Ride or Die

by Marie, Kay

  “Pshhhh! Flirting doesn’t hurt.” Rivet winks at her and Wren turns a deeper shade of pink. Minx rolls her eyes.

  “Ignore her. Sketch will respect the fact you have a boyfriend, so don’t worry about that,” Minx assures her. “He’s a good guy.”

  “I’m going to head to bed.” I yawn. “I’ll see y’all in the morning.”

  We all say our goodnights. Minx leaves for the clubhouse as I walk up the stairs to go to bed. I check my phone and my heart skips a beat. I have a message from Ryan, asking how I’m doing. I text him back and he responds right away. Before I can send another reply, I fall asleep.

  The next couple of days are sluggish. Yesterday, we all chose to have a chill movie day. Minx came back after Raze left for work. Emma and I contacted all of our employees for the bakery and tell them what happened. Between insurance and Papa’s help, all of our employees will still get paid while we’re closed. All day my mind kept drifting to thoughts of Ryan. I would write out a text, only to erase it.

  Right now, Wren, Emma, and I are sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Wren made us all breakfast this morning and it was fantastic. I stand, collecting everyone’s empty plates and taking them to the sink. I’m washing dishes as the front door opens. Not long after, Minx walks into the kitchen.

  “Good morning, ladies! Where’s Rivet,” she asks.

  “Ugh, I’m here.” Rivet groans as she walks into the kitchen. “Oh! Coffee!”

  “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” I laugh out. “There’s still some biscuits and gravy if either of you would like some before I put it up.”

  “That sounds fantastic,” Rivet sighs. I’ve learned quickly Rivet is not a morning person by any means. She needs her coffee and food before anyone attempts to talk to her.

  “Are you girls ready to have some fun tonight?” Minx sounds excited.

  “What’s tonight?” I turn around to look at her while drying my hands with a tea towel.

  “The Menaces are having a party tonight.”

  Rivet rolls her eyes.

  “Don’t pay any attention to her. She’s mad because she and Saint are still dancing around each other,” Minx tells us. I chuckle. Both her and Rivet’s eyes zone in on me. They give each other mischievous smiles.

  “I don’t like those smiles,” I say, shaking my head.

  “I do,” Emma shouts. “What are we plotting?”

  “Whatever it is, count me out. I’ll probably hang out here tonight,” Wren announces.

  “Aw, no! Why,” Minx asks her. Before Wren can answer, her phone distracts her.

  “I have to get this. I’ll be right back,” Wren says. She walks out of the room.

  “She hasn’t talked about it much, but there’s something going on with her boyfriend,” Emma tells us. “I’ll try to talk to her later.”

  “So, this party tonight, who all will be there,” I ask Minx.

  “All of the brothers, the cut bunnies, and some hang-arounds, I’m sure.” She shrugs. “And before you ask, yes, Buster will be there.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask but thanks.” I laugh.

  “Sure you weren’t.” Rivet side-eyes me and grins.

  We hang out for most of the day, planning what we’re all going to wear tonight. Around four, Minx and I head over to the clubhouse. She wants to introduce me to a couple of her friends and Raze should be getting back from work soon.

  “Hey girl,” a girl from behind the bar shouts at Minx as we walk into the clubhouse.

  “Hey Tink,” Minx responds. “This is Cali. She owns the bakery I told you about.”

  “Hey! Nice to meet you. Minx has raved about your bakery,” Tink says.

  “You’ll have to come by when we open again,” I tell her.

  Tink winces. “I heard what happened. How long will you have to be closed,” she asks.

  “About a week, maybe a little longer,” I say. “Which will be the longest I’ve gone without working since I opened the bakery.”

  “Holy shit, girl! It will be a well-deserved break.” She laughs.

  “It definitely will be, but I might go crazy with all the time off though,” I respond with a light laugh and sit. Minx disappeared, probably to go find Raze. Tink and I keep talking until another girl joins us.

  “Ugh, Tink, can I get something to drink, please?” She sits next to me.

  “Bad day?” Tink asks her and she nods. She turns to me and perks up a bit.

  “Hi, sorry, I’m Lolita,” she introduces herself.

  “I’m Cali.” I smile at her.

  “Cali, Minx’s friend? That owns the bakery?”

  “Yeah.” I laugh. “Has she told everyone about it?”

  “That girl never shuts up about it,” she responds. “One of these days, I’ll get to check it out. I work at Rosie’s, the club’s diner, and I work a lot.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Tink mumbles. I chuckle.

  Lolita and I get lost in our conversation while Tink goes about prepping the bar for tonight.

  13

  Buster

  The past two days I have gone on autopilot. Shade and I have been crashing at the clubhouse until we can figure out this cartel bullshit. I go to work and come right back to my room at the clubhouse. I’ve hung out in the main room as little as possible. I’ll have to suck it up and deal with it tonight for our weekly club party. Even if the cartel is in town, it won’t stop us from having a little fun.

  I walk into the clubhouse wanting to go straight to my room to shower. I’m covered in grease from the last car I was working on. I glance up and Cali is sitting at the bar, a smile lighting up her face as she laughs. I want nothing more than to talk to her right now, to make her laugh some more, but I told her I would give her time and that’s what I’m going to do.

  “Hey, Buster.” Her sweet voice stops me in my tracks. I can’t say I ever expected her to call me by that name.

  “Hey,” I respond.

  “You’re more broody than normal.” Lolita points out. “What’s up?”

  “I had a long day,” I tell her.

  “Mmm, that’s not it. You’ve been like this for a couple of days,” she keeps at it.

  My eyes go from her to Cali. I turn and walk to my room. Seeing Cali sitting at the bar was pretty unexpected. It’s nice to see she's getting along with the girls. I hate that her bakery has to be closed for the time being, but I hope she takes advantage of the time off. She mentioned the bakery was her life and she didn’t do much outside of work, so this will be some much needed time off I’m sure.

  I hop in the shower, taking a little more time than I normally would, to let the water hit my back. This has been one hell of a week. Savage Repairs has been busier this week than normal. Which has been nice to help keep my mind off of things, but some of the cars we have gotten have been real pieces of shit. Things that should have been easy fixes have taken twice as long if not longer to fix. It’s like anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong.

  After I finish my shower, I dry off and get dressed. My same old jeans, black tee, and cut. I put on my Hooey hat and check my phone before sliding it into my pocket and head out to the main room. As soon as I walk in, my eyes go to the bar. Lolita is still there but Cali is gone. I scan the room to see who else is here. Sketch and Rascal are playing pool, so I head over to them.

  “What’s up, brother,” Sketch asks.

  “Have either of you seen Cali around?”

  “She went back to the house not long after you got here,” he tells me. I nod. I would bet I scared her off.

  “Are we playing doubles?” Hollywood walks over with a big grin.

  “I don’t see why not,” Sketch says, looking to Rascal who shrugs, then to me.

  “I’m down,” I tell them. Once Rascal and Sketch finish the game they had going, we start our game with teams. Any time I’m not taking a shot, I’m facing either the door or the bar.

  “You’re watching to see if she comes back,” Sketch says. He
didn’t ask which is a bit presumptuous for him.

  “Yeah.” There’s no use in lying. “I told her I’d give her time so I haven’t even talked to her since that night.”

  “Minx told Raze that Cali and Emma are both coming over for the club party tonight. Grow some balls and talk to her.”

  “Like it’s that fucking easy. Maybe she fucking hates me now.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize it makes me sound like a bitch. As expected, Sketch laughs.

  “Bro, really? Do you actually think she would still be hanging around, let alone coming into the clubhouse if she did decide that?” He puts his hand on my shoulder and looks me in my eyes. “Talk to her. The worst thing that can happen is she tells you she’s not interested.”

  “Are you two done having your little heart to heart?” Rascal points his cue stick at me. “It’s your shot, princess.”

  Rascal is one of the brothers I haven’t gotten to know yet. He’s pretty close with Sketch, Kicks, and Hollywood since they all grew up together with Bull’s sons. For the most part, he’s a pretty quiet guy. When he does talk, it’s always some smartass bullshit, unless he’s talking to Minx or her friends. I take my shot and miss. My head isn’t in the game at all.

  “You’re lucky we’re not playing for money because you fucking suck,” Hollywood laughs. I shrug.

  “If we were playing for money, I would actually be trying and you would get your ass handed to you,” I respond. Hollywood can be a cocky fuck sometimes. He’s the pretty boy of the brothers. If you saw him walking around without his cut, you’d never believe he’s a biker.

  “After this game, you can put your money where your mouth is. We’ll find out who the better man is,” he challenges me.

  “I don’t want to take your money tonight. Maybe another time,” I tell him.

  “Shit, I have no problem taking your money. Let’s do this,” Rascal says to Hollywood. More brothers, cut bunnies, and hang-arounds start showing up. Lolita is walking around getting drink orders from patched members. She’s slowly making her way around the room and I watch Hollywood’s eyes follow her.

  “Right now,” Hollywood asks Rascal.

  “Yeah, right now. Unless you’re too scared you’ll lose,” Rascal says.

  "Me? Scared? Never." Hollywood sets his cue stick down and goes to rack the balls. I put my cue stick back on the rack and sit at one of the pub tables. Sketch sits across from me. This should be interesting. Hollywood likes to believe he's the shit at everything. Rascal is about to knock him down a peg or two. I don't know much about Rascal, but one thing I do know is how good at pool he is. He doesn't brag about his skills like Hollywood does. Lolita walks up as Hollywood is taking the first shot. He sees her and fucks his shot up.

  "All that talk and this is how you start out?" Rascal laughs.

  "Fuck off." Hollywood is trying to avoid watching Lolita now.

  "Can I get y'all something to drink," Lolita asks Sketch and me.

  "I'll take a Bud Light," Sketch tells her.

  "Make it two," I say.

  "You got it." She gives us a smile and walks back to the bar. Rascal sinks three balls before missing. Hollywood proves to be better than expected. Lucky for him, it's Rascal's turn when Lolita brings mine and Sketch's drinks back. She drops them off and quickly walks away again.

  "The fuck was that about," Sketch asks. Hollywood shrugs.

  "Who knows," he says. Hollywood goes to take his next shot, sinking the remaining balls until he only has the eight ball left.

  "Eight ball, left corner pocket," he calls his shot but barely misses it, giving Rascal another chance. "Fuck."

  Rascal sinks his last ball, calls his shot and sinks the 8 ball.

  "You've gotten better," Rascal tells Hollywood. Hollywood slaps a ten into Rascal's hand and sulks. Sketch jumps up and grabs a cue stick and Rascal takes his place at the table. I guess we'll be playing for a while now.

  14

  Cali

  “Well that was weird,” Lolita says after Ryan walked away. I shrug and she goes into talking about something that happened at Rosie’s. I stop listening after a while and my thoughts drift to Ryan. She said he’s been more broody than normal and I can’t help but wonder if his attitude changed after our conversation the other night. Once Lolita finishes her story, I decide to go back to Minx’s house.

  “I’m going to head back to Minx’s. I’ll see you later tonight,” I tell Lolita.

  “Oh! Are you coming to the club party?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” I give her a small smile.

  “It’s gonna be so much fun! Go, rest, get ready. Do whatever you need to do,” she says while shooing me away. I laugh as I walk away. I open the door to go outside and walk right into Mouse.

  “Woah, slow down there,” he laughs out.

  “I’m sorry, Mouse.”

  “No need to apologize. You’re lucky one of us was watching where they were going.” He winks at me. “You headed back to the house?”

  “Yeah,” I reply.

  “I’ll walk you there. You can never be too safe,” he says.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  “Anytime. Plus, Buster would have my ass if I let anything happen to you.” He smirks.

  “He’s not that worried about me, is he?” I glance at Mouse and he rolls his eyes.

  “From what I’ve seen and heard, yeah, he is.”

  We don’t talk anymore after that. Chains is sitting out on the front porch when we walk up.

  “Need a break,” Mouse asks him. Chains shrugs.

  “If you’re offering, sure,” Chains replies, standing from his seat. Mouse makes himself comfortable on the deep-seated porch swing.

  “See you around, Chains,” I say before walking inside. I walk in on Emma and Rivet sitting on the couch watching some show about doctors.

  "What are you two watching?" I sit in one of the oversized recliners.

  "Grey's Anatomy!" Rivet tells me. "You've never watched it?"

  "She doesn't watch much TV. She eats, sleeps, and bakes," Emma laughs out.

  "This is true." I agree with Emma. "And when I do have spare time, I usually read."

  "Reading puts me to sleep," Rivet admits and I can't help but laugh at her.

  "Not to change the subject or anything, but what does one wear to a club party?" Emma turns to Rivet.

  "Something sexy, but not too sexy. You don't want to be mistaken for one of the cut bunnies," she tells us. "Don't worry, between mine and Minx's wardrobes, we'll find y'all the perfect outfits."

  "We gotta get her dolled up first." Emma hooks her thumb at me. A grin stretches across her face. "She's gotta look good for Buster."

  "I'm pretty sure she could wear a potato sack and he'd still see her with stars in his eyes," Rivet tells her. I roll my eyes. "It's true! You could tell how smitten he was at A Novel Bunch the other day. He looks at you the way Raze looks at Minx. With so much adoration."

  Every time I've seen him since he showed up at the bakery, I have had so much running through my mind I haven't paid much attention to his body language. At the pizza shop, he seemed like he was carrying quite a bit of guilt over what happened with us. His apologies sounded sincere. After having a couple of days to process everything, I decide I'm ready to talk to him again.

  "We have a history. I'm sure that's what you saw," I tell Rivet. While I plan on talking to him, my heart has a wall built around it.

  "Girl, I know what I saw. Trust me," Rivet says. I don't respond, staring at the TV but not watching the show. Once it's over, Rivet jumps up from the couch.

  "Alright girls, let's go get sexified!" She pulls me from the recliner and leads me upstairs, Emma right behind us. Rivet takes us into her room, going straight for her closet while I sit on the edge of her bed.

  "Work your magic," I tease her. She pops her head out of her closet, making eye contact with me.

  "When I'm done with you, Buster won't know what the fuck hit him," she
deadpans and disappears back into her closet. After a few minutes, Rivet comes out holding an oversize sweater and a bralette.

  "These with a pair of skinny jeans will be the perfect combination of sexy and sweet," she tells me, handing them to me.

  "Oh! Your super distressed jeans that show off your thighs would be perfect," Emma tells me.

  "The ones I wore to the bonfire," I ask her.

  "Yes! Those, with some Chucks," she suggests.

  "I agree. Go change," Emma commands. I chuckle and walk over to Minx's room where all my things are. I change into my distressed jeans, sans underwear. The bralette is a white lacy one and it's gorgeous. I may have to talk Rivet into letting me keep it. The sweater hangs off my shoulder, which would be perfect for showing off my tattoo, but I switch sides, hiding my ink. It has a deep v-neck in the back with a twist. I have a couple of my own that are similar to this, but the v-neck isn't quite as deep. This one shows off the whole back of the bralette. Once I'm dressed, I put some Chucks on and go show Emma and Rivet.

  "Hell yes!" Rivet says.

  "Fucking gorgeous," Emma gushes.

  "Let's put your hair in a cute messy bun, and for makeup, we'll do light eyes with bold lips. You rock that look," Rivet suggests.

  "Sounds good to me. Do your thing," I tell her. She claps her hands in excitement and lets out a squeal. Between the two of them, they get my hair and makeup finished before getting themselves ready. When we're all dolled up, we head downstairs to find Mouse. We find him outside, still sitting on the porch swing, only now Sketch is sitting there with him.

  "Whoa," Mouse gapes.

  "Pick your jaw up off the ground, Mouse. If Buster or Saint sees you drooling over them, you're a dead man." Sketch laughs.

  "What are you doing here, Sketch," Rivet asks him.

  "I heard Wren didn't want to come to the party, so I offered to come hang out with her. Give the prospects a little break," he explains. Emma eyes at him suspiciously but doesn't say anything. Rivet smirks at him.

  "How sweet of you," she says to him. He shrugs in response.