some rest. I’ll be back when I can.”
“Okay. Thank you … umm … What was your name again?”
“Gunner.”
“Right. Thank you, Gunner.”
As soon as she closed the door, I went down to Gus’s office to see what he needed. After I knocked, I stepped inside and found Gus sitting at his desk with Riggs and Murphy seated in front of him. While Gus didn’t look as on edge as he had earlier, it was clear from his demeanor that something was weighing on his mind. “Rider said you wanted to see me.”
“Have a seat, son.” Having no idea why he’d called us all in, I sat down next to Murphy and watched as Gus leaned back in his over-sized leather office chair. He crossed his arms and looked over to us with a fierce expression. “I’ve got something to discuss with you boys, but I’m trusting you to keep this conversation between us. What’s said in this room, stays in this room. Is that understood?”
“Understood,” we each replied.
“I wouldn’t even be telling you any of this, but you need to know how important this all is to me.” We nodded, then waited for him to continue. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that over the years I’ve never taken on an ol’ lady.”
“We have,” Murphy answered.
Gus had been known to take advantage of the club’s hang-arounds from time to time. They were always eager to please the president of the club in hopes that he might take them on as something more serious, but that never happened. Gus never got attached to any female, only using them for the task at hand, and then he’d move on, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. I never thought much about it. Figured he just didn’t want the distraction or the hassle of taking on an ol’ lady. I never realized that there was more to it than that until he said, “I’ve had my reasons for that.”
We each settled back in our chairs as we waited for him to continue.
“You weren’t around when this charter started, but you’ve heard the stories. You know how we built this club from scratch.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard ’em,” I confessed. “I’ve also heard the club would’ve never been as successful if you weren’t the man running the show.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. There was a lot of shit that had to be done with getting the clubhouse together and opening the diner and garage … but that was only a small part of it. We fought tooth and nail to stake our claim over the territory, but I was damn-well determined to make it happen. We were just getting our start when I met Samantha Travers.” His expression changed the moment he spoke her name. “I’m pretty sure I fell for her the minute I saw her. Damn. She was a beautiful thing. Way out of my fucking league, but we ended up hitting it off. Spent the whole damn summer together. I loved her like crazy.”
Anguish crossed his face as he continued, “I don’t know how to explain it … I knew from the start she was the one. Knew even then there’d never be another. I was gonna put a ring on her finger and a property patch on her back, but she left before I got the chance.”
“Wait. So, she just up and left out of the blue?” Riggs asked.
“Yep. I had no idea she was even thinking about it. Went to bed with her in my arms and woke up alone the next morning with a fucking Dear John letter resting on the pillow.” I could hear the pain in his voice as he said, “Nearly broke my fucking heart.”
Sounding surprised, Murphy questioned, “You didn’t try to go after her?”
“Not at first. I kept thinking that she’d find her way back, but she never did. When a year passed and I still hadn’t heard anything from her, I went to find her. That’s when I learned she was married. Found her a fella that fit into her world perfectly—a way I never could have. I knew then why she hadn’t come back. Couldn’t say I blamed her.” He brought out his cigarettes and lit one. After taking a long hit, he let out a breath of smoke and said, “That was over twenty-five years ago. I haven’t heard a word from her in all those years, and then today her daughter shows up … a daughter named August who was born eight months after Samantha left Memphis.”
“Oh, shit.” I leaned forward as I asked him, “You think August is your daughter?”
“Can’t say for certain, but sure as hell looks like it,” he grumbled.
“You didn’t know Samantha was pregnant?”
“Didn’t have a clue. She never told me, and if I had to guess, I’d say that August doesn’t have a clue about any of this either.” He slammed his fist against the desk, then sat there with a blank expression until he said, “If August is my daughter, then that means it’s my granddaughter who’s out there missing. We have to find her.”
“I’m here to help you any way I can,” Murphy assured him. “We all are.”
“I appreciate that, brother.” He looked over to me as he said, “I want you keeping an eye on August. I’m trusting you to make sure nothing happens to her.”
“You can count on me, Prez.”
“Always have.” He ran his hand over his beard. “I put a call into the Ruthless Sinners clubhouse and spoke to their prez, Viper. He’s putting feelers out to see if he can come up with anything on Harper. While I was at it, I asked him about the mayor.”
“And?” Riggs pushed.
“He said he’s all kinds of shady. Far from the up and up, so August might be right about him knowing more about Harper than he’s letting on.”
“Damn, that makes things complicated.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter.” His voice was low and full of warning when he added, “In case there’s any question … I’m gonna find her, and when I do, she better be okay or I’m gonna fucking end whoever took her.”
After we were done talking, Riggs and Murphy went to check in with their ol’ ladies while I went to the kitchen and gathered up a couple of drinks, a sandwich, and some snacks. As I carried them down the hall to August’s room, I thought back over everything Gus had said. Since I’d joined the club, I’d done everything in my power to do right by him. I’d proven to him and my brothers that I was loyal to the club, that nothing came before them, and I almost screwed it all up when I tried to pick up Gus’s daughter at a fucking gas station. Granted, I had no idea who she was at the time, but I knew exactly who she was now, and there’d be no more fucking around. Like it or not, the beautiful August James was off limits. I knocked on the door, and when she answered, I was pleased to see that her eyes were no longer red from crying. She looked down at all the food I brought, and a soft smile crept over her face. “What’s all this?”
“Thought you might be hungry.”
“That was really sweet of you, but like I said earlier … I’m really not hungry. There’s just too much going through my head right now.”
“I can totally understand that.” Knowing she needed to eat something, I walked over and set everything down on the desk. “I’ll leave it here in case you change your mind.”
Her gorgeous dark eyes met mine as she said, “Thank you, Gunner.”
I only held her gaze for just a moment, but the damage was done. I knew it was a mistake. I had a job to do, but as I stood there looking at her, I wasn’t thinking about Gus or the club. I wasn’t thinking of what was at stake. I was only thinking about her and the need I felt to get closer, making me realize I was in serious trouble. Fuck me. This woman was going to be harder to resist than I thought. Doing what I could to pull my head out of the fucking clouds, I cleared my throat and said, “No problem. You sure you don’t need anything?”
“Just my daughter.”
“We’re working on that. It’s just going to take some time.”
“But shouldn’t we be out there looking for her?”
“You’ve said it yourself that the cops were out there looking for her, so there are people out there working on it,” I
tried to assure her. “A man like Gus has the ability to look in places they can’t. You did the right thing coming to him. You just have to be patient and let him do the job you’ve asked him to do.”
“I’m trying. I don’t know Gus … at least not the way my mother did, so it’s hard to trust that he can really find her, you know?”
“I get it. You’re just gonna have to go with your gut on this.” I looked her in the eye and added, “You wouldn’t have come here unless something inside you told you it was the right thing to do.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I am. Now try to get some rest. I have some things to see about, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check in on you.” As I started towards the door, I told her, “If you need anything, Gash will be right outside.”
“Gash?”
“He’s one of our prospects.” I opened the door and stepped into the hall. “Like I said earlier, we’re taking every precaution to make sure you’re safe.”
She nodded, and I closed the door. After I made sure Gash was posted outside of August’s door, I headed down to the garage to finish working on that carburetor I’d promised Blaze I’d have done by the end of the day. I only needed a couple of hours to get it up and going and knew I could trust Gash to keep an eye on August until I returned.
Back at the garage, Blaze and the others were busy working on their own projects and didn’t even notice when I walked over to my station. Relieved that I didn’t have any distractions, I got straight to work. The entire time I was putting that damn carburetor back together, I was thinking about August. Gus knew I had to come by the garage, but I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that it should be me who was there with her, watching over her and keeping her safe. Thankfully, I managed to get the carburetor completed quicker than I’d thought. Once I got things cleaned up, I took it over to Blaze and said, “Got her done.”
“Thanks, brother.” As he took it from my hand, he asked, “You headed back to the clubhouse?”
“Yeah. Need to get back and relieve Gash. He’s keeping an eye on August while I’m here.”
“Any word on her kid?” Blaze asked with concern.
“Not that I’m aware of, but figure Riggs will have something soon.”
“I’m sure he will. Heard neither of you will be going on the run with us tomorrow. Guessing you both will be helping out with finding the kid.”
I didn’t want to say too much, so I just nodded and said, “Doing what we can, but I’ll be around in the morning to help y’all get loaded.”
“Good deal.” When I started to leave, he said, “See ya then.”
“Count on it.”
I went out to the parking lot and got on my bike. The clubhouse was only a few miles away, but the ride back did wonders to clear my head. By the time I pulled up, I was feeling more like myself, but that feeling quickly diminished when Rider rushed up to me and said, “Gus wants you and August to meet him in the conference room. Now.”
CHAPTER 4
August
“I made a few calls, and it turns out you might be right about your ex.”
I was sitting in a conference room surrounded by Gus, Gunner, and two other men Gus had introduced to me as Riggs and Moose. They sat quietly, listening intently as I asked, “What makes you say that?”
“One of my contacts said he’s in bed with the mafia, and they might have something to do with Harper’s disappearance.”
Shocked, I replied, “The mafia? David? That can’t be right. I’ve always believed that he was up to something, but the mafia? That’s a little extreme.”
“Do you know anything about Sal Carbone?”
“No, not that I can recall. Why? Who is he?”
“He’s the front man for Anthony Polito, the head of the Italian mafia in Tennessee,” Gus answered flatly.
“Okay. So, what does this guy have to do with David?”
“He funded over half of your ex-husband’s campaign and helped raise money for his new renovation project downtown.” He slid two pieces of paper over to me and I was surprised to see that they were deposits made by Sal Carbone into David’s account. “You weren’t aware of their connection?”
“No. I had no idea David even knew him.” I stared down at the papers in total disbelief. When I’d interned for David, I’d spent hours upon hours trying to come up with different fund raisers to help raise money for his campaign. We all did. I didn’t want to believe that they were used to accept bribes, but the proof was right in front of me. “There’s no way someone would pay eighteen thousand for a weekend trip to Kiawah Island, and I never knew anything about a three million dollar donation?”
“We didn’t think you did.”
I placed the papers on the table as I asked, “But, I don’t get it. Why would some Italian mafia guy contribute all this money into David’s campaign?”
“From what I’m hearing, his crew has recently moved into the area. They were rooted out West but have been working to move their network closer to the center of the state. From what we’ve heard, they’re working primarily out of Nashville now,” Gus explained.
“Okay. I’ve heard stories about the mafia and the cartel. These are really powerful people who do some really awful stuff like sex- and drug trafficking, and god knows what else. But why in the world would the Italian mafia ever want to have anything to do with a place like Tennessee?”
“No way to tell. Maybe it’s because no one would suspect them to be here, or it’s a midpoint between Florida and New York.” Gus ran his hand over his salt and pepper beard. “The real question is, what is their connection to David?”
“I have no idea. Only he can answer that.”
“Then, I think it’s time we ask him a few questions.”
“Why? It’s not like he’ll answer.”
“Oh, he’ll answer. I guarantee you that,” Gus grumbled.
“Wait … why are you so concerned about this mafia guy?” He didn’t answer right away, which I could only take as a bad sign. I’d heard the horror stories of what those men could do, and just the thought of them having Harper made my heart beat so hard I could hear it pounding in my chest. With each second that passed it got louder and faster, to the point where I couldn’t breathe. Just as I was about to hit a full-blown panic attack, I felt Gunner’s hand on the small of my back. It was a simple gesture, but it was enough for me to collect myself. “Please. I need to know. Do you think they might’ve taken Harper?”
“We won’t know for sure until we talk to David.”
Riggs looked over to me. “You know him better than any of us. Do you have any idea where we’d be able to meet up with him without drawing any attention?”
“When?”
“The sooner the better. Three and half hours from now.”
“He works out at one of the local gyms after work. He’s usually done around seven thirty or eight. You might be able to catch up with him there.”
Gus looked over to me and said, “We’ll need the name of the gym and a recent photo.”
“Fitness for All, on Dupont.” I took out my phone and pulled up a picture of David. “This is the most recent picture I have. You might find a better one online. The media is always taking pictures of him, especially when he’s out with his new girlfriend, Melanie.”
“This should do it.”
I looked back over to Gus and asked, “So, what happens if this Polito guy has Harper?”
“We’ll figure that out when we get there. Right now, we just need to focus on finding out if there’s any connection between her disappearance and your ex-husband.”
“Okay.”
“Are you comfortable in your room? Is there anything we can get you?” Moose asked with concern.
“The room is great. I just need to get my bag out of my car.”
“I’ll grab it for you,” Gunner replied. “Anything else?”
“No, that should do it.”
When they all started to st
and, I did the same and followed them towards the door. Before we left, Gus turned to me and said, “Treat the clubhouse as your own. The kitchen is fully stocked, and you’re welcome to anything in the bar.”
“Thank you for all of this, Gus. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, August.” Then he placed his hand on my arm. “I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t want to.”
Before I had a chance to reply, he turned and started down the hall with Riggs and Moose following close behind. Gunner silently motioned me forward, and I followed him back down to my room. He opened the door and once I’d stepped inside, he said, “I’ll go grab your bag. Just need your keys.”
“Let me get them.” I grabbed them off the desk, and as I handed them over to Gunner, I told him, “It’s in the trunk.”
“Got it. I’ll be right back.”
Once he was gone, I reached into my purse and took out my phone. When I checked my messages, I was surprised to see that I had another message from Detective Haralson. Hopeful that he might have some news about Harper, I quickly replayed the message but was immediately let down when he gave me the same old song and dance he’d been giving me from the start. He still had no idea where Harper was or who might’ve taken her. In fact, he seemed more confused than ever about her disappearance. Before he ended the call, he told me to be patient and that he would be in touch soon. I was so upset with his lack of information, I decided to call and check in with the private investigator I’d hired. “Hi, Pete. It’s August James. I was checking in to see if you had any news about Harper.”
His voice sounded utterly defeated as he replied, “I’m sorry, Ms. James, but right now I keep coming up with dead-ends.”
“Have you looked into David like I asked?”
“I have, but I’m not finding anything that looks suspicious. He seems equally concerned about your daughter’s disappearance.”
“Pfft.” I silently cursed myself for hiring someone out of the yellow pages. This guy clearly had no idea what he was doing. I should’ve known by his greased back silver hair, twenty-year old suit, and lopsided grin that he was just looking to make a buck. Hoping that he’d managed to find out something we could use, I pushed, “What about the daycare? Has anyone come up with—”