Chapter Twenty-Four
Van
As I walk up to security, a man in uniform narrows his eyes at me, while a woman in the same uniform sends me a flirty smile. Looking closely at her, I realize I know her, know her inside and out. She may spend her days being a security guard at the jailhouse, but she spends her downtime trolling the local bars, looking for a walk on the wild side. I lift my chin in her direction before walking through the metal detectors.
“I need you to step over here.” The man decides to play asshole, pulling me to the side for a pat down.
This dickhead has been working here for years, giving all the brothers a hard time each time we walked through the door. He doesn’t like the club, doesn’t understand what Riot MC is about. Because of that, he makes our lives a living hell every time we walk through the door. Considering at least one of us is usually wasting away in a cell, that happens a fucking lot.
“Hold your arms out and spread your legs wide,” he orders, puffing his chest out like he’s cock of the block.
When he finds nothing on his first go, he starts the process over again. This time, he sticks his hands in my pockets and runs them between my legs in his search for contraband. How the fuck I’m supposed to get anything through a plane of shatterproof glass, I’ll never know. I roll my eyes when he brushes over my cock, trying to keep from reaching out and grabbing the asshole by the throat.
Looking him in the eyes, I make sure he sees that I have had enough. “For future reference, I don’t swing that way. If you’ve gotta play with my cock just to search me, I’d rather have your sidekick do the job.”
“Whatever,” he mumbles, finally stepping back. “You’re clear.”
“Take a seat at the last cubicle. Mr. Cash will be out in just a minute,” the woman says with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
I do as she says, crossing my feet and leaning back in the chair. It takes a couple minutes, but he finally appears on the other side of the glass and sits down. I look him over really quick, not seeing any signs of trouble. More than once, our brothers have found themselves on the wrong side of the guards. Glad to see that hasn’t happened with Tito. He picks up the phone receiver next to him, and I do the same.
“I thought you had better things to do than visit my ass. Pretty sure I made that clear before I started wearing this orange suit,” he says, his eyes speaking volumes.
I know Tito is referring to me protecting Ronni, so I give him the information he needs. “Brass is doing those better things right now.”
He slowly nods, letting out a relieved breath. “How're the girls?”
Both of us know not to mention Ronni’s name, not here. There are too many fucking people listening. Everything we are saying is recorded, and that recording could be bought for enough money. Considering Benny Gillespie has a million dollars on the line, he’d probably be more than willing to pay to listen to our conversation.
“Cline is hanging out with her uncle Brass today,” I say, letting him know about one of his girls, then go on to the other. “She’s made a new best friend. The two of them are attached at the hip. They were making a pie when I left the house.”
“I knew my granddaughter had good taste,” Tito says, a satisfied smile on his face.
Where Mom didn’t have shit to do with Cline, Tito is her gramps. He spoils her fucking rotten, making sure she knows how much he loves her. As much as I hate it for Dad, I know, when he gets out, he will always come in second to Tito in Cline’s eyes.
I figure there’s no need in beating around the bush. Might as well go on and talk about what brought me here. “That thing you had been waiting for finally got delivered. We’re keeping it safe until you get home.”
“Took them a bit longer to deliver than I thought it would. I hope it’s still in one piece,” he says, letting me know he knows what we are talking about.
Thinking about Miles’ bruised and battered body, I answer honestly. “The box was a little beat up, but I don’t think anything is broken.”
He nods, waiting for me to say more. I run through my mind, trying to decide what to bring up next. My mother’s face flashes in my mind, making the decision for me. Just as well to get this shit out of the way.
“Your roommate is causing problems. She’s making a fucking mess, spreading trash far and wide,” I attempt to explain. Within seconds, I see realization flash in his eyes.
I can see the question on his face before he asks. “Has anyone complained?”
I know what he’s asking. He wants to know if she has caused any problems for the club. She hasn’t, but she will if this shit isn’t stopped now.
“You remember that new chick, the one who moved to town a few weeks ago?” I say, knowing he will understand I’m talking about Ronni. “Your roommate showed up at her house and acted like a fucking lunatic. I’m thinking, if you don’t kick her ass out, there’s gonna be problems between the two of them.”
His body visibly shakes, letting me know he is pissed as hell. “I told that bitch not to go anywhere near her.”
Knowing he is too angry to watch what he says, I lean forward and tap on the glass. “Your roommate doesn’t listen well. You know that is true. I think it may be a good idea if I evict her for you.”
“Yeah, go on and tell her she has to go,” he agrees, trying to control his temper. “I want her ass out of my house by the end of the day.”
I let out a relieved breath, glad to have one less problem to worry about. I can’t wait to kick Mom’s ass to the curb. It’s going to be my pleasure to jerk her cut off. The bitch doesn’t deserve to be wearing Riot MC colors. Thinking about Mom’s old lady cut makes me think of Ronni wearing one. I told myself I was going to wait to tell Tito about Ronni and me. Sitting here, I know I can’t wait a minute longer.
“I’m claiming an old lady, already did really,” I announce, not giving myself time to think twice about my words. “She’s someone you know really well. She’s the new girl in town, the one your roommate is giving hell.”
I’m surprised as shit when a smile spreads across his face. He doesn’t say anything for a long minute, just sits back and grins my way. After a minute, he moves his face toward the glass and loses his smile.
“I hope you know how important this decision is. If it ends badly, it could fuck up your whole life,” he says, his voice holding a hint of a threat.
I lean forward, too, looking him in the eye. “This is the most important thing I have ever done in my life. No fucking way am I gonna let it end badly.”
My words seem to appease him as he nods. “No doubt in my mind you chose well. Also, I think she chose well, too.”
I keep my mouth shut, expecting him to say more. When he doesn’t, I let my lips tip up and lean back in my chair. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. The thought of pissing Tito off has weighed me down. I’m not scared of him, not scared of anyone, but I didn’t want to disappoint him.
“My little vacation turned out good,” I say, moving the conversation to our next topic. “I think I got all the relaxation I needed. Even met a few new friends who are ready to take my next vacation with me.”
“You can never have too many friends.” Tito nods, letting me know that he understands I’m talking about our trip to Tennessee. “Make sure you let your friends know, I’ll be there to help plan your next vacation.”
“They already know,” I say, running my hand over my mustache.
I try to think of a way to tell him about Erin without mentioning the phones. I can’t bring her down without his permission, but I don’t want to wait until he gets home. I want to see if she can do what we need. If she can, that will be one less thing for me to worry about.
“I may have a new roommate soon. I’m still thinking about it; it’s a big step.” I pick my words carefully. “She’s supposed to be a whiz with the computer. I hope, by having her around, she may be able to help with a little technical problem I’m having.”
As I finish my sentence, I look to the side and see the male guard glaring at me. He obviously knows that we are talking about something that we don’t want anyone to know about. If anyone with half a brain listened to our conversation, they’d know the same thing. As long as they don’t understand the meaning behind our words, it doesn’t matter one fucking bit.
“Do I know her?” Tito asks, drawing my attention back to him.
“You know her. She’s a friend of a friend,” I say with a slow nod. “You’ve mentioned her name a time or two, talked about how she worked on computers.”
I can tell when the light bulb clicks, and Tito catches on to what I’m saying. He may not realize exactly what I want her for, but he has a pretty good idea. He said himself that the bitch is a fucking genius with technical shit.
“What do you think of the idea? Should I get a new roommate?” I ask, hoping he agrees with me.
He nods, leaning back in his chair again. “It’s your house right now. If you think it’s a good idea, then go for it.”
Tito has been inside a time or two since I took the VP patch. Each time, he says the same thing. I’m in charge, and there is no need to run everything by him. I still come to him with important shit, knowing he deserves to have his input.
“Hopefully, she’ll be here by the weekend.” I’m glad I have his go ahead.
“Sounds good to me.” Tito nods, a half-smile on his face.
Before either of us can say more, the guard announces that time is up for our visit. We say a quick goodbye before another guard is there to escort him back to his cell. As soon as the door shuts behind him, I’m out of my chair and walking out the door.
Before I step outside, the asshole guard calls out to me. “Next time you come to visit, don’t wear your vest in here. Tell your friends the same thing.”
“Not gonna happen,” I call back, walking out the door with a smile on my face.