“Phoenix?” Andrew mumbled.
“Get your butt out of bed, Andrew. I’ve been arrested, held in jail all night, denied my phone call until now. Add to that list I’ve been groped and molested by a fat, ugly, mean, old sheriff and I’m now pissed.”
“What?” Andrew roared at me, oh now he was awake!
“And they left my car open with my purse, identification and phone and everything else in it. Get your ass here now, Andrew, I need the lady facilities!” I ended indignant.
“On it.” Andrew replied curtly and I could hear him moving. I told him where I was and slammed the phone on the desk and looked at the dickhead who’d denied my phone call. He was giving me a dark look, moving towards me.
“You’re fucked.” I told him smugly. His partner stopped him and let me use a separate bathroom which my begging bladder needed. Dickhead grabbed my arm bruising me again as I came out and threw me back in my cell. Chance moved fast and caught me before I hit the wall again.
“You okay?”
“We’re going to be fine.” I told him. “Cavalry is on its way.” Chance gave me an amused look, ignoring that, I waited for him to sit and leant into him again.
An hour later the door to the police station flew open and an irate, pissed off to high heaven, male strode in. I sat up looking at the commotion. It wasn’t the man I had thought to see, but Antony Parker-Jones. Antony was furious, which meant someone was going to be getting a serious come to Jesus talk! Hands banged on the front desk and I watched the fat sheriff heading at speed towards him.
“Hey honey.” I called out to him. Angry eyes snapped towards me and then his glare focused on Fatso.
“Oh dear, wrong man, Antony has issues, that’s why I didn’t call him.” I muttered, “Andrew’s calmer. Andrew should have got here first as he’s closer.” Chance tipped his head towards me, recognition on his face as he saw Antony. A question lurked in his eyes and then Antony drew my attention.
“Are you insane?” Antony bellowed as an introduction and waved his hand in my direction. I nodded.
“Yeah, he has issues.” I repeated, nodding my head.
“Who the hell are you?” Sheriff Fatso asked.
“Oh, you’re so fucked!” I whispered.
“Senator Antony Parker-Jones and the man that’s gonna get your ass canned! You locked up Phoenix? Sexually assaulted Phoenix? And by the looks of her, you roughed her up.” Antony’s gaze hit me and his level of pissed off intensified.
“She resisted arrest! There was no sexual assault.” Sheriff Fatso replied hooking his thumbs in his belt.
“Liar!” I shouted and Bear chuckled.
“Why was she under arrest?” Antony narrowed his eyes.
“Drunk driving.” Sheriff Fatso sneered, showing no respect for the Senator of South Dakota.
“Drunk driving? You’re going with that?”
“Yup and resisting arrest.”
“How does she get arrested for drunk driving when she left a fundraising event at my home sober? It takes thirty minutes to reach where you arrested her. Which, I know because I drove past her open car. How does Phoenix go from sober to drunk and disorderly in half an hour? Do you have any idea who Phoenix is?” Antony seethed.
“Especially since I have multiple witnesses who will testify, she was very sober.” A second voice said, I got on my tippy toes and peered over Chance’s arm. Andrew stood next to Antony.
“Yay, the cavalry has finally arrived. He’s got issues too, but he handles them better.” Chance’s head dipped as he looked at me with amusement in his eyes.
“She’s cut and there’re bruises on her face! Get Phoenix out of there.” Antony continued.
“She’s gonna be charged.” Fatso kept up, thinking he was in charge here even when faced with a Congressman and Senator.
“The hell she is you say! Let me tell you precisely what will happen here. The Vice President will walk through that door, with him will be several high-ranking law enforcement officers. Those trumped-up charges will be dropped, you’ll be suspended and your department under investigation. The V.P was my guest last night and is a witness that Phoenix was sober when she left my home.” Andrew calmly stated.
“Add to that. You molested her, I’m hoping there’s witnesses. Do you have any idea the shit you and your dumbass officers are in?” Antony grinned. “That woman has the President on speed dial, Phoenix lunches with his wife and kids. Phoenix has more influence than you can possibly imagine. Jesus Christ, you’ve no apparent clue who you arrested on phony charges!”
“That woman saves and rescues homeless heroes, abused men, women and children and you locked her up? Ever heard of the Phoenix Trust? Rebirth and Eternal Trusts? Yeah.” Andrew sneered, as Fatso paled as the realisation of who he’d locked up kicked in.
“Antony, these guys are witnesses to the fact that dickhead was molesting me, that’s why I panicked and kicked the sheriff. Fatso locked them up because they tried to stop it. He stuck his fat hands up my dress and rubbed his miniscule dick against my butt.” I chirped. Heated amusement hit me from behind.
“Jesus, woman, you’re signing his death certificate.” Chance whispered in my ear as two pairs of irate eyes swung in my direction.
“Works for me.” I whispered back.
“Get Phoenix out!” Andrew shouted, “You’ve caused a cluster fuck I doubt you have the dubious intelligence to understand.” The officer who’d denied my call shifted his ass, I leaned into Chance, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“I warned you, you’d no idea who you were messing with, they’re gonna fuck you up.” Chance looked at me as I smirked at the officer whose eyes narrowed on my face. The swagger had gone and now he looked worried, as he should. I stepped out of the cell and he went to lock the door leaving the four bikers inside.
“You let them go. They’re witnesses to her being assaulted, molested and violated. You let them out now!” Antony demanded, and the bikers stepped out of the cell.
“Sit there, honey.” Andrew whispered as he watched his best friend going to town on the dirty cops. Andrew stood tall, taking his best friend’s back. I walked to the bench in front of the desk and sat.
Chance sat next to me and slung his arm back around my shoulder. Bear took my other side, the other two bikers called Diesel and Tiny took their sides. Watching, we stayed silent until the Vice President entered the building. I waved at him and he gave me a grin. He turned an intensely frightening look on the sheriff. Fatso was now backtracking as quick as he could. Chance looked at me stunned.
“Who the fuck are you lady?” Chance asked dipping his head to mine. “Why do I think you’re gonna complicate my life?”
“I’m Phoenix.” I smirked and held out my hand for him to shake.
That wasn’t the last time I met Hellfire MC. Oh no, those boys showed up at my hotel room the next day. They interfered in my life every which way they could. Strong bonds gradually formed with the entire MC, those beautiful men. They got into the Trusts, they got into the kid’s lives, they got into everything. I did the same to them, I’d no fear when I was with them. I could do, say, what I wanted, fully aware I’d get away with murder.
With my history, one might have thought I’d be afraid of big, hairy, loud, crass men. I wasn’t. They’d never hurt me, they’d kill to protect me. If anyone glanced the wrong way at one of my kids, they’d rain hellfire and brimstone on the culprit. They were present for a few of my adoptions. Chance often wondered if I’d be rescuing every orphan in the world.
My kids loved them. Mr and Mrs Ames and Albert adored them. I loved them and Hellfire for all their rough ways, they gave their big hearts back to us. I believe fate has a way of breaking even. Once, I’d been an orphan with no one, then I birthed five children and lost a cherished husband. Fate made life go horrible and then fate handed me beauty, so much beauty, I was overflowing with it.
Which brings me to now. I stood in the Headquarters I had dreamed of, my dreams made
real, with sixteen kids, three huge charities and family in the form of Hellfire. A biker at my back whom I desperately loved but was not in love with. Yeah, life was good at last.
Chapter Two.
I wandered around Headquarters. Today was Sunday, therefore we were empty as we hadn’t opened yet. The grand opening was tomorrow. I was doing the final checks before opening and I’d wasted an hour reminiscing. Alone in the big building, I enjoyed the peace. The calm before the storm.
As soon as my house began its renovations, Sally started to look for a Headquarters for the Trusts. She’d found this empty gothic designed building and taken one look and knew it was for me. I came to Rapid City for a few days to view the building, flying in from Camden and just like Sally I’d fallen deeply in love.
The building was large, the length and the depth of ten double shop fronts. With its four floors there was plenty of room for what I needed. HQ was situated on 6th Street near the main shopping centre. It boasted underground parking and a smaller covered parking lot behind the building. A staff stairwell connected the car park to HQ.
The architect and I’d worked hard to create the ideal office space while keeping the original features in place. HQ’s front door opened onto a plush reception where visitors checked in, before being allowed through the locked bullet proof glass doors behind it. The entire ground floor held offices for our admin, legal and accounting, filing staff, etcetera. This floor was our central hub.
Tucked behind reception was the security office with our cameras and security guards. The main floor was laid out in rows of desks each surrounded by glass walls with blinds for privacy and a few closed in offices.
The first floor held offices similar but bigger than those below and closed in, which held the desks for the State Managers (S.M) of the twenty states. These cleverly designed spaces made the most of the square footage. Adjoined to the S.M’s office was a smaller one for their personal assistant.
The S.Ms oversaw the Phoenix Trust and Rebirth Trust and if they’d one, the Eternal Trust in their designated state. Plaques on their doors gave their name and the state they represented. S.Ms were responsible for how the properties were running. The S.Ms made sure everything ran smoothly, so I didn’t have to worry.
Each office was built with virtually soundproofed glass and brick walls, with an office for their secretary/assistant. There were empty offices awaiting their own S.M’s. The first floor held a large conference room that we’d use often for team meetings.
I walked up to the second floor where I glanced in, happy with the layout and design. The floor wasn’t completely in use yet. One-third of the floor stood empty, waiting for when we opened in new states and needed offices for the S.M’s. Based on the second floor was the Investigations Team and Property Teams.
The Investigation Team were tasked with specific roles, such as looking up whether someone we were bringing in was genuine, not a fraud. The team did searches for missing people who’d been brought to our attention. Cramped spaces hindered productivity, so I made sure everyone, no matter their status, had space, lots of light and room to move around.
The Property Team looked sought out suitable hotels to buy, or apartment blocks we could convert in a good locality. We bought hotels that were run down as they were easier to convert. They looked for the homes for R.T. They’d built a serious network in a short space of time so I’d lots of respect for them. Property, knew my vision, understood it and implemented it.
The third floor housed the Directors and me. Even bigger offices had been built here. A large section set up in one corner with maps of each state set up against the walls. The map had blue dots for P.T’s, Red dots for R.T’s, green for E.T’s and yellow for R.T houses. A smaller conference room was tucked away in a corner on our floor for private meetings. My office opened onto a balcony and I loved it. Stefan’s office and Stuart’s office boasted balconies too.
The fourth floor held the comforts of home. A kitchen/canteen that took a quarter of the floor with nice tables and chairs to sit and eat. A massive pool table took up a large space alongside an air hockey table. There was a television space and chill out corner.
The day care centre took over a quarter of the space, funded privately by me. There was nothing worse than being away from your children eight, nine hours a day. I hated it and made it so the babies could be around me. Many of my staff had young children too, so I paid for free child-care for them. I hired qualified staff to look after the children, most staff took advantage of it, seeing it was free.
The architect turned the roof into a garden with several big grills, so we could have barbeques and celebrations. I thought it would be nice for staff to lunch there in the summer too.
The offices looked amazing. The class and dignity HQ had been graced with was still present. I’d spared no expense and paid for renovations out of my private money. I checked stationery supplies in admin and then strolled to the first floor. These had balconies too, but I’d made them a communal space for everyone.
Each office got a small decorating grant, as I liked my people to be comfortable with what worked for them. Their style may not work for me, but as long as it worked for them that was what mattered. I wandered upstairs to my floor. Here we ran the Trust, I and my Directors. Decorators had been here, the offices decorated to the Directors’ specs and wishes.
I stuck my head into Diana’s office, the Director of Human Resources. Diana dealt with personnel issues and did the recruiting and sometimes firing of people. She’d a team of five people working for her and didn’t mind travelling when needed, nor did her team.
Abigail’s office, my Director of Security, was calming with pale colours. Next up was Kyle, Director of Finance, he watched over everything financial. My office took up one corner with Stefan’s in the opposite corner to mine, my Director of Fundraising. Between ours was Stuart’s, Director of Legal.
Other Directors were on this floor too, Property, Accounting, Investigation, Events, Public Relations, Advertising, Operations and Wages. Sally got a corner office, but it was safe to say she’d never be in it much. Sally had itchy feet and enjoyed getting out and visiting the properties and being hands on. We often joked we’d have to nail her feet to the ground.
The offices backed up against the walls of the building. Again, like the State Managers, our personal assistants had their own areas. A massive conference table that seated forty people, dominated the centre of the floor. We’d often used this at our old rented HQ so we’d brought it with us and it now held centre stage on our floor.
My office had been decorated, and it looked great. I’d a comfortable brown leather corner sofa with lots of throw pillows and a glass coffee table. A big old-fashioned oak desk, something Stuart and I shared in common with trays and my office laptop. On my back wall facing me was lots and lots of framed photographs. The frames’ held pictures of my kids, my staff, people we’d helped, my wall was full of them. There was a small round glass dining table and four chairs if I wanted to eat alone.
Thick black carpet covered the floor and my walls were exposed brick. A rocking chair with wicker furniture and fluffy cushions were on my balcony. Behind my desk, the wall was full of shelves. Private files sat in boxes waiting to be unpacked and for me to put them on the shelves. I hated people touching my office or my stuff and the guys knew that so left me to it. I ran my fingers over my desk and looked outside to the office attached to mine.
Emily’s, my personal assistant, office was half the size of mine and positioned in front of my door, was a riot of colour. Emily couldn’t work without it and her walls reflected her personality, a bright sunny yellow colour. When you considered how many time’s she changed colours, it was amusing. We found it cheaper to use coloured film that pressed onto transparent glass and then stripped off and changed when she wanted.
The riot of colours reflected in her furniture. Colourful cushions and multi coloured filing trays, you get the idea. To get to me, you’d have to get pas
t her and Emily was a bulldog. Far better than any guard dog I could’ve bought.
Stefan’s office I looked over to see and then sighed, was white and black. Stefan’s walls had to be painted white because the man had an unfortunate habit of writing on them. When an idea popped into his head, instead of scrabbling for paper, he wrote on his walls. Every few months we noted what he’d written on them and then re-painted. In the old building we’d done this six-times, so I knew it would happen here too.
With Stefan being the Director of Fundraising, we’d had to hire a Director of Events. Stefan had great ideas and was meticulous in planning them. It was too much though, to expect Stefan’s follow through on the executing stage of the planning. Stefan loved to work out the nitty gritty, not the doing. So Stefan planned and Rayna executed.
The core of us had been together for nearly the full four years. Emily came on board straight away, Stuart the minute Sally put things into motion. Stefan soon after that, Kyle and Diana three months into the Trusts being started. We worked well together and yeah, we fought but we forgave and carried on. We were tight, which was good considering how close we worked together.
Sally hired Diana the same time as Kyle and those two immediately clashed. By now we’d learned to put Diana at one end of the office floor and Kyle the opposite end. Matters weren’t helped because their assistants took their bosses backs in things, several times we’d broken up office wars.
But, when Diana got ill, Kyle took her soup and bullied her into showers and stuff. When Kyle got hurt in a car accident, Diana pushed his wheelchair. Even though she threatened several times to push him down a very steep hill she was there for him. Such was family.
I suppose at this point I should make things a bit clearer. The Trusts belonged to me, I didn’t have a board of Trustee’s and while I’d Directors, they worked for me. The final decision in all things related to the Trusts, was mine. No one could over-rule me. I didn’t throw my weight around and I trusted people to do their jobs. My Directors held my full trust, and I needed them to run their departments and hold people accountable.
Rage of the Phoenix Page 4