by M. N. Forgy
“Yeah?”
“Well, he has people in his pockets, and they tried to kill me. I’ve been living in my car.” I’m crying now.
“Fuck, Lindsay, why didn’t you come to me?”
“‘Cause I didn’t want to lead them to you.”
“Nobody has been here. Are you sure you’re not overreacting?”
I growl into the phone. “I’m sure.”
“Wait-how do you have a cell phone?”
“This guy, he picked me up on the side of the road. He’s really nice—too nice, maybe. He asked me to stay with him, so I’m laying low here.”
“Too nice, huh. You know when they say that, that means something is wrong.”
“Yeah, he is really persistent.” I laugh. “Don’t worry, he has a flaw: he really doesn’t like kids.” My head falls with the thought.
“Um, that’s a problem, right?” His tone comes out low.
“Not really. I mean, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’ve lost Piper, and I can’t do anything about it. If I do, I’ll be killed.” Saying those words, my heart literally feels like it’s being torn in two. I hate myself for not being able to do more with my current situation; being backed into a corner without a safe move forward is a feeling of helplessness I can’t overcome.
The phone goes silent.
“You’re probably right, Lindsay. I know you love your daughter, and I’m not saying give up on her. I love her, too. But if you really think someone is after you, you should let this shit blow over before you try to get her back.”
I nod because I know he’s right. It’s just hard to accept.
“We should meet up,” he suggests.
“You think it’s safe?” My eyebrows rise.
“What part of town are you staying in?”
“I’m near the docks, I know that. I can hear and smell the ocean.”
“Yeah, I think you’re far enough away that nobody would recognize you, and that’s if anyone is even after you,” Tyler ensures. “I think maybe they were sent to spook you more than anything, make you keep quiet about the judge and all.”
“Well, it worked. I’m scared to death,” I mutter.
“You want me to come get you? You can stay with me, ya know.”
I look down at my hands and sigh. “I know,” I whisper.
“You’re not going to, are you?”
I don’t reply. I don’t know what this is between Lip and me, but I want to find out. Not only that but if Tyler’s wrong and the judge is after me, he’ll find me quickly if I’m around that area.
“This guy you’re with, be careful, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Love you, shithead.” He laughs, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Love you, turd licker.”
LIP
We ride out of town for the potential suppliers. I have no clue where we’re going, but I don’t care. My palms are sweating and my heart is beating like a fucking beast. This is my test, to show Bull and the club if I’m worthy to be a Devil. Loyalty and respect are something that swims in my DNA, and I need my pack that shares the same dominance. I need that brotherhood, that family that would do anything for one another. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have it growing up, fuck if I know. All I know is being patched into the Devil’s Dust, being called a brother… that’s all I want in life right now, and if I fuck this up, I won’t have it.
We pull up to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. No grass, no houses, not shit. Just desert and some aluminum-sided warehouse. I blow out a ragged breath, trying to compose myself. Maybe I should ask Bull for a cigarette, calm my fucking nerves before I have a heart attack.
I pull in behind Locks and park my bike.
A middle-aged guy in a sleeveless flannel shirt walks out of the door to the shitty warehouse, a couple of armed men standing behind him.
I swipe my sunglasses from my face, searching the area for anything suspicious.
“Devil’s fucking Dust,” the guy chimes.
“Bart,” Bull greets, his tone anything but welcoming.
“You looking for good weed, we got it.” The guy holds his hands out wide, as if this trashy warehouse is gold or some shit.
“Yeah, let me be the judge of that,” Bull sneers.
Bart loses his smile and opens the door to the warehouse. Walking in, there are tables lined with Ziploc bags and scales. Along the back of the warehouse are crates and lights hanging from the ceiling. There aren’t any marijuana plants in sight, though, so this isn’t the main warehouse where he grows. This is just where he packages.
“This is my top shit.” Bart points at some dime bags on a nearby table.
I walk over to the supply and open a bag. The smell isn’t strong. I glance inside the bag and notice more seed than bud. My father taught me all I needed to know about marijuana, coke, the quickest way to kill a man—the list goes on.
“It’s ditch weed,” I state, shuffling the bag around. Bull lifts an eye at Bart and grabs the bag from me.
“Excuse me?” Bart quips, his tone coming off as if I’ve insulted him.
“It’s not top-notch. I can grow better weed out of a pot in my kitchen window.” I raise a brow at Bart, waiting for him to fucking lie to my face.
Bull inspects the green and hands it to Locks as I walk over to the table behind this one and find more bags. I open one and the smell of earthy tones nearly knocks me off my feet. It’s good. Really fucking good. This is no ditch weed.
“Yeah, it’s shit,” Locks agrees.
“So, that’s your best shit, huh?” I toss the bag of good weed to Bull. He scrunches his face in question as he catches it. “Open that one,” I encourage.
Bull opens it and instantly pins Bart with a death glare. “You trying to hustle me bad weed?”
“I mean, you gotta work up, you know?” Bart chuckles and I grit my teeth. I’ve had enough of his fucking lies and hustling, as I know Bull has, too. If I want to prove myself, now is the time to do it.
I pull my gun from my waistband and put it to the back of Bart’s head.
“Do you know who you’re fucking with? We don’t work up to nothing,” I seethe. Our club is the biggest in LA, we have a reputation, and we’ve worked hard for over the years. “Your disrespect for my club is going to put you in the ground,” I promise.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Bart holds his hands up in surrender.
“My boy is right, Bart. Do you know who you’re fucking with? Lying to my face is not something I take lightly,” Bull explains.
“Okay, okay, how about we give you a couple blocks of Betsy, and for a third of the cost?”
I look at Bull, waiting for his direction.
“This Betsy?” Bull points at the good bag of weed.
“Ye-yeah, yeah,” Bart stammers.
“Okay, deal. But you try and give me anything less, I’ll have Lip here shoot you in the fucking foot,” Bull threatens.
Bart nods, rolling his lips on top of each other out of fear. For a drug dealer, he sure is a pussy.
“Grow some balls, man,” I insult, taking the barrel of my gun away from his head.
Bull laughs and pats me on the back. I smirk; it feels good to be in his good graces. As a kid, some local thugs cornered my father once. I grabbed his gun from his motorcycle and took aim, threatening the punks. They ran away in seconds. My dad was not impressed, said I should have pulled the trigger. I never made his fucking ass happy.
“Get my shit together, Bart.” Bull points at Bart as we head out of the warehouse.
“You did good, son. You’re on that run for sure.”
I smile and climb on my bike. This right here, this is the life I long for. Guns, drugs, and violence, but most of all respect. I do what I love and I get respect in the end. This is the only life I know. I’m a sinner. A Devil at heart. I’d make my father smile and my mother pray if they saw me today.
***
“So, this is the newest model?” Bull points at the black SUV. He
doesn’t seem impressed, though. After the deal, the boys went back to the club while Bull and I headed over to the local dealership to find the club an SUV.
I glance inside the vehicle and shrug. I’m not fond of the model, either.
“Too much money for standard shit,” I add.
“Think I agree,” Bull growls.
I stand up straight, done with looking at the SUV, and spot a cherry red VW beetle across the way. The color of it makes me think of Cherry. I stride over toward it and peer in. It’s plain, nothing special, but it’s girly. I don’t know why the fuck I’m looking at this, why I’m thinking about Cherry, but even with all the events of the day, I can’t shake her from the back of my head.
I bet she’s never had anything this nice before. A piece of me wants to be the one to give her something nice. It wouldn’t be much, though—it looks used.
“Um… Lip.” Bull’s ugly mug looks at me from the driver’s side window. I stand up and he rests his arms on the roof of the car.
“I’m not sure it’s your color, brother.” He smirks. I roll my eyes and walk away.
“You getting that SUV or not?”
“Not,” Bull clips, walking toward his bike.
I went back and bought that fucking car for Cherry. I cursed myself the whole time, walked away at least twice, and tore the contract up in pure panic once. But in the end, Bobby drove it back to my place. Then I gave him shit for the car looking good on him.
CHERRY
“Cherry, come here!” Lip yells from the front door, his voice anxious and alarming. My brows furrow and I hurry out the front door, finding Lip standing next to a bright red beetle. Holy shit!
“What the fuck is that?” I point at the car. I don’t know what the hell that is, or better yet, why the hell it’s sitting in the driveway, but it better not be for me.
“It’s yours.” He smiles, and my stomach falls.
“Mine?” I point at myself.
“Yeah. Come check it out.” He beams like a little boy. I bite my bottom lip and tiptoe down the hot cement steps. He opens the passenger door and gestures for me to check it out, so I cross my arms and lower my head to look in. It’s beautiful, and it even has a hint of that new car smell. The windows are automatic, and I bet the air conditioner even works. It must have cost a lot.
I stand up straight and shake my head.
“No, I can’t.” I can’t accept this. I don’t need this.
“Too late. It’s bought. It’s yours.” He dangles the keys in front of me. Emotion rises, causing a painful ache to fill my chest. I’ve never had anything this nice before; I’ve never had anyone as nice as Lip in my life before. I don’t deserve it.
“I have a car,” I defend.
“That is not a car; it’s a fucking sled. Actually, I think I’ve seen sleds in better shape,” he insults. I roll my eyes and place my hands on my hips.
“Why?” I shrug and throw up my hands, tears filling my eyes. I don’t understand why this guy I barely know would do this for me.
His face softens, and he steps around the door. He cups my chin and grabs my hip, bringing me close.
“Cherry. I thought you’d like it.” His voice is low and rough, and my body spikes with arousal.
“I mean I do, but I don’t understand why you would get it for me. You don’t know me; I could be the worst person in the world.” I can’t help but chuckle. I’m saying this to a member of the Devil’s Dust.
“I bought it ‘cause I wanted to. I don’t need a damn reason to buy you something.” He pauses and blows out a tired breath.
“Yeah, but it had to cost a fortune.” God, she’s beautiful, though.
Lip shrugs. “It was money from my father’s will, and it’s good to know his fucking life was good for something,” he scoffs. I shake my head and look down at my feet. I’m not sure what to even say to that. Lip obviously hates his father, so I guess we have something in common. “When I saw the bright red, it made me think of you.” My eyes flick from the car to him. He thinks of me? I’m not crazy. I’m not the only one sitting around thinking about the other.
“You think of me?” I blurt before thinking.
He smirks something adorable and rests his hands on top of the car door.
“I mean…” He pauses, looking at me with heavy eyes. “Yes, I think of you, and I can’t wrap my damn head around why.”
My eyes widen and my mouth parts.
“I love the way your lips part like that.” He steps up to me and feathers his index and middle fingers across my mouth. “You do it a lot, like you always have something to say. The way your upper lip perks, and your bottom lip drops in that sexy way, it does something to me,” he whispers, his head slowly dipping toward mine. I close my eyes, and my breath hitches in my throat.
His lips peck at mine, simple and sweet, my lips still parted. He kisses me again, this time more demanding and feverous. A fire sparks inside of my chest, my body an inferno of lust. I may dissolve into ash if I don’t feel the touch of him against me instantly. He smothers my insecurities, douses the walls I’ve built to protect myself. He makes me feel like it’s okay to open up and feel, to depend on another. I wrap my arms around his neck and hook a leg around him. He bites at my bottom lip and trails his lips across my jaw, his scruff burning my delicate skin. My breathing becomes labored, and my panties dampen. He nudges us toward the car then turns and sits down on the passenger seat, pulling me on top of his lap.
“All I’ve thought about today is my dick being inside of you,” he whispers, pushing my top up over my head. My breathing quickens, and my eyes search his hungry ones. My tits pop out of my bra, the nipples hardening as he runs his calloused palms along them. I loll my head back and sigh from his sinister touch.
“Damn, you’re perfect,” he whispers. Leaning forward, he sucks one of my beaded nipples into his mouth, the warmth shooting pleasurable sensations down to my toes. My fingers fumble to undo his pants; I need him to fill me, to bring me to the brink of oblivion. He shuffles them down to his knees, and just as eagerly, I pull my shorts and panties down to my ankles. I press each knee on either side of his hips and slowly lower myself onto his pierced length. The seatbelt buckle digs into my leg as his cock buries itself to the hilt. The heat of the summer makes sweat trickle down my back, and Lip’s shirt dampens from the sweat beading on his hard chest.
My head falls back and a sigh spills from my mouth as he fills me. A feral grunt leaves him as he drives into me with his hard cock.
“Fuck yes,” Lip hisses, his fingers digging into my hips to bring me up and down on top of his hardness. He leans forward and nips at the soft tissue of my breast, and my pussy clamps down on him in response. A low moan vibrates through my chest as he thrusts into me. I rock my hips and impale my nails into his shoulders. Knowing anyone could walk by and catch us makes sensations throughout my body awaken. I push myself up and down faster, wanting that feeling of bliss to overcome me. Lip runs his hands up my back and buries his face between my breasts. I hold onto his head, the hair soft and entwined between my fingers, his hips meeting each of my thrusts.
I feel at peace right now. Being so close to Lip, him inside of me, I feel like nothing in the world matters right now. Pressure builds in my core, and intense tingles rocket through my limbs.
“Lip,” I mutter, swirling my hips, his piercing hitting me just right.
“Cher-ry,” he draws my name out, filling me as he falls over the edge with me.
I fall against his sweaty chest, my head rising and falling with each of his heavy breaths.
“Does this mean you’ll take the car?” Lip pants. I smile and push myself up.
“I’m paying you back for this,” I insist.
Lip shakes his head and runs his hands through his sweaty hair.
“Fine, you can pay me back.” He grabs my hips and rocks me, a sultry smirk across his face.
Movement catches my eyes from the back window of the car.
“Shit!
” I whisper, ducking into Lip’s neck.
“What is it?” Lip whispers back. The loud exhaust of a motorcycle sounds, and Lip’s eyes go wide.
“That.” I tilt my head toward the sound. Lip holds me in place and looks out the car door.
“Shit, it’s Bobby,” Lip grumbles. I pull myself off Lip’s length and frantically start looking for my top.
“Here.” Lip hands me my shirt. I snatch it from him and put it on, using the other hand to pull my shorts and panties up.
Lip picks me up at the waist and moves me aside as he climbs out. I glance around the side of the car and find Bobby is sitting against his bike, his arms crossed and a knowing smirk fitting his face.
“Sup, Bobby?” Lip levels him with a death stare.
Bobby juts out his chin, eyeing me. “You ain’t busy, are you?” Bobby smiles a Cheshire grin.
Lip looks at me then back at Bobby. “Not anymore.”
Bobby steps forward, his hand out stretched.
“I don’t think I’ve met you yet. I’m Bobby,” he introduces.
I muster a smile and shake his hand. “I’m-”
“Her name is Cherry,” Lip interrupts me. I furrow my brows, not sure why he keeps telling everyone that.
“Cherry, got it.” Bobby nods.
Silence fills the air. Awkward, uncomfortable silence.
“I, um, I’m going to just wait inside,” I mutter.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Lip states, then turns to Bobby. “Dude, what the fuck?” he gripes.
“Forgot your paperwork and shit, brother.” Bobby chuckles.
I open the front door, and close it…most of the way.
“She’s fucking hot!” Bobby shakes his head, his brows raised.
Lip crosses his arms, and a smug look crosses his face.
“She is. Makes me wonder why she’s even fucking the likes of me.” My heart saddens with that statement; why would he say that?
“Looked to me like she had no problem with it.” Bobby smirks, and my cheeks turn red.
Lip punches Bobby in the arm, and Bobby scowls.
“I won’t cock-block ya any longer, brother, just wanted you to get this.” Bobby hands him some rolled-up paperwork.
