by Flora Burgos
The girls eyed me for a few more moments and then looked to each other and decided that I must not be competition. I sipped on my already flat and warm soda and waited for the guys to finish up whatever they were doing, so I could make a graceful exit and get out of here. The two women, Denette and Suzanne, as I’d learned by listening to their conversation, were driving me batshit crazy.
Finally, even Zeus was getting tired of hanging around doing nothing, and he started to get annoying, trying to jump on my lap to get my attention. I looked at my watch and realized that it had been almost an hour, not the promised twenty minutes, so I got up and said, “Will y’all let Jinx know that I’m heading back to my room now? I’ll see them at work tomorrow.”
One of the girls waved me off while she continued listening to her friend, so I crossed the room and walked out to my car. Zeus was eager to hit the road, so he jumped in and settled down. I drove to the gate, where one of the twins walked to my driver’s side window, so I rolled it down and smiled, waiting.
“You going already, babe? Party can’t even really be going yet.”
I tried to be one with the natives, as it were, and said, “The boys are still in church, and it’s getting past our bedtime. We gotta get back to our room so we can call it a night. Gotta be at work bright and early in the morning.”
“Alright, I hear ya. Be safe!” He patted the lip of my door and then ran to the front to push one side of the fence back, so I could squeeze through.
I didn’t notice a tail. I had let my guard down, and even though I was vaguely annoyed about the way my evening had turned out, I wasn’t looking for trouble. I should have, but I wasn’t. And since I wasn’t, it was a shock when it found me instead.
Chapter Eight
Jinx
I was fucking pissed. I’d walked into church, handled business, although it admittedly took longer than I’d planned, and walked out to find Roxanne and show her around only to realize she had left.
An hour ago.
One of the bitches who regularly showed up at the club when they knew there was a party going down had told me at first that she must have gone to the bathroom, but she still hadn’t come out half an hour later. We figured out she had left when Pops, the dirty bastard, walked out of the bathroom with the big-tittied bitch who rode with her.
I pulled him aside to see if she had said anything to him and was surprised when he cut me off to start cussing. “Fuck, I knew I forgot some-damn-thing. Yesterday, I was doing a turn around the island and found her parked out on the pub beach. Looked like she had plans to stay there. Just how sure are you that our girl has a place to stay?”
That set me back a step. “Are you telling me she may be shacking up in her car on the beach, the beach that the Bangers have been trying to take over for months, and you didn’t think to say anything?”
Scratch walked up and rested an elbow on my shoulder, not in the affectionate way that it looked but to remind his prez and best friend to get a lock on it. I took the moment and then said, “Right, well, there’s only one way to know for sure. Load up, you two. Let’s take a ride. We’re either about to drag her ass back here or wake her up in her hotel room and find out why she left the party early.”
At the gate, the twins rushed out to open the gate and let us through, and Pops and Scratch fell in side by side behind me as we gunned it and with throttles wide open, roared to the public access beach.
I was cussing before we even got across the parking lot. Not only was she there, but two of the Bangers were as well, and she had them at gun point while that monster of hers was holding himself tight, ready to attack and kill for his mistress if needed. It pissed me off even more when I realized that these were two Bangers I’d never seen before. The street gang with deep ties to the cartel had been funneling drugs and thugs onto the island for months, and even though I knew those tats, I hadn’t seen these two before. Mother. Fucker.
Instead of letting any of that show on my face, I cut the motor, swung off my bike, and waited as my brothers did the same. I ambled over like I wasn’t about to kill someone with my bare hands, which was a definite possibility.
“Seems like the Bangers have been told to stay off this part of the island. Didn’t we sit down with Hector himself not even six weeks ago, brother?” I asked Scratch, even though I knew we had.
“Shit, brother, seems like you even warned them that the next Bangers found on Double M territory could end up going back over the border in a body bag.”
Pops spit and then said, “Back in my day, we would have already killed the fucker. You ladies wanna sit here and discuss knitting patterns, too, or can we get back to the club? I got my dick wet, and now I’d appreciate a beer to cool down with. Not dealing with some riffraff street kids tryin’ to be gangsters.”
One of the guys who Zeus and Roxanne held still with their threats cursed and acted like he was going to step forward. I lost the easiness of my posture and snarled, “Obviously, you know she belongs to us, so what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Did your boss not warn you that we fight back? And then cut your fucking head off?”
There was no response from my audience. The two being held by weapon and attack dog had just realized that there was a pistol strapped to my leg, and the would-be badass had decided to go mute. “Right. Here’s what’s going to happen. You two are going to scram, and you’re gonna go back to El Jefe and let him know that if I see a Banger on Double M territory again, they’re going to be fishing someone out of the Gulf. Sweetness, call him off and let them go. They aren’t going to bother you anymore.”
I watched her to see if she would do as I said, and it took a moment, but I saw the tension leave her shoulders. She lowered her gun, clicked on the safety, and reached down to pet the still extremely pissed-off dog. The monster stayed at attention, but some of the tension left his meaty body with her touch.
The Bangers ran as soon as they saw her distract him, and I told her, “Put him in the fucking car and get your ass back to the compound right now.” Thank Christ, she didn’t argue and instead nodded and loaded the dog up. I nodded at Scratch to follow her back and lock her down. I was too damn pissed to attempt that myself just yet.
We watched them drive away when Pops laughed. “I called that one. Knew she meant something to you. I see you feel a connection to her. In case you’re wondering, she feels it, too. Don’t think a woman who has her personality would have quietly gone back to the compound as she was told without having something there. She seems the type to drive the other way just to piss you off.”
I ran my hands over my face, scratching at my beard. “What the fuck am I going to do with a woman?”
“Well, son, if your daddy didn’t tell you about the birds and the bees, I’m not real sure what you’ve been doing with all those girls over the years in your room. Y’all playing bridge or somethin’?”
That made me laugh. “Shut the hell up, old man. You know what I mean. She’s trouble, and I have more of that than I can handle already.”
“So, tell her to pack up and clear off the island when we get back. She’s off the island, the Bangers won’t fuck with her, and she’s out of your hair.”
I looked at him at that and saw that he was just blowing smoke. There was no way he thought I was going to let her go, and there was no way I was ready to yet either. I wasn’t sure what this was between us, but it needed to be explored. As good of an idea as that was, I knew I could keep her safe, and that’s what I was going to do. I wouldn’t be sending her out there with a drug dealing ex and nothing to keep her safe but a dog and a gun. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and, dialing, I said, “I fucking should. I really fucking should.”
“Yeah.” Really, what else could he say? That was it. There was really nothing else to say about it.
“Yes?” came the voice through the phone at my ear.
“Vincent. Thought we had an agreement? See, I’ve been coming to these sit-downs with you and Alabama, and it seemed t
hat we were making some headway on getting to the bottom of this bullshit. Yet I find one of my girls getting terrorized on the beach, clearly on our territory. The fuck, man?”
“Ahh, my friend Jinx. See, my boys just called to tell me a completely different story. They told me that a woman who’s been on the island only days held them at gunpoint and had her dog on them. Seems to me that part of our agreement centered on you and your people leaving mine alone.”
“Now, Vincent, that may be the case, but she’s been Double M’s since she crossed the I-45 bridge onto our little slice of heaven. And she wasn’t threatening them; she was defending herself.” I didn’t know this for a fact, but I couldn’t see any other reason for the situation we had rolled up on. “I’m telling you official like now that the girl belongs to us and she’s to be left alone. You or any of your street thugs get a wild hair and want to mess with her, this shit we’ve been dancing around for months is going to get real really fast.”
The other man laughed shortly and then said something that made tendrils of unease curl around in my stomach. “Jinx, shit’s already real. And you should probably know, we aren’t coming after you boys, but it’s open season on Pitbulls and bitches with brass cajones. That comes from above me amigo, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t change it.”
With that, the other man ended the call, and I felt the rage bubbling up inside me. For months and months, we had been dancing around a war with the Beachside Bangers and the Cortes Cartel, who were using the Bangers to move dope on the island. Someone ordering a hit on her meant that the gloves were coming off.
“Mother. Fucker,” I growled out, and to calm myself and maintain composure, I shook a smoke out and lit it. The cherry burned bright as I inhaled deeply, the smoke searing its way into my lungs. Half the cigarette was gone before I calmed enough to lift my phone and call Scratch.
“Brother?” I could tell from the background noise that he was back on the compound, and involuntarily, the wind went out of me knowing she was safe.
“Scratch, get her and that damn dog and lock them down in my room. Get her keys and grab her shit. She’s on the compound, on my bike, or in the office with a brother at all times until I get these motherfuckers on lock.”
“Shit. Went that well, did it?”
“Worse. They’ve put a price on the dog and the girl but won’t fuck with them on Double M or with a brother around. Get Hector to work the front with Jammer during the week, Rammer on Roxanne anytime she’s off the compound or not with you, Pops, or me. Daytime, she’s on my bike, and that dog is with a brother on Double M.”
“10-4, brother. I’m on it.” The line went dead after that, and I put the phone back in my pocket, dropped the cigarette to the ground, and made sure it was out with my boot when I nodded at Pops to load back up so we could get the hell out of there.
Chapter Nine
Roxanne
I was in shock. I had been on my own for a long time, and that was the first time I had ever had to hold someone at gunpoint. I had just gotten comfortable and was settling in when I heard voices, and then Zeus started to growl low in his throat in a way I hadn’t heard before.
I remember being in Missoula and training Zeus with Zeke, the K-9 trainer I had happened upon, and thinking about how ridiculous it was to be learning commands that would tell my dog to attack, to act fierce and be ready to attack, to counter all the dog’s instincts and instead trust that he would obey my commands only. As soon as I got to a point where I could reach out, I needed to tell Zeke about how perfectly Zeus had handled the situation.
I was pulled out of this reverie when Scratch walked over to me and handed me an ice-cold bottle of water, saying, “Alright, Gypsy, let’s get you settled in for the night. Give me your keys, so I can park your car after I take you and killer over there to your room.”
I tossed the keys to Scratch, and he caught them by the fuzzy ball keychain. He shook his head and smirked, though, rather than saying anything about it.
He led me out of the main area of the clubhouse and through a door I hadn’t noticed before that led to a long hallway with doors spaced out on the far side. He stopped at the last one in the hall, which was evidently the only open one, and ushered me inside.
By the time I realized that this was obviously somebody’s bedroom, Scratch, the rat bastard, put a key in the deadbolt and locked the door shut. I couldn’t even unlock it because my side had a keyhole as well. It was one of those completely ridiculous locks that you could only use with the key.
Thankfully, there was a bathroom built in with this room, so I went to the sink and cupped some water in my hand to splash my face while Zeus climbed onto the bed to get comfortable, a luxury he wasn’t accustomed to.
I dried my face and then slipped out of my shoes and lay down on the bed next to my snoring dog. That’s how Jinx found me when he unlocked the door and stormed in about a half hour later.
“What the hell was that, Roxanne?”
I jerked to attention and sat up. Even Zeus was awake and paying attention now. “What?” There was no finishing that thought, though, because he ripped his shirt over his head and yelled loud enough to get a cautious woof from Zeus.
“Are you fucking stupid? You could have been killed!”
The argument I had prepped myself to give died on my tongue, and I just stared at him.
“Those are bad guys. Since the Beachside Bangers started getting active in this part of the state, crime rates have doubled, the use of meth and coke has at least tripled, and people who piss these guys off and don’t have the privilege of wearing a cut end up dead!”
Okay, clearly, this was bigger than I’d realized. And maybe it was time for me to cut my losses and get the hell off this island and out of this state while I was at it. “Look, Jinx, if you can get us off the island, I will get out of the state and never look back. No harm, no foul.”
“Yeah. Except for the fact that I threw down with a fucking drug cartel to keep you safe. Sure. You take off and blow the place. Except, no, the hell you are not.”
I sat there perplexed and watching him. I wasn’t sure that I had ever seen someone react with this much passion in, if I was reading this right, my defense. It was crazy. I was the nowhere girl. No one cared enough to get invested in my life, and yet this scruffy, angry, scary-looking potentially outlaw biker had taken up for me and was mad as all hell that I was considering running. “I don’t… understand.” It was the best I could do to sum up my feelings.
He studied my face intently and then relaxed and barked out a laugh before scraping his hands down his face. “Fuckin’ hell, Sweetness. I rolled up there and spotted the signs that they were Bangers and damn near swallowed my tongue. You were holding them calm as you please, not a worry in the world, and that dog ready to rip the face off anyone who didn’t feel like listening to you. Craziest shit I’ve ever seen.”
“So, they were bad guys?”
“The absolute worst. If you can think it, they’ve probably done it or considered it and realized it wouldn’t give them enough of a payout and discarded the idea. But make no mistake; there is no kindness or warmth in these guys.”
I sat on the edge of the bed, and he came and sat down next to me and grabbed my hand, holding it tightly in his own. “I’ve gotta go brief my brothers on what’s happened, but I need to make sure we’re clear on a few things first. You cannot leave the compound unless you’re on my bike. The dog can’t leave at all.” He saw my protest coming and cut me off, “Sweetness, they have declared open season on you and your monster. You leave, I can’t say they will change that, and you may find yourself in some trouble I can’t get you out of because I’m too damn far away. Is that really a chance you want to take?”
Well, when you put it like that… “Of course not. Aren’t you worried they’re going to hurt you trying to get to me?”
He looked at me and smiled, saying, “They won’t, but if they did, I would handle it. If you’re on my bike or with a
brother of this MC, you don’t worry. That’s not what this life is about. You’ve been fighting life on your own for a long time. It’s time to let someone else carry that burden for a little bit, yeah?”
What could I say? I smiled at him, but I was sure he caught the sheen of tears coating my eyes. He looked at me, studying my face for the longest moment before he stood up and gave Zeus a pat on the head. “You two sure do make one hell of a team, I’ll give you that.” He stood up straight in front of me and lifted a hand to cup my cheek and use his thumb to trace my cheekbone. “Lie down and get some rest, Sweetness. I gotta go talk to my brothers and fill them in. Your duffle is by the door, if there’s anything in there that you need before morning. Do I need to lock you in again to make sure you stay put, or are we on the same page now?”
I shook my head and laughed. “Same page, Jinx. Same page.”
After he walked out of the room, I pulled the covers back and snuggled up to my already snoring dog. Beds were a rarity for the two of us, so we always snuggled and slept like rocks when we had the chance to use one.
Chapter Ten
Roxanne
When I woke up, I was curled around Zeus, lying on my side, facing the wall, and there was a body behind me. That caught me off guard. I had fallen asleep alone in the bed except for the dog. Who the hell is this?
If I had to pick any of the brothers, it would be Jinx, of course, but this attraction I was feeling in his presence was ridiculous. My stomach fluttering when he walked into the room, the rush of heat I felt when I caught scent of his cologne, the way I couldn’t tear my eyes from him and made it awkward because everyone who saw me knew that I was panting after the biker god who had rescued me from the side of the road, both literally and figuratively.
I angled my eyes down without moving my head to try and see if I could identify the arms. I mean, the guys were almost all tatted up, so that should be easy, right? But my line of sight was hindered by my own boobs. If I weren’t afraid to move right now, this would be the perfect facepalm moment.
