Page 34 of Colton (Raging Barons MC #17)
-:- COLTON -:-
Today is going to be a busy one. I have agreed to take Arrow to look at another house property that needs fixing up. The one they’ve near as damn completed, Lincoln has agreed to keep. Bones isn’t sure what he’s after, so he’s willing to be the last of the three of them to buy something.
Then, of course, I was told to head to the security building after lunch with Knuckles, as the club is paying for the building outright and wants immediate possession. So, guess who has been nominated to help move shit in when the delivery men arrive? Yeah, me.
“Are you ready, Colton?” I hear and turn to nod at Arrow.
“Yeah, I looked at places on the realtor’s website that I thought you may like, and the area in town is decent.
Not too far from the clubhouse or Lincoln’s place.
I looked to see if there was anything near Forest as that is an excellent area, but sadly nothing is available.
It didn’t surprise me as they don’t sell very often down that way. ”
“Okay, lead on.” Arrow grabs a bottle of water from the table in front of him and follows me out to our hogs.
I’ve had time away from door duty and I’ve enjoyed the break. I didn’t realize it had become staid, but I’ll feel much fresher going back, if I go back. Axel has told me to follow Buzz or Wings, and I’ll follow Buzz when possible because following Wings could leave me sitting in hot water .
The first house I stopped at Arrow immediately shook his head negatively. I think it was too close to neighbors and I can agree with the noise from the hogs, and needing as a brother to keep things under wraps at times it’s best to have some distance.
House two is about derelict. “I didn’t realize the place was this bad, but the place has 6 acres to it. Now if you can get a permit to knock that place down, it would be perfect to build on.”
“It’s near to the clubhouse. I could go for this one, Colton.
” I follow Arrow as we head to the realtor's office. While waiting outside I watch as people give smiles and small waves to me. A few kids go past with their mommas and admire our bikes as they pass. I also ignore two girls who give me the ‘ come-on’ vibe, but that’s not going to get them anywhere.
My mind wanders to Nyx and her staying with me, even becoming my Ol’ Lady.
I’m going to have to push this into church because I’m not sitting on this.
We need to know what’s happening with Darren before Penny can decide what she is going to do about moving back to her house, and I am more than okay with her staying with us until such a time.
Arrow comes out of the realtor’s office grinning like a fool. I raise an eyebrow and he jiggles the keys in front of me. Well, looks like we are going to look at the derelict place. I just hope the fucking thing doesn’t collapse on top of us in the meantime.
We look at each other with a touch of nerves as Arrow unlocks the front door of the house. But I have to tell you that is as far as we get. The entrance hall has a collapsed ceiling, and the overpowering stench hits you. I reckon there is a dead animal somewhere in the place .
“Fuck this, Colton,” Arrow snarls and steps back from the door. We don’t bother locking the place because anyone that goes in after seeing the state of it deserves all that may happen.
“Let’s look around the property,” I suggest, and start by walking around the house.
Arrow is grumbling about the state of the house and it needing demolishing.
But he does at the same time gush at the land that he would be purchasing.
“Why don’t you speak with Hammer about building what you want?
You know you’ll get the materials at cost because the club doesn’t profit from helping brothers build their homes. ”
“Yeah, I’ll speak to him. I can see something modern-ish on here. I like the rustic feel of the land, so a cabin type might be nice but with floor to ceiling windows at the back so I can sit and look over the backyard.”
“I can envision that, Arrow. Oh, look there’s a stream.
” Stepping over to where I can see the small stream running alongside the boundary to this property.
I study it a while before turning to Arrow.
“This is clogged up. If we pull out the shit, it’ll run nicely and it’s a substantial source of water for the garden if the weather gets overly dry. ”
Arrow gives the stream a good look and nods his head.
“Yeah, I think you’re right, Colton. I’m gonna put an offer in on the place but drop the damn price because, let's be honest, there is no home on the land. But we will have basic amenities, so won’t need planning permissions.
The property already has that with the house. ”
“Let’s go talk to this realtor once more. I’ll throw the fucking key at him, too. Useless asshole wasting my time giving me that,” Arrow grumbles and curses under his breath, which has me grinning because it is exactly how I would be reacting.
After the realtor visit and Arrow giving him hell, I smile as I reckon he’s going to get this place for two-thirds of the price they were asking. The fact the house needs to be demolished has to have cut the price significantly. I am delighted that my place has not caused me these issues.
Back at the clubhouse I grab a BLT from Amelia, who gives me a wink as she hands me a bottle of water. Taking them out the back door, I wander to the bench and sit quietly, eating.
From my vantage point I can see Star who is testing the zip slide, and I know she and Meat have the twins using it, much to Mia’s dismay on the first time.
But when Mia saw the safety net that they had installed she was satisfied that all was good.
The twins are going to be daredevils thanks to Meat and Star, and I have to tell you that Axel loves the fact his boys are going to have guts and determination.
If they are going to be presidents, then they need to have determination and be more than a little fearless.
I’m sure they will be challenged as they grow into young adults, but I’ll be behind the one that is to be my president.
My mind wanders to the conversation I overheard last night.
Penny was telling Nyx that she’s opened up and told the elderly ladies about Darren, what happened, and how she ended up as Nyx’s friend.
It was enlightening to hear how grateful she was when the old dears said she’d be a daughter to them, and they’d be grandmothers to Arabella.
I had to chuckle when the four of them, yeah four old ladies planned meals for a freezer which they were going to purchase, and take Penny shopping for new clothes for Arabella.
The house Penny is leasing has an option to purchase and with the security job, Penny may just be able to do that in time .
After finishing lunch, I throw the empty water bottle in recycling and paper napkin in the trash before walking to Knuckles' house. I am hoping those two are not in the middle of their shenanigans. Honestly, I could identify Knuckles from his bare ass with the number of times I’ve seen it.
As I reach Knuckles' place, I notice across the compound from him amongst the trees a tall structure with a tarpaulin thrown over it. What the fuck is that! Yeah, you know it, I’m nosey and wander over to take a look.
Reaching it, I pull the tarpaulin to one side and ‘Holy Fuck’ it’s the gnome. The one the old dears have had stolen.
“Leave it alone.”
Turning quickly, I see Chaos standing with his arms folded over his chest. “What the fuck are you doing with the gnome?”
Grinning broadly, Chaos responds with more than a little bit of attitude. “I’m making money for the children's charity. So far, we have raised $16,000.”
“Well, I’m impressed, but how is the gnome involved in that?”
Chaos smirks. “I’ve been taking it to some charity events and the kids have been throwing beanbags at the hole I made in the back of its head. If they get five bags into the hole, they get a prize.”
I walk around the back of the gnome and sure enough there is a hole in the back of its head. For fuck's sake, the oldies are going to throw a tantrum over this hole, I’m sure. But, if it’s for a good cause maybe they’ll be okay about it?
“You know you’ll be in trouble, don’t you?” I ask.
Chaos laughs. “Well, that’s nothing new. It’s for a fucking good cause, so will be worth the ear bashing, or punishment if one is issued. ”
“So, how you going to get it back without the oldies knowing it was you?”
“In the middle of the night is the best time. I nabbed it about three am, and it was quiet as a church mouse.” Chaos turns and picks up the tarpaulin, giving me a head nod to grab one end so we can cover it up once more.
“Who helped you grab it, because we both know you didn’t do it by yourself?”
“An old friend who is helping the charity. But he’s gone abroad now, so not sure how I’m going to get it back. Probably have to bribe Wings or Meat.” Chaos rubs his chin while in thought.
“I’ll help you, but we better not get caught.” I sigh because shit, I really did put myself into a situation where I’m going to have Nyx on my back, or worse, the elderly ladies.
****
Walking into the security building later with Knuckles, I notice how clean it is looking inside what would be the reception area. Lincoln and Bones are talking animatedly, and I can’t stop the grin that forms. They look like two little boys who just got their first toy.
“Colton, Knuckles, follow me,” Lincoln says as he walks over towards us.
“Sure,” Knuckles replies and I follow them as they walk out of the reception room and to a corridor that has office doors dotted left and right.
The middle door looks different, and that’s where we are heading.
But it’s not an office, it’s a basement entrance.
We descend, and the basement is huge. It has a lot of structural columns and you can see it has a reinforced ceiling.
Listening to Lincoln speaking with Knuckles, I know we are going to be cleaning the basement and fitting the servers down here, and where the business will have all backups and anything else they need securing.
“Hammer is going to have a security door with a retinal scanner placed here, and we are thankful that there are no windows for us to worry about. Anything that needs security will be down here. The offices we’ll work in and monitor from will connect to the servers down here.
It’s going to be hard for anyone to hack into the system, and I’ve my eye on someone who has mad skills to place all firewalls on the system, so nobody can penetrate what we have.
” Bones, who entered the basement tells us this, and I can see the determination that this business is going to be a success come hell or high water.
“I guess you have the building, since we are all here, and working out what is going to happen?” I ask.
Lincoln smiles. “We do. Pres pushed the realtor and paid for the place. He got it for less than they were asking for it, which he was bragging about.”
“He’s one hell of a president, and he’s determined we will all have a good life within the MC.
We don’t deal with anything dirty, and we don’t have women hanging around harassing our women.
Our club has a lot of businesses now, and between all of them we have a good standard of living.
” Knuckles' expression shows how he values Axel, and the life that he has ensured we all have.
For me personally, it has been a lifeline.
I’m sure without the club I’d have ended up in prison for something.
I was heading down a dark road as well as Web, Cork, Mensa and Roadrunner.
I would think Reuse would too, because he was in an awful state when Pres pulled him into the MC.
I count us all lucky, and I will stand by Axel and the son that will be my president to my last breath if necessary.