Chapter 10

EZRA

It didn’t take much effort to get everything done. Ivory didn’t have as much red tape to go through. There was no bureaucracy to work my way around. There were no politics. Considering it was in an abandoned part of the city, it only made it that much easier for them to hand over the keys to me.

I knew that this was only just the beginning though. I had the rest of the day to myself. Rather than distract myself with all of the work to be done or Lacey, who was working a shift at the diner, I figured I owed it to myself to celebrate just a little bit. A quiet time to think to myself.

I headed down the street from the building I’d just purchased toward the bar that I’d seen earlier.

Hades…

The place was looming even from a distance. I knew what it meant. I knew everything it represented. Frankly, I was surprised it was even still standing. My curiosity was getting the best of me. Or maybe it was something else. Whatever stupid reason it was, I got to Hades and realized it was what I figured it was when I saw the bikes parked out front.

It didn’t have much going on for it outside and the same for inside. The wood paneling was old and dusty. There were even a few bullet holes in the walls. I knew that because nothing else could cause that kind of splintering. The fans spinning on the ceiling didn’t do much for the warmth. It was quiet except for a TV that hung on the wall. A couple of guys were watching it while they enjoyed their beers in the middle of the afternoon.

Nobody paid much attention to me, mainly because there wasn’t anybody inside outside of a single bartender. He sat in his seat, messing around on his phone. It took a few seconds before he finally acknowledged me.

“Vodka. Double.”

He gave me a nod and poured my drink out for me. Most people thought that only alcoholics drank in the middle of the afternoon but I wasn’t the kind of man who couldn’t control himself. Ivory was a new opportunity and everything was headed in the right direction.

I took a sip of the liquor and smacked my lips. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone step out of the backroom. I minded my own business and took another swig. I didn’t think much of it until the figure had suddenly moved right next to me.

I turned and saw that it was an old man. Thinning white hair. Weathered face. A big gut that stuck out. I wouldn’t have thought much of him if it wasn’t for the electric blue suit he was wearing. It didn’t matter that he was old. It didn’t matter that he was out of shape. He would’ve been overdressed even if he were in the city.

If nothing else though, he seemed harmless.

He narrowed his eyes at me, not saying anything. I scoffed and turned my attention back to my drink.

“You need some help, old man?” I asked.

“I might ask you the same thing.”

“Is that right? And what makes you say that?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I just… I wanted to have a drink.”

“There are plenty of nice bars in Ivory. There’s nothing in Old Town. Men in suits don’t come to a place like Hades to have a drink.”

“And yet, here I am.”

I raised my glass to him and took another sip. He managed to get a chuckle out of me even though I got the sense that he was up to something. He still kept staring at me, his face wrinkled as he kept squinting.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

I thought about it for a second but didn’t see the harm in it.

“Grant,” I said.

“Grant,” he said with a nod, his eyes shifting up and down and examining me.

“What’s your name, old-timer?”

“…Murphy.”

“Murphy. Is there something I can help you with, Murphy?”

He leaned forward, moving his face closer to me. I leaned back a bit and arched an eyebrow at him. If he was anybody else, I probably would’ve slugged him right there. I kept waiting for the old man to do something but he eventually pulled away. He turned around and started walking away.

“Enjoy your drink,” he said as he disappeared into the backroom.

I stared blankly at the spot he’d left to before turning to the bartender.

“What’s his deal?” I said.

“Don’t mind Ol’ Murph,” he replied. “Nobody can explain the things men do when they get that old. Must be getting senile.”

“You said it.”

I had a laugh and took another swig of liquor. The bartender refilled my glass.

“You are here for a reason though, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Business,” I said. “I’ve got business in Ivory. In Old Town. Same as everybody else.”

“Devils are doing a lot of business these days from what I’m hearing.”

“Devils?”

“The New Devils.”

He pointed at the banner hanging up on the side of the wall.’

“This is their clubhouse,” he said. “Thought you knew what you were walking into.”

“I should’ve,” I said. “Every place in Ivory seems like it’s being run by an MC.”

“If you’ve got any business in Old Town, the Devils are always looking to get in on it.”

“Thanks. But I think I’ve got things under control.”

“Suit yourself. Just something to think about.”

The bartender took a step back and went back to messing around on his phone. I took another sip of alcohol just as the entrance to the clubhouse opened up. I didn’t pay much attention to the group of people who just walked in.

But they were a big group. I would’ve been able to tell that even if I couldn’t see them from the corner of my eye. They were as loud and obnoxious as you could get. Laughing, talking to each other like they were across the room, stomping their boots on the floor like a bunch of animals.

I gave them a quick glance and saw that it was some biker club. Motherfuckers like them never had any respect for anybody and I didn’t expect this time to be any different. I didn’t give a shit either way though. I just sipped on my drink while they made their way to the bar.

I wouldn’t have given them a second thought if they didn’t suddenly move so close to me. Some of them moved to my side and the rest of them moved to the other side. They surrounded me completely.

“Come on, man! Get us some fuckin’ beers!”

They all shouted at the bartender who worked to serve them. I kept staring straight ahead, looking down at my half-empty glass.

The biker standing next to me kept eyeballing me. He was staring so fucking hard that I could feel it. I sighed a deep breath through my nose and did my best not to roll my eyes. I didn’t give a shit how many of them there were or how tough they were trying to look. Nobody was gonna fucking intimidate me.

“What are you drinking, pal?”

I ignore his question, taking another swig from my glass.

“Hey, you hear me talking to you—”

“I’m not your pal,” I interrupted him.

I finally turned and saw the man standing next to me. Some asshole biker who looked like all the rest. Long, greasy hair. His beard was just as dirty. His clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed and they smelled just the same. The leather vest he wore was dusty like he’d been on the road for weeks. I glanced at the patch on his chest and read it to myself.

Desert Rebels…

I remembered the name immediately. The same motherfuckers who were eyeballing me the other night.

The man stared down at me as I sat in my seat, a half-smirk on his lips.

“What do you want?” I said.

“I don’t want anything. Just wanted to know what you were drinking. Maybe you can give me a recommendation.”

“Liquor is liquor. Whatever gets you drunk.”

“I’m not looking to get drunk. I’m looking for something that tastes good. Maybe you can help me out with that.”

He was still grinning obnoxiously. It was obvious he was hiding something. The other men in his group were all giving me their attention all the same. There were five of them in total. A bunch of assholes who were up to no good and did a shit job of hiding it.

“What do you want?” I repeated to the man next to me.

“I told you. I only want—”

“Cut the bullshit. Desert Rebels. You’re not from Ivory. You’re here for a reason. What do you want? I’m not gonna ask again.”

He raised his eyebrows at me.

“That sounds like a threat,” he said.

“It’s not a threat. Just a warning.”

“Listen…”

He straightened up.

“…I’m not here to start any trouble with you—”

“Then go fuck off. Mind your own business and let me have my drink in peace.”

“But I just wanted to tell you… to watch your back… Grant.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. Now that he’d made it obvious that something was up, I had to do something. The question was what to do.

Start some shit in the middle of the bar?

Walk away?

Nah, fuck this guy…

I gave him a laugh and rolled my eyes after holding back this whole time. I turned back to my drink and took a sip from it.

“There a problem here?”

A voice broke the tension that I didn’t even notice was building inside of the bar. Everybody turned toward the man standing off to the side. He was accompanied by three other guys, each of them wearing a matching leather kutte. A quick glance at the patch on their chest indicated that it was their clubhouse.

“I asked a question,” the lead man said.

The Desert Rebel who confronted me gave me a glance then put his hands up.

“No problem,” he said. “Just wanted to have a few beers with my MC here.”

“Fine. Don’t start shit in my clubhouse. You start shit here, I’ll finish it.”

“Hey, like I said, no problem. Just looking for a drink.”

The Desert Rebels all left the bar and headed toward a booth in the corner. I didn’t give a shit either way, polishing off my liquor and dropping the empty glass on the counter.

The man who broke whatever tension there was walked up to me.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re not from around here.”

“Oh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“Fancy suit. Fancy tie. Fancy watch. Motherfuckers like you don’t come to Ivory unless…”

“Unless what?”

He gave me a smirk and nodded.

“Unless they’re here for business,” he said.

“My business is my business. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“Of course. That shit goes without saying.”

He held his hand out to me.

“Cain.”

I was searching for any reason as to why the motherfucker was being so friendly with me. I stopped thinking too much about it though and just shook his hand.

“Grant,” I said.

“Grant… The Devils are always looking to do business in Ivory. You ever need a partner, you come talk to me.”

“Thanks,” I said as I got up out of my seat. “But I think I’ve already got more partners than I can handle already.”

“Fair enough. Don’t be a stranger now.”

I gave him a nod and did the same to the three men standing behind him. Each one of them was looking at me like they were worried that I was up to something.

I glanced at the men in the corner of the bar. The Desert Rebels were all minding their own business. All of them except for the one motherfucker who was trying to intimidate me.

It’s too early for this…

I sighed a deep breath through my nose and shook my head before heading for the exit. I had the rest of the day to myself and there was still more work to do. I wasn’t gonna let some shit like this fuck my day up. Not when I knew Lacey was waiting for me tonight. I couldn’t see her soon enough.