Page 14

I couldn’t believe how my life was going. The renovations were on track, and I loved the job Tinker and his guys were doing. I could tell it would turn out better than I had pictured. My excitement over what the final look would be once I got my samples and swatches and everything else in there was growing. Tinker estimated it would take two more months at the rate they were going. I wasn’t the only project they were working on, so they had to split their time between another one and mine. I reminded myself that it wasn’t very long. I’d gone this many years without having it. A couple of months was a piece of cake.

The weekend celebration with the other clubs had been a ton of fun. We were all exhausted by the time they left, but it was worth it. Over the subsequent week, Tinker had opened up more about his dominant personality in the bedroom. I loved it. Even when sometimes I thought I’d hate it or couldn’t hold out, he had a way of pushing me to stick with it. When I did, it was always more than worth it. The man might kill me, but I’d die an extremely happy and sexually satisfied woman.

Today, I was at the house working on my website. Or I should say, I was giving input on how I wanted it to look for my business. Spawn was the one who was doing the actual building of it. When I mentioned I’d be working on creating one, Tinker told me to talk to Spawn about doing it. When I did, he said he’d gladly build me a website. A kickass one were his exact words. I was elated to have a pro. The spot where we ran into trouble was when I asked what he charged. Spawn had been affronted that I would think he’d charge family for his work.

I felt terrible and begged him not to be mad at me. I assumed he charged and didn’t expect him to give his time and expertise for nothing. God knows most of my family would do nothing for free. It took me promising never to assume again for him to forgive me. Now, I was working out my thoughts on things I wanted or needed on the website, and then Spawn would take it from there. The name I came up with might sound too plain to some and corny to others, but I liked Haven’s Haute House.

When my cell phone rang, I was tweaking my logo’s design on a program I used to draw my rooms and other designs. It scared me, making me jump. Picking it up off the table, I saw it was Devlin. Having no idea what he wanted, I answered.

“Hi, Devlin. Did you mean to call me or someone else?”

He chuckled. “I meant to call you. I have a man at the gate. He’s insisting on speaking to you. He said he has a delivery, but you have to sign for it, no one else. Would you come up here and sign for it? I’m not allowing anyone we don’t know or expect inside.”

His precaution was a good idea. “Sure, give me five minutes, and I’ll be there. I just need to get my shoes on.”

“Okay, see you in five.” He didn’t bother to say more before he hung up.

Getting up from the table, I found my flip-flops and headed out the door. It wasn’t far to the gate, so I walked. It was late morning, so the day’s high temperature hadn’t been hit yet, although it was warm enough to make me sweat. Devlin was waiting.

Tinker had told me that the club had upgraded its gate when it began replacing the chain link fence with cement block walls. The gate was heavy-duty steel with openings that allowed you to see out but weren’t big enough for anyone to get in. A small door like you’d find in a house was built into one of them. That way, you didn’t need to open the huge gate merely to let a person in or accept a delivery.

“Stand back and let me open this door, and I’ll go first. You stay behind me,” he cautioned.

“Is that necessary?”

“Maybe not, but if something happens to you because I don’t take precautions, Tinker will kill me. And I wouldn’t blame him.”

“Alright, I’ll follow protocol. Let’s get whatever this poor man has and let him go. He looks impatient.” I saw the man sitting in his car through one of the openings. He was frowning and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. I thought it was weird he was in a regular car, not a delivery truck or van.

“Well, too bad. I told him I’d sign, and he said no, so his ass can wait.”

Grinning, I waved him to proceed. Devlin opened the door, and I followed him out. The man spotted us and quickly got out of his car. He rushed toward us. “It’s about time. I don’t have all day,” he grumbled.

“If you would’ve let Devlin sign for it, you would’ve been gone already. I understand you have something for me.”

“Your name?”

“Haven Whitt.” I rolled my eyes when Devlin glanced at me. He winked, then went back to staring at the stranger.

“Here, sign right here,” the delivery man said.

Taking the clipboard he held, I scrawled my signature and handed it back. After I did, he gave me a legal-sized envelope and stated, “You’ve been served.”

Before I could say anything, he was back in his car and driving off. I stared at the envelope in disbelief. There had to be a mistake. Who would be serving me? I let Devlin hustle me back inside. By then, my brain began to work, and I turned the envelope over to see who it was from. My heart sank when I saw the name in the upper left-hand corner. This couldn’t be happening.

“Is everything alright, Haven?” Devlin asked.

“No. Sorry, don’t let me keep you from your duties. Thank you. I need to make a couple of calls.”

Without saying more, I walked off. The closer I got to home, the madder I grew. By the time I was inside, I was ready to throw stuff. Instead, I made my first call. I waited impatiently for my call to be answered. When it was on the third ring, I launched right into it.

“Did you have a man serve you today?” I asked Gareth.

“Serve me? What do you mean?”

“Serve you with legal papers.”

“No, why? Did you?”

“Yes, he just left. Don’t be surprised if he visits you. It seems Judd and Ursula are up to no good. I have a packet here from their law firm. Wanna take a guess what’s inside?”

“Those fucking pieces of shit. Did you read the paperwork?”

“Not yet, but hang on a sec, and I will.”

Placing him on speaker, I tore the envelope open. A quick perusal told me my guess was correct. Judd, Ursula, Jubilee, and my mother were suing us. They were trying to say that Grandma wasn’t in her right mind when she made out her will, and we weren’t entitled to what we got. I knew what they were doing. If they couldn’t prove she wasn’t, they’d tie us and the money up in court for years just to be dicks about it.

“You’re listed as a co-defendant, so expect him to stop by. It seems our dear, loving family is taking us to court to prove Grandma was incompetent, and her will needs to be overturned.”

Fury washed through me as it sank in. Gareth went on a rant, lasting a good minute or more. I heard Annie in the background asking him what was wrong. He went on to tell her, which made her swear a blue streak. Suddenly, Annie was on the phone.

“Did you call and let Tinker know this?”

“No, he’s at work. I wanted to talk to Gareth first and then see what we should do. I don’t want to disturb Tinker.”

“Do it. He’ll be upset if you wait, and he finds out when he gets home. Your uncle and I will be over within the hour. We’ll wait for that guy to serve us, and then we’ll be there. There’s no way they’re getting away with this. I can promise you. They won’t.”

“But they’ll play dirty and tie it up until we have no choice. According to this, the money has been frozen. I can’t finish my reno or anything,” I half-sobbed.

“Call him, and don’t worry. I’ll explain after we get there.” She sounded smug, though I didn’t understand why.

“Okay, see you soon.”

“Don’t stress yourself,” she said before hanging up.

I sat there, taking deep breaths for several minutes before I placed the call to Tinker.

“Hi, babe, how’s your day going?” he asked cheerfully.

“Vance, I, uhm…” I sighed, not knowing how to soften it.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded.

“I’m calling to inform you that I was served with legal papers. Jubilee, her parents, and my mom are suing me and Gareth. They said Grandma wasn’t in her right mind, so the will needs to be overturned. They had a judge freeze the money. I can’t pay for the reno. You have to call off your guys. I’m sorry.” I sniffed as I battled my tears.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Oh, hell no, we’re not stopping shit. I’ll be home in thirty minutes. Did you talk to Gareth? Did he get papers, too?”

“I did. He hasn’t, but I bet the guy who served me went to see him next. He and Annie are coming here so we can talk.”

“Good. We’ll get this figured out. There’s no way those bastards are taking that money. I want you to sit tight. I’m coming.”

“Thank you. Ride safe.”

“I will. Bye, babe.”

“Goodbye.”

I was too wound up to sit and wait for him to get here, so I was up on my feet pacing. My mind whirled with the thought of my life being put on hold again. Last time, I did it out of love for Grandma, but this wasn’t the case. Why were they so determined to be such ugly people?

I was so lost in my head that I was surprised to hear a bike engine growing louder outside. That’s when I saw almost a half hour had lapsed. Hearing bikes on a bikers’ compound wasn’t unusual, but this one was loud and growing louder. Hurrying to the door that went to the garage, I opened it in time to see Tinker pulling in. I rushed over to him as soon as he shut his bike down and swung off it. He had his arms open. I burst into tears as he hugged me.

“Shh, babe, don’t cry. They’re not ruining anything. I promise you that. Come inside. It’s too hot out here.”

I let him lead me back into the house and over to the couch in the family room. It took me a few minutes to get myself back under control, and when I did, I was embarrassed.

“I need to clean myself up. Annie and Gareth should be here soon. I need to get some refreshments together.”

I got up and went to our bedroom. Tinker followed me. He watched me, frowning as I splashed my face with cold water and brushed my hair. “Haven, talk to me. I know this is upsetting. But why aren’t you meeting my eyes? Did I do something?”

I gasped and shook my head. “No, you didn’t do anything. It’s me. I’m here bawling like a baby. I should know better than to let them get to me. It’s not like they’ve ever been loving or nice. I should’ve expected this. I feel bad I’ve gotten you and your men to work on my building. And I’ll have to turn around and not let you finish and sell it. I promise I’ll pay you for the work you already did.”

“You think I care about the money!? Fuck that. I care about you. And there’s no need for you to sell the building or stop the renovations.”

“I’ll have to pay back the money to the estate. The only way I can do that is by selling it.”

“There will be no giving anything back to the estate because they won’t win this idiotic lawsuit.”

The doorbell rang, interrupting him from saying more. Knowing who it was, he and I went to answer it together. A grim-faced Gareth and a surprisingly relaxed Annie greeted us. Welcoming them, we waved the two of them inside and led them to the kitchen. It took a couple of minutes to get cold drinks.

Once we were all set at the table, I asked Gareth, “Did that man stop by and serve you, too?”

“He did. I don’t think he’s from around here,” Gareth said.

“Why do you say that?” Tinker asked.

“Because he seemed anxious to get out of town. He acted like he'd never leave if he was still here after dark.” Gareth snickered. Tinker snorted.

“What’re we going to do? If we try to fight them, they’ll tie us up in court for years and drain us dry of money. I don’t want to let them take it. Grandma was sharp as a tack until the day of her death. She changed her will years ago. I don’t know how they have a leg to stand on, but you know them. They have something up their sleeves. They wouldn’t attempt this unless they felt sure they could win,” I reminded Gareth.

“Oh, I know. Whatever it is, you can be damn sure that it’s dirty, underhanded, and probably illegal,” he muttered.

“You two need to listen to Tinker. I told you on the phone and Gareth at the diner. They won’t get away with this, especially if they plan something underhanded or illegal. Let’s clarify. What do you think they’ll do?” Annie asked.

“A judge in their pocket is willing to falsify documents, lie, freeze the money, and rule in their favor. I wouldn’t put anything past them,” I said.

“Agreed. I spent years trying to think better of my siblings, who’re rotten, and so are Jubilee and Ursula. Their ugliness was one thing I didn’t miss when I lived all those years far away,” my uncle said.

“If they want to try and come up against my club, they’ll be the ones who won’t like the outcome,” Tinker stated confidently.

“How can the club fight this? And this isn’t your battle. It’s ours,” Gareth asked.

Tinker and Annie exchanged speaking looks—ones I couldn’t fathom. I’d seen them do it before. Years of being friends must’ve set up nonverbal communication between her and him.

“I assume you’ll be talking to Spawn and the guys? You have church tonight,” Annie finally said aloud.

“We do, and I will. First, we can’t let your family think they’ve got you scared. I bet you’ll be contacted soon by one or more of them. I don’t know them well, but they strike me as ones who’ll want to gloat and see you worried. Second, we’ll continue the renovations,” Tinker said. I opened my mouth to object, but he stopped me.

“No, we’ll continue. This will be resolved, and it won’t end with you or Gareth giving anything back to those assholes. We’re not slowing down. You’ve put your career on hold long enough. Next, I’ll bring the club, specifically Spawn, in on this tonight at church. It shouldn’t take him long to find what we need.” He grinned at Annie, which she returned.

“What do you two know that we don’t?” Gareth asked.

“Spawn does more than build websites and performs regular computer work for the club and our businesses. He’s a hacker. There’s little the man can’t do. If he can’t, we have people in the other clubs you met this past weekend who can. You said your family will do whatever is necessary, even if it’s illegal to win this case. Well, that tells me it’s highly unlikely they don’t have other personal and professional dirty deals and skeletons in their closets. It’s all about finding leverage points. In a game like this, fighting fire with fire may be the only way to go. I understand not wanting to stoop to their level, but we’re not. We’re protecting the next person who they try this kind of shit with. New victims won’t have the resources we do.”

“You mean play dirty like them,” I said.

“Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to right wrongs. It would be nice to think the court and authorities always do right and protect us, but that’s not reality,” Tinker added.

“It’s not, but if everyone goes around doing whatever they want, that’s anarchy,” Gareth stated.

“Let me ask you this. If you knew someone was being raped and the law couldn’t touch them. Or they barely got a slap on the wrists, and you had a way to ensure they didn’t do it again. Would you do something about it?” Annie asked.

Gareth and I both sat there thinking. He was the one to answer first. “I’d try other avenues first. There has to be a way to prevent it and make sure they pay for what they did.”

“The person being raped is a five-year-old kid. The rapist is a political person with lots of money and clout. He can either pay off people or flee the country, never to be heard from again. What about then?” Tinker asked.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t be able to let him go,” I interjected.

“It’s all degrees of the same thing. Some people deserve to be put on the right track, which may require a beatdown or prison time. In my books, rapists and pedophiles need to be rendered no longer a threat,” Tinker added.

“Would you kill someone?” I asked.

“I would. To protect my family, friends, and innocents, absolutely.” was Tinker’s immediate response.

“Have you killed people?” Gareth asked.

Tinker didn’t answer, which was his answer. I gulped. I wasn’t sure what I thought of that. What was to keep him or others in the club from making a mistake?

“If you’re looking for someone who’s a Boy Scout, who never has to make hard decisions and isn’t willing to do what they must, then the biker life isn’t for you. I can promise it wouldn’t be a step taken lightly or without thorough and irrefutable proof of guilt.”

Tinker was staring at me as he said it. He was trying to tell me what kind of man I was with. The lengths he and his club would go to. If I couldn’t deal with it, then there was no future for us. Nausea filled me at the thought. He stood up.

“I’ll leave you three to talk. I’ll be back in an hour. If you’re still here, I’ll know you want me to proceed. If you’re not, I have your answer.”

I wanted to tell him not to leave, but I needed to think. Before he walked out, he came to me and kissed me. Without another word, he left.

“Tell me you didn’t know this,” Gareth said to Annie as soon as the door shut behind Tinker.

“I know exactly who the Punishers are now and were in the past. They weren’t always the cleanest, which they’ve changed, but they’ve always had principles. Hurting someone who didn’t deserve it has always been one of those. They’ve helped clean up a lot of ugly in the world. Things I won’t talk about. It allows people to sleep easily and safely at night.”

“Christ, Annie, you can’t be serious. He practically admitted that he’d killed people. That means the whole club has. What makes them any different or better than the ones they killed?” Gareth shouted. He was on his feet, pacing the kitchen.

“What makes them better is they wouldn’t kidnap someone and sell them to the highest bidder, beat and rape them, or any number of other heinous things. They’ve helped those who that was their fate. They’ve brought them home safely and eliminated their monsters!” she shouted.

“How can you be sure? They might just tell you that,” he snapped back.

“How do I know? Why don’t you ask Chey about her nightmare? Or Troian and Kimera about theirs? Better yet, numerous old ladies you met and liked this past weekend. They’ve lived it. Murderers, rapists, human traffickers, pedophiles, and more have been eradicated because of the Punishers and their friends. And I don’t lose a bit of sleep feeling bad that they have been. This club doesn’t do things half-assed. They have irrefutable proof before they do something. And it’s not always to kill someone. Sometimes, they help to find the evidence to prove the monsters’ guilt and ensure they get the maximum sentence they should. Minor infractions might only require a warning or an ass beating.”

Gareth was sputtering and giving her incredulous looks. I hated to see them at odds, but I understood my uncle’s shock. It was scary to imagine a group outside law enforcement having that power. But as I listened to them and thought about what Tinker and Annie said and what I knew of the man I was with, another thought arose—one I had to verbalize.

“When you think about it, is it so terrible to consider when we see what those in law enforcement do or don’t do? Some abuse their power for personal gain, whether it’s power or money. Look at Judd and Ursula. We both agreed. They’d do whatever they could to get that inheritance, no matter how dirty they had to get. Bribe a judge. Falsify documents. Threaten people to swear false witness against us or for them. And if they would do that to us, what makes you think they haven’t done it in their legal practices?”

Gareth stopped pacing and stared at me. I held his gaze. I didn’t know how long the silence stretched out before he spoke. “You’re right. They would. However, doing that doesn’t warrant killing them.”

“No, it doesn’t. And no one said anything about killing them. Spawn would find their dirty laundry, and that would be used to make them back off. Would you be alright with them doing that?” Annie asked. I nodded, and Gareth did as well.

“Then, if you can accept them helping that way, you have to accept that they might have to go to the extreme not with your family, but with others. You either accept them fully or not at all. Regardless of what you decide, know this. They’re my family. I won’t turn my back on them. You can choose not to have anything to do with them, either of you. But you’ll have to accept that I will. I love you, Gareth, but I love them, too.” When she finished saying that to him, she turned to me.

“Haven, you have to decide if you care for Tinker enough to accept the whole man and his club. If not, then you have to let him go. There’s a saying in the biker world… love the man, love the club. It’s the only way to be happy in their life.”

Tears filled my eyes at the thought of losing Tinker. They chatted quietly as I sat there in misery, contemplating what had been said. Time was rapidly ticking by. Tinker would be back in no time. We had to make our decisions.

I thought of how Tinker had impacted me from the moment I saw him. Yes, it was physical attraction, but wasn’t that how it started with most? In the two months I tried to get him to like me, I’d never once been afraid of him or his club. I knew they were bikers, and their lifestyle wasn’t typical. Many people didn’t understand or outright feared them because of it.

Seeing how they cherished their brothers, old ladies, and kids was heartwarming. It wasn’t fake. They genuinely cared. I’d seen it with Tinker and the guys who worked for him. When the other clubs came to celebrate, it extended to them and the employees who attended the earlier party. Never had I felt my life was in danger with them. I knew Tinker would do everything in his power to keep me safe.

He did so many things to care for and show I mattered to him. Reaper and the other men with old ladies and kids did the same. Taking that picture and flipping it to make them into outlaw monsters who were killing without reason didn’t compute. By the time we had five minutes left on the clock, I had my answer. I hoped Gareth did as well.