by Emily Minton
“I love the pink tips. Wish they’d show up in my hair,” Ice says as we drive toward home.
I smile at her and touch my hair. “My Mom’s gonna flip the hell out.”
“You’re a grown ass woman. You need to get the hell out from under her thumb. You should move into the apartments with the other girls.”
I blow out a frustrated breath and close the visor. “I can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
I look at my lap and close my eyes. I’ve been saving all of my money since the day I started working at The Kitty Kat. Even after giving Mom half my money for rent, I still have nearly three thousand dollars put back. It’s enough to get me a place and a decent down payment on a new car. Well, that was my plan until this morning, when I spent nearly every penny of it to pay my parents’ bills. “Mom’s been going to the gambling boat again. Dad doesn’t know, but they’re about to lose the house. They need the money I make to keep them afloat.”
“What the fuck? You’re supporting them?”
I hate talking about this shit, because even with Ice, it’s uncomfortable. “I’m helping them out.”
“What’s that got to do with you living in the apartments? You know the girls live there for free.”
“I know, but if I lived there, I couldn’t make sure stuff was actually getting paid at home. Sure, I could pay the bills and stuff, but how would I know if there was food in the house or other shit they need?”
I don’t really care if mom eats, but there’s no way I can let Dad starve to death. Also, I’m not sure I could take care of him if I left. Sometimes, I think moving out on my own is just a pipe dream.
She shakes her head. “You could buy groceries and take them there.”
I let out a frustrated breath and lay it out for her. “If I’m not there, I won’t know if Dad’s getting his pills. I have to keep them locked up and give them to him myself. If not, they’ll disappear.”
She looks to me and asks, “Is he taking too many, or is your mom selling the shit?”
I shake my head before replying, “She sells them before she even gets them home. Dad had to call the pharmacy and tell them not to let her pick ‘em up anymore.”
“He needs to throw her the fuck out.”
I don’t respond, because there’s nothing I can say. My mom’s a bitch, and my dad is too much of a pussy to do anything about it. We fall into silence as we finish our drive home. Ten minutes later, we pull up to the club. Since I’m not a club girl, I don’t come here very often, but I can tell by the amount of bikes and cars in the lot that there’s a party going on.
As we walk toward the clubhouse, I can hear the noise coming from inside and know that the party is a wild one. I almost turn around, but force myself to walk inside. I need to talk to Preach, and now is as good a time as any. I should’ve told him last night, but he distracted me with his body then left while I was asleep.
Ice walks up beside me and asks, “Did you know they were having a party tonight?”
“No,” I answer, shaking my head.
We continue to the door, and I walk inside in front of Ice. Bracing myself for my conversation with Preach, I strut to the middle of the common room while placing my hands on my hips and getting a good look at what’s going on all around me. Well, that is until I see Grams naked on top of Uncle Holt, and my lunch starts to make its way up my throat. Oh my god! That’s my grandma! What the hell; sick, just sick! That is something no person should ever, ever see in their entire life. It was bad enough when I walked in on my parents when I was a little kid, but this is my grandmother. Seeing her like that scares the hell out of me. It’s like looking into the future, a very wrinkly future. I need eye bleach STAT.
Ice leans toward me. “What the fuck is going on here?”
I start to respond, but stop mid-sentence when my eyes land on Preach. He has Leah bent over the bar and is pounding into her from behind like there is no tomorrow. Feeling my blood run cold, I ignore the warning signals going off in my head as I throw caution to the wind and stomp right toward them. My steel determination is almost shattered when I watch Preach throw back his head and let out a low moan; the same moan I heard last night when he was buried inside of me and finally loving me the way that I wanted him to all along. But instead of turning me into blubbering mess of tears, it reignites my anger. It pisses me off that much more to know that, yet again, I’ve fallen for his bullshit and lies.
My mind tells me that I just need to say my peace and be done with the whole situation, but my body overrides my brain, and I find myself with a mug of beer in my hand. I walk right up to him and pour it over all over the top of his drunken ass.
He instantly jerks away from the bitch that used to be my best friend, as the liquid drenches his clothes all the way down to his ass. He shakes his head, sending droplets flying, before turning to me. When his eyes land on my face, I see a brief second of regret before he hardens his features. He whips off the used condom and tosses it at Leah. He starts to zip up as he yells at me, “What the hell is your problem?”
“I hate you. I hate you so fucking much.” Quietly, making sure no one but Preach hears, I continue. “I am so sick of your shit. I wish you would disappear, so I could finally have some peace and live without you coming in and out of my life to screw it up on the regular. But you don’t need to go, because from now on, you are dead to me.”
I go quiet and stare at him for a few more seconds, then turn on my heels and all but run out of the room, not once stopping to give him or anyone else a chance to respond.
As soon as I step into the parking lot, I realize I don’t have a ride home. Ice is still inside, and there’s no damn way I’m going back in there. With no other choice, I start walking toward my house. I barely make it to the street before I’m pulled back against Preach’s warm body.
Knowing he is touching me with the same hands he used to touch Leah makes my stomach roll. “Get your hands off me.”
“You can’t walk home on your own,” he slurs. The whiskey on his breath is so strong that I nearly gag.
I jerk away from him before replying, “I’ll be fine.”
“Let me drive you home.”
I can’t keep the sneer from my face when I say, “I’m not going anywhere with you. Not only are you drunk as hell, but I don’t want to be around you. I don’t ever want to see you again. I’m pretty sure I told you that loud and clear back at the club. Whatever we had is over. I’m done. We’re done.”
I know it’s not possible. If he steps up, I’ll be seeing a lot of him during the next eighteen years, but right now, I just need to get away from him. I turn to start on my way home again, but he grabs me before I can even take a step. “I’m not letting you walk home. If you don’t want to ride with me, let me get one of the prospects to take you home.”
I start to say no again, but flashing blue lights catch my attention.
“Fuck!” Preach growls out as a police car stops beside us. A second later, a tall blonde man climbs out of the car.
He looks toward Preach then me. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing officer,” Preach replies. “She and I are just heading back into the clubhouse.”
The cop looks back at me with an expression I can’t quite read on his face. “Is that what you want, ma’am?”
I know better than to go against Preach right now, but I need to make sure he knows that I’m going home. “Yes, sir. I’m going to get a ride home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, my Grams is inside. She’ll give me a ride.” Grams isn’t going anywhere, but I’m sure I can find someone sober enough to give me a lift.
He looks at me for a few more seconds before cutting his eyes toward Preach. “All right, but she better get home, and she better get home safe.”
Before he takes off, he hands me his card. “You give me a call if you ever need anything.”
After that, he climbs back into his car and takes off. Preach g
rabs my hand and pulls me toward the clubhouse without saying a word. I can feel the tension coming off of his body as we make our way to the door.
Just as he goes to open the door, it swings open, and my grandpa walks out. I see the hurt in his eyes, and I know what’s causing it. Even after all these years of him and Uncle Holt sharing Grams, he still can’t seem to get past it. I tried talking to her once about why she couldn’t pick one or the other. All she said was that she had two great loves, and how could anyone choose one over the other?
I smile at the man I love the most in the world and pull away from Preach. “Are you heading home, Gramps?”
He smiles back at me before shooting a glare at Preach. I’m not sure what that’s about, but something isn’t right between the two of them. “Nah, I’m doing a liquor run, but I can take you home if you want.”
I walk to him and lean my body into his. He wraps his arm around my waist and leads me toward his truck. I can’t stop myself from looking back to Preach. He’s leaning against the front of the clubhouse with a look of total defeat on his face. When he meets my eyes, he lifts his chin and pushes away from the wall. I watch him walk inside and do my best to keep my tears at bay. Damn him!
PREACH
I take another shot, chased by a swig of my beer, as Daisy crosses my mind. Hell, who am I kidding? She’s taken up residence and lives on my fucking mind. She looked at me like I was a worthless piece of trash—guess I am. What the hell was I thinking, sticking my dick into Leah? I wasn’t even thinking when Leah crawled in my lap, too fuckin’ drunk to give a shit about the consequences. I swear, every time I pick up a bottle, I do something stupid.
“What the fuck is your problem, man?” Reese asks, grabbing the bottle of Jack from my hand before I can take another shot.
I reach for it, nearly slipping off my barstool. “The only problem I have is you taking my drink. Give it back, and I’ll be fine.”
Reese shakes his head, frustration lining his face. “You need to sober your ass up. We’ve got church in an hour.”
“Shit. Kidd knows not to call church right after a party. Half the fuckin’ club is trashed.”
He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. Kidd calls church, you show up. Just do your best to sober up before you get there.”
An hour and a cold shower later, I’m sitting in the chapel looking around at my brothers. Everyone is tense as shit, knowing that this meeting can only mean trouble.
Kidd walks in and sits at the end of the table. “We have a problem.”
He spends the next twenty minutes telling us about the new girl’s connections to the Mateland crew. The fact that Timmons sent her to lure Ice away nearly blows my mind. What the fuck was the bastard thinking? After coming up with a plan to make sure Ice is protected, he’s ready to call an end to church.
I know Kidd has a lot on his mind, but we’ve got more shit to deal with, and it needs be dealt with now. Even though I hate to have the attention on me at the moment, it’s time I spoke up. “We got more trouble than just Timmons.”
“What?”
“We put off dealing with the girls too long. Timmons had one of the dancers selling coke at The Kitty Kat. I know Ice is our first priority, but we can’t let that shit fly. If word gets out that drugs are being sold there, we’ll have the boys in blue breathing down our necks. With this shit going down, that’s the last thing we need.”
“Why the fuck didn’t I know about this?” he asks in a near shout.
“Brother, you had your hands full dealing with Ice. I never meant to keep it from you, just didn’t think about it again ‘til Leah mentioned it to me earlier.” I’m not sure if she was telling the truth or just trying to earn brownie points. Either way, the shit needs to be checked out.
If it is true, it won’t be the first time that drugs have made their way into The Kitty Kat, but it sure in the hell will be the last. This time, someone will pay for breaking the rules. I just hope I’m not the one that has to pull the trigger. I’ve spilled blood for the club, but I’ve never killed a woman.
“I want drug tests done, and don’t give them any fuckin’ warnings. Whoever is doing that shit will be eighty-sixed, but of course, not before we have ourselves a little interrogation. Make sure Timmons is their only supplier,” he growls out.
After a little more business, a frustrated and angry Kidd stands up and damn near sends the gavel through the table. “Meeting closed.”
I’m heading back to the bar when Reese grabs my arm. “I need you to ride with Ice. I want you to help her handle the girls.”
Nodding, I blow out a frustrated breath. Shit! I’ll be spending the day with Daisy instead of drinking her off my mind.
Chapter Fourteen
DAISY
Skittles called early this morning, saying I needed to get my ass over to the apartments for a meeting. Last time a meeting was called, I was in the emergency room getting my rash checked out. I heard that it wasn’t pretty, but it never is when Ice is pissed. If I’m right about what’s going on at The Kitty Kat, she is going to be more than pissed today.
As soon as I walk into the apartment complex, I see my Grams sitting on the couch. She smiles and motions for me to come and sit by her. I am just getting settled in when Ice walks into the room.
“Okay, ladies, listen up. We got to get some shit straight.”
As she starts to talk, a few of the boys walk in. When Preach comes into the room, I slide closer to Grams, and she wraps her arm around me. Seeing him again, so soon after what happened, just kills me inside.
“We have a problem. Seems there are drugs floating around, and some of you are using. Also, I got word that a few of you ladies decided to spread your legs for more than just our charter. So surprise! It’s testing time,” she shouts, plastering a fake as hell smile on her face.
A few of the girls are scared shitless, but I’m just happy to be getting rid of the garbage. I may take my clothes off for a living, but I don’t sell dope. I want the ones that do it gone.
Ice looks around the room and continues to talk. “This time, there are no more chances. I’ve stuck up for a few of you before, given your circumstances, but that’s not going to happen this time. Anyone testing positive will be out of the club, so don’t even think about asking for a second chance.”
With those words, she heads over to the doc that came in with the guys. Talking loud enough for us to hear, she says, “Go ahead and set up in your usual room. I want you to give them all a pregnancy test too. I don’t want to be kicking out a girl that’s carrying a member’s kid.”
Her words send a chill down my spine. If I take a test here, the whole damn club will know I’m pregnant. I need to tell Preach before it becomes public knowledge.
Ice continues to talk to Doc and Skittles a minute more before she walks back toward us.
“Okay, girls. I want you to break up into groups of five.”
I stand up, my legs feeling like jelly, and suddenly a group of the girls is standing beside me. A few girls are standing with Yvonne, and few more are surrounding Leah. In my mind, I have a label for each group. Yvonne’s girls are the druggies, Leah’s are the girls spreading on the side, and my group is the few that actually follow the rules.
Ice motions toward us. “Leah’s group, go with the doc. Yvonne’s, go with Skittles for pregnancy tests. Daisy’s group is with me.”
I make my way to the bathroom, making sure to place myself at the end of the line. It takes a while to get to me, because Ice is watching each girl fill her cup. By the time I step into the bathroom, I feel like I’m going to pass out. My entire body is shaking with fear, and it only takes a few minutes for Ice to notice that something isn’t right.
“What’s wrong with you?”
I chew on my bottom lip, trying to think of the best way to answer her question. I end up asking one of my own. “Do we have to take pregnancy tests?”
A look of pure shock crosses her face. “Are you pregnant?”
I can’t look her in the eye, so I end up staring at the floor. “I think so.”
I know I am, but there’s no reason to tell her so. Anyways, it’s not official until I see the doctor.
“Who?”
“You know,” I whisper, not wanting to say his name.
“Does he know?”
“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “I go to the doctor Tuesday. I figured I’d tell him after that.”
“Do you need me to go with you?” Anger and pity make her voice sound gruff.
“Nah, I’ll be okay,” I say, barely holding back tears. “But I don’t want everyone here to know. They will if I have to take a pregnancy test.”
She takes a second to think about it and says, “I’ll let Skittles know what’s going on.”
I nod and take the cup to the bathroom stall. A minute later, I hand it to her and walk out without saying another word.
As soon as I step out of the bathroom, I see Preach standing near the front door. His eyes are trained on me as I make my way to him. “I need to talk to you.”
He starts to move closer, but stops himself. I swear it’s like he’s tethered to a leash that’s holding him back. “Then talk.”
I look around the room and realize just how many people are here. “Can we go somewhere private?”
“I gotta guard the door, so if you got something to say, you’ll have to say it here.” His voice is so cold that it chills me to the bone, but there’s something in his eyes that tells me things aren’t how they seem. It’s as if they’re caressing me, sucking me in.
I shake off my thoughts before throwing his attitude back at him. “Do you have to be an ass all the damn time? This is important, and it’s something I can’t talk about in front of everyone else.”
He starts to respond, but stops as a sneer crosses his face. A second later, Leah rushes over and wraps her arms around him. “Hey, baby.”
