“Hey boss, what can we do for you?” Dante asks, answering the phone. The pair have been married for two years now and they are the best cleaners in the business.
“I’ve got two bodies in Goran that need to be disposed of. 8725 Trenton Avenue. I also need my bike brought back to the clubhouse, but it’ll need to be towed. I have the keys.”
“No problem.”
“There is also a witness that needs to be found. Gerlinde Dietrich. Find her and bring her to the clubhouse as well.
“You got it. Anything else?”
“No. Thank you.”
My next call is to the president of the Endless Knights, Jared, as is protocol for an unsanctioned death. He said we’d discuss it later. At least he wasn’t pissed.
I take my girl and her brothers to my house.
This was the most eventful day I’ve had in a long time. I never thought I’d meet the love of my life and rescue her all in the same day, but fuck am I glad that I did.Later, I leave Rachelle and her brothers at my house to get to Church. Pres sent a probie to pick me up so I can bring my bike home. Sliding into my seat at the head table, I laugh when Jared punches me in the arm.
“What the hell man? You killed the mayor of Goran. You do know that right?” he says sitting down next to me.
“Yeah, I knew that. He gave me no choice. He was going to kill my girl and I wouldn’t allow that.”
“Your girl? You didn’t have a girl yesterday,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I met her this morning. Believe me, I know it’s insane, but she’s everything.”
“No. No. I get it. Can’t wait to meet her. She old lady material?”
“Better than that,” I say.
“Well, well. How the mighty fall.”
“Don’t you have a meeting to run, Pres?”
“Yes. I do.” He moves over to his seat and calls the meeting to order. “Jekyll, read the minutes from last time,” he says gruffly.
“Sure thing, Pres. Last week we discussed a charity ride to Wyoming and the murder of Tommy Dobbins. Fucker died still owing thirty-six thousand dollars. We left it up in the air about whether or not we were going to go after Alexis Dobbins, his sister and next of kin for the debt.”
“I will be doing that,” Pres says, surprising us. “No one else will touch or talk to her without my permission. Is that understood?”
Yeses go up around the room. “Also, Misty Keene wants a meeting with Veep. She called me this morning.”
“Misty?” Kyle “Hangman” Lachlan says from his place to the right of Pres.
“Yes. Says she has something important to tell you. I am supposed to give you her number to arrange it.”
“I’ll take it and set a meeting. I’ll get back to you on what she wants.”
“Very good. Any other new business?”
“No. I think we are good,” I say.
“Bullshit. Tell us about your old lady so she is on the record and protected.”
“Her name is Rachelle Deitrich, age eighteen. Also three little brothers, Flynn, seven, Ryder, six, and Levi, five. They are under my protection and I’d like to extend the protection of the club to them. Their father was killed this afternoon and their mother ran.”
“Protection so ordered. Anyone else?” Everyone shakes their heads no. “Fine. Probie 2 will be passing out a dossier on our next hit. The target is Silvio Margolis. His wife, Louanne, found him cheating and he beat the shit out of her. This is pro-bono, so Ledger will take care of paying the enforcers with petty cash. Any questions?”
“How do you want us to do this?” Miles, our lead enforcer asks.
“Dealers choice. Louanne wants him to suffer and murder will cash out his pitiful life insurance policy for her and their sons.”
“No problem. The bloodier the better.”
“Okay that’s all I have. Meeting adjourned. Miles, Pierre stay behind please.”
Everyone files out into the bar area and I grab my bike brought back by the cleaners and head home. To the home that isn’t just a house anymore. All the lights are on and Black Sabbath is playing on the stereo system. Rachelle is standing by the stove, singing, and stirring something that smells amazing. Her hair is in a knot at the nape of her neck. How heavy that must be for her. She has so much hair. Her brothers are sitting at the counter singing along with her. I set my keys down on the counter and that alerts the quartet that I’m home.
“Ledger!” Rider shouts, jumping down from the barstool and running towards me. He stops short of hugging me, unsure of what I’d do. I reach out and close the distance between us. The other boys follow suit.
Rachelle watches us with tears in her eyes. She sure cries a lot and I don’t like it.