Page 9 of Property of Thrasher (Kings of Anarchy MC: South Carolina #1)

THRASHER

T iny found me in my office at the garage the next day.

I had been reviewing the rotation sheets as he stomped up the steps and into my space.

The pacing of his movements weren’t hurried or annoyed, just a man unaware of his size.

His giant status amplified the sound of every move he made.

As he stood in front of me I didn’t know what he was about to say.

The look on his face was a mix of annoyed and entertained.

“Pinky’s already givin’ Crank shit about uniform colors for the desk staff,” he shared with a smirk.

“Colors are simple, black, teal, and beige. Kings all day every day,“ I replied like this was common sense because it should be. We don’t do anything outside of our colors.

“Same shit I said. You know Pinky, he likes to get a rile out of everyone. Only I told his ass if he wants them in blazers, he can kiss my ass. Gotta draw the line somewhere.”

I laughed out loud imagining some of the club whores dressed professionally. “Fuck, tell him to print name tags while he’s at it. Make sure they say, I’m here to clean up bodily fluids and bad decisions. Anyone staying at the Velvet is making poor choices to begin with.”

He mock grabbed at his chest, “what the Hell! I have a dignified establishment.”

“Bullshit.” I shook my head, “but we will make it better than it’s been for sure.”

“Ain’t nothing the Kings touch that doesn’t come out better for it.” He added and I nodded.

“Turning this shithole around is gonna be our best success yet.”

We both laughed, Tiny snorted. “You got a minute, Prez?” He changed his tone to something a little more focused.

I nodded. “Brother, always got time for you.” I extended my hand inviting him to sit in the chair across from my beat up old desk. Tiny never asked for shit. Him wanting my undivided attention, something serious was brewing in his head.

“You serious about the bunnies workin’ the hotel? Guys are for it, but I think they like the view more than the actual work that needs to be done,” he shook his head. “Cuz this shit could go sideways real quick.”

I nodded. “I get that. But we know them. Vetted their asses. They know the life. I’d rather deal with attitude from someone who has already signed into our world then someone off the street.”

“Gonna have to be real clear about boundaries. No turnin’ tricks. No parties without prior approval. No randoms hangin’ around.”

Again, I nodded. “They walk the line or they’re out. Not one of them bitches are gonna risk what they got with the Kings. Ain’t one of them come from a good life. We give them the best they ever had and I ain’t just talkin’ about dick. You feel me?”

What I said was the God’s honest truth. There wasn’t one woman tied to us that would risk crossing our rules. They understood the consequences.

Tiny cracked his knuckles and stood, “Alright. Just wanted to check your pulse on it as a brother and a leader. I have a few set up for some interviews and see who will fit the best. You gonna come by?”

“You want me there, I’ll come sit in.”

He hesitated before giving me a nod.

It was that simple. He was my brother, not by blood but by a code we both swore to. He wanted me somewhere, than that was where my ass would be.

End of it.

* * *

T he common room of the clubhouse smelled like stale beer, leather, a hint of perfume, and body odor.

It was the kind of scent if bottled not one motherfucker would ever willingly buy or use unless it was to torture someone.

While it wasn’t a full on assault to the nose, it definitely was something that took some getting used to in order to not be taken aback by.

But it smelled like home to me, even if I hated to admit that shit. It was familiar and comforting. Inside these walls I could relax and turn off my brain for a moment.

By the time I stepped in, a handful of women were sprawled across couches and barstools, chatting away.

Tiny stood near the dartboard, arms folded, watching while waiting for me.

Scanning the room, the ones I knew could be trusted were here, that was good. Faye, all sharp eyes, long braided hair, perched herself at the edge of a pool table, eyes always locked to her man. Sweeper and Faye had that kind of love. She knew he belonged to her ass as much as he owned hers.

Jonesy sat cross-legged balanced on a barstool while twirling a strand of her brown hair around her finger. Trinity, Lexi, Tamra, Maria, and another girl who I hadn’t tasted yet and couldn’t remember her name sat lounged comfortably on the couches.

“Women,” I greeted, voice locked tight.

“Thrasher,” came from a few, “Prez,” from some others.

I leaned against the edge of the bar. “Club bought the Velvet Inn. Need some help. Legit job opportunity.”

A few nodded.

“Shit ain’t a party house. It ain’t a fuckin’ brothel either. Real jobs, cleaning, desk shit, social media, whatever is needed that doesn’t include sellin’ pussy. Bookings matter, rooms get cleaned, sheets changed, laundry done, and no fuckin’ drama.”

“You want us to play maid?” Trinity piped up from the other side of Jonesy.

Tiny jumped in before I could respond. “We want you to get paid for a regular job. It’s work. Not all day every day, but full time shifts and schedules and shit. But we want to keep it in the family. You bitches are family of sorts. We want to give the opportunity here.”

Faye shifted standing and moving closer to me. “Ladies, we do this right, it’s got potential. Hourly checks, shit you can have at a bank and buy a car on a loan or get a fuckin’ mortgage one day.”

Tiny nodded. “Plus bonuses you keep the guests happy and your mouths shut when the brothers are in the hotel.”

Trinity smirked and laid on her sex kitten whisper, “what kinda bonuses, Thrasher?”

I wasn’t a man to want to hit a bitch, but sometimes this one pushed my buttons. Fucked the whore once and I wouldn’t ever touch her again. She took crazy train to a whole different level and not in a good way. “Not the kind you’re implyin’,” I deadpanned.

Laughter rippled through the room.

“We need five girls willing to rotate shifts,” I explained. “Front desk, cleaning, whatever Faye needs. Guests act weird, you take note. Report to Faye. Anything out of place, tell Tiny immediately.”

Tamra flung her hair over her shoulder, “security? We know we’re safe here, but out there, how will we be okay?”

“Handled,” Tiny said. “You won’t be alone. No one touches you. No one remotely gets the wrong idea about this place or your job here. You ever feel unsafe, you let Faye or the brother present know. Because the brothers will be rotatin’ regularly. Never not havin’ one of us on sight. Period.”

Faye locked her eyes to mine, serious. “This gonna be long term? Or just until it turns a profit?”

I shrugged. “Hopefully long term. Depends. We can carry it a couple of months, maybe a little longer. It takes off to support itself then it stays long term and everyone will be compensated accordingly. We want it to be a solid business.”

Faye looked to Sweeper, her man, then back to me. “I’m in.”

Maria piped up, “I’m in but I want the night shift. I don’t do mornings without a full pot of coffee in me.”

Tiny grunted, “noted.”

Lexi raised her hand like a damn school girl. “Can I do laundry, cleaning or something. I prefer to stay in the back. Not really big on people.”

I nodded knowing her history. Lexi was sweet and soft spoken, but also strong in the quiet way.

By the time we wrapped we had Faye on the books, long-term, Lexi heading up the laundry department with Maria working nights catching up anything she didn’t finish during the day.

According to Tiny his two current housekeepers, front desk people, well whatever he needed.

They were doing fine and traded out their stay so we weren’t drowning in payroll for them.

He was good with the exchange therefore, I was down with it too.

Jonesy was hospitality working the desk along with Tamra and Trinity.

With the two he had on hand, our bunnies, Faye, and Nancy we could make this work for now.

Tiny gave them each phones as he had already given the current two ladies burners from our stack. Tiny already paid for his mom’s phone so no need to get one to Nancy. But if we needed staff and needed to reach them for coverage, we were down with providing a phone.

Faye got her plan approved by us to set up under some corporation shit she filed with the state. She swore this would save us on taxes at the end of the year. I didn’t give a fuck about taxes other than to keep the IRS and any other government agency the fuck out of my business.

“You call for anything,” Tiny commanded, “doesn’t matter how small. You feel weird about a guest, plumbing don’t sound right, someone looks out of place, you call. Got it?”

Each woman nodded knowing how we ran things.

“No friends,” I added. “This shit ain’t a fuckin’ hangout. You’re on shift, you’re ours. You don’t cross that line. No tagalongs. No favors. Nothing but business.”

There were a few eyes rolled, but no one dared speak out of turn. In the end they all knew they needed to nod, shut up, and do the work, period. Faye issued a basic schedule before the girls filed out of the room. I lingered by the bar, pouring myself a bourbon.

Tiny came up beside me so I poured him one too. “You think they’ll stick with it?”

I shrugged, “some will, some won’t. We’ll need to be actively recruiting. Trust is gonna be the challenge here, brother. But everyone is replaceable. Always.”

* * *

T he clubhouse was emptied out by midnight.

This was unusual but I wasn’t about to complain.

The fatigue had caught up to me. Engines long since rumbled and rolled off into the night, leaving behind a low hum of silence as the others stumbled their way to their rooms off the main clubhouse.

I stood in the doorway of the common area watching the shadows crawl across the floor.

I was headed to bed myself.

Alone for a change.

The quiet had lured me in, but I hadn’t yet found the desire to head to my room just yet.

Tiny stepped in behind me, a bottle in his hand. “You ever sleep, Prez?”

“Only when I need to,” I told him honestly.

He twisted the gold bottle cap off and handed the glass container to me. “You look like an old fucker standin’ here like that. Just starin’ off.”

I gave him a look before I yanked the bottle from his hands taking a long pull. “Don’t say shit like that,” I muttered as the alcohol burned all the way down to my belly.

“Relax, word is you got stamina like a young buck. That’s what matters.”

I shook my head. “Crazy fuck, your dick’s gonna fall off as karma because you run your mouth too much to the bunnies about everyone’s cock.”

He grinned, “man can be curious about where he stands in the bedroom. Damn.”

There was this silence between us for a moment.

Not uncomfortable, simply there. I took a long pull of the beer letting the burn settle in my belly.

“Glad you saw somethin’ in that hotel. Business shit is your thing, Tiny.

” I shared the truth with him. He really had stepped up with this hotel and shown real leadership.

“You saw somethin’ in me once. Glad you gave me the Kings and wanna do what I can to give back to the club.”

I nodded knowing he felt some kind of way about being a brother. Even though he earned every patch and his place, it was like he still couldn’t believe it for himself. He was a confident son-of-a-bitch in most things. But he never seemed to be able to show enough appreciation for the brotherhood.

I got it though. He had a rough start in life.

Mom got knocked around by her old man, he had to watch that shit.

No one stepping in to help them. Step-dad came along gave them a few good years before dying.

Tiny had a lot to process while he was young.

Feeling like an outsider all the time, it ate him up inside until the Kings.

We stood in the quiet together a moment longer, both of us staring at the space.

“You ever think about where things are headed?” I asked casually.

Tiny let out a breath. “You mean past the next run, the next war, or the next five years?”

“All of it. The guns, drugs, what does shit look like in five years? Ten years?”

He shook his head. “I’d like to. But ain’t built that way. Not like you.”

I studied him raising an eyebrow.

“Thrasher, you’re that man. The one who sees the bigger picture. You look ahead, around, and even sometimes you look back to see where to improve. You’re always planning and not just for yourself or the club, but for every single man wearing this cut.”

“I’m just a man, Tiny. Anyone is replaceable.”

He gave me a look of shock. “Nah, man. You are the glue.”

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. I didn’t need the praise, but I wouldn’t say it didn’t feel nice to have someone acknowledge the dedication.

“Get some sleep, Prez. We got a busy day,” he muttered before wondering off and down the hall to his room.

As the door shut behind him, I sat alone staring at the walls. This place was home. These men were my family.

This was everything.

Brotherhood.

Power.

Loyalty.

Chaos.

Control.

And if I played my hand just right, I might find a way in this life to have it all.