Chapter Two

Present day

“Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have nabbed you before you ran off and decided to find a record label to pick you up? My bar was hurting before you came to work for me. Business has improved since you started drumming up new clientele.” Mac beamed with pride as he watched her exit off stage after she finished for the night.

It had been close to two years since she had started working for Mac and she couldn’t be happier. Being up on that stage, she felt free as a bird. The tight leash around her neck no longer existed. She was almost twenty-five and had never felt so alive before. She had a returning audience that came in nightly to hear her sing. It was just what she needed to feel confident after living in fear for so long. She had numerous people tell her she shouldn’t be working in a small bar like Mac’s and that she needed to venture out to see what opportunities might be out there for a voice like hers. But she was happy right where she was. The money wasn’t the greatest, but Mac let her work the bar a few nights a week when she needed the extra income. Sometimes she just did it because she didn’t want to go home to an empty place.

“Maybe I should ask for a raise then?” She snorted.

“You can always ask, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get one,” Mac joked playfully with her.

Mac was a good boss to work for. He treated his employees fairly and didn’t yell and scream at them, earning their respect as a superior. Ever since she started working for him, she knew Mac’s business bloomed with new customers, bringing in more revenue for him. Wherever there are happy employees, you will find a well respected boss.

“I have to get some paperwork done in the office. I will catch you later.”

She felt her stomach growl as Mac walked away. Since she’d started her new life in Nevada, she was enjoying life to the fullest. In the eighteen months since she left Chicago, Alison had gained twenty pounds and had to buy new clothes to replace the ones she had brought with her. Her hips had become more defined, and so did the pouch she carried around her mid section. She didn’t like the person she’d left behind in Chicago and wanted to be nothing like that scared little girl who cried herself to sleep every night. She considered herself a new woman and she liked the curvy, independent woman she had become today.

Cooking and baking helped fill the empty void she felt whenever she was sad and lonely. Even though she was free from the devil himself, she longed for the day she would meet a man who could fulfill her needs and desires. It wasn’t like she wasn’t attracting attention from males while working at Mac’s; she just wasn’t interested in any of the men who asked her out. Wanting nothing more than to move forward with her life, she knew there had to be more to life than working in a bar as a singer. She wanted to be loved by someone, maybe get married one day and have kids. That was something she had always dreamed of before she met Ken.

Before her next set, she ate the burger and fries she had ordered earlier. There was plenty of time to sit and relax at the bar before she was expected to get up on stage and sing for her encore. Food was something that made her happy, even though it packed the pounds on her. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her appearance. If they didn’t like the way she looked they didn’t have to look at her. She was the happiest she had ever been and she would never let another man put her down or tell her what to do. Trust had to be earned if they wanted to be with Alison.

****

Linc parked his white BMW behind the back entrance of Mac’s bar alongside the motorcycles that belonged to Stone, Jace, Bear, and Roc. He grabbed his suit jacket from the backseat of the car and came around to where they stood beside their bikes.

“Stone, Jace... Roc, it’s nice to see you all again. Thank you for joining me here today.” He nodded at them. “I hope this won’t take up too much of our time. I know you are as busy as I am these days.” It didn’t surprise him that Roc had decided to join them for the meeting, knowing he was Mac’s brother.

Linc shook their hands in turn.

Stone pulled on his leather cut after shoving his jacket in the sidesaddle. “I wanted to be here as well. Since we’re the middleman in transporting the illegal moonshine, I need to know who to meet up with once the deal is done.” Linc liked Stone. His men respected him and looked up to their fearless leader.

Jace was Stone’s V.P. The two ran a well-rounded club. Since Linc had asked the Sons of Sinners to do numerous assignments for him in the past, he knew any time he asked a favor from Stone and Jace there was no question in his mind that the job would always get done right.

Linc followed behind Bear into the bar. It still amazed him how big Bear was. There was no question as to where he got the nickname. From what he knew of most of the club members, they were all nice men and had each other’s backs. But Linc knew that if any of them were provoked they wouldn’t hesitate for one single second to defend themselves in any way necessary.

Roc lead them into the back entrance to where Mac would meet them in his private office. The reason for this initial meeting was because Mac had a guy who wanted to unload some cases of quality bootleg whiskey and he figured Linc would be interested in distributing it in his bars and clubs. Mac had come to Linc’s club one night after hours with a proposition to help sell the cases of whiskey his friend made. Mac had a guy who made the whiskey by scratch and was looking for a reliable buyer who was interested in purchasing a large quantity for their establishment. Since Mac was Roc’s brother, he was trusted not to screw with Linc or his money.

“We ordered a few cases ourselves. The shit is good, but you already know that,” Stone stated.

“I’m definitely interested. I just need a number from Mac’s provider. If I like the number he throws at me then I will notify you for the pickup date and time. If we can come to an agreement then I want to buy as much as I can in case his dealer goes belly up or the cops discover what he is up to. I could make a lot of money selling his alcohol in my establishments. There are many men who would pay top dollar for a good stiff drink like the one he is producing illegally.”

Mac stepped inside his office just then. He closed the door behind him and walked over to Roc, giving him a half hug and a pat on the back. “How are you, bro? Long time no see. And by the way... call Mom. She’s all over my ass whether or not you will be joining us for Thanksgiving.”

Roc snickered as he rolled his eyes at his brother. “Yeah... yeah... I’ll call her. She has been lighting my phone up and I just haven’t had the chance to get back to her.”

Mac sat behind his desk as everyone but Roc took a seat in front of him. “So my guy said that he will give you a deal if you want to take the last of his stock. He is ready to start on another batch, but it won’t be ready for quite some time. If you take what he has on hand, he will cut you a good deal.” Mac slid a piece of paper across his desk. “This is his asking price for the last four cases he has.”

Linc picked up the paper, looking the numbers over. He folded it up and then shook his head. “I can swing that price. Just tell me the time and place. Stone and his men will handle the delivery from there on out.”

“I will notify him that the deal is official.”

There was a knock at the door as they finished up with their business.

A cute brunette peeked her head inside the office. “Sorry to disturb you, but we are a little backed up here and could use your help for a minute.”

Mac frowned. “All right, I’ll be right there. We’re wrapping this up now.” He stood from his chair and walked toward the empty hallway where the waitress once stood. “I have to get out there. If you want to hang out for a while, Roc, I would love to grab a beer with you once it slows down.”

Roc looked to Bear, Stone and Jace, but it was Stone who answered for Roc. “I think we can hang out for a beer or two.”

It had been a long time since Linc was able to relax and enjoy a beer. He wasn’t much of a social person, even though he had business associates. He didn’t make friends easily. He liked to keep to himself.

“I think I’ll join you all. I have time before I have to return to the club.” He followed Stone, Jace, and Roc through the hallway until they ended up in the bar. The place was full, people lining the bar top as most of the tables were full of customers. Linc watched as the servers were making themselves busy in the room. Stone found a table for them all to sit at.

The cute brunette that had shown herself in Mac’s office appeared at their table. She was cheery and smiling as she waited for them to make themselves comfortable. “Hi guys... Hi, Roc, long time no see.”

Roc rested back in his chair and focused his attention on the gal who was about to take their order. “Amanda, nice to see you again.”

“What can I get you guys? We have a lunch special as well. Mac said to let you know he was taking care of the bill, so order what you want.”

She took their drink orders and each of them ordered the burger special. Linc hadn’t realized how hungry he was until she told them what the special was. So he decided to order a burger himself. He tried not to eat fast food or anything greasy, trying to watch what he ate. He liked to keep fit, usually getting up and taking a run in the mornings before he left for the day. The guys who sat around him at the table were much bigger than him in size and build. He wasn’t a small guy for his six-foot height or build, but he did tend to hit the weights more because he wanted to be able to fend for himself if the opportunity ever presented itself. He had many enemies, more than he would like to admit.

Amanda returned right away with their drink orders. As they sat back and waited for their burgers to come, Linc relaxed in his chair and looked around the crowded bar. Mac had a good mass of people who were there. The music wasn’t turned up so loud that people couldn’t hear themselves talk. It looked as though people were there to eat and have a few beers, taking advantage of the daily special Mac had to offer.

“How’s my sister doing with her new men?” Linc asked Stone. Even though Sienna wasn’t technically his blood sister, he still thought of her as his only living family member. They had been through a lot since they had met as teenagers. Linc had vowed to make sure no harm would ever come to her when she was under his care. And now that she was deliriously happy with Marx and Dalton, he didn’t have to worry that any harm would ever come to her as long as she was with the two bikers. He trusted them just like Sienna did.

Stone finished the beer he was having. “She seems to be very content whenever I see her with Marx and Dalton. They all seem to make each other very happy. Sienna keeps all the women busy around there. Now that we have five extra women around the club, our old ladies have more to do on the compound.”

Since they’d rescued five women from being sold into slavery, Stone had insisted that they were in good hands if they stayed on club grounds. Most of the women were still in fear of being found by Manny or any of his men. All of them assured Linc they felt safe while staying in the care of the Sons of Sinners.

“They trust you, Sienna told me. I know it took a long time for us to earn their trust. The things they must have been through... the lies they were told by their captors have implanted fear inside of them for years to come.”

Jace nodded. “They still fear leaving the compound. Our old ladies in the club have been helping in the planning of Bear and Saxton’s marriage to their woman Jill. Jill and Zoey have been trying to keep their minds off the fact that Manny is still a threat to them until he is found, so they try to do what they can to keep their minds off the matter.”

Linc looked to Bear and nodded. “Congratulations on the up and coming wedding.”

Bear smiled. “Thanks. Sax and I couldn’t be happier. We have been waiting for the day she would be ours officially. Sax’s parents asked if he could be the one to officially be married to Jill for the purpose of the last name Jill will take and for the sake of the future grandchildren they hope to have. We agreed to grant them this one wish. But Jill will be married to both of us in our hearts.”

Linc wondered how that worked for a ménage relationship when they eventually got married. He knew it wasn’t legal for a woman to be married to two men. He just assumed they worked the legalities out between one another.

After they finished eating the food the waitress brought to their table, Linc sat back and finished the last of his beer. He looked at his watch and remembered the appointment he had at the club later that evening with Steven, his bar manager at The Leisure Room. There was some trouble with one of the club members who had gotten a bit too drunk the night before and wanted to discuss the matter with Linc before they allowed him back into the club again.

He excused himself from the table and went to find the restroom before he left. He was about to go down the hallway when he heard the sound of music coming from the loudspeaker. He slowed his pace down when he began to hear the sweet sound of a woman’s voice over the microphone. He turned and looked to the stage where she stood, singing for the bar. The song she sang was a familiar one he recognized. But the way it came from her sweet lips had him standing immobile in his place. She was magnificent in every way. Her voice sounded like an angel from up above.

Linc walked closer to the bar that was off the side of the stage. He leaned his arm along the end of the bar top and listened as she sang her heart out for everyone in the quiet bar. Not a person uttered a word as she sang to the crowd. The pretty blonde-haired woman had the attention of everyone in the place. He had never heard anything quite so beautiful in all his life. He needed to meet her. He wanted her more than the last breath he took. This woman was going to be his.