TEN
Alliance
Seven
At work the next day, I tried to keep a straight face as Giovanni’s epic shit fit was blown up to gravity-defying levels. Our boss had a reputation for being a little dramatic. With his loud voice, his animated hand gestures, and constant movement as if he were a politician, Giovanni Alesi never gave less than 100% when dealing with his textile factory. It was his baby, his gem, his whole goddamn life. If anyone ever messed with it, expect hell.
The brunt of it was currently being cast in our direction. “Seventeen years, I’ve been doing this!” Giovanni continued in his accented English. My lips pursed into a grim line. “The post-flare world isn’t easy to survive. Do you know how much I had to sacrifice to make it this far?”
Actually, I did. G had a habit of retelling the origin of his business to practically everyone who would listen. In the year that I had started to work with him, I’d probably heard this story a million times.
The factory was experiencing a significant decline in business and that was beginning to take a toll on G. A lot of the machines had been malfunctioning since the recent flares had hit us. As a result, workers were feeling overworked and stressed with the demands of the workplace. There was a constant threat of overheating and fainting in the warehouses. As a solution to this problem, we implemented a change in the shifts. Three days on and three days off would create a cycle that would hopefully benefit everyone, giving them brief exposure to the heat that came off the machines without suffering for too long in the extreme humidity. Truth be told, the working conditions weren’t great to begin with, but the solar flares only added more gasoline to a burning fire.
As it was our job to supervise the progress at Giovanni’s, Toni and I were hearing the complaints not only from the workers, but also straight from the boss himself. It added more weight to our shoulders as the pressure to perform increased with each day. I shot a look at Toni and saw her mouth twitch as G prattled on. “Seventeen years,” he said again. It had been at least the thirtieth time he’d emphasized that word, as if it held more merit if repeated over and over again.
I cleared my throat, speaking up despite the verbal lashing that would surely come from our boss. “G, maybe you should sit down.”
“No!” He made a violent slashing movement with his arm. Sweat beaded across his brow and he wiped it away irritably. We were used to G’s antics by now. There was no use being so stressed out in work situations. It made us no better than the workers who were currently suffering from intense heat.
“Don’t worry,” I said as I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s just a dip. Every company experiences one. This flare will pass and then we’ll be able to go on. There’s nothing to worry about.”
G shook his head and sighed in a defeated way. For an older man, G had a youthful heart and an endless supply of dreams and aspirations. He was a man who always had greater things in mind, hoping that every new day was the one in which he’d be able to carry them out. It was almost inspirational to see his passion.
“You’re right,” G allowed. I saw his strength building already as he said the words. His shoulders pulled back to create a tougher form and his eyes sparkled with renewed power. “It’s just a bad day.”
“Right.” I smiled, sending Toni a look. Despite all the dramatics, G was a great man and a good friend. “It will all be better tomorrow. Go home. Get some rest. We’ll deal with this all tomorrow with fresh minds.”
G nodded and spared us a smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without you two. You two keep me going,” he said before he pulled us into a hug, said his goodbyes, and left the office.
Toni fanned herself with a small stack of papers and blew out a long breath as the door clicked shut behind him. “Damn, that was a close one.”
“Yeah, too close. I really thought he’d lose his shit over it. It’s messed up, but I think we’re all a little bit tired today. The heat isn’t helping either.”
“It’s a sauna out there,” Toni agreed as she glanced out the open window that offered no refreshment from the cloying humidity.
“I don’t see it letting up anytime soon.”
“We’re all gonna roast in here.”
“I’m melting already.”
“All right, I’m heading home. Do you need a ride?” As much as I would have loved to accept the offer and avoid riding underneath the hot sun, Toni lived within Ward Three and there was no way I would make her drive out to Ward Four just to drop me off. Her car, let alone Toni, may not survive it.
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
“You sure? I really don’t want you riding in that heat. You’ll get sun fever.”
I held up my anti-radiation equipment along with my canteen. “I’ve come prepared. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Be careful, Seven.”
“I will,” I called out as I made a hasty exit. The moment I walked outside, a wall of heat hit me. Breathing seemed impossible in the smog-like air. Despite it, I had to bike back to Ward Four and make a stop at the street market to grab a few essential items.
Making sure I had all my anti-radiation equipment on, I straddled my bike and went in the direction I came in that morning.
Lucky
This had to be a first in all of Glory MC’s history. Bronson Alborn, leader of Ward Three, dipped his head once in my direction before stepping into the meeting room. Tension mounted on his shoulders. I could just imagine what he was feeling. It wasn’t every day that you got to step into another Ward’s clubhouse and take part in the festivities. Glory MC was bending the rules for him, but dire circumstances required some adjustments.
There was no one behind him, which only seemed to put me on alert. I would’ve thought that he’d bring backup just in case, but it seemed that Bronson had bigger balls than most men. “Nice welcome,” he muttered as the rest of Glory MC stood back in the shadows and shot him death stares. I smiled genuinely, extending a hand as he approached.
“Sorry ’bout the other guys,” I said. “They don’t deal well with strangers.” A growl from Beck erupted from behind me. My grin widened further when Bronson shot him a stern look. It wasn’t threatening and that was the only thing saving his hide.
Knuckle came in the room then, shutting the door behind him. The atmosphere in the room turned from tense to businesslike as the prez of Glory MC settled in his seat. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Knuckle said to Bronson when he remained rooted in place. “Sit down if you like.”
I chuckled. Far be it for Knuckle to act as a host.
As Bronson dropped his ass in the chair across from me, Hastie’s voice resonated over the too-cramped room. “So you’re here, as you requested. What is it that you want?”
Bronson wasted no time. “I’m looking for a possible alliance, merging Ward Three with Ward Four.”
As Hastie huffed, the sounds of shock echoed in the small room. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“I wouldn’t have requested for this if I wasn’t serious.”
Christ, short of information, this was the last thing I expected to happen. “Why?” I asked when the room remained silent.
“It’s business like any other. Ward Four has something I need—namely protection, access to firearms and greater numbers—and Ward Three has a wealth of food for your people. I’m not an idiot. I know how much you are rationing. Brennan wasn’t exactly the best person to make trades with.”
As I considered his words, I shot a look at my brothers. Many of them had frowns on their faces. Some were shaking their heads, already writing off the idea. My gaze found Knuckle’s, caught in deep thought as he pondered the offer.
Bronson was right. Ward Four was suffering from a food shortage. Nobody wanted to acknowledge it, but it was happening. For someone to tell it to us straight, an enemy, no less—it was a hard pill to swallow.
“So what,” Hastie asked. “Is this some patch over?” Referring to the event where two clubs merged as one.
“Doesn’t have to be. I’m only suggesting that we team up against the Phantoms. As a united unit, we’re stronger.” Bronson’s shoulders lifted. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll be enough to stop the extortions fully.”
“So you want to hide behind Glory MC?” Beck intoned from the back of the crowd. The sergeant at arms was never afraid to ask his questions straight.
“No. I want to rally up and take these motherfuckers down. If we help each other along the way, there’s more to benefit.”
I slid a look at Knuckle. He was still lost in thought, revealing no trace of emotion whatsoever.
If we did this, joined forces with Ward Three, it would not only create a larger front, but it would solve our immediate problems of the food shortage and the recruitment issue. Though those members wouldn’t be handpicked individually, I could sense that Bronson didn’t deal with idiots. He was a straight shooter and I could appreciate that in a partnering alliance. We had dealt with Ward Three on a regular basis before. This alliance wouldn’t be such a far stretch as long as both parties got what they wanted in the end.
“Are we to decide now?” Knuckle asked.
Bronson leaned forward, meeting him eye to eye. “The offer will stand for two hours.”
Seven
When the world was on its turn, you had to be damn resourceful if you wanted to survive it. With the flares came the obliteration of many businesses. The most obvious being large grocery stores with fully stocked shelves of canned food and fresh produce. It made finding food and cooking difficult. But I stumbled upon a street market off the border of Ward Four before and had been coming here ever since.
Sweat poured from my temples. I wiped it again with a hand, pushing through the burn that had started in my calves and had moved to my glutes and hamstrings. The food laid out before me propelled me into action like a stranded man in a desert.
I hopped off my bike and walked it through the narrow street. Both sides of me were enveloped in sweet and savory scents that made my mouth water. A woman with gray hair smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. “Drink?” she asked in a strongly accented voice.
“Yes, please,” I said with a nod. Immediately, she jumped into action. A large cup was shoved in my face the next moment and the sweet, citrusy smell of fresh orange juice tempted me. The first taste was akin to jumping off the edge of a waterfall. Flavor submerged me in a refreshing splash. “Mmm. Delicious.” The woman beamed under the praise. “I’ll have one jug, please.” Her smile brightened even more as she moved to fulfill my order.
After that, I bought what I came here for. Some onions and potatoes went into the basket attached to my bike. They were usually available year round. Other items, like squash, were rare, so when I saw a few available, I jumped at it, thinking of various recipes I could make with it.
The meat selection was always sparse to begin with, but today’s spread seemed to have a few items that caught my eye. As I bartered with the man, he offered me a smile. “You always have a smile on your face whenever you come here. I always remember you.”
I blushed at the unexpected words. “I love it here,” I admitted. It almost felt like the old times where food wasn’t such a scarce commodity. I could just forget and enjoy.
“Here,” the street merchant said, holding up another packaged meat. “Take it.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t.”
“Please, darling. Take it, I insist. It will go bad if I cannot sell it.”
“Thank you.” So many people were focused on getting somewhere or worrying about starving that many forgot about others and the fact that we were all in this together. “Thank you.”
Taking the offering from his hands, I placed it into my basket, giving him one more nod of thanks before turning away. Now I had more than enough to last me through the week. Lucky wouldn’t have a reason to complain this time with his hearty appetite.
Guiding my bike through the street, a faint tingling in the back of my neck caused me to cant my head and look around. For some odd reason, I sensed that I was being watched. But around me, people went on as usual, bartering with the merchants. There was, however, one man off in the distance who was blatantly checking me out.
He winked, shooting me a daring smile that had no doubt worked on plenty of women in the past. I smiled politely, but made no other sign of interest. Was he the person I thought was watching me?
After a moment, a woman returned to him, sliding her hand into his as the other clutched a bag of produce she had recently acquired. The man’s eyes drew up to me once more before he smiled down at his woman and bent to kiss her. I watched as they left, pushing past a woman who wore a scarf over her head even though it was too hot for it, experiencing the creepy-crawling feeling intensify in a flash.
I shook off the paranoia and hopped onto my bike, careful not to spill anything that I had just spent my precious credits on. “You’re losing it,” I muttered to myself as I put my legs into motion and started biking home. The feeling of unease lingered like sweat on my skin.
Lucky
I watched her from a distance. There was a confidence in the way she moved. Seven smiled and it seemed that the world smiled back at her. I could see the man who followed her movements, his interested gaze giving his intentions away. The fact that he came here with his girlfriend—or wife—didn’t bother him in the least. He was the kind of man who coveted something, regardless of the fact that he had someone already. As if by some sixth sense, I watched as Seven stilled, her eyes darting around the crowd as if she knew I was looking.
Her long blonde hair tied up highlighted her against the crowd. That was how I noticed her as I traveled back from investigating our food shortage after the meeting. Wondering what the hell she was doing out this far, I decided to spy on her.
Standing in the street surrounded by street vendors, I realized that this was where Seven shopped for her food. It was a really nice place, hidden from others unless you knew where to look. For a moment, I had to admire her survival skills. She had a great instinct. While everyone else was struggling, she was striving. Why did this impress me?
Just when I thought her eyes would track me, I made my six-two frame as invisible as it could be behind a merchant’s booth. If she spotted me, this would be difficult to explain.
Except her eyes slid right past me and landed on the man who was mentally cheating on his wife with Seven.
I noted the stiffness in her spine as she locked eyes with him. Spotted the tension of her shoulders and the crease that formed between her brows. Did she recognize him? Was he an old boyfriend perhaps?
Then she blinked and I could tell that she didn’t know this man. Yet something was bothering her enough to make her uneasy. She was dodgy, propelled into action as if she couldn’t get out of there fast enough. What had put her on edge?
I lingered for a moment, watching her straddle that stupid bike of hers before I jumped on the back of mine. She was fucking insane for opting for a regular bicycle when the roads were so bad and the heat was this extreme. But you couldn’t tell from her form that she was afraid or fatigued. Pumping her legs harder, Seven created speed until I had to jump into action myself before losing her to the dark.