“He’ll be okay,” I said, nuzzling him as I watched Kai check out his reflection in the mirror by the doorway. “Going out?”
He reached over and grabbed his car keys from the console. “Yeah. I’m going to a basketball game.”
“Who’s dragging you to that?” I asked, knowing he hated every sport but Tennis, and only because he played it.
It took him a few seconds to reply. “Trey.”
My eyes widened in shock. “What? After everything that happened between you?”
Kai had recently learned that Trey was married to a woman, who apparently had no idea that her husband was bisexual, let alone cheating. Finding out that his boyfriend had an entirely separate life had left him shattered and heartbroken. For weeks, he’d been down-in-the-dumps about it. I couldn’t believe he was taking him back.
Kai shoved his hands into his pockets and took a few seconds before answering, almost like he was afraid to tell me. Probably because he knew how I’d react. “He’s leaving his wife. He actually told her about us on Christmas.”
“Really?” I said dryly.
I disliked Trey even more now, especially because he dropped the bomb on his wife during the holidays. Not only that, I didn’t trust him or even feel comfortable around the guy. When he’d stopped over one night looking for Kai, he actually admitted that he’d had a dream about having a threesome with me and Kai. Then, if that wasn’t awkward enough, he hinted that he found me fascinating and beautiful. I’d told Kai about it, who’d laughed it off, claiming that Trey was a harmless flirt and had been only trying to warm up to me. I didn’t buy that for a minute. The guy was an over-sexed prick who didn’t deserve his wife, let alone Kai.
“Yeah, really.”
“So, Trey moved out?”
“No. He’s going to, though,” Kai replied. “I’m glad we’re talking about this because he might need a place to stay for few days until he can figure things out.”
My jaw dropped. The thought of him staying here made my stomach churn. “Here?”
“I know it’s an inconvenience, but he has no other place to go.”
“What about a motel?” I asked a little harshly, but couldn’t help it. It wasn’t my fault the guy was in the position he was in.
“He’s not working right now. But, he has a job lined up.”
Trey sold medical supplies, which is how he’d met Kai, who was a pharmacist. “What happened to his other job?”
“I don’t know. Some disagreement between him and his boss. Anyway, he just needs a temporary place to crash. Obviously, he’ll stay in my room with me. You’ll hardly ever see him. Especially, with your hours.”
I hated the idea, but Kai was my dearest friend and had been since we’d met in college. I wanted him to be happy and he’d been there for me when I’d needed him. I definitely owed him. I didn’t like Trey, but was willing to put up with him for a little while if that’s what Kai wanted.
“Fine, but just a few days. This place isn’t big enough for three people,” I replied.
The house was a two-bedroom rambler with an unfinished basement, built in the eighties. Thankfully, there were two bathrooms, one in my room and one next to the living room, which Kai had claimed. Other than that, there wasn’t a lot of privacy or room to move. This never bothered me or Kai, because we clicked so well. But, adding another to the mix, especially someone I didn’t care for, was going to suck heavily.
“You’re the best,” Kai said, giving me a hug. “I’ll let him know you’re down with it.”
More like resigned, I thought. I just hoped that the ‘few’ days wouldn’t turn into anything more permanent, otherwise… best friends or not, my ass was out of there.
“YOU LOOK GREAT,” Jessica said when she picked me up, ten minutes later. “I’ve never seen you with your hair down. It’s pretty.”
“Thanks,” I replied, touching it absently.
“I suppose I should probably warn you, my husband’s club brothers are great guys but, they can be a little abrasive.”
“Wait a second, when you say ‘club’… you mean like the Lion’s Club, right?” I asked, thinking back to our earlier conversation.
Jessica laughed. “The Lion’s Club? No, honey. Tank is the president of the Gold Vipers. I thought you knew?”
I groaned inwardly. Yes, I’d heard of the Gold Vipers. Hell, everyone in Jensen knew about the notorious biker club. They’d been in the news a few times, although it had been awhile. From what I’d gathered, there’d been a string of murders linked to the club, although there’d never been any convictions.
“No, I didn’t.”
“This isn’t going to be a problem is?” she asked, glancing over at me.
I forced a smile to my face. “No. Did you say that your step-brother is the president of the club?”
“Yes, and I know what you’re thinking, but there’s nothing to be worried about. The guys in the club are not the criminals everyone thinks they are and they’ll be very respectful toward you. Especially because you’re with me.”
“Okay,” I replied, wishing I’d paid more attention to our earlier conversation. I could have feigned other plans or said I had a headache, at the very least. But now it would just be rude to bow out. And cowardly.
“Seriously,” she said, after a few seconds of awkward silence between us. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“I believe you.”
“You know, I totally get your reaction,” she said with a little smile. “In fact, I freaked out when I learned my mother had started dating Tank’s father. I thought she’d flipped her lid but Slammer was a good guy and treated her like a queen. I really miss him.”
“Slammer?”
“That was his road name. Nickname, you know?”
“Yeah.” I noticed that she kept saying “was”. “What happened to him?”
Jessica’s smile faded. “He was murdered.”
I was shocked and yet, the news reports were coming back to me. “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry for your loss. It must have been a terrible time for your mother and everyone else in his life.”
She nodded. “Yeah. It was. My mom still misses the hell out of him.”
“I can only imagine. Did they ever find out who did it?”
“Unfortunately, no. They figured it was probably retaliation from another club,” she said softly. “Anyway, that was five years ago. Since then, they’ve made amends with some of their enemies and things have been peaceful.”
“That’s good,” I replied.
“Yeah. Anyway, you’ll like the guys. They all look like tough bad-asses, but in reality, they’re like big Teddy bears. And like I said, as long as they know you’re with me, they’ll be respectful.”
“Okay.”
Her face became serious. “Um, but just to be on the safe side, we should probably use the bathroom together and don’t look any of them in the eyes. They really don’t like that.”
My eyes grew round. “Really?”
Jessica threw her head back and laughed. “Relax. I’m only kidding.”
Relaxing, I shook my head and smiled. “That was cruel.”
“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”
Amused, I stared out the window as we headed toward the clubhouse. Although she was teasing, I’d heard about biker clubs and how many of the guys had caveman mentalities. I decided that after one or two drinks, I’d feign a headache and call a cab if needed.
Chapter 3
Graham
KNOWING IT WAS a party, I asked Jordan to swing by my apartment so that I could shower and change. Fortunately, Bonnie wasn’t there and neither were her things.
“You live alone?” he asked, when we were inside.
“I do now,” I said, the memories of the other day hitting me again like a sledge hammer. “I’m going to take a shower. Make yourself at home.”
“Okay. Take your time.”
I walked into the bedroom and the first thing I noticed was the bed. Gro
wling in the back of my throat, I ripped off the sheets and blankets and tossed everything in the corner. I still couldn’t believe the fucking bitch had the audacity to not only cheat on me, but do it in my bed. High or not, that was beyond disrespectful. Even the sofa would have been better.
Deciding that I’d buy all new linen the following day, I grabbed a change of clothing and took a shower.
I WASN’T SURE what to expect when we pulled up to the gate leading to the Gold Viper’s clubhouse. It was located in the warehouse district and in a building that looked more abandoned than anything, especially with the boarded up windows. If it hadn’t been for the parking lot full of cars and trucks, I’d have never guessed anything was going on.
“That was Zeke,” Jordan said, waving to the red-haired guy opening the gate for us. “He’s one of the new Prospects. Nice guy. You’ll meet him soon, I’m sure.”
“What’s a Prospect?”
“Someone the club is considering to patch and make a member.”
“Makes sense,” I replied as we drove forward. “Damn, there are a lot of people here.”
“Yeah. Well, this party isn’t the norm. The Old Ladies have been invited and other family members. They all want to meet you.”
“Great,” I mumbled. “No pressure there, right?”
He smiled and pulled around the building, where there were more parking spots. Shutting off the engine, he looked over at me. “You okay? You look like you’re ready to puke.”
I felt like it too. Knowing that everyone was waiting for me reminded me of grade school, when I’d been called up to the front of the room to give a speech. I hated being the center of attention.
“You’ll be fine,” Jordan said, patting me on the shoulder before getting out of the SUV.
Sighing, I got out too. We walked through the snow, up the steps, where he knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it opened and another Prospect let us in.
“This him?” the guy asked Jordan.
“Yup. Graham, this is Dover,” Jordan said to me.
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Smiling, he shook it. “You, too. Have fun tonight.”
“I will. Thanks,” I replied.
Jordan led me down the hallway and to the main part of the clubhouse, which was set up like a bar. Rock music played from a flashy jukebox in the corner, several people wearing Gold Viper vests were playing pool, and there was wall-to-wall people. It was a big turnout.
“This way,” Jordan said, walking away.
I followed him to the bar where several more Gold Vipers appeared to be standing around, shooting the shit.
The tallest of the group noticed Jordan first. A massive guy with short, cropped, dark hair and a neck the size of Texas. Built like a brick shithouse, he looked like he worked out twenty-four-seven. He held his beefy hand out to Jordan “Hey, brother. I didn’t think you were going to actually stop in.”
“I figured I’d better walk him inside. He’s under enough pressure as it is,” Jordan replied, shaking his hand.
“Yeah, I suppose.” He turned to me and grinned. “So… you must be Graham,” he said, holding out his hand. “The name is Tank. Nice to meet you.”
I shook his hand. “You, too. We met before, though. At Sal’s.”
He studied my face and nodded. “Yeah. I guess you do look familiar. I’ve met a lot of people, but I never forget a face.” Tank nodded toward the others standing quietly around the bar, listening quietly. “Let me introduce you to these meatheads. That’s Hoss, Cole, Tail, and Chopper.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you guys,” I replied.
“You, too. So, you just got out of the slammer?” Hoss asked me.
Before I could answer, Tank sighed and scolded the older man. “Jesus, he just walked in and already you’re getting personal. You know he did. Why do you think we’re having this fundraising benefit?”
“What they get you for?” Hoss asked, ignoring Tank.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Tank muttered. “Hoss. Mind your own fucking business.”
“Hey, I threw a fifty into the pot to bail him out. I think it is my business,” he snapped.
“It’s okay. Aggravated assault,” I said. “Thanks for chipping in.”
“No problem. So, he deserve it?” Hoss asked.
“And more,” I replied.
Hoss grinned. “Good for you.”
“Where’s Raptor?” Jordan asked, looking around.
“On his way with Adriana. They dropped the kids off at Frannie’s,” Tank replied.
“She must have her hand’s full. She’s watching Carissa and Drew, too,” Jordan replied.
I’d learned on the ride over that Carissa and Drew were his kids, which would make them my niece and nephew, it what he said was true. It was an odd concept to think that not only did I have two brothers, but that I was an uncle.
“Frannie’s sister is visiting, so she has help,” Tank replied, putting his hand on my shoulder. “In the meantime, I’d better introduce you to the rest of the club.”
“You sure you want to do that?” I asked, my stomach tightening.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“We don’t know for sure if I’m related to him or Raptor,” I replied. “Shouldn’t we wait for a DNA test?”
Tank snorted. “I don’t need no fucking DNA test. You look a lot like both of your brothers, especially Raptor. I should know, we grew up together and I can see him in your facial features. So, no. We’re not going to wait. Besides, this is a fundraiser. Everyone wants to see you.”
“A fundraiser?” I asked.
“Yeah. To recoup your bail. Since we used our annual charity money to get you out of the slammer, we need to raise more for the donation made to the local women’s shelter.” Tank looked over at Jordan. “I gave Jessica a check before Christmas, by the way. Took it out of the club’s slush fund. We’ll just replace it with what we bring in tonight.”
Jordan nodded. “Yeah, she dropped it off. She said they were thrilled and will be sending you something in the mail here soon.”
“I received an email already, too. Speaking of Jessica, here she comes,” Tank said, looking past me.
We all turned to see two young women walking toward us. The first one had dark, blonde hair and a smile on her face. The second one had lighter hair and large green eyes.
Hoss whistled under his breath. “Damn. Jessica’s friend reminds me of that actress in Mama Mia.”
“The play?” Jordan asked.
“No. The movie, with Meryl Streep. She looks like the daughter. Amanda something,” he replied.
Tank laughed. “Never picked you for a musical lover, Hoss.”
“It’s the only one I like. Besides Grease,” he said. “Anyway, it’s not like I watch them all the time or anything.”
“Watch what?” Jessica said as the two women stopped next to us.
“Nothing,” Hoss replied, giving Tank a warning glare. “Anyway,” he smiled at the other woman, “who’s your friend, Jessica?”
“Chloe,” she replied.
“Hi,” said Chloe shyly, smiling at all of us.
We all greeted her.
Looking at me, Jessica smiled warmly and held out her hand. “And you must be Graham. It’s so nice to meet you.”
I shook it. “You, too. Thanks.”
“I was just going to introduce him to the rest of the club,” Tank said after drinking the last gulp of his beer. He set the bottle down on the bar and wiped the corner of his mouth. “Come on, brother. Time for you to meet the family.”
I followed him through the crowd to a small stage, which I noticed also had a stripper pole. We climbed the steps and he whistled loudly, getting everyone’s attention. There had to be close to seventy people in the room.
“Tank!” hollered a few guys, holding their beers up.
He acknowledged them with a nod and a smile and then began to speak. “A couple things… first I’d like to thank
everyone for showing up tonight and supporting the fundraiser. Whether you’re a member of the club or a close personal friend, it warms me to see so many of you here tonight.”
“It could be the tequila that’s making you warm, too!” razzed Hoss, laughing at his own joke.
“Yeah, a little of that, too.” Tank smirked and scratched the side of his neck. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah… as far as I’m concerned, we’re all just one big family and it makes me proud to see us all coming together to look out for each other as well as our community. I just want to add that last week we were able to donate ten-thousand dollars to the local women’s shelter. Most of them have young children and you can imagine how crappy it feels to want to make their holidays special but can’t afford to. Anyway, with the club’s donation, they were able to put some presents under the tree and have a warm holiday meal, so thank you.”
The crowd clapped and cheered.
“Where’s the money going that’s being raised tonight?” asked an older lady with tattoos and biceps bigger than some guy’s I’d seen. She was obviously a body builder.
“It’s replenishing our slush fund. I wanted to have the fundraiser before the holidays, but we were all so busy. Hopefully next year we’ll be more organized and… maybe we can even get Hoss to dress up as Santa Claus,” Tank said, glancing toward Hoss.
“When reindeer shit candy canes,” Hoss said dryly. “Sorry, brother. But, nobody’s sitting on my lap unless she’s legal, hot, and willing to unwrap my yule log.”
Some people laughed.
“Thanks for that enticing image, Hoss. I think I really could use another shot of Tequila,” Tank replied, chuckling. He turned and put a hand on my shoulder. “Before I do, I want to introduce everyone to Graham Dodge. Thanks to you, we were able to bail him out of jail. If you haven’t already heard, he’s Raptor and Jordan’s long, lost brother.”
Everyone raised their drinks and clapped, which was a good feeling. When it quieted down, I also thanked them personally.
Christmas With The Biker_Gold Vipers Page 2
