Page 8 of Fate
He looked back at me. “Belle, me, you and Briget. We stay together.”
“I agree.” I nodded at him. I figured Briget wouldn’t care as long as she got to stay with her best friend. Me? I wanted to stick close to my twin. And yeah, close to Briget too.
Chapter Four:All Bikers
Briget
Belle and I were having too much fun in the kitchen. Splashing water and making jokes. She’d been telling me about her real first run-ins with Liberty. When Deacon let Scarlet and Belle go free, they had run into Liberty and Justice. The brothers and the Rebel Saints had been on their way to rescue the two women. Belle told me that they hadn’t needed a rescue though. And that argument had been pretty much the start of Belle's tumultuous relationship with Liberty.
Belle had been convinced that Deacon was a good man and Liberty made it his priority to pop that bubble of a fantasy. Belle had explained that when Deacon approached her, he had evidence that showed the Walkers in a very bad light. Dagger’s prison record for one as he’d been convicted of fraud and drug dealing. All of Ramton was aware of that, but most never believed it was true. The Walkers had always been an honorable family in these parts. They did lots for the community. Especially before the dad passed away.
Deacon on the other hand had an entirely different story to tell about the Walker family. How they’d bought up Ramton businesses to turn them into red light district moneymakers. Like bars, gambling halls, strip clubs, liquor stores and other vice oriented businesses.
Finally, he’d shown her a video feed of the Rebel Saints, an MC he said the Walkers hired to move guns and drugs. Then when Belle arrived here at the Connor House, she immediately saw that it wasn’t the same MC that had been on the videos,selling drugs and weapons. They weren't wearing the same cuts. “The Vice Lords,” Belle told me. “They worked for O.”
“So, he showed you videos of his own gang as they did business?” I asked her.
Belle nodded. “Yes, that is exactly what he did.”
“Belle, no one can blame you for being convinced,” I said. “I mean I would have believed him too. In fact, I did when I talked to him. I believed he was a good guy.”
“But BB the worst part was when he showed me a photo of his mom…” She shivered. “She was dead with a knife in her chest.” Looking over at me she explained, “He told me that one of the Walkers murdered her.”
I had heard some about this and it scared the bejesus outta me. The woman had killed herself according to what I heard from Liberty. To think that this Deacon guy literally lied about something like that? Lying about his own mom and how she died? In his expensive suits with such a kind smile and a genuine FBI look about him, he was nothing but a down and dirty criminal. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover, really. In this instance, I had to use that old motto. I had spoken to Deacon a couple of times and I sure as hell would've never guessed what evil lurked behind that badge he showed us. He’d hidden the cold and deadly plans he had instore for the Walker family. All while he was fooling Belle by dragging her into a twisted psychotic plan that on the surface, really looked like he was simply trying to help.
Hell, I fell for it myself. Hook, line and sinker. When he’d come into the hallway to Belle’s apartment door that very first time, she hadn’t been home. So like I always did for Belle, I stepped up to take care of it and I greeted him for her. Yeah, my curiosity was on overload, but she did work in a lawyer’s office so this classy guy in his suit wouldn't be abnormal for the kindof people she knew. Deacon looked sophisticatedly handsome, he was also well spoken and kind. Or so it seemed. Pausing, I realized I had been 100 percent wrong about the guy. So could I be all wrong about Fate? Setting the pan up on the dish rack, I had to pause at this sudden thought. I looked over at Belle.
She handed me yet another well scrubbed pan as she told me about the argument that led to her demanding to go back home to her apartment. She said it started right here in this kitchen. She had called it the, ‘Big guy in a little apron incident.’
As soon as she said it, I laughed. She knew I loved Chris Farley from the old days of SNL comedy.
She explained that Liberty had come in for kitchen duty, wearing this tiny apron and it looked ridiculous on him. “It even made me laugh,” Belle told me. “And at the time, I didn’t even like him but it was too funny not to laugh at him. Redemption and Fate were on shift as well as Liberty and I.” She shrugged and handed me another pot to rinse. “Truth be told, I already knew why he was wearing it. I took the last large apron.” She giggled. “So it was my fault, not that I admitted to it at the time. Anyway, his brothers were teasing Liberty because he had tears in his eyes from cutting onions, I think? Ma had said, the boys reminded her of her own sons. Always joking and competing. Then she called Liberty a big boy in a little apron and told him to go wash up.”
Her and I laughed at this as she scrubbed on another pan. I could just hear Ma now, saying something like that in her southern drawl.
“Then immediately,” Belle went on as she chuckled. “Fate jumped in singing,big boy in a little apron. You know in the same exact tune asfat man in a little coat.And wow, was Liberty not entertained by that. He told Fate to stick to architecture cuz he sure as hell couldn’t sing. I was laughing too and Libertyasked me what I thought was so damned funny. I told him that you just don’t get to see GI Joe dressed like a baby Betty Crocker everyday, ya know?”
Yeah, I agreed. Liberty was a large guy. Intimidating to look at actually, but Belle seemed to be in love with him so his size didn’t scare me a lot. Fate on the other hand was as tall as Liberty but not as wide. He was built well, just not a bulging hulk. I shook my head. Ok, why did I compare the two just now?
“Ok, Miss Rinse And Repeat, I think we’re done,” Belle announced.
I smiled at her as I drained the sinks.
Finally, she handed me a dish towel to dry my hands with. “So, I know you had dish duty, but what else did you have planned for today?”
I dried my hands and scoffed. “Oh, you know me, I have a full itinerary of course. Busy, busy.” In reality, there wasn’t a whole lot to do here at the large bed and breakfast. “Maybe some reading as I did bring a few paperbacks.”
She kept smiling. “Yeah, I know it can be boring here. But look at it this way, there are tons of guys to look at.”
I draped the small towel over the sink and laughed. “I don’t think right now is a good time to be dating, Belle. I mean we are hiding out from a supposed madman. In a place where war could break out at any second. Between cousins no less. I mean Deacon is a Walker too, right?”
“Yeah, that's what Liberty says. Deacon’s mom was Ma Walker’s sister.” Belle nodded. “But come on, Bridge. You can’t just stop living, ya know? Some of them seem really nice.”
I shook my head and scoffed. “Belle, they’re all bikers.
“Oh, hush now, girl,” a voice interjected.
We looked up to see Ma, who had come over to the sink where we stood.
