I rolled my eyes when I felt a familiar soul enter the bar. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Slade, massive eye roll on the name, President of the Devil’s Gate MC, that walked into my bar. Well mine and Jack’s. I helped her get it back from the loan sharks that used to be in the area. When I moved to Rockstrand six years ago, I intentionally moved to a dangerous part of town. I set up a territory, chasing out all of the gangs, loan sharks, and other unscrupulous people. Instead of fighting the two major motorcycle gangs in the city and dealing with the fallout of killing that many people, I established a firm boundary with them. They were only allowed on my territory, in my bar, on business. I liked having information, and treating my territory as neutral ground with me as a neutral ruling, allowed me to keep tabs on their movements.
I took the final swig of my beer just as Slade reached the bar to demand my presence at their meeting. I didn’t even spare him a glance, “Sure. I’ll be over as soon as the others arrive.”
He grunted, but walked away to the table we used for these meetings, where his guys were already seated. “Another Ef? Before you have to deal with the jackasses.”
“Sure, Jay. Thanks.”
She set another bottle of my favorite beer in front of me, “I still don’t get why you let them in your territory to start with, but then use the bar as neutral ground for negotiations. I mean they could do it anywhere.”
“True, but this way I know what they’re up to and I get to remind them to stay away from my territory with their bullshit.”
Her eyes shifted to the door as Boot, the President of the Havoc Reapers MC, walked in with a few trusted members. Rather than greeting me, Boot and his guys took their seat at the table, across from Slade and his guys. I grabbed my beer and headed over, eager for this to be finished.
I sat down at the head of the table, “How’s it going, fellas?”
Slade grunted his response. Boot, however, responded with actual words, “Good, Effie, you?”
“Not bad. What’s going on that you guys need me?”
Boot pointed to the map they had laid out on the table. The map had my territory, Slade’s, and Boot’s all outlined, with a smaller chunk outlined between their two territories. Bone, Slade’s VP, pointed to it, “This is why we need you. It isn’t controlled by anyone, but both of us want it.”
I rolled my eyes, of course this is about territory, “Is it actually worth anything? Can’t you people leave those people in peace?”
“It’s worth a lot actually. More land gives us more room to move our product. They’re already buying from us, might as well move in where they’re already buying,” Boot said.
“So how’s anyone supposed to decide who gets that? I mean I’m tempted to claim it just to keep you lot off it, honestly,” I said, taking a drink of my beer to hide my smirk at their reactions.
Slade’s eyes narrowed, “We could easily start a war over this, but instead we brought it to you, and you consider taking what’s rightfully one of ours? What’s to stop us from taking what’s yours?”
All the men at the table took in a sharp breath while I smirked, “I am. If you don’t believe me, try taking it, and see who’s alive at the end. I guarantee it won’t be you.”
For the most part these guys understood the gist of how dangerous I truly was, but they didn’t really know who I was. Boot cleared his throat, “Look Effie, this piece is small, plus they’re already hooked on the product.”
“So what? Do we do this Family Feud style? ‘100 people surveyed says,’ gets the land?” I pushed back on the back two legs of my chair with my combat boot pushing off the table, as I took a sip of my beer and surveyed the guys. Slade was still very unimpressed with my attitude, “Well boys? Or are you going to keep wasting my time?”
Finally they got into their sides, and in the end, it seemed like Boot’s club should get the land, which made me cringe internally. Slade had been known to throw massive bitch fits when I sided with Boot. It wasn’t that I was worried about his reaction because if it came down to it, I could single handedly take them all out, but I would rather not deal with the headache.
“What do you think, Effie?” Bone asked.
“Boot’s club gets it,” I said, grabbing my beer and moving to leave.
Slade blocked me from leaving. “That’s total bullshit and you know it, bitch. That land should be ours,” Slade growled out as Bone tried to pull him away from me.
I gave him a smirk but kept my eyes flat, “If you didn’t want my input, you could’ve stayed home. You can take it or leave it. Get out of my bar, especially if you’re going to cause trouble. Keep it up and you won’t be welcome back at all.”
He pulled a gun from the small of his back and held it under my chin. Boot and his guys pulled out guns as well, pointing them at Slade and his guys, who had theirs out as well. “You’re going to change your mind in favor of me right now.”
I smiled, giving him a deadly glare, “Have you ever heard of the Raven, gentlemen?”
Slade barely had time to swallow or for the fear to take hold in his eyes before the gun was out from under my chin and his hand and into mine. I swiftly unloaded it and threw it to the floor. “Lower your weapons or have them disposed of like Slade’s.”
They slowly lowered their guns but my eyes stayed trained on Slade, waiting for him to make the move I knew he would make. When he did, his fist connected with my jaw, I just smiled knowing it was the only hit he would get in this fight. My moves were quick and efficient, taking him down with just a few blows. Once he was down, I turned my attention back to Slade’s guys. They looked at Slade’s limp body on the floor, then back at me. “What the fuck, Ef?”
I zeroed in on Bone, not caring for his harsh tone, “It’s nothing he didn’t deserve. He’ll come around in a little while. As for the rest of you, you’ve overstayed your welcome. Get the fuck out of my bar or get carried out, and don’t come back. My generosity ends now. Stay off my territory.”
Boot and his guys scurried out without hesitation as I grabbed my beer and turned back to the bar. I had almost made it to the bar when I heard a gun cock behind me. Up until now, we were in a more secluded corner of the bar, but now we were in the middle of the main bar area. Several regulars stood from their tables, but I barely shook my head, telling them not to intercede. “Turn around slowly,” the voice behind me said as the regulars that stood, took their seats.
My glare turned murderous, but I did as he asked and turned toward him. “Huh. I could’ve sworn I hit you harder than that. You should still be laid out on the floor.”
“You don’t hit as hard as you think you do, ‘Raven,’” he says, using his free hand to put quotes around raven.
“So what’s your play here? Now that you’ve got me at gunpoint, because that worked so well for you, what five minutes ago?”
“Twitch and I shoot.”
“Hmm,” was my only response as I tested his threat by taking the last drink of my beer. When he didn’t move to shoot me, I smiled at him and finished my walk to the bar, setting my empty on the bartop. “You’re not shooting, or did you mean actual twitching? If so, thank God I don’t have tourettes because you would’ve shot me by now.”
I stalked back toward him, and he actually seemed to falter a bit, “That’s close enough.”
“What? Any closer and you’ll shoot?” I sarcastically retorted, stopping at a distance I was fairly certain I could kill him from, and watched the wheels turn in his head. Then he did the last thing I expected him to do, he actually shot me. Four shots, one right after the other, in the chest. I closed my eyes and fell to the floor with the breath mostly knocked out of me.
I let out a cough. Fuck, I forgot how bad it hurt to get shot. A voice sounded in my ear, “Sephie, your suit just lit up like crazy. What’s going on there?”
“Well Alexander, I’m currently getting shot,” I quietly murmured. I didn’t stay down for long, disarming a shocked Slade as I stood up, “Crazy right?”
“H-how are you n-n-not-”
“Dead? That’s a trade secret I’m afraid.” As he recovered, he squared off against me, “Right because that worked so well for you last time.”
He just growled and swung his fist. I caught it easily and threw a punch to his face, stunning him long enough I could snap his neck in one quick move.
I let out a sigh, and looked past the space Slade used to occupy. Bone and the other two men from the club had their guns out and were pointing them at me. “I’m getting very tired of people pointing guns at me.”
“Do you need me there?” Alex’s voice sounded in my ear again.
I ignored him and instead focused on Bone, “Ef, you know we can’t let this slide.”
My tone went ice cold, “Bone I’ve always liked you better than Slade, but if you threaten me again, I won’t stop at you; I will wipe your entire club off the map. Now take your guns and get the fuck out of my bar. If I catch you guys within a mile of my territory again, I won’t be kind enough to issue a warning.”
His companions lowered their guns slightly and looked at him. With a curse under his breath, Bone tucked his gun into the small of his back, “I can’t promise the club won’t want retribution.”
I shrugged, “Tell them the Raven awaits their decision. I hope they choose wisely.”
He and his companions swallowed hard at the mention of my assassin code name. He seemed to debate saying more, but nodded his understanding instead and left. Alex’s voice sounded in my ear again, “Do you want me there, Sephie?”
“Yeah, maybe bring Cara and Benjamin too, if they aren’t busy,” I said quietly to myself, knowing the suit would pick it up and transmit it to him.
“I’ll try to get there, but I’m up to my eyeballs in assignments, approvals, and paperwork,” Benjamin’s voice sounded in my head rather than through the suit.
“God of War stuck being a pencil pusher. Oh how the mighty have fallen,” I responded.
“And the Queen of the Underworld is losing her step, letting that guy get in four shots center mass before you killed him? Seriously sis you’ve gone soft.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and opened a telepathic link to Cara, Alex, and Benjamin, “Bennie is too busy, Cara you in?”
“Beam us up, Scotty!” Alex said, making me roll my eyes as I took my seat at the bar.
I put my feet up and grabbed the bowl of pretzels, as I reached out to Alex and Cara mentally. “Heyya sis,” Cara said in my head, making me smile at her constant cheeriness.
I visualized them in their apartment in my building that was just around the corner from the bar. “Made it sis, thanks,” Alex said in my ear.
I started munching on pretzels while scrolling through my phone looking for Adam Fletcher’s number. “Fletcher.”
Author: Kailan Counahan 