“What’s going on?” I asked as we stepped out of Farrah’s office. Putting my game face on I knew this wasn’t something normal by how the 2 women were acting. Simple inflections and involuntary reactions were all I needed to know that they were preparing for the worst. 

“One of theirs got out of prison,” the bouncer growled. “I sent them drinks like you ordered.” She looked back to Farrah as we came to the main floor. “They got handsy with the waitress. They’ve already scared off a few regulars.” 

 

On the other side of the floor in one of the booth alcoves were 3 women with the Nightingale black leather vest. One with her head shaved, another with a spiderweb tattoo over her eye like an eyepatch, the last was a younger girl. Dark brown hair she appeared to be the one doing the celebrating. Drinking 2 shots one after another she laughed loudly as she blew smoke from her cigarette. 

 

From how minutely she was fidgeting I guessed she was on meth or something. The room too dark to see much else about her. I kept back with Farrah and the bouncer. 

“What do you want me to do?” The bouncer asked Farrah. 

“Leave em,” my pregnant Asian beauty said. “Cut them off if they get too rowdy.” The bouncer nodded. I grabbed Farrah’s hand, pulling her away from the dim lighting of the large room. 

“What do you pay the Nightingales?” I asked. 

“Just some protection money, but fuck they are more of a problem than anyone else is,” she admitted. 

“How much?”

“Grand a month,” she said. 

“Not too much then,” I said. “Might not be a gold member with them.” 

 

“What?” She asked. 

“Nothing, let me watch them. You get out of this smoke, preggers,” I said, kissing her cheek. 

She forced a laugh. “My mom smoked half a pack with me in her oven.”

“Well shit, you better start smoking then. If our daughter will look as gorgeous as you, it might help,” I said.

“Don’t say that,” she said wide eyed. A genuine smile on her lips she glanced at the Nightingales. “I hate when they are here.”

“How often do they come?” 

“Every month or so. Sometimes more,” she said. “More in the summer when they can ride their damn bikes.” 

“What’s the worst that's happened with them here?” I asked. 

“They threw a huge party once. When their leader got out of prison. An older leader I think. Other clubs came in. Just showed up. It was…bad,” she admitted. “That's when I started paying protection.”

“That would do it,” I said. “Go kick your girls into gear. I don’t see anyone on the stage.” Farrah turned to the stage. Cursing under her breath she stomped away to the back. Opening the back door wide it wasn’t long until I heard her yelling. 

 

Mercedes soon rushed out. Tying her top up she was on the stage. I wanted to get a special treat from her, but a few girls moved up for their own. I opted to sit in the back. Watching the Nightingales the young one wasn’t shy about snorting something. Annoyed, I rapt my fingers on the table as I waited for something bad to happen.

 

I noticed Luna and Penny coming out from the lapdance backroom. Both adjusting their clothes I was sure they were fooling around. A part of me thought maybe I should be jealous, but since coming to this world I really wasn’t. From the reaction I had received from the women of this world I felt confident I could walk up to most any of them, offer to have sex with them, and we would be in her car within a few minutes. 

 

I really loved Luna, and Penny I was almost there. Always up for whatever I was doing, the only issue I had with Penny she was a stripper. Granted one baby momma was a stripper and another was the queen of strippers, but maybe it was my old life. A single girl like Penny only stripped for money, and most I knew blew that money on drugs. 

 

I had been burned before by not noticing signs of a drug addiction. One of your closest friends could be a drunk and you do not know it. Addicts were the best at escaping attention. Until I knew more about Penny’s situation I was hesitant to go much further than we already were. Her apartment was immaculate which was sadly a point out of her favor since it could be coke. Maybe she got into a neat freak phase when high. 

Or I could be completely wrong. She could be saving up to quit stripping, or maybe she liked the job. No attachments, great money, enjoying her youth. I only offered to let her meet Luna because she had proven herself before, but to progress further I would need to dive into her situation more. 

Sitting up, the girls noticed me and headed over. Unfortunately they had to walk by the Nightingale’s to get to me. The girl with the spiderweb tattoo said something to the girls. Penny dragged Luna passed, but the Gale’s pushed it. Penny turned and yelled something at her, flipping her off as she did so. 

The trio stood up, cursing back at her. I stood and discreetly made my way over to them. 

 

“Fuck you, pirate,” Penny yelled at eyepatch girl.

 

“I’ll fucking fuck you up!” Eyepatch said. 

“She’s just playing hard to get,” druggie girl said, a crazy look in her eyes. 

“Let’s not go further than this,” I said, stepping in. “How about I buy you girls a round?” 

“Who the fuck are you, boy?” Druggie girl asked. 

“No one important, just no reason to start something over nothing,” I assured. “You look like a tequila kind of girl. Care to join me for a drink?”

“Fuck no,” she spat, slapping me across the face. I took the hit. “Men are the fucking reason this worlds gone to shit. Like hell I’d share a drink with you.” 

“Are you sure?” I asked, wiping the spit out of my face. “Heard you just got out of prison. Maybe you could use some help cleaning out the pipes, or maybe pull that feminist superiority puppet hand out of your asshole.” I gave her my best smile. The girl looked at me confused for a moment. Then her eyes turned wilder as she yelled and swung at me. 

 

My hand moving along her fist as I guided her punch to the side of my face. I extended my fingers out straight and jabbed her in the jugular. She coughed trying to breath in but swiping her legs out from under her I moved my knee against her throat, using my weight to block her windpipe. 

“You make a move and I kill her,” I told spiderweb girl as she moved for a knife in her belt. The girl under me struggled to breathe. “I don’t take kindly to a direct challenge. Now if you don’t want your friend to lose a few teeth, weapons on the table. Slow.” 

The shaved head girl recognized me. Leaning to her friend she whispered in her ear. They grumbled but put knives on the table. “Very good,” I said, disarming the girl under me. Grabbing her long hair like a pony tail I pulled her up none too gently. She shrieked as I yanked her around. Trying to swing and trip me I moved her to in front of me. Guiding her, my free hand grabbed her wrist. Holding down hard on the pressure points she lost power in the limb. Unable to swing at me I moved her toward the door. 

 

As we stepped out it was easy to tell which car belonged to them. A shitty sedan out front it was littered with trash and cigarette butts inside. “Drive,” I ordered as I threw her at the driver’s door. “I want to see your boss.” 

“Who the fuck you think you are!” She shrieked. Her friends came out the front of the Club. 

“All 3 of you in front,” I ordered. 

“There’s only 2 seats,” baldie said.

“Sit your cunt on the gearshift for all I care,” I barked. Moving around I got behind the passenger’s seat. The trio talked for a minute, druggie yelling louder and louder until eyepatch slapped her. Taking control she grabbed the keys and got in. The other 2 did reluctantly so. Druggie and baldie practically sitting on one another it wasn’t long until we were on our way. They knew the way. 

As we traveled my phone continued to vibrate. Turning it off I wasn’t terribly worried about my situation. I had gotten out of worse. 

I had wanted to pay for a few drinks and make 3 friends of the Nightingales. I should have introduced myself sooner, that was my own mistake. I was sure that nothing would have come of the yelling from Penny if I hadn’t stepped in. By intruding I had escalated the situation. 

But as druggie girl yelled at me I realized I would be worried about this happening most any night. 2 pregnant girls at the Club, there might be more in the future. If I allowed them to do what they wanted, I would be worried about what could happen to my girls. The Club was my territory. Under my protection now. I had to stake my claim or risk bigger problems in the future. 

 

We got to the Nightingale’s club soon enough. Once the car was in park I didn’t hesitate to step out. A loud party going on inside I pushed through the door and a plume of a cigarette smoke escaped. My masculine figure drew more than a few eyes. I gave a few nods. Most everyone either drunk or on their way to be I walked to the back room to find Florence fucking her tweaker twink. 

The drugged out guy was on bottom as the tough biker chick rode atop him. I waited patiently for her to finish. But as the party quieted behind me she turned back to eye me. 

“Russ,” she said with a wide smile. Unashamed as she used the guy as she wanted. “There’s an opening in back if you want a turn.” 

“I’m good,” I said, respecting her nonchalance. She focused on pleasuring herself again. Getting more heated as she fucked herself with the guy’s dick it was more than a few minutes before she came. Her muscles shaking as she finished I admired how fit she was. More than a few scars littered her back. One big one I guessed was caused by biffing it on her chopper. 

 

“Fuck,” she said, standing up she didn’t seem to care if the guy finished. The drugged out guy let out a sigh of relief and went to the bathroom. “Any special reason you came by today?”

“Just ran into a few of your girls out and about,” I said, crossing my arms as I leaned against the wall. The room behind me was quieter still of conversation. But the music was up louder, I guessed they assumed I might get killed. 

 

“What about it?” She asked, putting the biker vest on. Still naked other than that I locked eyes with her.

“They were starting something at the Club,” I said. 

 

“So? They’re allowed to have a little fun.”

“I understand fun. I just want to know how much the place is worth to you,” I said. 

“Worth? I don’t know what you mean.” 

“I don’t care about protection money. That’s your right. I want to know what it would take for you and your girls to frequent a different establishment,” I said. 

“Not too many strip clubs in the area,” she said sitting in a chair. Her legs spread eagle she wasn’t shy about showing her very hairy pussy. “And the Club is the better pick of the stock.”

“Yep, which is why I have frequented it on more than one occasion,” I said. 

“You go to strip clubs?” She asked, laughing. “Aren’t you a little young?”

“We can both agree I’m older than I look,” I said. “Look, I came here asking for a favor. You got one out of me last time I was here, and I have decided my favor isn’t worth collecting on.” 

“No longer scared about getting kidnapped?” She asked. 

“Not really. I’m strong enough now to handle most anyone that comes for me,” I assured. “But a favor is a favor, Florence. How long would cashing in that favor get me?”

“How long what?”

“How long would it keep you and yours out of the Club?” I asked. 

“That’s a big order,” she said. “We are bikers. We don’t really like rules.”

“So you aren’t in charge?” I asked. She stiffened, eyeing her jacket I guessed there was a gun in there. That was good information to know. I changed the subject. “Look Florence, you are the boss, you make the rules. You say lick, and if they don’t fight one another to go down on you, then you have a problem. So how much is the favor I did for you worth?” 

“2 months,” she said. 

“I’m told you only go every now and then,” I said. I was hoping for longer. 

“But maybe we decide to go every weekend,” she said, a glint in her eye. I was slowly understanding she was actually glad to see me.

 

“What do you want?” I asked. 

“Why do you want us out of the Club?” She retorted. 

“My own reasons. One of the strippers is my girlfriend,” I said. 

“Not how I hear it,” she said, her smile wider. “I heard you knocked up a few.”

I let out a long breath, seeing the trap. I had a traitor in my midst, that or someone that liked to gab. I wasn’t sure when it came to women. “What do you want?”

“I want you to do another favor for me,” she admitted. “I have a job for someone of your boyish talents.”

“And how much time would doing this favor buy me?” 

“9 months,” she said. “Just in time for a few of your kids to be shot out.”

I let out a long breath. Chewing my lip I nodded. “Call me,” I said and headed out. Pushing open the sliding wood doors the girls stepped back. I moved through them planning how the hell I was going to destroy this club before they forced me to do any more favors for them.