Ray is inside the fence, so I yell as I run past. “OPEN AND CLOSE TO MEMBERS ONLY!” He knows not to let the law in without getting a club officer first, so I’m not worried about him standing guard.
The normally ten minute drive to The Cake Butcher feels like it takes hours. I know it goes by much faster because I don’t followa single speed limit the whole way into town, but it still feels like it’s taking forever.
When I get to Maple Street, Tellison’s version of Main Street, I am met by two sheriff’s cars parked on the street in front of the bakery. I also see red lights flashing from the alley that runs just to the right of the bakery. Knowing I can’t get any closer, I park across the street and start running for the front door. I’m halfway across when I realize I’m not alone. Wrecker and Trooper followed me in Trooper’s Tahoe and I never even noticed. It’s probably not a good thing for a guys like me to be so unaware of his surroundings, but I am thankful that they had my back even when I was focused solely on getting to my Old Lady.
They follow me right up to the front door, which is open, and we file right in. I recognize Thomas, a buddy of Trooper’s from his FBI days, but ignore him calling my name and circle around the counter, not stopping until I collide with my Duchess.
I crash into her. She crashes into me. We are like two cars playing chicken on a back country road, no plan to stop until we are a mangled heap of metal.
As I hoist her up into my arms, she wraps her arms and legs around me and doesn’t let go.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I rub my hands over inch of her I can reach.
“Uh huh.” I feel her head nod against mine.
“You sure?”
“Yea.”
I don’t move from where I’m standing until I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Lynn, Duchess’s friend, standing beside us.
“Whiskey. The deputy wants a word.”
Duchess sniffles as she untangles herself from me. I slowly set her down, but immediately have her face in my hands and kiss her like there is no tomorrow.
When we come up for air, I tuck a few loose strands that have fallen out of her ponytail behind her ears. “I hate to let you go, but we’ve got a bit of a mess on our hands.”
“The dispatcher told Lynn there’s a fire at all the club businesses.” She unties her apron strings and tosses it on the back counter. “Is that true?”
“Unfortunately.” I rub my temples, then run one hand down my face trying to release some tension. I’m going to have one hell of a headache tonight, I can feel it starting already.
“Go talk to the deputy. I’m sure he’ll want statements from everyone. Then we can go home and regroup.” Duchess wraps her arms around my waist and buries her face in my chest. I hug her right back. “I know you’ll need to call Church for when we get back and everyone will go on lockdown.” Her last sentence is whispered, so I know she hugged me and hid her face so no one else would see or hear what she was saying.
“And this is why you’re the perfect Old Lady.” I drop a kiss on top of her head as we pull apart, then grab hold of her left hand. “Stay by my side while I talk to Thomas. I need you stuck to my side.”
“Stuck like glue.”
CHAPTER NINE
WHISKEY
We don’t get back to the clubhouse until five o’clock. The deputies were asking so many questions, then the fire marshal showed up and asked pretty much the same questions over again. I tried to tell them I had no idea who bombed various vehicles at every single one of our businesses, but I know that they didn’t believe me. They all told me as such.
When I threatened to call our lawyer because they didn’t want to let me leave to take my traumatized wife home, Thomas intervened and said we could go under the condition that he would be stopping by tomorrow morning to ask more questions.I have zero intention of talking to him when he arrives, but that will be a matter for him and Sal, our lawyer, to discuss.
After we got Angie and Lynn passed off to their husbands, and I told Trooper and Wrecker we would be following them home to make sure everyone made it safely, the four of us set off for the clubhouse.
When we finally get behind the closed gate, and locked inside, I am finally able to reread the wave of texts I had gotten while trying to ignore the million questions I was being asked while at the bakery. I skimmed over all of them, but not trusting many of the people around me, I didn’t want to have my phone screen open any longer than I had to.
Texts came in from each of my Brothers at the different businesses. The general consensus is that the bombs, or explosives, and resulting fires, were contained to only vehicles parked outside. No buildings were damaged and no people were injured.
“Everyone is on lockdown if you haven’t figured that already.” I announce to the main room full of Brothers, Old Ladies, kids, club girls, and Prospects. “Is there anyone who lives off-site that hasn’t been escorted in?”
“Other than Saddle who is on a plane probably somewhere over Tennessee by now, everyone is here and accounted for,” Steel says as he walks across the room to stand by my side. “His truck is at the airport, so he’ll call when he’s on his way home and we will send backup to meet him at the county line.”
“Sounds good. Everyone take a couple hours to get settled and grab something to eat. A few of the Old Ladies have been cooking us something that smells fucking delicious, so thank them for that. Otherwise, stay inside. Brothers, Church is called for seven o’clock.”
Those two hours fly by. The next thing I know I’m calling Church to order. Good fucking grief. It feels like I was just doingthis yesterday. It was actually three days ago on Friday, and two days before that on Wednesday, but now it’s Monday and this is not a normal day for us to be in this room.
