Duke Read online

She looked at them, grinned. “Something tells me you already know the crime rate and you aren’t terribly worried about it. I get a nice family wanting to do something in this part of town, I caution about the crime rate. Bad-ass bikers? Not so much.”

  Keith chuckled and said, “Okay then. Let’s look at the other properties and then maybe get something to eat so we can sit and talk. We’ll tell you our needs and you can help us decide which property or properties may work best.”

  Two hours later they were sitting in Sticky Fingers, and Gen was doing her best to keep it professional.

  “What made you choose this restaurant?” Keith asked.

  Gen shrugged. “Something tells me none of you are vegetarians, and you can’t really go wrong with men in jeans and bar-b-que. So, tell me what you need the property for, and I’ll see if I can help you with your decision.”

  “Tell me about your brother and Isaac, their girlfriend, and her other boyfriend, first.”

  Gen looked around to the other guys and said, “We’re here to talk business, Keith.”

  “Beautiful, I wanna drink a beer and chill out while we wait for our food. Tell me what your brother’s up to. I used to be tight with him and Isaac, and you have my curiosity up.”

  Gen rolled her eyes. “Long version or short version?”

  He grinned. “Keep it under thirty minutes.”

  “Okay. Frisco is bisexual, only he kept it from the family. I’m pretty sure he’s kinky, too, but I don’t wanna know the details. I know there’s a wall-mounted Saint Andrew’s Cross under the tapestry in their bedroom, though, so I already know more than I wanted. But, back to the beginning. Best I can tell, Cam lived with Frisco, though they told the family Cam lived in the apartment over the garage. Thing is, I know Cam’s clothes and things were in the apartment, and none of his things were in the big house, so… I’m still unclear as to the details in the beginning.”

  “Big house?” Dawg asked.

  “Yeah, Frisco’s house is big, and the garage is separate.”

  Dawg chuckled. “Big house means something else to us. Go on with your story.”

  Gen’s heart stuttered as she realized they were talking about prison, when the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. She lived in a different world than these men. “You sure you want to hear this story? I mean, Keith obviously does, but it sounds like I should hold off and tell him later, so I don’t bore the rest of you.”

  Tiny laughed. “Oh no, you had me at Saint Andrew’s Cross, darlin’. Keep talking.”

  She felt herself blush as she rushed back into the story. “Okay, at some point Frisco started seeing Cassie, and I guess she knew about him and Cam, and probably was even active with him, so it was, like, three of them, together. You know, in bed. All three. At the same time.”

  “Yeah, Beautiful. Think we got the picture. Cute you’re blushing about it, though. Where does Isaac fit into this?” Keith asked.

  She gave him a quick glare before answering, “Cassie met Isaac after she broke up with Frisco. They went out a while, hit it off, were falling in love. Isaac knew she’d recently broken up with a man and his partner, and it’d been a threesome, but he’d had no reason to think it was his best friend. One night, coming back from a club in Atlanta when she was tired, she mentioned Frisco by name. Isaac freaked, told her his best friend was in a major bitch mode over the situation, and as much as he cared about her, he was going to have to bow out.”

  “Okay, that bites,” said Brain. “What are the odds you’ll go from one person to their best friend? I mean, give me a few minutes and I can probably tell you the odds—”

  “No one needs to know the exact number, Brain.” Keith interrupted with a growl. “Besides, Frisco and Isaac are both into the same brand of kink, which means Cassie was fishing from the very small pool of local, single men who enjoy what Frisco gave her, so it’s actually not so surprising.” He looked to Gen. “Keep going.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Cassie and Frisco work out at the same dojo, and their friends were in a big fight in Vegas. I mean, not with each other. They’re into the whole MMA thing, and Sam and Ethan were both scheduled for really big fights.”

  “Hold up,” Dawg said, his eyes bright. “Sam and Ethan Levi?”

  “Well, yeah. You know them?”

  “Not personally, but kind of cool you know people who know them. They’re both bad-ass. The MC did the pay-per-view thing and had a big party. Cheered them both on.”

  “I know them,” Gen smiled. “In fact, Ethan worked with me until I was comfortable fighting someone as big as him. Taught me how to use his size and weight against him. He’s way cool, and so in love with Sam, sometimes my eyes water just watching him watch her.”

  Keith chuckled and touched Gen’s cheek. She’d given up on trying to be professional, as she had a feeling this group would open up to her only after they were comfortable with her. However, Keith’s touch upped the ante even more. Before she could say anything, though, his next words made her forget to tell him to keep his hands to himself.

  “One minute you tell us you’ve learned fighting skills from the fucking champion of the world heavyweight MMA titleholder, and the next you reveal how much of a fuckin’ romantic you are by saying you get all teary-eyed just seeing the way he looks at his wife? Damn, Gen, you’re still that same free-spirited little girl, just all grown up with curves now. I’m likin’ what I see.”

  “You didn’t even know I existed back then, Keith. I crushed on you so hard and we never even had a full conversation. And you say the eff word an awful lot.”

  Gen winced as she realized the filter between her brain and mouth was apparently malfunctioning.

  Duke’s smile was so cocky she wanted to crawl under the table, but instead chose to glare at him.

  “You crushed on me?” The cocky smile grew to arrogant and cocky.

  “I was, like, fourteen,” Gen retorted. “It was a long time ago, and you didn’t know I existed.”

  “Oh, yeah I did. Definitely did. You were off limits, though. Frisco’s little sister.”

  “Off limits? Seriously?”

  “Seriously. Good thing I’ve got new brothers now, with different little sisters off limits. You’re no longer on the list.”

  She chose to ignore him and go on with the story. She looked towards Brain and Bash and said, “So, a big group of Sam and Ethan’s friends went out to Vegas with them. Cassie avoided Frisco, who by this time was heartbroken, knew he’d screwed up, missed both Cam and Cassie, since he’d broken up with both of them by this time, because he was an idiot.” She took a breath before heading into the part she’d rather not talk about, but it was important, so she said, “Cassie had made arrangements to go to a—”

  “Hold up, Cassandra Smith? Cassie? Fuck.” Keith looked to the other men at the table, his jaw flexing, and they all looked just as unhappy.

  Cassie’s rape by a famous MMA fighter had been all over the news, so it was no surprise they knew the story. Relieved to not have to go through it, Gen skipped ahead, since they knew that part. “Okay, so, Frisco refused to leave Cassie alone at the hospital. She made him stand outside her room at first, but eventually he managed to worm his way in, though she says he mostly stayed quiet in the corner to keep from bothering her. She had other friends there, so she managed to ignore him.”

  Gen wasn’t close to her thirty-minute limit, and there was still food left, but she found it odd these men seemed to be this into the story. Keith, sure, because he knew Isaac and Frisco. But they were strangers to the other men. Unless throwing Sam, Ethan, and Cassie in made it more interesting? She wasn’t sure, but took a breath and kept going. “Meanwhile, even before the rape, Isaac had planned to wait until she got home from Vegas to tell her Frisco hadn’t stepped up, and he was, if she’d have him back. So, she goes home and ends up with Cam there because he lives there, and both Isaac and Frisco refusing to leave. Cam apparently laid down the law, put Frisco to work cooking, helped Isaac get back clos
e enough to Cassie to help her move around during the day since Cam was finishing his last year of college at the time. When Isaac and Frisco started sniping at each other, Cam told them if they couldn’t behave they’d have to leave.”

  She shrugged. “If the whole BDSM thing is right, and I’m assuming it is, then Isaac and Frisco are in charge, and Cam and Cassie do as they say. Cam sits on the floor at Frisco’s feet a lot, even when company is over. It looks natural, like he belongs there, but casual, not sexual. However, he’s apparently not a pushover, and he’s very protective of Cassie.” She thought about the night before and added, “Me too, actually. He made Frisco back off of me last night, when he was asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer yet.”

  “What questions, Beautiful?”

  Her eyes snapped to him. “Well, if I didn’t want to tell my brother, I sure as heck don’t want to tell you.” She looked at their table, took in the beers, and it suddenly occurred to her she was the only one not drinking. She smiled and lowered her voice to say, “I’m guessing everyone in here would be surprised to know I’m the only one at this table carrying.”

  Six sets of eyes landed on her and suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything. “How you figure, Darlin’?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard Dozer say anything since the initial introductions, and she wasn’t sure his ‘darling’ was meant to show he liked her.

  “I’m the only one not drinking. Carry license is invalid if you drink even one drop.”

  The high-beam intensity shut down on all of their faces, replaced by grins.

  “Beautiful,” Keith said, his chest moving as if he was trying not to laugh, “don’t know how to tell you this, but we’re outlaws. We pretty much do whatever the fuck we want.”

  She glared at him, keeping her voice low. “Alcohol and firearms don’t mix. It’s a bad idea. Not just because of physical coordination, but also your judgment, being able to make split second decisions—”

  Keith put his finger to her lips. “Not gonna argue any of those points. I agree with every last one of ‘em. You want to pick this conversation back up at a later date, a much later date, we will. Until then, time to change the conversation.”

  Okay, clients. Not friends. Also, there were no news articles of them pulling their guns out and randomly shooting up restaurants in Atlanta, so she’d just have to be happy with that.

  “Point taken. Time for us to get back to business anyway.” She looked at Brain. “What are you gonna do with the land?”

  Brain’s gaze flicked to Duke, back to her. “We’re forming a Chattanooga chapter of Rolling Thunder. We need acreage for our compound, as well as separate land, not too far away, for a bike shop and a bar. Lots of parking for the bar.”

  “Compound?”

  “Yeah. Walls around it, and then it’s our sanctuary. Clubhouse is big, and the back has rooms so club members can live there, if they want, or just crash if they get drunk and don’t wanna go home. Part of the first lot we walked is already wooded, which works for us. We have a paintball battle area set up at the compound in Atlanta, and would like to do it here, too. We’ll also need space to park our bikes, space for our guests to park, and spots for club owned vehicles.”

  “In Atlanta,” Duke said, “the bike shop and bar are right across the street. We haven’t been able to find two tracts we like enough to make it happen here, but the third spot we looked at is probably close enough to make it work, if you think it’ll be a good spot, location wise, for a biker bar.”

  Gen looked at her unsweet tea and considered her response. Keith had taken it personally at first, thinking she was carrying a weapon because she was meeting bikers. However, they had to know they weren’t looking at land in a biker haven, but in a gang infested area. How did she give them the low-down, without insulting them?

  “You asked me earlier about the crime rate, so in case you really don’t know, the area has a lot of gang activity. Drugs, prostitution, fights, shootings. You could get closer to Glass Street and get a little worse, but not much. I don’t think you’re worried about it for your own safety, because I’m guessing you can all take care of yourselves, but the redneck, white-folk, country-music bars tend to be in the rural areas. If you’re asking my advice about where to put a biker bar, there are other properties I can show you.”

  “Damn, and you’re honest too, even when it could mean a huge sale,” Duke said.

  “Of course I’m honest. You’re paying for my expert opinion, I’m giving it you.” She didn’t mean to snap, but her tone of voice showed just how irritated she was getting with Keith. She could feel the heat rolling off his body, pressing into her side, and he just kept saying nice things.

  He tilted his head, didn’t seem to take offense. “We may talk to you in eight to ten months about opening a second bar in a more rural area, but we’ll start with one in this section of town, and we’ll do it for a reason. A lot of MC’s have a problem with black people—”

  Gen interrupted him. “MC?”

  He chuckled. “Motorcycle Clubs.

  Suddenly, she felt stupid. “Oh, sorry.”

  “Always ask if you don’t know, Beautiful. You’re such a breath of fresh air, I find it charming you didn’t know.”

  She had to put a stop to this. “Okay, Keith. First off, I broke up with someone from a long term relationship, last night. Isaac drove me to their house, and the four of them got me drunk and talked me through it. Second, I’m off men. Never dating again. If this is your idea of flirting, stop. You’re wasting your time.”

  “Okay, Beautiful.” His eyes were solemn, serious. “I don’t tend to follow orders very well, but thanks for the information. Sorry you got hurt, but can’t say I’m sorry to hear you’re available.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned her tablet on. “The house across the street from the property you like the most has been on and off the market several times in the past couple of years without selling. The woman is asking more for it than it’s worth, but there may be a way to make it worth the cost, if you’re willing to put in a little more effort.” She brought the picture up, as well as the history. “With your brother in the construction industry, if you can move the house to another property, in a better section of town, it’ll sell in a heartbeat and should easily recoup moving costs and then some. We’ll have to be careful with the right location, and find a deal on some land, but that could get you either the bike shop or the bar right across the street.” She pulled up another listing. “This is the property right behind it, so it’s adjacent, even though it’s on a different street, which happens to be a main thoroughfare and would get lots of eyeballs. You can put the sign for both the bike shop and bar here, and route people to the other through the parking lot.

  “Hot damn, you’re a fucking genius.” Duke was smiling at Brain when he said it, but she didn’t want him to get his hopes up yet.

  “If we can get the lady to sell, and if she doesn’t jack the price up because we’re coming to her.”

  Duke sat up, pulled his arm away and reached for his wallet. “Brain, change clothes, no cut. Go with her to talk to the woman. You know our budget, make a decision.” He looked down to Gen. “Take a contract, see if you can get her to sign something today. If we like the house we might just move it across the street, use it for ourselves. Make that decision later. Do you own a pair of jeans?”

  “I own two pair of jeans. Why?”

  “Two? Seriously? That’s it?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  He shook his head. “I want to take you for a ride on my bike tonight. Interested?”

  The question sent more heat to her already warm girly parts, but she never dated clients — not even when she’d known them decades and once crushed on them.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Keith.” Her voice was soft, she didn’t want to be mean. She took a breath as she swiveled her head to Brain. “I’ll get the check, go back to my office to make a few phone calls, and let you know what I worked ou
t. If I can swing a meet, I’ll pick you up at the hotel later this afternoon. Where are you staying?”

  “Beautiful.” Duke’s voice was gentle but demanding this time, and Gen turned back to him. “Brain did the research, found us the best Realtor for our needs. I didn’t know it was you until we arrived. We’d protect anyone working for us, man or woman, but I’m gonna go the extra mile to make sure you’re safe. This means Brain’s gonna go get changed, and I’ll hang with you while you make the phone call. We’ve made some noise and worn our cuts, and I’m sure we’ve drawn attention. I don’t expect trouble yet, but you’ve been seen with us so we need to stick with you while you’re downtown. Brain will look respectable but not too high dollar for the two of you to talk to the homeowner. He’ll talk to you about strategy before you walk in the door, so you’re both on the same page during negotiations. I’ll be sitting in your car making sure the two of you are safe in the house. None of this is open to discussion.”

  “If you want my best work, you can’t make those decisions. I need at least two hours in my office, at my computer, before I make the phone call to the homeowner, and that’s assuming Drake has someone sitting in their office with time to give me a rush job.

  His lips turned up at the corners. “Drake? You know Aaron Drake?”

  “No, haven’t met him. Tyler Hastings set me up with them when he found out who I was using before. Drake Security does much better work. Costs more, but totally worth it.”

  Duke had waved the server over and handed her a credit card. Gen instinctively knew arguing would be pointless, but had to say something. “I told you this was my treat.”

  He smiled. “You did.” His gaze shifted back to Brain. “She’s gonna get Drake to give her the skinny before she makes the phone call. Does this girl kick ass, or what?”

  Chapter Five

  Gen put her nine millimeter on her nightstand, the extra magazine beside it, undressed and got into her pajamas, crawled into bed, and pulled her laptop onto her legs to look up the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. She looked up news articles, tax records, and found their Twitter hashtag and spent some time looking through feeds.