Striker (Black Rebel Riders' MC Book 4)

by Glenna Maynard

  “So I have noticed.” I stick my tongue out at her. She gets this guilt stricken look on her face.

  “You okay, I was only kidding.”

  “Yeah I am fine, it’s I know you and Striker…that night I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault okay.”

  We finish getting dressed and head out to the party.

  24

  Romeo

  I lace my boots and get ready for this party Grim is insisting on. Feels like I am getting ready for execution. I have spent the past few days with my kids. I am afraid that the next time Miracle sees me she won’t even remember who I even am. I am turning myself in tomorrow. I’d rather go down easy and under my own terms. Shelley left earlier today I told her that LL was coming for the kids, she doesn’t know what I have planned. Don’t want her around my kids no how she is a real bitch and I know she wouldn’t treat them as good as Grim will.

  I am dropping the kids off with Sunshine before I head over to the party. Grim is driving me to the police station in the morning. Said he wasn’t going to let me go in alone. I just hope he doesn’t have some crazy scheme to try and fix shit.

  I get the kids strapped into their seats. It about nearly kills me knowing this is the last time I will be doing this. I study each one of their faces burning them into my mind. I take in how much Dawn looks just like LL, a living breathing reminder of what I have done. Jamie looks a lot like me, he has my dark hair. Miracle looks a lot like LL with her blonde hair but I think she has my nose. I haven’t cried since Miracle was born. On the drive over, I about nearly breakdown in tears when Jamie starts asking questions. “When are we going to see mom,” Jamie asks.

  “Yeah,” Dawn adds on. What do I say to that? How do you tell your kids that their mom is never coming back?

  I pull the car over and decide to just rip the Band-Aid off. “Look, mom isn’t coming back. I’m sorry I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but she’s gone.”

  Jamie kicks the back of my seat. “Liar, I hate you. Mom wouldn’t leave us. She wouldn’t,” He cries.

  “She did Jamie, left a note and everything, but she promised she would be back.” Dawn tacks on.

  “Well she lied.” I turn back around in my seat and get them to Sunshine. I need a drink.

  Striker

  I finish up at the shop and head upstairs to grab a shower. Tonight could change everything. Fucking cunt playing with my life like that, I’ll kill her. I step into the shower in a foul mood. I dress in my black faded club t-shirt and my ripped jeans. I grab my cut on the way out the door.

  When I get to the Roadhouse the party is just getting started. One by one everyone starts to arrive. A smile creeps over my face when I see Baby walk in with Liberty. Fuck, she looks wicked sexy. She is dressed to torture me. She has on a black bustier that shows off her curves and lickable breasts. And damn it to hell my favorite jeans paired with fuck me heels. Her red hair is down hugging her shoulders; she looks like a damned pinup model.

  Baby is gorgeous she commands the whole room, I hate that every man in here is looking at her other than Grim. I can’t keep my eyes off of her as she makes her rounds around the room, charming the dick’s off every brother she crosses paths with. It takes everything in me not to pull Baby to the side and tell her the truth I have uncovered about Diamond, but I want that whore to hang herself.

  Romeo walks in and I did not factor him into the equation. He better stay the hell away from Baby, my brother and VP or not, I will fight him to the death for her. He feels my stare and walks straight over to me. “We need to talk.”

  “Nothing to talk about other than you better keep the fuck away from Baby. You do that we are all good, brother.”

  “Guess we understand each other,” he sticks his hand out and I take it. Suppose if my old man and Grim got past their shit before he died, I can be a bigger man and get over mine too. Liberty is doing a good job sticking to Baby’s side. Tread goes over and joins them at their table. Diamond hasn’t shown yet, but I bet she will be here soon enough and so will my freedom. I watch the clock on my phone waiting for word from Grant.

  I continue going through the motions, drinking, shooting the shit. One eye trained on the door and the other on Baby, making sure she does not skip out early. Diamond finally shows. Seeing her has my anger boiling over the brim. She smiles sweetly at me, tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder as she approaches me. Whore has a lot of nerve.

  “Hey,” she gives me an awkward hug, touching her makes me feel disgusted. I see Baby watching us in horror. “Want to grab a table so we can talk?” She raises her brow at me.

  “Nothing to talk about until you go over and smooth shit over with Baby. I want you to go over there and apologize to her, and then we can talk.”

  “Okay…” She is hesitant but then I see the evil smile sweep across her face. Liberty was telling the truth. Not that I doubted it. She does not miss a beat as she makes her way over to the table Baby is sitting at.

  Come on Grant, I look at my phone again waiting for the evidence I need.

  Baby

  The party hasn’t been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I am actually having fun with Liberty and Tread. I remember why I used to like her so much; the bitch can make me laugh. She is telling me about her and Tread’s latest adventure with anal beads and how she was afraid they would get stuck. I nearly spit my beer out. I figured Tread would have made his announcement by now. We have been here for a while. I am on my third beer.

  I noticed Striker a while ago. He looks so sexy sitting in the corner all broody and mysterious. His dark hair is slicked back, his glasses sitting on his nose making him look smart, but his lip ring screams rough. I can feel his daggered glare following my every move. I want to talk to him but not sure where to even start.

  I am peeling at the label on my bottle trying to slow down so I don’t get shit-faced drunk and I am trying to work up what to say to Striker. I really don’t want to keep him from Colt even if we are over.

  My father and I still haven’t talked about the whole incident with Romeo, he has went on like it never happened. Fine by me, it was not a conversation I wanted to have. I look at him. He is with Romeo now. They are over at the bar sharing a joint, everything is how it should be other than Striker and me. And I wish Rebel and Rumor were here.

  I twist at my mother’s ring resting on my finger feeling anxious. I never take off the engagement ring my father gave to her. I wonder what she would do in my shoes. I smile remembering one of the last things I read in her diary. She had a devious mind. She would do anything and everything to get what she wanted even if it killed her. And in the end doing so did kill her, but I don’t think she would change any of it from what I have read in her diary.

  Oh great, here comes the cum-stain. Diamond is strutting over to our table looking so sure of herself. She is dressed in black leather pants, and a black barely there shirt, bitch doesn’t look pregnant to me. I scoot my chair back ready to make my exit. I know I told Liberty I would be here to support her but I didn’t sign on for this shit.

  “Baby, can we talk for a minute?” Diamond asks smiling a sickly sweet smile at me.

  “Pretty sure we have nothing to say to one another. I have made my feelings for you perfectly clear.”

  “Just give me five minutes. I won’t bother you ever again.”

  “Fine,” I snort, knowing this isn’t going to be the last of her but I’ll bite. I walk her over to the hallway near the kitchen to give us some privacy.

  My arms are crossed over my chest. I am trying to keep myself from hitting her again. She slings her hair over her shoulder, smoothing it out. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”

  “Is that all?” I quip cocking my hip out ready to get away from her.

  “No. I am sorry that Striker doesn’t find you to be enough of a woman to satisfy him. He came to me, he wanted me begged me to show him a real woman.” She digs her nails into my shoulder shoving me slightly. She is
going to have to try a lot harder than that if she wants me to beat her dumbass.

  “Are we finished, I have shit to do,” I shove her hand off me. She laughs and grabs my hand twisting me back to her. “What the fuck is your problem? I gave you your say. My beer is getting piss hot. I’d like to drink the damn thing.”

  She throws herself into the floor screaming out as if she is in the worst pain of her life. I didn’t even touch her. What the fuck is wrong with her? A crowd starts to gather around us in the hall trying to see what the commotion is about, hell I’d like to know myself.

  Striker kneels down beside of her, but I don’t see concern etched on his face he looks amused. “Diamond,” He raises her head. “Are you okay?”

  “She, she shoved me, and I am scared for the baby,” she fake cries.

  “I didn’t touch your filthy ass.” I sneer at them huddled in the floor together.

  “I know you didn’t.” Striker says confusing me even more. “Bitch isn’t even pregnant. I never even fucked her.”

  “That’s not true!” She starts to get up from the floor and Striker shoves her down roughly by her shoulder.

  “Oh yeah explain this shit to me then huh?” He shoves his cell phone in her face playing a video of her lying in bed with Dr. Salyers, my OBGYN. The video plays and there is no mistaking Diamond telling the Doctor that she will go to his wife if he doesn’t help her convince everyone she is pregnant.

  Most of the members clear out of the hall giving us privacy and going back to the party. I start to walk off not able to deal with the weight of the truth. I ruined my relationship with Striker over a dirty whore’s lies. Striker stops me in my tracks. “We need to talk about this shit.”

  “Deal with her then come find me.” I smile sadly at him, as he lets me walk away.

  25

  Striker

  I can’t even look at this whore. I’m not sure whether to kill her right here or just throw her out on her ass. “You’re sick and pathetic, you know that. I should have known that you were a no good liar.” I jerk her up from where she is sitting against the wall crying. “Save your tears for someone who gives a shit.” I shove her through the club pushing her towards the door.

  My mom is coming through the front door with a determined look on her face. I take my eyes off of Diamond to see what she is doing here. Diamond splits to the right going straight for Baby. She pulls a gun from her purse and aims it right at Baby’s head. In an instant, a gunshot rings out through the air. I drop to my knees unable to breathe, unable to do anything at all.

  Blood is dripping from the table next to me. I can feel it coated against my skin, matting in the hair on the back of my neck. I wipe at my neck trying to get it off of me. Chaos has ensued. The room is spinning, I wipe at the blood and see a puddle pooling near my knees. I can’t bring myself to open my eyes and see her lying here dead. Without Baby, there is no life for me.

  It seems like an eternity when only seconds have passed. I hear the voice of an angel and hear her voice. “Are you okay,” her touch brings me pleasure and pain. I must be imagining her caress but am grateful to feel it again...

  “Were you hit? Striker open your eyes.” Her thumbs sweep over my mouth as she presses her sweet lips to mine. Warm sweet lips that belong to my woman. I open my eyes, Baby is staring at me, gore, and brain mater is on her face and I don’t even care. All that matters is that she is alive. I look to my left to see Diamond slumped onto the table a bullet hole right between her eyes.

  “How?” I wrap my arms around her not wanting to ever let her go.

  Romeo

  I am in the middle of a game of pool with Grim having a good time. I see Baby walk off with Diamond and moments later there is the screams of a catfight. “Let Striker handle it.” Grim orders so I stay put. A few minutes later Baby comes from the hallway looking unscathed so shit must be cool.

  The front door slams back against the wall Foxie is headed for me with a look of determination on her face, carrying something in her hands, but trying to hide it. I can’t make out what though. What does she want now? I gave her LL’s half of the Fox’s Den fair and square. Around the same time, I see Striker shoving Diamond towards the door roughly. He stops and looks to his mom. Diamond turns going straight for Baby. Fuck another fight is about to go down. Maybe Grim should put a baby pool of pudding in here and start holding matches.

  Diamond reaches into her purse, pulling out a pistol. Time slows down and I watch as Foxie drops Diamond with a single shot landing it between her eyes. Diamond falls to the table, dead. Everyone is in a scramble trying to figure what happened. Grim has rushed over to Baby to make sure she is okay.

  Foxie walks straight to me and hands me the gun. “Found this about an hour ago while I was cleaning out LL’s office, figured you might want it back. Sorry I dropped the whore with it but I reacted and well here it is.” She motions to the gun in my hands. The gun I killed Rush with, the gun the FED claimed to have.

  My chest constricts, I can’t breathe. LL didn’t sell me out. She didn’t give him the gun. She may have told him about it but they never had it. He played me. I killed her. I killed the mother of my children for nothing. I breakout in a cold sweat, my left arm is tingling. I clutch my chest, feels like a fat whore is sitting on it.

  “Just breathe,” Foxie places her hand against my chest. I feel dizzy, my vision is blurring.

  “Romeo,” I hear her say as everything fades to black and I no longer feel anything.

  Baby

  I am down in the floor with Striker clutching to me and I to him. When that gun pressed to my head and I heard the shot rang out, I knew I was dead. When I realized I was still breathing and that the blood and flesh covering my face wasn’t my own. I had to know that Striker was okay. Those few seconds when I thought I’d never see him again or feel his body next to mine was the worst agony I have ever felt in my life. Losing Trouble was hard, but thinking I‘d never get to have my family with Colt and Striker—the two doesn’t even compare.

  I press my mouth to Striker’s hoping like hell we can start over. Diamond’s blood is on both of our faces. Once Striker opens his eyes and realizes we are both okay, he starts wiping the blood from my face. The Roadhouse has gone quiet. My father is standing next to me. He reaches down, and pulls me in for a hug. “Fucking scared the shit out of me. I love you kid.”

  Foxie yells for my dad and he rushes over to her. Romeo is clutching his chest and leaning over the pool table. I think he is having a heart attack. I let go of Striker rushing to Romeo’s side to see what I can do to help.

  “He needs an ambulance!” I screech at my father.

  “Can’t call them, how we going to explain the dead whore over there and her brains on your face?” He raises a brow.

  “I’ll take him just get him in my car,” Foxie volunteers to my dad and Striker who is by my side. Grim and Striker waste no time helping Romeo to Foxie’s car. Once they get him in the backseat, my dad gets in the passenger seat. He orders Striker to do something with cum-stain and for me to go home, get cleaned up and let Sunshine know what is going on.

  “I’ll talk to you later.” Striker presses his forehead to mine.

  “Yeah.” I hug him briefly, go around the side of the building, and throw-up as everything hits me. Diamond isn’t pregnant and she’s dead. The bitch was going to kill me. I almost lost it all. I try to steady my shaking legs and make the short walk home. I cannot seem to catch my breath. God I hope Romeo is okay. I start up the stairs Sunshine has the porch light on waiting for Grim.

  I peek in through the window, I don’t want any of the kids to see me looking like this. I am sure there are bits of Diamond’s brains in my hair. Sunshine is sitting in the recliner with Colt and Miracle snuggled in a blanket reading to them. Jamie and Dawn are stretched out on the couch watching a movie.

  There is no way I can go in like this. I realize I still have the key to Striker’s apartment on my key ring and all of my stuff is there anyways
. I creep off the porch and go to the apartment to get cleaned up. I see Tread, Striker and Grant carrying Diamond’s corpse in a tarp and laying it in the bed of my father’s truck. I continue up the stairs. I don’t feel a bit bad for the skanky slut. Good riddance.

  I walk into Striker’s apartment and it smells of his cologne. Nothing has changed since I was here last. Colt’s toys are still scattered on the floor. I take the cordless home phone from the receiver and make a call to Sunshine, letting her know what is going on. I told her I would come take care of the kids if she wants to meet Grim at the hospital.

  I go into the bathroom, strip completely down, and step into the shower and start scrubbing my body. I feel as though I can’t get clean enough. I turn the water up a few notches hoping the heat will soothe me. The shower does nothing for me, but at least I got that shit out of my hair. After drying off I wrap my hair up on my head in a wet bun. I slip on some comfortable clothes and a pair of converse.

  When I get to the trailer, Sunshine has all of the kids put to bed. Jamie and Dawn are in her bed and Colt and Miracle are in mine. She informs me that my father called he will be home shortly. They think Romeo had a mild heart attack but Romeo being Romeo is refusing to stay. The news that Romeo is okay brings me some relief. I’m exhausted so I go crawl in the bed with Colt and Miracle, although I doubt I will get any sleep with the two of them in the bed with me. They are both kickers.

  A steady rain is beating against the roof. I glance at the clock it’s well after midnight and I can’t sleep. I tip toe into the kitchen for a glass of water and pain reliever for my headache. Grim and Sunshine are asleep on an air mattress in the middle of the floor. I have so much on my mind. So many unresolved questions and feelings. I grab a hoodie from the closet and go to the one place I know I can clear my head.

  26

  Romeo

  There is so many emotions going through my head. I am so thankful to be alive though I don’t deserve to be. The doctor on call in the ER said I suffered a mild heart attack, he wanted to admit me but I said fuck that. Not staying there where they can poke and prod me all night when I can come home and sleep this night from hell off.