Page 23

“Are you gonna make him give up his brother to the cops?” Axel asked.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Mark cocked his head, fished out a cigarette, and took his time lighting it. One drag turned into two, three, and then four of utter silence, until he stroked his chin and blew out a plume of smoke.

“I doubt I could even if I were of a mind to,” Mark admitted.

“He’d just take off and go who knows where and probably get in more trouble along the way.

That wouldn’t do him or the club any favors.

If he’s as handy with bikes as he is in the clubhouse, I’d like to offer him a different job, but only if he’s willing to be completely honest with me. ”

“And if he’s not?” Axel asked, hesitation in his voice.

Creature could tell Mark was impressed, though he’d have to caution Axel against pushing the Prez too often.

At the moment, he was merely indulging the young man’s questions, probably because of what Axel had done for Saint.

But that goodwill would run out eventually, and the last place Creature wanted to see Axel was on the wrong side of his club president’s legendary temper.

People who crossed him were rarely stupid enough to try it a second time, and if they did, well, third chances were never given.

“Then the boys and I will escort him to the edge of town and send him on his way,” Mark declared. “I won’t have people around who I can’t trust.”

“I-I guess that’s fair,” Axel said softly.

“I want to help him,” Mark declared. “He’s a hard worker and clearly loyal, judging from the extent he’s gone to protect his brother. I just need to know that he’s willing to give that same kind of loyalty to me and the Jokers.”

Axel nodded and fell silent, tracing his fingertips along the smooth tabletop while Creature shot a text to Kong. Several minutes later his phone pinged, announcing Kong’s reply.

“He found him at the pool hall,” Creature said. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Nodding, Mark lit another cigarette, while Axel fished in his pocket and pulled out a vape.

A short time later, there was a rap on the door, which Creature quickly answered to see Kong standing there, gripping Scout by the arm.

He all but dragged him inside and over to the table, where he balked the moment he saw Axel.

“I’m sorry,” Axel blurted before Scout could say anything. “Lying to the cops was way easier than lying to Creature. I couldn’t do it.”

Sighing, Scout jerked his arm free of Kong’s hold and winced, because it had clearly hurt him to do so. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I should have taken off as soon as the cops turned me loose.”

“Why didn’t you?” Mark asked.

Scout shrugged and shuffled from one foot to the other. “I kinda like having a real job.”

Mark nodded at that and gestured to the chair across from him. As soon as he sat, Kong took up the position directly behind the chair. Something told Creature it was deliberately done to make it easier to keep Scout from bolting if he got it in his head to take off.

“Do you want to keep that job?” Mark asked.

“Not if it means turning in my brother.”

“Have I asked you to turn him in?”

“No, sir.”

“Then wait for me to ask you a question before you jump to conclusions,” Mark said. “Think you can do that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, now, relax and just talk to me,” Mark said. “Have you spoken to your brother since the robbery?”

Scout shook his head and sucked in a breath before answering verbally. “No sir, I can’t; he dropped his phone in the scuffle. I managed to snag it before one of the cops could see.”

“You keep cool and think on your feet; that’s a good trait to have,” Mark said. “Did you learn that from the Hounds?”

“No sir, I learned it from my pops and my brother.”

“Is your old man a member of the Hounds?” Mark asked.

“No, sir.”

“But your brother is?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did he send you to town to hook up with us, maybe do a little spying?”

Scout shook his head again, fingers fumbling with the snap on his jacket pocket as he tried to fish out his cigarettes. “A job brought me here.”

“Ahh, yes, this mysterious second job you’ve mentioned to a few people but only in very vague terms,” Mark said. “Now I’d like you to be more specific.”

“It’s got nothing to do with the Hounds or the Jokers or any other club,” Scout said.

“I got it through the internet. It’s with a production company.

Kind of low-budget shit that is almost wrapped up.

I’ve got about a week and a half left before I fulfill my contract, and then I’ll leave town if that’s what you want.

I can vacate the cabin tonight and go back to the campground.

I never meant to cause any issues. I just wanted to earn some cash to help my old man. ”

“No one is telling you to leave town yet,” Mark said. “But we’ll escort you out before the end of the night if I get so much as an inkling that you are trying to withhold information from me.”

“I’m not,” Scout said.

“Where is this production company?”

“Out on factory row,” Scout explained. “Parts of it are still being renovated.”

“Yeah, we know the building you’re referring to,” Mark said. “You’re doing porn, aren’t you?”

Creature had the perfect vantage point to see Kong’s face when Scout nodded, and the word pissed wasn’t strong enough to describe the look that twisted his features.

Mark’s poker face was as cold and blank as ever, but Creature remembered what had happened when Lucky had gotten mixed up in that mess after being filmed without his knowledge of what the videos would be used for.

“Who hired you?”

“Erotic Obsessions.”

“And you’re actual boss?”

“Donny Duchamp”

The only sign Mark showed that he recognized the name was the twitching of his right eye.

“How many have you shot so far?”

“Fifteen. I’ve got five more to do.”

Nodding, Mark lit another cigarette. “Are the Hounds a part of that operation?”

“No, sir.”

“Were they the reason your brother was in town?”

“No, sir,” Scout said.

“You can sir me all you want, but this would go a lot faster if you’d just tell me what your brother was doing hanging around here in his colors, and don’t tell me he wasn’t wearing them on the jacket Ms. Esperanza spotted.”

“He went with me to the shoots to make sure that no one tried to push me to do anything that I didn’t want to do,” Scout explained.

“I had to fill out a questionnaire when I applied. It was basically a list of things I was willing to do and things I wasn’t.

Figured anyone who would do that was at least somewhat safe to work with, but at the very first shoot, they asked to work in something I’d specifically said no to.

Mr. Duchamp started pushing, then said we could cancel the whole deal if I really wasn’t willing to budge even a little, so I went ahead and did it.

I can’t afford to get fired. We need that money. ”

“So you told your brother.”

“More like he pushed until he got it out of me.”

Mark chuckled at that, as did Creature and Kong.

“It shouldn’t take pushing to get you to open up to the people who have your back,” Mark cautioned.

“But, I get wanting to handle things yourself. It’s never a good look to go run and tattle to someone hoping they can fix it for you.

It sends the wrong signal to people who’d look to take advantage of you.

Assholes always find a way to exploit weakness, but then I think you know that. ”

“Yeah.”

“So, he was in town for a shoot, shit popped off at the gas station, he took off, you came up with a cover story that seems to be unraveling a little, what’s your next play?” Mark asked.

“Axel said the cops wanted to talk to me,” Scout said. “When they catch up to me, I plan to tell them that I did see a guy in a leather jacket in the store, but that he ducked out the back with a box of condoms shoved in his jacket when things started getting tense.”

Kong snorted, Mark blinked, and Creature choked back a laugh, because damn, Scout really did have a quick mind and an uncanny ability to think on his feet.

“You have a backup plan for if that fails?”

“Yeah. I’m going to invoke my right to remain silent and ask them to leave me the fuck alone unless they intend to charge me with something.”

“And if they do?”

“Let ‘em prove it.”

“Oh, you’ve got balls, kid,” Mark said, the admiration in his voice unmistakable.

“Alright, you run with your plan and see how it goes. It’s solid, and honestly, with no one to arrest and no one left to refute your story since the robbers all got themselves killed, I think they’re just trying to make sure there are no loose ends to wrap up. ”

“Does that mean I get to keep my job?”

“You planning on taking off when you’re through with the porn?”

“Not unless you fire me.”

“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Mark said. “How about you tell me why you’ve been walking since the incident?”

“Didn’t know if they’d written down my license plate or taken a picture of my bike,” Scout admitted. “On foot, I can easily blend in. Nothing I had on the day of the robbery was distinctive enough to give me away if they were out looking for me, so….”

Mark stroked his chin, one eyebrow raising a little at Scout’s explanation. “Smart. Very smart. But I think you’d have a better chance of your story flying if you went down to the station and told them that you’d heard that officers needed to reinterview you.”

Scout took a drag, seeming to really think about that for a minute, before nodding. “I can do that.”

“Can you also tell me what the deal is with the scrapyard?” Mark asked, diving in for the kill now that Scout was being reasonable and cooperating with him.

“Might as well, you know everything else already,” Scout said, only to Creature’s shock, his eyes started shimmering with tears. “The scrapyard is, well, my old man owns it; we live on the property; we were raised there. Sawyer and I help him run it.”

“And you didn’t want me to know that because?” Mark prodded.

“Teddy said….” Scout began before immediately clamming up.

“Teddy said what?”

“I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

“Teddy makes his own trouble,” Mark declared. “Now spit it out.”

“He told me that you’d want access to the scrapyard if I told you, and after you’d sent a bunch of guys to hunt up everything you wanted, that you wouldn’t have any more use for me and would probably fire me from the clubhouse and send me packing since I’d be worthless at that point.”

“Oh, fuck him,” Kong snapped. “I bet he’s the same little shit who told you that I only did one-night stands.”

“He was just, you know, trying to warn me so I wouldn’t get stupid and get feelings involved,” Scout said. “Seeing the way he got cut loose, I figured he knew what he was talking about.”

“I’m sure he hasn’t told you half of what led to me and Kat cutting our patches off of him,” Mark said, but the pinched scowl on his face smoothed out some. “But I get why you stayed silent. So, the Hounds really have nothing to do with the place?”

“No,” Scout said. “Nobody there is interested in old parts, and they aren’t the kind of people Sawyer would ever bring around our old man.”

“How’d he get hooked up with them?”

“The same way I got into shooting videos,” Scout explained.

“Our old man got sick a few years ago, and we had to mortgage everything to cover the co-pays on his treatments. Sawyer and I have been trying to get us out from under it ever since. Pops is supposed to be taking it easy and manning the office, but he’s not, because he hates being in debt, so Sawyer and I figured we could get him to slow down if we made the money and took care of the note. ”

Mark ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in his seat.

“As a father, I can’t tell you how impressed I am by the lengths you’ve gone through to help him.

I think I’d kick my kid’s ass if one of them decided that doing porn was a good way to get me out from under some shit I was struggling with, but knowing my boys, they’d try anything at all if they thought it would help.

It’s admirable. But Teddy was wrong about the scrapyard.

Bike restoration is a booming business for us.

We’d want long-term access to the contents of the scrapyard, and if you’re as handy with tools as I think you are, then you’d be better off in the shop with Creature than mopping my bathrooms.”

“I-I’ve been building things since I was a kid.”

“How much of the work on that bike did you do?” Creature asked.

“Pretty much all, except when I got stuck on something,” Scout explained. “Then Pops helped, and my brother helped with the chains.”

Chuckling, Mark nodded at him before turning to look at Creature. “Looks like you have a new employee.”

“I guess I do.”