Final Ride (Lords of Mayhem) (5 page)

Twelve gut-wrenching hours later, Rayen was stable, and Hawk
was done. Never again would he assume responsibility for another adult.

Yet here he was again, trying to protect another human
being.
This time will be different.
It was a chance to redeem himself,
and right a wrong that continued to haunt him.

Chapter Four

“Where are we going?” Hilary asked, eyeing Fancy
suspiciously as they followed the two prospects Magic and Tex out to an SUV.

“Shopping,” Fancy said as she glanced over at Summer and
exchanged a smirk.

“Why are you guys having a silent conversation right now? I
don’t like being left out of the loop,” Hilary said. It was like being a third
wheel. The two women were nothing like any of her friends, and they understood
this strange world she’d been sucked into. Dressed in a pair of worn jeans and
a plain black tank top, Hilary felt overdressed next to the girls who played up
their assets.

The two were beautiful. Fancy had milky white porcelain
skin, a thin frame, and silky chestnut hair that brushed her shoulder blades. Summer
was the exact opposite, with a mocha-latte-colored skin tone that set off her
blondish-brown curls and startling blue eyes. Their blue jeans shorts stopped
high on their thighs and both wore tiny Mayhem T-shirts. Summer rocked a pair
of black-lace up tennis shoes, and Fancy’s were a simple open-toe cork wedge.

“It’s nothing bad. We just know it’s not your…usual style,”
Summer said sweetly.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Fancy said.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with the way I dress,” Hilary
said looking down at her clothes. For the hundredth time she wished Juliette,
Joey or Evonne were with her. But she understood the need to remain separate
and keep things low-key. The men would never expect her to be with Fancy and
Summer. She’d tamed her locks with a straight iron and pulled the shoulder-length
hair back into a low ponytail that made her feel bared to the world. You never
realized how much identity rested in your hair until you made a drastic change.

“Not for normal people. But a Mayhem house mouse…” Fancy
shrugged.

“You have a killer body, Hil. We’ve been swimming with you
girls. You’re all curves and fifties pin-up-style soda bottle,” Summer said
gesturing with her hands. “Time to flaunt it.”

“I don’t want to flaunt it. I like to leave it up to the
imagination,” Hilary protested.

“Always mysterious,” Summer said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I think it’s the author in her. Aren’t all writers supposed
to be just a bit eccentric?” Fancy said.

“I resent that,” Hilary said laughing.

“She laughs!” Fancy threw her hands up in the air. “Life’s
too short to let the gears grind you down, babe. Trust me; I know. I want to
see you happy. If the other girls can find someone to hold on to in the midst
of all this bullshit, there has to be hope for us, right?”

“I sure hope so,” Summer whispered. Essentially she was a
house mouse on a larger scale, though Hilary had never asked about the debt she
was chipping away at.

“Enough gloominess, we’re going to spend money that doesn’t
belong to us on clothes and shoes. It’s a good day,” Fancy said with a
whimsical wave of her hand. Magic opened the back seat, and they piled in,
buckling their seat belts.

“First stop, the hairdresser for a consultation and appointment
setting,” Summer said.

Hilary winced, and fingered the ends of her silky strands. “That
scares me.”

“Don’t be scared of Donna. The woman we’re going to see is a
master at color, and with your skin tone, you can rock any shade you’d like,”
Fancy said.

“I think she’d be a hot redhead,” Summer said.

“Red,” Hilary said.

“Well not fire-engine red, but a subtle auburn maybe.” Fancy
narrowed her eyes. “Any shade of brown would be too close to the dark brown you
already have going, and black wouldn’t make you unrecognizable. Unless you want
to chop it off, you’ll have to go pretty drastic for it to make a difference.”

I feel like I’m trapped in makeover hell.

“You could always see if blondes have more fun,” Summer said
patting her hair. “I think they do.”

“No no, red. Red’s good,” Hilary said as images of her hair
breaking due to harsh bleaching danced in her head. Ten minutes later they
pulled into Style and Smiles. With its black sign and white rocker-style lettering,
it looked more like a tattoo parlor than a hair salon.

“I know it’s different, but in this instance, that’s a good
thing,” Summer said, placing a hand on Hilary’s shoulder.

“I’m an open book right now, huh?” Hilary said.

“No, just overwhelmed. We both know what that’s like, so we
want to help.” Fancy offered up a smile.

“You? That’s hard to imagine.” Hilary shook her head.

Fancy laughed. “Oh, I’ve gotten good at faking it. I had
years to adjust, same as Summer. You were pulled in by proxy.” The door opened
and they climbed down with Magic and Tex trailing them a few feet away.

“You guys are going to follow us all day?” Hilary said.

“Those are the orders. You guys just…do your girl thing and
ignore us,” Tex said. His Southern drawl made her smile. There really was
something to that Southern charm people spoke about.

“You’re so sweet, Tex,” Fancy said. Tex looked away and his
cheeks grew pink. She giggled and continued inside, turning away from him.

“So mean, Fancy,” Summer whispered.

“What? He’s adorable,” Fancy said.

The salon’s rock and roll theme continued inside with black-and-white-striped
walls, funky zebra-striped couches in the waiting area and a massive black
desk. The woman behind the counter wore a slinky black dress that reminded Hil
of the fifties. Her Betty Page bags cut straight across her heart-shaped face,
and the jet-black color stood out against her olive skin.

“Afternoon, girls, what can we do for you today?”

“Hey, Babs, we have an appointment our lovely lady here is
looking to go red.”

“I see it. Consultation with Donna at one o’clock?” Babs
said.

“Yep, that’s us.”

“Have a seat. I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Thanks,” Fancy said as they sat down. The boys stood a
short distance away, doing their best to blend into the background. They failed
miserably, but their obvious discomfort was amusing to watch. A few moments
later a blonde bombshell with full red lips, bright blue eyes, and a body she’d
poured into a fifties throwback flower-print dress strolled out.

“You girls always supply me with the prettiest canvases.”
She said, holding out her hand. “I’m Donna. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

Hilary stood and shook. “Hilary.”

“Well, Hilary, why don’t you follow me back to my chair and
we can talk.”

“That’d be great.” Donna’s friendly manner and big
personality immediately set Hilary at ease. It was clear to see she was into
fashion and beauty and enjoyed her job. They passed a wash area with the usual
sinks and black chairs, but the vintage dryers made her gasp. Turquoise blue
with a white stripe in the middle, they made her feel as if she’d entered a
time warp.

“I know, aren’t they gorgeous?” Donna asked, voice full of
pride.

“Yes. I love vintage pieces.”

“Me too. This shop was my way of bringing two of the things
I’m most passionate about together. As you could tell from the minute you
stepped inside. I just didn’t see giving my customers a boring experience. They
can get that anywhere. I want them to look forward to coming here.”

“Mission accomplished,” Hilary said, allowing herself to
enjoy the moment. If she didn’t think about the fact that her life was on the
line, this could be an exciting adventure. She’d been stuck in the same place
for a while. This could be her chance to break free.
And not get killed.
They walked over to a black chair with a white strip running down the middle. “Please
take a seat. If you don’t mind, can you remove your hair band? I’d like to get
a feel for the texture I’ll be dealing with so I can give you an accurate
rundown of your options.”

“Of course.” Hilary removed the black band, and Donna ran
her fingers through her thick tresses. “You have gorgeous hair. It’s thick and
extremely healthy, so that’s great. You’re a prime candidate for dye.”

“I’ve never done anything to my hair really, so the thought
terrifies me a bit.”

“No, don’t be afraid. Keep it moisturized, stick to one
color you touch up every six to eight weeks at the root, and you’ll be just
fine. When you get product happy or color change happy, that’s when things
usually start to go awry.”

“That makes me feel a lot better.”

“Good. That’s what I’m here for. Any questions you just go
ahead and ask. Going by your complexion, the fact that you have virgin hair,
and your texture I have a few shades in mind that won’t require a vigorous
upkeep routine. I can get a few hair samples if that sounds good to you.”

“That sounds wonderful; can we have my friends come back here
too?”

“Of course, I’ll let Babs know on my way to the sample
closet.” Donna flashed a smile and for the first time that day, Hilary felt at
ease.

A few moments later the girls came back. “You’re looking a
lot better now,” Summer said.

“Oh yeah, you guys were right. Donna is amazing,” Hilary
said.

“One day she’ll learn to trust us,” Fancy said, winking.

For the next fifteen minutes they pored over pieces of hair
and talked upkeep. They left the salon with an appointment for that Saturday
and a middle-of-the-road red shade daring enough to alter her appearance but
subtle enough for her to live with.

“Where to now?” Hilary said.

“Now we choose an ensemble to go with the hair,” Summer
said.

“Mayhem owns a few shops that specialize in clothing. We’re
going to head there and have free-for-all,” Fancy said.

“I didn’t know Mayhem ran a clothing business,” Hilary said,
impressed. It was a good place to hide their money. She wasn’t sure where they
got their cash, but it wasn’t all legal. They weren’t nine-to-five types, and
there was no way the club’s garages raked in the money they threw down on
things. The campsite alone where they stayed must’ve cost thousands to modify
to their specific needs.

“Yeah, they have their hands in a lot of different pies,”
Summer said. The distant look made Hilary think there was a story there.
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into a strip mall and parked in front of a
large store front called B.B. The large bold lettering had two Harleys on
either side.

“B.B?” Hilary asked.

“Biker Babes,” Fancy explained.

“Clever,” Hilary said smirking with a shake of her head.

They all exited the car with Magic and Tex leading the way.
The men walked up to the thin, strawberry-blonde girl behind the counter. A few
moments later she walked up to the front door, flipped the open sign to closed,
and locked the door.

“You ladies have run of the store. My name’s Charlotte. If
you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Thank you,” Hilary said, smiling her thanks as her gaze
swept over the store. She could describe the entire stock in three words—short,
clingy, and revealing.

“You look constipated; what’s going on upstairs?” Summer
said.

“I feel like I just walked in to Sluts R Us. No offense
meant at all. But I don’t think I wore anything this short, tight, or downright
brazen, even when I was in high school.”

“Did you just say brazen?” Summer said.

“Hello, author. She drops big words like they’re going out
of style,” Fancy said.

“I can hear you,” Hilary said snickering.

“We know. Look, we understand this isn’t your normal fare.
We’ll tone down the sexy as much as we can. But you, my friend, have to come
out of your shell,” Fancy said. Summer nodded her agreement.

“Shell? I’m not shy,” Hilary said.

“No, but you are closed off and a bit distant,” Summer said.
“You trusted us with your hair; do the same with your clothing.

Hilary took a deep breath.
Embrace the experience. At the
very least it could be good book fodder.
“Okay. I’m your canvas.”

* * * * *

Things were happening fast, and it had the boys nervous.
Hawk sat beside Tiny in the crowded church session. Tensions were high, and it
had the group of men acting like long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking
chairs, as his grandmother would say. They’d come up with a plan to take the
rest of the Peter’s crew down permanently, but it was unorthodox.

“Now I’m going to bring up something and I want everyone to
keep an open mind,” Tiny said.

Here we go.
Hawk sat up in his chair.

“We found the rest of those motherfuckers. We could kill
them, but I don’t like the thought of it somehow coming back around to us. Two
was enough. People with money have a way of being relentless. They leave no
stone unturned, and there’s always someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands
dirty for the right price.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Shooter asked.

“We cut off their money flow and send them to jail,” Tiny
said.

“Wait, the legal route? How in the hell do you expect to
pull that off?” Maverick said.

“The paper trail is there. If we get the victims on board,
they’ll put these assholes under the jail for us. Human trafficking, murder
when the girls wanted to leave or got used up.Now, that’d mean getting
the librarian and Hilary on the stand. We need them to be the glue. Juliette
has to be willing to take the stand and talk to the victims along with Hilary.
As long as these men are free, all of these woman will remain in danger. We’re
doing them a favor as much as they’d be doing the same for us.

Murmurs went up in the space. Tiny held up a hand. “I know
it’s not our usual style, but it leaves us with clean hands. That’s what
matters. We’d be seen as protection only. Nothing new for an M.C. really.”

“And you think this would work?” Shooter said.

“With the dirt we have on them, no lawyer in America is
going to get them off,” Tiny said.

“And how does Hil feel about this?” Moose said narrowing his
eyes.