by Kim Jones
*Just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you! Can’t wait to see your face!! I love you :)*
My phone vibrated almost immediately, notifying me of a message.
*Really? I was just thinking about you too. I’m tired of us being apart. Pack a bag and come stay with me.*
*Seriously?*
I sat staring at my phone, willing it to notify me of his response.
*Seriously babe.*
My face broke out into a smile, as my fingers worked feverishly to respond.
*How long? The weekend?*
I should call him. If he could text, maybe he could answer. I dialed his number, finding myself listening to his automated voicemail after the second ring. I frowned at my phone, pleading with the phone gods that his cell had not gone dead. My prayers were answered when his text came through.
*Can’t talk babe. Sorry. I don’t want you for 2 days. I want you for 2 weeks. You think I would miss your birthday?*
He had remembered my birthday. I melted into my chair, smiling at the thought of him being in a crowded place with a million things on his mind, yet he had not forgotten my birthday.
*When can I leave?*
I sat tapping my finger on the couch, waiting for his reply. I hoped he said tomorrow. I couldn’t wait much longer to see him. When I felt the vibration again, I hesitated, hoping he wouldn’t make me wait out the weekend.
*I’m hoping you already have.*
Chapter 12
Luke
“Is she coming?” I took a deep breath, trying not to jump across the table and snap the neck of the man I fucking hated. I looked up, to find Charlie waiting very impatiently for my answer.
“Yeah, she’s coming.”
“Good. At least she will be safe.” It would take less than three seconds for his eyes to roll back in his head and him to vanish from my life completely. That included the time it would take for me to get across his desk, and put my hands around his throat. I hated this fucking game. Charlie was going to make me wait before he told me where Crazy was. Crazy was one of Frankie’s guys, and had assisted in assaulting Dallas by hanging her in a barn, stripping her, and putting his filthy fucking hands on her. My jaw clenched, and my fists tightened, at the thought of him hurting her. The motherfucker would pay. He was also the man who Frankie had paid a million dollars to kill Dallas. My plan had been to kill Crazy, once I had located him, but that had all turned to shit when I found out he was working for Charlie. The motherfucker was so protected that nobody could get to him. Not even me. Charlie claimed he wanted revenge for himself, but what he really wanted was me at his mercy. He wouldn’t hurt Dallas, personally, but if he ever cut Crazy loose, there was no telling what he would do.
“Why are you so obsessed with Dallas?” If the question pissed him off enough to kill me, then so be it, but I wanted to fucking know. I watched as Charlie considered lying, but for some reason, decided to tell the truth.
“I’ve asked myself that question more times than I care to count. I don’t know if it is her, or the fact that she belongs to you, which makes me so anxious to have her in my life, but the need is there. I just want to make sure she has the best life possible.”
“She does. Trust me.” Charlie laughed and I wanted to take advantage of his gaping mouth, and shove my fist into it until he choked to death.
“Trust you? I will never trust you, Luke. I will never trust in you to provide her with the things she needs like I can.”
“What does she need? Safety? Is that what you’re referring to?”
“Her safety is not an issue. There is one man who wants her dead, and he can be taken down by any man in your club with bare hands. It is her future that I am concerned about. What kind of life will she have running with a group of dirty bikers like yourselves?” I closed my eyes tight, telling my mouth to stay shut before I asked any questions, or made any assumptions. Charlie would go to the ends of the earth to get what he wanted, and it didn’t matter how low he had to stoop to get it. But I couldn’t keep quiet. I had to fucking know, and even if he didn’t answer, I would know the truth by his body language.
“Why would a man like Crazy take money from a man like Frankie and decide to follow through on his promise? Why wouldn’t he just take the money and not risk losing his life when he knows if he comes after Dallas that I am going to be waiting?” Charlie’s posture didn’t falter and his eyes gave nothing away, but that split-second pause told me everything I needed to know. I stood up from my chair, knocking it to the floor, as I placed my hands on the table and leaned close to Charlie’s face. I could see his goons coming toward me from the corner of my eye, but I didn’t fucking care. “You motherfucker.” I spat at him, barely getting the words out of my mouth before I was pulled back and someone’s arm was wrapped tightly around my neck. I didn’t fight back because there was no need. I couldn’t win. I trained my eyes on Charlie, daring him to look away while I threatened him with words that held so much promise, even he looked a little worried. “If so much as one hair on her fucking head is harmed as a result of your little game, I will slice you from ear to fucking ear with the dullest knife I can find. If you want a fucking war, then you got one.”
“Get him out of here,” Charlie demanded, tearing his eyes from mine, as he gestured with his head toward the door. I was dragged out the side of the building and pushed into the alley, while Charlie’s goons surrounded me, waiting for me to fuck up and make a move. I stood my ground, looking at each of them knowing that I was once in their same shoes. I had been one of Charlie’s goons, too. It had not been easy and any man with a conscious was usually found dead or not found at all. The ruthless ones were the only ones who made it out alive. I was sure my voice fell on deaf ears that didn’t give a shit as to what I had to say, but they were gonna fucking hear it.
“This woman is innocent. You want to fuck with me or my brothers, that’s fine. We have all fucked up somewhere along the way, so we deserve it. But that woman has been nothing but a victim. She has been through hell and I did my fair share of dragging her there, but him,” I motioned toward the general area of Charlie, thankful that I couldn’t see his face through the brick wall that separated us, “he is going to fuck up and when he does, she is going to die. If that ever happens, you remember my face ‘cause it’s the last one you’ll ever fucking see.” I wanted to hit something. I wanted to kill all of them, and I was sure I could do it without breaking a sweat. I straddled my Harley, my hands shaking with anger and adrenaline as I squeezed the clutch and turned the throttle, leaving the pathetic motherfuckers that were lucky enough to live to see another day in a cloud of black smoke.
I was in the clubhouse in Lake Charles, sitting at the bar twirling my beer bottle between my fingers. I had taken a long ride when I had left my meeting with Charlie, letting the wind and my steel horse help clear my head. Frankie had borrowed money from Charlie, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Dallas. There was a million dollar bounty on Dallas’ head, but it was Charlie that was offering it, not Frankie. Charlie was right, there was only one man that wanted Dallas dead and it was him. The catch was that he didn’t want to kill her, he wanted to save her. He wanted to set Crazy up, then barge in at the last minute to rescue Dallas from her attacker. He wouldn’t kill me because he knew that Dallas would mourn my death, taking away precious time that could be used on him. He wanted to make me look like the bad guy. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew it was going to happen. Charlie knew I was onto him, so he would most likely either speed up his plans or change the game. But I had an ace in the hole. I didn’t want to use it, but I knew I didn’t have a choice.
Dallas
I was sitting outside Luke’s, honking the horn impatiently, while Red and Maddie dragged their asses out. When I had called to tell them I was going, they had informed me that they were going too. I had assumed they had been asked, just as I had, but, chances were, they were just going to show up unannounced, and make their presence known, whether it was w
elcome or not. I asked Red if she wanted me to pick her up at her house. Her response was that she was at Luke’s. Funny. Did she ever go home? As they piled into my car, carrying more shit than they could use in two weeks and stuffing it into every available space I had, I decided now was as good a time as any to ask the probing question.
“Why are you two always at Luke’s?”
“Because,” Maddie started, pausing to shove one of her many suitcases behind my seat, “Logan loves Nanny and refuses to go home most nights. And Red is always there, so I have someone to talk to.” Well, her excuse made sense. I turned to Red, finding her struggling with the buttons to adjust the seat to her liking. It took a couple of minutes before she was satisfied, then she turned to me, finally noticing that I was watching her.
“What?” she asked, her head snapping between me and Maddie, whose head was perched between the two front seats.
“The question was: Why are we always at Luke’s?” Maddie informed her, placing her chin in her hand, and looking expectantly at Red. I guess she had never thought to ask either.
“It’s boring at my house. There’s always something going on at Luke’s, and when Regg ain’t home that’s where I stay. Is that a problem?” she asked, daring either one of us to say it was.
“I think the big bad Red is scared to stay by herself,” Maddie teased. I snickered, as I pulled out of the driveway to start our long journey to Lake Charles.
“I’m not scared to stay by myself.” Red snapped. “I just don’t like it,” she added, avoiding us both as she flipped down the mirror to check her appearance.
“Pussy.” Maddie said, in a huff, not believing Red’s excuse in the least.
“One more time, Maddie. Call me a pussy, just one… more… time.” Red exaggerated her words, giving Maddie plenty of time to rethink her decision about name-calling. Silence filled the car and through the rearview mirror I watched Maddie hide her smile with her hand. Red sat with knowing satisfaction at the reason for Maddie’s silence, and even though the feud was funny to me, my mouth remained closed. I turned up the radio, to hear Macklemore and Ryan Lewis serenade us with “White Walls.” Maddie sang along, offering us her own remix, which I never would have caught had I not have been paying attention to how well she could sing.
“I got that off black Cadillac, midnight drive. Got that gas pedal, leaned back, taking my time. Red is a pussy, roof off, letting in sky,” I couldn’t contain my laughter, as I fought hard to keep the car between the ditches.
“I heard that,” Red snapped, clearly not going to follow through on her unspoken promise, only leading Maddie and I to laugh harder. This was going to be a long ride.
“I gotta pee.” Maddie whined, once we had been on the road for no more than an hour.
“Well maybe you should have thought about that before you ordered that big kidney infection when we stopped to get gas,” Red snapped, jerking her head towards the now empty 44oz cup that sat between our seats. My stomach already hurt from laughing too much at the two of them and their constant back and forth shit-talking, which ranged from Red being referred to as a pussy, to Maddie being accused of licking one. I took the next exit, finding a nearby gas station to allow Maddie the opportunity to relieve her bladder and me to get something sweet. Red wouldn’t admit it, but I noticed that she also took full advantage of the stop, loading up on beef jerky and Mountain Dew. I was the first one out of the store and noticed that my car had a few admirers, which wasn’t out of the norm. What made this time so unusual was the fact that they were bikers.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing driving a fast car like this?” A guy who favored Marty in looks asked. I smiled sweetly at him in response. It was nice to see a group of people who shared the same love and respect for riding and brotherhood as the Devil’s Renegades did.
“Her ol’ man bought it for her,” Red said, walking up and gracing them with her own smile. I shot her a questioning glance, but remained quiet. “We don’t ask questions when we are told what to do or given something. We just appreciate it because they give it to us. Property of Devil’s Renegades, Enforcer Regg,” Red said, introducing herself, not by her own name, but by her husband’s. “This is Property of Devil’s Renegades, President LLC.” She put her arm around my shoulder, and I offered them a weak smile, confused by the way this conversation was going. By the look on the guys’ faces, they didn’t seem very impressed by our titles. “Sorry to rush off, but we have to get going.” Red made her way to the passenger side of the car, while I followed suit and slid behind the wheel, the man in the black and white cut barely giving me enough room to squeeze by. As we sat in the car, both of us in silence waiting for Maddie to return, the group of men seemed to grow. I was getting a little nervous when Maddie finally made it out the door and approached the vehicle with caution. She avoided the stares and comments thrown at her, and pushed her way through the crowd and into the car.
“Leave, Dallas. If they don’t move, run their asses over,” Maddie said, as she looked over her shoulder and out the back window. I started the car, putting it in reverse and easing back, forcing the men to move out of the way. When we were safely back on the interstate, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked, looking between the rearview mirror at Maddie, over to the passenger side of the car at Red.
“That was the infamous Metal and Madness Motorcycle Club.” Red said, pulling her phone from her purse and firing away at the keys in a text message.
“And?” what did it matter?
“And they are the reason our boys are in Lake Charles. I saw Idaho, bottom rockers. What did you see Maddie?” Red asked, waiting on her reply before she finished her message.
“Same.” Maddie replied simply, leaving me wondering what in the hell they were talking about.
“Hey!” I snapped, aggrieved that they were speaking as if I wasn’t in the car. “Speak English.”
“The bottom rocker they wear tells us what state they are from. These guys were from Idaho, which tells us that their threat to call in reinforcements wasn’t bullshit.” Well, that made sense.
“What was up with the way you were talking to them?” I asked, realizing how close I had come to be too friendly.
“When someone from a club addresses you, always refer to your ol’ man. When you introduce yourself, unless you want to be friendly, never let them know your name, just your ol’ man’s title and that you are his property. We showed no form of disrespect and we didn’t lead them on. Never lead them on. You don’t want them thinking your man ain’t givin' it to ya good enough at home.” Wow. This club shit was a lot more complicated than I had thought. The idea of me being addressed by another club never even came to mind. “That’s why we wear property patches, to avoid shit like this. But, we can’t wear a property patch everywhere we go,” Red said, her frustration getting the better of her, as she pulled out a cigarette and lit up. I started to say something about her smoking in my car, but then Maddie lit up too. Who was I to crush their spirits at a time when a cigarette was much needed? The rest of our ride was made in silence, all three of our heads spinning with thoughts of what would happen when the Metal and Madness MC came face to face with the Devil’s Renegades.
It was after two in the morning when we finally arrived at the clubhouse located in the middle of Lake Charles. It was once a building that housed several offices, but was now the property of the Devil’s Renegades, Lake Charles chapter. Even though the outside still looked like that of an office, the inside had been transformed to look similar to the one in Hattiesburg. Pool tables, couches, and a bar long enough to seat twenty, filled the front area. Behind the cinderblock wall, at the back of the building, were rooms where the club stayed when they couldn’t go home, or where other chapters were housed when they were in town. Behind that was the meeting room, where church was held, which was equipped with a long table, a lot of chairs and shadow boxes filled with fallen brothers�
� cuts. When we walked in, I was surprised to find the place packed with people. Women danced on the bar, men gathered in circles talking, and the music was almost deafening. Maddie and Red left me to fend for myself as they floated around the room like social butterflies, reacquainting themselves with the ol’ ladies. My eyes scanned the room, looking for those ocean-blues I had not seen in several days.
“Hey baby.” I turned to the familiar sound of Ronnie’s warm voice greeting me. He stood tall, his legs bowed and a Bud Light dangling from his ring-clad fingers.
“Hey, Ronnie!” I eagerly accepted his hug, and was flooded with warmth as he kissed my cheek. There was something calming about his presence.
