Page 9 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

Chapter 3

Elling, a member ofSlag MC, grunted inside the rock circle in the middle of the floor of The Fire Ring. Roar held his hand cupped over the thin pipe underneath the fake logs waiting for the rush of propane. There were only a few more things that needed to be done before opening on Tuesday, and they needed to get the fire working first.

"There's a kink in the line. Someone pass me the pliers. I'll see if I can crimp the piping and open it up." Elling's hand appeared out from underneath the contraption.

Roar leaned over and gave him the tool. "Give it a light touch. I don't want to replace the damn gas line."

"Mm." Elling went back to working underneath.

Roar stretched his arm, cupping his hand. They'd be lucky to get the inspection passed if they couldn't prove that all safety measures had been met.

He wanted the bar legal and up to code. All the paperwork would be signed off on. He wanted to keep the attention away from the establishment.

A puff of gas tickled his hand. "It's on."

Elling scooted out from underneath the pit on his back and rolled to his feet. "Viktor, turn on the exhaust."

Overhead, the quiet hum of the fan filled the silence in the room. Roar stood, eyeing the fire ring. Everything was working.

"Should we give it a go?" Elling held up a lighter.

Roar nodded. "We'll let it run for the day and work out any problems. The inspector will be here in the morning."

Elling stuck his hand underneath. Flames caught quickly, spreading up through the fake logs, reaching Roar mid-chest. A cheer went up, and Roar stood back smiling. They had fire again.

"Slag," he said.

The men behind him answered, "Slag."

"Slag," he said louder.

The other members in the room chanted. Roar turned from the fire and looked over his men proudly as a defining rumble of unity filled the area. His grandfather had started the original Slag Motorcycle Club back in Norway. His father brought a chapter to America before Roar was born. It was now his turn to make sure Slag went on for another generation with a chapter of his own.

The room quieted. He checked the time. "Let's finish."

As everyone went back to work, a slight knock came from the door. Soon, the paper covering the windows would be gone. The bar would open, and people would grow curious to see the inside.

He walked over and looked through the rip in the paper and unlocked the door. He studied the women he'd hired more closely. They were dressed in jeans. Their attempt at impressing him over now that they'd gained employment. He found them even sexier in every-day clothes.

The uniforms the other women had picked out for The Fire Ring would suit them well.

"Come in." He shut the door behind them.

"Whoa." Coco walked up to the fire ring and gazed over her shoulder at Roar. "This is amazing."

"We just finished." He found himself looking at Lizzy, wanting her opinion but she remained quietly observing the flames. "I'll call the other women and have them bring over the uniforms."

Stepping away, he made the phone call. For now, three women belonging to Slag members along with Coco and Lizzy would make up the employees who served The Fire Ring. He had Peer on as bartender, Peach as cook, and whenever help was needed, he had over two hundred members at his disposal.

The profits from The Fire Ring wasn't the only income for Slag, but the bar would serve a purpose far greater than any of the dealings he had away from the public's eye.

He slid his phone back in his pocket. The two women whispered to each other in front of the fire. He joined them, admiring the sign that Slag would continue to go on.

Catching sight of him, Lizzy asked, "Why can't we feel the heat coming off the fire?"

He pointed up. "There's an exhaust fan that takes most of it out of the building. In the colder months, we can set the control and utilize some of the heat for inside, but for now, we don't want customers getting too warm and complaining."

"That's brilliant." She flashed him a smile before turning around.

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