Broken

by Monica Rossi

  “Any idea of where he went?” Sidney really wanted to get this over while she still had a spark of anger lighting her up.

  “Honey, you learn not to ask questions when your husband and your son run with the Dogs. You don’t need that kind of worry in your life. Gives you wrinkles, instead you sit with your granddaughter and play Barbie and pray everything turns out alright.” She tweaked Morgan’s nose, “And it usually does.”

  That didn’t sound like something Sidney would ever be able to do, but she chose not to say that out loud. She didn’t want Glory thinking she couldn’t handle being with someone in the Club.

  She looked down at Morgan who was busy working a pair of pants on to a doll, her little tongue between her lips, concentrating on her task, “Well then, mind if I play with y’all while I wait for him.”

  “Purplina is going to take a nap right now. But you can make me some macaroni and cheese.” Morgan gave her her best grin and Sidney couldn’t resist.

  She laughed, “Let me go look in the kitchen, and if they’ve got the stuff, I’ll make it.”

  “Make enough for my Glory too, she’ll love it!”

  ***

  Sidney spent the better part of two hours sitting with Glory and Morgan, playing dolls, eating a makeshift version of mac and cheese, and she’d almost given up on Red making an appearance at the clubhouse that day. The sun was already setting low on the horizon and no one who’d come in so far had seen him.

  She was about to make her excuses when she saw Glory stiffen where she sat, her eyes toward the door.

  In walked Demon, arrogant swagger carrying him forward, as if he owned everything in sight. His black hair and black clothes just added to the aura of sex and power that seemed to radiate from him wherever he went. There was no mistaking the danger and appeal of this man, even if he was a jackass.

  He came to stand within inches of her, but his eyes hadn’t left Morgan. “God she looks just like her,” his words were low, she wasn’t sure if anyone else was meant to hear them.

  “Come on Morgan, get your things together, it’s time to go home.”

  “Nice to see you Glory,” he smirked in the older woman’s direction. “You look… well.”

  Glory didn’t say a word to him, just continued to help Morgan pack up her toys in a little cartoon castle covered suitcase.

  “We’ll see you later Sidney,” Glory said as she picked up Morgan and slung her on her hip.

  “Bye bye Sidney, I love you!” Morgan leaned out of Glory’s arms and gave Sidney a big wet kiss on the cheek.

  “I love you too, I’ll come visit soon.”

  She watched the pair walk out the door and turned to Demon.

  “Well that was awkward,”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” He turned and walked towards the bar, the arrogance and anger practically jumping off of him.

  Sidney followed behind, “Have you seen Red today.”

  “Nope,” he grabbed a beer out of the fridge behind the bar and held one up to her, “Want one?”

  “No thanks. So what was all that about with Glory?”

  “Ancient history.” He didn’t seem like he wanted to comment further so she changed the subject.

  “Who does she look just like,” Demon just stared at her, “Morgan, when you walked in you said, ‘God she looks just like her.’ Who is her?”

  “Her mother, who did you think I was talking about Brittney Spears?” Demon jumped over the bar instead of going around it like a normal person. God he was infuriating.

  “But who was she?”

  Demon’s eyes clouded, “That’s one you’re going to have to ask Red about, darlin’. What he does or doesn’t tell you isn’t any of my business.”

  “Well Red isn’t exactly here at the moment, is he? And he’s such a talker, I’m sure he’ll just tell me all about it next time I see him.”

  “Not my problem, sugar.”

  She looked at Demon through the slits of her narrowed eyes. She had the inexplicable urge to slap him, instead she decided to leave.

  “Fine, whatever.” She turned to go get her purse, she obviously wasn’t going to get any answers or even basic civil conversation out of him, so why stick around. No wonder Glory had high tailed it out of there when he walked in. He was like… people repellant no matter how good he looked in those fitted jeans and tight black shirt.

  “I heard about you and Red,” he said from behind her.

  She stopped and faced him, “And what did he tell you?”

  “That you’re a,” he looked both ways as if making sure the coast was clear, then cupped his hands around his mouth and loudly whispered, “witch.”

  She held her head up defiantly, “And what’s wrong with that? I have just as much right to exist as any of you shifters do. I shouldn’t be discriminated against because of the circumstances of my birth. And I am the same person now that I was before he found out,” she lowered her voice in case there actually were others listening, “what I am.”

  He held his hands up in front of him, “Sister, you are preaching to the choir. But none of the guys around here are going to feel that way.”

  “Yeah, I heard about your stupid book. What does it say, ‘Thou shalt not like witches and shall do everything in your power to make them feel like shit”?”

  He smirked, his heart stopping eyes glinting with humor as he took another swig of his beer, “Yeah, something like that. But Red takes it a little more personal than most.”

  “But why? I wouldn’t have taken him for a religious fanatic.”

  “He’s not. He’s got some… personal issues with witches,” Demon was trying to be enigmatic and it wasn’t amusing her.

  “So what’s that got to do with me?” her voice rose, frustration with Demon and with the situation leaking through.

  “Like I said before, you need to talk to Red.”

  She wanted to stomp her foot and demand answers, “I would if he were here to answer them, but he’s not. You are.”

  “Listen, doll. You can get mad at me all you want to, but there ain’t a thing I can do about Red. He was this way before you and he’ll be this way a long time after you’re gone. Just the way it is.”

  His eyes were hard, like he was just giving her some tough love, and to her horror she felt herself tearing up. “But why?” she asked softly, her voice wavering as the tears finally made their way down her face. She put her hands up to her face, she didn’t want anyone to see her crying over Red, least of all Demon.

  Demon moved off the barstool and with more gentleness than she’d though him capable of, took her in his arm.

  The bolt of electricity flew through her again, just like it had when he’d touched her hand in the kitchen, and her breathe caught in her throat. Their eyes locked and she knew he was feeling it as well. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t grasp what was happening, everything began to sway and jumble in her mind.She was drowning in his impossibly green eyes, eyes that seemed to know everything about her, and strangely she felt like she knew all about him too.

  She saw him, as a boy playing side by side with Red, as a teenager strumming an old beat up guitar and smiling at a girl with long blonde curls, as a young man arguing with an older man in a Dogs of War cut, Red standing by his side. She saw him a little older, his face bruised and bloody as he watched Red walk away from him… the visions were suddenly jerked away as Demon let her go.

  She gasped, drawing in a shocked breath, “What the hell was that?”

  He looked confused and lost, “Fuck if I know.” He was panting heavily as well.

  “Did you see visions of me?” she could only hope that he hadn’t, she wanted to keep her pathetic life up until this point to herself.

  “Yeah,” he looked away, gulping. “Jesus that was freaky.”

  “That’s the second time. I felt it in the kitchen when you touched my hand before, remember?”

  “Could you shut the fuck up, bitch.” Sidney looked at him wide eyed, no
t sure what had prompted him to talk to her like that, “Not you, not you. It’s this ghost that keeps following me around. Nevermind. Yeah I remember it. I thought it was just like, physical attraction or whatever.”

  Sidney was confused, “Ghost?” she asked but didn’t give him time to answer, “Physical attraction? You know I’m with Red, or was with him at the time.” She’d tried to push the thought of that moment out of her mind, but if she were honest with herself she had thought it was some extreme form of instant attraction herself.

  Demon seemed to be getting his composure back, and he smiled at her, a little sideways smile that made her want to either kiss him or smack him, “Oh Sids, you don’t have to hide how you feel about me. I mean come on, you’ve got to admit, as weird as it was, it was pretty hot?”

  Sidney’s mouth opened and closed, wanting to deny it but knowing that she couldn’t. Her body still thrummed in response to just a simple hug, “Can you not be an ass just long enough for us to figure this out?”

  He shook his head, “I doubt it, it’s genetic.”

  “God, I can’t even deal with you right now. I’ll go get my own answers,” she huffed as she turned away and back again, “without you.”

  “You do that, I’ll be anxiously waiting to hear what you find out,” he called to her.

  “Maybe I’ll just keep it between me and,” she looked around, wishing there were more people around, and yelled, “THE WITCHES.” She wanted everyone to know who and what she was. Screw them if they couldn’t handle it.

  “How much longer?” Squint shouted, the wind snatching the words away.

  “What?” Red couldn’t hear anything over the roar of his bike and the rush of air pummeling him as they flew over the asphalt.

  “How much longer?” Squint repeated.

  “As long as it takes dipshit,” Red was tired of the damn complaints coming from Squint and Squirt. They should have been used to long rides by now, instead they were complaining about numb asses and hot legs. It was like riding with fucking toddlers. Part of that was the club’s fault, they should have made sure the prospects were getting enough road time. Evidently that hadn’t been big on Big Dogs list of priorities.

  At least Tinker was riding in obliging silence. Red just wanted to feel the road and visualize Big Dogs face when he finally got to him and confronted him about his betrayal. He wanted to hear him try to talk his way out of it and think he was making a believable case. Then Red wanted to rip his goddamned throat out.

  Just thinking about it left a deep feeling of satisfaction inside. Red had never enjoyed killing. Not the way that Demon did, relishing the blood and gore as he sliced through warm bodies. Red did it out of necessity, because he had to protect his people, his club, his family, not because he liked it. But this was going to be different. He was going to enjoy every second he spent dismembering Big Dog, Trainz, and BillCo. He was going to enjoy their screams, their cries for mercy, the feel of their warm blood gushing over his teeth. He was going to savor it all.

  Being on the road, the vibration of his bike, the sound driving out everything else, the wind whipping his clothes, his hair, it usually calmed him. Not this time. The longer they rode, the more the tension mounted, the more he yearned to get there and get the job done. He had latched onto the idea that killing Big Dog would fix everything. Things would go back to being the way they had before. Without all the internal club drama, without worrying about someone trying to kill him, and without having his heart stepped on by a lying witch. He could pass off the job of president to someone else and sneak out of town without causing a fuss. Then he might be able to give Morgan the chance at a normal life. One that wasn’t constantly plagued with fear and worry, where her life wouldn’t ever again be put in danger by who and what he was.

  Red slowed as they turned down a tree lined residential road. The homes on either side reminded him of something off of TV. Where over indulged teenagers had parties and got caught having sex and smoking pot. A life like that must be nice, your biggest fear getting caught by your parents with your pants down, humping some cheerleader in the garage. That had never been the kind of life Red had experienced. They’d always had enough to eat and clothes on their back, but everything extra went to the Club. He’d never had a fancy car or gone to eat at a five star restaurant. Hell, despite the fact that he could be considered ‘well-off’ now, he’d never even bought clothes that didn’t come from Wal-Mart. Scratch that, he had bought a thirty dollar pair of pants and a white shirt all folded up in a plastic bag from a department store once. For a funeral.

  He didn’t feel like he’d missed anything though. All these big houses probably held a lot of lonely space. He’d take a small house full of laughter over that any day.

  Finally the house that Demon had described came into view, he checked the street number against the one he’d memorized and confirmed he was in the right place. Red shook his head. He never would have guessed one of his own, the fucking president of the club and his two closest men, would have sold out. He might be planning to leave but he would never betray the club, the town, like that. He didn’t always agree with his orders, the direction the club took, or anything else, but he’d done his damn job. People depended on them, not just the club, the family with five kids who couldn’t buy groceries, the teenage girl who got knocked up by some asshole who left her, the old lady with no children and no way to pay the electric bill. That was who Big Dog had sold out, not just the guys in the club, the whole damn town.

  Red pulled over to the side of the road a few houses down from the one the traitors were staying in and grinned, very soon Big Dog was going to pay for all of that and more. He knew they should probably wait until night, when the chances of them being seen was less, but he was too impatient. He just hoped some overly helpful human didn’t decide to call the cops. He didn’t want to kill any innocents, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

  He climbed off his bike and started giving instructions almost before his feet hit the ground, “Alright, Tinker, you’re coming with me. Squint and Squirt, you’re going to plant your asses on either side of that driveway, out of sight, and if anything goes wrong, you’re going to hightail it out of here and tell the rest of the guys what happened. Ya got it?”

  Both of the prospects nodded and moved to comply. Squirt grimaced as he turned to go. He was walking bowlegged, Red knew what was up and shook his head. Couldn’t be helped now, but Red bet he’d remember those burning thighs in the future and make sure to swab his happy ass down with diaper rash cream before he left on a long ride again. Not to mention a splash or two of baby powder on the taint.Monkey butt and swamp balls were no joke.

  Red made his way as silently as he could to the edge of the house, Tinker followed.

  He heard them in there. The TV was playing, someone was flushing a toilet, and someone was snoring. Good. He’d catch them while they were preoccupied.

  Ducking below windows and skirting bushes they made their way to the back of the house, pausing by the back door to listen again. He didn’t want the three of them to get the heads up and have the jump on him and Tinker when they opened the door. But all seemed just as quiet as before so he gripped the door handle and turned it fast and hard. He heard the crunch and knew that he’d torn out the latch.

  Silently they entered. Red motioned for Tinker to head upstairs, where they’d heard someone flushing the toilet, and he was going to take whoever was watching TV. He’d let whoever was taking a nap come to them when he felt like it.

  He rounded a corner and saw Big Dog, kicked back in a recliner, his eyes shut. An afternoon nap did sound relaxing, too bad Red was going to fuck his up.

  Red straightened and walked quietly to the end of the leather chair, waiting for Big Dog to notice. He looked older, his white hair wispy and thin, his skin sagging and yellowed from years of cigarette smoke, his body a lumpy mass under an expensive looking plush blanket.

  He nudged his foot when it didn’t seem like he was goi
ng to wake up with a fright any time in the near future. Big Dog didn’t even move. Red nudged him again, still nothing.

  Irritated, Red grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out the chair. That woke him up.

  “Huh? What the..”

  “What the fuck indeed Big Dog.”

  “Red,” he saw recognition and fear enter Big Dog’s eyes at the same time. “Hey man, good to see you,” he stuttered, his voice gruff from sleep.

  “Yeah, I could say the same, but I won’t.”

  Tinker came in dragging Trainz behind him, his hands tied with a drop cord.

  “What the fuck is this about Red? And who is this big ugly fuck?” Trainz asked as Tinker jerked him forward, pushing him against the wall.

  “I’m going to go get the other one,” Tinker said before heading back upstairs, Red nodded.

  “I’ll wait until Tinker gets BillCo to explain what’s going to happen here. So while we wait how about you start telling me what the hell could convince you to turn traitor.”

  Big Dog and Trainz exchanged a look and then Big Dog began the bullshit, just like Red had known he would. “You got this shit all wrong Red. I don’t know why you think we’ve done anything to consider us traitors but you can just forget that pile of shit. Ain’t one of us would betray the Club.” His voice was rife with indignant outrage, like a cheating husband explaining to his wife why his secretary just happened to be bobbing her head up and down under the desk. To be sure she was just looking for a dropped pen.

  “Uh huh, well you tell me about it man. Tell me how you came to be living in a house like this,” he waved his hand indicating all the furniture that clearly hadn’t come from Lowe’s, the pictures on the wall that looked like they belonged in a museum, the shelves and shelves of leather bound books that lent the room a rich musky odor. “Tell me about it, and while you’re at it tell me about why you haven’t answered your phone, why your daughter thinks you’re on a fishing trip, why you haven’t made contact with a single person in the club the entire time you’ve been gone.”