by Flora Burgos
“I’ve told you the situation I left behind.”
He waited a moment and then agreed, “Yeah.”
“What am I getting into here?”
“I’m assuming that my bed isn’t the answer you are looking for, so I’m going to say we’ve been in a Mexican standoff with the Bangers for a while now. They brought drugs—and I’m not talking pills and pot; I’m talking meth and worse—onto the island, and we’ve been pushing them back while maintaining a tentative peace. But things have been heating up for months now, and threatening you, which is what they did today on the phone, crossed a line. You and your dog both have targets on you, but we’ll keep you safe.”
“Why?” I asked in curiosity. Why would these guys fight to keep me safe, though? They were a family, and I was an outsider.
I could see from the expression on Jinx’s face that the question didn’t make sense to him. As in the does-not-commute way. He was puzzled. It puzzled me that he was puzzled, though, so I asked again, “Why are you guys willing to fight to keep me safe? I don’t really know any of you. I’ve been here only days, and you have suddenly decided that I’m yours to protect. I just don’t understand why. I could pack up, put Zeus in the car, be across the bridge by midnight and halfway across the state by daybreak. There’s no way to track me, no reason to track me if I’m not here, and you guys can go back to normal. I got this stupid death card while Birdie is hanging, and Maisie is falling in love or something, and I just… How the hell did all of this happen?”
I was panicking. It was washing over me, wave by wave, this sense of belonging, and I didn’t know how to slow the emotions or feelings. I was caught in the undertow and couldn’t get my head above water to scream for help.
Seeing this, Jinx sighed and locked the door before walking straight to me, kicking his shoes off on the way and pushing me onto the bed.
I sat down, and he sat on the floor facing me, pulling one of my Chucks to him and unknotting the string before sliding it off and chunking it at the wall. Once that was done, he gently set my leg down, grabbed the other, and repeated the process.
After releasing my other foot, he put both hands on my bare calves and asked confusingly, “Do you have any pajamas to put on, or do you want one of my tees?”
Uh, what?
“What are you talking about?”
He grinned and released my legs, standing up. “I’ll get you a tee.”
I just sat there like a moron. I spent more time trying to understand his next move than I ever had with anyone else. Was he just this confusing as a person, or had I just been on my own for so long that I’d forgotten basic communication skills?
He walked to the dresser pressed against the wall and opened the top drawer, taking out a black tee, and threw it at me. I caught it and instinctively opened it to see what was on it.
It was the jester.
Flipping it out, I saw that it was long enough that I could get away with wearing it as a night shirt, so I ducked into the bathroom to change.
When I stepped back into the room, I felt like my legs were on fire. It had looked so much longer before my body was inhabiting it. Now I felt like the slightest move in the wrong direction was going to show Jinx my undies, and that wasn’t a comfortable thought. I looked up to see that he was gone from the room. I breathed out a sigh of relief and rushed to the bed to get under the covers. While he was gone, I patted the bed next to me, and when he finished his three spins, Zeus dropped to the bed with a sigh and was snoring within moments.
The light was still on, and I was debating getting up to turn it off when the door opened, and Jinx padded in barefooted, wearing a wife beater and his jeans.
He smirked at me and turned the light off on his way to me. Once he reached the bed, he turned the lamp on and pulled the white ribbed tank over his head, saying, “Skootch over. You two are taking up the whole bed, and I need some room.”
It had occurred to me that with Zeus taking up so much room in the bed where it met the wall that Jinx may be deterred from lying with me, but evidently, we were going three deep again, so with a sigh, I scooted over and pushed at Zeus. He looked up at me bleary eyed and then stood up and jumped off the bed, walking to the corner and doing a quick three spins to lie down again. I shook my head. As if this couldn’t get any more awkward.
Jinx laughed softly and lifted the corner of the blanket while I scooted, and he slid in behind me. I faced the wall because that felt safer, but after he switched off the light, he slid an arm under me and turned me around, so I was resting my head on his naked chest.
Then he said, and I could still hear the smile in his voice, “Okay. Now, we talk.”
Chapter Eighteen
Roxanne
“Okay, first, did you really let Maisie do her woowoo shit on you? And Birdie? She should know better. Maisie means well, but she’s a little crazy. She’s been getting feelings and reading auras or whatever the fuck since we were kids.”
“Well, I mean, it seemed like harmless fun until it got a little too real. And Jinx, I don’t think she thinks it’s woowoo. I think she believes it.”
“She does believe it, Sweetness. Her mama made a living doing that kind of shit for the tourists until she couldn’t anymore, and she taught Maisie to spout the same shit thinking it would pave her way. Instead, she’s slinging food and drinks at Mama’s.”
“Hey, it’s not like that’s a bad place or anything. I’ve worked my share of dives along the way, and Mama’s is relatively nice compared to most. I don’t know, maybe you’re right, but I can’t shake this feeling that she was dead right and that it has everything to do with this current situation.”
“That’s another thing. We talked about this already, but it bears discussing again. You aren’t some charity case. You showed up essentially on my doorstep and immediately became one of the fold. You wonder how we figured out that you weren’t staying at the motel? Pops was worried about you. Scratch was the first to hop on his bike and follow, to make sure you were safe. Hell, even Nome asked me today if I wanted to send you and Zeus with him while shit heated up. Because make no mistake, it’s heating up. Tonight, we set a plan in motion that’s going to change everything. We aren’t aiming for peace with these fuckers anymore. They pushed, and it’s time to push back. We don’t take threats from anyone, regardless of who it’s aimed at or their affiliation with the club. They just happened to come after you, and you’re mine. You know it, I know it, and so will everybody else. The time for games is done.”
It had to be asked. “I’m…” I hesitated for a brief moment and then finished on a breath, “yours?”
His hand that had been resting on my hip moved up and tugged at the end of my hair, tipping my head back so he could take my lips.
“Does it feel like you’re not? Because I can make my point a little firmer if I need to.”
When he said that, butterflies danced through my body, and I warmed from head to toe. Without my say-so, my body seemed to melt into his, and when we kissed, really kissed for the first time? I was the one who initiated it.
He seemed content with kisses and easy touches, but every time he touched me, the flames grew higher and higher, and I could take it no more. When I pulled away from him, he didn’t fight me. He fell back against his pillow, dragging air into his lungs harshly, so he wasn’t expecting it when I kicked a leg over him and landed with my lady bits right over his... excitement.
When contact was made, involuntarily, we both moaned, and I arched my back to rub against him at the same time his hips bucked up to mine. The contact lit a powder keg, and in seconds, he had pulled his tee back over my head and ripped—yes, ripped—my panties off me. Before I could take it all in, he flew into action, flipping our positions, putting me on my back in the bed, completely naked and panting for him.
He shoved his boxers down, not even getting them off him, and a moment later, he was inside me. I came as soon as he buried himself, and I was gasping for breath, unable to ev
en think when he leaned down and swiped his tongue along my neck. I moaned deep in my throat, and it was all I could do not to scream. Somehow, someway, mere moments later, he was building another earth-shattering orgasm in me.
We fucked like crazy, made love like it was our wedding night, and then laughed ourselves stupid when, as we were coming down from the high of back-to-back orgasms, Zeus snored loudly, letting us know he hadn’t even woken up. I knew the boys were going to give me hell in the morning, though.
I just knew it.
Chapter Nineteen
Roxanne
The club was busy over the next couple of weeks.
Pops had become one of my constant companions, and I loved him already.
Last night, we had sat in here and drunk beer while attempting to play Never Have I Ever.
Let me just say that a biker does not have many of those, so we switched to playing quarters instead, which waffled into a game of Bullshit. So, when he suggested Chihuahua races, I thought it was the greatest idea ever. I was drunk, so everything sounded like a great idea. With the extra people filling up the building, Pops lined people up on either side to cut off the exit and took Zeus to the end. I was on the start side and crouched down to love on his idiot dogs, and when I looked up, I caught Pops pouring beer into a Solo cup and letting Zeus drink it. Those two had suddenly become bosom buddies.
Giving the two mini mutts a pat, I sat on the floor and watched as the bikers started to place bets on which dog would make it to Pops first.
Along the path to the old man, both dogs detoured to love on bikers; mostly, the bikers were trying to distract the dog they had bet against, and when one finally made it to Pops, several of the men groaned and handed over money, and the guys broke apart with laughter and good-natured ribbing.
Birdie or Rammer or someone else, never me or any of the club officers, would cross the bridge back to the mainland in an SUV with tinted windows and show up a few hours later with more men. As the compound became more and more packed with outsiders, I retreated to the safety of our room more frequently.
I still went in to the office, always with Jinx, in the mornings, and we left together in the evenings. He was in more and more meetings now with his brothers and the out-of-towners, but every night, he came to bed eventually, and when he did, he always found me in his tee sans panties—because he liked to rip them off me, and I was down to only a few pairs now. We made love, and he held me while we slept.
I was beginning to wonder if this was what love felt like. The way I yearned for him when we were apart and then felt blissfully happy, even with the circumstances, when I caught sight of him. The way I could tell what his pipes sounded like when he rode away or came back with his brothers. The flurry of excitement I felt when he met my eyes, or peeled my shirt off, or even just breathed in my vicinity. Inexplicably, in all the chaos and scariness of the situation, I was caught up in my very own fairy tale of sorts; only my knight rode a hog instead of a steed and wore leather instead of armor.
Tonight was different, though. Not with Jinx and me, but as a whole. There was something palpable in the air. A tingle of excitement and some sixth sense that warned me that things would be coming to a head, ready or not.
Nomad was late.
For the last week, every few days, Nome would swing through with a trailer full of bikes and back it into the garage on the compound, and they would unload them.
The Mischief Makers were playing a game of intrigue and sneaking bikers over by car and their bikes by truck.
I was sitting at the bar when Jinx picked up his phone from beside me and barked, “Where the fuck have you been?”
Nomad. It has to be.
“Yeah,” Jinx said. And then once more but in a much lighter tone of voice this time, “Yeah.” And then he said, “Right. See you in a few, then.” And disconnected.
Q Ball, the club VP, jerked his head in Jinx’s direction, asking a silent question, and Jinx’s equally silent answer was to tilt up the corner of his lips and shake his head. Whatever it was, it wasn’t serious. Yet.
I leaned in closer to Jinx and asked, “Do I want to know?”
He laughed and said, “He picked up a bitch. He’ll be here in an hour.”
Bitch was the way, I had learned, in which they described most females. There were other words they used, dependent on that female’s status within the club, but for the most part, bitch was the go-to. I shrugged. I had learned in my period of cohabitation with not only the Mischief Makers but also the other clubs that had trickled in, that these guys were whores. It was a major part of the hesitation behind my asking Jinx what we were doing and how long it was going to last.
I let it go. It was the best thing for my own well-being.
He watched me in that way of his, studying my face for reactions and trying to discern, I didn’t know what, from my expression. I worked to keep it neutral, and he looked away without saying anything further.
Twenty minutes later, the door burst open, and Scratch stormed in, walked straight to Jinx, and said, “We got a problem. Need to talk, now.”
That wave of unease came back tri-fold, and my palms went clammy. I wanted to ask ‘What’s wrong?’ but couldn’t. Not only could I not form the words, but it wasn’t my place.
Jinx jerked his head to Q Ball and dropped a kiss to my forehead before standing from his chair and leading the other two to their office.
I looked around, but Birdie was gone, and Maisie wasn’t here tonight. Pops was sitting on one of the couches, talking to some out-of-towners, meaning I was officially on my own.
Chapter Twenty
Jinx
Scratch brought up the rear, and when he crossed into the room, he shut the door calmly and then picked up an empty beer bottle and threw it against the wall. The glass shattered and rained down on the floor, but he still didn’t speak.
“Brother?” I asked. Something was going on here. I hadn’t seen him like this since, well, ever, that I could remember. Scratch was the level-headed one. It’s what made him so damn good at his job.
He threw a hand up in my direction and breathed deep before saying, “They got Maisie. I know we have a plan, and I know everything isn’t in order yet, but man, they have my girl, and I want her back.”
This hit me like a ton of bricks.
Not that he cared about her; I’d always known that and had repeatedly told him that his reasons for staying away were ridiculous, but because they had actually taken one of ours.
This wasn’t like them grabbing a friend of the club. Maisie was family.
They had thrown down, and it was time to take it to them.
“Q Ball, get the brothers. For now, just our club and just our chapter. I want everyone here in ten minutes. Tonight’s the night.”
***
It took five for every brother on the island to be at the table.
“There’s been a change in plans. Tonight, the Bangers crossed a line and took Maisie.” This elicited mutters and curses from my brothers. “After Birdie and Pops get back tonight, we’ll have just about everyone who’s coming. Nomad will be here within the hour. I’ve just called him, and he’s hammering down to get back home. Before we take this to everyone, though, we need a plan. We can’t afford to just charge in. If this isn’t handled right, Maisie dies, and that does not happen on my watch.”
There were nods from everyone around the table. I looked at Scratch. “You’ve been doing recon, brother. Tell us what to expect and what our best options are and keep your feelings out of it. You go in with emotions, someone is going to get killed. Think about this as a mission and Maisie as our target. We need to secure the target and get back with minimal blowback.”
He nodded and asked me, “Is Alabama on board for this?”
Alabama was a friend in high places, in a way. A high-ranking pawn in the fight against the drug trade, my high school friend had gone cop, and he was a man to be trusted if he was on board.
“He is, and
his stance is the same. Minimal blowback. I give him a heads-up when we vacate, and the boys in blue ride in and clean shit up.”
He nodded and mulled this over for a moment before he put his plan together and filled us in.
Every one of us was wearing a smile, because these fuckers didn’t even know that taking Maisie meant signing their lives away. We had them dead nuts.
Chapter Twenty-One
Roxanne
I knew it when I saw his expression.
Something was going down, and it was big. Huge.
The brothers broke apart as they left the room used for church and made their way around the room, starting to spread the word about whatever was going down.
Ice spread through my veins. I didn’t know what their plan was; Jinx had kept me clear of that, and honestly, I didn’t want to know as long as everyone made it home safe and sound. But I couldn’t help but feel like this was it. Everything was finally coming to a head.
The brothers spread out and talked in groups of one or two to the other men.
Bigger groups of men standing around were starting to form, and some were making their way out of the building to get their bikes from where they were being stored.
At the roar of a Diesel engine, I knew that Nomad was there finally. Jinx looked up and made eye contact with me and jerked his head toward our room.
Following, I said nothing until we were shut inside, Zeus standing by the door, not even taking the reprieve to sleep as he normally would.
“How bad is it?” That was all I could think to ask.
He watched me, gauging my reaction and deciding on the fly how much or what to tell me. Finally, he sighed and said, “Honestly, Sweetness? About as bad as it gets. The Bangers grabbed Maisie tonight.”
My sweet Maisie. My knees buckled, but I steadied myself as he reached out a hand to grab me. “Is she—” I couldn’t voice it.
