Page 2 of Loch
On the opposite side of the wall that made up the back of the bar was a large open kitchen and long cafeteria style tables. Nothing fancy, but we didn’t give a shit about that.
There were two separate halls that held rows of single rooms. Most of which had a bathroom in them. The rooms were big enough for a bed, a desk, and if you were lucky, a small dresser. Wedged between the front of those halls there were the two most important rooms. Church and Cal’s office.
The club girls that lived at the compound also had their own space. Off of the kitchen was a square room that held a smaller lounge area. Along the wall, there were eight rooms. They had a communal bathroom with three showers and all the counter space a girl could ever dream of.
For most of us, the clubhouse was home. While I had my own house, I had a room there that I would often crash in.
“What’s goin’ on, brother?” Diesel said, plopping down on the stool beside me. I looked over at him and shrugged.
His black hair covered one of his eyes. The sides cut short but the top was left long and unruly. With all his piercings and ice blue eyes, he looked more like a rock star than a biker. He had been the clubs enforcer for three years. Although he was barely twenty-seven, he’d been through enough shit in his life to know how to handle his job well.
“Shit’s gettin’ a little stale around here,” his eyes skimming around the room and the club girls. “Thinkin’ of taking a trip to see the boys in Tennessee next weekend. What d’ya say?” I took a long pull of my beer while eyeing him. Truth was, club girls were club girls, didn’t really matter what city or state they were in.
Don’t get me wrong, they all had been useful at many times and in many occasions. But there came a time they became all the same, a few moments of pleasure and release. And when it was over and you went on with your day. Most of the time it didn’t matter which one it was, as long as they were on your dick in some way.
However, a change of scenery sounded nice. Things were calm with the club at the moment. The runs had been going smoothly and we were in a bit of a lull in between deliveries. The bar I ran was doing alright and I had no worries about leaving Chris, my only employee, to handle it for a few days.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll run it by Cal in a bit.” I finished off my beer and set the bottle down on the counter. That was the moment Cal came walking out of the back scratching his chin under his burly beard.
“He tryin’ to rope you into goin’ to Tennessee?” Cal asked shaking his head. “Don’t understand why. Got plenty of pussy here. You think it’s gonna be any different there?”
“I’m gettin’ bored with the same old shit, prez. Maybe it will be same old shit there, but at least it will look a little different,” Diesel said giving a little shrug. Cal threw his head back laughing. It echoed through the room as his big belly shook.
“Fine, boy. Go for a few days. Just wait ‘til Friday. Got a lot at the shop to take care of. Had three cars dropped off this mornin’, and still tryin’ to get Mr. Grady’s Oldsmobile up and runnin’.” Cal’s meaty hand slapped down on the bar top. Diesel gave a nod in response. “Take a few of the boys with you, keep your ass out of trouble.” His tone was joking and I chuckled under my breath.
“Thanks, prez. Oh, Loch, trucks fixed and it’s out back. Keys are in it,” Diesel said, sliding off the stool and walking away.
“Youdoknow that he is just gonna to getthemin trouble, right? He is gonna convince them to do somethin’ and they will follow along thinkin’ it’s a great idea,” I said, raising a brow at Cal.
“Yeah, but at least they will come back with one hell of a story.” Cal gave me an all too knowing look. “You can go with him. Play chaperone, then.” I gave a nod, knowing it was an order under the joking tone. “I’ll call up the brothers and make sure they don’t have anythin’ goin’ on this week. Hell, they might put you to work. Heard Snaps broke his leg and Saint is spendin’ time in jail for a bar fight or somethin’.”
“Shit…” I said, rubbing the scruff on the side of my face. “You needed to talk?” I wanted to get this over with and get home. I wanted to shower and then plant my ass on the couch in front of the TV.
“Yeah, let’s go to my office.”
We walked the hall back to his office. I shut the door behind me and took a seat in front of his cheap, rickety desk. He flopped down in the worn leather chair on the other side and leaned his forearms on the top of the desk.
“We got a problem outside with the pipeline,” Cal started. “Officer Lars is no longer on the force and they are steppin’ things up in Richmond County. Gonna have to find another way down to the coast.” I let out a long breath knowing this would add close to another hour to the ride.
We had made contacts over the years. In most counties, we had help and people we paid to turn a blind eye to our runs. Officer Lars had been looking the other way for a hefty two grand every time he caught us. Sometimes we were lucky to sneak by. But most of the time it was like he had some sort of sixth sense to when we were riding through. With him gone, that meant that we would have to find another way. And if it came to it, hope that we could find someone desperate enough to corrupt.
“I’m gonna talk to Crow, have him set up a new route. He’ll let you know when he figures it out. Just wanted to give you the heads up.”
“When’s the next ride?” I asked.
“Three weeks. Sendin’ you, Diesel and I’m thinkin’ Stone, too. You gonna take two of the prospects. I’ll see how things are here before I decide who else,” he said, giving me a nod that let me know he was done talking. I stood and gave him a chin lift in return.
“Gonna spend tomorrow fixin’ some things around Ethel’s house. Chris is sick, so might have to work at the bar. Take it easy.” I walked out and closed the door behind me.
“Oh, hey Loch.” I turned to see Melody, Stone’s old lady, walking out of the kitchen. “I heard you were here. I saved you some leftovers and I made up a pan for Ethel, too.”
“You are too good to us, Mel.” I kissed her cheek and followed her into the kitchen. She was pretty much like the den mother. Always fretting over all the brothers and making sure we all had the right advice and full stomachs.
After loading up my bike and two pans of lasagna in my truck, I headed home.
Moon Hill was right off the old two-lane highway. There were no markers or signs indicating there was a town off of the upcoming ramp. Blink and you fucking missed it. The main road was shaped like a big stretched out staple. It took you off the highway then dumped you back out on it at the end of town. The club owned the only gas station with a small garage attached. It was the first thing you hit when you pulled off. Keep driving, you hit the big, country style mansions of the upper classes. The roads always spider-veined off to the right, away from the highway.
Then you hit two blocks of, what I guessed you could call, the downtown area. The only shops and stores were nestled there in old brick rows of buildings lining both sides of the street. The building that held the small grocery store and the diner was the only thing on the left side of the road. There was a small bookstore, a deli, a few boutiques, a hair salon, and a bakery. The community center was the last of the second block of buildings. The town liked to be social. It always seemed like there was something going on there most nights. Weave your way behind the shops and there were the schools. The town was so small there were only two separate buildings. One that held first through sixth grade and the other seventh and up. Past that was streets filled with single-family homes. Most of them having been passed down within the family for generations. Keep going and the yards become more overgrown and the houses less kept. The lots start to become empty and dry grass filled the areas in between the rocky dirt.
