Chapter Twenty-Six

Soul

AFTER TAKING A month off of work to get into a solid routine with the kids, tonight is my first night back at Soul Escape. Country stepped up and has been running things in my place and I don't know how I'll ever pay him back for this. Especially when he's had to hire some new waitresses and has been working with Fetch behind the bar on a nightly basis. Country did get a temporary bartender in to work a few nights a week because Fetch can't always be there when he has to do other jobs for the club. Things that he doesn't need to keep doing but refuses to stop. At least I don't have to leave the house before the kids have had dinner and gotten into bed. I still get to participate in their bedtime routine and can read Kyler a story when he wants me to instead of Jayce or Brooklyn.

"You leaving now, Gavin?" Brooklyn asks me in her sweet voice as she walks up and wraps her arms around me from behind.

"I am, Love. I don't want to go back to work, but I have to go in. Jayce is here. If you need me, call and I'll come home," I promise her, turning in her arms so I can look down at her.

Leaning down, I kiss Brooklyn deep and filled with all the love I have for her. She's truly stepped up and stepped into the role of Mia and Kyler's mom without hesitation or me asking her for help. She's doing it because that's the kind of person she is and has loved the kids from the second we saw them in the social services building back home. Pressing one last kiss against her lips, I reluctantly let her go and head for the door so I can go to work. Jayce is up taking a shower since the kids are in bed and he wants to spend some time with Brooklyn before she goes to bed.

Getting in my truck, I start the engine and back out of our driveway and slowly make my way through the compound toward the front gate. Creed is on the gate and lets me through with a wave before closing the gate behind me. Driving down the road, I look out for deer that could be crossing the road leading up to the gate. It doesn't happen very often, but every now and then we see one or two run across the road through the trees we took out when we built everything. The wood was used and nothing went to waste because we're not those types of guys. Everything we have, we use until there's nothing left. I'm pretty sure for most of us, this comes from our time in the military when we didn't have a lot of resources for certain missions and when it came to food. If it weren't for Cricket, Fee, and Nanny, I'm not sure what we would have done. They always made sure to take care of us as often as they could.

In a matter of minutes, I'm pulling up behind Soul Escape and I know deep in my gut this is going to take some getting used to. For a month I've been home and my sole focus has been on my family. Now, I have to switch that part of my mind off and focus on the night club and what's going on here. It's the last thing I want to do as I park my truck and shut the engine off before getting out and making sure the doors are locked and my alarm is armed. Country pulls up next to me and gets out of his truck, stepping up next to me.

"You good, Soul?" he asks me, his voice a little rough as I take a close look at him.

"Not really. What about you? Are you gettin' sick, Country?" I ask him, seeing how pale he is under the lights in the parking lot as Blair and Fetch pull in behind us.

"I'll be okay. Haven't been sleepin' all that good lately. And pickin' up the hours for you here has left me feelin' rundown I guess," he answers me, yawning and covering his mouth with his hand.

"Go home, Country. We'll be okay here at the club tonight. I appreciate everythin' you've done for me so I could be with the kids and my wife. Take some time off and make sure you don't get too sick. We've already all dealt with the flu and don't need somethin' else goin' through the compound," I tell him as Country already starts shaking his head in response.

"I'll be okay, I'll work in the office or somethin'," he replies. "Gotta sort through some orders and update the spreadsheets so we can make sure we've got enough inventory."

With a nod of my head, because I know how stubborn Country is, the two of us head toward the door with Fetch following us. He should be walking at our side as a fully patched member would. Still, even after all this time, Fetch acts as if he's a Prospect and nothing we say changes how he acts or does things around the compound. It's one of the reasons he still goes through each business to see who needs help and what he can do for all of us. Just like he cleans around the compound and does most of the jobs our Prospects are supposed to do. In his mind, it's like Fetch will always see himself as the kid we found on the streets, scrounging for food. That's not who he is. He's a strong, loving, supportive, loyal guy who got put in a shitty situation and dealt with it the best he could.

Before I'm even through the door of the club, I'm ready to turn around and go home. Maybe Brooklyn can go back to work and I'll be a stay-at-home dad. No, I wouldn't really do that to my wife, but it's nice to think about. We enter the club and Fetch turns on the lights as we go so we can see. I walk to the main floor and am appalled at what the fuck I'm seeing.

"What the hell happened here?" I ask, turning to face Country as he looks around the room with me.

"I don't know. The place wasn't this bad last night when we left. I left a note for the cleaning crew to call me when they got here. I went back to the clubhouse and passed out, forgettin' to check my phone this mornin'. I'm sorry, Soul," Country apologizes as we continue looking around the room.

"Someone came in here after hours and had their own private party it seems if this wasn't how you left it. Country, let's go talk in the office for a few minutes. Fetch, you deal with the bar area and Blair you can deal with the floor. Get it cleaned up. Fetch, you are not to help Blair get this place clean. She's an employee here and needs to pull her weight," I say after looking at the smug smirk on her face as she looks around the main floor.

"Should we call Darren and get him down here for a report?" Fetch asks.

"Not yet. Let me talk to Country for a minute and then we'll figure it out. Fetch, if we want to bring Darren in, I'll let you know. Keep your phone on ya," I tell him as Country and I head for my office.

Unlocking the door, we go inside and I get the monitors turned on for the security footage.

"So, tell me what's goin' on with Blair. How has she been since I've been gone?" I ask Country as I pull up the footage from last night just before Country should've been leaving the club.

"It's been a fuckin' shitshow, Soul. She's pulled at least one no-call, no-show a week since you left to get your brother and sister. When she is here, she's causin' problems with female customers because she takes the men they come in with. Instead of workin' the floor and makin' sure everyone has their drinks, she spends more time sittin' on her ass and makin' everyone go to the bar for themselves. And there's been more than a few times I've found her in the bathroom with male customers havin' sex. I'm all for havin' random hookups, but not while you're at fuckin' work," Country tells me, his voice hard and cold while having traces of guilt mixed in.

"This isn't on you, Country. Blair is takin' full advantage of me not bein' here. Now, let's see if my hunch is correct," I say, turning toward the monitors as one screen shows what's going on in the club right now while the others play footage from last night.

Running my fingers through my hair, which knocks my hat off, I grimace at what I'm hearing. We're not hardasses with any of our employees. We give them a fair wage and allow them to keep their tips after they cashout the bar. Hearing that she hasn't bothered stepping up to help while me and Brooklyn have been gone angers me more than I can express.

Country and I watch on as Blair leaves with everyone else. Instead of leaving when Country and Fetch do, she remains in the parking lot. Once everyone is gone, Blair gets back out of her car and heads for the back door. She removes a key from her pocket and lets herself back in the club. Switching to the indoor cameras, we watch as she keys in the code for the alarm to shut it off. Soon, four men and some women come out of the bathrooms where they've been hiding. Even more people walk through the back door and let themselves in the club to have a party.

"Fuck this shit!" I yell out, anger filling me as I stop the recording and turn my attention to the other monitor where Blair is sitting on her ass and not cleaning like she should be. "Get that bitch in my office now."

Country nods his head and brings Blair into the office. She saunters in as if she doesn't have a care in the world.

"What the fuck is your problem, Blair? You really think it's cool to take advantage of Country while I wasn't here?" I question her as indignation fills her face and she places her hands on her hips in defiance.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Soul. I wouldn't ever do anything like that," she says, trying to pull that fake ass pout the Shattered Angels pull at the clubhouse to get their way.

"Really. I've already heard all about what you've been doin' over the last month, Blair. I told you when I first hired you that I wasn't gonna put up with the bullshit. Country didn't say anythin' to you because he didn't feel it was his place and didn't want to bother me with your bullshit while I was busy takin' care of personal things," I tell her, turning the monitor for her to see the party she decided to throw last night. "What the fuck is this shit?"

"We had one hell of a rager here last night," she says, laughing her ass off as if I'm not gonna press charges against her for this shit.

"Country, tell Fetch to call Darren and get him in here. I want full charges pressed against Blair for this shit," I say, anger filling me because I know I'm gonna be here even later than anticipated tonight and it's the last thing I want.

"You can't do that, Soul. I didn't do anything wrong!" Blair screeches, stomping her heel against the wooden floor of my office.

"Yeah, ya did. You broke into the club after it was closed, drank liquor none of you paid for, left the club trashed, more than likely scared off the cleanin' crew, and I'm sure there's a ton more things I'm not findin'. Though, I'll get Hulk to go through all the footage from here so Darren has the full picture and knows exactly what to charge you with. This is bullshit and I never thought you'd sink this fuckin' low," I tell her as Country enters the room once again.

"It wouldn't have happened if you didn't marry that stupid fucking slut, Soul! You were supposed to be my man. Wheels too. Then, you marry her and leave to bring two brats back to Odin's Gap who don't fucking belong here. Put them in fucking foster care instead of taking them in. Country cut my fucking hours for no reason at all. This was my way of getting what I'm owed by you and this fucking club!" Blair yells out, her voice echoing in my office and grating on my last fucking nerve.

"We don't owe you a fuckin' thing, Blair. And if you talk shit about my wife one more time, I'll let Cricket and Fee loose on your ass. I know you can't handle either one of them in a fight. I'd let my wife at ya, but she's pregnant and won't fuckin' deal with your ass because our baby is more important than you'll ever be. Country, how long until Darren's here?" I ask my friend as rage fills his face and I know he's wishing Blair was a guy right now the same as I am. I'd lay her the fuck out if she had a dick.

"You owe me everything!" she yells just as Darren opens the door of my office and steps inside.

"Darren, I want this woman arrested," I tell him, showing him the footage from last night. "I'm not sure how long she's been pullin' this shit. I'll call Hulk and have him go through the footage to see what else he can find. Press as many charges against her as you possibly can and make sure it all sticks. I'll give all the evidence we have on our end."

"Okay," Darren says, knowing what's been going on with me because Anguish asked if he could tell him. "I'll be in touch with Hulk."

We watch on as Darren leads Blair from the club. She's kicking and fighting against Darren, gathering more charges as he finally removes her from the club. Country and I make our way back out to the main floor where everyone on the schedule for tonight is here, looking around in disgust. I quickly fill them in on what happened with Blair as they all start to pitch in to clean and get ready for opening. Seeing Country look even worse, I send him home and tell him I'll get Nanny here if he doesn't leave on his own. The second I mention Nanny, Country leaves and goes back to the compound. I wish I were leaving with him.

After helping clean the floor of the club so we can open the doors, I make sure everyone has what they need. Fetch has the bar stocked and the new waitress we hired is ready to go. I'll be out sooner or later to help them, but for now, I make my way to the office to start going through the applications we have in the filing cabinet. I hate this shit and know this is only going to prolong how long I'm here tonight. Plus, I call the cleaning crew and apologize to them for last night and make sure they'll be here tonight as usual. I go through each application and toss more than three quarters of them in the trash can to be shredded so no one's personal information gets out somehow. When I notice the club is getting busy, I push away from my desk and make my way out to the floor to help everyone there. Tonight is gonna be never-ending and I'm not ready for it. I guess this is the hard part of being a parent that no one really talks about. Fuck!