Raging Barons MC – Book Nine – Knuckles

-:- JOLENE -:-

Tonight, Lincoln is fighting, and my nerves are jangling. I don’t want my brother to fight in order to keep me safe. I’m wondering if it would be better to hand myself over and save Lincoln the pain he goes through each time he fights, and the exhaustion he’s fighting with working so many hours.

My attention is caught when I hear a light tapping on the back door. Checking before I open it, I see it is Sybil, and quickly open the door to allow her to come into the kitchen.

“Don’t stand outside Sybil. Just knock and come in, for goodness sake.” Walking over to the table, I pull out a chair and smile for Sybil to take the seat. “Now I was coming over in a while, so what’s brought you over here so early?”

Sybil takes the seat and links her hands together, placing them on the table in front of her, before looking me directly in the eye. “It’s time we sorted out this mess you’re in and I know people that may help. When you come around in a while, I’ve friends coming to speak with you. They may have ideas or know how to keep you safe. I don’t want you to worry, or panic, that’s why I’m here. But if we can come up with a way to keep you safe, will you be willing to think about it and then speak to your brother?”

Nodding, because anything is better than the limbo we are in at the moment, and it’s time my brother had someone on his side, watching his back, instead of him always watching mine. “Yes, I’ll hear what your friends have to say.”

Standing, Sybil takes one of my hands in hers and squeezes it. “Okay, come around in an hour, then we’ll make our battle plan.”

Before I have time to respond Sybil bustles out the back door, murmuring under her breath about ‘letting the good times roll’, whatever the heck that means!

Looking around the kitchen, everything is clean, and I check around the rest of the house, making sure it’s as tidy as I like it to be. We have little in the way of personal items, but the furniture that is part of our leasing of the house is in decent condition, and the tenancy states it has to be that way when we leave. I’m determined that we won’t have to pay anything for damaged property of any type when we move.

I still have forty-five minutes before I go over to Sybil’s house, so I take out my notebook and sit at the dining table. Picking up my phone, I set the alarm for forty minutes so I won’t be late. Then I smile to myself, pick up my pen, and start writing the next chapter.

The words flow quickly and it feels like I’ve just made a start when the alarm tells me it’s time to stop for now. Placing the notebook away, I wash my hands at the kitchen sink, then quickly lock the back door as I leave and rush next door.

Tapping and entering Sybil’s kitchen, I stop when Sybil and two other older ladies are sitting at her kitchen table, drinking tea.

“Get a drink, Jo, and then take a seat. We’ll wait for you to get settled.” Sybil gives me a hurry signal with her hands. I’m too nervous for a drink, so I take a seat at the table and look from one to another of the ladies.

Sybil introduces them. “Jo, this is Bitty, an old friend of mine, and this is Amelia, a newer friend to me, but a friend nonetheless.”

Bitty is thin, has gray hair, and is giving me a bright smile. The other lady, Amelia, is portly, with gray hair also, but hers is in a bun, and she is also smiling at me. I can’t help but smile back as they have this warmth about them that pulls you in.

“Now Jo, tell us what has happened, so we understand the situation. Then we can come up with a plan to sort things out.” The lady called Amelia says, catching the cane she nearly knocked from the side of her seat when she leaned into the table.

The next hour I spend telling them about my life, from young, losing our parents, to when the man took a liking to me. I try not to leave anything out and when I tell them how Lincoln has protected me, they all three nod to each other as though they are having a silent conversation.

“Now, tell us about the man, and leave nothing out,” Bitty says and leans on her elbows on the table, looking fierce.

Taking a deep breath, I recall what happened. “I was at a restaurant with Lincoln celebrating his birthday and this man across from us kept looking at me, making me nervous. Lincoln noticed me getting tense and rather than cause a scene because it was just us two, and the man had four other men with him, we left.

“The man and his men followed us and although we thought we lost them by going a long and different way home, a couple of days later while I was working at the library the man came in and stood staring at me for over fifteen minutes.

“I was more than relieved when he walked out and I didn’t see him again for a few days. Sunday rolled around, and I was doing laundry and catching up with house chores when Lincoln answered a knock at the door. It was that man, and he had another man with him.

“I’ll not go into all the telling of it, but he told Lincoln he wanted me as his woman and that he’d have me, one way or the other. He said he was Tommaso Esposito. He would pay Lincoln for me so Lincoln could get lost and have a good life and forget about me.

“Lincoln told him to get out of the house, never come back, and I’d never be his woman. There was a scuffle between Lincoln and what I can only say was a bodyguard. Then he got nose-to-nose with Tommaso and told him he’d best stay away from both of us and pushed him out of the door.

“Lincoln had us pack our bags, and we left the house that night and left the town behind. We came here and have been moving every few months to stay one step ahead, but somehow, he keeps finding us. I just want this to stop, but Lincoln found out this man is a part of the mafia and won’t stop coming for me, so now I don’t know if I should just hand myself over so my brother can be free of it.”

Before I can say more, Amelia heatedly states, “You will not hand yourself over to that piece of shit. Never in my life have I heard such archaic bullshit. I’ve contacts and that includes someone who can tell me about mafia people. Let him come and we’ll sort him out ourselves. We need a women’s meeting.”

Before I know it, I’m told I’ll be picked up at 6:00 pm this evening while Lincoln is at the fight night and I’ll meet the other women of a ‘girl gang’, whatever that means.

The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon we spend talking about anything and everything, apart from my troubles. We eat pastries that Bitty has brought and I’m told about what they’ve done in their lives and it seems they all three have been wild in their time. Strong women are what I’m looking at, and enjoying the company of. That has me thinking I need to get myself some of that strength.

Late afternoon I run around to the back door and quickly into the kitchen, make myself a cold drink and take it upstairs while I shower, and change into skinny jeans and a soft woolen sweater.

“Jo, where are you?” Lincoln shouts from the bottom of the stairs, and I quickly make my way to him while I’m shouting, “I’M COMING.”

“Oh, you look nice. What are you doing? You’re not going out!” Lincoln scowls but turns when he hears the back door open and Sybil walks through from the kitchen.

“She’s coming with me. I’ve got a friend picking us up. We’re going to have a girlie night.” Sybil says and has an excited look on her face. “I’ll make sure she’s safe, don’t you be worrying. If you’re going to be fighting, you need your attention on that, and not thinking about Jo, so get yourself gone and she’ll be safe with me and my friends.”

“I don’t know, Jo, it’s not a good idea to leave the house.” Lincoln runs his fingers through his hair before they rest on the back of his neck, all while looking at me with stress crossing his face.

“I’ll be okay. I’m going with Sybil to visit her friends Bitty and Amelia. We’ll not be going out and about. We’ll be at a house.” I tell him, and squeeze his shoulder, until he’s dropped his arms. “I can’t live in the house forever Linc, I have to go out now and again, but I’ll be careful and I’m not going into public places.”

“Okay.” Turning to Sybil, he gives her a hard look. “You better keep her safe or you’ll have me to answer to.”

Patting his arm as though his threat means nothing, Sybil smiles. “Oh, she’ll be more than safe at the house.”

Lincoln gives Sybil another hard look before he walks out the front door and I hear him lock it behind him. Turning to Sybil, I can see she has a sparkle in her eyes and looks like a child who is about to get into mischief.

The last week has been great. I’ve enjoyed working at Sybil’s house and, although she has arthritis, she has kept up her house well. It was only things she couldn’t bend over to do and the shower where she was frightened of slipping.

We purchased a shower seat from the internet and Sybil has been in the shower every evening since it arrived. She loves being able to sit in that shower and enjoy the hot water.

“Come on girl, let’s get locked up and around to mine ‘cause our ride will be here in a little while,” Sybil smirks as she makes her way out of the kitchen with me right behind her.

A few minutes later an SUV pulls up close to the path to Sybil’s front door and a young man opens the back door before coming to help Sybil in, turning and telling me to wait until she’s in and then to rush out and into the SUV myself.

Arriving at not a house as I thought, we arrive where a gate is opened and with what looks like a guardhouse on the side. Shit, what is Sybil doing bringing us here?

Squeezing my hand as she must sense my nerves. “It’s okay Jo, you’re going to love the ladies you meet here.”

I don’t have time to respond when the door opens and the young man who was driving helps Sybil out before coming around and opening my door. “You are safe here. Follow Sybil in and you’ll meet the other ladies of the club.”

‘Club, what club?’ dammit where has Sybil brought me and should I be thinking of running?

Entering the building, we walk into a huge room where I see a large group of women sitting. Tables have been pushed together to make one large table, and it’s covered with food of different descriptions.

Amelia shouts to us and we walk over to where Sybil takes the seat next to her and pats the empty chair next to where she’s just sat. “Come on Jo, sit your ass down, and let us introduce you to everyone,” Amelia says and frowns for me to hurry up.

Amelia points at one of the ladies. “That’s Mia, she is the First Lady of the club, top dog in other words. She’s the Ol’ Lady of Axel, who is the President of the Raging Barons MC, which is where you are, the MC clubhouse.”

The lady called Mia gives me a bright smile. “Hi Jo, we’re all here tonight to hear your story and help you if we can. We never leave a woman fighting on her own. Now let me introduce you to the others and I’ll tell you which brother of the club they are with.”

I give a nod and weak smile around the table at all the other women. I’m surprised they are all giving me warm smiles in return. It makes me feel welcome I have to admit.

“This is Eden, she is with Silver. Carrie is with Fox. Raven and Grease, Tilly and Hammer, Kya and BS, and lastly, Winter is with Target.” Finishing the introductions, Mia gives me a reassuring smile. “This is Nell. She’s not a woman of the club, but we brought her as she may be able to help as she has contacts we don’t. Nell runs the boarding house but has her fingers in other pies.”

Everyone is relaxed and waiting for me to tell them everything. I look from one to another and after being given a chamomile tea, Sybil asked a young man at the bar for, I take a sip, then tell my story. I’m more than surprised when the more I say, the more upset these women seem to become.

“That does it. I’ll take the fucker out and he’ll not even see it coming.” Winter states and has her hands like she’s holding a gun and pulling the trigger, which has everyone giggling.

“No, we can’t do that. We’ve got to find him first. Nell, any way you can find out since you have a mafia connection?” Mia asks, and I turn to the woman and see she has a set look on her face.

“I’ll see what I can find out before I ask Vitale for any information. I don’t want to involve him unless it comes under his rules. He’s head of the mafia here and that means they all bend to him, and if any do something they shouldn’t, then he’ll deal with it. Let me find out what I can. What’s the man’s name?” Nell takes out her phone and waits for my reply.

“Tommaso Esposito.”

“Okay, leave it with me ladies, for a couple of days and I’ll see what I can find. I’ve sent the name to Tank, and he’ll start looking. If he can find him, we’ll know very soon.” Nell grins and has a sharp look in her eye.

Half an hour later, we all stop speaking when Nell checks her cell, laughs, turns to the room, and gives a huge grin. “He’s Vincenzo Vitale’s Capo, well one of them. He’s a dirty bastard who’s trying to step up and by the look of things, he’s going to be making a play for the Don position of the mafia. Ladies, we’re gonna see some fun happening soon.

“I’ll speak to Vitale tomorrow, but Jo, think about coming and staying with me at the boarding house. Your brother too, because you’ll be much safer with us than anywhere else.”

Looking over at Sybil, she’s looking pretty grim, but when she feels me looking at her, she pats my thigh. “It’ll be okay. One way or another, we’ll sort this out.”

Amelia and Bitty have their heads together whispering, then Amelia shocks me when she speaks to Mia. “Mia, do you think one of the brothers would claim Jo, then she’ll have club protection? That may stop this Tommaso asshole thinking he can have Jo.”

“Now, that could work. Who could we pair her with?” Mia mumbles more to herself than anyone else. But the shock hits me when everyone is shouting out men’s names, men I don’t even know.

“Do you know any of the brothers, Jo?” Raven asks me.

“Well, I’ve met Knuckles at the last fight night, and Colton was with him. But I don’t know them, I was just sitting near them while Linc was fighting, and they watched over me for a while.”

“No, she doesn’t want Colton. He’s a prospect still and too young. He’s a bit of a hothead too.” The lady called Kya states, then grins. “But Knuckles, now that’s a different matter. That could work.”

I’m shocked when these women talk excitedly about me being with one of the brothers and Knuckles is their first choice. I’ve no idea what the heck is going on, if I’m truthful, because to me I don’t even know any of them, so how the heck can I be any of their Ol’ Ladies as they call themselves?

“Come on Jo, time to go home. We’ll be back,” Sybil says before turning to the other women and saying goodnight and arranging another meeting for next week.

Back at the house, I’m standing in my bedroom in shock at what has happened during the evening and the excitement of these women getting involved. I’m almost pissing my pants and they are thinking up ways of sorting this man out. It has blown my mind, but it’s also shown I need to grow a backbone and stop relying on Linc so much. He has a life too, and he’s not living it because he’s spending his life keeping me safe.