Truth and Lies Novel – Mia Walking away from the prison where I’ve been for the last five years, serving a sentence for stabbing a woman who was hurting Zara, my man’s daughter, who was only seven years of age at the time. I beat Cara, and when she lifted the blade, I managed to get it off her, and yep, I stabbed the bimbo, quite happily. Lucky for me, I suppose, I didn’t kill her, but it got me the time. The lies that bimbo told were staggering, and the sad thing was she was believed. Brad ‘Gunner’ Michaelson was my man. He should have known me well enough. He knew Cara was low life scum who got pregnant by poking holes in the condoms. Well, he can have her for eternity as I won’t be going back. Lifting my backpack onto my shoulder, I take the first steps of my freedom away from everything I ever knew and start walking away from this inferno and toward my future.
Climbing onto the bus provided by the prison service to the halfway house, I sit near the window, looking out over the landscape. I press my forehead to the glass and close my eyes for a moment, thanking God I survived. No one will know I was called ‘Blade’ inside because of what I’d done, and they don’t know I had fashioned one as protection inside, but the ones that tried to do me over soon learned to stay away. Checking how many dollars I have gives me a sense of safety as I earned quite a bit while incarcerated—working hard, keeping my head down, living one day at a time. That is what I’ll continue to do, live one day at a time and move forward.
Six Weeks Later Serving at the local diner, I’m rushing back and forth to tables as we are in rush hour. Suzie is behind the counter today, and Graham is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. These two have been married for seventeen years, and you can see they still love each other deeply. They started the diner as they didn’t want to spend time apart, and this was an easy way for them to work together. Suzie is around five-three, has dark collar-length hair, brown eyes, a real sweet personality. Graham is five-eleven, shaved head, has blue eyes, pretends to be a grump, but he’s a kind man, but not a fool. I’ve been lucky that Suzie and Graham took me on and have allowed me to rent the small apartment above the diner. It also helps them as they can call on me if they get unexpectedly busy. I’m always going to help them as they are helping me. After settling into my job, I purchased new clothing and dyed my hair black but kept the waist-length in a braid.
The property patch tattoo on my shoulder I had covered with a black rose with three red tears leaking from it. I keep it covered at all times. It’s my reminder that you can trust no one as they will stab you in the heart the first chance they get. “Mia, table six order ready,” Suzie shouts. Picking up the two plates, I hurry and carry them to the table where two men are sitting. I had not noticed them come in and order. I must have been on my ten-minute break Placing the plates in front of these two, I keep my head down as they are wearing MC kuttes. I try and see the name of the MC, but without stopping, I can’t read it. “Thanks, doll.” one of them murmurs, smiling at me. I return it and quickly walk away. Keeping one eye on them, I make sure I stay busy and hope they don’t hang around too long. I think I recognize one as Crack, the Enforcer of the club Gunner belonged to, but without looking right at him, I’m not sure. As they stand to leave, I see the back of their kuttes, Rogue Legion MC. I walk through the kitchen, keeping my head down and side-eye Suzie, who sees me scurrying away.
“Have a nice day now,” Suzie calls to them as they open the diner door and leave. Leaning against the wall in the back hall, I struggle to get my breathing under control. That was close; the last thing I want is them finding me, now or ever. Calming myself, I head back to the diner, clear tables, and serve the last lunchtime customers. As the afternoon rolls through, I find myself settling back down again. The rest of the day flies past, and once Suzie has the main door to the diner locked, we all work together to clean the kitchen thoroughly. This is not part of my job, but I always help them. They are the only people to have shown me kindness in over five years. Once done, Suzie takes out the three plates she always has for us, and we take our seats near the register wall. I know it’s coming. I can feel it. “Okay, Mia, I think it’s time you told us what happened to you and why you nearly piss your panties when you saw those two bikers,” Graham states gently.
Sitting back in my seat, I take a sip of my coffee and let my mind wander back nearly six years. “I was in a relationship with a biker called Gunner. He was part of the Rogue Legion MC. I won’t get into it all but know that he had a daughter with a club bimbo, and she walked out when Zara was born. When Zara was two, Gunner and I started seeing each other. I wasn’t part of the club. I worked in the town bank at the time,” I walk over to the counter and pick up the coffee pot and top us all off, “Long story short, Cara came back, attacked Zara, and I beat on her, she pulled out a knife, and I managed to get it off her and stabbed her. She told everyone that I was jealous of her and that I had been beating Zara, she tried to stop me, and I stabbed her. I wasn’t believed, so I was arrested, found guilty, and imprisoned for five years. Now I don’t want anything to do with any of them.” “Oh Mia, they don’t deserve you anyway,” Suzie murmurs. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly. “Fuckin’ bimbo. I hope the truth will come out one day, Mia. It has a way of doing that when you least expect it.” Graham picks my hand up and squeezes it gently. “I did time, Graham, not my time, but I did it.
I learned a lot inside, and now I can look after myself. I will always love you both for helping me when no one else wanted to.” I state, giving them both a warm smile. “I don’t want them to find me; it’s one of the reasons I dye my hair, to make me less noticeable as Miriam, which is my real name. But I’m now Mia and Blade to those inside that kept away from me.” “Can you change your name legally?” Suzie asks. “Yes, but if I do, the tech man at the MC will easily find out what I change it to and find me. So I’m not going to do that. I’ll just stay as Mia and work for cash in hand. I’ll stay here with you as long as they don’t find me.” I state, then pick up the dishes and take them into the kitchen. “You can stay here as long as you like, Mia. These people don’t deserve you anyway. We want you to stay with us, and if they come in again, you can disappear up to your apartment if you need to.” Graham says as he places his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.
The next few weeks pass with no sightings of the Rogue Legion MC. I know better than to relax, and although I’m five towns over from their clubhouse, it still means I need to be alert if I leave the safety of the diner. Washing down all the tables, I’m tired and ready to be closing the door anytime. Suzie is cashing out the register, and Graham is starting to switch off stoves and close out the kitchen for cleaning. As I finish the last table, the door opens, and four men walk in, talking loudly, and they throw themselves onto a back table. I give Suzie a look as we notice they are wearing the MC kutte. I need to keep my head, stay calm, and ride this out. I’m pleased I had re-colored my hair two days back, and the natural auburn color no longer showed through at the roots. The green contacts Graham suggested I wear also help as my warm chocolate brown could have caused some recognition. Picking up my waitress pad and pencil, I walk over with the coffee pot and cups on a tray. “Coffee?” I state in a bored tone. “Thanks, doll.” one of them responds, but I don’t look up, preferring to keep my eyes down. I place cups out and fill them, then take the pot and tray before walking back again, “What can I get you all?” “What ya got left, babe?” one of them asks, looking at his kutte. He’s VP and called Trip.
I never knew this man, thankfully. “We can make y’all a fry up, bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, and toast,” I state, keeping my voice as bored sounding as possible. “Yea, that will do doll, four of.” the one at the back of the table states, looking up, he is staring at me intently, flicking my eyes down, he’s the Enforcer, Crack it says on his kutte, he was part of the MC when I was with Gunner and I don’t want him to recognize me. I didn’t have anything to do with many at the club, and I hope that works for me. Crack is six-two, well built, short brown hair, and a beard. If I remember rightly, he was a reasonably okay guy. “Okay, it’ll be about twenty minutes.” and I walk back to the kitchen, giving Graham the order. Graham leans over and whispers to me, “Go to your apartment. If they ask, I’ll say it was your knock-off time. They won’t know you’re in the apartment above.” I nod and quickly but quietly climb the back stairs to my apartment and close the door, leaning against it taking in deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. it is getting too close, and maybe I need to leave soon. I walk into the bedroom and open the top drawer in the dresser and count the dollars I’ve managed to save so far.
Seven hundred, not going to get me far. I need to keep saving. Looking around, the bedroom is not large, but it’s clean, tidy and it’s got a bed, dresser, bedside table, and a small chair. The kitchen is small and has a sink, small fridge, stove, microwave and lastly a utility with a washer and dryer. The lounge is larger, has a couch, TV, and coffee table. The bathroom has a sink with a cupboard under, toilet, and shower unit, nothing flashy but fair condition. I can cope living here nicely, after being in prison for five years., this is pure luxury. The MC gutted out the apartment I had before prison, I presume. No one ever came to see me or tell me where my things were. At first, it hurt me that I had lost all that I had worked for, and then to lose what I thought was my family has left me bitter, and I won’t ever trust again. I quickly shower and change, placing my work clothes in the washer, sitting down to dry my hair which takes forever with it being so long and thick. This relaxes me, and I start to feel the tension in my shoulder leave. With a soft tapping on the apartment door, I walk over and open it to see Suzie. She smiles and steps inside. Taking the brush from my hand, I walk into the lounge and sit again.
Suzie picks up the dryer and starts to dry and brush my hair. “They’ve gone obviously, and they didn’t ask where you had gone or even look for you that I could see. I kept one eye on them Mia, but they showed no sign of interest,” after another few minutes, Suzie takes a deep breath, “Do you think they are actively looking for you? Do you think they know you’re out of prison now?” “I don’t know, Suzie. No one was at the gate when I was released. I took the bus to the halfway house, and I never saw any of them.” I respond, running my hands up and down my thighs with nerves. “If they look like they’re getting aware, I’ll move on. I won’t put you in any danger.” “You will not. We don’t want you moving on anywhere, and if they start trouble, we’ll go to the cops. You served your time, and as you said, Mia, not even your time. I won’t have you run off.” Suzie is pissed, something I’ve never seen or heard from her before. She is such a calm, caring person, and her anger has taken me by surprise. “Let’s just keep calm about it, Suzie. If they keep coming in and show any interest, then we can revise what to do. So far, it seems they are calling in on their way back from somewhere, rather than looking for anything.” I tell her, braiding my hair and then taking Suzie’s hand and giving it a light squeeze. Once Suzie has left, I make a hot chocolate and pick up my kindle, which I take to my bedroom and sit on the bed leaning on the headboard.
As the room darkens, I don’t put the lamp on as I feel nervous and don’t want anyone to know the apartment is in use. I get ready for bed in the dark after double-checking the apartment door lock and settling down for the night. Mia One of the jobs at the diner that I most detest is cleaning the toilets. People are so disgusting it makes you want to vomit. Toilet paper all over the floor, water splashed everywhere, the soap dispenser hanging off again. The things to sort are never-ending in here. Grabbing a pair of gloves, I set about cleaning all the toilets. The industrial cleaners always make my eyes water, so I don’t usually wear my contacts, but for some reason, I decided to keep them in today. I have my earbuds in and listening to some rock music, I’m not up to date with the newer groups, but I’ll enjoy listening to them and working out which ones I like the best. Once I have the toilets cleaned, I start mopping out the stalls, and then I’ll move on to clean the urinals. Men stink. Can they never piss straight? Finishing the urinals, I set about cleaning the sinks and mirrors. My mind is miles away, trying to work out how much I can save from my next paycheck. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I spin around and smash out with the heel of my hand and hit someone in the nose. A loud “What the HECK!” is snarled, and I step back when I see it is a man with a kutte. This man is around six-two, dark hair in a man bun, close shaved beard, very handsome, kill me now is my thought. “Oh, I’m so sorry, you scared me,” I say, trying to sound like a weak little lady.
“I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to frighten you, I just wanted to take a piss and was letting you know I was here,” he states, and that’s when I notice his kutte says President – Axel. “It’s okay, I’ll go stand outside until you’re finished.” and I try to get out of the bathroom fast, but he reaches out and takes hold of my arm. “Do I know you?” he asks, frowning at me. “No, I don’t think so.” I pull my arm away and quickly go out and to the kitchen, holding a hand on my chest, deep breathing to try and get myself under control. Graham looks up and frowns, but I shake my head and nod to the bathroom down the corridor. I stand and wait, leaning on the wall, doing my best to look like I’m bored waiting to get back to work. The man named Axel comes out of the bathroom, nods, and walks past me back into the dining area. As I watch him pass, I turn and see the back of his kutte, which has the logo Raging Barons MC. My heart settles down now I know they’re not the MC I have to stay hidden from.
But one thing is for sure I don’t want to get mixed up with another MC ever. I return to the bathroom and finish up as fast as I can. The urgency to get back to the apartment is snapping at me. I need to get behind a closed door and feel safe for a while. As I pass the kitchen, Suzie shouts to me, so I turn and pop my head in, asking, “You okay, Suzie? Do you need something?” “We have a full house Mia, could you help out? I don’t want you to be put in a position, but I’m falling behind. It’s not the ones who you’re worried about.” Suzie states giving me a hopeful look. “Sh-it Suzie,” I say. “Okay, but if it looks like trouble, I’m outta here.” “Thanks, Mia.” I owe these two people such a lot I don’t have a problem helping them. It’s the current customers that are the problem. Sucking it up, I grab my apron and head into the diner, Graham giving me a thank you look on the way past. The place is packed with MC men. I take a breath and head to the first table, “What can I get y’all?” Taking the order, I hand it to Suzie, who pins it up for Graham, then I take the following table, and that is all I do, keep my head down, take orders, give out meals, top-up drinks, I say as little as possible.
I don’t recognize any of these men, so they shouldn’t recognize me, especially with my different hair color and contacts. I don’t remember mixing with this club when I used to go to the clubhouse with Gunner. Thankfully, no problems arise, but I note that the President Axel has been watching me work. I’m sure I don’t know him, and I think with his six-foot four-inch height, I would remember. They all seem to have eaten, so I start clearing tables and topping up any cups. I hand out their checks as I go along. One of them grabs hold of my wrist as I reach to pick up dirty plates, and I rotate my hand from left to right, which makes him lose his grip. I jump back from the table, and I have my blade strapped to my calf if I need it. Thankfully my loose pants keep it from being obvious. “Keep your hands off, Knuckle, or you’ll answer to me.” the President has stood and is walking over towards us. I back off, not wanting to get close to anyone. “Sorry, he’ll be spoken to once we get him back to the clubhouse. Are you okay?” “I’m fine, thank you.” I step back even further, then I feel someone at my back, but before I react, Graham steps in front of me. “Time to leave, boys. Come back anytime when your boy here has learned his manners.” Graham keeps his calm and speaks only to the President. “No trouble here, we’ll be back when passing, and he’ll have manners,” Axel responds, nodding to them all to head out the door.
They all leave the diner, and Axel throws down a couple of hundred dollars, nodding at Graham, and closes the door as he leaves. I stand until they have all left the parking lot in front and then sit heavily at one of the tables. Suzie rubs her hand over my shoulder and squeezes it. “Did you know any of them, Mia?” Graham asks, sitting opposite me. “No, I didn’t recognize any. I don’t think I’ve seen that MC before.” I pinch the top of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, trying to relieve some of the stress. “The one who paid, with President on his jacket, kept looking at you.” Suzie murmurs, frowning with some worry, “He either thought he knew you, or he liked the look of you.” “Christ, I hope not. I don’t want anything to do with any MC. I know Nevada has a few MCs around and Montana. Those are the states these two clubs come from, so unless I move totally out of the way, I think there’ll always be one.” I state. “Do you ever think of clearing your name Mia?” Graham asks, placing an iced tea in front of us all. “Not really, Graham. I don’t think there’s any way I can do that. Cara would never admit to lying, and no one ever asked me what happened. They all just believed her.
Even Zara didn’t say anything, and she was seven, as I told you. She could have told them I didn’t hurt her.” That’s what hurts me more than even Gunner never asking me what happened. I’d helped everyone in that club one way or another, from babysitting to shopping when they were ill, driving them if they didn’t have a vehicle, cleaning the bar, and even cooking up meals now and again. Five years inside, I still don’t understand how any of them could believe I would hurt Zara when she was like a daughter to me. I’ll never forgive them, and one day I hope Cara and Gunner will both get what karma throws at them. Crack Sitting in Church, I look around at my brothers, and I’m not sure I should bring up the subject I’m about to as it has been a topic no one wanted to talk about for the last five years. We discuss the run we just finished and the upcoming business. The coffers are in good shape for this time of the year. Two new prospects were voted to try out, both being relatives of brothers of the club. Sharp, our President of the last eight years, is trying to get the club clean, and we are getting to that point. We just have to sidestep gently from some of our oldest customers.
“Any other business?” Sharp asks as he lifts his gavel. “Yea, I have somethin’ I want to discuss,” I add before I change my mind. “Okay, Crack, what do you want to discuss?” Sharp says, leaning back in his seat. “Everyone here remembers Miriam,” this has the room bursting into grumbles, snarls, and deadly remarks, “Hang on, let me speak.” I snarl, “Does anyone know when her time was gonna be up?” “Anytime this year.” Gunner snarls, “When she gets out, I’m gonna kill her if I find her.” “You know what, Gunner? I never believed what was said. Miriam loved you and Zara. We all could see that. I don’t think for a minute she would hurt anyone, let alone that little girl. Now Cara, yea, that bimbo would, and you never even spoke to Miriam to find out the truth.
You also made sure none of us got to speak to her either. If she didn’t do this, she’s served five years for something she didn’t do.” I state, giving him it straight. He should have had her back, found out at least what she had to say. “What? Did you want to sleep her Crack? Did you want in her panties?” Gunner snarls. “You are disgusting, Gunner. She’s better off without you. If I ever find her, I’m gonna ask her what happened. I’m gonna find out if Cara lied, and if she did, you can believe she’ll be in the fuckin’ shed.” after slamming my hands on the table, I walk out, pissed off, and make sure I shoulder slam Gunner as I walk past him.