It took several minutes before he focused his bleary eyes. “Yeah, I hear you, but I think cheating wives should be banned too.”
“Fuck you, Abe,” one of the club member who’d witnessed what happened barked out. “If you were any man, you wouldhave confronted Addy before fucking that skank, knowing your wife would find you. Sounds like you just fucked up your own life. I don’t know her well, but from what I do, Addy would never cheat on you. Right now, you’re a sorry piece of shit for a human being. I hope she takes you to the fucking cleaners.”
“Fuck you.” He slurred his speech. He looked at Burt. “I want Addy’s vest.”
“No. You don’t get it, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I turn it over to you. Remember it has to be a club vote if an old lady gets to wear their old man’s patch. I don’t care if you’re taken to the cleaners, or if your marriage comes out smelling like roses, you won’t get a woman’s patch for a long, long time. What you did was inexcusable.”
“Whatever, man,” Link said, and picked up the bottle of bourbon he’d taken from the bar and chugged it.
Burt looked around at his brothers and saw the disgust on their faces. He looked at each of them and when they shrugged, he said, "Meeting dismissed. If there are any hangers on down there, get rid of them. Pass on the word to your women and the strikers. I want the gate monitored for a few weeks until this shit blows over.” He watched his patch holders rise from the table and then looked at Link.
“Give me your keys, you aren’t going anywhere tonight.” He held out his hand, and when he didn’t move to give them to his president, Burt said, “Don’t fight me on this, Abe. You’re drunker than a skunk and have been since you came in. You are not driving anywhere. If you don’t give me your keys, then hand over your cut. Either way, right now, I’m so pissed I don’t give a fuck about you, but I do care whether you kill someone else or not. Your choice, keys or cut.”
“Fine,” Link said, and pulled his keys and threw them across the table at his president.
Burt pocketed the keys and when he stood, he said, “You can sleep it off here or downstairs, I don’t care.” Then, he left the man alone.
*****
Addy pulled into her driveway and that was when the tears started. It took her almost fifteen minutes to get herself under control. She finally made her way into her house, and with tears still streaming down her face, she looked around and knew her perfect marriage was over. She got herself under control, and the first thing she did was go to her office and fire up her computer. She had a joint account with Link and her separate business account. Over the last couple months she’d deposited several checks into their joint account so they could pay down the mortgage faster, and breathe easier if an unexpected bill came in, but she transferred those amounts into her business account. She wasn’t about to let Link get her business money. As she waited for the transfer to go through, she went out to the garage and grabbed several boxes that hadn’t been taken to the road to recycle yet. She packed up her office and took those boxes out to her car. Thank god she drove a SUV so that she’d have room.
Once her office was done, she went upstairs, pulled out a set of suitcases and began filling them. Then she moved into the bathroom. She so wanted to take the shampoo and dump it all over Link’s clothes, but she decided to be a better person. She only took her stuff, and after her car was loaded she walked back through the house and took the coffee pot. She remembered that she was the one that bought it, and she actually had the receipt to prove it. It might be petty, because she knew that Link couldn’t function in the morning without his coffee, but at this point she didn’t give a fuck about his wants and needs any more. If he had the audacity to cheat on her, then he could find his ownway to get his caffeine fix in the mornings. The coffee pot was going with her. Back in the office, she unplugged her computer and went through the household files in the desk. She took what she thought her lawyer would want, and then some, but she made sure that anything with Link’s business or his credit or debit purchases was left. Thank goodness she was so anal about the paperwork and keeping all their accounts separate. Her business, his business, and the house. After she decided that she had everything she’d need, she looked at the clock and saw it was going on two in the morning. At the last minute, she ran upstairs and took her pillows off the bed, then went down and locked the door behind her.
Knowing she’d never return here ever again, she removed her house keys from their ring and dropped them in the mail box. When she and Link had married five years ago, the house was already his, so she couldn’t kick him out of his own home. No, she’d find someplace to go. For now, she was going to her office. Thank goodness she had a couch in her office. By the time she settled on the couch it was going on six in the morning, and she stared into space until seven, when she got up, and after making coffee, she washed up in the small bathroom and dressed. She had an appointment with a new client at ten. Even though it was Sunday, she called her lawyer and left a message so that maybe he’d call her first thing Monday morning. As much as this all hurt her, she knew she could never be with Link ever again after seeing that woman going down on him. She mopped up the last of her tears as a revulsive shudder overtook her body as she remembered seeing what she had.
CHAPTER THREE
Two weeks later, Greaser was elbows deep in an engine trying to help Abe, who was under the car to get the transmission lined up. He looked up when he heard someone clear their throat and saw a police officer standing there.
“Give us a minute,” Greaser said, and ten minutes later he and Abe gave a whoop of joy and he stood, grabbed a rag and began wiping his hands. He looked down and grinned when Link rolled out from under the car. “Sorry about that. Thought the plug was in.” He had forgotten to put a plug in and transmission fluid had leaked out and all over Link. He was covered in the shit.
“Ha, ha.” Link said, and grabbed several rags and began wiping his hands, face and chest. He pulled his t-shirt away from him, then swore and removed it and continued to wipe himself down. He went into his office and grabbed another shirt and was putting it on when he came back out.
“Help you, officer?” Link asked.
“I’m looking for Lincoln Murphy.”
“Found him.” Link held out his hand and frowned when a brown envelope was slapped into it.
“You’ve been served,” he said, and turned on his heel and left.
Link frowned and opened the envelope. He read for less than thirty seconds before he crushed the papers in his fist.
“Bad news?” Greaser frowned at his friend and boss.
“Divorce papers,” he said, and slapped them against Greaser’s chest.
Greaser raised a brow and actually pulled them and read them. Three years ago, he’d gone through a nasty divorce. He’d learned to read each and every word.
“What’s she accusing me of and what does the bitch want?” Link asked as he popped a top on a bottle of soda.
“Infidelity and nothing.”
“Bullshit. She wants something from me.”
“No, according to this, she keeps her business, you keep yours. And you get the house, bike, and your truck. She only wants her business and her SUV.”
“Let me see that,” Link said, and grabbed the papers back. He went into his office, sat down at his desk and read everything, even the fine print. He looked up and asked his best friend. “What do I do next?”
