Page 35 of Tortured Souls
“Listen, Saxon. I have a bartender who is currently living in the upstairs apartment. She is an incredibly reliable employee, and I hope when you do take over, you can show her some leniency until she finds a place of her own.” Vance’s voice pulls my attention from his television screens. He’s watching her too, his eyes heavy and full of guilt as he finally turns his gaze to mine.
“Sky is very loyal and came to me for a job two years ago when she was in a dark place. She was running from something, but she never told me what. She just assured me I wouldn’t regret hiring her, and to this day, she is my best employee.” His voice is low, almost heavy as he speaks about the woman that appeared so suddenly in my life. She was hard to ignore.
“Vance, I don’t intend to kick her out, if that’s what you think. Hell, I have no use for the apartment, and if she wants to stay there, she has my blessing.”
His shoulders visibly relax as he lets out a deep breath as if he was holding it in all along.
“You’re a good man, Mr. Wilder. I’m honored that you will be the new owner of Capital Vice. I never thought I could trust another soul with this place, but I have to admit, I trust you.” I give Vance a nod of thanks as he turns back to the television once more before dropping a bomb on me.
“I hope this doesn’t come across as demanding, but if you could keep an eye on her and make sure she’s safe, that would make my old man’s heart happy. She doesn’t know this, but there’s been a few people around here lately asking about her personally. By the looks of their matchingHtattoos, I feel as though they may be a few of the men she’s been running from.” Removing my hands from my pockets, I clench my fists so tight I can feel my nails biting into my palms. The Hellstorms have been here, and I haven’t heard about it?
“Do you know who these men are? How many were there?” I try to keep my tone even and calm, but the volcano that’s threatening to erupt in my chest is making it damn near impossible. As if he can sense the rage building within, Vance starts packing his boxes once more.
“There have only been two that I’ve personally seen, but Larry, one of the bouncers, informed me that three men asked for her personally about a month ago.” He says all this without looking at me, which is probably smart, because why the fuck didn’t he inform me about this? Of course, he has no idea about the relationship between Sky and me, but another motorcycle club being in my territory alone is room for concern. It warrants a heads up to the Kings’ Aces.
“Why are you just now telling me this? Why not inform me immediately? You and I both know this is Kings’ territory. A heads up would have been smart.” I don’t say this to be mean or to intimidate him, but I do mean to be firm. This is something I needed to know, not only for the club’s safety and my family’s, but for Sky. He just said he knew she was running from someone when she showed up in town, so why hold on to this information?
“I’m sorry, Saxon. Really, I am. I had the bouncers inform me every time someone asked for her. They never stayed longer than twenty minutes each time. It was like they came, sawher here, and left. Nothing more. However, saying all this to you out loud makes me understand how foolish it was not informing you sooner. That’s on me, and I apologize.” He turns to his computer and begins fiddling with a few files before looking back towards me.
“I have all the security footage saved to this folder. You can take a look, and I will make sure I have all the information you need to work the system, change passwords, etcetera.” I wave him off.
“I have a few guys who handle all technology for us. Thank you, but I can take it from here.” Nodding once to me, he picks up a box and begins walking to the door.
“One more thing.” Turning to me, he looks me dead in the eyes. “Take care of her. She’s sort of fond of you.” Letting out a small chuckle, he continues. “She’d kill me if she knew I just said that, but I see the way she talks about you to the other bartenders. She likes to pretend she doesn’t, but I’ve raised two girls and know when a woman tries to fight her feelings for someone. It’s a losing battle.”
Leaving me alone in his office, I double click the folder he indicated to. When the images of the men pull up, I don’t recognize them. It’s clear they are Hellstorm members by their tattoos, mainly the largeHmarked on each of their forearms. I just can’t say I’ve ever seen them personally before.
There is someone that will know who they are.
Sky.
Vance and I shake hands as he gives me the ring of keys for Capital Vice. Once he drops them in my hands, I give his wife Laura a hug and wish her safe travels. She wipes away a lone tear before patting me on the back and excuses herself from the office.
“Here’s my cell number if you need anything, Saxon,” Vance says, handing me a small piece of paper with his number scribbled across the front. I put the paper in my pocket and shake his hand before we both exit the office without another word to the realtor.
We each say our last goodbyes, and I make my way to my bike that’s sitting beside Saint’s outside. Saint is currently texting, and when I swing my leg over my bike, he pockets his cell and gives me a questioning look.
“Well, how’d that go?”
“The Kings’ Aces are now the proud owners of Capital Vice. I’d say that calls for some sort of celebration. Don’t you think?” Saint gives me a grin as he nods once and starts up his bike.
“I’d say that sounds like a great fucking idea.” The pair of us make our way out of the parking lot and head towards the garage. All the while, I can’t get the images of the three men who’ve been looking for Sky out of my head.
SAXON
Pulling into the garage’s parking lot, I see Sage is almost completely done with her rebuild and has started her custom art design along her gas tank. She’s painting an image of an angel that resembles our mother. The details of her face are so lifelike it makes my chest tight with nostalgia.
“Fuck, Sage, that’s insanely good,” Saint points out, getting closer to admire her work. She is by far the most artistic person in this town, and knowing she wants to open a custom paint shop attached to the garage has my brotherly heart fill with pride.
“Yeah? You think?” she says, her voice sounding so much like our mother’s. The sad part is, Sage will never understand because she never got to hear our mother’s angelic voice. It hurts worse knowing she was robbed of knowing an angel on Earth, and I wasn’t. Although it was a short six years, I’ll cherish those years for the rest of my life.
“Sis, this is by far your best work yet.” I kiss the top of her head before I peer down at the image of our mother in angel form.
“Thank you, Sax,” she whispers, taking a few steps back and allowing Saint and me to observe her work so far. I focus on the face, my mother’s eyes gazing at the sky as she smiles. It’s the same smile she always gave me. From the moment I woke up to the second I fell asleep, I never once saw my mother without a smile on her face. She was the happiest person I ever knew. The warmth of her face was contagious—around her, you couldn’t stop smiling. Even on my worst days, she had a way of making me smile through the bad.
I quickly stand from where I’m leaning over Sage’s bike and clear my throat, not allowing the pressure of the pain to consume me. I give my sister another quick kiss on her cheek and head to the meeting room without another word. Inhaling a deep breath as I wander across the garage, I’m filled with the scent of oil and gas. I push away the pain of no longer having either of my parents and harden my face. I can’t allow myself to crack or crumble. Not me. Not Saxon Wilder, the president of the Kings’ Aces.
I step through the doors to the meeting room and find Finn and Brooks working on their computers. The twins were my first and only choice for figuring out who these men who’ve been stalking my girl. They’re my go-to guys. They’re the best, simple as that. If I’m being honest, they probably should have gone to MIT or some shit. Their skills are unmatched, and together, theymake up the best technology gurus in the state, hands down. I’m grateful in these moments to have them on my side.