Spice’s Halloween (Royal Bastards MC: Camden Maine Chapter #2)

Chapter Six.

Lindy – Present Day.

“I s everything set?” I asked Spice over the phone.

“Yup, they’re heading out on Halloween, and if questioned, we’re telling the cops that we’re stopping vandals and devil worshippers,” Spice replied.

Tickled, I began to laugh. “Spice, we live in Camden, Maine. We don’t have devil worshippers.”

“Wanna bet on that, darlin’?” Spice challenged.

“Get the fuck out!” I exclaimed.

“Nope. Scouts honour.”

“Like you were a fucking scout, Spice. I’ve known you too long to fall for that line of bullshit!”

“You have a potty mouth, my angel,” Spice chided.

“Fuck off, Spice, you love my dirty mouth.”

“I adore all of you, babe. Catch you later,” he said and hung up.

I turned to the two women waiting patiently. I’d phoned Iona and Rosalea earlier and told them to meet me here. They’d both arrived on the dot.

“Come,” I invited, beckoning them behind the counter. “Mary, my sweet, would you watch the shop, please?” I called to Mary, who was hiding in the back.

“Of course, Miss Lindy,” Mary replied and came hurrying out.

Just as I was heading to my office, the door opened, and Soar, one of the brothers, wandered in.

“Hey, darlin’,” I greeted, and Soar lifted his head and sent me a smile. His eyes flashed to Mary, and I noted interest flickering before it disappeared. Well, now!

“Lindy, do you have any more healing balm? We’ve run out at the parlour. I’ve just kicked that fuckin’ kid’s ass to the curb. Now we’re short-staffed, and I hate dealing with the phone,” Soar snarled.

“Mary, please fetch Soar the ointment. Are you desperate for a receptionist?” I asked, my mind whirling. A devious thought entered my head.

“Yes. Because I ain’t taking appointments nor answering phones,” Soar said as he leaned on my counter.

Mary returned and snuck a peek at Soar before ducking her head with a blush. Oh, yeah, Mary liked him.

And what wasn’t too like? Soar was a damn handsome man, muscled and with two full sleeves. His jeans fit like a glove, and he had silky black hair. Plus, he wasn’t a whore. Soar dated and didn’t do one-night stands. If anyone was good enough for Mary, it’s Soar.

“Mary, didn’t you used to be a receptionist for church?” I inquired innocently, and Soar straightened and looked straight at her.

“Yes, Miss Lindy,” Mary whispered, looking like a startled rabbit. She ducked her head again, and Soar sent me a ‘What the fuck are you doing, Lindy?’ stare.

“Would you be able to help Soar out at the parlour?” I asked.

“Umm,” Mary stammered.

“Soar, tell Mary what you’d expect,” I demanded.

“Lindy, the girl looks terrified. I don’t think Mary wants to work in a tattoo parlour. Lindy, we don’t mind our language either,” Soar said, giving me the stink eye.

“Um, I enjoy organising stuff,” Mary replied quietly, and Soar looked up.

“You do?”

“Yes. If you tell me what I need to know, I’m a quick learner, but… I have a job with Miss Lindy. I don’t want to leave her in the lurch,” Mary answered and ducked her head again.

Soar was looking at Mary with renewed interest.

“Well, I can loan you to Soar until he finds someone,” I offered magnanimously.

“That would be really kind of you, Lindy,” Soar replied through gritted teeth.

“Mary, why don’t you take lunch right now and pop to the tattoo parlour afterwards and meet Soar there? Soar can explain the job, and you can see if you’d be interested,” I said and smiled.

“Okay, Miss Lindy,” Mary agreed. She peeked at Soar. “See you soon,” she whispered and disappeared.

“Lindy, sending that innocent to me is like sending an unarmed man to feed a lion,” Soar murmured with a stern stare.

“Mary’s going to surprise you. If she doesn’t work out, she can come back.”

“Mary’s a fuckin’ shock, alright. My boys will smell her innocence a mile away and will act like dogs in heat,” Soar complained.

“Then rein them in and make sure they’re aware Mary’s off limits, or they’ll be dealing with me. Mary’s a good girl and doesn’t need to be treated like a one-night stand or worse,” I warned Soar.

“I’ll tell them she’s under your protection. They’ll behave, Lindy,” Soar promised. “But don’t be surprised if your little project is back within a week.”

“Mary’s going to surprise you,” I insisted and shooed Soar away with his box of ointment.

As I turned from the counter, I saw Iona and Rosalea both watching wide-eyed.

“Did you just manoeuvre Soar into hiring Mary?” Rosalea asked.

“Even better, I’m sure I witnessed a matchmaking opportunity,” Iona murmured, staring at me in awe.

“What you and Warden have, I want all my boys to have. You’ll learn, girls, how to handle the brothers in time. Just watch and learn and ask questions,” I replied smugly.

“I wanna be you when I’m older,” Iona whispered, still looking amazed.

“Then pay attention. You’re going to be Queen Bee Iona. You may hold that title now, but you’re a long way from being what the club needs and deserves. As Queen Bee, you have to handle the whores and put a beatdown on them when needed. You’ll anticipate the desires and wants of the club and be their silent conscience.

“Never judge them again, Iona. They’ll turn against you for that. Be their sounding board when they’re drunk and hurting, and be their cheerleader if they’re celebrating. And don’t ever defy Warden. You’ll lose them and their regard the moment you do,” I warned.

“Lindy, I don’t have much of their respect anyway,” Iona replied.

“No, you don’t. How you treated Warden may have happened a decade ago, but we’ve long memories. You’re going to have to prove yourself. And you’ve started that with a family Christmas. They missed it but won’t admit that. Too stubborn for their own good. Move forward with confidence, and the family will accept you,” I stated.

“Easier said than done. Even Uncle Spice holds a grudge,” Rosalea murmured, looking upset.

“Rosalea, just because the truth is out, it doesn’t excuse your actions. You need to own them and the pain you caused. Warden is desperate to put what remains of his family back together again. But the rest of us want to protect Warden from any further hurt. He’ll never forgive Pearl, and should she come to the club for help, it won’t be given. Not now we understand the extent of her lies.

“But you were both adults and chose wrongly. Because things didn’t go your way, you threw tantrums and cut us all off. Okay, you had bad information from Pearl, but girls, you knew this club and turned against them. The pain Warden, Oracle, and Undertaker felt reverberated back through the MC, and that was on top of losing Berserker far too early.

“It will take time and effort to make up for everything. Don’t expect the club to accept you straight away or even look to you. They’ll bypass you and come to me. I’ve their trust, and you haven’t. What you need to do is start earning it again. And then break your backs making sure you keep it,” I informed them.

Both girls were nodding. I understood they felt disappointed, but my words were true, and they couldn’t deny them.

“Now, I have something for us to bond over,” I said as I called for someone upstairs to come and watch the lower floor.

The girls followed me into my office and took seats.

“Halloween is coming, and look at this!” I teased as they both looked intrigued. “Have you ever used one of these?” I inquired, tapping a box.

Iona leaned forward, and her eyes went round. “Is that a Ouija board?”

“Yup.”

“And we’re doing what with it?” Rosalea asked, wide-eyed and eyeing the board with a healthy amount of respect.

“Going to the graveyard at Halloween and seeing who we can contact,” I replied with a smile.

Rosalea looked horrified. “Er, no!”

“Yes!”

Rosalea followed it up with a headshake. “Not a chance in hell, Lindy. I love you, but no. I’m not messing with Ouija.”

I glanced at Iona and smirked. Rosalea didn’t realise it, but I had them both.

“Iona?”

“That might be interesting. We could get your dad,” Iona drawled as she considered the box.

“You two do understand that the paranormal exists? The club is ample proof of that! We shouldn’t be tampering with spirits, and fuck knows what else,” Rosalea cried.

“Then stay home. I’ll go with Lindy,” Iona said.

I hid a smirk as Rosalea immediately pouted.

“Are you for real?” she demanded.

“Yes. Rosalea, let’s try. We might reach Berserker or someone else. Does the club still have a private section there?” Iona asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“Then I want to try,” Iona stated.

“And what if you attract something bad?” Rosalea gasped.

“Then Lindy will know what to do,” Iona replied, and her faith touched me.

“This is a fool’s errand,” Rosalea warned.

“Rosalea, if you’re scared, fine. But I’m going to do this,” Iona stated, and that’s when Rosalea caved.

For better or worse, those two girls stuck together like superglue.

“If any shit happens, I’m holding you two responsible!” Rosalea threatened.

“Yeah, yeah,” Iona retorted, and I grinned.

“Now, we don’t tell the club what we’re up to. If they know, then they’ll think we’re nuts and try to stop us,” I said.

“That’s true. They’re all quite superstitious,” Iona drawled, clearly considering that.

“With reason! Look at what half of them can do!” Rosalea snapped.

“Good point. Lindy, we will take precautions, won’t we?” Iona asked.

“Yes. This is about having some fun, girls, and seeing if we can contact someone. Don’t get all horror movie on me,” I said and relished Rosalea blanching.

“Oh God, we’re typical horror movie victims,” she whined.

“Well, bitch, you always claimed you were my ride to die. This is your chance to prove it,” Iona stated happily.

Rosalea gazed at Iona in mute unhappiness while Iona grinned at me.

I smiled back. Neither of them had a clue what they’d signed up for.

Warden

“Jameson,” I answered the phone to the National President.

“Warden. Checking in. Any more trouble from McKay and the Screaming Barons?”

“No. They’ve stayed clear for now, and we’re aware the cops still ain’t solved that kid’s murder despite the pressure from the family,” I replied.

“McKay is setting his sights on Camden,” Jameson said.

“Agreed, but McKay’s going to be careful. He knows the strength of the Royal Bastards, and he’s fully aware of how we support each chapter while remaining independent. McKay isn’t ready for a war with every chapter the Royal Bastards can bring to the equation.”

“What will McKay do?” Jameson asked.

“He’ll go after us one by one. McKay will try to hit us with a series of accidents, or he’s gonna go big and try to take us out at once, an explosion or something similar. If we’re all dead through an ‘accident’, you can’t claim revenge,” I said.

“Keep your eyes open, Warden, and use the talent at your disposal. We can get people to you, but you’ve nobody close. I’ll need time to get you help if you need it.”

“Trust me, Jameson, I’ve got it. They’re wide open. Oracle isn’t seeing anything immediate so I’m not too worried. But if Oracle triggers a vision, I’ll let you know,” I promised.

“Keep me informed and up to date. If you can’t get me, call Colt.”

“Will do, Prez, thanks,” I said as Jameson disconnected the call.

I sat back and sighed. McKay was a problem for another day. I had to sort out this fuckin’ body recovery. This time, we’d be burning Triple D.

Spice

I entered the house and put my boots away on the shoe shelf. Long ago, I’d learned Lindy had a damn good aim, and nothing pissed her off more than muddy boots or leaving them out. Lindy had house-trained me decades ago.

“Sweetheart?” I called, and Lindy shouted from the kitchen. My stomach rumbled; something smelt fantastic.

Lindy was standing by the stove stirring a pot, and I approached her and kissed her like I always did. I made sure that when I arrived home, my woman was greeted properly. Lindy kissed me back and then continued cooking.

“Wine?” I asked.

“White, please. I got the girls today.”

“Nice going. Getting them there would be the hardest problem.”

“Not so much. I showed Iona a Ouija board, and her damn eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Rosalea was the holdout,” Lindy replied.

“Rosalea hates horror movies, and that Ouija board is gonna scare the pants off her,” I said, chuckling.

“Yup, that’s why this is fun. I called the acting troupe, and they’ve confirmed the booking.”

“Great. Did you pay them?” I asked.

“Yes. The caterer will deliver to the clubhouse during our absence. Callipso will handle it,” Lindy stated.

“Rook’s hostess at the nightclub?”

“Yes, Callipso’s trustworthy and has the night off. Callipso doesn’t mind being there to set up the food for when we return,” Lindy said as she began plating up dinner.

I took the drinks I poured and headed to the small kitchen table where we ate if it was just us two.

“Heard from Beau today. He’s coming home and thinking about quitting. He’s asked if Warden would take him on as a prospect,” I said and watched Lindy perk up at the mention of our eldest son.

“That would be wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Lissy phoned as well. It’s gone tits up for her, as we thought. She’s kicked the asshole out, is ordering movers and coming home. I called Aura, and he has a couple of houses for rent and about six for sale that would be suitable for Lissy.”

I sighed as I thought of our headstrong second child. Lissy marched to the beat of her own drum and fuck everyone else. Her shacking up with a sleeveless sweater, tie wearing jerk had been a huge mistake. But Lissy wouldn’t listen and had to learn the hard way.

“And Decker?” I asked. Our youngest son was tied to his mama’s apron strings.

“Decker is Deck and still working as a pilot in Hawaii.”

“Still doing those fuckin’ tours?” I inquired.

Lindy shrugged. “Deck makes a ton of money doing them, and he’s happy, Spice. He ain’t ever going to meet anyone’s expectations. He’s too like you and Lissy.”

“Hey!” I said, insulted.

“Don’t start with me, Spice. You’ve always walked your own path, and fuck what anyone thinks. Lissy and Decker are just like you!”

“That’s probably true. But you don’t need to remind me of it,” I complained.

“If I don’t, who would, Spice? Let’s check these plans once more.”

I grinned at Lindy. This Halloween would be unforgettable.