TRACKING TRISHA - A Black Hounds Motorcycle Club Romance (The Fox and the Hounds Book #1) (6 page)

Dante raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t even know who she was a day ago and now you’ve already snooped through her finances?”

“I looked at publicly available and legally acceptable documents,” she corrected. “We could pay off her debt to what is a few pennies to us. We could also continue to be a patron to her farm. It could buy us her continued loyalty and silence once this whole ordeal is over. However, I don’t like the part where she started to piece together what you had in plan for her.”

“You sure you don’t want a woman who is more home on a bike than a tractor?” Uncle Cass asked. “You’re trying to sell motorcycles, right? Why not get a grease monkey with a uterus from a local repair shop?”

“You guys are missing the forest for the trees,” Dante said in exasperation. “We’re trying to sell an image. We don’t need a biker chick or a woman who is handy with a torque wrench. We need Trisha because she’s everything we’re not. She’s a hardworking farm girl that has a good reputation with the locals. More importantly, she has a clean image we could use at this point.”

“She does have a clean record,” Lucia added, flipping through another page. “No run-ins with the law. She doesn’t even have any speeding tickets on her record. Then again, her car has spent more time in the shop than on the road.”

“Seriously, are you going to dig up her dental records when she was five years old?”

“If it ensures the future of the company, then I will,” Lucia said coolly. “I’ll admit, she could be what we need. She is young, has a good reputation, and needs money. However, I’m just not comfortable having someone we know so little about in this less than honest scheme. It could easily turn into a PR nightmare if she goes off the record. We’ve already had enough of those.”

Dante looked out at the window and narrowed his eyes. “Well, you’ll have plenty to talk to her about. Trisha has just arrived.”

“Why’d you hire a fancy limo service for her?” Uncle Cass growled. “You could’ve save yourself a few bucks and get one of the boys down at the garage to give her a ride.”

Lucia sighed. “I’m not sure she’ll be up for the full Black Hound Motorcycle Club experience, especially when it involves racing at a hundred miles per hour through highways.”

Dante playfully nudged his sister in the shoulder. “I knew a girl who used to be a speed junkie before she became a CFO. Come on, let’s get ready.”

The woman of the hour came out from the limo they had hired. It must have been quite a sight for the luxury vehicle to pull up in front of her ramshackle farm. She looked uncomfortable with the finery that came with a high class limo service, such as a fully stoked cooler and satellite television. The valet escorted her to the entrance of their motorcycle club.

Trisha wore a clean business casual look with a shirt, slacks, and an office jacket. Dante couldn’t help but miss her tousled farm girl look. It looked like she was putting up an act rather being truthful about herself. Then again, that was what they planned on hiring her for.

Hiding the documents about Trisha, Lucia changed her line of questioning. “Aren’t you a little spooked, Dante?”

“What do you mean?”

“You go for a joyride,” she began. “And you end up with on her farm. She seems like a good fit for the plan. Her mother knew our mother. It’s even the same place that made those damn addictive grapefruit candies we ate as kids. It just feels… odd for everything to come together.”

“I never took you for the superstitious type, Lucia.”

She shrugged. “I’m never comfortable when things go to plan. I’ll come up with a backup in case this meeting goes south.”

“Have a little faith.”

“You kids can handle this,” Uncle Cass said, stretching his arms. “I’m going to shoot a few rounds of pool downstairs.”

“Don’t you want to question her, Uncle Cass?” Lucia asked. “She’s the one who will serve as the distraction for your release from prison.”

The man walked towards their game room. “I think she’ll be a lot more at home without a convicted felon around. Besides, you’re club president now. It’s time for you to run the show.”

Dante nodded and straightened up his shoulders. “Okay, Lucia. Let’s head to darts room.”

“Conference room,” she corrected, picking up only a small binder from the table. “This is a legitimate business now. I’ll make it legitimate even if I have to do it room by room.”

The two arrived at the conference room. Trisha sat before a small wooden desk. The Black Hounds motorcycle club wasn’t especially fancy but the woman seemed to appreciate its mix of both rustic and luxurious furnishings.

Lucia closed the door as Dante took a seat before Trisha. The woman still had some dirt caked between her fingers. The biker wondered if the woman had done some last minute work before being hauled off to their doorstep.

“Thank you for being here, Trisha,” Dante began. “We really appreciate you taking time away from your business to talk to us.”

The woman seemed somewhat distracted. He couldn’t blame her for being suspicious of their motives. However, she was transfixed to the bookcase he kept next to the dart board. It held all the business and political books Dante was studying. If he wanted to be a strong leader, then he had to learn from the greats.

The club itself was a new chapter after Dante and Lucia had left their hometown. His sister had argued that the old club house had too much baggage attached to it. They settled on relocating to the city in order to grow their then fledgling motorcycle manufacturing business. The move allowed them to foster better business relationships. The new club house now served as a temporary business headquarters while they constructed their new offices.

Trisha snapped her gaze back to the biker as if caught red-handed in a crime. “Yes… nice to meet you… again, Mr. Alastair- I mean Dante.”

Lucia smiled at her introduction before placing a pen and a piece of paper before her. “My name is Lucia. I am the CFO of the Black Hound Motorcycle Company.”

“Nice to meet you,” Trisha replied, offering a handshake. It was not accepted and she awkwardly brought her hand down. “You must be Dante’s sister.”

Dante didn’t like how Lucia was cold to Trisha but the woman knew how to protect themselves legally. Lucia pointed to the piece of paper. “Getting down to business, we had our legal team write down an agreement which will prevent you from discussing the details of this offer with anyone who we do not approve off. It’s not the offer itself but a way to protect both of us if you wish to continue. Due to the importance of this offer, we can’t proceed until you sign this. Please read it carefully before you sign.”

Dante watched as Trisha nervously picked up the thick, elaborate looking fountain pen. She seemed unused to fountain pens due to a lifetime of using plastic office pens. Or the weight of her actions was getting to her. The Black Hounds could go on if she refused. On the other hand, this signature could decide the fate of her business.

Trisha signed her name, printed her name, initialed her name, and wrote the date. Lucia took the paper and scanned through it. Finally, she gave a nod of approval. “Everything looks to be in order. We may proceed.”

Now, it was Dante’s time to speak. “Now that’s settled, we can go onto the business. However, would you like a drink first? We got a fully stocked liquor cabinet like any self-respecting motorcycle club. We have rum, gin, a couple of imported German beers, and a Johnny Walker Blue Label from before my dad’s time-”

“Water for now,” Lucia interjected, pouring a glass from a nearby pitcher. She wanted this meeting to be a sober business transaction. “We’ll be here for a while.”

Trisha took the glass of water. “Water is fine. So what is this offer about? I understand the need for cloak and dagger contracts in the corporate world but why are you interested in me?”

Dante took a deep breath before speaking. “I think the best way to do business is to be honest about your intentions. If this plan has to succeed, I have to be forthright about this offer and what we want from you… what I want from you.”

Trisha leaned forward in interest. Lucia, however, had a look of panic on her face. “Dante-“

“I need a girlfriend.”

Trisha did a double take when she heard those words. “Could you repeat that?”

“I need a girlfriend,” Dante said. “Preferably, someone who I can eventually parade around as my fiancé but just a girlfriend for now.”

Trisha stared back in disbelief. “Could I ask why you’ve brought me here and asked me to be your girlfriend?”

The farm girl wondered if the entire Black Hound motorcycle club was insane. This seemed like some part of a gang initiation ceremony for new recruits. She half expected some young biker to come in, tie her up, and cover her face in chrome spray in order to move up the club’s ranks.

“It’s not exactly what it seems,” he admitted. “Our business is set to do well for itself when it goes public. An important part of that is ensuring that this is a clean business with a healthy future. You’ve heard about our initial public offering? I hope you have or Lucia is going to gut the advertising team.”

Trisha nodded even though she struggled to follow the line of logic. “Yeah, I heard it was a record for an American vehicle manufacturing company.”

“Good, that should be how it ends up,” Dante replied. He seemed uncertain of what to say. It was as if he didn’t want to agitate her and cause her to leave. “However, these things are often based on rumors rather than reality. People still think we’re some violent gang that rides around and does stickups.”

“I take it that’s not true?”

Dante nodded. “Our uncle served his time. During his years in prison, the Black Hounds have transformed from a recreation club with one too many brush-ins with the law into a legitimate business. We’ve even had the FBI and government accountants look at us. We’ve come out clean. However, winning over the general public is another challenge entirely. Sometimes, you need a new look to show that you’ve really changed.”

“But you made your uncle into a board member!” Trisha stated in bewilderment. “You wouldn’t have this scandal if you didn’t invite him back into your company. Why did you add him to the board when all it’s done is cause you trouble?”

“Blood is thicker than water,” Dante answered. “That man has given us more than we ever deserved.”

“You said you would be forth coming,” Trisha stated, folding her arms. “What is it that you’re trying to accomplish?”

Dante and Lucia exchanged a look. His sister nodded before the club president spoke. “Have you heard about how my Uncle Cass got arrested?”

“Yeah, it was for armed robbery,” she replied. “There was a shootout and your uncle got injured and caught.”

“It was an ambush,” Lucia corrected. “They were setup by the Red Aztecs, one of our old rivals down South. One of their lieutenants got cold feet and made a deal with the Feds. He offered to sell out his own club. However, the Feds drove a hard bargain. Eventually, he offered to give them the Black Hounds’ leaders as well in exchange for amnesty. He leaked us bad information about a Red Aztec convoy route and had the Feds lying in ambush.”