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Mason
Ifollowed the two women into the main room and dropped down onto a stool at the bar. Since tonight was Thunder and Rosie’s anniversary, she wasn’t wasting any of it behind the bar. They appeared to be holding court at a set of tables that had been shoved together in the back of the room. Everyone was watching them play some kind of drinking game. Every time one of them got a question wrong, they had to drink a shot. From what I could tell, they were about neck and neck.
My eyes drifted to the table in the corner where Aprilia, Sophia, and Eleanora were sitting. The women were smiling and talking amiably with each other like the long-lost friends they were. There was something different about Aprilia that I couldn’t seem to put my finger on.
As I gazed at them, I decided it might be that Sophia and Eleanora were both elegant and fancy, with their sophisticated clothing and expensive looking jewelry. They were both wearing high pumps with red soles, which I was smart enough to remember meant the shoes were extra special, pricey ones.
Not Aprilia. My new charge was dressed like a regular person. She had on dark jeans, a brown silk blouse and low-heeled boots. Unlike the other two after a long night on her feet, Aprilia’s wouldn’t be killing her. I also liked the careless, cute thing she did with her hair. Aprilia was more down to earth and worlds more approachable than either of her friends. In addition to being well put together, she was just about the most attractive woman I’d ever set eyes on. She had a lean athletic build and exuded energy and an easy confidence. That clever mind of hers was a source of endless fascination for me. I genuinely liked this woman, but, unfortunately, she wasn’t mine to like. I had a feeling I was going to end up looking back on this as one of the great tragedies of my life.
I was so deep in thought that I barely noticed a big body drop down onto the stool beside me. I glanced over to find Storm staring at me. “Wanted to give you an update on Corey.”
“Did they get him patched up?”
Storm made a gesture to the prospect behind the bar to bring two more beers for us. “Yeah. He had multiple fractures, which they pinned together, and they’re keeping him another twenty-four hours for observation. Then he’ll be discharged home with Jav and Leah, Cassandra and Ace are gonna stay with them for the next week or two and keep an eye on him.”
“Cassandra is a mighty fine doctor. We’re damned lucky to have her associated with our club.”
Storm took a long draw off his beer before responding. “Yeah, she was an ER doctor, so she’s good at dealing with broken bones, gunshot wounds, and all the stupid shit we get ourselves into.”
“I’m sure that between his brother and Cassandra, Corey will be right as rain in short order.”
“Yeah, I goddamn well hope so. So, is Aprilia giving you any trouble?”
“Not at all. It’s pretty clear she’s not wild about being here, but she’s being an exceptionally good sport about it.”
“Let me know if you pick up anything unusual going on with her.”
“What do you mean, boss?” I asked.
“I know we’ve got an alliance with the Russo brothers, but you know what these mobsters are like. It’s always better to watch your back.” Storm said, as he rubbed his hands across his eyes, it had been a long day, as far as I knew he’d been up since before dawn again.
“Understood. Will do,” I responded uneasily. I didn’t want there to be anything amiss with her. I desperately wanted her to be exactly what she seemed.
Storm took another draw off his beer and said, “I’m meeting with Steel tomorrow to iron out a formal alliance between our clubs.”
“God speed to you. I know you two temporarily buried the hatchet, but if you can strike a long-term alliance, it’ll help our current cause against the mob.”
“You’ve got insight into the human mind, Mason, and a degree in psychology. Tell me what you think the best approach to take with Steel is.”
Shock roiled through my gut. I was a fully patched brother but not a mover or shaker in this club. Storm had far more experienced men than me to go to for advice. I responded quietly, “You’ve been dealing with that man for years. You don’t need advice from me, boss.”
“I’ve got a pretty good idea what makes Steel tick. What I’m looking for are fresh ideas and a new perspective. You have an uncanny ability to understand the way people think. That’s of value to me right now.”
I rubbed my hand across my chin and turned everything I knew about Steel over in my mind before answering. “As far as I know, Steel grew up in Twisted Metal. His old man fought tooth and nail with their old club president Duke. Steel watched that his whole life and grew up doing the same with Duke’s son, Chevron, when he became club president. Being in a one percent club is all he’s ever known. That means his moral compass does not point toward true north. Ever since Steel killed Chevron and took over as club president of Twisted Metal, he’s been slowly eliminating the nastier parts of their operation.”
“They’re no longer trafficking women, but Steel’s still forcing them to perform sex work. All our strippers are employees who get paid a competitive wage, according to the laws set down by our state.”
“I think it’s a mistake to think he’s forcing them. Word on the street is that half the women left over the last six months or so. Two of them are now running Steel’s old lady’s bakery. It seems from the outside looking in that he’s changed up how they’re handling their women. Remember when we had Evie running back and forth between our clubhouse and Twisted Metal? She told me their cam girl business was drawing younger and prettier women to their place and there were now rules in place about how the brothers could treat them. She said the brothers saw the advantage to having willing club girls and were growing a new sense of pride at being wanted.”
Storm didn’t seem to accept my second-hand information at face value, so I continued making my point. His body language was closed, and he gave me minimal eye contact as he kept drinking his beer.
“Remember when Royal’s old lady needed protection? She went to the Twisted Metal website and discovered they were offering private security. That’s something new for them. We’ve been running a private security firm for almost a decade.”
Storm went rigid. “Are you saying what the fuck I think you are? They’re trying to copy our success?”
“Unless I’m mistaken, I think it’s more that he’s using our setup as a model for how to run his club, or at least getting ideas on the business end.”
“Well, fuck that,” Storm grumbled.
