Bounty (69 page)

“
W
hat the fuck is that
?” I know exactly what it is, but I’m really hoping I’m wrong.

“What? The new exhaust? Pretty sweet, ain’t it? Snake hooked me up. He was leaving with the parts from that heist, but as I needed a new muffler anyway, he let me take this one to install. I’ve never seen another one like it. It’s pretty sick.”

Yes, that’s exactly how I would describe the way I feel about it, too. Sick.

I take a deep breath, internally counting to ten so that I don’t lose my shit on Sparkie. He’s a good kid, and this isn’t his fault. I’m just here to check on the bike shop and make sure it’s all running smoothly, but putting Sparkie in charge means this trip is likely just a formality. The kid has a good head on his shoulders, and he’s a talented mechanic. He’s pretty new to the club, though, and I don’t think he’s really picked sides yet. This could be an attempt to try and put him on my bad side while at the same time endearing him to the other factions that are vying for power around here.

But I didn’t expect that move to come from Snake. Do I really need to worry about my own VP? I would have expected this kind of shit from Ripper, but not Snake. I’m losing fucking control over this club faster than I thought.

“Yeah, it’s really great, kid.” I walk past him and into the shop before he sees me lose my shit. It isn’t even about the muffler. Very few people at Piston would recognize that part by sight as coming from the German batch, and the chance of them ever seeing it on this kid’s bike are slim and none. But Snake knows that when I said to get rid of this shit, I didn’t mean by handing pieces out to brothers. How many other pieces am I going to see popping up around the clubhouse parking lot? Do I need to go and take care of that now, too? So much for me getting back to the office this afternoon.

At least Evelyn is there. She seemed to have no problem when I suggested she come in this weekend. I guess working for a guy like Edward made her accustomed to working off hours, but if it wasn’t for this whole Germany shit-storm, I wouldn’t have asked. Not after she just started two days ago, at least.

She’s been a huge help already. I haven’t been able to work out a solution to the missing parts issue yet, but at least I’ve had the time to actually get involved now that she’s streamlining everything else. I think the only thing that’s going to help is going down there and talking to them directly. It’s not time I can afford to be away for myself, though. Not with this stupid power struggle going on here at the club. So I have Evelyn calling a few other overseas suppliers as a last ditch effort to find alternatives. I don’t have a lot of hope for it, though. The timeline is too tight and the designs are too custom for anyone else to be able to tackle it. But the German supplier already did it once. I’m sure they can do it again. They just need the right motivation.

Inside, the shop is pretty full. There are a couple cars and a handful of bikes all being worked on, or waiting to be worked on, by various members of the MC, and all of them look to actually be working. I handpicked this crew myself, filling the shop with the guys I knew to be the hardest workers. I want this to be our flagship, legit business that I can point to as an example of how we can all make a lot of money doing real work instead of ripping people off, or trading guns and drugs with the cartels of the city. But some of the guys in the club would rather do that anyway, even if I hand them legit money on a silver fucking platter.

The question is: how many of each group make up the Soldiers? When I started to move us legit, I would have guessed there were more Soldiers looking to build a stable life. Now I’m starting to wonder. Either I have a much bigger faction of troublemakers on my hands, or it’s a small group making a lot of noise, trying to seem bigger by stirring up shit in as many places as they can all at once. I’ve just been too busy lately to really sit down and figure it out. Maybe I need a goddamn EA for my club life, too.

“I’m gonna take a look at the books,” I say. Sparkie has been following behind me since outside, probably sensing I was pissed off, but too afraid to ask why. Checking the books is mainly a formality; I know I won’t find anything wrong. That’s why I put him in charge. If I had slotted Ripper to run this joint, I’d have to be in here every day to clean up his mess. And nights, too. I fully expect if I put him in charge of any of the businesses, he’d have a full blown after-hours casino or whore house running inside of a week.

Although, Snake runs one of the businesses. I gave him a little printing shop to run, and I’ve mostly left him alone with it over the last few weeks. But if he’s in bed with the other side, maybe I need to get over there and check it out soon. For all I know, he’s got the copiers running all night printing out hundred dollar bills, or something.

I sigh heavily, dropping into the hard, wooden seat behind the desk. I was careful not to slam the door when I came in—I don’t want everyone knowing how annoyed I am—but I did make a point of closing it. I’m not interested in a conversation right now. I’m just going to check the books and leave. Maybe I’ll skip stopping back at the clubhouse, after all. I’d rather just get back to Piston. Evelyn is there.

That shouldn’t be why I want to get there so quickly, but there’s no point in denying it. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since she started. I hired her to help ease my distractions, but she’s quickly becoming a replacement for all of the ones she’s removing.

Evelyn is exactly the reason why I avoid relationships. My life is busy and complicated enough. I have so many secrets, so many points of failure, that introducing another one into my life would be a huge mistake. How could a girlfriend work for a guy like me? How can I ever trust someone enough to let them into every aspect of my life, without restriction? It’s out of the question. I made my choice to live this way a long time ago, and I knew what I’d be giving up in the process. I have women like Jez to take the edge off when needed. It doesn’t have to go any deeper than that. I don’t need it to.

But fuck, if it doesn’t feel good to not have to lie to her about the MC side of my life. I’m just not sure it’s worth the distraction of my dick getting hard every time she bends over at the office. Sleeping with her again was probably a mistake. I had almost gotten her out of my head, out of both of them, but then I had to go and invite her back in. It’s been so long since I’ve let someone get as close to me as she already has in such a short time. As good as it feels, it’s a mistake. And it’s a mistake because it feels so good. Feeling good will only lead me to relaxing, and relaxing will lead to slipups. That’s why I need to keep my distance, if she’s going to stick around. When she starts getting too close or asking too many questions, I need to piss her off, get her to back down. Keep her from wanting anything to do with me, other than professionally. It’s the only way to handle this.

As if she knows I’m thinking about her, my phone rings and it’s her office line.

“Yeah?”

“Sebastian? It’s Evelyn. I—”

“I know. Where are we on the replacement hunt?”

A pause. “I’ve called all of the companies you’ve given me, although some of them can’t be reached today, likely because it’s the weekend. But I’ve left messages. I’ve tried a few others, as well, that I found through some research. No luck so far, I’m afraid. But that’s not—”

“That’s what I figured. Those ones that you can’t reach aren’t going to have any better news for us, anyway. Someone has to go down to Germany and straighten this out, and I can’t do it right now. I already told Hans to do it, they were his supplier, after all, but he’s been dragging his feet. Go talk to Beverly, she’s Hans’ assistant. Get her to book him on the next flight out. I’ll call him and let him know he’s going. The only way we’re going to get this done is if we apply pressure on them face to face. It’s the only chance we have to get this resolved.”

“Okay, but—”

“I know it’s Saturday, but Beverly should be there. It’s all hands on deck right now.”

“Can you let me finish please?” Evelyn sounds pissed for some reason.

“Okay, what?”

“I have to… where are you? I thought you were coming in today?”

“I am, I just got held up.”

“At the clubhouse?”

“No, somewhere else.” I’m not used to having to answer as to my whereabouts to anyone, and getting into the inner workings of the changes I’m trying to make at the MC aren’t her concern. She may be my assistant, which affords her more access to my life than most people, but that doesn’t mean I’m an open book. “I’m heading to the office soon, though. Why?”

“Nothing, I mean, it’s just that I have to go. So I… I just wanted to make sure you were coming in… in case any of these suppliers call us back.”

“Where are you going? It’s only two.”

“It’s Saturday, Sebastian.” Her voice sounds snippy now, probably because of the tone I’ve been taking with her. “Something came up that I have to take care of. But I’ll talk to Beverly before I leave.”

“Fine.” I hang up without waiting for her to say anything else. I have no right to be pissed that she has a life and has to leave at two on a Saturday, but I am anyway. Although I try not to acknowledge the fact that part of the reason why I’m annoyed was because I was looking forward to seeing her today.

Still, if she isn’t going to be there, and she’s planning on getting Beverly to book Hans on a flight before she leaves, then there’s no rush in me going back to the office now after all. None of those suppliers are going to have any good news, that was always a long shot. I’ll call Hans and let him know about his trip. He’ll be pissed, but that’s too fucking bad.

Then I might as well head over to the club and find out if any more of the parts got distributed to members. All I need is half the club to be driving around town with custom, stolen Piston parts. It’s one thing to have one muffler on a single bike. That won’t get noticed. But it better not have gone much further than that. Otherwise, I’ll need to crack some fucking heads. Maybe find out once and for all who’s on what side of all of this.

It feels like both my worlds are crumbling down around me, brick by brick, only for the first time in my life, I genuinely can’t figure out which one is worth saving.

W
hy the hell
does Jackie want me to meet her at the one place I’m not supposed to go?

T
alk about cryptic
. The problem with Jackie is that she can be a bit melodramatic sometimes, and I have no idea if this is one of those times. For all I know, she had a fight with the bartender from Axle’s, who I know she’s been seeing, and just wants me there to back her up as she confronts him. But what if this time, it’s something actually important? The fact that I can’t call or text her back is frustrating. I can’t just leave her hanging, though. If the situation were reversed, she’d be there in a heartbeat.

I did promise Sebastian that I wouldn’t go back to his club hangout, but he’s not there now, and he’s coming back here to the office next. I can get there, meet Jackie, and quickly get her out of there—or at least, get myself out of there—long before Sebastian ever gets done for the day here. He’ll likely head back to the bar tonight, but by then, I’ll be long gone.

I don’t like having to do what he told me explicitly not to do, but what choice do I have? Jackie’s the closest friend I have in this city, and she may really need me. If he wasn’t so secretive about everything, I would have already told Jackie about him and she would know that I couldn’t be seen at Axle’s. As it is, I’ve had to dance around everything with her and start to keep secrets of my own. Far fewer than Sebastian has to keep, but already I don’t know how he does it. I hate lying to people.

Grabbing my purse, I head into the hallway and down toward Beverly’s office. I was briefly introduced to her yesterday when Sebastian found time to take me around to meet people on the floor, so I know that her office is next to Hans’. I’ll pop in quick to tell her about the Germany trip and then get to Axle’s. I can get in, shuffle Jackie out with some excuse and be out of there within the hour. No problem.

“Beverly?” I knock on the door and the cherubic face of Hans’ assistant looks up at me from behind her monitor with a smile.

“Evelyn! They have you working today, too? Welcome to the company, I guess!” Despite the words, her face doesn’t lose its smile, nor does her voice lose its enthusiastic lilt. “I’m so glad you stopped by. I’ve been meaning to come and say hello, but you know everyone is just in such a tizzy about this whole Velocity Motors fiasco.”

“Right.” I nod, flashing her a smile to match her own. Beverly is very friendly, and it’s hard not to return her amicability, even though I’m in a rush. “That’s actually why I’m here—”

“Oh, of course,” she interrupts, “I bet Sebastian has got you working on the same problem. He’s been in here talking to Hans a lot lately. We’ve never had something like this happen before, so as you can imagine, no one has any idea what to do about it. How bizarre, right—someone stealing a whole truck load of engine parts? Who would do such a thing? Hans told me that the police don’t seem to have any leads yet, either. They told him not to expect to get them back. They said they’re probably on a boat to China or something already. Isn’t that crazy?”

“Yes, that is pretty nuts,” I agree, the smile on my face feeling a little bit more forced now.

“You know, my neighbor had his car stolen last summer, and it was the same thing. The police told him that he would probably never see it again. Then, just a few weeks ago, he got a call from a detective that said that his car had turned up, but you’ll never guess where it was.”

“Where?” I ask, playing along.

“Africa. Can you believe it? They got a call about the VIN number on a car seized in Algeria or Angola, or one of those places, matching the VIN number on a list of missing cars that they had from the US. Imagine that—someone steals a car from here and ships it all the way across the world. How could that be any cheaper than buying a car over there? Why, I ordered some hair curlers from someone on eBay in England, and the shipping was actually more than the curlers themselves. And England isn’t nearly as far as Africa...”

I
can’t believe
that Beverly wasted thirty minutes of my time. Wow, that woman can talk. I’m not sure if she thinks I was rude or not, after finally having to interrupt and then refocus her on the Hans flight issue three times before I was able to confirm that she was going to take care of it. Maybe she just figures that it’s Saturday and there is more room to socialize than normal, but I’m in a hurry to get out of here.

Aside from making Jackie wait, I’m even more worried I might run into Sebastian when he comes back to the office, but luckily I make it out before he returns. It’s only three p.m. now, and the bar parking lot looks pretty empty, so my plan should still be okay. Just get in, get out with Jackie, and then get the hell away from here.

I wonder why I don’t see her car, though. Maybe her bartender boyfriend drove her and she needs a ride home? If she lost her phone, maybe she lost her whole purse. Wallet, car keys, everything. Maybe that’s why she needs me. I wish she would have just called me instead of sending that e-mail, though. Wherever she was must have had a phone. Hell, she could have called me from here.

Even during the day, the dim light of the bar makes everything inside seem dirty and moody. Maybe that’s the way the MC like it, although none of them are here right now. Probably too early for them. Jackie is nowhere to be seen, either. The place is all but deserted save a few old men sitting around and nursing drinks as they stare at a golf game on the television.

It took me a lot longer to get here than I expected. Maybe Jackie ended up solving her own problem without me. No messages on my phone from her, and she was the first one I gave me new cell number to. It would be pretty rude, and unlike her, not to call and let me know.

“What can I get you?” The bartender at Axle’s today is a woman. She’s small and has dark hair and a couple of piercings in places that don’t normally get pierced. I expected to see the guy from last week, Andy, that Jackie is dating. Or fucking. I’m not sure how serious they are beyond having a lot of hot sex that she’s been pretty graphic in describing to me every time we talk. Maybe he only works the night shift.

“Uh, just a water for now.” She frowns at me, but then turns to fill a glass. I haven’t gotten a paycheck yet and I don’t plan on staying long enough to finish a drink. If Jackie isn’t here in a few minutes, I can’t stick around and wait. I pull out my phone and stare at it, willing it to ring as I ease onto one of the well-worn stools and wait for my water.

“If you’re waiting for my call, I’ll need your new number first.”

A chill runs up my spine as I spin around. “What the hell are you doing here again?” How the hell is Edward tracking me now? Is he stalking me?

“Why, meeting you, of course.” His smile used to seem charming, now it just makes my stomach turn.

“I’m here to meet… oh. Fuck you, Edward.” I stand up to leave as the sick realization of being played for a fool hits me. It all makes sense now. Jackie isn’t coming, and she never was. “Your IT group hacks e-mails now?”

Edward laughs as he shifts his body to block me. “No hacking required here, either. Changing the ‘from’ field of an e-mail is something even I can do without help.”

“That makes sense,” I agree. “You’re probably used to people not wanting to return your messages. Besides, if I were you, I’d want to pretend to be anyone other than Edward Stonewall as often as possible, too.”

The smile on his face falters just a touch, but then he laughs again. “Ah, see? I missed your quick wit. But how else would I have convinced you to meet with me? So it was all for the greater good.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have met with you, and now I’m going to leave. Get out of my way, Edward.”

“Now, now, no need to be rude,” Edward says, shifting his position again to stand in my way as I try to go around him. “I’m here for your benefit, Evelyn. Things must be getting pretty desperate by now. An expensive apartment, no family, and hardly any friends in town. No job prospects. Why do you have to be so stubborn? Just come back with me to VI and we’ll pretend all this nastiness never even happened. You can have your old job back, and I’ll even pay you for the last few weeks as if you were on vacation.”

“I realize that the word is foreign enough to you because you surround yourself with people afraid to use it, but let me say it again: no. Speaking of which, where are dumb and dumber? I didn’t think you’d set foot in this place again without them. Although, with what little they did last time to protect you, I actually would have expected you to bring even more of them.”

“I’ve had this place checked out. It’s dead during the day. Perfect for our conversation. No need for interruptions.”

“Whatever, Edward. There is no more conversation. I’ve told you no for the last time. Now please get the hell out of my way so I can go back to my job.”

His eyes widen and I feel a sense of smug satisfaction. That was the response I was hoping for. “With who? McDonald’s? They’re about the only place I didn’t bother blocking, because frankly, I didn’t think you’d stoop that low. You’re going to make me sad now, Evelyn. I don’t want to see you debase yourself drastically.”

“I don’t need to explain myself to you.” I’m so over Edward and his crap. I don’t even care what he thinks anymore, but when I try to walk past him again, he grabs my forearm. It reminds me of last weekend, only this time there isn’t really anyone around to come to my rescue. I quickly glance over at the bartender but she’s playing on her phone. I’m sure if I yell she’d at least call the cops. Then again, Edward isn’t much of a fighter. She’s small, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she could take him herself anyway. She looks scrappy. I must have smiled at the thought.

“This isn’t a joke, Evelyn,” Edward hisses at me as his fingers dig into my arm. “I mentioned last week that there are deals that are hanging in the balance here. I don’t have time to train anyone else, and frankly, you dealt with some of these accounts personally, and they’re looking to have you come back. I can only make excuses for so long before I start to look bad. Don’t make me sue you.”

“For what?” I scoff.

“You left with key information about these accounts. Information that you neglected to record and took with you illegally. Perhaps wherever your new job is only took you in because you promised to give them inside information about VI.”

“That’s bullshit, Edward. You’re only mad because I was doing work outside of a regular EA. I was running accounts, and you were paying me an EA salary. You didn’t recognize the work I was doing until I left and now you realize how badly you fucked up and what you lost.”

Edward is staring at me, his thin lips pursed and green eyes narrowed. “Fine. You’re right. Come back and I’ll give you a proper title. You can help me hire a new EA and you can continue working with your old accounts, as well as new ones.”

I can’t deny the sense of satisfaction that flows through me now that he’s finally admitted my worth. As much as I want to be recognized for more than just being an assistant, there’s no way I’m going to go back to work for Edward even though I know it means having to prove myself somewhere else all over again.

“No, thank you. I’m happy where I am.”

“And where is that?” he snorts. “Are you cleaning houses? Stripping? If you want to move up in the world, Evelyn, then you need to work for a real company. I’m offering you a real job. You won’t get that anywhere else.”

“I already have a real job. At a big company doing what I was doing with you. Now let me go, or—”

I’m cut off as the front door to the club opens, flooding the dim atmosphere with sunlight that is then blocked by the frame of the big man that steps into the threshold and the other couple of men that are right behind him. Edward turns to look as well, and his reaction is the same as mine. “Shit, not this guy again,” he mutters.

Once the sunlight is blocked from behind, my eyes adjust and focus properly. I wish they had stayed obscured. Staring at both of us with a cold, angry stare is Bash.