Size matters, p.4
Size Matters, page 4
He moved past her, and she hated how acutely aware she was of him.
“Oh, and Maddie.”
She glanced behind her.
“If my brother comes in again giving you trouble, let me know. This is a safe place for you to work. You don’t have to put up with his asshole ways.”
She nodded.
“He going to be a problem for you?” he asked.
“No, not unless he intends to pick up what he started back in high school.”
“What did he start?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to get into it. Can’t we just leave it all in the past where it is meant to be?”
“I’m happy for that, but you don’t have to be uncomfortable around here, got it?” he asked.
“Got it.” She forced a smile to her lips, but it was the last thing she felt like doing.
It looked like Bull wanted to say something else, but he eventually left.
Customers slowly came back and took a seat.
She answered the phones, dealt with customers, handled the ordering, and every now and then, she had no choice but to go out back and to take down the notes for one of the guys so she could call the people up to talk about their vehicles. Chaos and Carnage Mechanics was a busy place, and she enjoyed the work. Of course, she had no idea what a carburetor or a suspension something or other was. She kind of understood a fuel tank, brakes, and even spark plugs, but everything else just flew over her head.
Still, she was able to tell people who also didn’t have a clue what any of it meant what was wrong with their car.
By five o’clock, most of the guys had gone home.
Bull was staying behind for one other customer who didn’t finish work until gone five thirty, and had asked if they’d wait. Seeing as she handled the main reception, that was where she was when Bull came to her.
“Any sign of them?” Bull asked.
“None. It’s only five thirty-five. I’m sure they’ll be here.” The car in question was near the front gates. The keys were on the counter, along with the invoice.
Maddie filed the last piece of pricing she’d gotten for a job into a file and placed it in the tray.
“So, we may as well do this here. You’ve been with us a whole week.”
“Yes, I have.”
“And?” Bull asked.
“I … I know I’ve had a few problems, but I am trying.”
She had accidentally ordered a brake light instead of a brake fluid, and had put the job back a day. There had been a few problems along the way, but she was getting there.
“The job is yours, Maddie, if you want to take it.”
“It is? Oh, my God, are you for real?”
“Yep. The pay’s okay, but I do work Christmas Eve and New Year’s.”
“I don’t mind at all. I will be here. Thank you so much.” She wanted to hug him, but instead, she just smiled. “I promise I will get better at everything.”
“Don’t worry about it. We all make mistakes. You can head out. I’m going to take care of this bit,” he said.
“Okay, sure. Sure. No problem.” She was on cloud nine. She had a job.
If her mother was still alive, she would have been causing nothing but trouble about who she was working for. Maddie smiled. She liked working for Bull. He wasn’t a bad guy at all.
****
“This is the last shipment here,” Bull said.
“Already got the deets of where you want it next time. No problem, my man. I get it. You tell us when and where, and we handle the rest.”
Bull held his hand out to his brothers of the coastal chapter who’d run the guns straight from the port to him. This was the deal they had.
The brothers were already loading the guns onto the truck, ready to take them to a secure warehouse that he used as a front for storage. They wouldn’t stay too long in his possession.
He’d learned long ago that to keep the law off your back, you had to move shit quickly. Don’t allow anyone to get too cozy having shit lying around.
Standing back, he waved the brothers off. Their lights glowed in the distance until they disappeared.
“Sweet is ready,” Grant said.
“Then get them moved,” Bull said. “Let me know when they’ve landed.”
He stepped back into the main reception, which strangely smelled like his new employee.
Maddie had been so freaking happy to get this job.
“I had no idea you had a thing for Maddie French,” Grant said, entering the reception room.
Bud and Rip, who’d been sitting in the waiting chairs, got up and left.
Bull turned toward his brother. “What is it to you?” he asked. “I don’t recall ever asking you who you’re into.”
“That’s because I’m into all chicks. You know they want too much of me to give it away.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“You know she’s never going to go for you, don’t you?” Grant asked.
Bull stared at his brother. The split lip clearly hadn’t affected him. After he heard what Grant was calling Maddie, he’d been so pissed. His brother should consider himself lucky that it was only one punch, not the multiple blows he wished to make. Grant was still his brother and he had promised him many years ago when they were kids that he would always protect him. There were times though that Grant didn’t need protecting. He needed his ass royally kicked.
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”
“Oh, come on. I know this kind of woman. Maddie is a good girl, Bull. She is the kind of girl who has to bring the nice boy home to mommy.”
“Then clearly you don’t know everything about Maddie, do you?”
“What?”
“Her parents are dead. Have been for some time now. She’s all alone. There’s no parent for her to idolize.”
“Shit, man, that don’t change anything.”
“I’m done with this conversation with you. When you’re here and Maddie is here, you’ll treat her with respect, am I understood?” Bull asked.
“You can do so much better than her.”
“Am I understood?” He had no choice but to raise his voice as he repeated his question. He hated saying the same thing twice, and it would only ever be Grant who got away with it.
“Fine. I will be nice to her, but don’t go holding your breath that she’s going to look at you like you’re a fucking god.”
Grant stormed out of the reception area.
The boys had already started to leave, but as usual, Pat stayed behind and entered the reception desk. “You know you’re going through a lot of changes for this woman, Bull.”
“Has Grant got you all questioning my motives?”
“Not questioning them, man, just making sure you know what you’re doing. The matters of the heart interfere with the head more often than people realize.”
“I know what I’m doing.” If they became too comfortable with having the shipment in the same place, cops figured it out.
The gun runs were an extension of the deal he made in order to keep Chaos and Carnage out of debt. His and Grant’s old man had nearly run the club into the ground. There was no telling what would have happened to it if he hadn’t taken over when he had. The club wouldn’t have lasted.
His father had been reckless with the club, with the men’s lives. He had them into drugs, women, and everything that earned a quick buck, but could also send them all away for the rest of their lives. Just knowing what their father had done for money sickened Bull.
Grant didn’t know the full extent of it either. Not many of the guys did. They knew some of it, and some had an idea, but again, they were happy to be ignorant of the truth.
He rubbed at his temples. He didn’t have the first clue what he was doing with Maddie.
Seeing her at the diner with the pancakes that had become a signature for Carl after Valentine’s Day, he knew he had to help her.
It made no sense. They weren’t together. They had spoken more in the past week than before he offered her the job. She wasn’t his responsibility and yet, he’d been unable to walk away from her.
“I’m heading back to the clubhouse,” Pat said. “My not sleep won’t happen by itself.”
Bull burst out laughing.
Pat never slept well. The guy tried to, but he’d long given up the notion of sleeping well, so his new normal was bad sleep.
Closing up the reception office and the shop, he then made his way toward the main gate and locked it up.
Tomorrow was Sunday. He didn’t get a chance to see Maddie on a Sunday, and he didn’t like how fucking alone that made him feel.
He climbed onto his bike, turned over the ignition, and began riding. He drove out of Carnage, taking the road that was clear of most cars. Needing the open road to clear his mind, he kept on going. The guns were a big problem. They were the least of two evils. The never-ending debt that kept his men alive.
All his life, he’d been able to fight his battles. From a young age, he’d defended himself, fought for what he believed in, took on every single challenge he faced, and came out the victor. It went against his nature to give in, to submit.
The only reason they ran guns was to keep the club alive.
He took a deep breath and brought his bike to a stop.
“You know, son, you are going to be a big strapping boy like me.”
“I want to be like you when I grow up, Daddy.”
“You will, son. You will.”
The memory of riding a small bike outside of the clubhouse filled Bull’s head. It was such a long time ago. He’d gotten the title Bull long before he became a fully patched-in member of the Chaos and Carnage.
From the women who used to look after them, to the teachers who tried to tame him, and then of course his father attempting to mold him, they had all said he was stubborn as a bull. He was unmovable, but the moment anyone messed with him, all bets were off.
The beast hadn’t come out of the cage in a long time.
Bull turned the bike around and headed back to town. He didn’t bother with the clubhouse, and instead went to the only other place he called home.
He turned the ignition off the bike as Thomas’s front door opened. Bull smiled as he heard the childish squeal and out came two young children. Henry and Mary. Thomas’s wife, Rebecca, had a thing about Tudor England.
Bull picked up both kids. Mary was the youngest at only three years old. Henry was seven and growing way too fast.
“What are you heathens doing being up so late?” he asked.
“Uncle Bull, I lost a tooth, look,” Henry said, smiling.
“Wow, look at that big gap. I can see right down to your stomach. You had something healthy for dinner, didn’t you?”
Mary chuckled, cupping her face as she did.
“I know that chuckle. Tell me your mom didn’t feed you crap.”
Thomas chuckled, but Rebecca came to the door laughing. “Enough, Bull. You will corrupt them. You know I don’t mind feeding them pizza on a Saturday night.”
“You want some, Uncle Bull?” Mary asked.
“I would love some.”
“Come on, kids. Go and finish your movie and give Uncle Bull some space,” Rebecca said.
He carried them back to the house, putting them down on the floor. After kissing Rebecca’s cheek, he shook Thomas’s hand.
Thomas patted him on the back. “Come on, let’s feed you.”
He closed the door and followed his friend into the kitchen. “You were expecting me?” Bull asked, taking a seat at the table.
“You can call it divine intuition, or some of the locals were talking about your new receptionist at the garage.”
“It’s a mechanic shop, dude,” Bull said.
Thomas pulled the pizza out of the oven, slid a few slices onto a plate, and handed it to him.
“It’s a garage. No matter what fancy term you want to dress it up by.”
Bull wasn’t going to argue. He took a bite and closed his eyes. “Good pizza.”
“Roy’s place is, and you know it. So are you going to tell me why you got the French girl to work for you?”
“She needed a job.”
“Yeah, and Elizabeth had a whole lot to say about you being pissed that her date had left her high and dry,” Thomas said.
“Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. How many times has that happened?” Bull asked.
“Ah, so you haven’t come here for thrilling conversation,” Thomas said. He took a seat, looking way too smug.
“Don’t do that,” Bull said.
“Do what?”
“Look like you know more about something than I do.” He pointed between them. “That’s not what is going on here.”
“It’s not?”
“No.”
“Ah, you could have fooled me.”
Bull rolled his eyes.
“You want to know more about Maddie French, don’t you?”
“I don’t need to know anything more.”
“But seeing as I’m the only one you trust in this whole wide world, and I have eyes and ears everywhere, you want to know more,” Thomas said.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t?” Thomas laughed.
“And for the record, you don’t have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Actually,” Thomas said, leaning forward. “That is where you’re wrong, my good man. I don’t have to pay anyone. The townsfolk are all gossips. You know how it goes. They see someone, who has seen someone, who knows something, and it just has to be true.”
“That’s giving me a headache,” Bull said.
“Seeing as this is a new experience for me, I’m not going to make you pay up in any way at all. There’s not much to go on. Maddie has come to the bar a few times for drinks. She sometimes sits in the main restaurant area and has given a few details of the person she is waiting for.”
“And they don’t show?”
“Some do, some don’t. Most of the time, she looked miserable. The dating game hasn’t been kind to her. What I know about her as a person is that she’s sweet. Not many friends. Tends to volunteer a lot. Most people use her for help, that kind of thing.”
“That’s not a lot to go on,” he said.
“When is there ever anything to go on?” Thomas asked. “Are you thinking of dating her?”
“I’m forty-two years old. I don’t date.”
“Then you’ve got to do something. Otherwise, you’re going to die a lonely old man with nothing and no one but me.”
“Now that’s a scary thought.”
Chapter Four
Monday morning couldn’t have come soon enough for Maddie. Even as she tried to focus on work, at random times, tears would fill her eyes, and she would remember that sweet dog that didn’t have the best start in life.
It was a slow day. The first one in over a week. She had thought there was no such thing as a slow day.
“Hey, Maddie, I need you to call parts again and tell them I’m still waiting for my brake light,” Bull said, coming into the shop.
She had let tears fall.
“Yes.” Her voice croaked. She cleared her throat, wiped at her eyes, and answered him. “Yes, of course.” She turned toward him, reaching for the details, but he wouldn’t let go of the sheet of paper.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“That face doesn’t look like nothing.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. There was no compulsion to smile. “It’s nothing. Can I just have the paperwork so I can chase this delivery for you? I know it’s important.”
“You can as soon as you tell me what is going on.”
Maddie dropped her hand. “It’s nothing. Honestly.”
“Has someone upset you?”
“No.”
“So they’re happy tears?”
“Bull, Mr. Reynolds, please, let me do my job.”
“Then tell me.”
She sighed.
He wasn’t going to budge, and she was too damn miserable to fight him. She licked her lips. “You know how I … er … volunteer at the animal shelter?”
He nodded.
“Yesterday, there was a … some dogs that had been acquired or taken, or I don’t know, it doesn’t matter. They ended up at the animal shelter, and this one little girl. She wasn’t any older than two, couldn’t be, she … she had been in such a bad way.” She looked at Bull and saw him frowning.
“Dogfights. You know, the illegal kind where people bet on dogs fighting each other until they kill each other. It’s so awful. This girl, I could see that she just wanted to be loved. That was all she wanted, and the vet came and told us that she wasn’t going to make it. I held her as she died in my arms.”
Maddie stopped, pressed her lips together, and took a deep breath. “Sorry. I know I shouldn’t be bringing this kind of thing into work, but I can’t get her out of my head. Why would people do such a thing?” Her throat felt like it was on fire.
Bull put the piece of paper down, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her in close. “I’ve got you,” he said. “Just cry it out.”
“I don’t want to cry.” The tears were already falling thick and fast. “It was so horrible. She was covered in blood and it looked like they were starving her.” She sobbed. “Why? Why do they do it?”
“Because the world is full of evil bastards who take pleasure in sick and twisted games.” Bull began to stroke her hair. His touch helped to soothe her.
The tears fell hard, but after some time, and with her face pressed against his chest, she was able to calm down. To bring herself back into some kind of control. She took a breath and leaned back.
“Thank you. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have cried like that.”
“You care about the pets at the animal shelter, don’t you?” he asked.
“Someone has to. They’re good … pets. Sorry, I don’t see them as pets, I guess.” She shrugged. “This is why I shouldn’t volunteer, but I love those guys. I’d adopt them all if I could.”
“Do you have any pets?”
“Not allowed. Building rules.” She shrugged. It sucked, but she hadn’t broken any of the rules to get a dog or a cat, even though she had really wanted to.
