CHAPTER ONE
Loch
The heat blazed all around me as I pulled up to the clubhouse. Flicking the kickstand down, I wiped my brow with the back of my hand. Seemed everyone else was feeling the heat too. Usually, you’d find a few of the guys hanging around the front doors, smoking and talking. Today it was empty. I pulled open the heavy metal door and was gifted with a blast of cold air. I made my way past the bar and headed for Cal’s office, giving a few chin lifts to my brothers as I passed. Seeing that the door was closed, I gave two hefty taps and waited.
“Give me five!” Cal yelled from the other side. He sounded a bit winded and I had no doubt what was going on behind that closed door. I huffed out a laugh.
“I’ll be at the bar,” I called out before making my way back down the hall. I grabbed a beer and planted my ass on a stool in the middle of the bar.
Moments later, one of the club girls came walking down the hall away from Cal’s office. Her lips were swollen and she was slightly moving her jaw from side to side as if she was working out the soreness. Taking a sip of my beer, I decided to give him a few more minutes to get himself together.
There were four chapters of the Steel Paragons Motorcycle Club. We were spread out over three states. One in the middle of South Carolina. Two in Tennessee. And then us. Lost somewhere in North Carolina where the foothills threatened to turn into mountains. We were the head chapter. The club was started years before my time by Cal’s dad. We all took turns running guns in from the coast. Then we would switch off and another chapter would make the runs outward to where they were going. Most of the time we delivered further south. A few times we made runs to the Midwest. We were pretty much the middleman, taking a decent cut to do the dirty work.
The clubhouse was pretty big considering it was in such a small town. The front opened up to the bar and lounge area. We had three pool tables and two large TVs on opposite sides of the back wall. Painted on the wall between the TVs was the Steel Paragons insignia. A bike made to look like a suit of armor with blue flames flying behind it. Couches scattered about the empty area in the middle.
On the opposite side of the wall that made up the back of the bar was a large open kitchen and long cafeteria style tables. Nothing fancy, but we didn’t give a shit about that.
There were two separate halls that held rows of single rooms. Most of which had a bathroom in them. The rooms were big enough for a bed, a desk, and if you were lucky, a small dresser. Wedged between the front of those halls there were the two most important rooms. Church and Cal’s office.
The club girls that lived at the compound also had their own space. Off of the kitchen was a square room that held a smaller lounge area. Along the wall, there were eight rooms. They had a communal bathroom with three showers and all the counter space a girl could ever dream of.
For most of us, the clubhouse was home. While I had my own house, I had a room there that I would often crash in.
“What’s goin’ on, brother?” Diesel said, plopping down on the stool beside me. I looked over at him and shrugged.
His black hair covered one of his eyes. The sides cut short but the top was left long and unruly. With all his piercings and ice blue eyes, he looked more like a rock star than a biker. He had been the clubs enforcer for three years. Although he was barely twenty-seven, he’d been through enough shit in his life to know how to handle his job well.
“Shit’s gettin’ a little stale around here,” his eyes skimming around the room and the club girls. “Thinkin’ of taking a trip to see the boys in Tennessee next weekend. What d’ya say?” I took a long pull of my beer while eyeing him. Truth was, club girls were club girls, didn’t really matter what city or state they were in.
Don’t get me wrong, they all had been useful at many times and in many occasions. But there came a time they became all the same, a few moments of pleasure and release. And when it was over and you went on with your day. Most of the time it didn’t matter which one it was, as long as they were on your dick in some way.
However, a change of scenery sounded nice. Things were calm with the club at the moment. The runs had been going smoothly and we were in a bit of a lull in between deliveries. The bar I ran was doing alright and I had no worries about leaving Chris, my only employee, to handle it for a few days.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll run it by Cal in a bit.” I finished off my beer and set the bottle down on the counter. That was the moment Cal came walking out of the back scratching his chin under his burly beard.
“He tryin’ to rope you into goin’ to Tennessee?” Cal asked shaking his head. “Don’t understand why. Got plenty of pussy here. You think it’s gonna be any different there?”
“I’m gettin’ bored with the same old shit, prez. Maybe it will be same old shit there, but at least it will look a little different,” Diesel said giving a little shrug. Cal threw his head back laughing. It echoed through the room as his big belly shook.
“Fine, boy. Go for a few days. Just wait ‘til Friday. Got a lot at the shop to take care of. Had three cars dropped off this mornin’, and still tryin’ to get Mr. Grady’s Oldsmobile up and runnin’.” Cal’s meaty hand slapped down on the bar top. Diesel gave a nod in response. “Take a few of the boys with you, keep your ass out of trouble.” His tone was joking and I chuckled under my breath.
“Thanks, prez. Oh, Loch, trucks fixed and it’s out back. Keys are in it,” Diesel said, sliding off the stool and walking away.
“You do know that he is just gonna to get them in trouble, right? He is gonna convince them to do somethin’ and they will follow along thinkin’ it’s a great idea,” I said, raising a brow at Cal.
“Yeah, but at least they will come back with one hell of a story.” Cal gave me an all too knowing look. “You can go with him. Play chaperone, then.” I gave a nod, knowing it was an order under the joking tone. “I’ll call up the brothers and make sure they don’t have anythin’ goin’ on this week. Hell, they might put you to work. Heard Snaps broke his leg and Saint is spendin’ time in jail for a bar fight or somethin’.”
“Shit…” I said, rubbing the scruff on the side of my face. “You needed to talk?” I wanted to get this over with and get home. I wanted to shower and then plant my ass on the couch in front of the TV.
“Yeah, let’s go to my office.”
We walked the hall back to his office. I shut the door behind me and took a seat in front of his cheap, rickety desk. He flopped down in the worn leather chair on the other side and leaned his forearms on the top of the desk.
“We got a problem outside with the pipeline,” Cal started. “Officer Lars is no longer on the force and they are steppin’ things up in Richmond County. Gonna have to find another way down to the coast.” I let out a long breath knowing this would add close to another hour to the ride.
We had made contacts over the years. In most counties, we had help and people we paid to turn a blind eye to our runs. Officer Lars had been looking the other way for a hefty two grand every time he caught us. Sometimes we were lucky to sneak by. But most of the time it was like he had some sort of sixth sense to when we were riding through. With him gone, that meant that we would have to find another way. And if it came to it, hope that we could find someone desperate enough to corrupt.
“I’m gonna talk to Crow, have him set up a new route. He’ll let you know when he figures it out. Just wanted to give you the heads up.”
“When’s the next ride?” I asked.
“Three weeks. Sendin’ you, Diesel and I’m thinkin’ Stone, too. You gonna take two of the prospects. I’ll see how things are here before I decide who else,” he said, giving me a nod that let me know he was done talking. I stood and gave him a chin lift in return.
“Gonna spend tomorrow fixin’ some things around Ethel’s house. Chris is sick, so might have to work at the bar. Take it easy.” I walked out and closed the door behind me.
“Oh, hey Loch.” I turned to see Melody, Stone’s old lady, walking out of the kitchen. “I heard you were here. I saved you some leftovers and I made up a pan for Ethel, too.”
“You are too good to us, Mel.” I kissed her cheek and followed her into the kitchen. She was pretty much like the den mother. Always fretting over all the brothers and making sure we all had the right advice and full stomachs.
After loading up my bike and two pans of lasagna in my truck, I headed home.
Moon Hill was right off the old two-lane highway. There were no markers or signs indicating there was a town off of the upcoming ramp. Blink and you fucking missed it. The main road was shaped like a big stretched out staple. It took you off the highway then dumped you back out on it at the end of town. The club owned the only gas station with a small garage attached. It was the first thing you hit when you pulled off. Keep driving, you hit the big, country style mansions of the upper classes. The roads always spider-veined off to the right, away from the highway.
Then you hit two blocks of, what I guessed you could call, the downtown area. The only shops and stores were nestled there in old brick rows of buildings lining both sides of the street. The building that held the small grocery store and the diner was the only thing on the left side of the road. There was a small bookstore, a deli, a few boutiques, a hair salon, and a bakery. The community center was the last of the second block of buildings. The town liked to be social. It always seemed like there was something going on there most nights. Weave your way behind the shops and there were the schools. The town was so small there were only two separate buildings. One that held first through sixth grade and the other seventh and up. Past that was streets filled with single-family homes. Most of them having been passed down within the family for generations. Keep going and the yards become more overgrown and the houses less kept. The lots start to become empty and dry grass filled the areas in between the rocky dirt.
Then there was the sad building that seemed to come out of nowhere, my bar. The only one in town. It was in my name, but it was for the club. It was a crappy building that I was surprised was still standing. A little ways past the bar was the club compound. There was a line of trees on the opposite side of the main road, concealing the compound from the highway. The trees grew thicker as you pulled out of town. Somewhere, hidden right before you pulled out of town was the town shut-in and meanest drunk I’d ever met. The only reason he was still alive was because Axe had said to leave him alone. But that is not my story to tell.
I parked in my driveway then cut across the lawn to Ethel’s place next door, balancing the pan in one hand. I knocked three times and waited for her cheerful reply before she opened the door.
“I don’t have time for whatever you’re sellin’!” she yelled before pulling the door open. Once she saw my face, she flashed me a giant smile and waved me in. “Oh, Nathan. So good to see you. Did you bring me food?” She eyed the pan in my hand with a wide smile.
“Sure did. Mel made you some. Only gotta heat it up in the oven a bit.” She took the tray and I followed her through the house and into the kitchen. She poured me a fresh cup of sweet tea. After I thanked her, I leaned against the counter as I drank it.
Ethel was a vibrant seventy-something lady. She never let age slow her down. I’d lived next to her all my life, and after my parents died I decided to stay there. Even though it was hard losing both my parents at seventeen, I was glad I had Ethel. Something about her being right next door seemed like home. There I was, thirty-nine and it still felt that way. I watched out for her and she did the same for me and the club. She would always tell me stories of my parents and constantly relived my childhood with me. It helped keep me from forgetting them; which, deep down, was always a fear.
“You want to stay here and eat?” she said, messing with the knobs for the oven.
“Nan, we need to call a plumber. The shower upstairs is dripping and I couldn’t get any hot— Oh!” The voice caught me off guard and I turned around with a jerk.
My breath caught for a second as my eyes landed on the source of the beautiful voice. She quickly pulled the mesh bag of laundry up to cover herself. Her chin dipped down, obstructing my view of her face. Through her dark blond curtain of hair, I could see a tiny sliver of a blue eye peeking out at me.
“Don’t mind him, Reagan. He’s… what you kids call it these days…? Oh, right, a man-whore. He’s not fazed by what little you’re wearing,” Ethel said, and I nearly choked on my spit. I shouldn’t have been surprised though; Ethel was a real spitfire and never held her tongue. “You know in my day we called that a stud. Damn feminist…” she went on mumbling. Going on about how now women have to share their rightfully earned “whore title” with men.
“Nan!” Reagan lifted her face in surprise at Ethel’s words. Then I saw it. Her face had brown and yellowish bruises that looked like that had been a lot worse at one time. My eyes trailed down to her neck where she had distinct finger marks as well. Before I could say anything, she hid her face again as Ethel stepped beside me.
“You remember my granddaughter, Reagan, right?” Ethel said. I closed my mouth tight and give a firm nod. “Been, what, five years?”
I remembered seeing Reagan throughout the years. But she was never here that long at any one given time. I’d always seen her as some kid. Never really paid any attention to her. Until that moment. She wasn’t a kid anymore. Her round face had thinned out into more of a heart shape. Her lips were now full and luscious. Her awkward, lanky body was now lean and curvy in all the right places. As I scanned the length of her body, taking in the woman before me, I felt like a dirty old man. Then I felt like a jackass, quickly remembering the bruises that covered her beautiful face.
“What happened?” I asked, my tone a little harsher than I meant for it to be.
“Oh, I was mugged. At a rest stop. My face got the worst of it. I got away.” Reagan said, her words were rushed and choppy, and then ducked her face down again. I could tell she was lying, but I thought better than to say anything at that moment. I glanced over at the old woman and saw it in her eyes; the look that said there was more going on but she didn’t know what.
Maybe it was that I was just a sucker for a sad story. Maybe it was the knight in me wanting to save the damsel in distress. Maybe it was the different colors swirling in her eyes that seemed to pull me in. But something in me tightened. I stepped closer to Reagan and her breath hitched as she looked up at me. Her eyes were beautiful. I had never seen anything like them. The grayish-blue color was striking. But what got me was the burst of hazel and green that stretched out from the middle. One eye was heavier with green while the other was lighter with more hazel.
I heard Ethel shuffle off in the background, but I couldn’t break the trance I had on Reagan. Something about it felt a little wrong. She was so young. Someone like her would never look twice at an old man like me. Not to mention that I wasn’t the best of people. Without thinking, I reached up and lightly cupped her face. The pads of my thumbs brushed softly over some of the bruising on her cheeks. Her pink, pouty mouth parted slightly.
“Never again,” I whispered, before pulling myself out of my daze. In my mind, I had made a vow to always keep her safe. I dropped my hands from her face and cleared my throat. Taking a few steps back, I turned to Ethel as she pretended to make herself busy in the kitchen. I had no doubt she knew what she was doing.
“I’ll be by in the mornin’. I’ve got some stuff I was gonna do over here. I’ll fix the bathroom, too.” Ethel gave me a warm smile and a nod. I turned and headed out the front door without one last glance at Reagan. I couldn’t shake the hold that she had on me. I was afraid if I turned around I’d be sucked back in.