by Cilla Lee
“Sit” Saint says and I look at him
“I have to help,” he smiles, kisses my cheek and I get up and start helping Tink and Prim with the food. Rowen watches us as we serve up plates and drinks, I hand Saint his dinner as Tink serves Sinner and Prim gets her brothers dinner. I know it’s archaic to be subservient to the guys, but I actually don’t mind
“God, you're just another Stepford wife like Tink” Rowen says and we both stop looking at her
“Excuse me,” I ask her
“Do all the woman at the clubhouse do what they're told”
“Don’t be a bitch Rowen” Sinner says
“What, every time I come here you guys sit down and Tink serves you”
“I like looking after my family Rowen, so don’t get things twisted” Tink tells her and I smile, when Tink gets pissed she’s a little firecracker
“I’m just saying that it’s a little weird”
“I like helping Mommy” Prim says and Rowen picks her up
“And your good at it baby” Prim smiles climbing down, after all the food is out we all sit
“So, Zoey what did you study at college, home economics” Rowen snidely says and I look at her (bitch)
“Actually, I got a Mechanical Engineering degree concentrating on Automotive Engineering”
“Engineering” she asks me and Saint smiles squeezing my leg
“You’re a mechanic” she asks me and I nod
“Yep”
“But you…”
“I love cars or anything with an engine, I’ve worked at the clubs’ shop since I was fifteen, Colt Stryker Tucker and Tank have been amazing and then I went off to college so I can help the shop more”
“You went to college to learn about being a mechanic” I shake my head
“No Rowen, I went to college to learn about many things, Mechanics was what I got my degree in”
“Zoey’s a genius” Sinner says, smiling at me and they all turn looking at me
“Genius” Saint’s mom asks, looking at me skeptically
“Well, I not dumb and I’m not anyone’s slave, I help out the woman at the club because we're a family and that’s just what you do and I’m smart that’s all things come easy”
“So, how smart, are you”
“I do alright”
“So, what’s your IQ” Rowen asks me
“Rowen stop being a bitch” Saint says
“What?”
“It’s in the hundreds,” I tell them
“Hundreds,” she says, and I nod “Any specific number.”
“Rowen, I mean it quit being a bitch,” Saint says
“So, Zoey your sister is married to one of the club members?” Saint’s mom asks
“Yes”
“Is she much older than you?”
“She’s four years older”
“And your parents”
“They're both dead, it’s just Niya and I”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I shrug
“It’s fine Niya more than makes up plus I have Maggie and Razor”
“Razor” she asks
“He’s the clubs President”
“Oh, right”
“So are you all coming to the wedding” Saint asks
“Of course we’re coming, where is it going to be?” she asks and Saint looks at me
“Baby”
“At the clubhouse”
“The clubhouse!” Saint’s mom asks a bit shocked “you want to get married at their clubhouse”
“Of course, it’s a part of us, why not have it there”
“Because it’s a warehouse full of bikers” Rowen says again (damn she’s a bitch)
“Yes, it is” I say, smiling at her and Saint pulls me to him kissing my neck
“Let’s eat,” he says his parents still looking unsure
****
Saint
As we sit around in the living room Mom Tink and Zoey all cleanup and I look over at Rowen “Why were you being such a bitch?”
“Hey, it’s my job as your sister,” she says
“I don’t give a fuck Rowen, Zoey’s going to be my wife so cut the shit”
“Oh come on, I have no idea what the hell you guys do to the woman in your clubhouse, but there all doormats.”
“Doormats! Rowen, those two women in there, may seem like doormats, but you try and fuck them off the only doormat you’ll be seeing is the one that will be coming at your face when you land on it” Sinner tells her
“Sure, your woman would kick my ass,” she says rolling her eyes
“Rowen, Zoey lives in a life where we have to be hard asses and the woman are just as hard”
“Oh yeah, I can see Tink kicking ass” and Sinner and I laugh
“Woman, she’s a little terrier when you start her off and trust me she can give as good as she gets” The girls all come back in Sinner and I pulling the girls to our laps and Rowen rolls her eyes at us
“So what plans have you made for the wedding?” mom asks and I look at Zoey having no idea what she wants
“Well the flowers are going to be purple calla lilies and white roses”
“So that’s the color scheme purple and white” Rowen asks and Zoey nods her head
“Purples my favorite color”
“I see,” mom says and I look at her
“What?”
“Calla lilies, really!”
“Yes, the bridesmaid dress will be, purple with a white ribbon that I haven’t decided yet.”
“And your dress.”
“Well, actually, Saint introduced me to a woman yesterday, and I thought I might go and see her to see if she would make my dress for me.”
“Make it, don’t you think that’s cutting it a bit fine?”
“No, two weeks should be sufficient.”
“So, what will it look like?”
“That’s a surprise for the big day.”
“Baby I don’t want you going to see Mia,” I tell her, and she looks at me
“Why not?”
“Because I said so, Mia’s club business”
“But”
“Zoey” I look at her and she nods biting her lip as she looks at Tink
“Maybe Mia could go to Niya’s and do measurements there and make the dress” Tink says smiling
“That would be ok, just no going to the shop do you hear me” Zoey smiles as Rowen rolls her eyes, Zoey narrowing her eyes at her “right where going” I stand up lowering Zoey to her feet
“Zoey can I be a flower girl” Prim asks her and Zoey gets down to her level again
“Well, I was going to ask Uncle Cuff” Prim laughs
“Uncle Cuff in a dress,” she laughs and Zoey pulls her to her tickling her
“Of course, you’re my flower girl”
“Can Logan walk me down the aisle” Zoey looks up at me smiling
“Um, I’m not sure honey, how about we work all that out later” Prim nods smiling
“Ok”
“Ok” Zoey kisses her on the cheek and mom hugs me and dad shakes my hand and they both hug Zoey, Rowen just stands there
“Tink, I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Yep”
“Mr and Mrs Reid, it was a pleasure meeting you” Zoey says and I pull her out to my bike. The second we’re outside and away from everyone I pull Zoey to me and look her right in the eye
“You still wanna marry me,” she smiles looping her arms around my neck
“Your sisters a bit of a bitch, but I can handle her” I lean down kissing her and she moans
“Wanna go for a ride,” she nods her head as we get on my bike and head out for a nice long ride.
Chapter Thirty
Zoey
As I walk into the kitchen Niya and Maggie are sitting at the table and I walk over and get a coffee “So, I heard you met the in-laws last night” Maggie asks me and I walk over and sit across from them
“Saint’s sister is a real bitch, but his parents were n
ice”
“I’ve only ever seen the mom once a few years ago never met the dad and only heard the sister when she was here”
“Right the week of Lilly’s wedding, is she still” Niya asks but I shake my head no
“No, she’s clean”
“That’s good”
“So, Prim asked me if Logan could walk her down the aisle and it got me thinking, do you think he wouldn’t mind walking me down the aisle”
“Really” Niya asks, tears in her eyes and I reach over and she wipes the tears away
“Damn hormones” she says, smiling
“So, Logan, what do you think?” they both smile at me
“I think he’d like that”
“I couldn’t think of any other person to give me away”
“Me either,” Maggie says, smiling
“So, have you thought of your dress” Niya asks me
“I have, I wanted to go and see Mia but Saint said the shops a no go, but we could invite her to the house so she can measure me” they both look at me
“Why aren’t we allowed to go to the shop?”
“He said Mia was club business.”
“I wonder what’s going on?”
“No idea” I tell them
“Then give her a call and see if she can come out to the house now, we only have two weeks”
“Right I’ll go call her now”
*
Mia meets us all at Niya’s house the kids running around outside so we could concentrate on the wedding details. A car pulls up and Tink walks to the window “It’s Mia”
“God, I feel so nervous”
“It’s only a measuring” Lena says
“I know, but it’s for my wedding day,” she pats my arm as Mia comes walking in and stops
“Oh, hello, I didn’t know you would all be here,” she says looking at all the girls
“Mia, we do most things together” Abbey tells her
“Oh, ok, so I have my tape and a notepad, let’s get measuring” Mia gets me to stand on a little stool, and she takes all of my measurements
“Gosh, you are so small” I look at her than down at my body
“I’m not that small, look at my ass is huge” Mia laughs
“No, this is huge” and she turns around
“No, your curvy”
“So are you, but my butts bigger so I win,” she says smiling “so what fabrics do you want to use?” I step down showing her the dress I would like and she smiles “Oh it’s lovely and will look perfect on you”
“It’s only between you and I, I want to surprise everyone”
“Really”
“Yeah, Niya done the same thing, so that’s what I want”
“Ok the bridesmaids dress”
“Niya” I call out and she comes walking in
“Yeah”
“You’re up” I tell her and she looks at me
“For what?”
“To be measured for the Matron of Honor dress.”
“You want me to be your Matron of Honor” I nod my head
“Of course,”
“Oh Zoey” she pulls me to her and starts crying, and I pat her on the back holding her tight
“Who else would I want standing beside me,” I tell her, and she cries even more, and Maggie walks in handing her a tissue
“Damn hormones,” she says, and I laugh
“Come on, up ya get,” I tell her
****
Saint
Sinner and I walk into the into a little souvenir shop, the women behind the counter looks up frowning at us. The tourists giving us a wide berth, the woman walks up to us looking around nervously “It’s not the end of the month” Sinner looks at me and we both look at the women
“Can we talk out the back” I ask her and she looks at the three customers in her shop
“I..” she says nervously
“It won’t take long”
“But my customers” I look at my brother and smile
“He’ll severe them” the women and Sinner look at me and I take the woman’s elbow leading her to the back and we head into a little office and the woman turns to me
“I don’t have the money” I put my hand up to stop her
“I’m not here for money” she frowns seeming confused
“I don’t understand”
“Tell me about the guy that comes to collect the money”
“Why are you asking? He’s one of you”
“Just tell me, give me a description of him”
“A description”
“Yes”
“I don’t know he’s about six -foot short black hair, stocky build and he smells like weed all the time” I look at her
“You know what weed smells like?” she smiles
“Honey, I grew up in the sixties, I know what weed smells like”
“What else” I ask her
“Nothing else”
“Does he ride a bike or walk,” she thinks about it
“I don’t know really, I suppose if I think about it, he walks, I never hear the sound of a bike or car”
“Any tattoo’s distinguishing features,” she frowns at me
“What is this all about?”
“Anything else about him,” she shakes her head
“He’s not one of you is he” I shake my head, and she sighs
“Goddammit” she throws her stapler at the wall
“How long have you been payin’ him?”
“Just over a year, it started off with small amounts I wasn’t going to do it, but the club is known for being I don’t know you don’t mess with them, so I thought it was a good idea, so the payments were five hundred a month. I thought that was a bit much then, but as time went on it started going up and up, and now it’s a thousand a week.”
“He comes in at the end of the month,” I ask her, and she nods
“Yeah, usually on the last day of the month.”
“Ok,” I get up looking at her
“This stays between you and me” she stands up
“So, I haven’t been paying the club.”
“No darlin’ you haven’t, whoever this asshole is it’s gonna stop, the club don’t do protection” the woman smiles
“Then why are you even bothering?”
“Because he’s pretending to be a Devil and that shit is a one-way ticket to hell” I walk out seeing Sinner ringing up the till I pull my phone out taking a picture.
The same story is the same with the other two shops we head to, Sinner looks at me “This guy’s got balls, I’ll give him that” he says and I nod in agreement
“Yeah, well let’s get back to the clubhouse and let Razor know what we’ve got.”
As we pull up to the clubhouse, Oki and Tucker pull up next to us “Any luck with you two” I ask Oki
“Fuckers got the three shops we went to, payin’ him.”
“Same as us.”
“Damn, this fuckers rackin’ it in using our name,” Tucker says and we all nod
“Well find him,” I tell them and we all walk inside straight for the meeting room.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jake
‘what the fuck are you talkin’ about dickhead, her pussy’s way fuckin’ tighter than Summer’s.’
‘Brother, Bliss used to be tight now she’s just as tight as Summer now Cand…’ The widow explodes, and I’m propelled out of my seat hitting the roof, my skull exploding in agony as I’m thrown around the van. It rolls over and over coming to a stop, Chance lying next to me his eyes staring straight at me lifeless
“Chance” I reach out, but as I move I scream with pain my legs busted up bad, and I know my ribs are broken as I struggle to breath “Chance” I reach out, but his eyes are dead “CHANCE! Man wake the fuck up” I push him, but nothing “Chance please man wake up” tears run down my face, and I hear a groan looking up seeing Gunner still in the driver’s seat “GUNNER! GUNNER!” I yell, but he just moans, and I look arou
nd the door smashed in.
“Is anyone in there” a woman’s voice yells out, but I just lay there as Chance's lifeless eyes stare at me. I wake up sweating, looking around “Just another dream,” I tell myself as I stare at the ceiling as tears run down my face. Chance and Gunner haunt my every thought, Chance the most, I lay there with him for over an hour until they could cut us out Gunner was no better off not moving at all. I’d seen people die before, but never anyone that I knew not someone that meant something to me who I looked up to. I sit up going to my desk and pull out the file of the bastard that killed my friends, and I stare at his picture
‘Harold Pen sixty-two lived in Coral City his whole life, (widower) of six years, was married to Wanda Rale had one daughter Sharon Pen (deceased), one granddaughter. Harold was a plumber for over fifty years until he retired five years ago owns his own home at 267 Lake, Round Drive’ I stare at his photo for so long getting angrier and angrier “You old bastard you’re gonna pay for what you’ve done.”
****
Ella
As I place the flowers on Brayden’s grave I tidy up the leaves and lay down looking up at the sky “The sky looks so blue Bray” the tears coming hard “I miss you so much and I know we haven’t really spoken that much lately but I miss you. I hate that I can’t pick up the phone and call, what am I going to do Bray?” I lay on my side, placing my hand on the mound of dirt, the sound of a motorbike has me standing up wiping the tears away and placing my arms around my waist
“Ella, how’d you get here?” Blaze asks me the intense look he gives me making my insides shiver
“I walked” I tell him and he steps forward
“If you wanted to come here all you had to do was ask, I would have given you a lift” I shake my head at him looking at the ground
“It’s fine, I needed to get out of the clubhouse” I tell him
“You don’t like the clubhouse” I shake my head and he frowns more that all he ever does is frown at me, he seems to be in a perpetual bad mood
“No, I like it just fine, I just wanted to see Brayden” he looks down at my brother’s grave
“He was a good Brother,” he says and I can see the sorrow in his face, making me step forward and I place my hand on his arm and he looks at me
“He was a great brother” I tell him and he nods, his dark hair and dark eyes staring right at me “What was Gunner like?” I ask him and he looks to the grave next to Brayden’s
