The Restart and the Remedy (Aces High MC - Dakotas Book 3)

by Christine Michelle

  “Who the hell is she?” I asked, but my brother ignored me.

  “Get some fucking clothes on, Rabbit. Last thing we need is you running off customers.” He glanced down at my junk and then smirked. “That sure as shit isn’t going to bring them in.” He took off, laughing as he went. I glared at Flicker when he couldn’t hold back his laughter either.

  “Sorry, I guess you’ve had a rough night,” Flicker told me as he attempted to get himself under control.

  “It’s fucking cold out here!” I snapped at him before I snatched the door open and went inside. Before I got past the little entry hallway, I twisted the sweatshirt so that it was mostly on my side, but parts of it covered my junk and half of my ass. It didn’t escape my notice that little miss Myra laughed as I walked by where she and Cherry were standing on the opposite side of the bar near the hallway that led to the office.

  Thankfully, all the men of the club knew well enough to stash an extra change of clothes in the office. Depending on the night, Renegade Rosy’s could be tame as ever or a wild fucking place to be. Sometimes, we ended up wearing more beer and liquor than we served, while other times it looked like we bathed in glitter and stripper sweat. A change of clothes was a necessary evil if any of us ever had plans for after we left work. Not that it was my night to work here, but I still maintained a change of clothes. It didn’t take long to get myself together.

  As I was about to walk back into the main room I heard Cherry asking Myra, “So you just left him there?”

  “Yep,” Myra answered back while popping the ‘p’ in the word very loudly.

  “Huh! I always thought the two of you would go the distance,” Cherry informed her.

  “Yeah, well, everyone thought that and as it turned out, I was their pawn in some fucked up little matchmaking game. I can’t believe how much of my time I wasted on him.”

  What a bitch! It was like listening to a conversation that Cherry might have had with her twin before she left. It was all I could think and suddenly, I liked little Miss Myra even less than I had before I overheard her name. I had no respect for a woman who couldn’t stick things out or at least let her damn feelings be known. No, these bitches had to just walk out on their men and run away. Must be something in the water where they’re from. I definitely had no time for cold ass women like that. I’d dealt with my fair share of fallout from having put up with Chastity and her bullshit for far too long. I glared in the general direction of the table that the girls were sitting at before I left to head back to the clubhouse.

  Chapter 5 – Myra

  “What did I ever do to that guy? You’d think I stabbed him with needles the whole time he was in my truck or something. He jumped in my truck, naked, and I gave him a ride here. Now, he’s acting like I’m the antichrist.”

  “Don’t take it personally. Once he realized you were my friend from Oregon, he probably figured he was safer being a dick to you.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Chastity.”

  “Oh no!” I knew what that meant. That woman was hell on men back before she was even legal. I could imagine the kind of destruction someone like her could be responsible for as an adult.

  “Yeah,” Cherry sighed. “Rabbit had a silly crush on me in the beginning, but all I could see was his brother.” Cherry shrugged her shoulders. “When he realized I didn’t feel the same, he chased Chastity. She tried to do the right thing in the beginning and told him no.”

  “But?” I questioned because there was always a ‘but’ where Chastity was concerned.

  “But, he finally wore her down. She did at least warn him that she wasn’t like me. Not that he heard the warning,” she sighed again. “I feel horrible because Rabbit is a really great guy, usually. It’s sad to see the way he’s unraveled since my sister took off.”

  “Well, I’ll be honest, my first impression of the man did not lead me to believe he was a great guy in any sense of the word.”

  “He’ll warm up to you and you’ll see what I mean.”

  I ignored that and sipped on the Sprite that was giving me a second wind. I couldn’t have caffeine, but the sugar sure did help after that last leg of that trip. I was worn out. I was so worn out, in fact, that I couldn’t stifle the yawn that had my wide mouth gaping open as Spinner joined us at the table. He offered a sweet smile and then looked at my friend.

  “Babe, I think maybe you should get your friend home so she can settle in and crash. That was a hell of a trip, especially for a pregnant woman to make on her own.” I saw the wary concern in his eyes as he spoke and turned back to me. “Sorry my brother was an asshole tonight too. That was a shit welcome for you.”

  I waved his apology off. “I’m not worried about him. I grew up in an MC remember?”

  Spinner shook his head. “What I know is you also ran from one who mistreated you. We aren’t like that here, contrary to my brother’s behavior tonight, and he’s not normally like that either. I don’t know what got into him.”

  “Okay,” I hummed out softly. “I’ll take your word for it.” I wasn’t going to argue with the man about whether or not his brother was the giant douchebag he presented himself to be. Spinner was the man giving me a job and a place to stay until I could get through my NCLEX-RN testing, get licensed, and then get a job working for a doctor’s office or even at the hospital. I’d checked, and Monument Health in Spearfish wasn’t too far to travel for work. There were a few other locations, but they might mean I’d have to move further away from Cherry and the club when the time came. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t want to be a person who was stuck relying on others, especially another MC, but I’d never been a mom before either. I was pretty sure it would require me to have to lean on someone at some point in time. Wouldn’t it? Frustration weighed heavily on my shoulders as I thought about that. When I first hoped that the pregnancy test would be positive, I knew I’d have the baby’s father there by my side. I had a whole family, a club of people who would have my child’s back. Then everything went to shit and now, instead of being happy and planning all the wonderful things involved in pregnancy and bringing a child into the world, I had more worries than anything else.

  The apartment Cherry and Spinner offered me was a little one bedroom, one bathroom place they had put in over the detached garage Spinner had for his multiple motorcycles. It was cute, although it wouldn’t offer much room once I had the baby, so my plan was to try to save enough to get a two-bedroom place on my own as soon as possible. Not that I wasn’t thankful for the place to land, because I was. It wasn’t just me that I had to make plans for anymore though.

  “Is it going to be okay for you?” Cherry asked as I took in the older furniture that was already there.

  “Are you kidding? It’s perfect for me until I can find a place big enough for the both of us,” I told her as I gently stroked my belly.

  “That reminds me,” my friend told me as I turned from the small kitchen back to her. “I’ll pick you up at 10am and we’ll head over to the clubhouse. Spinner worked something out with Doc. He’s going to do your initial exam for you and then he’ll recommend an actual obstetrician for you who will keep everything off the books and cash only.”

  “Is he having a hard time finding one that will do those things?”

  Cherry shook her head. “No, there are plenty who will do that, he’s making sure that they’ll be the best care for you and the baby though. You may want to live off the grid as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean you should get shitty, shady care as a result.”

  “I appreciate that,” I told my friend. “Did you have this place made up for Chastity?”

  Cherry laughed. “Lord no! I would have killed her, or more likely, she would have killed me in my sleep, if we had to live in this close of quarters for too long. This is a place Spinner had before he met me. I talked him into updating the kitchen when I lived here for a while though.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, like I said, Chastit
y and I may be identical twins, but there was no way I could live with her constant string of men in and out of a shared space. We tried that before and it didn’t end well for me when the drunk asshole thought I was my sister playing games with him.”

  I flinched, because I remembered why the girls had ended up running from Oregon. “So, you stayed here. Is that how you and Spinner ended up falling for one another?” I asked her, then winked, letting her know I was helping her avoid shittier memories. “Were you getting creative with your rent payments?” I mimed a blowjob and Cherry threw a pillow from the couch at my face.

  “You bitch!” She tossed back at me, along with the pillow. She was laughing though, so mission accomplished. I yawned again, unable to stifle it this time like I had the last four or five times since the exhaustion set in. “I’m so sorry. Here you are traveling halfway across the country while baking a baby, and I’m keeping you up even later. Maybe we should reschedule with Doc?”

  “No,” I waved off her concern. “I wasn’t able to get to the doctor before I left, so it will be good to see someone as soon as possible so that I know everything is as it should be.”

  “Okay, well, I’m just over that way if you need anything. You have my cell, but Spinner’s is there on the counter along with the bar and the clubhouse, just in case. Okay?”

  “Cherry, I can’t thank you enough for doing all this for me,” I told her.

  “Honey, you don’t have to thank me. That’s what friends are for. Besides, I’m happier seeing you taken care of than worried you might be out there somewhere hurt, being taken advantage of, or worse, only to have no one ever know what happened. I think you’ll like it here too. It’s a quiet life to bring your baby into.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I just hope the bikers we’re around here turn out to be a better breed than my family was.”

  “I’m so sorry they all hurt you the way they did,” she offered as she moved toward the door.

  “Me too.”

  “Good night, My.”

  “Night, Cherry.” I closed and locked the door behind her, and then I moved to the tiny bedroom I would be sleeping in every night. There were a couple of rolling garment racks in the corner for me to hang my clothes up on, a small dresser, a night table with two more drawers I could use, and a full-sized bed. As I looked around, I realized there definitely wouldn’t be room for a crib in there, although I supposed I could always shuffle the garment rack to the living room and put a small pack-n-play type thing there. No, I would definitely need a new place before the baby was here. Luckily, I still had time to save.

  It was my first time entering the clubhouse of an MC that didn’t belong to the Stoneridge Raiders. I was blown away by the security doors, something they told me was not necessarily standard for the rest of the Aces High MC locations. “Spinner said the building used to be some super-secret medical testing facility at one point. That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised by the offices Doc has downstairs.”

  “Ah, that was convenient for him then.”

  “It was convenient for everyone, considering we are lucky enough to actually have a doctor in the club who comes in at a moment’s notice most times.”

  “That has to be hard on his day job,” I told her. It wasn’t that I was fishing for information, I just didn’t understand how something like that would work.

  “If he’s with a patient, obviously, he can’t leave right away to come help us out, but he doesn’t work like a regular doc. He fills in and floats between the hospital and some offices around the area. If a staff member calls in sick, he’s able to fill in for them. That way, if there’s something coming up with the club, he can just tell them he’s not available. Most already know that he has other obligations.”

  “That seems like a weird lifestyle for a doctor.”

  “It is, but at the same time, the offices and hospital where he fills in for staff are grateful for the extra man onboard when they need him, and for not having to pay out a full check to another staff member.”

  “I bet,” I choked out as we made our way through what must have been the main common area and bar for their clubhouse. “This is a great space,” I told Cherry. “Plenty of room to get rowdy without breaking shit, and the girls have a spot to dance, not to mention a great bar,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, the guys seem to love it. Oh!” She cried out at the end, as her eyes turned to take in the bar I had just pointed out. “Come on,” she glanced down at her phone. “We still have a little time, let me introduce you to my friend, Charlie.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me, a little too quickly for my short legs, over to the bar area. There stood a woman who seemed sort of familiar at first glance, though I couldn’t place her face. “Myra, this is Charlie. Her old man is our VP, Rage. Charlie, this is my friend from back home, Myra.”

  “The pregnant one?” The woman asked as she ducked to put some glasses away. She stood again to see me smiling and Cherry frowning at her. “What? Was it a secret that she’s with child?” Charlie whispered as she leaned closer to us by resting her elbows on the bar and cupping her hands around her mouth so the whisper would carry to us only. I couldn’t help it, I laughed.

  “I like you already, and no, it’s not a secret. At least one that won’t be easily kept soon enough, so I don’t see the point in trying to hide it.”

  “Well, that’s good because girl, you have the beautiful glow about you that pregnant women sometimes get.”

  That caused me to blush. It was nice to hear a kind word about yourself every once in a while, especially after my ego took that severe pummeling when my ex chose a lying whore over staying with me.

  “Myra Chase?” A man called out from behind, causing me to startle and jump half way out of my damn skin – if such a thing were possible. I turned wide, fearful eyes to him just in time to see him swear under his breath. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he apologized. “I’m Doc.”

  My hand was settled over my heart, trying to coax it to calm the hell down. “It’s okay, you just caught me off guard.”

  “No,” he told me sternly. “Don’t make excuses for me. Spinner filled me in on your situation. I should have known better than to just go calling your name out like that.” I started to protest again, but stopped as he held his hand up. “Let’s just start fresh. Are you ready to head down to the onsite clinic?”

  “Sure,” I told him as I turned back to Cherry, just for verification that he was indeed the man I was supposed to go with. She reassured me with a quick smile and the nod of her head so I followed along behind him as he led me down a set of stairs. I knew we were headed underground, but honestly, it didn’t have that creepy basement vibe. The place was more reminiscent of a sterile hospital corridor, though it definitely had better lighting than most of the hospitals I’d been to. The walls, however, were your stereotypical white, which made the great lighting seem glaringly bright.

  “Some color wouldn’t go amiss down here,” I mumbled, much to Doc’s amusement.

  “That’s what I keep saying. This lighting on all that white is hard as hell on the eyes. I’m pretty sure Charlie already tried to convince Iceman to change things up down here, but it’s never been a priority.”

  “As soon as I’m working steady again, I’m willing to chip in for some paint, you guys supply the labor, that’s what prospects are for right?” I joked.

  Doc laughed. “Ah, a breath of fresh air around here once in a while is nice too.”

  “Do you usually only work with the men?”

  “No. I take care of the club women too, but they’re usually trying to come on to me – the BRATs anyway – and that just makes for an awkward physical for everyone involved.”

  “Your definition here might help me to determine if that’s a bad thing. What is a BRAT?”

  He laughed. “They’re what you probably call club girls. The female hangarounds who have no problem servicing the men of the club in exchange for a roof over their heads.”

  “Ah, o
kay. So, then I guess my next question would be, what kind of a biker dude doesn’t want to play dirty doctor with the club girls?”

  Doc started laughing and was bent over double trying to gain his composure as we both realized there was someone else in the room we had just entered.

  “Oh, sorry Doc! Didn’t realize you had to run another BRAT through her paces,” Rabbit hissed out between clenched teeth. No doubt he had heard the last bit of what I said and I sounded like one of those women giving the man another unwanted come on line. Holy mother of miscommunications. The man already thought I was an opportunistic suckerfish here to do damage to the men of his club, apparently. Guilt by Chastity association was in full effect.

  Doc, for his part, sobered from his laugh fest pretty quickly when Rabbit said that. “I need you to leave, unless you have an emergency Rabbit. Miss Chase has an appointment with me.”

  “Yeah, might want to make sure that one is extra clean, seems she might have some extra baggage along for the ride already. Don’t want anyone here…”

  “OUT!” Doc yelled at him as he pointed to the door. Rabbit didn’t say another word, but he did toss a judgy little smirk over his shoulder before he left. “I’m sorry about that.” Doc shook his head, exasperated. “I’ve never seen him be outright mean to a single soul on this planet, and that includes the BRATs we have here.”

  “Well, he seems to have decided that I’m all that is evil in this world from the moment he met me, so don’t worry, I’m already used to his behavior.”

  “He’s treated you badly before?” Doc asked, the shock on his face clear as day. I simply nodded and refused to talk about the man who seemed to hate me on sight.

  “Can we just get this over with? I don’t want to think about any of the asshole people in my life, past or present, more than I have to. I’m saving all my energy for this little guy in here.” I patted my stomach and Doc’s demeanor changed.