4. Phones Are the Devil

FOUR

Phones Are the Devil

ETAIN

I ’ve got seven phone messages and thirteen missed calls, and that’s only because there is no room left to leave any more voicemails, all from Robert. I deleted all of them without listening to them. I’m not interested in what he has left to say.

After my interview with Hawk, I sat in the parking lot at Best Buy, thinking about how easy it was to talk with Hawk. It was the easiest interview I’ve ever had. Part of me thinks he’s taking pity on me after seeing the pathetic display in the diner, but I’ll take it. I’m used to hard work and taking care of myself. My parents gave me and my sister all they could, but we were by no means wealthy. I learned to budget from the time I was ten years old.

Dad was a farmer, and Mom worked part-time at a day care in town. It was Dad’s dream to keep his father’s farm, and he worked himself to the bone to keep it. The place was hugely mortgaged when Dad took it over. Mom worked just as much as Dad to build the dream, but that meant there wasn’t a lot of cash to spare.

My sister, Kiera, and I made our own clothes, shopped at thrift shops, earned our own money, and learned how to stretch a dollar. We each paid for our own college courses. Kiera graduated and currently works at a big corporation in Dallas, Texas, in the marketing department and is kicking ass. I was on course to finish school until I met Robert, and then I fell into his dream, putting mine on the back burner. I wanted to become an accountant. I managed to get my bookkeeping degree from night school and have promised myself to go back to college once I’ve put enough money away.

Working for Hawk will help me finish what I started. It means I can keep the money I built up in the bank and move forward. I thought he was cool not to mention what happened at the diner. It would be impossible not to see that he’s gorgeous. So much so that a tingle ran down my spine when his eyes met mine.

But I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m swearing off men for a while. Robert’s left a sour taste in my mouth, and I’m not sure I trust my own judgment at the moment. How could I have been so wrong about him?

When we first met, Robert was attentive and sweet. Over time, he began to grow distant. I thought it was because he was busy at work, and he was determined to create the future we talked about and was doing his best to get us there. I should have noticed how we were changing when he would ignore me at the office when his new clients were around, as if I were working for him and not with him.

Shame on me for letting him take advantage! This was a rude awakening, but, as always, I’ll rally and move on. I grab my purse beside me and am about to get out of my car when my phone rings again. The screen flashes with Sasha’s name. I let out the breath I was holding and answer.

“Hi, Sasha.”

“Hey, sweetie, how did it go?” Sasha asks impatiently.

“Hawk hired me,” I announce.

“Well, of course he did. He’d be a fool not to,” she responds. “He’s a great guy, you know.”

“I don’t really know him, but if he’s willing to take a chance on me, then I’ll show him I’m worth it.”

“It doesn’t bother you that he’s the president of the Redemption Riders MC, does it?”

“He’s what?” I shriek. Shit! The last thing I need is to jump from the frying pan into the fire. I left a crappy situation, and my plan is to get back on track and finally get my CPA degree. I’ve even thought of starting my own accounting firm.

“Hawk is solid, Etain.” Sasha breaks into my reeling thoughts. “He’s won this town over. Hawk’s bringing business to Wellington, and we need that. We were all wary at first too, and I’m a harsh critic when it comes to my safety.”

“Don’t they have enemies? I hear about rival gangs and turf wars. I thought MCs are all about drugs and stuff. I can’t get involved in that. I have plans for my future, and they don’t include prison. I look terrible in orange,” I blurt out. I know I’m panicking, but two minutes ago, I had a plan and a job, and now I could be making another mistake that I can’t afford.

“Calm down,” Sasha says soothingly, “I’ve known Hawk for a while, and he’s never once brought ugliness to the town. He has, however, chased away monsters who tried to intimidate the local business owners. Hawk’s always said that he won’t ever create a problem, but he won’t be pushed around either.” She says, “I trust him, Etain, and that says a lot. I don’t trust easy.”

She’s been hurt, and I wish I knew by who because I’d hunt them down myself. Sasha’s so sweet and bighearted that I can’t imagine anyone doing her wrong, but I found out the hard way that sometimes we don’t see others for what they are, but for what they pretend to be.

“If it bothers you, talk to Hawk,” Sasha urges.

“Maybe I will,” I mumble.

“I’m baking scones,” she says with a lilt. “We can have tea and blueberry scones when you get back.”

“Make it coffee too, and I’m in,” I tease.

She giggles. “You got it.”

“I’m just about to go into a store to buy a few things. I should be back around noon.”

“Yay! You can taste my tomato chickpea salad.”

“You don’t have to feed me.”

“I know. Please let me do this,” she says quietly.

“Once I settle in, I’m cooking for you.”

“Looking forward to it. Gotta go!” And with that, she’s gone.

Time flies by as I walk up and down the aisles. I started with the highlighters, then got lost in the rest, discovering my cart was much fuller than it should have been by the time I got to the register. It’s the craziest thing, but I love weirdly shaped Post-It notes and fancy pens. Okay, so I’m a nerd. I own it!

Before I know it, I’ve been here for over an hour and a half. I pay for my things and hurry back to my car. I toss the bag in the back seat, and my phone starts ringing again. Absentmindedly, I pick up, thinking it’s Sasha wondering why it’s taking me so long to get back.

“Sorry, I got lost in the pen aisle. I have an unhealthy attraction to fine pens and highlighters.” I laugh.

Robert’s deep voice sounds in my ear. “I know. I made the mistake of sending you out for printer paper, and you came back with a cartful of shit we didn’t need.”

I suck in a breath. Damn! I’m not prepared for another sparring session with Robert. I knew he’d be back, but I was hoping to have a few days before we had another round of squabbling.

“I thought you were someone else. What do you want, Robert?” I let out a heavy breath in preparation for what comes next. He argues like a petulant child, insisting on the same point until you’re too tired to fight him. Well, I’m done with that.

“Are you ready to discuss this calmly?” he asks. Same old routine. He’s trying to make me feel guilty. “We have a business to run. It’s unprofessional for you to disappear without giving me time to find a replacement.”

“Unprofessional!” My voice rises at his insinuation.

“Very unprofessional.”

“You should have thought of that before you cheated on me. I was building a life with you. I forfeited my education for yours, and I did it happily because we were doing it for us. I didn’t object when you made all the clients I do work for believe that I work for you instead of us working side by side. It was insulting and hurtful, but if that was what you needed, I let you have that. I also know that my bookkeeping earns over fifty percent of the profits. Which, by walking away, I’m leaving to you. You think this is unprofessional, but I’m calling it generous,” I tell him. “So, do me a favor and fuck off.” I hang up before he can get another word out.

I’m furious. When it comes down to it, I’m mad at myself for allowing Robert to manipulate me and for believing his bullshit. Argh! I want to scream. I can hear my mother’s voice in my head saying, “Three deep breaths, Etain. Breathe in and out.”

I’ve always had the tendency to explode when I felt life was being unfair. Mom blamed it on my flaming-red hair, which added to my fiery temper. My father decided I had an aversion to injustice and I was going to become a politician and try to save the world. I can’t imagine the corruption in Washington. It’s better to be oblivious to some things, and I don’t think I have enough finesse to become a senator. Mom readily agrees.

Sasha’s waiting for me, and it’s time to let go of the anger flowing through me. Robert doesn’t get to turn my good day into a shitty one.

Hawk

A ll morning, the guys have been ribbing me about hiring a sexy fox as our office manager. I let them have their fun, but I make it clear that Etain is off-limits to them. They understand me, but that doesn’t stop them from razzing me.

I’m their president, but I don’t pull that card unless our safety is in jeopardy. For the most part, I treat them like brothers, and it’s okay for brothers to drive each other nutty, as long as we remember to do it with respect. When it comes to running the garages, I have the final say, but even then, they know there’s nothing I hide from them.

Then there’s club business, and that has a layer of authority that all the men must abide by. We have our club rules, largely adopted from the same regulations Guard’s put into place with Satan’s Pride MC. Are we one hundred percent clean? Nah. But we’ve turned the corner, and we’re pulling away from the poison that seeped into the club a couple of years back.

I should have trusted Guard’s instincts. When Guard met Meteor, he knew he was bad news. I was stupid and was asserting my rank as president when I went ahead and accepted him as a member, against Guard’s better judgment. Meteor was in the club for a year, and for the first few months, everything was good. Then he started disappearing, being late for meetings, and his excuses weren’t making sense.

Drifter was the one who followed him and found out he was making deals with a rival club and running their drugs for them. The worst part was, he was using our prospects to run the drugs. Two of our prospects got caught. One of our founding members, Phantom, took the heat for the younger prospects. Phantom is an older man. He’s ex-military, huge, and mean as fuck to the enemy, but loyal as hell to the Redemption Riders. He’s doing time now because of Meteor. Meteor is gone, and by gone, I mean he doesn’t exist in this world any longer. Phantom has another year left on his sentence, and when he comes out, he’ll take his rightful place in our club and as an important part of the crew. He’s paid a price he shouldn’t have had to. I blame myself and my ego for not seeing what I should have seen.

I’ve learned and grown since then. I beat myself up pretty badly because of it, and Guard picked me up and helped me be a better leader. “Focus on the here and now,” he said, and that’s what I’ve done. I go see Phantom every week, and I make sure the guards are paid off well to ensure his safety. It’s not nearly enough for his sacrifice, but he’ll be home soon.

No drugs are allowed in the club. If the brothers want it, they do it off-site. Some might smoke a joint, but most are clean. They know my stance on the subject and my lack of tolerance. Because of Meteor’s “deal” with the rival club, we’ve spent the last two years extricating ourselves from their hold. We’re almost there. One more week, and we’re done.

“Church tonight?” Drifter asks, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yeah, meeting is at eight. I want everyone there. No excuses.”

“Prospect will sit at the door,” Drifter replies. We always have a man standing guard. We’ve been noticing the Jackals driving through town more often than they used to, and that’s not a good sign. The Jackals have been trying to find a way to keep us connected in running their drugs. Meteor set us up for a fall, and the Jackals took advantage of the situation. Our deal with them is nearly done, and that means the Jackals are going to try every underhanded trick they know to keep us doing their dirty business.

“Yeah. They’re beginning to get on my nerves.” I run a hand through my hair and let out an exasperated breath.

“You think they’re getting ready to strike?” Drifter asks.

“Can’t ignore their threat.”

“We should strike first.”

“Maybe, but their new president is volatile, and Guard’s trying to get some intel for us. If we strike, I want to know what we’re going up against,” I say.

“Makes sense, but we need to prepare,” he says.

“That’s part of the meeting.”

“I’ll make sure everyone’s present,” he assures me before he takes off.

Etain

I have lunch with Sasha, then make the necessary calls to have the rest of my stuff from storage delivered to my new place. It arrives tomorrow. Thankfully, Sasha has agreed to hang around to let the movers I hired in.

I couldn’t handle the onslaught of calls from Robert and ended up turning off my phone. I turn it back on to make sure I didn’t miss a call from my parents, and sure enough, I did. I call them back immediately, knowing they’ll be worried. I never let their call go to voicemail.

“Hey, Dad. Sorry about earlier.”

“My girl! I thought I was going to have to drive across three states to check on you,” he jokes.

“I had to turn my phone off. Robert has been pestering me all day.”

“He has some balls.” Dad was pissed when he heard Robert cheated on me. “Do I need to have a talk with the man?”

“No, Dad. I’m taking care of this myself. I’ve moved on. I even have a new job,” I say, trying to change the subject. We talk for a while longer about Sasha and my new home, and my new job as an office manager for RR Mechanics.

“We’re so proud of you,” my mother says. “Will you be able to come home for a visit soon? We miss you, honey.”

“Not sure. Starting a new job means I might not get a vacation for a while. Give me a few weeks to settle in, and maybe you can come out here to see me,” I suggest.

There’s a knock on my door. “Got to let you go, Mom. There’s someone at my door.” I’m halfway to the door when I hang up and hurry the rest of the way to look out the peephole. A cop is standing there, with Robert beside him.

“Officer, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I ask in a sugary-sweet tone, not bothering to look at Robert.

“Your fiancé was worried about you, ma’am. Said you weren’t answering your phone. He insisted that this isn’t like you. You all right, ma’am?” the officer asks.

Right then and there, I decide that phones are the devil! Fucking Robert and his tricks. I open the door wider and wave my hand around. “As you can see, Officer, I’m all alone and very safe. What the gentleman behind you hasn’t told you is that we were together and now we are not. Robert doesn’t like that I’m not taking his calls and, hence has enlisted your help to see me.”

“I was genuinely worried!” Robert says indignantly.

The officer looks from me to him, his fists clenching. I’m sure he’s not happy about going on a wild-goose chase. I’m about to ask them both to leave when Hawk comes up the steps.

“Hey, Syd, how’s it going?” Hawk asks.