Chapter Four

Cash

RATHER THAN HEADING back to the club, I made my way home.

Something our mother had instilled in all three of us kids was the importance of owning real estate. My parents had put aside money for each of us for down payments, and I'd used my portion to buy a duplex in downtown Portland. I lived in one side, Archer lived in the other side for now while he figured his shit out, and Daisy lived in our parents' condo down on Naito while she finished up school.

I pulled into my garage just as my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see Teagan calling. "Hey, give me a second. I just pulled in."

I set my helmet on my seat, closed my garage door, then headed inside, putting my phone on speaker. "Okay, I'm back. What's up?"

"I'm just stuck at home with nothing to do until you pick me up and take me to Hatch's."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm picking you up?"

"Um, yes?"

"When was I going to be informed of this detail?"

"I'm informing you now."

I sighed. "Teagan."

"Oh, I know you're not taking that tone of voice with me."

"Baby, I've got shit to do."

"Like picking me up and taking me to Hatch's for dinner," she sassed. "You are coming tonight, right?"

"Wasn't planning on it, no."

"Why the hell not?"

"I wasn't invited. Your dad's driving you."

"What do you mean you weren't invited?" she whispered into the phone.

"Just that, Turtle. My parents didn't mention us going over to Hatch's tonight. I'm pretty sure it's just you guys."

Hatch was the president of the Dogs of Fire MC, of which my brother and I were patched members. My father was the VP of said club, but if Hatch invited you to his home for dinner, you went. More importantly, if his woman, Maisie, invited you, you went.

"Well, shit."

I smiled. "You love Hatch and Maisie."

"I do. But I also thought you'd be there," she admitted. "So I was a little more excited about it."

"Can't, baby, got plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"Club plans."

"At the club?"

"Teagan," I warned.

She let out a quiet groan. "Fine. Whatever. Will you tell me about it after?"

"Probably not."

"You and I are going to have a really long conversation about expectations about our relationship going forward, Cash."

"Oh yeah? What kind of expectations, baby?"

"The kind where you tell me everything. None of this ‘club business is none of yours' bullshit."

"You knew the deal, T. You've known the deal since you were born."

"I'm renegotiating."

"Nah, baby, the contract was binding."

"We'll see."

My doorbell pealed, and I checked my camera. "Gotta go, Archer's here."

"So, not entirely club related."

"Drop it, Teagan."

"Don't think I will, Cash."

"I'll text you later."

"You're being careful, right?"

I softened my tone and smiled. "Yeah, baby, I'm being careful."

"Okay, fine. Be gone with you."

"Bye."

I hung up and opened the door for my brother.

He gave me a chin lift. "You wanna take my truck so we're quieter?"

I nodded. "Might be a good idea."

We climbed into the cab, and I entered the address I'd secretly pulled from Teagan's phone.

Archer frowned. "Why the fuck are we goin' into Spiders' territory?"

The Gresham Spiders were a rival club and evil as hell.

"Remember how Teagan got caught by Mack with a fake ID?"

"Yeah," Archer said as we drove.

"This is the guy who sold it to her."

We pulled up to the Walnut Grove Apartments in the worst part of Gresham, reluctantly parking the truck on the street.

"I hope the truck's still here when we get back."

"Agreed," I grumbled.

"Have we been here before?" Archer asked.

"I don't think so," I said. "Why, does it look familiar?"

"I don't know. Walnut Grove… it's probably nothing." Archer frowned. "Why are we here again?"

"Tillie set it up, but I don't think she knew that the guy apparently upped the price unless she did other things in exchange."

"What the fuck?"

I scowled. "Yeah."

The truth of the matter was Tillie's ‘guy' hadn't been around in a while so when Teagan went to get her ID, she saw some asshole who went by ‘Hooks,' and he wasn't as honest.

"Maybe we should loop Train in," Archer said as we climbed out of the truck. "You know, being our Road Captain and all."

"This is off-books, Arch."

"Fuck," he breathed out. "Figured."

I nodded.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"Just don't like the idea of some asshole fuckin' with our women," I lied.

Archer scoffed.

I glanced at him. "What?"

"You don't like the idea of some asshole fuckin' with Teagan." I opened my mouth to deny it, but my brother shook his head. "Don't bother, Cash. I've watched you watch her for the past two years."

"It hasn't been two years."

"It has been for her."

"Bullshit," I bit out.

"Jesus, brother, you're not really that blind, are you?" he challenged.

I dragged my hands down my face. The answer was, no, I was not that blind. And I'd fallen for her as well, but I sure as shit didn't like that my brother had figured it out.

"Who else knows about us, Archer?"

"I have no idea, it's not like I'm a regular viewer of the soap opera that is your life, but I can tell you who doesn't know and that's Mack. Because if he did, you'd be missing at least one limb."

Well, he was right about that.

I grunted quietly.

"You sure you wanna risk it?" he asked.

I scowled at him. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

"For Teagan, man. She's not what you'd call low-maintenance."

"You shut your goddamned mouth," I snarled.

Archer smiled slowly and I realized I'd been ‘had.'

"Just checking," he retorted.

"You're an asshole," I hissed.

"Yeah, but I'm your asshole."

"That's fuckin' gross, man," I snapped as we walked into the dilapidated building.

"You know what I mean."

I chuckled quietly. He was right. I did know what he meant, but I still liked to fuck with him. After finding the elevator out of order, we hoofed it up to the fourth floor, stopping as we arrived outside Hooks' door.

"So, what are we doing here?" Archer asked. "Good cop, bad cop? Which one am I?"

"Nah, I'm thinking bad cop, bad cop," I said, rapping my knuckles on the flimsy apartment door before sliding my thumb over the peephole.

"Yo, who is it man?" a reedy voice called out from behind the door.

"Housekeeping," Archer sang out, and I stomped the heel of my boot onto his toe.

"Shut the fuck up," I hissed to my brother, then in a louder voice said, "Hey, man, Lou sent us. He said you could hook us up."

"You best unblock my view, so I know you ain't Five-O."

I moved my thumb. "Do we look like ‘the man' to you?"

Hearing the clank of locks behind the door, we waited for a few seconds for the door to open. Hooks peeked his head out. "How do y'all know Lou?"

"I stepped into what I thought was a pile of shit one day, but it turns out, it was Lou," I said just as I kicked in the door, sending Hooks to his ass.

We walked inside and Archer closed the door behind us.

I pulled out my 9mm and aimed it at Hooks' head. "And you know what I do when I step into a pile of shit? I scrape it the fuck off." I leaned down. "So, tell me. Are you a piece of shit? Or are you going to answer my questions like a good boy?"

He raised his hands in defense. "Yeah, man, whatever."

"Good. Let's start with your name," I said. "I assume Hooks is not the name your mama gave you the day she shit you out. So, what's your name?"

"Justin."

"Justin." I nodded. "Good. You told the truth right off the bat. That makes me feel good. Now I won't have to break any of your fingers. Let's try question number two, Justin. Why are you selling fake IDs to those under the protection of the Dogs of Fire MC?"

"I…I have no idea what you're talking about."

I grabbed his hand and snapped his pinky. Justin squealed like a stuck pig.

"See, Justin, that's what I was talking about. It's just the kind of thing I didn't want to do." I tsked. "Why did you sell a fake ID to Teagan Reed who is under the protection of Dogs of Fire MC?"

"I… I didn't know. I swear I didn't know she ran with you guys."

"Are you kickin' up to anyone?"

"What? I don't know what you mean."

"Are you affiliated with any clubs?" I said, slowly like I was talking to a child.

"No, no, man, it's just me."

"You know what, Justin? I believe you. I think you're a no nothing cum stain who's running a chicken shit little operation. 'Cause if you were connected with anyone in town, you would know who is and isn't off-limits, including anyone affiliated with our club."

"I swear to god I didn't know that bitch was with you."

I grabbed his hand again and snapped his ring finger, eliciting a howl of pain from him.

"I swear to god I'm not lying," Justin cried.

"That's for calling her a bitch. You need to learn some manners, Justin." I held up his hands. "I'm more than happy to give you eight more of those lessons."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I swear to god, I'll never sell anything to her ever again."

"You're missing the point of this conversation," I said. "You're never going to say anything to anyone again. You're going to close up shop tonight and get a fuckin' job at Applebee's tomorrow if you have to. But if I ever see you again, it better be because you're clearing a fuckin' plate of baby back ribs."

"I think that's Chili's," Archer interjected.

"I don't care if it's T.G.I. Fuckin' Fridays, if I catch you runnin' scams anywhere within the tri-state area, I'll put you in a full fuckin' body cast." I cocked my head. "Do you understand me?"

Justin nodded rapidly, snot running down his nose.

"Oh, shit," Archer hissed.

"What?" I asked.

"I just remembered Walnut Grove. It was the town in the old show Mom used to watch."

"What the fuck are you talkin' about?" I ground out.

"You know the one?" he said. "Where all the women wore bonnets and shit."

"Wagon Train?"

"No, not fuckin' Wagon Train," Archer snapped. "The one with the little bitch who rolled down the hill at the beginning. The show that made Mom cry every time she watched it."

"Little House on the Prairie?" Justin asked.

"Yeah!" Archer said, excitedly. "That one."

"If you don't shut up, I'm gonna break your fingers too," I threatened my brother.

Archer scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

"Are we done here, Justin?" I asked.

Justin nodded.

"I want you to think of me as your parole officer. I could drop in at any time unannounced to check on you. Got it?"

"Yeah, man, I got it."

"Good. One last thing," I said. "Give me your wallet."

He pointed to the kitchen counter and Archer grabbed it, handing it to me.

I pulled out the cash inside, counting the bills inside. "This two-fifty is for Teagan's ID. This hundred is for me and my brother to go get beers and forget about having to come to your shit hole apartment, and the remaining five I'll leave you to buy aspirin for your fucked up fingers." Before I closed the wallet, I took a photo of his driver's license and then threw the wallet at him, and we walked out the door.

* * *

Teagan

I was in Hatch and Maisie's basement, hanging with Cambry and Tillie, waiting for Maisie to call us all up for dessert, when Hatch walked down. "Ladies."

"Hey, Uncle Hatch," I said.

"Hi," Tillie said, her tone one of hesitance.

Cambry just rolled her eyes.

Obviously, I'd missed something, per usual.

"You girls need to come with me," he said, and I raised an eyebrow toward Tillie who just sighed.

We stood and followed him down the hall and into his office. He closed the door behind us and waved to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

"What's up?" Tillie asked as we sat down.

Cambry stood off to the side and Hatch gave her a little head shake before lowering himself into the chair across from us. Leaning back slightly, he tugged on the lapel of his cut. "Y'all understand what this stands for, right?"

We nodded in unison, but my heart started to race.

"Tell me then, Tillie."

"It means you're in a club. That you ride with the Dogs of Fire."

I swallowed convulsively. That's not all it meant, but I kept my mouth shut.

He shook his head. "It means I'm a member. And even though I'm the club president, first and foremost, I'm a member. A member of this club, a member of this brotherhood, a member of this family. Even though none of you wear a cut, you are also members of this family and when members don't look out for other members, or put themselves into dangerous situations, I get itchy, because it's my job to get itchy. But when that itching turns to burning, we have a problem." He speared us all with a look of death. "And ladies, we have a big fuckin' problem."

I bit my lip and squirmed in my seat.

He focused on Tillie and demanded, "What's this I hear about you gettin' fake IDs for underage kids?"

"Oh my god, my dad knows no bounds," I ground out.

"Hush," Hatch growled, and I immediately hushed. "Matilda, answer the question."

"It was only for a few friends, and I haven't done it for a while… well, until Teagan."

"So, you sent your friend, your sister, into Spiders' territory, alone, all so she could get into a club less than six months before her twenty-first birthday?"

"What?" Tillie squeaked, turning to me. "Spiders' territory? Why were you in Gresham? Lou lives in Hazel Dell."

"I don't know, that's the address Lou texted me," I said.

"How much did you pay for this shitty ID, Teagan?" Hatch asked.

"Two hundred fifty."

"It was supposed to be a hundred. Lou charged you two-fifty?" Tillie asked me.

"Lou wasn't there," I said. "I had to deal with Hooks."

"Who the fuck is this Hook guy?" Hatch snapped.

"Hooks," I corrected. "You know, because he hooks you up with whatever you need."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," he hissed. "Focus, Teagan. Who the fuck is Hooks?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "Just some creepy guy I never want to see again."

"He was creepy?" Tillie asked. "Oh my god, T, you should have gotten out of there."

"Like, oh my god, Tillie, she totally shouldn't have been there in the first fuckin' place," Hatch bellowed, losing his fake Valley Girl accent.

"But—"

"No buts and I don't wanna hear any more of this horseshit. The bottom line is, you were all involved in this illicit enterprise." He pointed to me. "You know how fuckin' problematic going to a club like Elixir is, especially underage. You should not have been there, period, but if you were smart, you wouldn't have gone without one of us at your back." He then pointed to Tillie. "You shouldn't even know the kind of guys that make and sell fake IDs, let alone sending him business." Then onto to Cambry. "And you, out of everyone here, should have sent Teagan's ass packing the second you saw her in the club. You should have called one of us to come pick her up and make sure she got home safely. All three of you failed as members of this family and you failed each other as sisters. I want you all to think long and hard about what could have happened if this Hooks guy wanted more than just two-hundred-fifty dollars. Or, even worse, if he knew who you were affiliated with, and hand delivered Teagan to the Spiders." He scowled. "I don't even want to think about what those animals would have done."

"I think you and my dad are being totally dramatic about this," I said. "I was fine. Nothing happened. We were just trying to give Daisy the best twenty-first birthday possible."

"Your rationale's about as thin as your understanding of how much danger you put yourself in," Hatch growled.

"You're absolutely right, Uncle Hatch," Cambry said. "I didn't know how Teagan got in, but I should have called Dad or a rideshare and sent her home."

"Really, Cambry?" I snapped. "I was fine."

"It seems to me like you still don't get it, baby girl," Hatch continued. "I think you need some serious time to reflect on my words. So, tomorrow, the three of you are going to work in the shop."

We all groaned.

"I've notified all brothers of a mandatory oil change and inspection of every bike in the club. From points and plugs to tanks and tires, every bike better be ready for a cross-country ride by the time you're all done."

"But it's a holiday," Tillie pointed out. "My first day off in months."

"Don't give a shit," Hatch said. "You'll be workin' at the club for the day."

"We don't know anything about mechanical shit," Tillie said.

"That's why Flea and Cash are going to teach and supervise."

I was suddenly all for this punishment but let out a dramatic sigh. "Really, Uncle Hatch. Do we have to?"

"Yeah, you fuckin' have to."

"Okay fine," I said, trying not to sound excited.

"Now get out of my fuckin' office. See you at the club shop at six a.m."

Cambry and Tillie let out protests galore, but I didn't care. If it meant spending an entire day with my man, I was in.

We filed out of his office and Hatch headed back upstairs.

"Well, this has been fun," Cambry droned. "I'm going to head home. I need something stronger than wine."

She hugged us and made her way upstairs and I moved to follow, but Tillie grabbed my arm. "You better spill, Mistress of the Dark."

"Spill what?" I asked.

"Uncle Hatch might not know when you're lying, but I do."

I scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cash."

"What about him?"

"You were perched on your high horse, until Hatch mentioned him, then you were all, ‘oh, darn, oh drat, oh dearie me. Not that, anything but that,'" she said in a sing-song voice.

I scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do, and if you deny it one more time, you will have broken the sacred circle of trust."

"Okay, fine, I like Cash, but you can't tell anyone."

"I'll keep your secret, because I don't want to see Cash's arms broken, or you love your dad any less."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! No one can know. You have to swear."

Tillie moved her arms in a circular motion around us. "The sacred circle of trust is intact."

"Great. Now, after all that, I need pie," I said. "You in?"

"Hells yes."

We rushed upstairs, and after spending a few minutes apologizing to our parents, we dove into dessert.