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Well, what a lovely day.
I spent an hour in the gym, then cooled off by the pool. Which has a bar, a fact Grisham did not mention earlier. I drank two of the most lovely, icy, strawberry-y drinks, and woo-hoo, I am feeling pretty damn good right about now.
I feel a little tipsy, which is cool, but I guess I should find some dinner or something.
Chef’s got a spread laid out in the dining room, so I grab a plate and go through the line, ignoring the looks I’m getting from the random assortment of men and women in the room. It could be that I’m only wearing a bikini that’s attracting attention. Maybe?
A lean, brown-haired guy beckons to me from where he sits at a four-top with another young woman. I wander over and ask, “Is there a dress code in this place?”
He grins, teeth a mess in his mouth. “Nah, not really. I’m Dexter.”
“Tanzie,” I say.
“This is Anna,” he says, gesturing to the young woman next to him. She’s a little plump, with dark hair and green eyes. Kind of a little goth girl. I wonder if she’s even legal. I wonder if she’s a sex worker.
“Nice to meet you, Anna,” I say, taking a seat.
“So you’re Grisham’, um ...” Dexter seems not to know what to call me.
“Prisoner?” I finish, raising my eyebrows and giving him a closed-mouth smile.
“Well, I guess, maybe, if you wanna call it that,” he says with a shrug. “Seems like you have a lot of freedom for a prisoner, though.”
“I suppose,” I say, buttering a piece of bread. “I don’t mind it here. There is a pool bar and the drinks are pretty tasty.”
Anna pipes in as a waitress comes over to fill our glasses with white wine. “Dexter says Spree nabbed you and brought you here.”
“Yes,” I say. “He sure did. Wasn’t nice about it, either.”
“I’m sorry,” Dexter says, looking genuinely apologetic. “He’s a little ...”
“Crazy?” Anna asks.
“Hey now, we talked about this,” he says. “We don’t talk bad about club leadership in front of other people.”
Anna rolls her eyes. “Spree is an addict and way crazy to boot. He used to be just a little crazy, which was mostly tolerable. Now ...”
Dexter gives a rueful smile. “He’s a fixer. Grisham is the business mind. He needs a guy like Spree, a guy who’s not afraid to do the dirty work.”
“I don’t get the impression that Grisham is afraid to get his hands dirty,” I say. “I mean, from what I’ve experienced so far.”
Anna says, “He’s not. He beat the ever-loving shit out of Spree two days in a row. He’s killed people. He’s taken a bullet.”
Dexter gives her a warning look. “That was a long time ago.”
I lean forward. “What was?”
“Grisham took a bullet for a friend about four years back. He was still a mess over Giselle and he was drinking a lot. The club was kind of chaotic because it was still new and he was still so young ...”
“Giselle?” I ask.
“Grisham’ old lady,” Dexter explains. “He was just a pup when they met, paid her for all manner of fun and then fell in love with her. Paid to get her out when he found out she was pregnant, but they barely got a few months together because she died having Shannon.”
“Now who’s talking too much?” Anna asks jokingly. She looks at me. “Grisham does not talk about his daughter.”
“I knew he had one,” I say. “I mean, he told me. Not a lot, but that he had her and her mom had died.”
“Oh, good,” Dexter says. “Then it probably won’t surprise you that he hasn’t had a serious thing since. He loved her a good long time.”
“Sad,” I say, my heart feeling a little constricted in my chest. I decide to change the subject. “So, do you two live here?”
Anna laughs. “No, we have an apartment a few blocks away. I’m a nurse at Mercy with Grisham’s sister, Cary. Dexter works part time at a garage, part time here at the club.”
“Do you like it?” I ask
Dexter shrugs and makes a “meh” face. “I like being in the club. I’d ride over a cliff for Grisham. Some of the other stuff, I could do without.”
“You’re that loyal to him?” I ask, intrigued.
“He’s a good man. Built a good club. It’s hard to keep a bunch of testosterone-fueled idiots in line and when one goes rogue, others tend to fall off the wall, too. I’ll stick it out because I like his leadership better than other clubs I’ve ridden with.”
“Why do you like being in a club?” I ask.
Dexter thinks about this. “Well,” he says, “I like the ride, obviously. But also the brotherhood. Most of these guys would step in front of a bullet for you. It’s exciting to get in a pack and get on the highway toward some deal. I like staring down another crew and walking away with whatever we went for. It’s exciting, I guess.”
“Dangerous,” Anna says. “But it is nice to feel like you have a place where you belong. This is like a second home, and most of the guys are really good at heart.”
“I hear you on that. I grew up in a club and my dad always called members his brothers, too. Do you know my dad?” I ask. “Drew Williams?”
“Mmm-hmmm,” he confirms through a bite of hamburger. “Good guy.”
“Grisham reminds me of what my dad must have been like when he was younger.”
“I can see that,” Dexter says. “Your dad’s club’s too big for me, but I’ve always thought he was a fair dude.”
“Have you spoken to him since you ...” Anna starts the question but doesn’t finish it.
“No,” I say quickly. “I mean, I only saw Kit when he was here.”
“Maybe Grisham would let you call him?” Anna asks.
Dexter snorts. “That’s not likely.”
“Why?” Anna asks.
“Because why the fuck not just send her home, then? He’s got her; he plans to use her. My guess is territory, but he could have other things in mind. He didn’t ask for her, but now that he’s got her? He won’t just pass up an opportunity to get something out of it.”
“I’m not some piece of property,” I say, not for the first time since I’ve been here.
“No?” Dexter says.
“No!” I yelp. Heads turn and I feel my face go hot.
Anna smacks Dexter’s arm. He shrugs again and goes back to his sandwich.
Conversation turns to other subjects and I find myself enjoying the company of Dexter and Anna. They’re not too much older than me, I gather. I imagine I could be friends with them if I stayed here with the Barking Angels.
Eventually, they excuse themselves and say they need to head home.
I finish my glass of wine and order another, wandering out and down the hallway with it.
My intent is to find my way back to the room but I take a wrong turn and end up outside of a set of offices. I realize my directional mistake and turn, only to run into a hard body. It’s Spree, stocky and muscular, long-haired. His pupils are huge in his brown eyes.
“Lookin’ for the boss, then, little slut?” he asks, his big body blocking me from passing. I back up, finding myself with my back against the wall. He cages me in with his arms, his face just a few inches from mine.
“No, just got turned around after dinner,” I say, refusing to project anything resembling fear. I chug the rest of my wine, ready to smash my glass over his head if I have to.
His face looks terrible, one eye swollen, nose crooked, two black eyes, lacerations all over. So Anna wasn’t joking. Now I know why Grisham’s knuckles were so bruised.
“Well, it’s good to see you. And I mean, I’m really enjoying seeing you,” he says, looking me up and down. “Nice outfit.”
I’m not sure what to say to this guy, so I duck out from under his arms, taking a few quick steps to get away from him. He catches up quickly, grabbing the string of my bathing suit top so that it unties, the black fabric falling down, exposing my breasts. He lets out a hooting sound.
“Knew it would be worth a look-see,” he says, grinning like a maniac. “Them are some lovely little titties. Pair that with that gorgeous mouth that looked so comfortable around boss’s cock and it’s no wonder that fucking uptight bastard wants to keep you all locked up in his room like his personal cunt.”
I stand firm, trying not to be afraid or intimidated. “You touch me and you know Grisham will kill you.”
“Yeah, I s’pose he would,” Spree says, frowning. He shakes his head. “Guess I’ll just have to dream of your sexy little ass, then.”
He smacks my ass. “Get gone, then.”
I don’t waste time getting gone, retying my suit as I scurry away, thankful for whatever fear Grisham instilled in his VP the past two days.
*
