by London Casey
When I got to the end of the hall I heard voices.
It was Cash, Trev, and Diesel.
“How’s your cock feeling?” Cash asked.
“Fuck off, brother,” Diesel said.
“I can’t imagine being around that fine piece and not losing my mind.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Trev asked.
“No, Prez. It’s all in control. There’s other options.”
I smirked, knowing what that meant.
“Good man,” Trev said. “Hey, I got some word that a little heat might be coming our way.”
“I love heat,” Cash said.
“What kind of heat, Prez?”
“Just some old demons riding through. Not sure what will happen. But we have to take care of things. Get it?”
“I’ll make sure Tia is fine,” Diesel said. “But I’m not taking a backseat, Prez. I want in on the action. I can’t sit around anymore.”
“That might just happen,” Trev said. He patted Diesel on the back. “Let me see what else happens here. For now, keep things normal. Move forward. Get some fucking information from her.”
The three broke away.
I stepped back, staying hidden. I took a breath and walked forward, acting as though I was just coming to the front of the clubhouse.
Diesel saw me and rushed right to me. “Hey, darling. Why don’t you grab something to eat.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
There was suddenly a little awkwardness between us. The night lingering. What I had overhead in my head. Wanting to lunge forward and kiss him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You know what’s wrong,” I said. “I haven’t heard a thing about my father. I’m stuck here. The time of the year. Just everything, Diesel. I don’t get any of it.”
“We’re just trying to help,” he said. “Know that. I’m not pressing you to talk to me because I don’t want to use things against you or your father. I want to find out what’s happening and fix it.”
“What if it can’t be fixed?”
“Nothing can’t be fixed.”
“Even your hate for Christmas?” I asked.
“That’s a whole different thing, darling.”
“Maybe it’s not though.”
“Fine. You tell me everything I want to know and I’ll chop down the biggest fucking Christmas tree with my bare hands.”
I laughed. I then shook my head. “I just want to figure out what normal is.”
Diesel grabbed my hand and walked me to the bar. He took a seat and made me face him.
“Normal? Look around you. There is no normal. It’s all a lie.”
“I’m learning that,” I admitted. “So much of life is a lie.”
“The lies are the shit you believe that you know aren’t true,” Diesel said. “Fuck everyone, darling. Be your own outlaw.”
“Be my own outlaw? Then that would mean I stand up and walk out of this clubhouse, throwing the finger to you and everyone who helped me.”
Diesel turned on the barstool and pointed to the door. “Do it. Walk out.”
“I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle.”
Diesel grinned. “And where exactly do you want me to take you? To go look at Christmas trees?”
“Actually, no. I’d like coffee. With my friend Amber. That’s normal to me. That’s what I want.”
“Yeah, that’s a total outlaw move,” Diesel teased. “Be careful now. Too much caffeine might get your heart racing.”
Oh, trust me, Diesel, you get my heart racing much faster.
twenty-one.
(D)
Prez called me aside and said trouble was on its way. The old President of the MC - a prick named Ripper - pushed into another crew’s territory and caused a little stir. Nothing really came of it other than a guy being sent to prison for a little bit. They were both out and word was they were coming to visit our MC and get a little payback.
I had to get Tia to safety.
I could have kept her in the clubhouse, but she begged me to get a chance to see her friend Amber. Maybe I was getting soft or maybe I just wanted to be done with this goddamn job, but I agreed to take her to a coffee shop. I had one stipulation. I needed to meet Amber to make sure she was real.
The truth? I wanted to make sure she was really a she. Yeah, nothing quite like some outlaw jealousy to make your veins throb and blood pump. My blood kept me alive, but when it pumped too fast to my head and heart I always wound up in trouble.
I sat on my motorcycle, Tia standing next to me.
Fuck, I wanted to pull her close and keep her safe. Whisper dirty shit into her ear and watch her blush. I was getting too close to her. Even if I hadn’t fucked her, we were getting way too close for comfort.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Late,” Tia said. “It’s part of her personality.”
“I have to get back to the clubhouse, darling.”
“Is something happening?” she asked.
“You just stay here. Enjoy your coffee. I’ll be in touch.”
“Be careful, Diesel. I’m going to be worried.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I said.
Tia looked at me. Her eyes were pretty, sincere. “I do worry.” A second later Tia moved her eyes away and said, “There’s Amber.”
I looked and sure enough Amber was a woman. Taller than Tia. Much lighter hair and eyes. Running up the sidewalk with a bag slung over her shoulder. A big smile on her face as she waved at Tia. She definitely didn’t match Tia’s personality at all.
“You’re Amber,” I said as she put on the brakes, blowing hair out of her face.
“You’re Diesel,” she said, eye fucking me.
I felt like I should give her a napkin to wipe the drool off her face.
“And I’m Tia,” Tia said.
I put a hand to the small of Tia’s back. “Stay here. Don’t fuck with my trust, darling.”
I started my motorcycle and pulled away. My thundering motor called attention to me. I loved it. I loved all the attention. Knowing women were staring, wishing they could jump on the back of ride and be free. Knowing guys were staring, wanting to experience that freedom for themselves.
I was riding free, hell yeah.
But I was also riding right into a storm that would almost cost me my life.
Two motorcycles pulled in, followed by three more.
“Shit,” Cash said as he threw a cigarette to the ground.
“Easy,” Prez said. “They’re from Nevada. Ride with cuts and no name.”
“Lost Men?” I asked.
“Fuck no,” Prez said. “Scum on the bottom of our shoes. They look for easy deals to break and bust. They rob junkies. Collect nickels and dimes and go for more. No real charter and order. Ripper wanted to patch them over and started some shit that got them in trouble.”
“What’s our move?” Jasper asked.
“We wait and see,” Prez said.
He was calm and collected.
Me? I was ready for a fight. For a war. For a way to get all the aggression out of me.
The two motorcycles turned sideways and faced each other. The riders climbed off. They were tall with wide shoulders. Their arms were covered in random tattoos, most of the ink probably coming from prison. They had shaved heads, wore bandanas, and black sunglasses. Without an ounce of fear, they barreled right toward us.
My instinct kicked in, knowing I had to protect the Prez and VP.
I stepped forward, even against Prez’s order.
“The fuck you want?” the guy on the right said.
“You tell me,” I said. “You see some new faces around here? That means the past has moved on.”
“Time has a funny way of standing still when you’re behind bars,” he said to me.
“Eli, Mace, we can discuss anything you’d like,” Prez said from behind me.
“Tell your puppet to back down,” Eli said.
“Call me a puppet again,�
�� I said.
“D,” Jasper said. “Ease back.”
I listened, but I kept my eyes on two assholes.
“We can figure something out for you and your guys,” Prez said. “But we can’t do it here in town. Not here at my clubhouse. I’m the President here now. Ripper is where he belongs, in a fucking hole.”
The two guys nodded. “We heard he was taken out,” Mace said. “Still doesn’t fix us.”
“If you needed any help in prison you should have reached out,” Jasper said. “We may light bridges on fire but we always find new ways to cross if need be.”
“Fuck that,” Mace said. He spit right at Jasper’s feet. “We got land stolen from us. We lost our clientele.”
“To what?” I asked. “OD’ing? Arrests? Come on.”
Eli stepped forward but Mace put a hand out. “How we earn is not anyone’s business.”
“You play with authority, you get burned, you deal with it,” I said.
“We’ve got more to call if we have to,” Mace said and thumbed back at the other set of bikers.
“We’ve got an entire fucking charter,” Prez said. “And if you push that button, one call and our brothers from Frelen will be up here. And I could keep going from charter to charter.”
Mace showed his hands and backed off.
“Then we discuss like men,” Eli said.
“Fair enough,” Jasper said. “You two can join us in the clubhouse at the bar for a beer. On us. Show us your land issues and let us figure something out.”
“But let me be clear,” Prez said. “This is not a fucking friendship. I’ll help correct the error of a former President but only to a certain extent.”
“That’s what we thought you’d say,” Mace said.
Jasper turned to lead the way. Prez was barely out of reach of the two guys. I sensed something and knew shit was about to go down.
In a split second, shit got crazy.
Mace pulled a knife and took a swing right at Jasper. All I could picture was the knife sinking into my VP’s back, hitting a lung, grabbing for his heart or some crazy shit. Then him bleeding out on the ground.
I dove forward, yelling as I did so. Screaming for Prez to get the fuck back.
Now my back was exposed and there was nothing I could do to protect myself.
I felt the knife get me… and all I thought about was Tia.
twenty-two.
(Tia)
Amber’s mouth was open. I almost reached across the table and shut it for her. I couldn’t believe that I just told her everything about my father, the fire, and the truth that not many people knew about. It felt good to get it off my chest, but the look on Amber’s face told me just how severe the entire thing was. Then again, wasn’t my apartment burning down enough of a hint?
“I’m in shock,” Amber finally said.
“I know. It’s a lot to hear.”
“I just thought your father was a busy man.”
“Oh, he’s busy. Just in a different way.”
“And that’s why you’ve been hiding with that biker?”
“Diesel,” I said. “Yes. My father and the motorcycle club have had business in the past. So Diesel is keeping me protected.”
“He’s so…” Amber smirked. “I mean, whoa. That guy is built and he is beautiful.”
“I don’t look at it like that,” I said, lying, looking down into my coffee mug.
“I would,” Amber said. “That’s ridiculous. You get to hold onto that man? How does the sleeping thing work?”
“He sleeps on the floor. Well, sitting up.”
“What? Like a dog?”
“Trust me, he’s far from a dog,” I said.
“What does that mean?”
“He’s a biker,” I said. “Like a really tough kind of thing.”
“You’re blushing right now.”
“No I’m not.”
“You totally are,” Amber said. She leaned forward. “Did anything happen between you two?”
“No.”
I said it too loud and too fast.
Amber kept that same smirk on her face.
“Stop,” I said. “Nothing happened between us. He’s not allowed to come near me, okay? It’s a really weird situation.”
“Wow,” Amber said. “I wouldn’t be able to control myself around him.”
“You should see how they function. The drinking, partying, violence. The women. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“And Diesel is like that?”
“He mostly stays near me. Right now is the first time I’ve been alone from him.”
“Well, of course. With what you’re going through…”
I shook my head. “That’s the thing. I haven’t told them. I don’t want them to get involved. I’m just waiting for my father to call or come back and then I can go. Diesel doesn’t need to get involved in my issues.”
“So he doesn’t know what’s going on yet he’s still there to protect you?”
“It’s his job,” I said. “His…”
“No,” Amber said. “That’s a different kind of commitment. That’s real.”
“Nothing is real,” I said. “Trust me. I’ve been…”
Something caught my attention. I looked to my right and saw a guy sitting at a table. Except he had the chair in a corner, sitting there, one leg up on the other, just staring at me. He had a black coat on with the collar popped up.
It bothered me.
I looked at Amber. “The guy behind me. He’s staring at me.”
Amber casually looked around. Then she said, “Yeah, so?”
“It’s kind of creepy. Right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s go outside. I don’t feel right in here.”
“Okay…”
I hurried to stand.
We left the coffee shop and stood near an empty table outside. We had our coffees still. The sun beat down on us. It was really a beautiful day. A perfect day. Then again, to me, in December, weeks before Christmas, it should have been cold and snowy. People walking around bundled up, saying hello, smiling. But life wasn’t some cheap holiday movie.
“So how long are you staying with the sexy outlaw?” Amber asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “That’s what is making this so hard.”
“Because you want to fuck him.”
“Amber! Jeez.”
“What? Just admit it. I know how long it’s been since you had sex. Since you dated. Since you had fun. You run your business and you do nothing else.”
“By the way,” I said, “my business is just sitting there. I had to basically shut down for an emergency. Not good for me.”
“You have plenty of money, I’m sure. So why can’t you have any fun?”
I thought about the night before. Me against the wall, touching myself. Some woman pleasuring Diesel as he stared at me. I didn’t tell Amber that story though. That was kept for me and me alone.
“This isn’t about fun,” I said. “This is about surviving.”
“Um, Tia. Your friend is back. Staring.”
I looked over my shoulder and gasped. The man from the corner was now standing at the front window. Hands as his sides. Just fucking staring at me. His eyes locked to mine.
Was this the guy that had texted me?
I side stepped and tried to get out of his line of view.
“Tia? What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But you should go. Just in case.”
“I’m not leaving you alone. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to call Diesel,” I said.
“How cute,” Amber said.
“It’s not funny. That guy could be waiting to hurt me. That’s why I want you to go.”
“No,” Amber said. “I have mace in my bag. I’ll spray his fucking eyes out.”
I slowly looked back and could still see him in the window. He hadn’t moved. I had no idea whether it was on purpose or si
mply a coincidence. But I knew one thing - I didn’t like being away from Diesel.
I needed him… closer than ever.
twenty-three.
(D)
Cash poured booze on a rag and slapped it to my shoulder. The fiery pain ripped through my entire body, making me feel weak. I stood my ground though, letting out a much needed scream.
“Here, hold it,” Cash said.
I put my hand to my shoulder.
I looked back and surveyed the bloody damage.
We ended up tagging two of their guys, their bodies lifeless on the ground.
Eli and Mace were able to get away but not before I danced with my knuckles on Mace’s face. He’d wake up tomorrow and not be able to see.
“Motherfuckers,” I growled.
Prospects were already at the bodies, knowing what they had to do. Prez gave the orders to set the bodies up so it would fall back on Eli and Mace. They were going to wind up right back in prison. That’s where Prez would set things up and have them taken out.
Two other prospects hurried with long hoses to wash the lot and clean up all the blood.
That was just how things were for the MC life sometimes. Sometimes we could talk and sort shit out. Sometimes it came down to brute violence. It was the way of the land and sometimes the only way to truly secure the greatest freedom of all.
“Okay, let me see it,” Cash said.
I peeled the cloth off my shoulder. The cut was good, not very deep though.
“I don’t think it needs a stitch,” Cash said. “What do you think, Max?”
“He’s fine,” Max said.
“Thanks, brother,” I said to Max.
“Diesel.”
I turned around and Jasper stood there. “VP.”
“Jesus, man. You took that hit for me.”
“It’s okay. If he got you… the way he was lined up…”
“Listen to me,” Jasper said. “What you just did. That’s why you got my vote to patch in. You saved my life.”
Jasper offered his hand. I took it. We shook hands and hugged. When Jasper pounded a fist to my back, it hurt my shoulder.
I then sat down and both Cash and Max put a bandage on my shoulder.
My face was sore and bloody. My shoulder ripped up. But I had defended my club. That was a good goddamn feeling.
I put my head back and shut my eyes, trying to catch my breath.
That was the exact second my phone started to ring.
