“Harlow, we need to get back to the restaurant,” Lisa interrupted us.
Harlow shot me that look again; the one that said don’t question anything. I raised my eyebrows back at her; I was totally fucking clueless as to what was going on here but I kept my mouth shut.
“Okay, honey,” Harlow said to Lisa and they started walking towards the restaurant. I followed them, and when we got there, Harlow indicated for me to wait outside while they went in. Again, I followed her direction. While I waited, I received a text message.
Griff: How far are you?
Me: Ten minutes out.
Griff: Hurry up.
Me: Working on it.
I had started pacing by the time the girls came back outside. Lisa seemed calmer now; Harlow had somehow made that happen. Watching them walk towards me, I took in Lisa’s smile as they chatted; the smile I’d hardly ever seen on her face. She caught my eye and directed that smile at me.
Smiling back at her, I asked, “All sorted?”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
Harlow agreed, “Yes, but Lisa’s still hungry. What happened to all that food you guys had?”
“They packed it up for me and it’s in my car. I’ve got to head out to sort something out. Are you able to take Lisa back to my house and stay with her until I get home? I shouldn’t be too long.”
Before Harlow could reply, Lisa asked, “Why am I staying at your house, Scott? I can just go home.”
I shook my head. “No, your Mum’s not in any state to look after you so you can stay with me tonight.” I was worried about her and wanted to keep an eye on her tonight.
Looking at Harlow, I asked, “Can you do it?”
“Yes, it’s no problem,” she replied.
I gave her my address and house keys. “I owe you,” I said, as I took the food out of the car and passed it to her.
“Yeah, you do,” she agreed, and winked at me, taking the food out of my hands.
As I drove away, I watched them in my rearview mirror; chatting and laughing together. Something settled in my gut, something I’d never felt before. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I was damn sure I wanted this thing at the clubhouse over as quickly as possible.
S
cott
I entered the room and Blade hit my sight. Motherfucker. He couldn’t be trusted. Why the fuck was I the only one who saw that?
“Scott, glad you could make it,” Blade greeted me as he stood up; cold eyes glued to mine.
I stopped in front of him, and said, “If I’d had more notice you were coming, I would’ve been here sooner.”
Neither of us moved; distrust and contempt thick in the air.
Griff broke the silence. “Blade’s changed his mind; he’s not willing to halt his distribution into Black Deed’s territory.”
I snarled at Blade, “What the fuck is your problem?”
Blade held my glare. “Black Deeds pissed a lot of people off under Nix’s control. Those people are more than happy to consider a new supplier. If the business is there, I’ll take it.”
“You’ve got no fucking idea what hell you’re bringing on yourself and your crew with that kind of decision.”
“My crew can hold their own.”
“You’re fucking delusional. Black Deeds will call in other chapters and favours; you won’t know what the fuck hit you.” Jesus, he was a dickhead and I was fast losing my cool. I knew he’d been bullshitting Dad when he agreed to pull back.
Griff knew my bullshit tolerance level and stepped in. “Scott’s right. Black Deeds’ power runs deep. They’ll smoke you before you even know it.”
Blade’s face contorted in anger. “Why don’t you let me worry about that and you stay out of it? This has got nothing to do with Storm.”
My anger had been walking a tightrope and that rope just fucking snapped. “This has got everything to do with Storm. Bullet’s asked us to get you to pull out, and if you don’t we’re in the fucking middle, and on Bullet’s shit list.”
“Not my fucking problem,” Blade snapped.
My fist was itching to connect with his face, however at that moment, my father joined the fray.
“It is your fucking problem,” Dad thundered; anger bubbling out of him, “And I’d appreciate it if you’d factor us into your fucking decision. You don’t need those coke dollars to survive, so do us all a favour and back the fuck off.”
Blade flinched. It was hardly noticeable but I was studying him, so I saw it. The hard set of his jaw was back in place straight away but he’d been affected by the way Dad spoke to him.
He glared at Dad. “I’ll say it one last time, I’m not giving in to that scum. I can’t believe you’re worried about him. Storm’s positioned well; your club can take him if need be.”
Dad stepped forcefully towards Blade, his heavy boot thudding with the impact. “What you don’t get, son, is that there are times to invite a war, and times to do every fucking thing you can to avoid it. We don’t want a war with Black Deeds. You go ahead with your plan, it’ll be inviting problems between you and me.”
Again, Blade flinched. Interesting; he hadn’t been expecting that.
“I’d say our meeting is done,” Blade declared, moving to leave. Tension clung to everything in the room and silence filled the space while we watched him go.
“Fuck!” I muttered, running my fingers through my hair.
“Fuck is about right,” Dad agreed, looking at me. His face was a picture of stress; the lines of age etched deeply in his skin, and the worry barely hidden. “We’ll just have to wait and see how Bullet takes this news.”
“You do know where this is headed, don’t you?” I asked him.
“Of course, I fucking do. Any fool can see that,” he snapped.
“Good, because we’re going to have to be ready to strike Blade’s crew when the time comes.”
He scowled at me. “Hold on one second. Who said that would be the plan?”
“Well, I’m not fucking taking on Black Deeds. You said it, now’s not the time to go to war with them. And certainly not over this for fucks sake.”
“Scott’s right,” Griff interjected.
Dad was quiet for a moment, assessing what had been said. “Well, nothing’s settled now and if it comes to it, we’ll take a meeting.”
I nodded. “Agreed.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Dad said, and then left Griff and I alone.
“This isn’t going to end well,” Griff murmured as he watched Dad go.
“I hear you, brother. I fucking hear you.”
H
arlow
Looking around the room, I tried to get my bearings. I wasn’t in my bed but I hadn’t woken up enough to instantly remember where I was. Mornings weren’t my best time; I needed coffee to function properly before nine o’clock. I took in the grey feature wall to my left, the black and grey colour scheme, and the Harley Davidson print on the wall, and realised I was in Scott’s bedroom. It came back to me; after Lisa had gone to sleep in Scott’s spare room, I’d decided to lie down until he got home. He must have come home late because I’d fallen asleep, and now it was morning. The early morning light was filtering through his grey curtains; my watch said six thirty.
The bathroom called so I dragged myself out of bed and went in search of it. Scott’s home had surprised me. I’d expected messy and undecorated. In reality, it was clean, homely and had some decoration in the form of bike prints, rugs on the wood floor, and I’d even noticed a plant in the kitchen. His house was a Queenslander; I loved the wood and the wrap around verandahs. He’d obviously spent time and money looking after it too because it was in immaculate condition inside and out.
As I walked down the hallway, I glanced at the photos he’d hung on the wall. There was one of an older couple that I suspected could be his parents; looked like his dad was a biker too. The woman in the photo looked like the kind of woman you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of; tough, and the way she was holding the man was very territorial and protective. In the next photo, I recognised Nash and J. There were some other men in this photo that I didn’t know. I really liked this photo, Scott looked happy in it and I bet if I could zoom in on it, I’d see his crinkled eyes. Moving my gaze along the wall, I came to a photo of a gorgeous, blonde standing next to Scott who had his arm around her. And this photo had been taken close so I could definitely make out crinkled eyes.
I lingered over that photo. She was beautiful, and they looked so happy and carefree together. I was overcome with a strong desire to know who she was and what she meant to Scott.
“That’s Summer; my cousin,” a soft voice breathed into my ear.
I was startled and jumped a little. Scott had come up behind me without me even realising. His body was pressed against my back and his breath tickled my ear and neck when he spoke. My skin tingled and butterflies took over my stomach.
I turned and sucked in my breath at the sight of his naked chest that glistened with drops of water. His hair was also wet. I desperately wanted to trail my eyes down his body to see the rest of him but I maintained eye contact instead. And oh, holy mother of God, his eyes were crinkled as he watched me. The butterflies whooshed out of me and desire took hold.
“She’s beautiful,” I finally managed to get out; his closeness was affecting my ability to think straight.
He took a step back and I caught a glimpse of the towel he was wearing. Pointing at the photos he said, “That’s my parents and those are the boys from my club.”
“I guessed that was your parents. They look like they’re still happy together.” Although Madison had told their story, the photo told a different story and I wanted to hear what Scott had to say about it.
He scoffed at that. “It’s funny how the outside world can be deceived into thinking something is a certain way. Appearances can be very fucking misleading,” he jabbed his finger at the photo, “My parents aren’t happy, and any happiness they did have was a fucking lie.”
I took in what he’d said, looked at the photo again, and then back at him. “You’re right, things aren’t always what they seem.”
“In my experience, Harlow, things are never as they fucking seem.”
His voice had a hard edge to it, and I wondered at what he’d seen and lived through in his life. “Not always, but sometimes they are exactly as they seem,” I murmured, “We’ve just got to open our eyes a little more and when we do see it, we have to believe it the first time and stop second guessing ourselves.”
Scott’s eyes widened a little, and he leant an arm against the wall. I couldn’t help but stare at his arm muscles as he did this; like I said, I had a weakness for arms, and getting a close up of his bare arms like this could not be wasted. “Fuck,” was all he said for a moment. His eyes searched mine, and then he said, “They don’t make chicks like you around here.”
I had no idea what that meant but the mood felt heavy, and I felt the need to lighten it. “I’m all country, baby,” I joked, throwing a wink at him, “Now, where’s your bathroom?”
He smiled and his eyes crinkled again. Shaking his head at me, he said, “You’re something fucking else, you know that?” Pointing at a door down the hall, he directed, “Toilet and shower in there, towels in the cupboard if you want to take a shower.”
“Thanks, I think I will.”
I felt his eyes burning into me as I walked away from him. When I reached the bathroom, I turned to see if he was still standing there. He was, and the look of desire written across his face sent heat through my body until all my nerve endings were alive with that same desire. It couldn’t be denied any longer; I wanted Scott Cole. Simple as that.
***
I
found Scott on his back verandah after I’d finished my shower. He was leaning against the railing, drinking coffee.
“You want a coffee?” he asked, pushing off the railing.
Smiling, I answered, “You have no idea how much I want a coffee. Yes, please.”
He nodded, and went inside. I watched him go; he was dressed in the familiar jeans, black t-shirt and his cut. I’d had no idea that’s what they called their vest; my mother had enlightened me. I was so clueless about bikers.
“How long have you been a member of Storm?”
“Grew up in it. My Dad’s the President.” He held up the sugar with a questioning look, to which I shook my head, no. Putting it back down, he asked, “Milk?”
“Yes please, but not too much. And I like my coffee strong.”
A couple of minutes later we were back outside, enjoying our morning coffee and the gorgeous spring morning. It was my favourite time of the year, warm without the brutal heat that a Queensland summer can bring.
“Time for you to spill, babe. What was wrong with Lisa last night?” Scott swiveled to face me.
“Girl stuff.” I really didn’t want to get into it with him; one, because I was fairly sure once he knew what it was he would rather not know, and two, I didn’t want to break Lisa’s confidence.
He cocked his head with a confused look. “What girl stuff?”
I sighed. “Okay, just remember you asked for this and you can’t let on to Lisa that you know. She got her period for the first time last night. That kind of girl stuff.”
“Thank fuck you came then. She wouldn’t have told me and her mother could care less.”
“So, they live next door to you? Are you close?” This relationship had me stumped.
“We’re not close but her mother, Michelle, worked at Indigo for awhile. She’s a junkie and caused problems there so we had to fire her. Lisa needed a roof over her head so I rented my house next door to Michelle and I keep an eye on Lisa. She knows to ask for help when she needs it but she rarely asks for anything.”
“She strikes me as a tough little cookie; a real fighter.”
“She is, but she has no fucking confidence. Michelle ignores her and spends her money on drugs before she ever gives Lisa a dime.”
“So that’s why you brought her cat in and paid for it.” I was connecting the dots here and I was surprised where they were leading; not at all what I would have thought. Maybe Scott was more right than I gave him credit for earlier; things and people aren’t always what they seem.
“Yeah, babe, that’s why I got the damn cat fixed. Lisa loves that cat.”