Chapter Seven
Sapphire
This was not how she thought this morning would start. A confrontation with the President of another MC was never a good way to start the day. Her mother would be blowing up her phone later, she was sure of it. She could just hear her now.
Seriously Sapphire! You’re not even there twenty-four hours and you’re making waves already? Get a damn grip, girl!
Sledge’s question about taking over the Iron Angels filled her with mixed emotions. She knew she was the best option for the future of the club, but at the same time, she wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted her own life. She wanted to worry about only herself and her family — husband and kids. There was no way she could bring children into the club life and politics. After what happened to her, how could she possibly chance something like that happening to her child? There was just simply no way.
“Then who will take over?” Sledge asked.
“One of my other sisters.”
“Sap,” Reaper said. “You know you are the only person who can lead that group.”
“No, I’m not,” she argued. “Piper, is more than capable.”
“Why?” Reaper asked. “Because she’s a cop? That means nothing, Sapphire. She doesn’t have the leadership or willpower that you do. She’s a fuckin’ hot-head with a gun.”
“Oh my Lord,” Sapphire groaned. “You sound like my mother.”
“Good!” Reaper sighed in frustration. “Your mother is a smart woman. You should listen to her.”
Sapphire couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She was sure she probably looked like a pouty teenager, but she was tired of having this argument with people. Nobody understood. They just didn’t get it.
“Enough!” she shouted. “I am not going to lead the Angels. I want something different. I want a life. I want a family. A husband. Children. I cannot and will not bring that into the club world. It’s too dangerous.”
“Stephanie,” Reaper sighed, pulling her against his chest. “Just because you were taken, doesn’t mean your child would be. Things are much different now compared to how they were back then.”
“Are they, Zander?” she asked. “Do you still fight to stop human trafficking, drugs, guns?”
“We do,” he admitted. “But, I can speak for this entire group — we would never allow anything to happen to you or your children. Ever, Steph.”
Sapphire sighed against Reaper’s chest. She loved him like a brother, but she knew he would never understand. He couldn’t because he didn’t know the full extent of what happened to her the year she was held in the fight prison. Nobody knew except her mother and sisters. Sapphire would forever wear the evidence on her skin. The scars would always be there to remind her of how ugly the MC world really was.
“Just think about it, okay?” Reaper whispered in her ear.
“Okay.”
“Alright,” Diesel announced, bring the attention to himself and away from Sapphire. “Let’s get out of here so Sapphire and Rachel can get busy.”
“But Sapphire never ate breakfast,” Rachel reminded.
“It’s okay, I’ll eat later,” Sapphire chimed in.
“Not a chance,” Tank said. She had almost forgotten he was there.
He probably thinks I’m nuts!
How many women walk into Henchmen territory and end up in a brawl with the President of the club? None. Only Stephanie fuckin’ Kimber!
Way to go! Nut job!
Glancing in his direction, Sapphire wished she could tell what he was thinking. She would give her right tit to know what was swirling through his mind right now.
“I think he likes you,” Reaper whispered in her ear as he walked past her, towards his wife.
Looking back towards the man of topic, Sapphire tried to study him. Tried to figure him out.
Did he like her? Nah, Reaper had to be wrong.
The idea that a guy like Tank could actually be into her kind of excited her and scared the shit out of her at the same time.
Even if, for some crazy reason, Tank did like her, she could never have a relationship with him. He was about the club and she wanted nothing to do with that life. They would never work.
“I’ll go heat you up something, if you want to get started on Rachel’s therapy,” Tank said as he walked past her and into the house.
“Okay,” she mumbled to herself.
“That was the craziest shit I have ever seen!” Rachel exclaimed as Sapphire neared.
“I’m really sorry,” Sapphire replied. “I never in a million years thought that was how this day would start.”
“For one, don’t you dare apologize,” Rachel retorted. “Sledge was out of line. He should have been reprimanding Weasel, not you. Second, you have got to teach me those moves. I would love to be able to kick ass like that!”
Shaking her head, Sapphire knelt down in front of Rachel. “Let’s get you out of this damn chair first.”
“Definitely!” Rachel smiled.
For the next fifteen minutes, Sapphire and Rachel went through therapeutic exercises until they were interrupted by Tank.
“Here,” he said handing Sapphire a sandwich filled with egg, cheese, and loaded down with bacon.
“Thank you,” Sapphire mumbled, taking a bite.
“You’re welcome. I have to head back to the bar and get things set up for tonight. You ladies try to have a good day.”
“Will do!” Rachel smiled as Tank leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek.
Not sure why, but the scene caused little snakes of green envy to flow through Sapphire. She knew there was nothing between Rachel and Tank, but just the thought of his lips on another woman made her want to punch something, or someone.
Get a fucking grip! He can kiss whoever he likes.
No matter how many times she told herself that, the feeling never changed. She didn’t like it. At all.
“You okay?” Rachel asked.
“What?” Sapphire answered, shaking her head. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“You looked upset for a minute.”
“Nah, I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Nothing important. Okay, let’s get back to therapy. If you are going to be kicking ass later, we need to get your strength back up.”
“Hey,” Rachel said, placing a hand on Sapphire’s arm. “If you ever need or want to talk, I’m a good listener.”
Sapphire looked at Rachel. Really looked at her for the first time. She could tell that the woman meant what she said. It wasn’t often that something like this happened to women like Sapphire. Being in the position she was, most people only wanted stuff from her; mostly a higher rank in the club. Rarely did anyone ever want to just be her friend. The offer meant a lot to her.
“Thank you, Rachel,” Sapphire smiled. “That means a lot.”
“Welcome,” she smiled back. “Now, finish your sandwich and let’s get to work.”
* * *
The day passed rather quickly. Rachel was a rock star. Everything Sapphire threw at her, she did without a complaint. The two women spent the day talking about life outside of the club and getting to know each other. Rachel shared information from her past and Sapphire could tell, that with time, they would become great friends. Rachel also shared the heartache of wanting a child, but not being able to because of her current situation. Sapphire’s heart broke for the woman, and Diesel.
Hearing Rachel talk about the gothic looking man, Sapphire could almost feel the love that the two shared. Again, jealousy snaked through her. That was the life she wanted. A man that would love her, no matter what. Someone to face life’s struggles with. A partner.
“Are you ladies almost finished?” Rachel and Sapphire turned to find Diesel standing in the doorway.
“Hey, handsome!” Rachel replied. “We’re already done. Just been sitting here chit-chatting.”
“Why don’t both of you go grab showers,” Diesel said, walking towards them. “And then we can go into town and grab something to eat at The Brickyard.”
“Oh hell yeah!” Rachel cheered. “Let’s go!”
“They sell food?” Sapphire asked.
“Oh my Gawd!” Rachel exclaimed. “It has the best burgers you will ever eat. I promise! Come on, let’s go get ready.”
“Okay.”
“Sapphire!” Rachel yelled. “Hurry the hell up, woman! I’m hungry!”
“I’m coming!” Sapphire yelled back.
A quick shower, makeup, and three outfits later and she still didn’t know if that was true. She had no idea why it even mattered.
“Because Tank will be there, idiot,” she answered out loud.
With a heavy sigh, Sapphire walked out the bedroom door and headed downstairs where Rachel and Diesel were waiting.
“Wow! You look gorgeous,” Rachel said when Sapphire entered the living room.
“Very beautiful,” Diesel agreed. “Tank will approve.”
“What?” Sapphire asked, startled.
“You mean to tell me you spent over an hour getting all dressed up just to go get a burger and beers?” Diesel laughed. “Yeah, nice try.”
“I…I mean...” Sapphire stuttered. “Should I go change?”
“No!” Rachel replied quickly. “You look perfect. You’ll have every guy in there tonight drooling. And Tank won’t know how to act. I love it! Lord knows he needs some excitement in his life.”
“This is going to be great!” Diesel laughed.
“I totally agree, husband.”
“Let’s go,” Diesel smiled, holding the door open as Rachel and Sapphire exited the house.
* * *
The ride to the bar was more of the same — Rachel and Diesel giggling like school girls over Tank’s reaction to all the attention Sapphire would get tonight. For the hundredth time, Sapphire wondered if she should have just stayed at the house and had them bring her something back.
“Come on, y’all,” Sapphire sighed. “We are all adults and you two are acting like middle schoolers.”
“So!” Diesel said, sticking his tongue out at Sapphire.
“Really?” she said, shaking her head. “Did you just seriously stick your tongue out at me?”
“Yep!” Diesel replied, blowing a raspberry and sending spit everywhere.
“Eww!” Sapphire laughed. “Nasty ass! Keep that thing in your mouth.”
“That’s not what she says,” Diesel mumbled, causing Rachel to giggle.
“Lord help me,” Sapphire sighed.
Pulling in the parking lot of The Brickyard, Sapphire could tell it was a popular place. Cars, trucks, and several motorcycles lined the area. The building was huge. It looked like an old barn. Rustic red painted wood, black shutters and trim. The only light that could be seen was from the windows on the second story — Tank’s apartment.
For a moment, Sapphire wondered what his place would look like. Hard lines and masculine, was her guess. Dark, deep natural tones — much like the man himself.
“Are we going inside?” Rachel asked. “Or are we just going to sit here while you stare out the window?”
“Oh. Sorry, let’s go,” Sapphire said, opening the passenger side door and climbing out of Diesel’s truck.
She waited by the hood while Diesel helped Rachel get out and into her wheelchair. Together, they headed for the large entry door. The moment it opened, Sapphire was assaulted by the lights and sounds blasting through the speakers.
“This way,” Diesel said leading them to a roped-off section filled with other members of the Devil’s Henchmen.
“Hey!” several voices shouted to be heard over the music.
Sapphire inclined her head and took the empty seat between Reaper and Rachel. Looking around the bar, she could tell that a lot of pride went into the place. Most biker-type bars had that dusty, sticky, smoke-filled feeling but here, everything was...clean.
“Nice, right?” Rachel asked.
“Very.”
“Tank loves this place. He got it after his dad retired and moved to Florida. The Brickyard is his baby.”
“I can tell,” Sapphire smiled. “It’s so...”
“Clean?” Rachel laughed.
“Yeah.”
“Hey y’all!” A beautiful, curvaceous woman with a drink shouted as she made her way over to the table. “What can I get y’all to drink?” she smiled.
“Hey, Sarah!” Rachel called. “How’s it going?”
“Girl, it has been crazy!”
“I can tell. Seems like everyone and their momma is here tonight.”
“Right?” Sarah said, looking around. “And it’s only going to get worse.”
“Why do you say that?” Rachel asked.
“The guys didn’t tell you?” Sarah inquired.
Sapphire looked around the group of Henchmen. Each were staring holes into the waitress like she was about to reveal the secret to world domination or something.
“Tell me what?” Rachel asked, looking at Diesel.
“Nothing,” Diesel, Sledge, and Reaper said simultaneously.
Sapphire could tell something was off and she didn’t like being kept in the dark. If something was going on, she wanted to know about it.
“Oh...um... do y’all want something to drink?” Sarah asked, now looking nervous.
“Just a coke for me,” Rachel said, sounding irritated.
“And for you?” Sarah asked Sapphire.
“Crown and Coke.”
“Got it. Be right back.”
Sapphire watched as the waitress walked towards the bar to place their order. It also gave her a second to finally have a reason to check out Tank. The man looked completely at home behind the counter. Sapphire watched as he bent low, putting his ear close to Sarah while she gave him their order. Lifting his head, his eyes met Sapphire’s. A slow smile spread across his face, causing an identical one to spread across hers and the air to leave her lungs. The man was truly a walking sex god.
Peeling her eyes from his, Sapphire turned to Reaper. She wanted answers. No. She needed them. She couldn’t stay in a place if something was happening and she was kept in the dark. She needed some control. And he would give it to her. He would understand her need.
“What the fuck is going on?” she whispered in his ear.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he replied.
“Bullshit!” Sapphire retorted. “Tell me, now!”
“Come on,” Reaper said standing from his chair and pulling hers out.
Sapphire followed him towards the bar, but instead of stopping, he continued down a long hallway. Entering an office, Tank’s office she assumed, Sapphire turned to see that they were not alone. Sledge had followed them.
“What’s going on?” Sapphire asked again once the door was closed.
“First, let me make it clear — this is Henchmen territory. What information I give you is because I want you to have it,” Sledge answered.
“Oh, stop the shit, Sledge,” Sapphire quipped, rolling her eyes. “This isn’t the 1980’s. We don’t have fucking territories. We both run very legal clubs. So let’s not pretend this is a gang war.”
“We?” Sledge eyebrow rose. “Last I knew, you didn’t want any part of club life. So who is this ‘we’ shit?”
“Don’t you ever get tired of being a total dickwaffle?” Sapphire sighed.
“Okay you two!” Reaper groaned. “Knock it off, for fuck’s sake.”
Sapphire wanted to strangle him. She wanted to take him outside and kick his pompous ass all over again.
Fuckin’ prick!
“Here’s the deal,” Reaper said. “We got word that the Pecadores Santanas are coming into town tonight and Chavez will be here, too.”
Sapphire knew the name. The Pecadores Santanas, or Satan’s Sinners in English, was a Mexican gang that ran drugs, guns, and girls into the states via hidden tunnels that authorities had yet to find. About three weeks ago, Border Patrol found an eighteen wheeler about sixty miles north of Laredo, Texas with eleven dead in its cargo. The girls were from several different countries — Mexican, American, Chinese, Korean. It was proof that the gang’s reach was farther than anyone imagined. And now they were here.
“What are they in town for? And why would they be stupid enough to come here, knowing the Henchmen are all over this place?” Sapphire asked, running a hand over her face.
It made no sense...why here?
“That’s what we are trying to figure out,” Sledge answered. “Normally, they stay clear of Dallas and Houston areas because of us and your mother. But for some reason, they are jumping into the heart of both. I received a call from your mom today. Apparently, they are having a meet up at Piper’s Pit tonight, too.”
“No way!” Sapphire exclaimed, shocked. “At Piper’s?”
“Yep,” Sledge nodded.
“My sister would never go for that.”
It wasn’t Piper’s bar, it actually belonged to Aidan, an ex-boyfriend of hers. But still, Piper would never consent to have that type of group in the bar. Piper was a cop. She loved her job and took it very seriously.
Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her cellphone and connected a call to Piper.
“What are you doing?” Sledge asked.
“Calling my sister.”
Sapphire waited for Piper to answer. Finally, on the fourth ring, she heard her sister’s voice.
“Hey Beautiful!” Piper chimed.
“Hey,” Sapphire smiled. “What the fuck is going on? I’m standing here with Sledge and Reaper and I’m being told that Pecadores Santanas is holding a meeting at Piper’s Pit.”
“That’s what I hear,” Piper answered.
“And you’re allowing this?” Sapphire asked, shocked.
“Yes,” Piper replied. “It’s the only way we can gather intel. Normally, they are so secretive. For some reason, they are coming out to play in the light.”
“Piper,” Sapphire warned. “This is a dangerous game.”
“Drugs, guns, the selling of teenage girls,” Piper listed. “It’s all dangerous, but it’s our job to face the dangers. It’s our job to stop scum like Chavez and his crew.”
“I don’t like it,” Sapphire admitted. “I’ll never get home in time to be there.”
“You don’t need to be here, Steph,” Piper sighed. “Club life isn’t what you want, remember?”
“This isn’t about the fucking club, Piper.”
“It’s not?”
“No! This is about my family walking into a snake pit filled with deadly pythons!”
“You don’t always have to be the protector, Sapphire,” Piper replied. “We are capable of taking care of ourselves.”
Sapphire didn’t know what to say. Her stomach was telling her to run. Run home. This entire situation was bad.
“I’m coming home.”
“No,” Piper said forcefully. “You are where you need to be. Trust me. We got this. Mom has the Angels at the club and I have a few undercovers there, too. Not to mention, from the intel we have been given, the largest of the group will be there. You’re needed there Sapphire. Stay.”
“Piper...” it was Sapphire’s turn to sigh. She felt so torn. “I love you. Be careful. Please.”
“I love you, too,” Piper replied. “And I’m always careful. Watch your six, beautiful.”
Sapphire ended the call and sat heavily in the office chair behind her. She had no idea when she started walking the room or how she ended up behind Tank’s desk. However, at the moment she was grateful for it. She felt like everything she had once known was about to crash down around her. She had a sinking feeling, and she didn’t like it one bit.
“Talk to me Stephanie,” Reaper said quietly, making his way to her side.
“What if something happens to them?”
“What is your gut telling you?”
“That I need to get home.”
“Then that’s what you do,” Reaper said.
“But I’ll never make it back in time,” Sapphire sighed.
“Then you stay here,” Sledge said, coming to stand on the opposite side of her. “You stay here. Help us.”
“Piper says the largest part of the faction will be here, but I still don’t understand why? The group is infamous for staying hidden. Keeping to the shadows. Why come out? Why chance being caught?”
“That’s what we need to figure out,” Reaper answered. “Something has happened. Something that has changed the dynamic of how they run things.”
Sapphire’s head was a chaos of emotions. She came here to simply help Rachel learn to walk again; but now, she was in the middle of a Mexican cartel clusterfuck. This was not how her vacation was supposed to be.
Stop being a whiny bitch!
It was time to pull on her big girl panties and get shit done. She would just have to trust that her mom and sisters could handle things back home without her. She was needed here. Even if she didn’t want anything to do with the MC life, this was a lot bigger than that. This was a problem that involved a lot more than just the Devil’s Henchmen and the Iron Angels. This group reached far out into the world. Taking children from their homes; and selling them, along with drugs and guns to the highest bidder.
“Okay,” Sapphire said, standing from her seat. “I’m in.”
“Good,” Sledge sighed.
“Worried I’d tell you to go fuck yourself?” Sapphire asked.
“Honestly?” Sledge asked. “Kind of.”
Sapphire couldn’t help but laugh. Nothing was really funny about this situation, but it was either laugh or have a breakdown. And breakdowns weren’t her thing.