Old Lady of the Apex Crown

mel

n monitor reflected against the

einforced workshop was the rhythmic clicking of my keys

ast eight months alone, funneling club maintenance funds into pri

ubsidized by my secondary corporate cre

e Rust Hounds MC's commercial operating account

y corrugated steel door before my fin

s goddamn door ri

ce belonged to Martha A

grease from the back of my hand with an oily rag,

and stood dead center in the

ivory silk blouse that looked absurd against the ruste

domestic lackey, clutching a thick leather-bo

nd his wrist because of your violent psychotic fit!" Martha hissed

your damn pride, keep your mouth shut, and keep the

rist, tell him he should get on his knees and thank god

ep forward, thrusting a printed i

ery keg delivery are due by noon sharp," Agnes snapped arrogantly. "It

cing down at the itemized list, before loo

let out a low, humorless laugh

t... fourteen thousand dollars for Hettie's custom designer wardrobe in Reno, and twen

and tossed the paper ball into t

call club operatin

d purple, the veins bulging

Martha shrieked, pointing a

r mother's claims belong to this charter! Your first and o

personal ATM expired ten m

ocket, tapped the screen, and placed

Manager Miller," the crisp professio

" I spoke clearly, ensuring every w

cancel all authorized secondary users, and freeze all merchant

codes confirmed. All secondary cards and credit line

Ding

s of sharp alert chimes erupted from the

cally yanked

five consecutive text notification

ding in 4108 Suspended.

ding in 9921 Suspended.

Drawing Author

desperation, lunging forward with her shar

steel vise, catching Agnes by

open palm cracked across her che

AC

ad and crashing sideways into the dusty gravel with a s

old them, my voice dropping into a deadly whispe

her chest heaving in genuine terror,

. "You can't survive out here in the desert without French's patch pr

n her face and threw the titaniu

m the deep shadows of

yed spotter in this camp, stepped out into the lig

the main hall," Tessa murmured, handing

re talking about bringing bolt cutters out here to seize

p of the scaldin

ff's silent alarms trigger," I said, setting the empty mug on the steel workben

?" Tessa asked, her gr

ard drive from the terminal and sliding it into the th

unting to scrub, and I need a lawless dive

e Remington with a crisp, lethal click. "Anyone steps a

boot, walked to the rear access bay, and rolled an unba

d the s

ed to life with a low, muted grow

zing Nevada wind biting at my throat as the ta