Trusting Nicole

by Muriel Garcia

  “You’re hot when you’re pissed.” He shakes his head and starts driving when the light turns green.

  “You’ve mentioned that a time or two.” I look out the window and realize he’s not driving me home but to his place.

  “It must be true then.” He sighs and we don’t say another word the rest of the way. The silence is deafening.

  I’m relieved when we get to his place, as much as I want to help him cope but it’s hard to be around him. I wish things were easy like when I was in high school, or at least easier. No one would die and everybody would be happy, the guys would still be into illegal shit, but not getting into these kinds of problems. One can dream I suppose. I climb out of his black Mustang and wait by the front door.

  He lets me in and closes the door behind us. I never thought about it before, but it’s weird to be in the house he lived in with his wife. I look around and note that it doesn’t seem he was living with someone else, much less a woman or his wife. I turn around and see that he’s right behind me.

  “Looking for something?” He asks, raising his eyebrow at me, no doubt wondering why I’m looking around his place when I’ve spent the past twenty four hours here.

  “I’m just realizing that this doesn’t look like a home, it’s a simply decorated house. There are only a couple pictures of you and Jenny around and there are no homely touches.” I comment as I keep looking around trying to avoid his stare.

  He pulls at my chin so I’m forced to look at him. “I don’t know if it was because she didn’t feel at home here, I always told her she could decorate the place however she pleased but she never did. I’m not into that kind of shit so it never bothered me.”

  “Alright.”

  “What’s wrong?” He looks at me confused.

  “Nothing is wrong. It’s just weird. It’s like you two lived together, but weren’t together. I can’t put my finger on it or explain what I’m thinking.” I look at him, confused.

  “I don’t know what to tell you. Neither of us decorated the house.” He shrugs and pours himself a whiskey. “Want some?”

  “No, thanks. What did you mean by things aren’t always what they seem?” I ask, sitting down on the couch.

  “Do we really have to talk about all of this now? I just buried my wife. I don’t want to talk about any of this.” He sits down next to me and downs his glass.

  “I guess not.” I want to know what’s going through his mind, but clearly he doesn’t want to open up. I don’t know what he’s thinking or going through, but I want to help him out. I want him to feel alive again but he seems dead set against it. I hate to see him like this. Nobody knows we know each other. We met when I was in college and grew close. It’s getting harder to keep up appearances, especially with Gabe and Aleck hovering over my every move. The fact that we’ve spent a lot of time together these past couple of days doesn’t help clear my mind.

  “Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it. I’m not going to confide in you and nothing can change what happened. So stop overthinking things.”

  “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t think about.” I glare at him.

  “Then stop trying to heal me. I’m destroyed beyond repair. You’re wasting your time, Kitten.”

  “Who says I’m trying to heal you? I just want to make sure you’re not going to blow your head off tonight when I go back home.” I roll my eyes and walk to the kitchen, desperately needing coffee if we’re going have this conversation.

  A few seconds later he’s behind me. “You’re going back home?” I could be wrong but I swear I could hear a hint of despair in his voice.

  “Yes. I can’t stay here forever.” I turn to look at him.

  “Right. I just thought we could talk.”

  “And have you be a dick to me? I don’t think so. Besides I have to study for finals. I might have moved back here, but I still need to finish college.”

  “Okay.” He sighs and gets two mugs and the milk out, frowning as he pours the milk in my mug.

  “Stop judging the amount of milk I take in my coffee.”

  “You’re ruining a perfectly good drink with milk. You’re fucking crazy.” He chuckles.

  “I know. That’s why you love me so much, oh mighty Detective Sanders.” I shake my head and press the button on the coffee machine, watching the dark liquid mix with the milk in my cup.

  “Ah, you have no idea, Kitten.” Argh, that nickname…

  “Stop it with that nickname, will you?” I raise my eyebrow as I make his coffee.

  “Why should I? I thought you loved it.” He shrugs and takes his mug, leading me outside onto the patio. I never noticed how gorgeous it was outside. There’s a small pool and a small pond with wild flowers growing around it, a barbecue area and a few lounge chairs around the pool.

  “It’s just weird.” I shrug and sit down. “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “It is. I’ve never taken the time to really enjoy any of it though.” He sighs. I rub his hand and squeeze it.

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it, it’ll be okay eventually.”

  “Eventually.” He smiles softly and kisses the back of my hand. We smile at each other and hear someone clear their throat. We both turn quickly to see who it is and I groan internally.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Gabe and Aleck both walk towards us and lean on the porch railing.

  “What do you think? Two friends having coffee.” Jason explains looking at my brothers, not bothered in the least by their intrusion.

  “Sure. And that’s why you’re holding her hand and kissing it?” Aleck asks him, raising his eyebrow.

  “Well, I didn’t think frenching her would be an appropriate way to thank her for being here for me when I needed her. ” Jason shrugs and I choke on some coffee trying to stifle a laugh.

  “Serves you right for laughing at us, Nic.” Gabe glares at me then at Jason. “No, it wouldn’t, not now, not ever.”

  “Right,” Jason says before taking another sip of his coffee.

  “Nicole, a word.” Aleck demands, glaring at us as well.

  “Aleck, a word.” I mimic, making Jason laugh openly and Gabe bite his lip trying not to laugh.

  “Bro, you’re supposed to be on my side, not laughing at this brat.”

  “Know what the brat is saying?”

  “No, what?”

  “Piss off you twat!” I flip him off and walk over to one of the loungers, leaving Jason on his own on the patio. I don’t want him to hear what these two fuckers could have to say.

  “She’s hanging round Viv too much.” Aleck groans as he and Gabe come over and sit with me.

  “That she is.” Gabe chuckles and sighs. “Know why we want to have a word with you?”

  “No, but I’m sure it’s going to be interesting.”

  “You can’t be getting close to him that way, Nic. He’s not the man for you, he’s going to break your heart.” Gabe says, always the voice of reason.

  “And he’s a freaking cop! You can’t date a cop!” Aleck chimes in and I shake my head. I can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips at his outraged expression, it’s as if he had only just found out Jase was a cop.

  “That too, but he’s just lost his wife and he’s heartbroken, you two hanging out together and you showing him what he could have with a sweet girl like you isn’t fair to him or Jenny.” I look back at Gabe, not saying a word.

  “He’s not the man for you. He’s the opposite of us, even though we’ve grown close to him and he’s sort of a friend, you can’t be fraternizing with the enemy that way. That’s off limits, Sis.”

  I keep looking between Aleck and Gabe as they each give me pointless arguments.

  “You’re not going to say anything?” Gabe asks looking at me wearily.

  “I was just waiting for you two to shut up.” I shrug.

  “So?”

  “So…Who said I wanted to date Jase? Who said that I wanted to fuck him or for anything to happen? I was
there when his wife was shot, I held her in my arms as she took her last breath, I had her brain splattered all over me. He needed answers about what happened that day and I gave them to him. I didn’t want to but I know he was torturing himself about it. He needed a friend and someone who wouldn’t sugar coat the details of that night. Seeing the way you two live your life, I thought you’d understand more than anyone how important it is to have someone with you during your roughest times.” I tell them calmly, completely shutting them up.

  “Fair enough, just don’t get too attached. He’s a widower. If anything were to happen between you and him, well, we’d have to break his legs for going behind our backs and you would only be his rebound. He’d only hurt you if you fall for him, so we’d then have to kick his ass again and we don’t want that. He’s a good asset to the club and the alliance.” Aleck explains as he tries to keep calm but I can tell he’s not happy about the situation.

  “You two are impossible. As if I didn’t have enough trouble with Gabe before, now I have you breathing down my neck as well.” I say pointing at Aleck. “When will you get it into your thick fucking skulls that I’m being a friend to him? Stop seeing more than what is there for fuck’s sake.” I groan and go back to Jason. “Sorry about that, but I’m going to go, I can’t deal with them right now. Call me if you need anything.” I smile at him softly.

  “They are right.” He sighs and gets up, facing me.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing good will come of anything happening between us.” He says as he brushes a few strands of hair away from my face, his fingers lingering a few seconds too long on my cheek.

  “You didn’t used to say that.” I sigh. “I should go. Call me if you need me.” I put my mug in the sink and get my bag. I walk out of the house to find Callum sat in his Impala waiting for me. “Great, you’re back on ladysitting duty.” I groan, slamming the door.

  “Be nice to Hilly and don’t slam her door like that. And yes, don’t make me regret it.” He chuckles and drives off.

  “Right. Hilly. What kind of name is that for a car?”

  “Don’t judge. How is he?”

  “He’s as good as any man who just buried their wife can be.” I frown.

  “You care a lot more about him than you want to let on.”

  “Why do you say that?” I look at him raising my eyebrow.

  “It shows, Love. I don’t know what happened between the two of you but be careful, that kind of secret is hard to keep and the consequences can be dangerous, that’s all I’m saying.”

  “Nothing happened.”

  “Right, keep telling yourself that.” He chuckles.

  “Whatever. Where have you been anyway? I haven’t seen you in months.”

  “Here and there.” He keeps his eyes glued to the road, obviously ignoring my question.

  “Now who’s the one keeping secrets.”

  He chuckles. “Some secrets should be kept secret.”

  “Are you alright though?” I look at him. I haven’t really gotten to know Callum but he’s always been kind to me.

  “I’m alright, don’t worry about me. I just have to solve some problems from my past. That’s all.” He smiles at me as he parks in my driveway.

  “Well, I’m always here if you want to talk. Thanks for the drive.” I kiss his cheek and climb out of the car.

  “Nic.” He calls after me. I poke my head through the window and lean against the car door. “Thank you and I’m here for you too if you need someone to talk to.” He winks at me and puts the car into reverse. I walk inside the house, making sure I rearm the alarm and plop on the couch. I take a moment to think about the past few days and all that’s been said. It all takes me back to two years ago, the first night I met Detective Jason Sanders…

  CHAPTER 4

  Jason

  March 2, 2015

  I speed to the compound. I was supposed to be there ten minutes ago and I know how much they hate it when someone is late at a planned meeting but I had to catch up on some fucking paperwork at the station. I sigh to myself as I park in the back. The last thing I need is for someone from work seeing me with the MC now that the Kings case is over.

  “Where’s Sanders?” I hear Gabe say through the chapel door.

  “He’s la-”

  “Right here, sorry, work is fucking chaos.” I explain, sitting down next to Aleck.

  “They made you go back to work already?” Ant asks me in disbelief.

  “Yeah, I was only allowed two fucking weeks.”

  “That’s bullshit. How have you been?” Aleck asks.

  “Struggling. Some days are better than others. I’m still hoping I’ll wake up from this nightmare and she’ll walk through the front door.” I sigh, trying to sound like I’m deeply affected by her loss.

  “You know we’re here if you need anything,” Gabe says.

  “I know, thank you. I just need to sort this on my own. You have enough on your plate.” We talk about how we’re all coping and what’s been happening for a few minutes until everybody involved is seated around the table.

  “I wanted to thank you all for coming. Today we’ll discuss the alliance between our three clubs, see if we keep it or call a truce and go our separate ways, but also something that was brought to my attention yesterday.”

  “What happened?” Gabe asks him instantly.

  “First, the club alliance.”

  Ric starts talking. “I’ve talked to my men. It’s good working alongside your two clubs. We’ve never had an alliance with anyone before, so it was all new, but the outcome has been beneficial, despite us losing two members. We don’t know what your two clubs are looking for, but we’re in if this is approved. Not gonna lie, the fact that we are outnumbering every other club out there is a huge fucking bonus. Things were rough for a couple of days with your woman getting shot and yours getting killed, but we’ve managed to take them down and word on the street is that it’s a lot better to live in the Kings’ old area. Not as much crime anymore.”

  “I’ve heard that too, looks like a couple of good things came out of this crazy man blowing up their compound.” Ant gestures to me and they all look at me pointedly.

  “Don’t look at me like that. Had I not, more of us would be dead.” I shrug. “Besides, always wanted to use one of those bad boys.” I smirk.

  “How did it feel?” Gabe asks.

  “Pretty fucking amazing.” We all laugh.

  “I’m sure it was.” Ray chimes in. “At least you didn’t blow one of your limbs off. Happened to one of our retired members. He held it for too long, then didn’t throw it far enough. Poor bastard.” We all join him laughing.

  “Sorry to hear.” Ant offers.

  “Don’t be, he’s living the fucking life of leisure in Florida or some old people place.” He chuckles. “Missing a leg sure, but hasn’t stopped him from getting pussy and marrying his old lady.” He chuckles. “But anyway, I have to say that ever since you got rid of the problem for my club last year, things have been a lot smoother. We separated ourselves from a couple of club members who were siding with Blades and joined the Kings. So I’m glad they are gone with the trash too. We patched the two prospects who now know better than to listen to anyone other than me for orders. They’re good kids, I didn’t invite them for our events as I didn’t know how you would feel about it and I didn’t want to make trouble. We took a vote and we all agreed that this,” he gestures around the table, “worked fucking amazingly. We’re in too.”

  “Very good and I’m grateful you didn’t force them onto us for the past few events. I’d like to sit down with them and have a talk. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to have to set some ground rules that we all have to abide by so we can avoid any misunderstanding. We’ll draw up those rules together with the Prez, VP and Sergeant at Arms of each club.” Ant explains calmly.

  “What about Sanders? He’s been very efficient, but what is he doing here or in the middle of this?” Ray asks
quite confused by my presence.

  “It’s been brought to my attention that, while there are only ten members left of the King, most of their chapters have been fairly quiet, except one of them. What’s left of the Kings and that chapter are moving in together and creating chaos just outside of Louisiana. They call themselves Hades’ Disciples. They haven’t made a move yet, but I’m sure it’ll come soon enough. Until we know what their goal is, we need to keep an eye out.”

  “So you’re telling us that a bunch of those no life motherfuckers are teaming up to come here to take us down?” Gabe asks me sarcastically.

  “Take us down, not sure. Cause chaos? Definitely.”

  “Us? You consider yourself one of us now?” Ric taunts me.

  I sigh. “Honestly? I feel out of place at the station. It’s all I ever wanted to do when I was growing up, but now it feels so fucking wrong. I feel more at home here than I do at the station.” I hate lying to them this openly.

  “Why? Did losing your wife mess you up because there’s nothing your little cop friends could have done? Or maybe you’re realizing that executing your own justice is better than asking for help, when you know they won’t do shit,” Ric says rather harshly.

  “Fair enough. It feels wrong to work for a system that is supposed to protect, help and serve, but actually doesn’t do much. Working on Cabe’s case opened my eyes to the corrupt and dirty side of the law. From that point onwards, everything went south and led me to feel this way.” I shrug. If only they knew.

  “Good answer, but you’re going to need to rethink your priorities if you are about to work with us.” Ray tells me, no doubt gauging my reaction.

  “What exactly do you mean?”

  “While your position on the force could be beneficial for all of us, it could mean a lot of trouble for you, from inside and outside. No one likes a rat, even if that rat is a detective and it’s his job. You’ll have to choose between your cushy life or our lifestyle, can you handle that? Playboy?” Ray chuckles.