by A P Foote
He shrugs. “It’s not completely crazy. I was in a similar relationship before.” His shirt tightens across his chest as he leans back.
“What happened?”
“Eh, I was young. Thought I was in love, but it was just puppy love.” He smiles, patting my hand reassuringly. “So, why does Clyde have a vest in a death grip?”
Okay, here goes nothing.
I evaluate his mood a little more, scanning his handsome face, watching his jaw flex in anticipation. Exhaling a heavy breath, I just let it flow out.
“Clyde and I have known each other forever. I would sneak out of the house to meet up with him for self-defense lessons. He taught me how to shoot, use knives, and hand to hand. I was a hellion growing up, and a badass, but the difference was I didn’t just talk the talk.” I pause so if he has any questions he can ask, but instead he lets me continue while he listens intently. “When I turned eighteen Clyde’s dad brought a proposition to the table. They had expelled their current Enforcer and wanted someone they could trust, someone dedicated to the family and wasn’t afraid to get their hands dirty; that was me. My dad was fully against it, but he was outnumbered and didn’t want to piss anyone off, so he voted in favor.”
“What happened? Why did you leave?”
I clear my throat before answering, “Clyde took over after his father died, and before mine was killed he made me promise if anything happened to him, I would stay as far away as possible, but you see how well that worked.”
Cass chuckles picking at his boot; his demeanors changed. Somethings nagging at him, he looks… sad.
“Hey, what is it?” My hand slides up his arm squeezing his bicep.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He looks defeated, regret and destined pain etched over his face.
“Anything,” I encourage. There’s nothing he could say at this point that would make turn away.
Damn feelings.
“I—”
Thundering footsteps pound down the hall, and Dalton and Clyde appear in the door. “We got a problem.”
Cass looks at them, then back to me. “Later?”
“Yeah, of course.” I smile.
“Get dressed, Kat, we’re not leaving you alone,” Clyde demands, throwing the black cow hide on the bed between Cass and me. “We’ll try this,” he swirls a finger between the four of us, “but you’re back in. I don’t give a damn about a vote on this.” I nod shuffling the sheet over to my clothes on the floor.
The guys stand around talking amongst themselves while I get ready.
My head swims when I stand up faster than I should. My pain is gone for the time being, but that pain medication has me fucked up. I probably should have only taken one considering I had a problem in the past with pills and cocaine. Add drinking to the mix and I was one fucked up Kat. I could hang with the best sometimes outlasting them, but the fallout was much worse when I’d come down. I fucking loved it though. I never had any fear, my anxiety was non-existent, sex being that high was filthy and I didn’t want it any other way. I was free.
“You ready?”
“Huh? Yeah, I’m coming,” I stammer shoving my foot into my leather boot. The guys hurry down the hall while I grab the bottle of pills off the nightstand where Cass left them. I throw my hoodie that has somehow just appeared out of nowhere and my cut over it.
Yeah, the club isn’t going to like this.
Some kid, even though they’ve all pretty much known me from birth, just gets to come back in and retain her rank? This is definitely gonna be problem.
“Kat, let’s go!” Clyde yells from the front door.
“I’m coming!” I call racing down the hall and shoving the bottle into the hoodie, and I’m out the door in seconds. Dalton closes it up before bolting down the stairs next to me.
“Kat, ride with D,” Clyde demands after mounting his bike. He and Cass start ’em up and wait for me to hop in the truck. As soon as my door is closed, they pull away from the house with us in tow.
We’re barely down the road when Dalton speaks up, sparing my chest glances. “Enforcer huh?”
I figured he would have tons of questions.
“Clyde filled me in outside when he was ruining what’s left of the grass.” I give him a sheepish smile. “I’m okay with it, if it means we get to know each other better and that I get you, I’m good.”
Wow, why do I get the feeling the twins have shared before? Was D in that relationship with his brother?
“Just don’t expect me not to get jealous or try vying for the most attention. It’ll just take a little time ya know?” His hand grips the steering wheel a little harder.
“I get it, and I’m sorry to put you in this position.”
“Hey.” He reaches over with his hand rubbing my leg. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
Hopefully this works out in my favor.
Two and half hours later we’re pulling back up to the club. Deja freaking Vu.
I feel around my hoodie to make sure the bottle is still safely tucked away. I’ll be able to stop once I’m healed, right now though it’s the only thing getting me through the pain.
We hop out of the truck just as Clyde and Cass cut their engines.
“What’s going on?” I fall in line next to Clyde, trying to keep up with his long strides while Cass and Dalton creep behind us.
“The fucking Power,” He curses.
Shit, now what? These guys just don’t stop, how could anyone actually believe my dad was FBI? It’s not my fault their president is ignorant and got caught. Even if he was, why should I have to pay for his mistakes?
Nix is at the door, holding it open for us. He’s angry from the looks of it. I let the guys go ahead of me. Nix places a firm hand on my shoulder, stopping my entry. He fingers my vest, eyeing my patches. “Welcome back.” He drops his hand, ushering me through the door.
That was easy, at lease the VP is on my side.
“Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell happened?” I hear Clyde’s echo down the hall.
“I—I was picking up an order in the v—van. I never even saw them coming.” It’s Boogie struggling to speak. My feet move faster trying to reach him. He was my dad’s best friend and he’s the clubs Road Captain. He’s an older man in his sixties who’s talked about retiring for the past ten years.
I reach the office sliding in without being noticed and slipping through the sea of bodies.
Fuck! What the hell did they do to him? Ohhh, I’m gonna kill them. Every single one. They have no idea who I am and what I’m capable of. They didn’t name me the Reaper for nothing. The attack they orchestrated was a fluke and I’ll be damned if it ever happens again.
“You okay, Boogie?” Hitting my knees, I take his face in my hands, looking over the beating he took. His eye is black and blue, covered in blood and swollen shut. It’s about five times its normal size. Tilting his head to the side reveals a long, deep gash oozing with blood.
Someone hands me a shirt to cover it up but the material has the consistency of a sponge and just soaks it up.
Fuck why couldn’t anyone have medical training.
“May I?” Cass’s smooth voice filters through the air. He nudges me aside, but I happily oblige if he can help.
“D?”
“Yeah?”
“Get the medical kit from the truck.” His voice strains as he evaluated the extent of Boogie’s injuries.
“On it.”
“Help me get him to a chair. I can’t do this on the floor.” Clyde, Nix, and Cass lift the big man up. He moans and groans at being lifted from the floor. I wince as he does, just imagining what kind of discomfort he must be in. My beating wasn’t near as bad as this.
“Like the cut, kid.” He half smiles. I smile back giving him a nod.
“What the hell is this?” I recognize the voice as Cabe’s. He comes up behind me grabbing hold of my hoodie.
“Hey! Don’t fucking touch her!” Cass roars jumping to my defense
. Clyde advances as well ready for a fight.
When Cabe jerks me back my ribs start burning like a son of a bitch. I hiss in pain which only fuels my guys’ rage. Pure adrenaline surges through me, kicking my instincts into high gear. My elbow lashes out jamming the hard edge into the Enforcer’s ribs.
“Oomph!” He buckles over, his arms wrapping protectively around his midsection as he gasps for air.
Clyde, Cass, and Dalton who has just now come back into the room with a medic’s bag all grab him at the same time.
Everyone’s yelling and shoving each other. Screaming about right and wrong. Like any of them know the fucking difference.
“Enough!” Jumping into the fray is a bad idea, but if I even remotely stand a chance of being accepted back, the guys are going to have to let me fight my own battles. Even if that means getting scrappy with another member, that’s what my fucking rank is. Keeping members in line is my job.
I’m stronger than I look, so it isn’t hard ripping the guys apart from each other especially when they aren’t expecting it. Rat’s first to go. When I grab him by the collar l as hard as I can, he loses his balance tumbling over an oddly placed chair in the middle of the room. Breaking these guys up is proving harder than I thought in my condition.
Stumbling back, I cover my side to protect my bruised ribs.
“Kitty Kat!” Boogie hollers, instantly falling into a coughing fit. I limp over to him just as he pulls his gun from his waist, handing it to me.
The exterior wall is made of brick, and Boog’s 40cal should sink right in without any problems. I raise my hand pointing the barrel just below the window and fire.
Bang! The room shrinks with everyone ducking for cover trying to figure out where the shot came from and immediately reaching for their weapons.
Damn I am not in the mood for their petty, childish bull shit.
“Enough. What the fuck is wrong with you all?” I make sure to stare everyone down individually, hoping they recognize the same woman I once was in this position. I mean look, don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those me woman, hear me roar type of people, but I have fought, been to jail and killed for every single one of these fuckers and I will not be looked over again. “Get off your President.”
No one moves. “Now! Or we take an open vote on who gets shot first.”
They scatter like roaches when you flip a light on in a pitch-black room. Lowering the gun, I hand it back to Boog and he smiles, choking on his laugh.
I cross my arms over my chest and look at Clyde, giving him his platform back. Oops.
“What’s the issue, Cabe?” Clyde asks standing between the twins and his club.
“Do you really need to ask that? For starters, she left, paid the price, it’s done. Second, these two punks shouldn’t be here, they aren’t family, and third I’m the fucking Enforcer!”
God, he bitches like a twelve-year-old.
“Yes, Cabe, she did leave on her own accord and she followed through on her punishment. There’s nowhere that says she couldn’t come back and for these guys…” Clyde jabs his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m sponsoring Cass and was bringing a vote to the table today.”
“Yeah, and the other one?” He furrows his brow.
“Aye, I’m his sponsor.” Nix surprises us all with that one. Maybe he’s not such a stiffler.
Cabe looks between the men, shaking his head. There’s no point in him arguing, the rest of the club will stand behind Nix and Clyde no matter what, they’ve never been steered wrong. But I’m just going to stand back and let them hash this little debacle out.
“You’re just gonna let her come back in and retain her patches? She should have to start from the beginning. She abandoned us, remember that.”
Clyde’s eyes flicker to me, and for the first time in his life he’s unsure on what to do. Nix notices his struggle and steps in. “We vote, get this shit over with so Cass can help Boog before his… eye falls out or whatever.”
Ha! He kills me. Nix likes to play dumb, but he is far from that. He’s been around far too long and been through way too much to be as ignorant as he seems.
“Open vote?” Clyde says, waiting for Cabe’s answer. Cabe searches the room presumably thinking everyone will vote in his favor.
“Yeah,” Cabe answers arrogantly.
“All right, all in favor of bringing Kat back and retaining her colors?”
One by one each member no matter what their status is answers. “Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.” And it goes on and on until the last member who isn’t Clyde or Cabe answers. “Aye.”
“What the fuck? You guys choose her over me?” Cabe barks appalled that anyone would go against him in any shape, form, or fashion. “Why?”
“I can answer that,” Boog pants from the corner. “You haven’t been doing your job. You were supposed to ride with me on the pickup like Clyde delegated and you didn’t. You had pussy on your mind and that was all.”
Wow, how did they not realize he wasn’t performing? Has he been that blind since I left?
“It’s true,” one of the members speaks out, and murmurs of agreement spread throughout the room as everyone falls on the same page.
“Fine.” The angry Enforcer, or should I say ex enforcer snorts, walking over to the Pres’ desk. He removes his cut throwing it on the table, and another member happily hands him a knife to remove his patch. Cabe looks at him in disbelief. Oh, the thoughts that must be running through his head. If only I could read minds.
He snatches it from him, cutting each stich and bitching about how he earned this and that, all he’s done and blah blah blah.
He’s never been able to keep up with me, never had the balls to do what I would, and people finally noticed.
He’s not been expelled so I don’t know why he’s fucking butt hurt about it. If he cleans up his act and reeducates himself on brotherhood maybe he can earn Clyde’s and everyone else’s trust back.
“There, happy?” he seethes handing Clyde his patch to which he takes, shoving it deep into the abyss of his pocket.
“Cass?” Clyde points to Boog.
“On it,” he responds hurrying over to the old man’s side. I watch him dig around, pulling out gloves for his hands, rubbing alcohol, needle, thread and sterile bandages for after he’s finished. He’s stripped his hoodie off leaving those muscular tatted arms exposed for me to drool over. He leans over discarding a bloody towel, when I see it. The bottom of his shirt rides up exposing the tiniest amount of skin and the raised scar on his side.
The wound had to have been a deep one for the tissue to do that. It usually happens when the skin splits so far apart that it’s not able to heal with little or no evidence left behind.
Clyde bumps my shoulder taking me by surprise; I didn’t even see him coming. My ribs start to ache making me wince.
“What is it?”
I don’t want to tell him and if he sees the pain pills, he’ll fucking kill me. He was there when I was going through it and he was there when I went through detox. It wasn’t fun, but it was more painful for him I think to watch me struggle with my addiction and the come down that went with it. He was there though. Through it all he never made me feel less than and supported me. It’s one of the first times he truly showed who he was deep down in that steel box that hold his heart.
“I’m fine.” Smiling up at him he doesn’t need to say anything, he’s calling my bullshit with his eyes. “I’m hurting a little, the medication is wearing off.”
“As soon as Cass is done, I’ll have him grab your meds.”
Ugh he’s gonna be pissed.
“Cass doesn’t have them. I do,” I admit. Averting my eyes, I can’t look at him. The disappointment in his face? I don’t want to see it.
My gaze on my feet, I blink when a hand obstructs my view. Braving the scrutiny, I swallow my pride and face him. I’m shocked the only emotion he’s giving me is sympathy. I thought for sure he would be angry, judgi
ng, or just cold.
I retrieve the bottle out of my pocket, sliding it into his palm. He takes it popping the top and handing me one.
One isn’t going to help. I need two.
“Two,” I state. He shakes his head. “I need two, Clyde.”
“Kat, I don’t want you to go through this again,” he whispers.
“I’ll be fine, promise. I’m in a lot of pain.”
Liar.
He purses his lips, blowing heavily through his nose. He ponders my request before giving in.
