Destruction (Masters of Destruction Book 1)

by Rodgers, Salice

  “Great thanks.” I walk in the room and try to shut the door.

  “Britt, please don’t be mad at me.”

  I shake my head and shut the door. The room looks like a dorm room. The walls are bare of anything except a clock. The bed is a small wooden framed bed. I sit on it and untie my sandals. The thought of having to stay here makes me about as happy as stepping into a pit of alligators. As much as I don’t want to admit it the site of Boog and his friend made me jealous. Is that what he was trying to do? If so, points to Boog. I don’t want to like him.

  I down my beer, set the bottle on the table by the bed, and lie back on the bed. The music downstairs is loud as I lay on top of the covers and put the pillow over my head. From the looks of the girls downstairs I don’t want to crawl under the covers. I fall asleep to the sound of the bass.

  Chapter Five

  Waking up in a new place and not remembering being there is never fun but waking up in a new place and being pissed off when you realize where you are is even worse. I sit up and stretch my back and look at the clock. It’s 10:00 a.m. and still sounds like everyone is asleep. I slide on my sandals, open the door, and peek out. All the doors are shut so I walk to the bathroom and knock on the door.

  “Just a minute.”

  I roll my eyes and lean against the wall beside the door. When the door opens my day goes to shit even more as out walks Boog’s friend from last night. She smiles when she sees me and then walks to the room next door to the one I slept in and shuts the door. I walk into the bathroom and shut and lock the door behind me.

  I look in the mirror and wipe the makeup from my face. Once I am presentable I go in search of coffee and text Mallory to see if she is awake. When I get downstairs the room is a mess and people are asleep all over the place. There is coffee made behind the bar. I find a clean cup, pour some coffee, and walk outside.

  “Have a good night?” Boog asks and sits down in front of me with his own cup of coffee.

  I look up and take a sip of my coffee. His hair's a mess and his normal smirk is on his face.

  “The best.”

  “Ouch are you always this sweet first thing in the morning or did you save all that just for me?”

  “Go away, Boog.”

  His laugh only pisses me off more. He sits back in his chair, and I can feel his eyes watching me. Mallory walks outside and stops when she sees me, her eyes going back and forth between Boog and me.

  “Let me gather my things and I will take you home,” she says after a few seconds.

  “Oh, allow me,” Boog demands.

  “Are you serious?” I ask.

  “I don’t kid, Britt. I am very serious.”

  “I’ll walk.”

  “Britt, just give me ten minutes,” Mallory cuts in and holds up her hands backing towards the door.

  Boog pulls his keys from his pocket and smiles, dangling them in front of me.

  “You can give me a ride home,” his woman friend states while walking out the door smiling.

  I have a very pretty image in my head of her head bouncing off the table in front of me. My hands are holding my coffee cup so tight my knuckles are turning white.

  “Mallory, would you be a doll and find Tango?” Boog asks.

  His woman friend walks towards him and he shakes his head no causing her to stop in her tracks and pout. I can’t help but laugh at the sight of her pouting like a two year old. She looks towards me and her eyes draw together like she wants to say something but knows it's way too damn early for this shit and keeps her mouth shut.

  One point for her. Mallory comes out a few seconds later with Tango in tow. He wipes his eyes and shields the sun from his view.

  “Rise and shine, man.” Boog laughs.

  “Fuck you! What do you want, man?”

  “Can you have one of our prospects take her home?” He nods his head towards his blonde friend and winks.

  “You woke me up for this shit?” He shakes his head and walks back into the clubhouse.

  Her smile is back as one of the prospects comes out and walks her towards his bike. She doesn’t care who it is as long as she is on the back of someone’s bike. Once she’s gone Boog turns his attention back to me.

  “Now will you allow me to drive you home?” He smiles and waits.

  I look to Mallory and growl under my breath.

  “Whatever.”

  He smiles again and stands motioning for me to follow him. He sits down on his bike and holds out a helmet for me. My hands shake as I take it and slide it on my head. I put my hand on his shoulder and climb on his bike. As soon as I sit down he grabs my hands and wraps them around his stomach and places his hand on top of mine. How can he at one moment make me so mad I want to scream and in the next I want nothing more than to follow him into a room and be the next victim of the Boogie Man? Maybe that is how he got the name.

  I feel like I am flying riding on the back of his bike with my hands wrapped around his stomach and the wind blowing my hair all around my face. I lean my head close to his shoulder and the smell of him invades me. He smells like pure rustic male. I close my eyes and intertwine my fingers. I want to let go and hold them out beside me like a superhero would, but I am sure he would freak out so I squeeze my fingers tight and enjoy the sound of the motorcycle and the smell of Boog and pray I don’t become his next victim.

  ***

  He pulls up in front of my house and turns off the motorcycle. The one thing I knew I wanted on my house was a porch so I could sit outside and listen to the birds at night and read or drink coffee. I look over at my parents’ house and sigh when I see they aren’t home. At least I won’t have to listen to them for riding home with the enemy. I hand Boog his helmet and smile.

  “Thanks.”

  “Oh, wow look at that she smiles.” He leans back and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

  The arrogance is back ruining the moment. My smile fades and I roll my eyes.

  I walk up the stairs and stop, turning back towards Boog. He’s still sitting in the same position watching me.

  “Why are you such an arrogant asshole? You invited me last night and then didn’t say a word to me.”

  It’s my turn to cross my arms in front of me and look arrogant. I can’t tell if he’s amused or shocked. He leans up and puts his hands on the handlebars squeezing them until his knuckles turn white and looks towards the road. I laugh and turn around. When I make it to the door I look back at Boog one more time.

  “Thanks for the ride. Now stay the hell away from me and I’ll do the same. Your arrogance is quite annoying.” I open the door and begin to walk into my house when his voice stops me.

  “Do you know how dangerous it is to be an ol lady, Brittney?” he asks looking back at me.

  “Yeah Mallory has warned me to stay away from you many times and yet each way I turn you’re there.”

  “I have never met someone who grabbed my attention from the second I met them and yet you have.” He shakes his head and looks down at his bike.

  His words cause my heart to speed up along with my breathing. I don’t know what he wants me to say to his confession. That I feel the pull to him too?

  He adds, “I wanted you to come to see what it was like at the clubhouse. You needed to see it for yourself. The girls, the beer, the danger… none of that goes away, Brittney. The deeper you get in the club the more dangerous it gets.”

  “So instead of letting me make my own decision you decided to make it for me by pissing me off? If you wanted me to stay away then why come to my job? Why drive me home?” He looks to me and then looks away. I can’t help but let his words piss me off. I don’t want someone making choices for me. I am old enough to do that myself. I shake my head and walk in the door slamming it behind me not giving him a chance to say nothing else.

  Never in such a short time have I let a man get to me the way he does. I’m pissed at myself for still being attracted to him and pissed off at him for being so attractive and know
ing it. I hear his motorcycle crank up and watch out the window as he pulls away. Once he’s gone I take a shower to wash off the night before. I feel like I stayed in a dirty college dorm. Maybe that is why I stayed home instead of going to college.

  When I finish my shower I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt declaring the rest of the day to be a lazy day. I grab my favorite book and curl up on the couch.

  A knock on the door brings me out of my book and my hands start to shake. I peek through the peephole and let go of the breath I was holding when I see my mom standing there. I open the door and smile.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  She is wearing a summer dress that reaches to her ankles with her graying hair in a bun. When she lets it down it reaches close to her knees. She smiles and wraps her arms around me squeezing for a second and then letting go.

  “Hey, baby.

  “Want some tea?” I ask and walk in to the kitchen.

  “Sure. What have you been up to?”

  She sits at the table watching me suspiciously as I make some tea.

  “Just hanging out with Mallory.” I hand her the tea and a slice of lemon.

  “And a certain motorcycle riding bad boy?” she says and smiles.

  “How? You know what, don’t even try to explain. It was just a ride home, Mom. Nothing more.”

  She looks out the window and takes a sip of her tea when she looks back to me she has tears running down her cheeks.

  “Let me tell you a little story.” She wipes her cheeks and gives me a small smile. “When your father and I met he wasn’t the good guy police officer he is now. He was a jackass. With the attitude that the world owed him. He had a best friend named Zeke. They grew up together since they were infants. Zeke went down a different road than your father and became a prospect for MOD. He was killed before he got his patch. Your dad became a cop to take down the MC. He hates them all. But you see one night before Zeke died he talked to him about joining. He was going to go the next day and talk to the president of the club and before he made it Zeke’s mom called telling him he had passed away.”

  I sit back in my seat in front of my mom and wipe the tears that are now falling from my eyes. I have never heard my dad talk about Zeke. Never heard him talk about how he was once interested in joining.

  “I… I don’t… know what to say…”

  “I am not telling you that to make you hate the MC. I am telling you so you have a better understanding. If you and that boy are friends think long and hard about what you are stepping into, Brittney. I know not all those boys are bad. But a road that long takes some thought. Don’t jump in feet first without testing the waters.”

  I nod my head and look out the window. All of my thoughts in my head are all over the place. I have wanted to be on the back of a motorcycle since I was a kid but the man on the front was never anything like Boog. The man I envisioned was sweet, gorgeous and loved me like I walked on gold. The club was a perfect family in my head. My mom walks to me and kisses my head and pats my back.

  “I love you, baby.” She walks towards the door.

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  She walks out the door and shuts it softly behind her. It’s like the final nail in the coffin that ends the dream I know will never come true. You always tend to amp things up in your dreams and mold them to how you want them to be. But in the end nothing happens the way they do in your dreams. They say if you’re going to dream then dream big. It should say dream reality.

  I put my glass in the sink and go back to my book and my lazy day, pushing my thoughts away for when I actually want to face them.

  Chapter Six

  The police station is in an uproar as soon as I walk in the door. My dad meets me at the door of my office and stops to catch his breath. He leans over and rests his hands on his knees.

  “Mallory, needs your help filing papers and answering calls.”

  “Okay, what’s going on?”

  “That damn MC.” He takes another breath and walks away talking to some of the officers I passed when I came in the door. I walk in the office and spot the desk full of papers. Mallory almost dances when she sees me walk in the door.

  “I am so happy to see you. This place has been crazy!”

  “What happened?”

  “Deal gone bad,” she says and slides papers in my direction.

  I have no idea what she is talking about but I don’t ask for any more information. I want to be mad at her. I want to tell her how upset I am but for the next three hours we are digging through papers, printing papers and having officers sign them.

  By the time lunch rolls around things finally slow down.

  “I will go grab us some lunch. I want to call Andrew anyway,” Mal informs me.

  I take the headset and slide it on and nod at her to go. I used to complain about the slow days but after a few hours of a busy one I would almost pay for a slow day over this one.

  Mallory comes back with the wonderful aroma of chili fries following her.

  She hands me mine and sits across from me, both of us moaning with each bite.

  “The guys okay?” I ask after a few seconds of silence.

  “Yeah… listen I am so sorry how things went at the cookout.”

  “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “Yeah it does. I am your best friend and I should have never put you in that position and left you.”

  “Mallory, stop okay, I said it’s fine.”

  “I just felt like I should at least tell you I was sorry or something.”

  “Its fine just don’t invite me to anything else no matter who tells you to and we will call it even.”

  “Okay, deal.”

  Mallory’s cell rings and she smiles letting me know it’s Andrew.

  “Hey, babe… What? Yeah, No she’s fine. I hear you… Okay damn… Like another hour… No we can’t… OKAY… Love you!” She slams the phone on the desk and looks to me.

  The look on her face makes me nervous.

  “Mallory, why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Uhm… would you willingly go with me somewhere when we get off?”

  “Not when you say it like that…”

  “Fuck…”

  Her cell phone rings again and she slides it off the table looking at me while she answers it.

  “Hello? No… You can’t do that, Boog.”

  As soon as the name comes out of her mouth my heart hits the floor. She holds her phone out in front of my face and I feel like a child when I shake my head at her and hold my hands up as if the phone is going to bite me or something.

  “Britt, please.”

  I jerk the phone from her hand and hold it to my ear.

  “What?”

  “I need you to go home and pack a bag and come to the clubhouse.”

  “Excuse me? You can’t be serious.”

  “Fucking hell, Britt. Please damn it. Please!”

  “For fucking what?”

  “JUST FUCKING DO IT!” he yells into the phone and the line goes dead.

  I look to Mallory and she is shaking her head tears running down her face.

  “I am so sorry.”

  “You have a matter of two seconds to tell me what the fuck is going on here before I have a nervous breakdown. You biker folks are so mother fucking confusing!”

  The door opens and my dad sticks his head in looking between the both of us.

  “Everything okay in here?”

  I look from Mallory to my dad and put the best smile I can on my face.

  “It’s fine, Dad.”

  “I heard yelling, Brittney.”

  “I’m sorry, Officer Malcolm, I was just excited,” Mallory explains.

  He looks between the both of us again and nods his head shutting the door behind him. I cut my eyes back to Mallory and shake my head going back to the paperwork in front of me.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “What damn choice do I have, Mallory? Because if
there is one, I would love for you to tell me.”

  She says nothing and looks away giving me the answer I need. There is no other choice, I could be stubborn and go home and he would just come pick me up.

  “Mallory, how did he know where I lived?”

  “He’s resourceful.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just finish out the day and get this over with.”

  She slides more papers my way and we finish work with both of us deciding that silence is the only thing either of us can handle right now.

  ***

  I pull up to the clubhouse and park my car with Mallory pulling in beside me. She offered to drive me and I refused. I want to be able to leave when I want to and not have to rely on her again. I am going to go in here, find out who the hell he thinks he is, let him know he can’t tell me what the hell to do and then I’m going to go back home to my book and my comfy chair.

  I get out of the car and slam my door. Temper and Tango are standing outside watching me as I walk towards them. I didn’t bother trying to dress to impress anyone this time around. I went home and took a shower putting my hair up and a t-shirt and shorts on. My shorts are slightly shorter than normal but I won’t admit that to anyone out here or inside that door. I walk past them both and open the door. It’s not as full here as it was the last time I was here. I step inside and look around. Marco is standing by the bar talking to one of the prospects.

  I walk towards them and tap Marco on the shoulder. He turns to me and seems to let go of a sigh as soon as he sees me.

  “Where is he?

  “Seth, go tell Boog she’s here.” He looks to me and then back to Seth. “And she is pissed.”

  So that is the famous Seth. Any other time I would have laughed at seeing him and would have told him I was the person his mother was talking to on the phone but right now I was too pissed to care. Seth nods his head and runs out the front door. I turn back to Marco and wait. He extends his hand towards the barstool in front of me.

  I sit down and he walks around the bar and passes me a beer. The front door to the clubhouse opens and Boog walks in. He appears to let go of the breath he was holding when he sees me.