by Jade Kuzma
“Interest over a week-long loan. Funny.”
“Are you gonna gimme the money or not?”
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought Joey was upset with me. But the longer I stared into his eyes, the more desperate he looked. Always a troublemaker, now wasn’t any different.
“Gambling?” I asked.
“It’s not a gamble if it’s guaranteed.”
“Drugs?”
“If I used drugs, there’s no chance I’d be able to pay you back.”
“How about you just tell me what it is you’re up to?”
“I…” He looked away from me and I already knew the answer that was coming. “I can’t. You just to have to trust me on this, sis.”
He turned back to me. His eyes were almost pleading. It didn’t feel right, not knowing what the hell he was up to. But he was still my brother.
“I don’t have the money on me,” I sighed.
“I don’t need it right now. Just get it to me in a few days at the most. I’ll give you a call.” He got up from his seat, the smile I was so used to seeing returning to his face. “Thanks, Rose.”
I didn’t say anything more. I just nodded and turned back to my tea while I listened to him leave. I looked back out at my father still working with the hay. My mother took her place back where she was before.
“Everything all right with your brother?” she asked.
“Joey’s fine. Joey’s always fine. Nothing I need to worry about.”
“He’s always been that way but he’s still young. You can’t blame me for worrying about him.”
“Mom… Can I ask you something?”
“What is it, sweetie?”
“Joey… How much do you really care about him?”
“Rose.” I could hear the surprise in her voice. “What kind of question is that? I knew what kind of man your father was when I was with him. I accepted all of his faults as well as all of the things that made him who he is. He had a wandering eye but he’s a good man. Your father lost himself in a moment. I won’t forget that but I do forgive him.”
“Yeah… I guess that makes sense.”
“If there’s something wrong with Joey, I’m more than willing to help.”
“Nothing’s wrong with Joey. Things are the same as they used to be.”
It was a quiet day at the farmhouse. With nothing on my schedule for the rest of the day, I could relax and bask in the glow of my temporary vacation. I thought about what I would do later on that night when I felt my phone rumble in my pocket. I looked at the message from Ashton and smiled. Tonight was gonna be a little more special than usual.
Chapter 7
ASHTON
Most people thought Jordan was a little young to be president of an MC, especially one with a history like the Cobras. I might’ve agreed with them in some cases. Jordan was cocky, arrogant, and could get a little hot-headed at times. But he always put the club first. He watched over all of us like family. I couldn’t remember a time when I had doubts about him being the president.
Having a man like Rex as his VP really made you realize just how level-headed Jordan was. What Jordan lacked in impulse, Rex made up for in spades. He had just the right amount of brashness to keep Jordan in check and keep him on his toes. Jordan played it safe but Rex made sure we took risks when we needed to.
Doc was the club’s treasurer. The oldest man in the crew, he had all of the wisdom the MC needed. Money. Other MCs. Drugs. Violence. Women. Doc had been through it all. More important than any of that, he was loyal, so there was never any worry about him not having the best interests of the MC. I imagined even if the clubhouse blew up, Doc would still be there in the remnants, sitting at the bar, waiting for the next meeting.
Micah was the newest member. The guy was straight. You had to expect that from someone who was in the military. He might’ve been new but he proved his loyalty to the MC. It didn’t hurt I’d seen the guy fuck people up like nothing else. He was on my side.
We all sat inside of the club meeting room, Grant sitting by my side like we always did. Jordan looked at me, his eyebrows raised.
“Grant told me what happened at the garage earlier,” he said. “You got a visit from Picardo?”
“It wasn’t a long visit,” I said. “But Picardo didn’t need very long to get his point across. Wanted to see if Grant and I were up for souping up his ride.”
“I thought we ain’t doing any business with the cartel?” Micah said. “Nobody needs a reminder after the shit with the Reapers and the Devils.”
“This ain’t business,” Rex said. “Picardo just needs a mechanic to do some work. We ain’t getting our hands dirty… Even though I think Picardo’d pay better than anybody else—”
“No business with the cartel,” Jordan said. “We already put it to a vote. Another vote won’t change things. Too much of a hassle. Picardo could drive a dumptruck full of money right in front of the bar but that wouldn’t be enough for us. We won’t sell out just to make a few dollars. Unless one of you is broke and hasn’t said anything about it.”
We all looked around the table, smirking at one another. The Bone Pit made enough, so every member could more than make ends meet. We all had our own shit going on the side. A big deal with someone like Picardo meant a big reward but an even bigger risk.
“No deal with the cartel,” Doc said. “But what about Ash and Smoke? Can’t knock their hustle. Picardo’s not stupid enough to visit them in broad daylight for everybody to see, when he knows he’s got eyes on him. I don’t see the harm in doing any work as long as it’s just some work on his ride.”
“What’d he say about the mods he wants?” Jordan asked.
Grant shrugged, shaking his head like it wasn’t a big deal. “Didn’t say. The guy wants to move a little faster and needs more storage. Nothing illegal about chopping and gutting his ride. Nothing illegal about a tuneup to give him a little more horsepower. Some nitrous would just get him a fine if he was caught with it, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”
Jordan looked around the table and nodded. “No vote. See what Picardo wants exactly and make your own decision. If he asks for anything else. A ride up the street. A bottle of water. Some advice on where to get inked up. You tell him to go fuck himself. Picardo’s up to something. Keep the MC out of it. Don’t need no drama.”
“You got it,” I said.
Jordan snapped his fingers and everybody got up from their seats before heading back into the bar.
It was a relaxing day in the Bone Pit. The sun was just about to go down and patrons were starting to file in to get their night started. The calm before the storm.
The place was as nice as any MC clubhouse I’d ever been to. Maybe I was just so used to it I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.
I took a seat at the bar and reached for a bottle of scotch over the counter. Grant patted me on the back before heading for the exit. “Gonna head back to the garage. Get some shit ready for tomorrow in case Picardo comes rolling by.”
“Rose is coming by tonight.”
“I know. I’m definitely coming back, brother.” Grant gave me a smirk before heading out of the bar.
“So… Mrs. Rose is finally coming to the clubhouse.” Doc took a seat next to me while I poured myself a double. “What took you so long?”
“Look around. Look at the club members. Were you in a hurry to bring your girl around motherfuckers like Rex?”
“Just teasing you.” He laughed and hit me on the arm. “She was just my girl before she knew what kinda man I was. Then when she found out, she became my old lady. You don’t know if she’s an old lady until she sees what you’re really all about. No better place to figure that out than right here.”
“I’m not trying to make Rose my old lady. Hell, she’s not even my girl. I’m just having a good time with her.”
“And does Rose know about this?”
“Shit, it’s her idea. I’m just trying to talk to her and she’s
the one begging me to fuck her.”
“You don’t think she’s some groupie just trying to get a ride on a Cobra, huh?”
“Nah… Rose is from around here but she’s not like all these Ivory sluts. She’s smart. She’s educated. She can actually talk. That’s why it’s so surprising all she wants me to do is bend her over.”
“And do you really believe that?”
Doc raised an eyebrow at me. The old bastard always tried to make his point without saying anything. Probably because it worked. I swallowed down my scotch and sighed through my nose.
“From what you’re telling me about her, Rose might just be telling you what you wanna hear—”
“I wanna hear her tell me what she’s saying. But I know Rose wants what she’s asking for. She can’t fake that. I’m not trying to figure out what else we’ve got between us. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then I’ll move on. There ain’t no girl in the world I can’t get over.”
“Teddy used to say the same thing and look what happened to him.”
“I know you’re trying to bless me with your infinite wisdom but can you do me a favor, Doc?”
“What’s that?”
I poured myself another double and held the glass up in my hand. “Shut the fuck up.”
Doc burst into laughter and patted me hard enough on the arm to shift the glass. “I can’t wait to meet this girl.”
“If you talk to her, just tell her the truth. Life in the MC ain’t easy. They call us one-percenters for a reason.”
“If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. There’s nothing I can or can’t say that’ll change her mind, one way or another.”
Doc got up from his seat and left me alone with my liquor. While more patrons started to fill the place up, I pulled my phone out and saw the message from Rose I didn’t notice. It wasn’t just a message though. Under the text, there was a picture. No face in the photo. And she was still in her underwear. I recognized that body though. All I could do was smile.
“I can’t wait for tonight…”
Chapter 8
ROSE
The shot of whiskey burned my tongue and stung my throat the entire way down. It didn’t matter that it was in my stomach at this point. I could still feel it lingering even after swallowing a few more times. I could’ve had a swig of beer to make the burning go away but I wasn’t planning on getting drunk tonight.
I did my best to stop myself from grimacing. It wasn’t enough to stop the blond woman in front of me from smiling.
“Why do bikers insist on drinking the harshest, bitterest swill just to prove how tough they are?” I sighed.
“You know the rules,” she said. “You’re not a biker unless you’re drinking the hard stuff. And the Cobras are the hardest club in town. They’ve got a reputation to keep up.”
The sarcasm dripping from her voice made me smile. “I’ll go along with that… So why am I drinking it?”
“Because you’re in the Bone Pit. You’ve gotta fit in with everybody else.”
“The Bone Pit… How appropriate…”
I looked around the rowdy bar and saw everybody enjoying themselves. The roughest kind of men you’d find in all of Ivory. And the women looked like they woke up on the wrong side of the bed, too. The scene wasn’t as wild as a place like Finn’s but the Bone Pit wasn’t exactly a place I could quietly read a book.
“Audrey… How do you put up with this?”
The young blond looked around and shrugged. “I don’t. Micah and I only spend time here when we’ve got nothing better to do. He and I both know it’s all about club business when he’s here. You don’t look too comfortable around this crowd. I get that. Trust me. It’s not my type of crowd either. But the great thing about being with a Cobra is that you don’t have to worry about anybody trying to mess with you. You’re in the safest place in Ivory you can be.”
Audrey spoke with assured confidence that made me forget a fight could break out around me at any moment. As rough as the men and women around me looked, any worries I might’ve had left me quickly.
“I come here to say hello to Micah before my shift at the hospital,” she said. “When you’re working graveyard in the ER, I could take a nap in a place like this.”
Audrey’s maturity was surprising, considering how young she looked. She was pretty, too. I believed every word she said about not having to worry, because a good-looking girl like her would’ve gotten a lot of attention anywhere else. The patrons must’ve known she belonged to one of the Cobras.
“Dating a club member. Working at the hospital. It sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“Nothing I can’t handle. Micah and I have been through a lot. If you knew the things we went through to get to this point, you’d know how easy life is for us now.”
I looked over to the side where Ashton was sitting with the rest of his club. He didn’t look much different. The same dark-blond hair slicked over his head. That same confident smile. That same leather kutte that made him stick out from all the ordinary bikers I’d seen around town. But seeing him in his own setting made him more appealing in a way I couldn’t explain.
“You two serious?” she asked.
I turned my eyes back toward her, watching the grin form on her lips. I wasn’t young enough to be embarrassed about my relationships but Audrey was certainly trying to tease me.
“Not serious.” I shook my head and sighed. “Ashton and I are just getting to know each other. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything.”
“That’s a good way of looking at it. Relationships are never simple. Especially relationships with a club member. Most of these guys in here are just looking for a hole to stick their dick in. They’re more than willing to move on when the time comes.”
“That… doesn’t sound like something a woman wants to hear.”
“A woman doesn’t wanna hear it because she’s looking at it the wrong way. These guys just wanna get laid. What’s wrong with you wanting to do the same? A hot redhead like you… If Ashton ain’t special, there’s a line of guys waiting to satisfy you. You want my advice? Don’t take things too seriously. Have your fun. Get yourself off. From what I know about Ashton, he’s a nice guy. But he’s still a man. And all men are dogs.”
“Even Micah?”
“Even Micah.” She gave me a wink and got up from her seat. I smiled back at her and nodded. Maybe it was the liquor that put me in a good mood, but everything she said made sense. “I’ve got a shift but maybe next time I’ll stick around and have a drink with you.”
“Yeah… That sounds like fun.”
I watched Audrey head over to the table where the other club members were. She grabbed Micah by the hand and the two of them disappeared into the back of the clubhouse. I sat by myself at the bar and watched Ashton approach. He leaned next to me, a beer in his hand.
“You need another drink?” he asked.
“I don’t know what kinda whiskey I just drank, but I’m still feeling it. It might be a little longer before I can take another one.”
“That’s the beauty of it. You keep drinking and eventually you don’t feel anything.”
I slapped him across the arm and chuckled. The lighting of the bar made him look more handsome than usual when he smiled.
“What do you think of Audrey?”
“I don’t know… She seems like a sweet girl but it’s like she’s got another side to her. I don’t think a sweet girl would ever be able to handle being with a club member, especially a Cobra.”
“Is that right?” He put his beer down on the counter then moved closer to me. He pushed his face to mine and shoved his tongue between my lips. I tasted the beer on his tongue, sucking on it for a few seconds. Our deep, messy kiss would’ve been loud if not for the music and conversation around us. “You’re with me, Rose. Are you telling me you’re not a sweet girl?”
“Hmm… I have my moments. But I don’t think I’m sweet. I’m not whatever the opposite
is either. I’m just… me.”
“Whatever it is, I like it.”
He moved his face back to mine and kissed me. I could still taste the whiskey lingering on my stomach. His kiss was like a match, igniting the liquor and stirring a desire within me that made me forget there were so many people around me. I let my lips rest on his for a moment before pulling away.
“What do you think?” His eyes locked on me, his soft smile betrayed the rugged appeal I was sure everybody else saw.
“It’s a nice place. A real MC clubhouse. The club looks like they’ve got their heads on straight. Rex. Micah. Jordan. Doc. Grant. They all seem like good guys.”
“Good guys… In some ways, I suppose they are. But I won’t lie to you, Rose. We’re not the most lawful men in town…”
I smirked at his comment. “Trust me. I know what you’re getting at. And I understand. You should meet my brother, Joey. He’s been getting into trouble ever since we were younger. I’ve got experience being around someone who’s had their fair share of run-ins with the law.”
I thought about my brother for a moment. The alcohol wasn’t enough to distract me from wondering what he was up to with the money he borrowed.
“Rose?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just right now… It looks like you got something on your mind.”
I sighed a deep breath and shook the thoughts of my brother out of my head. “It’s nothing.” I worked a smile onto my face and wrapped my hands around his neck. I pulled him in close for a kiss, whispering onto his lips. “The only thing on my mind right now is you… I want you, Ashton… I want you inside me…”
I had no reservations about telling him exactly what I wanted. There was no point in being shy or embarrassed about it. I knew he was more than willing to give me what I wanted.
“I like the clubhouse.” I kept my lips against his, soft kisses while I kept whispering. “Is there a place we can go?”
He pressed his forehead to mine and locked his stare on me. “Yeah… Let’s get outta here.”
