Behind Blue Eyes

by Jordan Abbott

  “Does he have money or is he in debt?” Nuke asked.

  “He’s not a millionaire, but he’s not hurting for cash either,” Tech replied. “Most of his debt from what I can see is coming from the deceased wife and step-daughter. They like to shop. His first wife, she’s loaded. The car lot was part of the divorce settlement.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense. Medic said he noticed how expensive her clothes were,” Nuke added.

  “I don’t trust your brother, and I know you don’t, either,” Mitch said. “He’s a snake, always has been.”

  “We also think he drugged the dogs,” Nuke continued. “They were acting odd. Brock told me they didn’t get back to normal until about ten this morning.”

  Mitch nodded. “Watch that motherfucker. I don’t give a damn if he is blood. Holden is not to be trusted. That goes for all of you. Make sure he doesn’t see anything, hear anything or go anyplace unescorted.”

  Nuke and everyone sitting at the table nodded in agreement.

  “We got your back, bro, on whatever drama he’s bringing. We’re family; he’s not,” Toby said as he looked over at Nuke with a nod.

  “Thanks everybody!” Nuke replied.

  “Anyone have anything else?” Mitch asked.

  They all looked around the table, silent.

  “Meeting adjourned.” Mitch cracked the gavel.

  ***

  Kevin tagged along with Nuke and Pipe when they went to Club Mirror. Ricky was a man who never varied from his routine. One day that would surely get him killed. He was in the VIP section, like the king of the club, as usual. They stepped up to the small-framed Asian man working security. He had to be in his mid-fifties, and he looked even more out of place than Nuke, Kevin and Pipe.

  As Nuke stared down at him he wondered for a second where Sergio was at. “You know what I’ve learned in life,” Nuke said as he glanced back at Kevin.

  “Nope what have you learned?” Kevin asked as he looked around, inspecting the club.

  “I’ve seen enough martial arts movies to know that if a small Asian man is working security, don’t try to be a bad-ass; shoot his ass because he can probably beat the fuck out of you,” Nuke said, laughing.

  The man working security cracked a smile. He glanced back at Ricky, who nodded. He then let them walk past the velvet rope. They took a seat on the purple leather sofa.

  “I hate this song,” Kevin complained.

  “But have you seen the video? I replay it like porn,” Pipe said and he started to bump and grind on the sofa to “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj as it blasted through the speakers. Pipe’s concentration suddenly switched to the waitress who entered the VIP section to take their orders. He stopped couch-dancing as he watched her every move.

  The little cutie had shoulder-length, curly blonde hair and big brown eyes and she was slim but also curvy in all of the right places. She was five foot five inches of attitude, and Pipe wanted to be balls deep in every inch of it.

  He knew that she waitressed there three nights a week after working the day shift as a bank teller. She had two kids, a boy who was five and a three-year-old girl, and she had made it clear on every occasion when he was in Club Mirror that she wasn’t interested.

  “Hey Ella, are you ready to marry me yet?” Pipe said the minute she stepped close to him.

  “I don’t date, so therefore I don’t marry!” Ella sharply replied with a slight smile. Part of her did like Pipe and his goofiness. However, if she ever got interested in dating again, it still wouldn’t be with him. The Hells Vipers were the real deal. So much so, a recent Gangland documentary had aired about them. That was not the kind of man she wanted to be involved with. Even though she thought Pipe was slightly cute and appealing, no way would she hook up with him.

  “You don’t date or you don’t date men?” Kevin probed.

  “She’s taking a break since she ended it with her ex six months ago. I know all of this because I go to her Facebook page. It’s amazing the things people put online. Ella’s not into chicks but she did make out with one of her female friends at a bachelorette party two months ago,” Pipe said proudly.

  “That is so creepy.” Ella took a step back. “Do I need to get a restraining order for you?” Ella placed a hand on her hip as she held his brown eyes with hers.

  “Not yet,” Pipe smiled. “I only stalk you online, not in person. When I start doing that, I’ll let you know.”

  She turned to Nuke. Not that he was any better than Pipe, but at least when he did come to the club he kept his hands and dirty comments to himself. “I can’t tell if he’s joking, is he joking?”

  “He’s serious. You might need to make your Facebook page private and move just in case!”

  “It is private and I can’t afford to move!” Ella quickly added.

  “I guess you’re getting stalked then,” Nuke replied with a calm tone.

  “I got technology skills people don’t know about,” Pipe interjected with an evil grin.

  “It’s Facebook, shit even I can stalk people on that site,” Kevin bragged.

  “You should go on Pinterest,” Nuke replied.

  Kevin whipped his head around and glared at Nuke. “Bro, what the fuck?”

  “Jasmine loves it; she doesn’t like Facebook. I don’t fucking PIN SHIT, STOP STARING AT ME THAT WAY!”

  “I remember one time you had four bitches tied up; you shared that pussy, too, with all of us. Had those gashes begging for the ten and a half inches of Nuke. Left them cunts there for hours to be used by anyone. Now look at you, taking about Pinterest.” Kevin shook his head. “What happened, bro?” Kevin asked half-jokingly. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Jasmine; he did. He just didn’t understand why Nuke was still so obsessed with her. Nuke’s affection for a woman never lasted this long. He’d get one, use her, then pass her on to someone else. He also didn’t understand why he chose to settle for one pussy after all of this time, especially when there were so many to choose from.

  “I met the baddest bitch on the planet!” Nuke smirked.

  Kevin shook his head. He then turned toward the dance floor, where he got distracted by two females who were dancing together.

  Ella turned back to Pipe. “You want your usual?”

  “If you know my usual then maybe you’re stalking me.”

  “I’m not stalking you! It’s my job to know what people want.”

  “Well I want to fuck, but you’re not giving me any pussy!”

  “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DRINK?” Ella wasn’t sure if she was afraid, flattered or repulsed by Pipe at that moment.

  “Pussy juice, it does a body good!”

  Ella took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “This is really awkward, anyone else think this is awkward?” Kevin looked back and forth between Ricky and Nuke.

  “Yep,” they both said.

  “Are they flirting or getting ready to call 911 on each other? Because I can’t tell.”

  “I think this is how Pipe flirts,” Nuke replied as he looked at his watch. “Three Jack Daniels straight up, Ella.”

  She nodded and left the VIP section. She glanced back over her shoulder with a quick look back at Pipe.

  “I didn’t know you had white chicks working here. Where you get Ella from?” Kevin asked.

  “She applied for the job!” Ricky responded with an angry look. “She’s not the only one. All nationalities work here, including a few pasty-ass white boys!”

  Nuke let out a loud laugh.

  Pipe snickered as he scanned the crowd.

  “What can I do for you boys?” Ricky said as he adjusted the rings on his fingers.

  Nuke scooted in close to Ricky; “What’s going on with the ESGs? Do we have a problem there? We heard they’re double dealing.”

  Ricky shook his head. “They’re a pain in my ass lately. That’s between them and me. I had a good thing going with Levan, and then poof, he’s MIA. I heard he’s head deep in the St. Joe River. Andre and his boys think they’re
real fucking gangsters. But they’re not stupid. They won’t fuck with the Hells Vipers; lots of good history there. It’s that fake-ass MC club over on Drexel.”

  “You knew about the club and didn’t tell us?” Pipe questioned him.

  “Because they aren’t SHIT! Only five of them got motorcycles. All they have are leather jackets with a lame-ass insignia on the back. They sit around that house and talk about what they want to do but don’t do a damn thing. They aren’t a threat to your club.”

  “They’re wearing our colors. That’s disrespectful!” Nuke added.

  Ricky nodded. “I can understand your feeling on that.”

  “We’re going to handle this. Are we going to have a problem with you or the ESGs?”

  “Naw,” Ricky answered.

  “Cool,” Nuke said as he sat back.

  Ella returned with the drinks. “Anything else?” she asked.

  “Have my baby!” Pipe winked at her.

  “I don’t need another deadbeat dad in my life,” she told Pipe as she walked away.

  “Have your baby, seriously bro?” Kevin stared at him. “I need to teach you how to get civilian pussy.”

  Pipe laughed as he stood up. “I’ll be back.” He sauntered out of the VIP section.

  “Where’s he going?” Ricky asked.

  “He’s probably harassing Ella.” Kevin picked up his drink and took a swallow.

  Ricky snorted. “Nuke, why don’t you freelance like you used too?”

  “Didn’t you hear me earlier? He’s married and he’s taking the vows seriously,” Kevin laughed as he finished off his whiskey.

  Nuke snickered.

  “That’s why I got a wifey and a side bitch but not a wife,” Ricky added. “Easier to get rid of both of them bitches than filing for divorce from one.”

  “This is for life,” Nuke said calmly. Nuke was trying hard to push down the feeling of dread that he was having. He truly feared that something was going to come between him and Jasmine eventually.

  “You got crazy, stalker ex-husband written all over you!” Ricky laughed. “I told you to stay away from that black chick back when you first hooked up with her. What you going to do when she gets tired of the lifestyle? Most women like the thrill of what we do for a minute. They like the money, the danger. Then, when things get tough, they’re out like a light! Men in our business can’t keep the same woman for life. Women need stability. Dudes like us,” Ricky pointed back and forth between him and Nuke, “we can’t give a woman that. It’s why they leave.”

  “Leaving isn’t an option,” Nuke said as he took out his phone and checked his messages. There was a text from Jasmine asking if he wanted dinner saved. He smiled as a small wave of reassurance washed over him for the moment.

  “Nuke was crazy when he met her,” Kevin butted into the conversation.

  “True, very true.” Ricky nodded.

  “It’s different with me and Jasmine.” Nuke put his phone away after he texted her back. He took a swallow of his whiskey to stop the jittery feeling deep in his bones. Nuke finished off his drink and sat it down on the table.

  Ricky shook his head. “That poor woman, she’s never going to get rid of you.” Ricky laughed as he looked long and hard at Nuke. He could tell from the look in his eyes that Nuke meant every word he was saying.

  “Psycho. I love you, bro, but you’re a fucking psycho,” Kevin said as he motioned for Ella and ordered more drinks.

  ***

  Kevin, Nuke and Pipe walked out of Club Mirror shortly after 1 a.m. They were heading to their bikes when Pipe told them to wait a moment. They followed him a few feet away toward a parked car. Ella was sitting in the driver seat, crying.

  “What’s wrong?” Pipe called out to her as he approached her car.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. It won’t start. I can’t deal with this right now. I just can’t!”

  He could tell that she was fighting hard to stop crying but she didn’t know what else to do. “Pop the hood and let me take a look at it.”

  Ella did as he told her. Nuke and Kevin stood off to the side. Nuke shot a look at Kevin and rolled his eyes with a small laugh.

  Pipe messed around under the hood for a few minutes. Then he yelled for her to try starting it again. Nothing. This brought on a new wave of tears from Ella.

  “Hey, it’s alright. I can call a tow truck. Take it to our garage. We’ll check it out for you,” he said to her as he walked back around to the driver’s side window.

  “If don’t get home soon, my babysitter charges me five dollars extra every hour that I’m late. I can’t afford a tow. I can’t afford to get this fixed. FUCK!” she scream as she slumped over, defeated.

  “Hey,” Pipe said as he opened her door and knelt down. He reached in and gently brushed back her hair. “I’ll call a cab for you and I’ll pay for it. The car can get towed to our garage, like I said. I’ll work on it free of charge. Just relax. It’s going to be alright. I know it’s tough for you, being a single parent.”

  “Free? Nothing in life is free. What do you want?” She watched him closely for a lie but saw none.

  “Nothing, honest” He smiled at her.

  “I’m not doing some weird biker sex thing!” She brushed back the tears from her cheek. “I know what you guys like. I’m not going to be whored out, either.”

  “I’m not asking you to. I know I flirt around, but it’s harmless crap. I know our reputation, but I’m sincerely trying to help you out.” Pipe stood up and took out his phone. He called a cab for her and the tow truck from the Vipers garage.

  Ella glanced back at Nuke and Kevin. They were leaning up against the trunk of her car smoking. She searched around in her glove compartment for a napkin. Finding one, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

  “The cab will be here in a few minutes. Call the Vipers garage tomorrow afternoon and ask for me. I should know what’s wrong with it by then. Here.” Pipe reached into his pocket and took out two hundred dollars.

  “No,” Ella shook her head. “I can’t take money from you because I don’t know when I’d be able to pay you back.”

  “You don’t have to. Pay the babysitter and you’ll probably have to take a cab to work in the morning and one to come pick up the car when it’s finished.”

  Ella climbed out of her vehicle. Pipe took her hand and placed the money in her palm and closed her fingers over it. She looked down at the money, then she hesitantly reached up and gave him a hug. “Thank you!” She kissed his cheek. “This is really sweet of you to do.”

  “No thanks needed,” Pipe replied with a sexy grin.

  They made small talk until the cab showed up and drove her home.

  ***

  Nuke walked up to the front of the car looked beneath the hood. He re-hooked the battery cables. “How did you know she wouldn’t look underneath the hood herself?”

  “I’ve been tracking her online off and on for a few months. She doesn’t know a damn thing about cars,” Pipe said as he took out a cigarette. “She works hard, but she’s a bit shallow, always talking selfies. Her posts are mainly her complaining about how she needs a good man to take care of this or how bad her kids are. She’s been on a few dates since she split with her ex, but she immediately dogs the guy out online. She posts about how the guy didn’t spend enough time or money on her or some stupid shit like that. Vehicles are not at the top of her list of things to know about, nor is she as smart as she thinks she is.”

  “She’s got that cute bitch syndrome! They don’t realize that gets old and so do they.” Kevin snorted. “She’s going to be posting about your ass after a while.”

  Pipe shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about social sites,” he said and laughed. “What the fuck is it going to do, give me a bad reputation?”

  They all laughed out loud.

  “Ella is one of those women who takes more time and effort into getting the best selfie than thinking about who she’s letting squirt up in her pussy,” Nuke sa
id with a laugh. “Her priorities are fucked up. Just like most of society nowadays. Also bravo on the hero performance.” Nuke bowed to Pipe.

  “Thank you very much!”

  “You want that pussy, huh?” Kevin asked as they walked back to their motorcycles.

  “Kind of!” Pipe replied as they got onto their bikes. “I’m kind of bored, figured this might be a mini-challenge.”

  “You giving the car back tomorrow?” Nuke questioned as he started up his motorcycle.

  “No, I’m going to tell her I had to order a part for the car. Then I’ll offer to drive her back and forth to work for a few days. Take her and the kids to dinner and a movie, maybe. That should get me some pussy, don’t you think?”

  “Get you a blow job maybe,” Nuke replied.

  “I’ll take a blow job from her, for now,” Pipe said as they rode out of the parking lot.

  Chapter Five

  Bodies

  A week after the officers’ meeting, the first line of defense took up their positons shortly after two in the morning. Rocket nervously tapped his foot on the floor board of the unmarked van. “How do we know how many people are in the house?”

  “We don’t,” Toby said, his blue eyes closed as he lay stretched out on the floor of the van. His black hoodie was under his head like a pillow. His blonde hair hung down to his shoulders.

  “What if we’re outnumbered?” Rocket bit down on the nail of his index finger. His right knee was bouncing up and down so hard it was shaking the van.

  “Then we die.” Toby peeped out at the hang around with one eye. He then lowered his forearm arms across his freshly shaved face. “Relax and stop shaking the damn van!”

  “Four are in the house, kid. Toby is just fucking with you!” Vince said from the driver’s seat. “We’re good at this; we’re not going to get caught slipping. We did the appropriate recon.”

  Rocket stared at the baseball bat that lay across his lap. He looked at it as if he was expecting it to do something; it didn’t. Fear was spreading all over his face and body. His eyes darted back and forth between everyone in the van and then outside toward their destination. He looked at Toby again. “Tell me again: why we don’t have guns? I think we should have guns, don’t you, Ice?”