“Well, as I live and breathe, how is it that Creedence Clearwater is standing at my door after all these years?”  Aunt Kim said the words with more sarcastic disapproval than Creed cared to think about right now.  But he smiled, damn she still looked the same, strawberry blonde hair, held up in a messy bun with a pencil.  Sweet face, covered in a thick coat of make-up including her bright red signature lipstick and a huge mischievous grin.  Damn it hit him hard how much he had missed her in his life.

“Hey, Aunt Kim, listen I’m sorry I haven’t been around—" 

“Oh, just stop right there, no need to tell me some tale that’s only half-truths and downright lies.  When did you get out?”

Creed blushed and ran his hand down his face, trying to hide his embarrassment.  Man, she made it sound like he had just gotten out of prison, instead of the service.  His Aunt Kim was his favorite aunt, but she was also a straight shooter.  She didn’t believe in letting things go unsaid, which meant he was in for it.  Creed knew damn well he should have gotten in touch with her at least once if not more over the years.  He had been out of the service for three years now but when he gave up his commission, he’d wanted to stay away from his past and this place more than he wanted to reconnect.  Which, now that he thought about it, was a pretty shitty thing to do.  His aunt had never done anything but be there for him and his brother.  Hell, if it weren’t for her, he would have never seen a drive-in movie or smoked his first joint.  Again, probably not a great thing for an aunt to teach her nephew, but Kim was only ten years older than him, and she was wild.  His parents on the other hand had been hard, strict as fuck and completely self-absorbed.   Aunt Kim was everything they weren’t, loving, sweet and fun.  She gave Creed and his brother an outlet from the oppression they lived day in and day out.   

He would bet his last dollar, that she was still a permanent fixture at the local biker bars.  She liked to call herself a sweet butt with class.  Which meant she did what and who she wanted, when she wanted.  It was also a great way for her to know exactly what was going on in Hazard and the surrounding towns.  Creed wouldn’t call her nosy, just very observant, something she had taught him to be as a little boy.  She would say, always know what’s going on around you because you never know when you’re going to need that information to get your ass out of hot water. 

Creed faltered, looking down at his feet, shifting one to the other.  One thing he wasn’t with his Aunt Kim was a badass.  She could give him a look, and he was right back to being ten years old all over again. 

“Aunt Kim, listen, I’m sorry, I’ve been out for a while, and I just let the wind take me from place to place, you know how it is.” 

“Hmm, you know,” Aunt Kim said, putting her finger up to her chin, “I should either box your ear or break that old johnny stick over your overgrown ass for not giving me a call and letting me know you’re alright.  But I get it, Creedence, I just hope you found what you needed on that ride.  Now come on in here and give me a kiss.”  Aunt Kim held out her arms and Creed instantly stepped into them hugging her up tight and lifting her off the ground. 

“Missed you, Aunt Kim.”  He knew she was feeling the same way because of the crack in her voice when she said, “I missed you too, Dolly.”  Damn, it had been so many years since he had heard that nickname, he hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear it.  His Aunt Kim called all of the children in her family Dolly.  It wasn’t masculine in the least, but none of them minded.  It was just her, being her, letting him know exactly how precious he was to her and it was special. 

“Get your ass in here, I was just starting breakfast.  We can sit down and eat, and you can tell me what’s really going on,” she said, pulling back and slapping him on the shoulder, sporting a mischievous grin.   

Creed just winked at her and said, “We’ll see. Now, feed me, old lady, or I might just starve to death standing in your doorway.”  Aunt Kim laughed and started to walk away. Creed followed her and was immediately assaulted with the color Red.  The walls were red, the rug on the floor was red and so were the curtains.  “Whoa, Aunt Kim, looks like you’ve redecorated since the last time I was here,” Creed said, trying very hard to keep the wince out of his voice.  The room was hideous. 

“Becky said I needed to be more modern and apparently red is modern,” Aunt Kim waved him off again, still heading for the kitchen. “That is the last time I let that heifer in my house unattended.  I’ve been living with that nightmare for months.  Modern, my ass, it looks like a fucking murder scene gone wrong in there.”  Creed laughed, his Aunt Kim and Becky argued like there was no tomorrow, but they were also best friends.  He wouldn’t have put it past Becky to have done that shit on purpose for something Aunt Kim had done to her. 

Creed almost sighed in relief when the kitchen was just the same as the last time he’d seen it.  She had made some improvements—it looked like she had gotten new appliances—but the soft yellow walls, dark hardwood floors, and gleaming white countertops were still the same.  The other thing that was the same much to Creeds delight were the two cast iron pans sitting on the stove.  Creed instantly started to drool. Damn, he’d missed the smell of Aunt Kim’s, cooking.  He could almost taste the freshly baked biscuits, sausage gravy, and fried potatoes and they weren’t even in front of him, but he remembered.   When she fixed him a plate and brought him over a plate, filled to overflowing, Creed had to force himself not to hoover it.  He did have some manners at least in his Aunt’s house because she hadn’t been joking about boxing his ear or using that johnny stick.  Aunt Kim hadn’t expected much but manners were expected.

After his second plate, he noticed that Aunt Kim hadn’t said a word and looked up at her.  Creed could have done thirds, but he figured by the way she was staring at him, sipping her coffee, and tapping her nail on the table his time was up, another thing Aunt Kim wasn’t, was patient.  A trait they shared. 

“So, are you just riding around being a free agent or are you looking for something particular?”

“I was close by and figured I could hook up with Shake, might be interested in joining a Club.  Been thinking about it for a while now.”

“And you think Shake’s fucked up band of boys are the ones you should be hitching your horse to?”

“Like I said, I’m just checking things out and seeing if it works for me.  The road gets lonely and I got a craving for your homecookin’, never could resist it”

“Mm-hmm, why aren’t you checking out the RBMC or even the Renegades, they seem more like your kind of people.”

Creed almost choked on his coffee when his aunt mentioned the RBMC.  He should have known better, they were his type of people, and his aunt knew him well.  Fuck, if she knew he was already patched with the Defiance chapter, she would have been down there to party with him and all the other guys.  That didn’t stop him from needing to get with his cousin.  Shake was a slimy fucker, never did a damn thing in his life except for mooch off other people.  He was also a mean drunk and one of the biggest liars Creed had ever met.  But he was good at convincing people to do what he wanted, and Creed planned on using that skill pretty damn soon.   

Things had been fucked up with the RBMC lately—women getting hurt, missions getting canceled or fucked up for no reason.  It felt like someone was getting sloppy or the cancer running through the club was deeper than anyone expected.  Creed didn’t know which but he wanted to find out. 

Hell, the Vulture’s had even taken over the Clubhouse for a short period of time, putting his brothers on their knees.  That shit should have never happened, shouldn’t have been possible.  The RBMC were the biggest and baddest around with only a couple of club having the same numbers, rank and firepower.  The also had state of the art security because of the nature of their business and contracts, something outside world knew nothing about. 

Traitors and cowards, bigwigs, and fucking politicians, it was turning into a bad soap opera as far as Creed was concerned.  But he wouldn’t stop until the massive target on their backs was taken care of, which was the main reason he was here.  The other reason, Creed had a little side business to take care of, mainly the bitch who had been with his brother when he died. 

He wanted to know exactly what had happened and who was responsible, so he could dish out his own kind of justice.  The bullshit excuse and explanation he got while he was overseas didn’t cut it.  He could ask his aunt, but he didn’t want her involved in any of this.  So, Sherry, it was.  He didn’t give two shits what happened to that woman.  She’d been bad news for his brother since the moment they met.  Creed had tried to warn him, but the asshole had been in love.  Creed knew he’d been in love with the sex and the drugs she continually provided him.  As long as he had cash in his pocket, Sherry was a happy girl which meant John was a happy guy.  Once the funds ran dry, she hit up the next dude on her list.  John was just too stupid to figure out what everyone else had already seen and it may have costed him his life.  If he could do that while still getting information on the Vultures, he figured it was a win-win for everyone. 

His aunt was still staring, that damn finger still tapping away.  Looked like he’d waited too long to answer her question, but Creed knew what to do. 

“Yeah, like I said, I’m just looking at all my options.  I plan on meeting up with the other Clubs, too.  Frankie’s on the east side is still neutral right?  Maybe we can go and have a drink there while I’m here, you could introduce me around.  I’ll even buy the drinks, Creed said smiling bigger.  Might even buy one for the guy you made this breakfast for?”

“You’re still a cheeky fucker,” his Aunt Kim smiled. “Glad to see that hasn’t changed.  Now, what makes you think I cooked this breakfast,” she said waving her hand over the empty plates and continued, “for someone in particular.  I could have just been having a craving for some fried potatoes, and you can’t have them without all the other fixings.”

“You used to make us fried potatoes for dinner all the time,” Creed laughed, “with nothing else. Said we needed the carbs to grow big and strong.”

“What can I say, I’ve matured in my old age.  Haven’t you heard carbs are bad for you?”

Creed heard someone moving around in the back of the house.  They weren't loud, but they weren’t exactly quiet either.  His aunt’s house was built in the early seventies, and just like every other house in the cookie cutter neighborhood, it had been cheaply built.  Paper thin walls and barely any insulation.  The floors squeaked, and the doors on all the rooms were hollow core.  Which meant he could clearly hear whoever it was.  He also noticed his Aunt had heard them too and was trying to shut him up.  Interesting. 

Creed kept laughing, “Oh, please, what did you use to say?”

“Creedence!” She warned.

“No, wait, I’ll think of it, give me a second,” Creed said laughing as a tall man in a business suit came around the corner.  He instantly sized him up as a non-threat.  He was around five foot eight, he looked bulky under his tight rumpled clothes but if Creed had to guess, it wasn’t from working out.  He also had that soft, I work in an office and haven’t ever done anything beyond play football in high school, look to him.  He figured his aunt must be trying something new because this dude didn’t look like anyone he’d ever seen her date before.  The fact that he had apparently stayed over, and she was feeding him though showed the dude, meant something to her.  Aunt Kim’s back was to the guy, otherwise, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t have continued talking.

“Creedence Fogerty Clearwater, you better shut your mouth, right now.”

Creed couldn’t resist egging her on just a little bit, it had been too long.  He also wanted to see how the guy would react.  She might be his aunt, but she was always more like an older sister.  Which meant he got to tease her as much as he wanted; if it were him, she wouldn’t hesitate.  Pay back was always a bitch

“Oh, I remember, Maturity is for women that don’t know how to use—”

“CREED!”

The guy standing behind his aunt cleared his throat, and Creed started laughing all over again at the deep shade of red his aunt was turning.  Creed was still smiling when she got up and kissed the guy on the cheek and brought him closer to the table, showing him to an empty seat. 

“Ben, I would like to introduce you to my worst nephew, Creed.”

The fucker sat down and started chastising his aunt. Creed instantly didn’t like the him.  He

“Kim, I have a meeting at ten, you should have woken me up.”

What surprised him was she was taking it, saying, “I’m sorry.  I guess I lost track of time with Creed showing up.  Here,” she said, turning around and quickly filling a plate bringing it to the man and placing it in front of him. 

The fucker took one bite, pushed the plate away, and said, “You know I can’t eat this shit cold.  The grease just sits on my tongue.”

Creed expected his aunt to explode, but she offered to make him something else, flooring him.  He could swear he was sitting at the table with his mouth hanging open.  He waited a couple of seconds, and when she offered another apology, Creed had enough.  Getting up from the table, he grabbed the man’s arm and dragged him out of the chair. 

“Now, listen here, asshole, I don’t know who the fuck you are, and I don’t give a shit, but you will never speak to my Aunt like that when I’m around.”  

The asshole looked up at him with a sneer on his face, and Creed decided that was it.  The fucker must be stupid, Creed was a good ten inches taller and outweighed him by about seventy pounds, and his pounds were pure fucking muscle.  Creed firmed his grip on his arm, hoping the asshole would get a clue because Creed didn’t want to destroy his Aunt’s kitchen mopping it with his face.   The fucker looked like a fish out of water.  Opening and closing his mouth in rapid succession.  Like he had the right or will to say something to Creed.

Creed warned, “think before you talk, mother fucker.”

Creed hadn’t expected his Aunt to grab hold of his arm, trying to pull him away, begging him to let the guy go.  All Creed could think was what the hell?  Creed did let go, but he pushed the guy toward the back door, reaching forward to open it, then pushed him all the way out, the fucker still doing the fish routine with is mouth, Creed ignored it.  When Creed slammed the door in his face, he rounded on his Aunt.  The two of them engaging in a staring contest neither would win.

“You’re going to explain this, right fucking now,” he said in a slow and quiet voice.

When the asshole started pounding on the door, Creed turned, opened the door and glared at the man, “You touch this door one more time, and I’m not going to be so nice.  Get the fuck out here on your own on or a stretcher, your choice.”  Creed slammed the door again and turned on his Aunt.

“You’re going to start talking, or should I go out there and beat the mother fucker like he deserves?”

“You don’t understand,” Creed’s aunt glared at him, her hands on her hips.

“Oh, now you have a backbone, but when that asshole was talking down to you in your own kitchen, all you could do is apologize and shit.  What the fuck Aunt Kim?”

“It’s none of your business, stay out of it Creedence.  You haven’t been around in years, you have no right to judge me or what goes on in my house.” 

Creed watched as she stormed over to the counter and grabbed a piece of paper, holding it out to him.  He could figure out what was going on.  Walking to her he took the paper, still pissed off at what he’d witnessed.  Looking down, he saw a number. Looking back at her, he didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to because Aunt Kim seemed to have a lot to say.

“That’s Shake’s number; if you can’t reach him there because he didn’t pay his damn bill, you can find him at the Shack around three o’clock. He’s there every day.  Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”

“You're kicking me out because I got rid of that piece of trash?” Creed demanded, gritting his teeth.

“No, I’m kicking you out because you can’t keep your damn mouth shut and your hands to yourself.  You don’t have the right to kick someone out of my house.  I decide who comes and goes, and right now, that’s you!”  Kim screamed, pointing toward the front of the house. 

“Fine,” Creed yelled back, “I’ll leave, but you can bet your ass, I’ll be back and if that fucker is here, I’ll do the same damn thing.”  Creed took four steps before he turned back around and grabbed his aunt in a hug. “Aunt Kim, I’m sorry, but damn, you can’t want that, please say you don’t want that.”

“Dolly, things aren’t always as they seem, you know that better than anyone. Just let it go, okay?”

“I’ll go for now, but I can’t let that shit go, Aunt Kim.  You mean more to me then that as long as I have a breath in my body no one will treat you like that, understand?”

His aunt pulled back, looked him straight in the eye and said, “You need to let me handle this, Creed. Now, please, just head out, and we can talk later, okay?”

Creed nodded his head and walked out of the house, not saying another word, but once he got on his bike, he was seething.  He could tell by the look in his aunt’s eyes that she was in trouble, and he was determined to find out why.  He revved his bike and hit the throttle, sending stones and dirt flying and didn’t let up until he hit the freeway.  Fuck, just what he needed, another problem.