Iced (VII Knights MC), page 2
What?
“You don’t know that!” Nessa spat. “Just because sales dipped doesn’t mean anything. He built this company.”
“He may have built it, but that didn’t mean he knew how to run it and make it grow.”
I scowled. Mitcham Metals was the biggest metal fabricator and supplier in a five-state radius. That seemed pretty damn big to me. It wasn’t like Mitcham could supply the whole country or even the world. Mom and dad had built this company with their own hands and had lived a life of luxury. At least in my eyes.
“This isn’t going to work, Marcus.” Nessa's voice was flat and defeated. “Everything needs to go back to how it was. I know you think Mitcham won’t make it, but if that happens, that’s what happens.”
“Go back to how it was?” Marcus laughed. “You are just as stupid as your father. You think you can contact the people I did, and then just tell them never mind? Things are already in motion, and there isn’t anything you can do to stop them, Nessa. The best thing you can do is just let things happen.”
What had Nessa done? Why had Nessa done anything? I saw all of the money coming in and out of Mitcham Metals. We were not at all at risk of going under. We would literally have to stop fabricating and refuse to sell to anyone for months before we would go under.
“You need to stop this, Marcus. This isn’t right.”
Marcus chuckled loudly. “You should have thought about that before you allowed Blanche Halo to run her drugs in the Mitcham Metals trucks. You back out of your deal now, and Blanche will own Mitcham Metals after she gets done with you.”
“She can’t!” Nessa exclaimed.
“She can, and she will if you back out of the deal you have with her,” Marcus spat. “You wanted to play with the big dogs, and now there is no backing out.”
Marcus’s fast, pounding footsteps headed my way. I ducked under the reception desk and held my breath. I didn’t want him to see me. Whatever deal Nessa and Marcus had made with Blanche Halo, they didn’t want me to know about.
Marcus walked past me and into his office to the right.
I had to get out of here, but there was no way I was going to be able to take the elevator now. Not with Marcus in his office. He would see me.
I listened to make sure Nessa and Marcus were staying put and decided the stairs were going to be my best chance of getting out of here without either of them seeing me. I had to get somewhere I could think and figure out what I heard.
This was the time I regretted not going to the gym. Ever. There had been that one time two years ago when I had actually gotten a gym membership, but I had gone only once before I decided the gym life was just not the life for me.
I crawled the forty feet to the stairs in the opposite direction of Marcus’s office and thought maybe a home gym could be the life for me. At the least, a treadmill. Once I got to the door to the stairs, I stood and slipped into the stairwell.
My god. All I had wanted to do was pop up here to make sure everything was okay with Nessa, and instead, I stumble into a conversation I never thought I would hear come from Nessa.
You allowed Blanche Halo to run her drugs in the Mitcham Metals trucks.
What was Nessa doing? I had no idea who Blanche Halo was, but she had to be one bad woman if she dealt with drugs.
“Oh, Nessa,” I murmured. I jogged down the two flights of stairs, once again acknowledging the fact I needed to possibly start doing some cardio and opened the door to the second floor.
I didn’t know what she was doing, and now I had no idea what I was doing. I walked back into my office and picked up my phone. I called up to Nessa’s office and listened to the phone ring in my ear.
“Hello,” Nessa called.
I pasted a smile on my face as if she could see me and chirped, “Ness!”
“Hannah? What on earth are you doing here?” she asked. She sounded like she normally did. What an actress.
“I had a few things I needed to go over before the weekend. I saw your car in the parking lot and thought I would check on you before I left. See if you need help with anything?” Tell me what’s going on, Nessa. Tell me.
“I’m all good up here. I was just going over the final details for the party tonight, and Marcus was helping me with my speech.”
“Speech?” I twirled the cord to the phone on my finger and leaned against my desk. “I can come up and help you if you want,” I volunteered.
“That would be great, but I’m actually all done with it.”
Yeah, sure she was. “Well, if you’re all done, then why don’t you come with me to get your hair done for the party tonight. I’ve got an appointment in an hour. We could get lunch and then go to the salon.”
“Oh, no,” Nessa sighed. “You go on ahead without me. I have a couple more things I need to do, and then I’m going to head over to the venue to make sure everything is good for the party.”
“Why don’t I skip my hair appointment, and I can check on the venue with you.”
“No, Hannah,” she snapped. “I don’t need any of your help.”
I stood straight and blinked back the tears that stung my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I just don’t need any help right now. Go get your hair done, and I’ll see you at the party.” She hung up without another word.
I had been reprimanded like a little child. Told to go get my hair done and leave her alone.
Something was really not right with Nessa.
She needed help, but I know she felt like she was too far gone for me to help her. She was wrong. I was her sister, and sisters never turned their backs on each other even when they were in trouble.
And I was going to find out just what kind of trouble that was.
First thing I was going to do was find out just who Blanche Halo was.
Somehow.
*
Chapter Four
Ice
“Stay.”
Samson plopped down on his butt and looked up at me with wide eyes.
“You need to stay. They aren’t going to let you in. We already tried, buddy.” I leaned down and ruffled the top of his head. “Just wait for everyone to get a little drunk, bud, and then I’ll bring you in.” Once the Ice Queen gave her speech, I figured things would loosen up.
I wasn’t worried about Samson sitting at the back door to the large ballroom. He knew who he belonged to, and he wouldn’t leave that spot until I told him he could.
I opened the back door to the ballroom and bumped into a waiter. “What are you doing back here?” he demanded.
I took a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and held them up. “Need a smoke, man. Didn’t want to do it out front with all of the stiffs coming and going.”
The waiter looked me up and down, taking in my worn, leather cut. “Are you even a guest?”
I smiled wide. “I am on the list, brother.” I winked and stepped around him. “I’ll take a beer when you get a chance, too.” Fuck him for judging me by the clothes on my back.
I followed two waiters out the swinging doors into the glitzed-out ballroom.
Wealth and over-indulgence were splashed everywhere. A far feel from what Mitcham Metals actually was. Metal, sweat, and dirt. This was most definitely a party for the money and not the hard work that went into Mitcham Metals.
“Did you get a glance at the ice sculpture?” Cuddy sided up to me and whistled. “I guess the Ice Princess really took Mercury’s nickname for her to heart.”
I peek through the crowd at the large ice sculpture of a replica of the Mitcham Metals office building and the production buildings. “Pretty fucking fancy, yeah? I wonder if I can chip a bit off to keep my beer cold?”
Cuddy chuckled and nodded to the end of the ballroom. “And they do have an open bar.”
That they did, and the VII Knights were all gathered around getting their fair share.
While everyone was dressed in dresses and ties, the VII Knights wore their cuts and jeans. An MC cut was acceptable wherever if you asked any of us.
Cuddy and I waved our way over to the bar through the growing crowd.
“Can you believe how many people are here?” Cuddy asked. “I didn’t think it was going to be this big of a deal.”
“Mercury said it was employees and customers of Mitcham, so that would explain all the people.” We moved next to Riff and Raff, who each had two beers in their hands.
“You think we should grab a table?” Raff asked.
“Probably two,” I suggested. “Or at least add a couple of chairs to one of the tables.”
Riff and Raff nodded and headed to one of the tables on the edge of the room. A couple had been headed to the same table but had veered off when they caught sight of Riff and Raff headed in the same direction. Seeing twins in matching MC cuts could be a bit intimidating. Riff and Raff used it to their advantage most of the time.
Buck handed me a beer and a shot of whiskey.
“We’re already starting this?” I chuckled. I tossed back the shot and chased it with a sip of beer.
“You think all of this sparkle and shine is going to make us act any different?” he growled. Buck reached back to the bar and grabbed a shot for himself. He drank it down and reached for my empty glass. “I already told the bartender to keep the shots coming.”
Of course, he did.
Once everyone had enough drinks, Mercury motioned for us to head to our tables and let other people have a chance at the open bar.
While most people had dressed up, a majority didn’t shy away from us. Three-quarters of the room was just good ol’ blue-collar workers. These were either workers for Mitcham or construction and supply companies that bought from Mitcham Metals.
Riff and Raff had snagged two tables and pushed them together. I sat down with my face to the stage, and Mercury sat down next to Rooster and me on the other side of him.
“You see the Ice Queen?” Rooster asked.
I shook my head and set my beer down. “No, but I figure she’s hanging out by the ice sculpture to keep it cold.”
Mercury chuckled and sat back in his chair. “No doubt.”
Everyone around the ballroom moved to tables and sat down as the dinner service started.
“I hope they give actual servings and not little drips and bites of shit,” Moore grumbled. “I’m fucking hungry.”
“I already got pizza on delivery for eleven.”
Moore glanced at Mercury. “For here?”
Mercury nodded. “Yup. Figure everyone will be too far gone to care.”
“And that is why you are prez.” Moore slapped Mercury on the back and smiled wide. “Fucking genius.”
The waiters started bringing out the food, and of course, the first plate was rabbit food.
Rooster groaned and reached for the boat filled with ranch dressing. “At least I can douse the fucking thing with flavor.” He dumped almost half of the dressing on his salad and used his finger to wipe off the drip on the spout.
I grabbed it from him and had a bit more restraint.
No one was too thrilled with the salad, but it’s did its job of holding off our hunger until the next course came out.
“You think they have like a suggestion box? I think we all need to suggest that next year they should just do a buffet of wings, fries, and chocolate cake.”
North pushed his plate away from him and pointed his fork at Moore. “Now that is a good idea. Hell, they should just ask us to plan this shindig, and you know everyone will be well fed and have a good time.”
The main course arrived next, and the disappointment continued.
I lifted my floppy and pale piece of chicken. “You gotta be kidding me, man. You don’t think they could have added some damn flavor?”
Mercury scoffed and pushed his plate away. “I’m good until the pizza gets here, later.”
Moore reached for the piece of chicken on Mercury’s plate. “You can’t let this go to waste even if it’s like rubber.”
Mercury held up his hands. “Have at it, brother. I know how you are.”
Moore never left anything go to waste. He grew up dirt poor, learned to make the best of everything, and knew that you should eat now because you never know where your next meal was coming from.
Dessert wasn’t much better, though Mercury did at least eat most of that.
“Who serves pudding for dessert at a ritzy party?” Raff complained.
“It’s crème Brulee,” the waiter corrected him.
“Oh man, mines hard as a rock,” Rooster grumbled. He smacked his spoon on the top of the pudding, and it didn’t budge.
I grabbed my spoon and tipped it on its side. “Use the edge.” I smacked the hard sugar on top and cracked it.
“Oh, fancy,” Rooster laughed. “Did you learn that when you visited your rich mom?” he asked.
I flipped him off and scooped some of the dessert. “Don’t be fucking jealous, brother. I can’t help it that my mom managed to land herself a sugar daddy.” My real dad had never been in the picture, and it had been only me and my mom growing up. She did everything she could to give me a good life, and I figured she deserved a little happiness now that she was older. If marrying Brett Jones, who owned the local law firm, was what she wanted, I was fine with it. Sure, it was weird as hell that the guy was in his seventies, and my mom had just turned sixty, but whatever. I wasn’t here to judge. She was happy, so that meant I was happy.
“If only we could all marry rich when we’re sixty,” Riggs laughed. “I might have to call up your mom and see if she has any cougar friends who would be interested in me.”
“Gonna have to make sure they are blind,” Raff laughed.
“Glaucoma,” Riff agreed. “The less they can see of your ugly mug, the better off you are going to be.”
“I really appreciate how supportive all of you guys are. Really warms my heart,” Riggs drawled.
I ate my dessert in three bites and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “I’m gonna hit the head before the Ice Queen takes the stage.”
Mercury nodded. “Grab another round of beers on your way back.”
“Got it.” I wound my way around the tables and out the door to the main hallway.
I turned the corner into the men’s bathroom and walked right into a curvy redhead. “Whoa there,” I called. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest to keep her from hitting the floor.
“Oh, fiddlesticks,” the woman gasped. She grabbed my biceps, and her head fell back. Her emerald, green eyes connected with mine, and she blinked rapidly. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Her words confused me. “Uh, you mean at the ball?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean here.”
“Uh, walking into the men’s room?” This chick was hot, but maybe she was on something.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, unless you got something going on under that dress that I can’t see, I think you are the one who is not supposed to be here. You just walked out of the men’s restroom, babe.”
“I know that. I just mean you weren’t supposed to be here to see me. No one is.” She sighed and leaned back from me. “The line to the women’s bathroom was long, and there are literally only two stalls.”
“So you hopped into the men’s room where there wasn’t anyone.”
She nodded and smiled. “Now you see why you aren’t supposed to be here.”
“But I am,” I drawled.
“You are,” she whispered. Her eyes moved from mine and down my body. She stopped on the patch on my left. “You’re in a biker gang?” she whispered.
“Club, darling. I’m in a biker club.” I tapped the vice president patch above my name. “Vice president.”
Her eyes drifted over my patches. “Ice.”
I nodded.
Her eyes darted up to mine. “You’re it.”
I tipped my head to the side. “I’m what?”
She blinked rapidly. “I literally ran right into the answer to my problem.” Her phone rang in her purse, and she pulled it out. A frown crossed her mouth. “Oh, shoot. I need to go.” She fished around in her purse and pulled out a card. “I’m me.” She shook her head. “I mean, that’s me. Can you call me?”
“Call you?” I asked. This was a first.
“Yes, please. I really need you to.” She pointed to the card. “Call my cell. I’ll answer whenever you call. Promise.”
“Babe,” I chuckled. “I’m not sure what is going on right now.”
“Call me, and I’ll explain everything. I need help, and I think you are just the man who can help.” She pulled out of my arms and ducked around me. “I need to go, but please call me,” she pleaded over her shoulder. She dashed out of the bathroom and turned the corner, back to the ballroom.
I spun on my heel and watched her duck back into the ballroom.
What in the hell just happened? I looked down at her card and grimaced.
Hannah Mitcham
Head of Accounting
Mitcham Metals
I flipped the card over and saw her office number and her cell phone number.
Who the hell was Hannah Mitcham, and why did she think she needed my help? I assumed she was related somehow to the late Hal Mitcham, but how? It was hard to believe that she was related to the Ice Princess.
Nessa Mitcham was all icy glares and cold-hearted. Hannah Mitcham, who I had just held in my arms, was anything but cold or icy.
Even though we didn’t know each other, her eyes had been warm and inviting, and when she had told me she needed my help, I could feel that she meant it.
Literally one minute in the woman’s presence, and it felt like I had known her for a lot longer. She had thoroughly confused me, but it had been a pleasant experience.
I flipped the card in my fingers.
And there was going to be more.
*
Chapter Five
Hannah
“Where were you?” Nessa hissed.
I slipped behind the curtain and pasted a smile on my face. “I had to pee.”
Marcus rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Just a vision of sophistication.”
