TRACKING TRISHA - A Black Hounds Motorcycle Club Romance (The Fox and the Hounds Book #1) (2 page)

“It looks bad, Dante. We’ve had scandals in the past due to our history but this is a whole new level. No public relations company in the world is capable of spinning the addition of a former convict onto our board of directors into a positive. The fact that he just finished serving a ten year prison sentence for armed robbery isn’t going to help matters. The public will think we haven’t changed one bit. Our initial public offering is a few months away and we’ve-”

“I don’t need the blow by blow, Lucia,” the taciturn biker sighed, turning to his sister. Dante Alastair had grown up alongside his strong-willed sibling. He had fought with her in the backseat of car during their childhood trips. He had fended off substandard suitors for her when she became a woman. When their new high-rise corporate offices were under construction, she had taken the initiative to turn the game room in their motorcycle club into a respectable enough conference room for business dealings. They were becoming a legitimate motorcycle design and manufacturing business on the back of her shoulders. Dante knew when she was the only one who could pull him and the club out of this fire. “Just tell me how bad the backlash is going to be. I already feel like I’m a damn politician trying to avoid scandals.”

“You will be once we go public with the company,” Lucia said sternly, glancing at the aging man to their side. The recently released ex-convict was the subject of their conversation. However, he had decided to stay silent and allowed his niece and nephew to do the talking. And the arguing for that matter. “With Uncle Cassius released from prison, this isn’t going away. We’ve made amends with the law. We’ve paid back the families we’ve affected. We’ve opened our books up to independent accounting firms and even the Feds. However, people think we’re still a gang of dangerous bikers who break the law. They’re even bringing up the fact you went to juvie as a teenager. There’s no sweeping bad history under a carpet in this day and age. Just the other day, the hashtag for Uncle’s release skyrocketed on Twitter. It’s still trending.”

“No other motorcycle brand has our history,” Dante argued, proud of the club’s storied past. Nevertheless, his short tenure as the club’s president had him stir it away from its controversial origins. It was better for the business. “Our manufacturing partners can’t even keep up with orders. It’s what attracts people to us. Hell, Harley-Davidson said that we’re a threat to them. We’re the new wave. We must be doing something right.”

“It’s also attracting the same bad press that makes our PR department deal with a new fire every day,” Lucia replied, lacing her fingers under her chin. As the sleeves of her business clothing fell, it revealed her tattooed wrists. The businesswoman was a biker at heart. “Dante, we’re at a crossroads. We could be the next Harley-Davidson. Or we could up like some poisoned brand that nobody wants to be associated with. We’re either a respectable manufacturer of motorcycles or we’re an outlaw motorcycle club that’s had a few too many run-ins with the law. We can’t be both.”

Dante sighed at her sound logic. “So what do you propose we do? Last week, you said the consultants thought we were heading for a historical initial public offering for a motorcycle design company. Now, you’re not even sure we’ll be able to avoid getting delisted before the year is over.”

She glanced at her uncle who sat quietly at the table with an alcoholic beverage in his hands. “That’s business, Dante. Things can change at the drop of a hat. Is it worth having someone on the board who just left prison for armed robbery? He’s still on probation for crying out loud! Maybe we should reconsider-”

“No, he stays,” Dante interrupted, startling his sister. Lucia had noted he reminded her more and more of their father and former club president. It was bittersweet to for him to take on the responsibilities and persona of their late father. “Uncle lost a decade of his life to take the heat off dad. I’m not going to let some overzealous media mob try to take away his freedom. We wouldn’t have grown up with dad if it wasn’t for his sacrifice. Besides, this motorcycle club belongs to him as much as it does us.”

Suddenly, Uncle Cassius voiced his thoughts. “Well, it’s nice that you kids have a heart. I don’t plan on being the face of this new manufacturing company of yours. I much prefer the backseat.”

“He can stay on the board but we need him out of here and out of the media’s cross-hairs,” Lucia conceded with a sigh. “They’ve talked about how we used to do a trial of combat who gets promoted. Some of our manufacturing partners are concerned with the direction we’re taking our company. If they pull out now, it could tank our IPO.”

He knew she was right even if his ego wouldn’t admit it. “Where do you want him? Out of California?”

“I’m talking about getting him out of this damn hemisphere,” Lucia stated. “Listen, the longer he stays here, the longer we have to talk to the media about our past.”

“Well, as much as I’d like to sit back and drink ice tea in the Bahamas,” Uncle Cassius chided. “The Black Hound Recreation and Motorcycle Club has had a reputation ever since your grandfather founded it after he came back from the Vietnam War.”

Lucia wanted to get back to business. “We know how-”

“This is your father’s legacy we’re talking about, young lady,” the uncle scolded. “Vergil and I kept our reputation as the most feared bikers in the Southwest. We kept this community safe from the other biker gangs. Your father wouldn’t like to see the Black Hound name tarnished so you could make easy money slapping our insignia on some cheap imported motorcycles from Asia. He’ll he would be rolling in his grave if he found out the club was now incorporated.”

“As club president, I’m taking the Black Hound club seriously,” Dante replied. He always felt uncomfortable being compared to his father. Frank, one his father’s closest friends and club lieutenant, had temporarily served as club president until Dante came of age. Nonetheless, he found the responsibility overwhelming at times. “I’m going to protect our reputation and history. People from all across the world are going to know our name. But it’s going to be as a legitimate business. We’ll keep this community safe. However, we’ll do it through the jobs and money we bring in rather than through armed robbery and violence.”

“It’s not just that,” Lucia added, flipping through some papers in her binder. “There’s this deal in the works where we can license our name to bars and grills. There’s a lot of money to be made in the licensing business.”

Cassius grimaced as if she had described turning the club into a brothel. Suddenly, the expression on his face changed. “Did I ever tell you kids how your father met your mother?”