Deceived (5 page)

Chapter Eleven

A dense fog hung over the cemetery, making the proceedings even more mournful than they already were. A group of bikers, wearing their cuts, stood around the casket. A minister said a prayer, and then excused by the group. Eli, the President of the Keepers of Bedlam Motorcycle Club stood at the head of the casket in which his father lay. Lexi, the woman he had only met a few days prior, but who he was falling in love with, stood by his side. The rest of the club surrounded the casket with their heads lowered. Big Daddy had been their President for many years and a member of the club since he was a young man. Stricken with cancer, he handed the gavel over to his son Eli when he could no longer ride his Harley.

Big Daddy was proud of the club and of his son. But before he died he revealed a secret to Eli that would shatter his world, and the repercussions would bring havoc down on the club. Not only was Big Daddy dead, but Krank, the former VP, one prospect, and another club member had died as well in the last few days. So much death, and now a rival biker gang, the Hell Hounds, would be on the rampage when three of their own men came up missing, compliments of the now dead KOBMC members who went rogue.

Eli had more than enough on his plate, but it would have to wait. Today he was burying his father.

“My father loved this club,” Eli said to the group. “You were his family and he put his life on the line for the club many times. His loyalty was always to the KOBMC, and anything he did, right or wrong, was always because he thought it right for the club.”

Blaze, the newly appointed VP and one of the oldest in the club, looked at Eli.
What does he mean, right or wrong,
Blaze thought.

Eli walked over and touched the edge of the casket.

“Goodbye Pop. You were the best father a son could have.”

Tears glistened in his eyes as he turned away. Lexi put her arm around his waist and they walked back to the SUV together. The rest of the club walked back to their bikes, which had led a caravan in front of the hearse to the cemetery.

They would all meet up at Chancey’s Tavern, which the club owned along with the warehouse behind it. The ‘church’ meeting room was also a part of the Tavern. The KOBMC would have to determine their next call of action after the previous day’s events. Eli would also have to decide how much, if any, he planned to reveal of the secret his father told him prior to his death.

****

Lexi felt like she’d been through a tornado of ups and downs the last week. She met the man she knew would bring her the love she longed for, but he also brought with him death and despair known as the Keepers of Bedlam Motorcycle Club. But you couldn’t divide the two, with one came the other and Lexi was tormented by the two distinct and powerful sources in her life now. One she loved with all her heart, the other, the club, she would have to learn to love.

Once they got back to the Tavern, the members left for a church meeting. Lexi sat down with Alice, Blaze’s wife and old lady, at a table in the Tavern. The mood was downcast, with prospects, customers, and old ladies talking in hushed tones.

Lexi knew the secret Big Daddy had divulged since she was there at the bedside the night he died, but she wasn’t about to tell anyone, not even Alice whom she had gotten to know and love as well.

“Alice, I’m not well versed in club business. How do you think this thing with the Hell Hounds is going to play out?”

“Lexi, it’s hard to know for sure. We’ve lost men and they’ve lost men. Of course they don’t know for sure that the KOB had anything to do with three of their missing members, but it’s damn sure they’re assuming it.”

“What’s the KOB’s next move then?” Lexi asked.

“They might ask for a meeting with Zane and the Hell Hounds, or just wait for them to make a move. I’m not sure hon. As old ladies, all we can do is wait and see.”

That wasn’t Lexi’s forte. She liked to be in the middle of things, know what’s going on, not wait for something to happen and then clean up the mess afterwards. Besides, Eli was so entrenched in this disaster, when everything is said and done it could tear him away from her.

Lexi looked at her watch. “Alice, I’ve got to get to The Copper Door and resume my managerial duties, at least for the time being. Will you tell Eli to call or come by when he’s done with the meeting?”

“Sure hon, I’ll tell him,” Alice said and gave her a hug.

Rose, one of the younger biker babe old lady wannabees sat at the bar talking to Dog Breath, one of the prospects. Rose could be a bitch in heat, but her hard exterior wasn’t for naught. Abandoned by her father and left with an alcoholic mother, she and her older sister did the best they could to get by. As soon as her sister turned 16 however, she took off with an older man and Rose hadn’t heard from her since.

Rose was 19 going on 40. She was pretty, but in a hard-edged way. Her long black hair hung straight, and she wore too much blush on her porcelain face. She was beautiful without the caked on eye makeup, but she liked the way it looked so there was no way to talk her out of it. Rose was stubborn and she let the rest of the biker babes know not to get in her way. She tried that with Lexi, but Alice had shot her down. Alice was the only old lady Rose respected. She was maternal without being motherly. Rose wasn’t looking for a mother figure, and Alice knew that. But she needed direction and Alice tried the best she could to provide it.

“So when do you think you’ll be patched in Dog,” Rose purred to the prospect.

“Who knows,” Dog said as he wiped down the bar. His main gig was bartending at the KOBMC’s Tavern, but he was also a prospect looking to be patched in if he did as he was told.

“It may not be much longer since we’ve lost two members and two prospects in like the last week or so,” he said.

“Yeah, what happened to DD and those two prospects? No one seems to be saying much except that they’re gone.”

Dog knew what happened--DD and the two prospects were dead. A retaliation gone badly with the Hell Hounds. Only the club and the prospects knew what happened and what goes on in the club stays within the club. Being a prospect, there was no way he would let the cat out of the bag, even for pussy. Dog Breath wanted to be a member, and to be one he had to keep the club’s code.

“I don’t know what happened. Could be that DD didn’t like what was going on and decided to go to a different charter. He probably talked two of the other prospects in going along with him.”

Rose considered his answer and nodded. She knew he wouldn’t tell her the truth, even if he knew. She had tried and failed at becoming an old lady with club members so she was setting her sights on prospects instead. Dog wasn’t that bad. He had a short crew cut and a goatee. His arms were layered with tattoos of women. If she played her cards right maybe Dog would be patched in soon and she could become his old lady. Of course, they hadn’t even been on a date yet, but Rose was sure she could entice him. Unfortunately for Rose, her reputation as easy pussy run rampant through Chancey’s Tavern, so while she might get a lay here or there from Dog, he wasn’t interested in over-used goods.

“So what’s the plan after you get off work tonight?” Rose asked, making sure to bend over the bar so her titties were in clear view.

“Don’t have any plans. Why, are you offering?” Dog asked with a sly grin.

“Depends,” Rose purred. “I may not be available by then.”

“Well, if you are we’ll hook up. How’s that?”

“Sure,” Rose said with a smile as she got off the bar stool and headed out the door. Unfortunately, Rose would look very different the next time Dog saw her.

Chapter Twelve

The mood was somber inside the church meeting room. They just returned from the burial service of their ex President and a few nights ago buried the remains of two of their men and three Hell Hounds members. Not only were they reeling from the experiences of the last few days, but tension was high as well, waiting on the repercussions from the Hounds.

“The Hounds don’t know we had anything to do with the disappearance of their members,” Journey said.

“Just like we don’t know if they killed Krank,” Laser said.

Eli closed his eyes. He knew who had Krank murdered and it wasn’t the Hounds. His father confessed to killing Krank on his deathbed, because of a long ago sin against him. His father hired a hit team of sorts to hang Krank and leave a note on his body, indicating his death was due to the Hell Hounds. Did he dare tell the club? He wasn’t sure. In fact, he was still trying to wrap his head around it himself. A club member killing another member would result in a Meeting Mr. Mayhem vote. The thing is, his father was already dead.

Eli decided to come clean. It would soil his father’s reputation, but he couldn’t allow his club to continue thinking it was the Hounds. Too many were dead already from the lie.

“My father killed Krank.”

A hush settled over the table. No one spoke or dared to. They all looked towards Eli, not sure if they heard him correctly, but fearing they had. Finally Blaze spoke.

“Eli, what are you talking about?”

“My father confessed the night he died to having Krank murdered.” Eli sighed and continued.

“He told me Krank had betrayed him. That Krank came to him a week prior and told him something that he kept hidden for years. I don’t want to get into all that; it’s nothing you guys need to know about. But it hurt my old man so deeply he felt he needed revenge before he died. I’m not saying he should have done what he did. I just didn’t want you all to remain thinking the Hounds were behind Krank’s death. We all see where it got DD.”

“Eli, why did he want us to assume it was the Hell Hounds behind Krank’s death?” Blaze asked.

“Because he thought the KOB would take the Hounds out. He didn’t count on me not believing it was them.”

“Why didn’t he have the poster and map signed up like it was from the Hounds. That’s the way the Hounds normally leave their trail, without a fucking question that they did the deed,” Laser pointed out.

“Pop had been out of the loop for a long time. Plus the chemo and all the meds he was on; he couldn’t remember how the Hounds left their MO.”

The guys shook their heads and either looked at the table or at the wall. The news was a shock and that was saying a lot next to what they’d all been through the last week. Somehow, they would have to work on climbing out of this hole the club found themselves in. What they didn’t count on was the brutality yet to come.

****

Lexi walked through the front door of The Copper Door restaurant. It seemed like it had been months since she was there, but in reality, it had only been a few days. Luckily, the restaurant was closed one of those days and the others were slow so she wasn’t missed too much. Raul, the cook, said he would oversee the restaurant and let her know if she was needed for an emergency. Good old Raul. He was a welcome sight after this devastating last week.

Raul gave her a hug when she entered the kitchen of the restaurant. “How you doing Momma? We’ve all been worried,” Raul said as he gestured to the other cooks and wait staff.

“I’m fine everyone. Thanks so much for caring, but its business as usual.”

The staff took that as time to get back to work and went their separate ways.

“You can tell me Momma, how you really doing?”

“I feel like I’ve been beat with a bat Raul. But then there’s also a warm feeling I have inside as well. I think I’ve fallen in love with the President of the KOBMC, and I don’t know what that means for me.”

“You’ve been through a lot the last week, and you’re emotions are all over the place. Don’t do anything rash…just take your time before making any life changing decisions.”

Raul, the voice of reason. Just what Lexi needed at a time like this.

“Thanks Raul, I will do just that. Now it’s time I get back to work.”

“Sounds good Momma.”

Lexi walked to her office and sat down at her desk, which was scattered with the last few days’ worth of mail. She looked through the letters and noticed one from the corporate office.

It was from a former boss who was now overseeing all the corporate restaurants in the region. She hated this man. His rude remarks and sexual harassment crap almost drove her to quit Spectrum, Inc. Fortunately she asked for a transfer and it was granted. Now her nemesis, Carl Richards, was on his way to check out how she was doing. Lexi knew this wasn’t a coincidence. When they parted ways, it was less than amicable. She was on the verge of filing a sexual harassment suit and Carl was threatening to ruin her. Lexi knew the company didn’t want bad press, which is why they granted the transfer. While Lexi wanted to follow through with the suit, she also knew a lawyer would cost money she didn’t have.

Now he was coming to The Copper Door.
How in the hell did he get this gig
Lexi thought. Shit! Lexi looked at the letter again. It said he would arrive tomorrow. At that moment the phone rang on Lexi’s desk giving her a start. It was Eli.

“Hey babe. Alice said you were at work.”

“Yes…thought I better check in here,” she said still looking at the letter.

“Come by the Tavern when you get done then.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later, bye.”

“Bye babe.”

Lexi wasn’t sure if she should tell Eli about Carl Richards or not. He had so much going on; she didn’t want to overwhelm him, especially about something that could end up being nothing. Hopefully Richards would come, look at her reports, and then be on his way. Could it be that simple Lexi wondered? She hoped it would and Eli would never have to be concerned about her old boss.