“How was your night off?” Will asked as he walked into the bar, ready and dressed for the evening. He didn’t work every night, but he found he liked talking to the customers and was getting to know some of the regulars. Maybe working a bar… or managing a restaurant, wouldn’t be such a bad gig after all.

 

“It was good. Jules took me to his ‘thinking rock’, a place he found about thirty miles out of town. It’s a big ol’ flat rock that overlooks the river. We lay on the rock and looked at the stars awhile and talked about the club.” She didn’t mention what they did after that. “I don’t know what is happening. This thing Jules mentioned, the protection money…that bothers me.”

 

“It should. That would tarnish that good guy image if they were to start doing that,” he said as he stepped behind the bar and helped her prepare the bar for opening.

 

“Yeah. Will… are you thinking of joining Forsaken 99?”

 

“Thinking about it. Why?”

 

“I… wish you would reconsider. If this is where the club is going…”

 

“Rachel… I’m not going to join if they are going to be a bunch of hoods. But Jules, he seems like an upstanding guy. He said the club slapped Todd down, and hard. Every business, club, whatever, has their bad apples. The more members in the club that are the good guys, the harder it is for the bad guys to do anything.”

 

“Yeah, but—”

 

“Look… it seems more important now than ever that they get some new blood in to help push against this kind of crap. They have a good thing going here. It benefits everyone. Look at it this way… I will be the first native member. I know this town, and these people, better than any of them. I can help keep them on the straight and narrow.”

 

“I know. But I worry.”

 

Will grinned. “If I know you, you have already told Jules to keep an eye on me. If I join, I can help keep an eye on him and watch his back. You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

 

She smiled as she looked at her feet in embarrassment from Will seeing right through her. “Yeah. I would.”

 

“Don’t worry, okay?”

 

***

 

“Have you seen Todd around?” Jules asked as he stepped up to the bar a couple of hours later.

 

“No, why?”

 

“I wanted to talk to him and tell him that I have the Washington problem smoothed over. But I can’t get in touch with him. I don’t know if he is avoiding my calls or what.”

 

“Don’t know. Did you check his shop?”

 

“Yeah. Nobody has seen him since the meeting last night. Normally that wouldn’t worry me too much, but a half dozen other members have all gone missing about the same time. I’m concerned that there has been another hit by the cartel.”

 

Rachel blanched at the news. “Who?”

 

“I don’t know about everyone, but I know Gigolo, Dwayne, Lloyd, Split, Eightball, Tug, John and Uri have all gone missing too, in addition to Todd. I heard from some of their old ladies that they didn’t come home last night, and they haven’t heard from them today either.”

 

“And you think…?”

 

“I don’t know. I hope not.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“If I don’t hear from one of them by tomorrow, I will get a group together and see if we can track them down. I don’t know what else to do.”

 

“Could it be they have just split? Left the club?”

 

“The President?” Jules asked dubiously.

 

“Yeah. I guess that is pretty—”

 

“Jules!” A voice called from the door. “I thought I would find you here.”

 

“Jesus Christ, Todd! Where the hell have you been? Your old lady has been worried sick!” Jules exclaimed as all the missing members filed into He’s Not Here.

 

“I had to get away… do some of that kumbaya shit. I… was losing my way. You were right. I… don’t know what I was thinking when I was talking about making the town pay for our protection. I need to talk to the club, the whole club. Tonight. I need to apologize to them and make sure they know you and I are on the same page about this. Help me set it up?”

 

Jules was so flabbergasted at Todd’s sudden change in attitude that he looked to Rachel to see if she heard the same thing he had. She looked at him with a confused look on her face and shrugged.

 

“Uh… sure Todd.”

 

“Okay, thanks. You start at the bottom and work up, I will start at the top and work down. We’ll meet somewhere in the middle. And Jules… thanks. Thanks for standing up and making sure this club’s name means something.”

 

“Uh… you’re welcome.” He wasn’t sure what was going on, or what had changed Todd’s mind, but he would take his wins where he could.

 

***

 

Two hours after Forsaken 99 left for their meeting, they returned. All of them. Jules is beaming as he strides up to the bar. He slaps his hand on the bar. “Pull me a Hefeweizen, and I would like to buy one for the bartender as well!”

 

Rachel grinned as she and Will began to fill orders. “You’re in a good mood. Meeting go well?”

 

“You bet your ass!” he crowed as he leaned across the bar and pulled her to him for a kiss.

 

“Easy there cowboy,” she grinned as she pulled back. “Let me get these orders filled then you can tell me about it.”

 

It took about five minutes of furious work, but soon she and Will had worked off the backlog of orders.

 

“Okay. What’s up?”

 

“It’s Todd. I don’t know what he did last night and today, he won’t say exactly, only that he had to get his head right. But it’s like he’s a different man. He stood up in front of the entire club and… apologize. Said that he was wrong, that he was leading the club in the wrong direction, and that was going to change. Then he thanked me for standing up for what was right. Said it was members like me that make Forsaken 99 what it was. I think you could have knocked me over with a feather. Spence told me to close my mouth because I was drawing flies.”

 

Jules chuckled and looked around the bar, full of happy Forsaken 99 members. “I think the entire club was stunned. Then he said the club had started with nothing and got the job done… and we could do it again because now we had the support of the community, and that was the most important thing. That Vallecito was the reason we were here, and that keeping the people safe was worth any sacrifice.”

 

Rachel looked into Jules’s face. “That’s… quite the speech. Do you think he means it?”

 

Jules grinned. “Yeah. Yeah I do. He said that he had to heal the club… and he has bent over backwards to tell everyone how he was wrong and I was right. Right about the kids, and right about the protection money.”

 

“What about the kids?”

 

Jules winced. “Shit… I wish I hadn’t said that. It was nothing, really.”

 

“If it was nothing then you can tell me.”

 

Jules grimaced. “When we intercepted the kids in the desert… there was a disagreement about what to do with them. We had always… taken care of the mules. But these were kids.”

 

“But you did let them go, right? You told me you did.”

 

“Yeah. But not before we ended up pointing guns at each other.”

 

“Shit! You’re kidding?”

 

“I wish I were. I pulled my gun on the fucking President of the club. It was some bad shit, Rachel. But I couldn’t let him just kill those kids.”

 

Rachel looked around Jules to watch Todd a moment. “He needs to go,” she said quietly.

 

“Two days ago, I would have agreed with you. But now he seems… different somehow. I can’t explain it. But it like some huge weight has been taken off his shoulders.”

 

“And you think you can trust him now?”

 

“I don’t know. I hope so. Time will tell. But if he is sincere…”

 

She looked back to him. “If…”

 

“Come on!” Jules teased. “Now who’s being a downer? It will be okay! Listen… I think I need to help you move something heavy in the back, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

She smiled. “As a matter of fact…”

 

The moment they stepped into the stockroom, he pushed her against the door and leaned in, a hand to either side, blocking her escape. He didn’t kiss her and she stared into his eyes, eyes that burned with a passion she had never seen in them before.

 

“Are you going to kiss me or just stand there?” she demanded.

 

And kiss her he did, leaning in and taking her lips before picking her up and pressing her against the door with his body. The kiss was torrid and she wrapped her arms and legs around him as he leaned in. He broke the kiss and began to kiss down her neck, licking and sucking, as she held his lips to her neck. She was becoming wet with desire, desire that she couldn’t act upon.

 

“Stop, Jules. Stop.” she begged as she pushed at him, needing him to stop but not wanting him too. Never had he been so fiery, so aggressive and passionate, and she wanted him. She wanted to take this moment and just fuck him, to experience him finally letting himself go with her.

 

“Jules, please stop. Please! We can’t… not now!”

 

The roaring heat of his passion eased and he loosened his hold upon her, but he didn’t stop, not immediately, his lips slowing their maddening dance on her skin until only his panting was left, his breath hot and erotic.

 

“I want you,” he whispered, not yet letting her go.

 

“I want you, too. But not here, not now. I have to work. But later… later I want you to remember how you feel now… and take me then. Promise me,” she murmured as she kissed his neck.

 

“Yes. Later,” he said as he pulled back and gently lowered her to the floor before leaning in and kissing her slowly on the lips. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he murmured as he took her lips again.

 

She felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe we should go, right here, right now, she thought as her desire for him surged even harder at his words. “And you, me,” she whispered as she touched his cheek, the look on his face at her touch making her want to cry. How can my touch affect him so deeply?

 

As her hand fell away he kissed her softly again, then stepped back, freeing her to move. She took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure as she straightened her shirt and neatened her hair. With a final deep breath to fortify herself, she opened the door and walked up the short hall to the bar.

 

The moment she and Jules stepped into the bar, all glasses are raised in a loud salute, over forty faces grinning at them before they dissolved into laughter. She burned in embarrassment as she stepped behind the bar, her face flushed.

 

Will smiled at her and handed her a shot of Southern Comfort. “To take the edge off.” When she took the glass, he picked up another glass from the bar and held it in front of him. “To you and Jules… may he always halve your sorrow and double your joy,” he said quietly before tossing the liquid back.

 

She didn’t think she could blush any deeper as she followed suit… but she was wrong.

 

“You’re sure you don’t mind,” Will asked as he looked at the young woman sitting at the bar and smiled, the same young woman that had become one of Will’s regulars.

 

“No, of course not. You have covered for me several nights. I can do the same for you. Besides, who you do think ran this place before you got here?” Rachel teased.

 

“Thanks, Squirt. You’re the best.”

 

“What did I tell you about that,” she warned sternly, but not really minding that he used her old nickname.

 

“You don’t mind staying?” he asked Jules.

 

“Go.”

 

“Thanks man, I owe you,” he said as he moved out from behind the bar.

 

“Cute girl,” Jules said as Will escorted the woman out.

 

“Yeah. She’s the town optometrist I think.”

 

“Oh? Does he need glasses?”

 

Rachel giggled. “No… I don’t think so.”

 

Jules chuckled. “From the way she was hanging on him as they left, I’m guessing she wants to see if he can take care of her.”

 

Rachel grinned. “Thanks for offering to stay. I don’t think he would have left otherwise.”

 

“You know this means you will have to stay at my place tonight… in case he takes her to your house.”

 

“Oh dear,” she moaned dramatically, “what a shame.”

 

***

 

By the time Jules and Rachel arrived at his house, he was dead on his feet. It was almost two, and he had been up since six that morning. He wanted Rachel, wanted her badly, but he was wiped.

 

Rachel crawled into bed beside him and he snuggled her in tight. She had seen Jules beginning to droop as the evening wore on. They were going to have to come to some accommodation on their schedules. She was a night owl, sleeping from three or four in the morning until noon or so the next day, made that way by the bar’s hours. But Jules, he had to be up and gone early for his job.

 

Having Will to help had been a godsend, allowing her scoot out early some nights. It was impacting the profitability of the bar, but she was more than willing to trade that for quality time with Jules.

 

“Thank you… thank you for being here for me,” he murmured as he kissed her shoulders. “I… don’t know how I would have made it through the last month without you.”

 

“Shhh… no dark thoughts, okay? I’m here for you,” she whispered. His words weren’t exactly a confession of undying love, but they warmed her deep in her soul. “The last month, since you fell asleep on my couch, has been as happy as any I can remember.”

 

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

 

“I’m glad I did. I had no idea of the strength you have to bear that for so long. And I’m happy to help you share the load.”

 

“You have,” he sighed and she could tell he was sliding into sleep.

 

“Sleep,” she whispered as his breathing became slow, deep and regular. He had confessed to poor sleeping and nightmares, but since they have been sharing a bed, he had slept peacefully… even when they didn’t make love. Perhaps that is the greatest compliment of all -- that his newfound peace is because of me… not what I do to him.

 

She smiled, remembering the storage room from six hours before. She would let him sleep and gather his strength, but when he woke up… they would pick up where they left off. She could always nap after he left for work… because if he could recapture that feeling in the morning, she was certain she would need the rest.

 

***

 

The next morning she heard the shower start in the next room. Shit! I didn’t even hear the alarm! She stretched and yawned, groaning in misery as she pulled herself out of sleep. She could feel sleep pulling at her, so she rolled out of the bed and relieved herself, not wanting to fall back asleep before Jules finished his shower. She had plans for Mr. Rivera this morning.

 

When she heard the shower stop she began to feign sleep, positioning herself in the sexist position she could, covers tossed back, one hand carelessly placed between her legs as if touching herself, the other thrown over her head.

 

She could sense his closeness when he came back into the room. She imagined him still dripping with water, his cock hard, and she fought to remain still and not smile so to not give away the trap. As she hoped, he sat on the side of the bed and touched her lips gently with his own. It was his normal good morning kiss, but rather than her normal sleepy acceptance, she responded, offering her tongue as she slowly, as if coming out a deep sleep, wrapped him in her embrace. He settled onto her and then rolled over the top of her, holding her tight so that she came to rest on his chest.

 

“You’re not fooling anyone,” he whispered as their lips parted. “I saw you rinse your mouth out.”

 

“Does it matter?” she asked, a little disappointed that she hadn’t fooled him.

 

“No. Good pose though.”

 

“I thought you would like it. Are you going to be late for work?”

 

“Oh yeah,” he murmured as he pulled her back into the kiss.

 

“Do you remember last night? How you felt? How you wanted me? I want that… I want you to feel like that again… I want you to want me like that,” she gasped as he fought her way up out of the kiss.

 

“I remember…” he said and he could feel his passion beginning to spool up, coiling like a spring waiting for release.

 

She watched as the pupils in his eyes dilated, like they had the previous night, speaking of his need, and she felt a deep thrill pass through her. It was like the first night when she had seen that look of need, but amplified and turned up to eleven. Unburdened for the first time since their joining, his power radiated over her, making her heart race. He rolled over then hovered over her, staring deep into her eyes. She remained still, meeting his gaze, allowing him to choose the manner of their pleasure.

 

“Shit…” he growled as his phone rang. It’s not even seven o’clock! Who the hell is calling me at this hour?

 

“Leave it,” she begged, but she could feel the moment slipping away.

 

He hesitated, torn by indecision. “Fuck!” he snarled and snatched up the phone. “Rivera!” he barked into the phone.

 

“Jules. Chuck Washington. Sorry to call you so early, but Todd Webber just called and has asked to meet with me. He said he needed to talk to me. I want you to be here. Can you meet us in my office at seven-thirty?”

 

“Yes sir, Mr. Washington. I’m just about ready to walk out the door,” he lied, struggling to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

 

“Thanks, Jules. I appreciate that.”

 

“No…” Rachel groaned the moment he clicked the phone off.

 

“That mother-fucking Todd! I don’t know what shit he is up to now, but I have to go. I’m sorry, babe. I really am. Forgive me?”

 

“Yeah,” she sighed in exasperation. “But you owe me... and I intend to collect.”

 

“I know. And I am looking forward to having to pay up. But I have to go,” he said as he rolled out of the bed.

 

As he bent to kiss her, she gave his erect cock a caress, just to be a bitch. “You call me when you’re done. If Todd fucked this up by being a dick, I will cut his nuts off.”

 

He gave her one more quick kiss, longing to join her in the bed, then rose. “I will, but you’ll have to wait your turn.”

 

***

 

Ninety minutes later, Jules shook Charles Washington’s hand and accepted a slap on the back before Washington shook his head in amazement, turned, and walk back into his office. He had beaten Todd to Washington’s office by less than five minutes and he had braced himself for a fight, but Todd was all smiles and expressed gratitude that Jules was there to help smooth things over.

 

It quickly became clear that Todd didn’t needed any help. He had come across very sincere and apologetic, admitting that he had overstepped his bounds. Further, he agreed that the rancher consortium should reduce their level of support to a level appropriate for their current needs.

 

Jules sat in the guest chair beside Todd, as flabbergasted as he was the night before, when Todd apologized to the entire club. The meeting was productive and by the time they had finished, Washington had agreed to restore their funding if the need arose.

 

The moment Washington’s door closed, Jules pulled his phone to call Rachel. In the three years that he had known him, Jules couldn’t remember Todd apologizing for anything. And now he has apologized twice in just two days. For the first time in a long time, Jules felt like everything was coming together. As the phone began to ring, he smiled. He might just have to go in even later than he thought this morning.