by Kim Jones
“That’s enough Red, I got it,” Chris said, emerging from the side of the building and shooting Red a glare. He might have been a PROSPECT, but if he was here under his superior’s orders to protect us, then he would do so at all costs. And Red knew that. She gave him an apologetic smile, and closed the door, leaving Chris and the junkie outside, alone.
“Are we just gonna leave him out there?” I asked Maddie and Red’s backs, as they descended down the hall.
“Yep,” they replied in unison. I caught up with them and stood in the doorway of my room, while they piled back onto the bed without a care in the world.
“But were there really people watching?” I asked, straining my ears for the sound of gunshots.
“Nah. Luke called and said a guy was coming by to get directions. He said to let Chris handle it, but I knew Chris was out back walking the perimeter, so I thought we could have a little fun,” Red said, lighting a cigarette.
“Y’all could have told me. Bitches,” I added, turning my back to them to as I grabbed my wallet for the pizza guy.
“Then it wouldn’t have been fun. Don’t worry. Luke will chew my ass when he gets here and you will get all the pay back you want when he does.”
“Will he really chew your ass?” I asked, memories of earlier today reminding me that Red really didn’t want to piss Luke off.
“Probably not, but I was hoping it would make you feel better.” She and Maddie shared a laugh, as I walked down the hall to answer the door to the pizza man. I pulled open the door and found Chris standing there, holding my pizza in one hand, and his key in the other.
“I could have got that.” I said, taking it from him, with a smile. “Is anyone outside?” He looked behind him then back at me, confused.
“No. Just us,” he said, as the pizza man sped off in his small car. I opened my mouth, and began screaming bloody murder.
“Help! Help!” I screamed, beating on the wall and turning my head toward the hallway to see Maddie and Red come barging out so fast that they ran into each other as they hit the wall across from my room. I closed my mouth and smiled, as Maddie flipped the light on and Red scanned the room frantically, her hands waving a gun around looking for the intruder. Chris stood next to me, his gun also drawn, as he scanned the room for my imaginary culprit, too.
“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong?!” Maddie screamed in panic, her eyes searching as she stood behind Red, who still held then gun toward the bar, with shaky hands.
“Gotcha,” I said, with a smile, leading Maddie to nearly faint with relief and Red to go fucking nuts.
“I almost shot you, Dallas! Just fucking then. I almost pulled the trigger! What if one of the guys had been in here! Are you crazy?” she asked, but I knew she wanted to laugh. I pulled the clip from the gun she held from my back pocket and smiled. “Dude! That was good. You are good,” Red said, laughing and pointing her finger at me. Maddie joined in, and I bowed and curtsied in front of them, while they extended their arms singing “hail Dallas.”
“What the fuck is going on!?” Chris exploded from beside me. I jumped at his voice and stood stock still as he stood before us shaking with anger, his arms still extended with his gun in his hands. “You bitches are gonna drive me fuckin’ crazy!” he yelled to the ceiling, placing his gun in his belt and grabbing from the floor the pizza I had dropped in the moment. “I’m taking this,” he said, pointing at each of us, and giving us a look that said if we argued he might shoot us. He stomped through the room and out the side door, slamming it behind him. I looked at Maddie and Red, and the three of us burst out laughing. We had become delirious from cabin fever, and it was the greatest fucking thing ever.
Luke didn’t wake me when he got home, but sometime during the night, I realized the arms that held me were not Maddie or Red’s. When I snuggled closer to him, absorbing his warmth, he squeezed me tighter and kissed my hair. I fell back into a restful sleep, and woke the next morning to find him gone. I pulled myself from bed, heading straight to the shower in hopes that it would wake me up. When I stepped out, I found Luke standing there seemingly nervous as he fidgeted with something behind his back.
“Hey baby!” I said smiling, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.
“Hey beautiful. Happy birthday. I got you something,” he said, his huge smile replacing the nervous look he wore only seconds ago.
“Is it a kitten?” I asked excitedly, clasping my hands together as I beamed at him.
“No, babe. Not a kitten.” He presented me with an envelope, and I eyed it warily, while he watched with so much excitement and anxiety that I thought he would snatch it from me at any minute, and open it himself. I opened the envelope slowly, just because I’m a bitch and I knew a kitten couldn’t fit inside, and pulled out a plane ticket. To Fiji.
“I promised you a trip to the beach,” he said, once again nervous now that I had it open, and had not given him a reaction. Thoughts of Luke and I on a beach, alone, for any length of time had excitement bubbling inside me. Thoughts of kittens fled my mind, and all I cared about was seeing him shirtless, and devoting all of his time to only me, on a beach, in fucking Fiji. A slow smile formed on my face and, at Luke’s obvious reprieve, it turned into that heart-stopping smile reserved only for him. I jumped into his arms with a squeal, allowing him to spin me around the room in celebration.
“I love it! I love you!” I said with a laugh, my cheeks hurting from my permanent smile. I jumped out of his arms in search of Red and Maddie, ready to share my good news. Everything was perfect. This would be my best birthday yet, and we had a long night ahead of us.
“So Luke didn’t kill him?” Katina asked, as she straightened another lock of her long hair. We were crammed into the bathroom of the clubhouse, getting ready for our night out to celebrate my birthday, all nine of us. Brooklyn, Mary, Katina, Punkin, Chi Chi, Maddie, Red, Katelyn, and myself were all dressed in sparkly attire. Red and Maddie had chosen my outfit, which had resulted in a tiny scrap of gold, sequined material they called a dress. It was strapless, barely covered my breasts, and came just below my ass. Luke was going to have a heart attack when he saw it.
“Nope. It’s all good,” I replied, darkening my eyeliner.
“I can see how he would be pissed, though,” Brooklyn added, looking gorgeous in an orange, sequined dress that fell off her shoulders, and stopped just above her knees.
“But it really is none of his business,” Maddie said, reaching across the sink to dig through my makeup bag for some lipstick. “I mean, he can’t judge every guy I see just because he wears a cut. Luke wears one too for fuck’s sake.” Brooklyn shot her a look that said, “The hell he can’t”, and Red agreed, rushing to swallow her drink, so that she could verbally express her opinion.
“Look, I think if anyone can judge a man because of the lifestyle he chooses it’s Luke. And he promised that anyone who laid their hands on you would have him to answer to. And we all know what answering to Luke can entail. From beatings to a meeting with the Reaper, and everything in between. Even spankings,” Red added, as she looked over her glass at me with a wink.
“I seriously doubt Luke would spank someone,” Mary said, with a laugh, as she stood two inches taller in her back heels, which matched her black mini dress.
“He spanked Dallas,” Red said, putting all of my business out on show. Again.
“What?” The girls asked in unison, every eye turning to me for confirmation.
“Thanks a lot Red,” I mumbled, avoiding everyone’s stares as I applied mascara to my long lashes.
“Oh, wait. I have to hear this,” Chi Chi said, squeezing her way into my personal space, sure not to miss anything.
“I am not discussing it. End of.” I would not share that humiliating moment with these women. No fucking way.
“Hey!” Maddie snapped, forcing us to turn to look at her standing in the center of the room with her hand on her hip. Maddie’s dress was a deep blue that perfectly matched her eyes. Her blonde hair w
as styled impeccably on her head, and her long, tanned legs put everyone in the room to shame. “Y’all are acting as if we are just talking about some guy. This is Marty. Not some punk off the streets. It’s his brother. The man he trusts with his life, and the life of the ones he loves. How can you all act like we’re dealing with some kind of fucking outsider when in reality, we’re talking about one of our own.” Maddie was right. And by the look of guilt on everyone’s face, they all knew it too.
“Maddie, baby,” Brooklyn said, her voice calm and motherly, as she went to stand beside Maddie and wrap an arm around her trembling shoulder. “We’re not saying it’s right, we’re saying that Luke was justified in what he did. He chose to take a different route and for that we are proud, but can you blame him for worrying? He knows first-hand what happens in this life. He has been like your brother for years. How many times have you cried on his shoulder? How many times was he there for Logan because he knew he needed a good man in his life? Remember honey, it’s not just you anymore. Luke is looking out for both you and Logan, and when someone comes in and wants to take over and be the sole protector of the two of you, he wants to ensure that the man is capable and willing. Of course he trusts Marty, but at the end of the day, he knows Marty better than all of us. He remembers how Marty ran away from his past love when he thought he wasn’t good enough. Luke doesn’t want him to make the same mistake with you. Plus, it would be very difficult if something were to happen between the two of you. I couldn’t imagine this club without you or him, but the truth is, if you two split, we are going to lose someone we love very much. And who do you think the weight of that burden is gonna fall on? Be glad you have a man like Luke to look after you and protect you, even if it is from his own brother.” We all stood quietly, hanging on to Brooklyn’s every word. I knew it was difficult for Maddie. I knew that even though Luke and Marty would be okay there would still be times when Luke had a tough time dealing with it. But if anyone could handle the pressure and patience it took to deal with what was to come, it was Maddie.
We were crammed into Katelyn’s SUV, which comfortably seated seven. Considering there were nine of us, we were packed in, lying on top of one another. Katelyn was going out with us tonight, but she would not be drinking. Chris would be tagging along, to keep an eye on us, and the guys were not too far away. I was happy to see Chris well rested, and wanted to tell him I had requested his nap to earn me some points to help smooth out my actions of last night. It was not necessary. When I approached him to apologize, he simply held his hand up and told me he understood, and actually thanked me for not shooting him. Bless his little heart. Luke had approved of my dress, and I wondered how I had gotten away with it when Maddie informed me that the club we were attending was only open to women on Tuesday nights. It gave women the opportunity to see if a career in stripping or pole-dancing was something they were interested in, without the prying eyes of men there to judge. Everyone looked absolutely beautiful in their sequined dresses, but it was Punkin who nearly took my breath away. She looked amazing in a silver, floor-length gown that had one long sleeve that covered her right arm, leaving her left arm bare. She had shocked us all when she had walked in with jet-black hair, courtesy of Red and a mix-up at the local beauty supply shop. Apparently, they didn’t wait on Punkin in a timely manner, and when she had asked if she had to steal something to get some fucking service, they rewarded her with the wrong color dye. Well, the joke was on them. If their intentions had been to make her look bad, they had failed miserably. She looked marvelous from her head to the bottom of her dress, until she lifted it to show us that she wore combat boots on her feet. Her answer to her wardrobe malfunction was simple; if someone needed the shit kicked out of ‘em, she could do a lot more damage with boots than we could with heels. I liked her way of thinking.
Instead of dinner out, Katelyn would be driving us to the home of the last original member of the Devil’s Renegades. I had never heard of the man, and was anxious to meet him. As we all piled out of the car and into his home, I had no idea what to expect, but what I got in return was so much more than what I ever could have hoped for.
“Come in, come in.” A raspy voice greeted as a man held the door open for us. I was the last of the ladies to enter with Chris on my heels, as I came face-to-face with Devil’s Renegades Rick. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, his eyes appraising me with approval. “You’re so much more beautiful than LLC gave you credit for.” I blushed as I observed him. He was shorter in stature, but his figure was stocky and hard. He wore glasses on his face, and a black goatee, with traces of gray, lined his mouth. He looked handsome in jeans, boots, and a button down and smelled of tobacco and aftershave; his scent reminding me of my father’s.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Rick. I’m Dallas.” I said, giving him that smile that earned me one in return.
“Yes you are,” he said, kissing my hand then tucking it into his arm to lead me inside. “The ladies are helping to prepare dinner. I hope you all don’t mind, but I have been a little under the weather.” When he said ladies, somehow I assumed he was talking about women other than the ones I saw. Rick was the Hugh Hefner of the Devil’s Renegades, and beautiful bunnies littered his playboy mansion. The house we were in seemed small with all of the people inside it, but I knew it had to be pretty big to accommodate all of us. Old pictures of the club’s past and newest members hung on the wall. Leather furniture covered the living room, and the biggest fucking T.V. I had ever seen in my life sat mounted above a massive fireplace. I watched in awe at the half dozen women who made their way around the house wearing rabbit ears, high heels and tails on top of their tiny, pink thongs. Their large, perfect breasts stood to attention as they scurried around, making sure everyone was comfortable and seated at the huge dining room table that sat twelve. The entire first floor of the house was open for viewing, and I looked up to find the upstairs open as well, with a balcony that overlooked the bottom floor. The place was a dream home for house parties. Rick led me to the table, seating me to his left then turning to greet Chris. Brooklyn sat across from me to his right, and I leaned up to look down the table to find everyone at ease as if they had been here a million times. Even Katelyn didn’t seem to feel out of place. “Ladies, tonight I am treating you to a Devil’s Renegades special. Pops and I created the perfect gumbo back when we were room-mates before this all started.” I smiled at the man beside me. His voice was low and strained, his raspy tone something I was falling in love with. I was sure it was a result of years of living the good life of booze, women, and smoke. Now that I had met him, I couldn’t imagine ever having a different image of him in my mind. When a beautiful, blonde bunny appeared and refilled his glass, he thanked her with a kiss and a promising smile, leaving her gushing as she scurried off, but not before he smacked her ass. His eyes followed her, until he seemed to remember he had company. “We were living in a small apartment, both of us working as mechanics in an old shop. Back in those days, everyone rode a Harley. You didn’t have these rice burners and mopeds and shit. You had an American bike or nothing at all. So, work was always plentiful. But we spent our nights at strip-clubs and parties, spending all our hard-earned money on booze and ass when we should have been investing in our own business.” He paused as we were served bowls of steaming gumbo, with a side of French bread. I waited patiently until everyone had their meal before I placed my napkin in my lap, ready to dig in. I looked up to see everyone grabbing hands and I followed suit, placing mine in Rick’s, who sat to my right, and Mary’s, who sat to my left. I wasn’t shocked that we were saying grace, but I wasn’t expecting it either. I bowed my head as Rick blessed our food, his choice of words making me smile as they warmed my heart. “Father bless this food and the lovely, delicate hands that helped to prepare it. Thank you for blessing me with such beautiful company and may their time spent here be well served. I pray that you bless this beautiful creature whose hand I hold in mine with twenty-seven more wonderful years, and may the
majority of them be spent in the fabulous life of our MC. Help us to keep the rubber down as we ride for our brothers who live, and honor the ones who have gone. Amen.” A chorus of “amen” was heard around the table as I gave Rick’s hand a squeeze, and I smiled in thanks at his mention of me in his prayer. I took my first bite of what would be many of the most delicious gumbo I had ever tasted.
“Shit this is good,” Chi Chi said, before taking another bite and closing her eyes with a moan. We all agreed and Rick smiled at our enjoyment.
“I’m glad y’all like it. So,” he said, continuing with his story. “Pops and I had been around MCs all our life. We decided to form one of our own, and we found the biggest, baddest motherfuckers around to form our posse. See, big, strong tough guys is what we envision when we think motorcycle club, but some of the best brothers come in a pint-size package. We finally got a crew together that had everything we desired in brothers; loyalty, honesty, and trust. He didn’t have to be big and bad, he just needed to be willing to give his all for his brothers. We found that in the first five; Pops, Gill, Tony, Carl, and myself. We were unstoppable. We turned this town upside down, and soon we had chapters in three different states. We ran the biggest illegal operation this state has ever seen. There were women everywhere, money grew on trees, and the highest respect was paid to anyone who wore our patch.” Rick paused, taking a sip of his drink. He took his time continuing, as if he was searching for just the right words to say. I continued to eat and drink, looking at him from time to time during his story, until he spoke again. This time, my gumbo was forgotten, and my attention was focused on nothing but him. “Then there was Luke.” My eyes found his as he smiled, a memory from far back held his attention as he laughed to himself. “Luke was the one I knew would either be the downfall or the success of this club. He was so passionate about it. He never once gave up, even though his Pops put him through hell trying to persuade him to take a different route in life. When a man does time for a crime he commits then in turn creates a life where crime is the sole benefit of his life, it’s one thing. But when he sees his grandson, a boy he loves and wants to succeed in life, following that same path of destruction it’s another. Pops never wanted that life for Luke. He didn’t want to live knowing his actions were ones that Luke would follow, creating a cesspool that would be passed down from generation to generation. But I,” he said, pointing his finger at himself as his eyes locked on mine, “I had faith in Luke. When shit got really bad, he realized he had to make some changes, and he did. He had business sense and smarts that the other guys and I only dreamed of. He found a way to make peace with our connections, and pulled the club out of its illegal ways and into the path of what was right. When the club realized the hit it was going to take, they voted against Luke’s efforts. They had got accustomed to the life of a constant heavy cash flow, and an easy ride. That’s when Luke used his own money to float the club. He drained every dollar he had from his savings and his father’s investments for his future. He took the risk of losing everything he had to save the one thing he loved from self-destruction. That’s when I learned that it’s not the cut who makes the man, but the man who makes the cut.” You could have heard a pin drop in the room, as Rick grabbed my hand across the table. “You got a good man, darlin’.” He looked around the table at the ladies who sat there, making eye contact with each one. “You all do. Gone is a time when MCs were outlaw bikers who broke the law, raised hell, and stepped on anyone they could to get up the ladder of success. All that remains from that time is this old man with a lot of good memories of the way things used to be. Those days were the good ones, and damn how I miss them, but the future of the Devil’s Renegades will now live on for generation after generation, and we have your good men to thank for that. Of course, they wouldn’t know shit if it wasn’t for an old-timer like myself.” We all laughed, tears rolling down our faces, and not one of us caring if it ruined our makeup. We finished our meal with light conversation, laughter, and good company. When it was time to go, we were all kissed on the lips as Rick bid us goodbye with a host of sexy women surrounding him. Once in the car, I waved my final goodbye to the man who had left me with a new outlook on Luke. If ever I had been blessed, it was with the gift of Devil’s Renegades President, LLC.
