Page 10 of Tesio
“The time to worry is when it doesn’t make me laugh.” Oh yeah, there it is. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, only it didn’t really, did it?
“I know for some of you, this life of ours feels constricting and cloistered, to some degree, but it’s a serious business, and needs all of our focus to stay alive. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a chuckle now and then, when the time is right.”
I swallowed hard, resting a hand on my jiggling knee.
“And the time was right just then?” He nodded at me, the humour dropping from his lined face.
“And now the moment is over.”
Jamie
Atwo week suspensionwas just what I didn’t need, but apparently one too many references to my behaviour lately had led to mandatory counselling, and suspension. Most people would love a break from work, right? So they can indulge in all the things they love to do, that get set aside so they can meet the demands of their day job. What if that person has nothing they enjoy outside of work? What if that person hasnothing to occupy their time, except to stew over having, you know, nothing to fucking do? The only friends I had around here were not even really friends, but work colleagues. You know, at that place I wasn’t allowed to go near, except for my counselling sessions.
You know what it gave me time to do though? Look into the Rogue Riders, and that’s exactly what I did. I found out where their clubhouse or compound, or whatever the hell it was called, was located, and I spent the two weeks monitoring it from a safe distance, tracking bikes in and out of the place. Near the end of those two weeks, what I noticed was more frenetic activity, and the appearance of bikers who were unfamiliar, having catalogued as many as I could from photographs, and my copious notes that were nothing but surface data.
Some of the new bikers wore leathers that had a different patch on it.Phoenix MC. I had no idea who they were, but it seemed they weren’t a local club, so I had no idea what their business was here. Were they friendly clubs? What I’d found from my research was that clubs were often just the opposite, seeing each other as threats or opposition, especially if they were carrying out illegal activities to raise money. I was pretty sure there was drug running going on from this club, but proving it would be difficult. I even suspected they had illegal firearms, but again, proving that without gaining access, and carrying out searches, would be damn near impossible.
I spent maybe half a day plotting to go in undercover, if I could figure out how to do it, and actually get away with it. It seemed that the only time women went in there was either as one night entertainment, or with other clubs at least, if they married them in the club style, they became ‘old ladies’. It was all very strange, but I couldn’t see myself getting in that way, because there was no way I was letting some filthy biker paw at me, just so I could get a look around.
There had to be a way to find out more, from actually inside the club, but I had no ideas, and right now I had no power to do anything, because I was on leave. As soon as I was back though, I was making a move on the Rogue Riders, and I’d get to the bottom of all their criminal activity, because I knew it was there. I knew they were up to no good. There was no way they weren’t. Evers had as much as admitted that it was a well-known fact, but even the police were too afraid of messing with them. Not me though. They might not have the balls for it, but I’d show them it didn’t take balls. It took a strong woman, and a fucking desire to actually put the bad guys away.
Chapter Six
Every day felt thesame here at the compound, surrounded by all this opulence, while I craved my old room at the clubhouse. I didn’t need marble fucking floors and walls, and shit. What I needed was that small unpretentious lifestyle I’d adapted to so fucking fast that it made my head spin.
I missed being surrounded by loudmouthed assholes, who thought nothing of pounding fists on doors to get their attention. If you did that here, you’d eat a bullet, before they’d even ask what you wanted. And noise? No chance. It was like a fucking mausoleum, and nobody here enjoyed my whistling, or tolerated my new louder voice.
You had to be loud at the clubhouse to be heard, and Grease wasn’t a quiet guy. I’d enjoyed being him. I’d felt like he was me, and this was the costume I was being forced to wear.
A too-polite knock on my door had me groaning, because it was never anything good, and never interesting. It was always the same old shit. Monitor this guy because he owes us money.Monitor these wise guys because they’re taking the piss. Same old same old.
The knock was firmer the second time, and that reminded me that I was keeping someone waiting.
“Yeah?”
Luca strode into the room, a pissed off look on his face.
“You think I have nothing better to do than wait out there?”
I stood up, because I’d forgotten how these fuckers liked to storm over and tower over me. I was no longer the guy who sat and tolerated any shit, and I think they were starting to realise that.
“Something I can help you with?” I asked, frustration adding a tense note to my voice.
“You came back different, you know. The Don might be tolerating your new rebellious phase, Tesio, but don’t push it.”
I glared at him, resting my fists on the desk.
“Still not hearing why you were disturbing me in the first place, Luca.”
He tried the eyebrow thing, but it just wasn’t as intimidating as the Don’s eyebrows, in fact, even his weren’t affecting me like they used to. I wasn’t just a fucking tool for them to use. I was a valuable member of the family, and they had to start fucking treating me that way.
“Do I need to remind you of your place, Tesio?”
I felt a grin stretching across my face.
“You think you’re man enough?”
He glared at me for a long moment, and then he huffed out a sharp breath.
