by Turner, Xyla
Lancaster PD thought it was a win and so did Razor since the fake Vipers we’re now disbanded, clubhouse burned down, and the leader was in jail for gun trafficking, resisting arrest and murder. The amazing thing about this outcome was Avery didn’t even have to testify since his own degenerate crew flipped on him to lessen the charges the police had on them for the guns, aggravated assaulted and accessories to various other crimes.
Most of us spent the night at the police station giving statements and then we went to the compound. There we got to know the Phoenix women who were not only a bad ass but serious about their club business. Bear was impressed and nothing besides Dessy impressed this man.
Their leader, Justice was a black woman with shoulder length straight hair and a quiet demeanor that spoke volumes. They, like us, were trained and I suspected their VP and Sergeant of Arms were probably in special forces prior to civilian life. Cut was the name of the VP and she had a knife in her hand cutting through an apple as if that’s what regular people did on their own time.
I was glad she was on the good side.
By the time I finally hit my bed at seven the next morning. I literally fell asleep in my clothes and everything. It was a wonder I actually made it home in one piece.
The next afternoon, I’d made up my mind that I would go to Avery’s and find out why she left town. It wasn’t a well-thought-out plan, but I would get to see her. It was the best I could come up with.
It was hard to tell if she was home or not but when I heard footsteps come to the door, my heart leaped. The door opened, and I could tell her heart did the same thing too because it was clearly written on her face. However, I didn’t know if that was good, since she didn’t invite me in nor did she give me her Avery greeting.
“Shiz,” she nodded like we were neighbors and I was coming over for sugar.
I didn’t respond because the pounding in my chest seemed to be unbearable.
“You don’t have to worry about the Vipers anymore,” I found myself saying. “We neutralized them last night.”
“Oh, that’s good. You Guardians stay on top of your stuff.” She nodded and placed her body in the door so I couldn’t see inside.
“Can I come in?” I asked as my annoyance grew with being shut out by her literally.
“I’m in the middle of something,” she answered. “Can I catch up with you later?”
What the fuck?
Avery went to close the door after I said nothing but blankly stared at her. Then I heard her feet walk away.
Oh fuck this.
Pulling out my keys, I unlocked the door and saw big brown boxes stacked high in the foyer.
What the Fuck?
A growl must have escaped me because Avery not only turned around but looked genuinely scared when she saw my face.
“Explain,” I snapped. “The fuck is going on?”
She muttered something and before I realized it, I was in her space and looking down at her beautiful face. This steeled her back and she dared to defy me by not answering.
“Avery, you better start talking soon,” I said through gritted teeth.
She cleared her throat and with a tilt of her head upward, she stated, “I’m moving.”
“What?” My voice grew to a steely growl.
“I’m moving,” she repeated.
Fuck this.
My face was probably purple when I shook my head once and said, “Absolutely fucking not.”
Avery blinked once with her mouth open, then she scoffed and said, “Yeah, okay.”
“Ha,” I snapped back. “You’re not moving.”
“Oh, watch me.” She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Check your lease sweetheart. You’re not going anywhere,” I countered.
Her eyes grew, then she stomped towards the kitchen and returned with the stapled lease papers. After flipping through the five pages, I said, “Clause seventeen.”
Her mouth moved silently, then her eyes grew big as saucers as I presumed she read over the clause that spoke about her rights. Avery looked up at me and said, “You can’t do this.”
One of my eyebrows raised as a challenge right before I said, “It’s already done. You’ve signed it, my attorneys have it and therefore you will remain here.”
The woman flung the papers to the side of her and snapped, “That doesn’t just say I’m here. It says I’m yours.”
Yeah.
It did.
“Mine.” I took a step towards her. “Mine to keep, cherish, hold, love, fuck, argue, cook for, worship, make her cum. Yes, all of that shit. Mine.”
“How could you?” Avery hissed. “You didn’t even want me then. I didn’t even see that or misunderstood it. Why didn’t you explain it? Why would you do that, Shiz? I don’t understand?”
Her face was a myriad ball of confusion and unbelief. This was the third time we were here dancing around how we felt, how the other had hurt one and dealing with it. She was fucking crazy as shit, so was I. We’d needed to deal with it and get over it.
Those were the only choices.
“Avery,” I sighed. “Any man that has red blood running through his veins and in their right mind would want you and that makes me no different. You’re smart, sexy, cute and crazy as fuck. You come crashing into my life like a goddamn tornado, come and press your lips against mine, giving me a taste. Yes, I want to make you mine. Told you, once I had a taste, like an addict, I’d be lost in you.” My voice lowered, and I looked her square in the eye before I shared, “Well, you win, sweetheart. I’m lost in you. Wrapped all the way up and as I told you before, I ain’t letting go. My pops died young, my brother died young. I’m probably going to die young and as much as I don’t want to put you through that shit, I can’t see myself denying me from having you. Tried it. It hurts like a bitch, and I ain’t doing it no fucking more.”
Avery, no longer looked at me like she was confused but that she was beginning to understand. Therefore, I kept going.
“You in the arms of that man… that sent me for a spin. I can’t bury someone else I love. Well, I don’t want to. I was holding on to you so tight that I was starting to suffocate you and I needed to balance that shit out. So, I gave you some time. Gave you some space. Tried to get my shit together cause I don’t want to run you off.” I moved into her, now that her defenses were down, so I could cup her face. “Want to see your belly full of life. The one that we create. Want to buy you a house that will have you twirling in it, like you did in this one with a big yard and an art studio so you can draw whatever you want.” My voice grew low as I whispered against her lips. “Want my ring on you. My mark inked on that perfect skin. Little tiny terrors running me fucking crazy like their mama.”
My fingers wiped the tears from her eyes as I kissed her lips softly at first. It was when her hands grabbed my hair that I took the kiss further. Her moan had me wrapping my hands around her ass, then her thighs to lift her and put her against the wall. Rounding my hips, to grind into her core, I pulled back and whispered, “Can’t leave, sweetheart. I won’t let you.”
This time, it was Avery that growled and pulled me in, so she could take more.
She could have it all.
Absolutely everything, if that meant she was staying.
Chapter Thirteen
Avery West
Shiz just told me that loved me. Hell, I don’t even know if he was aware that he said it, but he said it and I heard him with my own two ears.
He was in love with me.
I was in love with him.
Truly, but I still had to go.
Pushing him off of me, I slid down to the floor, until my feet connected. Being as short as I was, with my petite but plus-sized self, this was an easy transition.
“Shiz, I have to leave,” I shared with him.
“No!” he exclaimed. “Can’t let you do that sweetheart.”
“It’s six months. Shiz. I’m not saying I wouldn’t come back, but I have to try
this. I can’t keep doing this. Wandering around thinking about what I like. This is something that I’ve worked for, I owe myself to try,” I told him.
He was leaning against the wall, contemplating his boots. The man seemed lost and I almost felt sorry for him. He up and left me high and dry without one word, but here I am trying to accommodate him.
After a while, Shiz looked up and said, “I’m going with you.”
“WHAT!” I yelled, more loudly than I thought.
“You heard me.” He nodded as if he was confirming within himself too. “Going with you.”
Avery scoffed, “You can’t go.”
“The fuck I can’t. You’re going and I’m goin’ with you. Where in New York?” I pulled out my phone.
“Shiz, come on,” she protested with a smirk, as if she didn’t believe me.
“Where, sweetness,” I asked again.
“Brooklyn.” She sobered when she realized I was not playing. “Shiz?”
My head tilted up to look at her, as I located the fifth borough. Then I texted Razor and asked if we had any affiliates in New York.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“You’re serious?” She looked at my phone.
I locked and slipped my phone back in my pocket. Then I captured her jaw with my right hand, as I gently tilted it up so I could see those beautiful eyes.
“Avery, you’re going to carry my fuckin’ kids, okay.” I gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I’m going with you. It’s for six months. This is paid out, you’re still on contract and I don’t get any money from this rental. Plus, you’ll move in with me when we get back and set up your own job situation. You get the certification or whatever else you need, and we’ll go from there. Okay?”
She simply looked at me but didn’t say a word. Her mouth was partly open, and I could see a peek of her upper two front teeth, but nothing.
“Sweetness,” I called. “This works. New York is like three to four hours away. I can still run the shop and come when I need to. Razor is letting me know about affiliations in Brooklyn, so we can have a place, connections and not feel like a fish out of water.”
My phone buzzed, causing me to pull it out and saw Razor had responded.
Razor: A group, called Defenders had just connected, seems solid, but can reach out. What’s going on?
I’d respond to him later, but glad there was a viable resource. When I looked back up at Avery, I saw she had tears brimming in her eyes.
“Sweetheart,” I called and cupped her face with my hand. “What’s wrong?”
“This is not real,” she murmured. “Can’t be.”
I laughed and kissed those shiny lips. I knew that shit would be on me but I did not care.
“It’s real,” I confirmed, as her head shook in disbelief.
Avery closed her eyes and I gave her that moment. It was a lot and it had always been, but with a father and brother gone way before they were even able to live, there was no time to waste. Time was of the essence.
When she was able to get her shit together, she walked me through the details of the program. It was solid and her visit to New York was the final interview, where she was selected. Her artwork was eclectic and would fit nicely in the New York scene. This was the confidence booster she needed and there was no way I would not be there for that.
The next day, I spoke with Razor, who congratulated me on solidifying the relationship. Bronx even chimed in and despite the shit I had given Bear, he was also giving his support.
“Moving, huh?” Bronx asked.
“Just six months. It’s nothing,” I told him, as I sipped on a beer at the compound’s bar.
“Guess not, when you’re wrapped up like that.” Bear chuckled.
“You would know, big man,” I threw back at him.
“Fuck, yeah. Dessy’s driving me crazy about this wedding though,” he added with a roll of his eyes.
“Y’all got that planner, right?” Bronx told him.
“Yeah, so now it’s Dessy and the planner getting on my fuckin nerves,” he clarified.
We all burst out in laughter at the man’s dilemma. All of them had already been through that particular drama, except me. However, instead of offering support, we were giving him shit. That’s what brothers were for. We’d help them move.
Now, we would do that.
Avery had made her rounds telling the women about moving and that I was going with her. Then somehow my shop knew because it was a damn small town and everyone talked to everyone. Therefore, when I went inside, the first thing that I hear is, “So you out?”
It was Zero, as he was prepping a nipple to be pierced.
“Not out, like that. Just going away for a couple of months. How’d you hear?” I asked.
“Somebody told somebody,” he grunted and shot the gun through the areola.
The woman screamed, and he quickly put the straight barbell on it to secure it, then gauze to clean the blood, and a variety of sea salt-based piercing aftercare products.
“It’s serious, huh?” He kept talking.
When I didn’t answer, he looked up at me and then I spoke, “Yeah, gonna marry that one.”
“Nice,” Zero nodded. “Happy for you man. Let me know what you need.”
“Will do. Appreciate the support,” I shared before I went behind my station.
The news traveled through the shop as my people came in. They heard, wanted to confirm, and in essence, wanted to know what that meant for the shop. Once they all realized life would go on the same just without me in the shop as often as I had been, they were good.
My realtor called me to share that there was a property over near Razor’s that was half built, and the owners couldn’t finish, so it’s available. I hopped in a truck and made my way over there and stopped dead. It wasn’t much but it would be. This would be the one to make Avery twirl. She would fucking love it. There was an attachment to it that could be her studio and shit, I could have my own. It was three stories on a huge chunk of land. The man cave could even be theater style. I saw the vision, plain and clear.
After taking Avery out for dinner, where she shared that everyone had already known she was moving. Even her parents called and congratulated her, then yelled at her for not telling them first.
It was apparent that she was excited about the opportunity, which solidified that I’d made the right choice to join her.
Razor hooked me up with Baxter Church, the lead for the Defenders. They were a security company that specialized in search and rescue, surveillance, bounty hunting and other things. Razor had said something about one of New York’s finest joined the group after some corrupt shit went down within the department. They were highly skilled and good at what they did. Sort of like the Guardians, without the motorcycles.
There were a couple of places that Baxter said he had under his watch, he’d send me the logistics and we could set up a meet. When I told Avery about the housing, she nearly jumped out of her seat.
“O-M-G!” she exclaimed. “Are you serious. Wow! I should have known you Guardians don’t play around.”
“Very serious. Need to be safe and the communities have excellent schools.”
* * *
“I still can’t believe this,” she exclaimed. “Like, it’s done.”
This was after I put down the deposit on a Brooklyn brownstone that Baxter hooked us up with. The money was for gratitude, since he was not an official member of the Guardians. It did feel like the man and his group, were nomads of a sort in connection with the club. Apparently, we’d helped them out in a situation. A recent one, which put the two organizations together, along with some cops in the New York area.
We were eating wings at a local joint and Avery was licking her lips and fingers from the tangy sauce.
“Good?” I mused as my cock grew hard, watching her sucking on the pads of her sauce-covered tips.
She smiled at me.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “This is the best. I need to come d
own for a trip to come here.”
The woman had a point, the wings were good. However, I wanted some New York pizza or at least a cheesecake from that place located close to Manhattan.
The next week, as I was walking to the compound, I saw Apollo and Snoop come from across the way, with a grease-covered towel thrown around their necks.
“Sup,” Apollo greeted me. “Got something for you.”
“I ain’t order nothing.” I told him but stopped walking to see what he was talking about. “You sure?”
“Yup,” he nodded towards Snoop, then turned back around towards the garage and not the compound. “It’s over here.”
I followed the man, thinking about what he could have been talking about. The last thing I ordered was almost two years ago when I needed something for my truck.
We turned the corner and to my surprise, I saw a silver and black vintage bike that looked seriously familiar.
Holy fuck.
“Yo…” I started but couldn’t finish. “What the fuck is this?”
“For you, brother,” Apollo said with a nod.
“Razor? Bronx? You?” I asked as thoughts ran through my mind.
He merely shook his head in the negative and nodded towards the bike.
“Check it out,” Snoop said as he wiped his hands with the filthy towel.
I warily walked over to the bike, as I took it in. The small indentions that dad had put into the machine, were still visible. The bumper was the same, tires looked brand new and the muffler was shining with the sun that broke through the cracks in the blinds of the garage. It was my baby but on another level.
“Who?” I asked as pride filled my chest.
Apollo simply looked at me and smirked in that knowing way which told me he would not spill the beans, but also told me exactly who it was.
My woman.
Turning on my heel, yelling to them that I would be back, I rode right back to her place and banged on the door. She rushed to the door with her eyebrows up and yellow gloves on with ratty jeans and a t-shirt with the word artsy etched on it with a script font.
