Lake: A Steel Paragons MC Novel (The Coast: Book 5)

by Eve R. Hart

  “Fuck,” Sketch said.

  I studied the woman while they talked. I’d put her somewhere in the mid-twenties. Her eyes were distant and I couldn’t tell if she was shaking from the cold or the subject matter.

  “That’s all I got for you. Now that you’re a badass you think you’re gonna fix this?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Then get gone and fuckin’ do it then. I don’t have the luxury of having a buncha guns at my disposal and an outlaw army to back me up. Or did you forget about that? Can’t do much to these guys with a switchblade and a buncha kids.”

  “Yeah, Monty, I hear ya.” Sketch turned, not even giving me a glance as he passed by me. “Let’s go.”

  And so I went.

  “Hey,” Monty called out right as we hit the hallway. “Words gettin’ around that they drug them when they take them. Like needle to the neck type of shit that knocks them out. Just what I heard.”

  With his back still to Monty, Sketch gave one firm not.

  Then we left, moving down the stairs at a hurried pace. At the door, Sketch paused, reached into his pocket, and set a stack of bills in a box next to the door. Without a word, we made our way back to our bikes, which I might have been a little surprised were still there.

  “No one’s going to fuck with MC stuff. Out here you’re desperate but not dumb.”

  “Right,” I said speaking for the first time and feeling a little awkward about it.

  The night wasn’t over just yet and that didn’t surprise me.

  I could see how this was affecting Sketch even if he didn’t say anything. He rode a little more jerky than normal. He took turns sharper sometimes leaving me to blow out a curse under my breath and wonder how the hell he didn’t wipe out. His speed, well, that was on the verge of asshole level and there had been a few times I debated on letting him leave me behind.

  Only, I got where he was coming from.

  Sometimes you just had to ride out your frustration and try like hell to dodge your demons.

  We ended up behind a rundown looking pizza place in a more lively section of the city. Which wasn’t saying much considering that we’d just come from an area that was no longer suitable to live in.

  I felt like shit thinking that because there were obviously people living there. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair.

  But I guessed life wasn’t always fair. Matter of fact, it rarely was.

  Despite the cold temperature, the back door was wide open, leaving a rickety, wooden screen door to keep the bugs out. The noise of the kitchen wafted out into the night air.

  “Yo,” Sketch called out as be banged on the wooden frame.

  “Holy motherfuckin’ shit,” a tall, skinny guy said as he pushed open the door and greeted Sketch in some sort of hand clap thing. “What the hell are you doin’ around these parts?”

  “Fuck off. This is still the best pizza in the city.” Sketch smiled.

  “Yeah, that’s ‘cause it’s made with my specialty,” the guy grabbed his crotch. “My nut juice. But no, for real, this pizza is shit.”

  He paused, taking a good long look over Sketch before turning that same kind of attention on me.

  “Seriously, the fuck you doin’ here?”

  “Anyone been around?” Sketch asked.

  “Nah, not really. I keep makin’ shit and leaving it out. Only like one or two come by a week lately.”

  Sketch looked a little down hearing that.

  “Word is, there’s someone taking the girls,” the guy said so low I barely heard him.

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m here.”

  “This one kid keeps comin’ around. She told me her sister got snatched up three weeks ago. She said the men were talking in some kinda weird language. I think she still comes out because she’s hoping to get picked up by them too. Wants to save her sister or some shit. Fuck, the kid’s only fourteen. I don’t know how the hell she thinks she’s gonna do that.”

  “You didn’t try to stop her?”

  “Been away that long that you’ve forgotten? Out on the streets, you don’t listen to nobody.”

  “Yeah,” Sketch said on a sigh.

  “You got people now.” The guy’s eyes slid over to mine. “You watchin’ out for him?”

  “Like a brother,” I answered without hesitation.

  “You got lucky, then,” he said looking back at Sketch. “I’m not sayin’ you should forget what it was like, just don’t look back.”

  “Yeah,” Sketch grunted and there was a look on his face like he’d been gut-punched.

  “It seems like they move around. Hit up a place where there ain’t a lot of people hanging out. Snatch up one then take off. The next time, it’s a different place. Here.” he pulled out a sheet of notebook paper from his back pocket that looked like it had seen better days and handed it to Sketch. “I don’t know if that’s all of them, just the ones I’ve heard about.”

  I leaned over to glance at the paper. It looked like a list of streets and a few numbers that I couldn’t figure out.

  “You’ve been looking into this?” Sketch asked.

  “Yeah,” the guy said defensively. “I might not be smart enough to figure it out but that don’t mean I ain’t gonna try.”

  “Thanks,” Sketch said as he pocketed the paper and did the hand thing with the guy again.

  “You want a slice before you leave? Might do you good to remember how shitty it tastes.”

  Sketch let out a small laugh under his breath.

  “Nah, I’m good, man. Keep it real.”

  Then we were leaving.

  I felt like we had something now. It may not have been much but it was a place to start. Maybe Cable could make something of the streets and come up with a pattern or a way to string them all together somehow.

  “You good?” I asked because I just couldn’t hold back anymore.

  “Yeah,” Sketch said in a short tone. “Just need a beer and some bitches.”

  I saw it for what it was and left it alone.

  I knew it wasn’t always easy looking back at your past. It was even harder to dive right in and submerge yourself in it.

  So I decided to let him do his thing and shake it off the way he thought was best. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t keep an eye out and let him know I was there if he needed someone to talk to.

  Once we made it back to the clubhouse I noticed it was almost one in the morning. I followed Sketch to the stairs in the back.

  “Hey,” I said, stopping him before we climbed to the second floor.

  “What?” he asked, his tone strangely soft and almost resigned. Like he knew what was coming. Like he’d been waiting all night for me to ask him things about the past that he clearly didn’t want to talk about.

  “You passed right by the bitches,” I jokingly pointed out with a wide smile. I made sure no one was around because I wasn’t all that thrilled about using the term ‘bitches’ but I knew it would make him smile.

  Which it did, his posture going from deflated to cocky and puffed up in a second.

  “Don’t worry, they know I’m coming back for them. Got that Sketch scent in their nose the moment I walked in the door and them bitches are hooked. They’ll be waitin’ around.”

  I shook my head but laughed the short jog up to the second floor where Iron’s office and apartment were. The room where we held Church was also up there but I knew we’d find Iron in one of the first two.

  He wasn’t in his office which led me to think that he was either pacing his living room floor or sitting on his couch drinking whiskey. Or tequila, depending on how long he’d just been waiting around for us to get back.

  And maybe I wasn’t surprised he was doing a little bit of both.

  As I pushed open the door after knocking, I found him barefoot, standing in the middle of the room with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

  “Find out anything?” he asked right away though his tone was mild.

  I looked at Sketch and
nodded, letting him take the floor because he’d done all the work on this one. And he knew what was going on a little more than I did, given the fact that he probably knew those locations on the paper and maybe even what the random numbers meant.

  I stood there, my mind spinning as Sketch went over the night’s events. I was all over the place, thinking about what I’d seen and the information we’d gotten. I was trying to put all the pieces in place while doing my best to not think about how Sketch lived that life not that long ago. And how there were still millions of people living that way right now.

  Not that I ever wished I had more in life, but it made me really appreciate what I did have. Somehow being thankful and making sure I was there for everyone around me didn’t seem like enough, but I wasn’t sure what more I could do. It was something that I would have to put in a box and think about later because right now there was shit that needed to be handled.

  “You know these places?” Iron asked when Sketch showed him the paper. I knew he wasn’t just asking about the locations written down, but also the things that went on there.

  “Yeah,” Sketch answered with a nod.

  “Alright. Take this to Cable. Tell him what you know. When he has something, he can fill us in.”

  I studied Iron. The man was sly in the way he did things sometimes. In a normal situation, he would have had a few of us up in the room, watching and waiting while Cable worked. Hell, sometimes he would even be there himself even though he wasn’t a fan of computers and shit.

  But it was clear that Iron was giving Sketch the smallest audience possible because what lie ahead was most likely shit he’d tried to forget.

  I respected Iron and the way he did things.

  He was a good man and a great president.

  “Lake, go get some sleep. I’ll hold Church early in the morning.”

  With that I was dismissed, heading to my room but I knew I wouldn’t find sleep tonight.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Lake

  It went without saying that I was a little softer than most of the brothers. Things hit me and I wasn’t always so quick to shake it off. Sure, there were some things I’d spent years doing my best to push down but even then, I’d let those things into my head more times than was probably healthy.

  So, yeah, tonight hit me pretty hard and once I was alone in my room, I didn’t beat my chest and fake a sense of alright-ness.

  I looked around my space. It was small but it was enough for me. I had a warm bed and a shower that worked. I had food whenever I wanted it. The kitchen was constantly filled with anything I could just about imagine. And if I was craving something that wasn’t there or just wanted to be lazy and not cook, I had the means to do something about it.

  I felt this need to hear Bridget’s voice. The need was so strong that I actually dug my phone out of my pocket end toyed with it for a good twenty minutes. I knew it was that long because I kept making the screen light up like I was hoping that hours had passed instead of just minutes. Not that a more decent hour would matter because even just calling her was something I was struggling with right now.

  I always knew there was danger attached to the club. It wouldn’t matter how many allies we made or how close to legit we thought we could be one day, there was always something lingering in the background. Only, I had a feeling that day would never come. At least not in this chapter. I tried to think that it was for the best because who knew what the fuck could happen if we gave it over to someone else. This way we had some kind of control. Or maybe it was just the illusion that we did.

  But there were also people out there that wanted to target us because they could. Because we were a group and somehow we were in their way.

  Then there was the fact that we always seemed to step into some sort of shit. And we weren’t the type of people that could turn a blind eye. Especially when it involved the ones we loved or innocent people.

  So, yeah, I had a feeling that there would always be a darkness hanging over the club. Or one hidden in the shadows waiting to descend upon us.

  Which was fine for me. I mean, I didn’t like the bloodshed but I understood that sometimes it was necessary.

  But when you added someone else into that equation it became a whole different thing.

  Was it right to bring them into this lifestyle?

  Was it right to risk their life?

  It was selfish to put your needs before others and that was what I was struggling with right now.

  A part of me felt like I needed her. There had been a lonely hole in my heart ever since she went back to Florida. And while I’d been trying my hardest to let her figure things out on her own, I wanted nothing more than to go down there and tell her that her place was here with me. And no, not in that man-beating-his-chest sort of way. Her place was here with me because deep down I felt like it was one of those things that was meant to be. You know, written in the stars and all that shit.

  The sun came up and I knew I couldn’t sit there anymore.

  As strange as it may have seemed, I felt the need to go see Mr. Watkins— who still wouldn’t let me call him Ed no matter how many hints I dropped about it.

  “Come in, boy,” he said as he pulled open the old door.

  His hand landed on my shoulder and he gave me a gentle squeeze.

  “Sit at the table, I’ll put the coffee on.”

  He turned, shuffled around me, leaving me to follow him back to the kitchen.

  I’d been over here a few times and he knew a little about what was going on with Bridget. He always asked about her and there was something in his tone every time that said he didn’t understand why I was just sitting there. Like he thought I was going about this all wrong.

  Maybe I was.

  But I hadn’t really had to deal with something like this before and I was trying to be smart about it. I didn’t want to pressure her. If she wanted to be here, then she would make that choice on her own. It wasn’t like I didn’t tell her that I missed her every now and then. Or called her probably more than I should have.

  “I’d ask you what the problem is but I bet I have a good idea what this pathetic look is about.”

  I let out a sad excuse for a laugh.

  “Honestly, I feel torn in two about the whole thing,” I admitted.

  “I like her. She has spunk. You talk about her all the damn time. Not that I mind. And there was this life you had in your eyes when you looked at her. Don’t think that I missed that for a second.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes at that last part.

  “Don’t be a little shit,” he jokingly barked like he knew what was going on in my head. “You like her?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “You miss her?”

  “Yeah,” I answered a little softer this time.

  “Then what the fuck is the problem?”

  “For starters, she’s down in Florida and I’m here.”

  “You told me she doesn’t have anyone down there. And she doesn’t even have a job or that business of hers either, so don’t use that as an excuse.”

  “I can’t just demand that she move up here because I maybe, sort of want to be with her,” I said looking at him pointedly.

  “No ‘maybe, sort of’ about it. And all I hear is you throwing up roadblocks.”

  “Okay, fine. But what about the club stuff. Sometimes things can get a little crazy.” I did my best not to reveal too much and I was pretty sure he already figured out that there was a dangerous side to things.

  “And?”

  “And… I can’t ask her to move here and put her in the middle of that.”

  “Shouldn’t that be her choice to make?” he asked and one of his bushy eyebrows went up.

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head. “No, I couldn’t do that to her. I’ve seen what can happen…” I didn’t need to finish for him to understand.

  “Make it simple, Lake.”

  “How do I do that?” I asked, leaning forward ready to
have the answer.

  “Go to her, be completely honest with her on how you feel, and bring her back with you.”

  “What about the other part?”

  “Easy. Keep her safe.”

  “Keep her safe?” I repeated slowly as I blinked at him. “Really, that’s your solution?”

  “Yeah. But from the sounds of it and that shiner you were sporting, I don’t think it will be that hard.”

  I barked out a laugh. That was true, Bridget was tough and I had no doubt that she wouldn’t be able to take care of herself.

  But still… I hated to even think that there was the possibility that she would have to.

  “Okay,” I said giving in. “You’re right.”

  “I know I am, son. I’m old as dirt, I know a few things.”

  He got up and walked out of the room, only to come back carrying two wrapped packages.

  “What is this?” I asked as he set one of them in front of me.

  “A gift.” I could almost hear the unsaid ‘dumbass’ at the end of it. “I got it yesterday. It’s from Bridget. She sent your’s here because she wanted us to open them together. Guess she didn’t trust you.” He let out a laugh like that was the most amusing thing he’d ever said.

  “Christmas is still two weeks away.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re opening these now.”

  I couldn’t argue with him, so with a gleam in our eyes, we both tore into the wrapping.

  “She got me an old man sweater!” he said way too excitedly.

  “She got me an old man sweater,” I said with much less enthusiasm.

  She got us matching sweaters.

  And I couldn’t stop the smile that overtook my face as I picked up the note that was in the bottom of the box.

  For when you guys are hanging out and yelling at the dumb game show contestants. -Love, Bridge

  Fuck.

  My eyes teared up and I didn’t even care to hide it.

  I handed the note over to Mr. Watkins and he got a little misty-eyed too.

  “She’s a good one. You better never let her go.”