I give her a kiss. “It’ll be quick. We’ll both be home before you know it.”
“I guess I could make potato soup tonight.”
“Love that shit, baby.” I kiss her again and then pat her on the butt before she retreats into the house.
Abel climbs in the passenger side of the truck. “There’s not another woman in the world like Chelsea, is there?”
There’s definite longing in his voice. Not for her specifically but for a woman who understands the lifestyle, accepts it without question. I
t’s hard to find a woman like that.
“She’s one of a kind,” I admit.
“How many others would just give you a kiss goodbye like you were going to the office instead of disposing of a dead body and probably going to cut a few others?”
“Not many,” I says. “But there are others. Pippa. Annie.”
“Yeah, I guess.” His tone isn’t convincing.
I don’t really know how to respond because this is outside of my comfort zone. I’m down with talking about fucking, drinking, shooting but feelings? Unless it’s with Chelsea, then no on the feelings.
“What do you think of Big?” I say in an effort to change the conversation.
Abel obliges me. “Straight shooter. It’s why I’m not convinced Junior’s messed up in this but he’s definitely hiding something.”
“We can’t make a move on Moose without either taking Junior out or letting him know.”
“I vote for laying it out there. We’re going to have to take Moose out so we might as well give Junior a chance to save himself. Big is…he’s a good guy. You sensed it or you wouldn’t have let him touch Chelsea. I don’t see a guy like Big aligning himself with someone who’s sick.”
“Let me call Judge and run it by him.”
In the end Judge agrees with Abel. If Junior objects to us taking Moose out then he’ll have to go too. And for all intents and purposes the Misery MC will cease.
“Besides, we need Big to help us get rid of Fuckface back there. No quarry here,” Abel notes after I hang up.
The quarry is the place we do our business back in Fortune. Plenty of rock and rock crushing machines. Refineries are good too, though.
“Good point.”
22
CHELSEA
“How about that table over there.” Mandy points to a table on the other side of the bar, near the far side of the dance floor.
“Where’s the pool tables?” I ask. Grant’s going to want to play pool. He’d do most anything for me but dancing isn’t one of them. The only place he’s willing to rotate his hips is in the bedroom.
After following Moose and taking care of Paulson, Grant decided he wanted to see the Misery crew in action, try to loosen some people up with the help of alcohol. And he felt that it needed to be away from the Misery clubhouse. Using me as an excuse, Grant got the name of this bar as a place the group liked going to. I invited Mandy because I felt she had information about the Misery boys even if she didn’t know it.
“They’re in the back room but I want to dance, don’t you?”
Not really but I also wanted to interrogate her so I nod. “Let me tell Grant, though, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll go claim the table.”
Grant had made a bee line to the bar to get us drinks when we walked in and saw the line was three deep for beer. I watch as he, Abel, Junior, Big and the other Misery boys cleave the bar line in half. They don’t really shoulder anyone out of the way, but their size, leathers, and maybe air of general menace has the polo-wearing boys backing up. They get their beers and start in my direction. Mandy appears by my side. “God, they are hot. Every time I’m out with Riot, I forget why we broke up. He was good in the sack too.”
“He’ll get a job. If you love him, stick with him. It’s hard to find a good man, even harder to find one that loves you back.”
She tucks a wayward hair behind her ear. “I can’t handle the rollercoaster with him. One minute he’s up and the other he’s down. I’ve got bills to pay. Besides there is no shortage of women around those guys.”
She nods toward the men whose progress toward the pool room has stalled because a group of girls have approached and are flirting with them. Most of the guys, including Abel, are single which is why I don’t run over and yank their extensions out for talking to my man—even though I’d like to. If one of them lays a hand on Grant, all bets are off.
“I want something steady,” Mandy continues. “And Riot isn’t steady. None of those Misery boys are. They are wild and hot but not good for you. Take Moose, for example. He’s got two sisters but they both have to work two jobs while he rides around on his motorcycle all the time. Sometimes they have money but most of the time, they’re mopping up after him. Doesn’t help that his youngest sister got sick too.”
“What do you mean sick?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t cancer or anything like that. I think it had to do with her lungs. Anyway, she was really sick but they don’t have insurance so she didn’t go to the doctor. The crud she had didn’t go away and eventually they took her to a free clinic. I don’t remember the diagnosis at the time but she had to be admitted to the hospital. There was this awful shouting match between Moose and Junior. Moose was demanding to know how they were going to pay for medical bills if they didn’t take a certain job and Junior said they’d find a way.” She pauses and flicks more of her hair back.
“What kind of job?” This information is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to find out by inviting Mandy out with us.
“Don’t know. Riot hustled me out of there and told me it was club business. That’s another thing I don’t like. They’re so damn secretive. Is your man like that?”
“There’s some stuff I don’t want to know.” I answer. Club business belongs between the members.
“What about the women? You don’t want to know about that either?”
“Did Riot cheat on you? Is that why you broke it off? Because if he did, that’s shitty and I’m sorry.”
She rolls her eyes. “Who knows? What goes on at the club stays at the club. So yeah, it’s good for free drinks and there’s a ton of hot guys there but I know that they’re only good time guys. One night, one bang, and that’s all they got in them.”
Not Grant and not Abel either, I think. I’m not naive enough to think that no one in the Death Lords cheats. The Warlord, BangBang and his wife have had some rocky times although I don’t really know what that is all about. But Judge would cut his dick off before he’d step out on Pippa and I know that Grant would never have sex with anyone but me. From the moment he took my virginity he was mine and I was his.
“Not all of them,” I say watching as Grant breaks free of the pack and ambles toward me. Suddenly I don’t want to dance with Mandy. Even though it is cold outside, the girls in here are dressed in skimpy dresses and tiny tops. I feel overdressed in my skinny jeans and bandage top. At least I have a nick rack, I think.
“You look fierce.” Grant hands me a beer and then leans in to brush a kiss against my cheek. “Something wrong?”
“I was thinking about how all these women might have to go home without their fingers after I’m done chopping them off for touching you.” I’m only half joking.
This elicits a big laugh from Grant. “Yep, fierce. There are pool tables in the back. You coming or you want to dance?”
He knows I haven’t been to a club like this before and it’s nice that he’s willing to stick around near the dance floor when I know he wants to be in the back shooting the shit with the boys. Plus we’re both on an information gathering expedition.
“Mandy and I are going to shake our groove thing.” I give him a slight push toward the back room so he knows it’s okay to leave me.
“No dirty dancing because I’m still on parole and I’m not allowed to maim anyone for another three hundred or so days.”
“I promise to be on my best behavior,” I wave for him to skedaddle.
“That’s what I’m worried about.” He gives me a wink and then follows Abel and the rest of the guys into the back room. Riot, Mandy’s ex, brings up the rear. I can tell he’s dawdling hoping for an invitation to stay but Mandy turns away and stares out at the dance floor.
Riot’s face falls and he shuffles toward the pool tables.
“You should be careful. Guys aren’t big on the whole jealousy thing. Play it easier with him next time,” she cautions.
I remind myself I’m trying to make new friends, not new enemies and don’t
correct her. Instead, I grab her hand and pull her onto the dance floor. It’s the one thing I think we have in common. Mandy throws up her arms and begins to shake her hips. The dance floor works its magic and pretty soon Mandy is smiling and giggling. Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo comes on and Mandy starts singing the words and pointing at me, “I want you to want me,” she screams at the top of her lungs. We whirl like we’re giddy and not a little drunk even though I’ve only had one sip of my beer and Mandy’s had none. We dance hard for three more bass thumping songs until Sheeren’s Thinking Out Loud starts playing.
A couple of guys look to approach but I shake my head and they back off. Mandy screws up her face. “Don’t scare off all the guys,” she yells into my ear.
“Sorry,” I say completely unrepentant. The last thing I want is for Grant to get in a fight because some guy put his hands on me.
“Fine, let’s get some shots.” She grabs a waitress carrying a tray of Jello shots and decked out in glow stick necklaces. “We’ll take two.” Mandy holds up two fingers.
“$10,” the waitress says plucking off one small shot and then another. I peer into the white paper cup. It’s definitely not worth five bucks.
“Put it on the tab of the guys in the back,” Mandy jerks her head toward the pool room.
“Doesn’t work that way. You need to pay me now,” the waitress says.
“I don’t have $10.” Mandy retorts. “Put it on the tab.”
“Here,” I pull a twenty out of my purse. I don’t want a scene. The waitress gives me ten ones in return and then waits. Oh right. A tip. I give her four dollars which she stuffs in her pocket and leaves without another word.
“God, this place,” Mandy moans. “Let’s go see Riot. I don’t want to pay for another drink and this shot is not going to tide me over all night.”
I stand at the edge of the dance floor and watch her walk away. I can’t get a handle on her. It’s not like I’m a big fan of Riot. I hardly know him and I sense that she’s been hurt before, if not by Riot, some other guy. But I’m not going to like her much if she’s using him.
“Did your friend abandon you?” a deep voice says from behind me.