Char

by Jade Kuzma

  Ghost chuckled and patted me on the arm.

  “You’re really serious, huh?” he said. “You’re really thinking about patching back in and giving up this nomad shit.”

  I thought about her.

  Lenora.

  I would never admit that I felt something about her. I didn’t know what it was. Maybe I really cared about her. Maybe I was just horny as shit because it’d been so fucking long. Whatever it was, I just felt like I had to be around her.

  “Never say never,” I said. “I don’t plan on growing old and dying in Ivory. But maybe there’s a chance I’ll stick around longer than I expected to.”

  “You sure you know what you’re getting into?”

  “That shit you got going on with the Chinese, moving their drugs… I’m not worried about it. I can make ends meet. I’ve been doing that shit for most of my life now.”

  “All right. But if you wanna be a full patch, you’re gonna have to be a prospect all over again.”

  “Prospect,” I said with a laugh. “Damn, that was a long time ago.”

  “You get to have that kinda fun all over again. I’ll talk to the boys and we’ll see about getting you patched in. I’m sure you’d be a good addition to the chapter.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  Ghost patted me on the back and left me to enjoy my vices by myself. I finished the rest of my cig and nursed my beer.

  After spending the night with Lenora, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It was like I’d forgotten Walsh even existed.

  But I knew shit wasn’t gonna be easy. The fact that I wasn’t with her right now meant there was a problem I couldn’t ignore.

  She was still working for Blade. And with an egomaniac like I knew he was, I didn’t have to imagine that he was possessive.

  I was ready to do whatever it took to get her out of the life she’d been living for so long.

  Five years of selling her body on the streets had already taken its toll on her but she talked to me like I was the one that needed help. That’s how I knew she was special. That’s how I knew she was different.

  I swallowed the rest of my beer and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Lenora left me that morning because she said she had some business to take care of. I was just waiting for her to send me a message.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I turned and looked at the man approaching. A blond pretty boy who looked like he just got his hair done at the salon walked up to me.

  “You need another beer, my man?”

  I shook my head and laughed at Needle. I stopped short of rolling my eyes at the motherfucker. I couldn’t blame the guy for being such a cocky prick. Women loved leather but a pretty man like him? He was probably beating ‘em off with a stick.

  “I’m just fine,” I said.

  “You up to anything? You keeping yourself busy?”

  I squinted at him. It was clear from the smile on his lips he was up to something.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Me and the boys are playing cards. Ghost said you’re thinking about sticking around. If you stick around, you gotta play poker with the rest of us.”

  “Is that a requirement?”

  “It sure is. Only one who doesn’t play is Garnet but he’s the pres, so he can get away with it.”

  I chuckled as I got up from my seat. I put a hand on Needle’s shoulder and looked him in the eye with a smile.

  “You don’t wanna play poker with me,” I said.

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because I’ll lose.”

  “Of course you would. That makes you the perfect person to play with.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t understand. When I lose…”

  I wiped the smile off my face.

  “…I’m not a happy person. You don’t wanna be around me when I’m not happy.”

  I would have intimidated any other man but Needle remained as smug as he always seemed.

  “You don’t seem happy now and I’m just fine being around you,” he said.

  We stared hard at one another. I could only hold back for a few seconds before I started laughing. Needle laughed right along with me.

  “Some other time,” I said as I patted him on the shoulder.

  “There’s always a seat at the table for another Reaper, brother.”

  I started walking toward the exit and looked at my phone. As soon as I got near the door, it suddenly burst open.

  I jerked my head up.

  “What the fuck?”

  I stared in confusion at the bitch who suddenly appeared. Agent Lieberman stood at the center of the doorway flanked by two other agents.

  “Ah, Charles Lawrence. Just the man I was looking for.”

  “In the flesh,” I replied. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “As a matter of fact there is…”

  She took a step toward me, her jaw clenched and her stare as icy cold as I’d ever seen it.

  “I’m taking you in for questioning,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  The two agents with her suddenly surrounded me.

  I was too confused to react to what the two agents were doing as they stood by my side.

  I turned around and saw Garnet suddenly walking toward us with the rest of the club behind him.

  “Hey! Hey! What the fuck is going on?” Garnet barked.

  “I’m taking him in for questioning,” Lieberman said.

  “Questioning?” I said. “Are you gonna tell me what the fuck this is all about?”

  Lieberman raised her head up and looked her nose down at me.

  “It’s no secret why you came to Ivory,” she said. “You’re here for Walsh. There’s no point in denying it.”

  “You better have a good reason for wanting to take my patch in—”

  “Jamie Walsh is dead.”

  Lieberman cut Garnet off before he could finish.

  The rest of the clubhouse fell silent. I closed my eyes and tried to make sure I heard her right.

  “What?” I said. “Are you telling me—”

  “They just found his body,” she interrupted me. “I’m taking you in for questioning, Lawrence. End of discussion.”

  Chapter 12

  LENORA

  After spending the night with Charles, I was on a high I couldn’t ever remember feeling. Nothing could bring me down. When Blade called me in to see him, I had to force myself to stop grinning at the thought of being with Charles.

  I sat in Blade’s office and stared out the window. I was counting the seconds until I could finally leave.

  Blade seemed intent on making me wait as long as he could. He conducted business on his phone. He kept his eyes locked on his computer monitor. But even though he wasn’t looking at me, it still felt like he was watching over me.

  I was staring at the ground when he finally acknowledged me.

  “Do you have something for me?”

  I gave him a nod and reached into my bag. I hadn’t worked for a few days but the payment Charles gave me was enough for me to fake like I had.

  Blade uncrumpled the cash I gave him and looked down his nose at me like he always did.

  “It’s good to see you again. How have you been?”

  “Fine,” I said with a shrug.

  “How’s business treating you?”

  “Business is treating me… fine… Just fine…”

  “Yes, I’ll bet it is.”

  I shifted my eyes away from his focused gaze, trying my best not to stare back at him. Blade always looked intense even when he was relaxed. I never felt completely comfortable around him even though I’d known him for so long. His demeanor had grown more intimidating over the years.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend time with you,” he said. “With the business ramping up, things are getting quite busy around here.”

  “That’s all right. I understand.”

  “We should get breakfast. Or may
be lunch. I have to admit, I miss watching you stuff those pancakes between your cheeks.”

  I faked a smile as he smirked at me.

  This’ll all be over soon…

  I felt like I was in the principal’s office. I clenched my jaw, just waiting for him to let me go on my way.

  But Blade wasn’t in a hurry.

  He calmly got out of his seat and straightened his tie. His hands behind his back, he walked over to the side of his office and looked out the window. It was the middle of the day, so the view of the city was as clear as it could be.

  “It’s only been a few days but it feels like so much longer since we spoke,” he said. “Don’t you feel that way?”

  “I suppose…”

  “I wish we could discuss this over some food but my office is as good a place as any.”

  He slowly spun on his heel. He raised his eyebrows at me as if waiting for me to say something.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” he said.

  I shifted my eyes left and right, not looking him in the eye as I shrugged.

  “Not really.”

  “I see…”

  He took a step toward me. He appeared calm but there was something else. There was a look in his eye.

  “Tell me, Asia… I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

  “What is it?”

  “What do you know about Charles Lawrence?”

  I thought I’d misheard him.

  I tried to hold back my surprise but it was too late. Just a single blink was enough to let Blade know he’d caught me off guard.

  “What?” I said.

  “Charles Lawrence. Char, I think his patch says…”

  “I don’t—”

  “Please, Asia. You’re my favorite girl. I give you your space but I have people in this town. You can’t hide from me. I already know.”

  “Yeah…”

  I sighed softly to myself.

  If Blade wasn’t watching me, he had someone else doing it for him. It was part of the ‘protection’ he provided all of the girls who worked for him.

  He moved closer to me and sat on the edge of his desk.

  “Go ahead,” he said.

  “What’s there to tell? He’s just a customer.”

  “He must be a special customer if you’re spending so much time with him.”

  “He’s from out of town. He just needs some company. I cut him a deal and he took it. Listen, I’ll make a lot more money from him than trying to get as many guys as possible—”

  “It’s all right… It’s all right… There’s no need to worry about the money.”

  Blade got up from his desk and started pacing back toward his window.

  “The motorcycle clubs are a blight on this town,” he said. “Bikers riding around the streets, acting like they own the place. This Charles… He’s from out of town but he’s no different.”

  I stared off into the distance, sitting patiently in my seat as Blade kept talking.

  “He’s a dangerous man. He came here specifically to target Jamie Walsh, one of the men I was supposed to be working with. Do you know anything about this?”

  I swallowed anxiously and shook my head.

  “No, of course you don’t,” Blade continued. “Why would you?”

  “Why are you telling me all of this?”

  “I’m telling you because I’m concerned for you. Spending too much time around him can put you in a good amount of danger.”

  “I appreciate your concern. But I think I know him well enough. I don’t have any reason to think he’d do anything to me.”

  “We’ll see about that. I imagine Lawrence will be leaving Ivory very soon.”

  I blinked my eyes in confusion.

  “W-what do you mean?” I said.

  “He came here to deal with Jamie Walsh. And now Jamie Walsh is dead.”

  I couldn’t hold back my surprise.

  “W-what?”

  “The police found his body this morning. The young man never had a chance. It’s a shame, too. He was a young go-getter. He would’ve been a tremendous asset to me.”

  I didn’t look at Blade. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around what he just told me.

  Charles…

  “Are you sure?” I said. “Are you sure Walsh is dead?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’m the one who had him killed.”

  “W-what?”

  I closed my eyes. My mouth hung open. My words got caught in my throat. When I opened my eyes again, Blade was back sitting on the edge of his desk in front of me with a sly smile on his lips.

  “Why—”

  “I did it for you. I had to eliminate Walsh for you.”

  “For me?”

  “I told you. Lawrence is a dangerous man. He came here for Walsh. I couldn’t do business with someone like Walsh when a trained killer like Lawrence is looking for him. Walsh is taken care of. Now Lawrence will leave Ivory. Things will go back to normal.”

  “But Charles… The police know he had a vendetta against Walsh. They’ll do anything to pin this on him.”

  “There’s no evidence that will link him to the killing. Lawrence has no further business in Ivory.”

  I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe everything Blade just told me. I wanted him to tell me he was joking. But I knew him long enough to know that he was fully capable of something like this.

  “Do you want to know the truth?” he said. “The truth is I got a little jealous. You don’t have any regulars. All of your clients bend you over then go on their way. But this Lawrence fellow… I can’t have him spending so much time with my favorite girl. When customers get too comfortable with the merchandise, they start to pretend like it’s theirs.”

  Blade walked up to me and put his hand on my chin. He turned my head up and forced me to look at him.

  “I want you to know that I care about you, Asia. Just because I don’t bend you over my desk or make you suck my dick like I used to doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You’ll always be my favorite girl.”

  I wanted to do something but I knew I couldn’t. Blade might have seemed reserved but he could snap at any moment.

  “I promise we’ll spend more time together soon,” he said. “I think this weekend sounds like a good chance for the both of us. You can satisfy my clients like I know you can and I’ll secure my business deals with them. With manufacturing and distribution finalized, we’ll both have reason to celebrate.”

  He trailed his hand along my cheek and gently pushed his thumb between my lips.

  “You always were the best cocksucker in Ivory…”

  He smirked then pulled his hand away from me. I sat there, still stunned at everything he’d told me. Blade made his way back to his desk and got back on his phone like nothing was out of the ordinary.

  He didn’t have to say anything more. Just a quick glance was enough to tell me he was done with me.

  I walked out of his office as quickly as I could. I pulled my phone out and called Charles.

  No response.

  I sent him multiple texts to ask him where he was.

  No response.

  A nervousness began building in the pit of my stomach.

  I took a cab back to my apartment, my mind focused on everything that Blade just told me. I managed to get to my apartment and still hadn’t gotten a response.

  I clutched my phone in my hand and stared out of my window, desperately waiting for him to tell me that he was all right.

  Suddenly, my phone vibrated. My heart jumped into my throat.

  I looked down expecting Charles to tell me he was all right. But it was someone else’s number calling me.

  I put the phone to my ear and answered it. I didn’t even bother saying hello. I only said the first thing that came to my mind.

  “Charles is innocent.”

  “And I suppose you can prove it?”

  “I can.”

  “It’s not safe to meet. I’ll cont
act you when it is.”

  I heard a dial tone before I could respond.

  I sank into the cushion of my seat, my eyes closed and my hand clutching my phone.

  “Shit…”

  Blade told me killing Walsh would put everything back to normal. But for me, things just got more complicated.

  Chapter 13

  CHARLES

  They found Walsh’s body in some brush. It was a clean death, a bullet straight through the head. Better than I would have given him but the end result wasn’t something I could complain about. I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, given the circumstances, but I wasn’t about to cry for him either. As far as I was concerned, the bastard was in a better place.

  I wasn’t about to let Lieberman try to intimidate me. She wasted all of her time poking and prodding me. But there was no secret for me to spill when the truth was I had nothing to do with what happened to Walsh.

  They locked me up in a cell. Every now and then, Lieberman would come waltzing to me trying to get me to crack. There was nothing for her to find.

  It took a few hours but Garnet finally got me a lawyer. They didn’t have any reason to keep me locked up. A scuffle with Walsh wasn’t enough to prove I’d killed the motherfucker. I was back out on the street in no time.

  A couple of messages to Lenora went unanswered. I hid out in my hotel room until I finally got a response. She told me she wanted to meet with me. Somewhere safe. Somewhere we wouldn’t have to worry about anybody watching us.

  So I got on my ride and told her to get to The Grindhouse as soon as she could.

  I was at the bar staring at the beer in front of me when all of the other patches gathered around me. They patted me on the back and congratulated me. I wasn’t much in the mood for celebrating but considering all the shit that just went down, a cold beer was exactly what the doctor ordered.

  “You feel like playing tonight?”

  Needle kept eyeballing me, goading me into a poker game. I smirked as I shook my head.

  “Not tonight,” I replied. “I’m not interested in taking your money.”

  “Big talk from a man with no balls,” Needle said.

  “I got plenty of balls. Why don’t you give your ol’ lady a call and I can prove it?”

  The pretty blond man rolled his eyes at me and excused himself to the poker table with the rest of the club. The president stayed behind and put an arm on my shoulder.