Tak: The A**hole Club Series

by Ivy Harper

  “Are you okay?” Jazz asked.

  “Fuck no.” Immediately, I felt bad. She didn’t deserve my anger. “Sorry, you’re not the one I’m angry with.”

  “You’re on edge, I get it. You had to say something back to Haines and now you’re stuck doing a commercial you didn’t want to.”

  I looked at her, really looked at her and noticed the slight flush to her cheeks and the hard look in her eyes. “Oh, is my bodyguard angry on my behalf?”

  “Of course I am. He was just being a dick because of what you said,” she blurted before she released a breath. “Then again, you’re good at making people hate you.”

  “The best, but you don’t hate me,” I said, unsure of why I cared to hear what she thought of me.

  Her expression turned thoughtful. “I hated you when you had those dicks toss me into the pool.” She hummed. It was a soft sound that immediately caught my ear. “But then you also apologized for it, so I guess my hate dropped to dislike? We’re even now.” She offered me a smile.

  I had debated whether or not I would make a move. Sure, I still wanted her gone. Fired actually, but when I leaned over and pressed my lips against hers it wasn’t because of that. Nah, I just fucking wanted to taste her smile. She stiffened as I nipped her bottom lip.

  “You’re sweet, bodyguard of mine.”

  As I settled back into my seat, I waited to see her reaction. She didn’t move for a second. When she finally did, she pressed her fingertips to her lips and her eyes slowly widened and then… she burst into tears.

  * * *

  ***

  * * *

  I shouldn’t have kissed her.

  That’s what I couldn’t stop thinking as I entered the house and watched her quickly leave my side. She had shown me such an open grin. It wasn’t like the smile she had worn the few times I’d pissed her off.

  I ran a hand through my hair and made my way toward my wing. I stopped short at the sight of the large envelope that sat on the coffee table in my living room. Staring at it, I sneered. Maybe she was disgusted by me.

  I couldn’t tell though, since she’d avoided looking at me the entire ride. I knew she was capable of knocking the shit out of me, but she hadn’t. And the following silence had been worse than if she had exploded on me. This was new to me, feeling guilt.

  I walked toward the envelope. I picked it up and flipped it over. I stared hard at the embossing there.

  I let my head drop. I was really doing this. The last time I’d been anywhere near these people, I’d been tossing my shit into the trunk of my car and going on the road. I’d never gone back, and I’d never planned on it.

  Hearing the familiar ringtone of my phone, I pulled it out. Seeing the skull emoji, I immediately knew who it was.

  “What do you want?”

  “Hey, it’s your boy Richie. It’s been too long.”

  “It’s been exactly two weeks, two days and forty-five minutes since your last text. I’ll assume you’ve found better clientele, buh-bye now,” I said. Deciding to hang up since I wasn’t in the mood for Richie’s shit.

  “Wait, wait, you can’t blame me. After that shit about you in the news popped up, I wasn’t willing to get another visit from your brother, Deacon. He’s not exactly my best friend.”

  Richie’s voice was filled with weary amusement. I lifted the phone and squinted at it as if I could see the short and greasy drug dealer.

  “So?”

  “So, I figured since you have a concert coming soon, you’d recovered and were ready for your usual order.”

  “It’s amazing how quick you are. When you say order, what are we talking?” I drawled.

  “Five blue ones, and a bag of green with no tampering. The clean shit for my best customer.”

  I chuckled. “Are you sure? I had to break your man’s hand for giving me laced green and selling to my label’s artists. Didn’t your mother teach you not to shit where you eat?”

  “Never met her, but I got your point. We won’t fuck with the people at your label. Do you want the delivery or—”

  “Mail it.”

  “Wait.”

  “What?”

  I was getting irritated with this clingy shit. What did Richie want from me? I was sick and tired of dealing with people wanting something from me all the fucking time.

  “We set up a race tonight. I heard you’ve been cooped up at your house. Figured I could invite you out to celebrate your second chance at life.” His tone turned cajoling. “Trust me, it’s going to be big.”

  I didn’t respond right away. The urge to do the right thing and ignore Richie was there, but what would hard-ass Tak do? The person I’d worked so hard to build from the trembling kid I’d been. Shit, what would the assholes do? They weren’t the type to meekly listen to anyone.

  “Tak?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there. Usual spot?”

  “Yeah.”

  Hanging up, I walked to my bedroom. I would go out, get high, and enjoy some racing. Shit, maybe I’d even get my dick wet.

  Chapter 20

  Run Away

  Jazz

  * * *

  “You what?”

  “I cried.”

  The wealth of shame I felt was only outweighed by the humiliation I experienced when Trisha burst into laughter on the other side of the phone. I should have called Dutch directly and asked for him to look up Bradley’s home address rather than endure this.

  The only thing I could say for myself was, the shock of being kissed by Tak had short-circuited my rational thinking. Leaving only the fangirl behind who had realized (a) who was kissing her, and (b) she’d violated one of the golden rules. It had been a big moment. Call me stupid and yeah, fuck me, I was twenty-nine and I had busted into tears after my favorite singer kissed me.

  “Oh my God. I can’t stop laughing. Jesus, Jazz, what happened after that?” Trisha asked, after her complete disrespect of me. I shouldn’t tell her anything, but I did because she was the only person I could talk about this with.

  “Well, it was awkward, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he keeps his distance from me from now on.” I was hit by another wave of embarrassment. “I should have never applied for this stupid job. I should have stalked him and then secretly taken out his would-be killers.”

  “And miss out on being squashed between him and Omar, no. The best thing you’ve ever done was become Tak’s bodyguard,” she near purred. “Girl, Omar is legit my dream one-night bang. He’s the only guy I’d willingly play the role of baby mama for.”

  “Well, get in line. It looks like he’s taking auditions.”

  “Are you serious? I thought he was with that actress. Dammit, why are men such hoes?” she complained.

  “I know, right. If they have a dick and there’s a moist hole, they’ll stick it in.”

  “You ain’t never lied.”

  “Hold on, I think I hear something,” I said.

  I stilled, lowering the phone when I heard something outside of my door. Placing my phone face down on the bed, I slowly got up and grabbed the collapsible baton that sat on my dresser. I walked over to my door and pressed my ear against it.

  Listening for a few seconds, I heard the sound of shuffling once more, followed by a curse. I snatched the door opened and lifted my baton up.

  “It’s me,” Ark cried, lifting his hands up in surrender.

  I frowned, looking at him in confusion. “What are you doing sneaking around here?”

  He didn’t answer right away. I glared at him.

  “Who let you in?” I asked, filled with fear he had heard my statement earlier about looking for killers.

  He shook his right hand. I spotted a ring of keys.

  “I have a key.”

  I lowered my baton. “Okay, you still didn’t say why you’re here.”

  Ark released a relieved breath, lowering his arms. “I came here to drop off the key to Tak’s car, since he told me he’d be staying home tonight. I figured we could also ta
lk about the music for the concert, but I didn’t see him in the studio or his room. I was hoping you could tell me where he went.”

  I stilled, an ominous feeling filling me. “He didn’t mention going anywhere else tonight?”

  “No,” Ark said, taking out his phone. “And he hasn’t answered any of my texts either.”

  Shit, I’d been too busy worrying about my reaction to his kiss. I knew he’d been too quiet.

  “You don’t think he went out to cause trouble, do you?” Ark asked, clearly worried.

  I walked back into my room, grabbed up my phone and hung up on Trisha. I brought up the tracking app I’d gotten specifically for Tak.

  “He could try, but there isn’t a place he can go I won’t find him.” A black dot moved on the map of the city. “Bingo.”

  Ark came to my side and looked at my phone. “Is that him?”

  I quickly shoved my feet into my sneakers and grabbed a small hand-sized case and a track jacket. “Let’s go, it’s better we go after him before he does something to get us all in trouble.”

  “Yes.” Ark chased after me.

  If I was a normal bodyguard, I probably would have panicked but as a superfan and car thief, there wasn’t anywhere Tak could go where I couldn’t find him. And when I did find him, I would ask him what the fuck he thought he was doing.

  * * *

  ***

  * * *

  “Slow down.”

  I ignored Ark’s scream. I didn’t have the luxury of driving slowly. Turning the wheel right, the tires squealed as we turned another corner. Damnit. I’d let my guard down and Tak slipped right out of the house.

  Ark gripped his seat belt for dear life. Sadly, I didn’t have the time to placate him. I needed to find Tak before someone tried to take his life again. Glancing at the phone, I saw he had finally come to a stop somewhere in the outer limits of the city.

  “Woah, woah, car,” Ark yelled.

  Looking back up, my eyes widened a fraction at the sight of a car that had come to a stop at the stop light. Swerving hard, I drove around them, my car jumping over the train tracks that ran through the city.

  “Are you smiling?” Ark’s voice trembled.

  “Maybe.” I probably was. After all, there was nothing like driving a car at its fastest speed. I glanced at the GPS. “We’re close.”

  The city sight fell away and soon we were driving through what looked like a small forest. I came to a stop when I spotted a barricade ahead. Seeing the four men who stood on either side of it, I ordered Ark to stay in the car. Putting the car in park, I picked up the small case and took out my short baton and got out.

  “W… wait, you can’t go—” The door slammed shut on whatever else Ark was going to say.

  My shoes crunched on the gravel of the road as I approached the one closest to me on my right. “Hey, can I speak with—”

  “Leave, you don’t belong here.” The guard cut me off, his posture unwelcoming.

  I paused the hand in the air I’d lifted up in a friendly greeting. “Um, you could at least—”

  “I said leave.” He moved forward, lifting his chin. He stared down at me in a threatening way, moving his eyes from me to the car. “This is an invite-only party. Your car doesn’t have the right decal, so I suggest you leave now. Argh.”

  Life isn’t easy for women. Men really love being disrespectful when there’s no reason to be. He fell to his knees. I lowered my hand holding my baton.

  He grabbed his throat, a look of awe on his face. I used the tip of the baton to lift his chin.

  “I don’t appreciate being interrupted.” I offered him a smile of apology. “I want to know if Tak is here. Is he?”

  He pulled his head away. “What are y’all doing?” he yelled at the others, who’d apparently been too shocked to move.

  Getting over their surprise, they ran at me. Trisha was right, I did have anger management issues and in that moment, I was pissed.

  The one who stood behind the dick on his knees reached out first. Retreating a step, I avoided his first grab. I stepped aside, dodging an attempt to grab me from behind by the other guard. I flipped my baton and slammed it into his side.

  He staggered backward. I turned my attention to the third one who attacked me from my front and cracked my baton across his face. He hit the ground hard.

  Turning around, I faced the one who’d recovered from my first hit. I spun and hooked my foot behind his neck. Bringing my leg down, I forced him off balance, pulling his body forward and down. His face hit the ground with a hollow thud.

  “Bitch.” The last guy standing took out a knife from his pocket. He looked both afraid and reckless. “I’m going to enjoy cutting you open.”

  “Oh, you can try,” I said, pressing the button on the bottom of the baton. It clicked as it extended. With a roar of rage, he ran at me. “Sloppy,” I muttered, moving back.

  As he thrust forward, I knocked his hand up, simultaneously bringing up my hand holding the baton. I brought it down hard against his head before flipping it and jamming it into his gut. Releasing him, I quickly stepped back, leaving him to fall to the ground.

  I released a breath and glanced over my shoulder, giving a wave to Ark before I collapsed my weapon and made my way forward. Whatever the fuck Tak was doing, if it warranted having thugs at the entrance to keep watch, it couldn’t be good.

  I went ahead and left Ark as someone who could call the cops if we took too long. Brushing the sweat off my brow, I hoped Tak was lucid enough that I didn’t have to carry him. I tightened my hand on my baton.

  If someone had hurt him… I’d kill them.

  Chapter 21

  Chicken

  Tak

  * * *

  The loud sound of music cut through the noise of the milling crowd. I’d picked a spot on the balcony on the second floor of the wood cabin where a few others were chilling and talking. Setting down my beer and a stack of little papers with phone numbers written on them, I took a moment to take it all in.

  The bright lights giving a clear view of the lane that was often used for racing. The cars were parked haphazardly along the long curvy road. The party hadn’t had one hiccup. Richie wasn’t sloppy, he enjoyed his money too much for that.

  Turning to face the pool down below, I took in the crowd of scantily dressed models. I took a deep inhale of the blunt between my lips, an odd feeling of rightness coming over me. I felt like this was where I belonged.

  The scent of weed would never get old, nor would the sensation of my thoughts becoming like smoke. It was refreshing. I started going through the numbers that had been stuffed in my pockets by the lovely selection of eager-to-be-fucked ladies below.

  “No to you,” I said and flicked down one of the many numbers to the floor. “Your area code is Bridge Lake.”

  Picking up another, I squinted at the name. “Jessica? I don’t fuck Jessica’s.” I tossed it over my shoulder.

  “Tak.”

  I turned around. “Shit, when did they start letting in trash?” I asked, taking another hit.

  “I don’t know why Kole keeps treating you like a commodity. Isn’t it about time you retired? Why not just admit you’re washed up?”

  I squinted at him, removing the blunt from between my lips. “Little Timothy, I don’t know why your mom keeps letting you come to adult parties, but if you keep mouthing off, it will be my duty as an adult to beat the shit out of you.”

  Fuck, I didn’t need this. I was trying to relax, not be stressed out. Why the fuck had Richie invited this kid?

  “Humph, whatever, old man,” he sneered, flicking his obnoxiously gray dyed hair out of his face. “And call me by my real name one more time and I’ll gladly show you the difference between us. It’s Tobi.”

  The level of disgust I felt for the kid before me wasn’t because he was a little shit, who’d gotten signed by my label because his father happened to be a sponsor. And it wasn’t because he dressed like a twink who’d been poisoned�
�Jay’s words, not mine. No, it was because he’d been the one who fucked with Mira and then denied it, leaving her alone with a baby.

  Which resulted in her killing herself. There weren’t a lot of people I hated in this world, but this little shit was definitely on the list.

  Kole had convinced me to ignore him and not beat his teeth into his skull. It would be bad for business, Kole had said, and yet… I still wanted to break this kid’s neck.

  Pressing the blunt back to my lips, I looked at him and contemplated how I would deal with Little Timmy. I wanted to relax, I needed to fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was teach this little shit a lesson in manners.

  I glanced at the stairs behind him. If he fell, no one would think anything of it, right? A tragic accident is what they would call it.

  “Timmy, you’re a little shit who’s nothing without your daddy. So, I’ll take pity on you. Turn around and walk away before I humiliate you more than those clothes are already doing.”

  The others around us on the large balcony all chuckled at my insult. His face turned red as the hate in his glare grew hotter.

  “Fuck you, how dare you?”

  I shrugged. “I dare a lot of shit these days. You’re not a threat to me and never will be.”

  I turned, grabbed up my beer, and scooped up my stack of scrap papers. If I couldn’t beat the shit out of him or kill him. It was time to move down to the pool side.

  “How’s that whore Mira?” he asked slyly as he took another step toward me, blocking my path.

  I stopped short, feeling rage tickle at my neck. I knew he’d said it to get a rise out of me, but I couldn’t ignore him. “What?”

  “Oh, my bad,” he released a phony gasp. “I forgot, she’s dead isn’t she?”

  I could feel the heat of my anger climbing up my back.