Page 6 of Inglorious (Unwanted Bastards MC #1)

Nanci – Two days later.

F inally, the clubhouse was spotless. The trash and everything had been taken outside and dumped in a construction dumpster I’d ordered.

The kitchen had been tackled with gloves, masks and hair nets to protect us from bacteria.

Actually, I was certain the CDC would love to investigate the shit that I’d binned.

Pots, pans, appliances. If it wasn’t nailed down, I threw it out.

No way would I allow anyone to use them, not even after they’d been cleaned.

Moon was with me while Vortex was out checking the businesses.

Right now, I was looking at kitchenware and ordering them for the refit.

King was with Vortex as he got a grip on everything. The club owned stables, a moving company for homes and companies, a HVAC service, and a vending machine business. All of those brought in plenty of money to keep the brothers happy. But Merritt had been the grand plan. It would be again.

I jumped as the door banged open and Chill stumbled in. Chill gazed at me with reddened eyes and licked his lips nervously.

“Razor has cancer.”

I nodded. “I know. Razor’s resting on my order.”

“Your orders, Nanci?” Chill asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Yup. Now, my instructions to you are simple. Ask Moon to order you some food, then go and shower. Simply put, Chill, you stink. Once you’ve freshened up, get your ass down here and start acting like a brother in the Unwanted Bastards.

You and Inglorious let the dead down. The absence of a memorial really fucks me off. ”

“Don’t wanna see that,” Chill muttered, eyeing me warily.

“No, I bet. No reminder is good. Honestly, I’m unimpressed, and there’ll be repercussions later. As of now, do what I said, or I’ll make Moon take you out front and dunk you in a horse trough.”

Chill held my gaze for a few seconds before his eyes dropped. “Will do, Pres,” he replied, and I nodded.

“Remember that, Chill. Be aware I’ve no obligations here. I’m here because of Seth and what this club meant to him. Seth doesn’t deserve the dishonour you and Inglorious have shown. That means I say jump and you ask how fuckin’ high!”

Chill jerked his chin and stumbled over to Moon.

Calmly, I went back to searching for appliances.

Vortex had contacted Apache and Rock, who ran Blackrock Construction, and asked them to visit today.

Now that the clubhouse was clean, it wasn’t an embarrassment.

And I needed shit moving in Merritt as we were losing money sitting on this potential goldmine.

Just as I was placing an order for an industrial grill and oven, the doors opened again. Two tall, muscled and handsome men entered. They glanced around and raised an eyebrow, and I inwardly winced. Undoubtably, they’d seen the previous state of the clubhouse.

“Nanci, you look good,” Apache spoke first, and I nodded as I rose to greet them. Apache’s eyes landed on my cut, which stated president, but he never commented.

“Agreed,” Rock said.

We’d all learned that Rock had little to say unless it concerned his family. Ask about Carly and the kids, and Rock would talk for hours.

“How long are you staying?” Apache asked as they approached the table. I was working in the common room. I could have taken the office, but I’d known Chill was being released by Doc Paul and I didn’t want him sneaking past me.

“As long as it takes to get the club back on the righteous path. Is there a problem?” I replied, ready to do battle.

“Where is Inglorious?” Rock demanded bluntly.

“In the town’s jail, pissing and puking everywhere, no doubt. Doc Paul is with him.” I held their gazes steadily. I wouldn’t retreat, and they had no right to interfere in the club’s business.

“Shit that bad?” Apache asked.

“Inglorious is an alcoholic, of course it’s that awful.”

“Inglorious? You never called Inglorious his club name before,” Rock said.

“My brother is gone. Most of the Unwanted Bastards are dead, murdered in a war that was not theirs to fight. Rage has no shade to throw here. The Unwanted Bastards is not a brother club to Rage, but an ally. You don’t have an opinion about what’s happening here.

This is my MC. Seth died for it, I’m his Legacy, and that means I can do what I damn well want.

“No, I don’t call Inglorious, Roman, anymore.

Why? Because Roman wouldn’t have pushed the club into a war that wasn’t his or risked so many lives.

Roman is dead, and Inglorious is what remains.

And Inglorious made several critical mistakes that cost the MC and family members dearly,” I informed them.

“Fury would have come after the Unwanted Bastards eventually,” Apache said.

“No doubt. Which is why I’m here, because if I didn’t believe that, I’d leave the club Seth died for to rot. That’s the only reason I can stay. But Rage fucked up and caused a lot of pain. That’s the truth of the matter,” I stated.

Apache and Rock both stood straighter before nodding.

“Rage didn’t know Fury was alive,” Rock replied finally.

“That may be so, but when Rage discovered he was and found his location, you didn’t act appropriately.

You should have staked out Fury’s clubhouse until he showed and then put a bullet through his brain.

Rage failed and instead reinforced Rapid City.

That’s your mistake. Fury is your error.

But nobody can change the past or bring Seth back.

So, in the interests of our alliance, I’m moving forward and trying not to hold grudges,” I admitted.

“What do you need?” Apache asked.

Well, that was acceptance.

“The outside and the bedrooms were remodelled in the clubhouse, however, in here and the offices require a fresh coat of paint. The kitchen also needs a remodel. Vortex, the prospects, and I have gutted it. Coincidently, I was purchasing appliances when you arrived,” I said.

“Shit, you threw everything?” Rock exclaimed.

“Yes, why?”

“That stuff was under two years old.”

“Believe me, if you’d seen what was growing on them, you’d have dumped them, too. I’m ordering like for like, so the sizes shouldn’t differ much, but the kitchen is four bare walls and nothing else. Perhaps you want to see?”

“Yeah, if you can mail us the links for the appliances you’re buying, we’ll check it out. Did you say you ripped the cupboards out as well?” Apache asked. He handed me a business card with an email address on.

“Yup. I won’t put anything in a cupboard that once had black mould growing in it!”

Apache’s nose wrinkled. “Agreed.”

They headed into the kitchen as I placed the final order and emailed the address on the card. Stiffly, I rose to my feet as someone knocked on the door, and I glanced over as Moon answered it. It was Chill’s food.

“What did Chill get?” I asked, wondering if I was going to be cleaning puke in an hour.

“Couple of plain chicken subs,” Moon called, as he paid the driver, who disappeared quickly.

“That’s sensible,” I muttered.

Moon snorted. “You sound surprised.”

“Damn right, I am, prospect. Chill’s hardly been making good decisions lately,” I replied.

“Ouch,” Chill interjected from behind.

Slowly, I turned to face him. Chill’s eyes were still red and his skin blotchy, but he looked better for a shower, and he no longer reeked.

“Truth hurts, Chill.”

Chill offered a half-hearted grin before quickly moving and hugging me tightly. He clung to me like a lifeline, and I patted his back.

“Don’t go, Nanci, we can’t cope.”

“Not going anywhere,” I replied softly, knowing that was my reality.

Vegas was done and dusted. There was no going back and there were some difficult decisions to make.

Although I’d taken emergency leave from my headliner act, I’d have to inform them I wasn’t returning.

That was a bitter pill to swallow, but I recognised the honesty in Chill’s words. The simple fact was, I was needed here.

“Sit and eat. Once done, you’re going to look at paint samples and start acting properly. We’ll also be booking you in with a grief therapist—and don’t bitch, it’s mandatory.”

“Shit,” Chill muttered. His expression turned mulish, and I pointed to my patch that said president. Chill glared, but didn’t argue. That was nice.

◆◆◆

It was approaching the time to visit Doc Paul, but I didn’t want to while Apache and Rock were still here. A little on edge, I waited until they came out and approached.

“You’ve got the blueprints for the remainder of Merritt?”

“Yeah, do you wish to start construction again?” Rock asked.

“Yes. As soon as possible.”

“I can have a team here in a week. They’ll begin your kitchen refit and then move onto the plan that was previously made. The clinic and sheriff’s office were completed. Next up was the trout farm and one of the saloons,” Apache said.

“That will be fine. Get those up and running, and Merritt can open for tourists. The trout farm should attract people for fishing.

“Monday then, Nanci. I’ll bring the plans that were previously made, and you can review them. Will you be around Thursday?” Apache asked.

That was three days away. “Yup.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“No, thanks, Apache. I’m sure you’ve got other jobs,” I replied.

“Unwanted Bastards takes priority,” Apache stated so emphatically there was no room to argue. Not that I wanted to.

Merritt needed to be their main concern. I’d discovered everything had already been paid up front. That meant when I tracked down the Legacies, I had something to offer.

“Thanks. Speak soon,” I said, dismissing them.

Humour crossed their faces, but they took their leave graciously. Ansty, I watched them head out and turned to Moon.

“Contact Chill, Razor, and Vortex, please. Tell them we have church at five.”

Moon nodded, and I headed out. As I approached the sheriff’s office, I straightened my shoulders. I’d no doubt what I’d find. And I wasn’t wrong.

Silently, I bypassed the desks and walked out back to the jail cells. Inglorious was ranting as I entered. Doc Paul sat there looking resigned.