by Parker, Zoey
“Please, this is nothing for us,” Tyler said, draining one of the two pots of spaghetti.
“Besides, you were busy.” Samantha giggled.
I couldn’t play it cool any longer. “Oh, God. Please tell me we weren’t obnoxious.”
Brett shook her head, auburn hair flopping back and forth in the hairnet all the girls wore. “Oh, no. Not obnoxious. We’ve had to listen to some obnoxious sex before.” She rolled her eyes.
“Ugh, like Frankie.” Samantha shuddered, and the other two stuck out their tongues.
“Is he really that bad?”
“Oh, my God, you’d think he was calling a hockey game. Total play-by-play. I’m coming! I’m coming!” Tyler made a sound that was a cross between gagging and choking. “I always want a shower after I hear that. Or just a quick ice pick to the ear drums before he gets started. One or the other.”
“What about Chip?”
The three of them burst into hysterical giggles.
“Why? What’s he do?” I helped toss the pasta with sauce. It took elbow grease—there were four pounds in all. Enough for an army. Or a motorcycle club.
Brett shook her head in sympathy. “Poor Chip. He’s still new, ya know. He hasn’t been a member for more than, like, six months.”
“And before that, he was a prospect. That lasts a year,” Sam explained.
“So he was maybe sixteen when he first started hanging around. He was a little…shy,” Brett continued.
“The kid was a virgin.”
Tyler nodded when she saw the look of shock on my face.
“He’s so cute!” Blonde hair, blue eyes, all-American smile. “I would think the girls would be clawing each other’s eyes out to get next to him!”
“I know, right? Imagine our surprise,” Tyler said. “When the guys found out, they made it their sworn duty to get him laid.”
“Oh, come on. They couldn’t have tried very hard. I could see if he was ugly.”
“They didn’t have to try to convince the girl. It was convincing him that was the problem,” Sam said. “He was raised in a really Christian home. Joining the club was like his way of rebelling, I guess. But when it came time to have premarital sex, he couldn’t do it.”
“Not that he couldn’t get it up,” Brett explained. “He flat-out refused.”
“Poor kid. I bet they didn’t make it easy for him.” I jerked a thumb in the direction of the lounge, where most of the members were hanging out.
“It was a sin,” Tyler agreed. “I actually told Onyx and Vince to leave him alone after a while. They wouldn’t let him live it down.”
“What finally happened?”
The three of them smiled. “We had a party when he got patched in. He got good and drunk. One of the girls from outside the club—they just come to parties and stuff—pulled him into a closet.”
Brett giggled. “He was sort of a screamer that night.” We all laughed, though I felt guilty for it.
“Since then, he’s been fine. Once he saw what he was missing, he got over the Christian thing real quick.” Sam grinned, pulling out the hairnet and shaking loose her blonde curls.
“You should know.” Tyler smirked. She and Brett laughed, taking trays of food to the dining room. Only I saw the way Sam blushed. There wasn’t time to ask her about it, though, since Brett announced dinner was ready and the dining room was immediately flooded with hungry men, all elbowing each other for a place at the head of the line.
I helped the girls dish out the food, piling each plate high with spaghetti. I noticed how none of them would meet my eyes, except for Axel. He seemed to know so much about so many things, and he was happy to let you know he knew. I didn’t think he was mean, though, or scheming. I gave him an extra helping. He was a big guy, after all.
The other person to look me in the eye was Onyx. He had a funny little smirk on his face. I knew he and Vince went way back. I wondered what he thought of me. Most girls only have to worry about meeting a guy’s parents, and siblings if he has any, I thought. I have two dozen brothers and three sisters to win over. Well, the sisters were a done deal. I knew they liked me, and I liked them right back. They were a little rougher around the edges than I was, but they were sweet and kindhearted, plus a lot of fun.
The men, on the other hand, I wasn’t sure about. Onyx was intimidating, point-blank. I knew he must have positive qualities, or Vince wouldn’t be so close with him. The girls seemed to like him, too. Maybe he just didn’t like me very much. Or maybe he saw me as a threat to his friendship with Vince? A lot of guys got that way when the bromance was over. Just the same as girls got. Jealousy was weird like that.
Then there was Vince. He kept catching my eye as he made his way down the line, and I couldn’t help but grin every time we made eye contact. I was sore from all the sex, but it was that pleasant kind of soreness I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Every time I felt an ache, I remembered why I was feeling it and would smile to myself.
He was adored. It was obvious. His men looked up to him. A born leader. He had charisma, and could get anyone laughing without trying too hard. He had a way of completely listening when somebody spoke to him, like they were the only person in the room besides him. That was rare. He had the intelligence, too, though he tried to hide it. He was a young man—Frankie was obviously older, and I thought a couple of the others were as well. Yet he was the president. That counted for something, too.
And he wanted me. My heart swelled with pride at the thought. He wanted me as his woman. No, as his old lady. He would tell the world I was his. This special, charismatic, talented, infuriatingly stubborn man with a heart of gold he tried to hide from the world.
I fixed a plate and sat down with the girls. I wished I could sit with Vince, naturally, but he was already surrounded. He had a lot on his mind, and he and Onyx were deep in conversation. I wished I could be part of it. For some stubborn reason I knew he would hate, I needed to know what he was getting himself into. Already, so much of me was tied up in him. It scared me a little.
I looked away from Vince, and my eyes fell on Sam. She had just glanced over at Chip, who was pretending to casually glance over toward her at the same time. I looked down at my plate, smiling. It was sweet. Now I understood what Tyler was getting at. Sam struck me as a little older than Chip, but not by much. I hoped they would get together.
A cold chill ran through me again, just like it had in the shower. I rubbed my arms.
“You okay?” Tyler noticed me and placed a hand on my back.
“Yeah. Goosebumps, out of nowhere.” I shrugged it off with a smile. There was no way to tell her that I’d gotten a bad feeling. Whenever I thought of a future for the club, I had that same sense of foreboding. It wasn’t just me and Vince. It was anyone sitting in the dining room with me. I felt that way every time. Like there was no future.
Something was coming. I wished I knew what, so I could warn them.
Chapter Eighteen
Vince
We were just finishing up dinner when my phone rang. When I saw it was Randy calling, my heart jumped. I sent him out to get a feel for the word on the street. I hoped we could get our hands on Erica’s attacker by the end of the day.
I got up from the table and hurried out into the office before I picked up. “What’s going on?”
“Vince? I heard something,” he said.
“Tell me.”
“There are three Wolves hanging out in front of one of their safe houses, on the other side of town from our place. One of my buddies out here saw them. He went by twice to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. They were still there. He said they looked like they mean business.”
“Like they’re guarding something?”
“Or someone. They’re not just hanging out. Too tense, too aware of what’s goin’ on around them.”
I scribbled down the address Randy gave me. “Good job. I’ll let you know when we head out.”
“What’re you gonna do?”
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p; “I’m not totally sure yet,” I admitted. “I have to get in to talk with the guy they’re guarding, though. That much I know.” I hung up with him and took a minute to get my thoughts together.
Now that I knew where to find the fucker, I was practically jumping out of my skin. I wanted to go, I wanted to look him in the eye. I wanted him to tell me what he had done and why. Most of all, I wanted to know the deal Alexander made with Lance. What was it that was sweet enough for him to go against all of us?
No matter how many times I told myself not to get wrapped up in why Lance did what he did, I couldn’t help needing to know. A small part of it was personal, but mostly I wanted to be sure it never happened again. I wanted to trust my crew, and I wanted to keep them happy in the club. Dissention was what started all of this. What sort of bullshit deal was Lance offered?
Had it been offered to anybody else?
I left the office, putting a plan together in my head. Flush out the guards, get rid of them somehow. Send them on a wild goose chase. They’d probably leave one guard behind. I could take him out on my own.
I went back to the dining room. The men were still eating, oblivious to everything that was going on in my head. I tried to remember what that was like, being able to live in a sort of bubble. I took orders, I didn’t make them. I could sit and eat and mind my business while the president made plans. All I had to do was carry out his orders.
Back then, being president had seemed like the job I wanted. I still wanted it. It just wasn’t the job I was expecting.
I saw Erica laughing with Samantha and Brett. I never counted on her coming into my life either. Everything was less complicated before I met her. God, was it only a day? It felt like we’d already been through so much together, in twenty-four hours. Less than that. How was it possible?
Now, every decision I made carried a little bit of her in it. I couldn’t rush into anything because her happiness or safety would be affected if I was hurt, or if anything happened to the club. Now I remembered why I stayed away from relationships for so long, but I couldn’t have left her alone if someone put a gun to my head.
She turned to me like she heard my thoughts, and her smile damn near killed me. I remembered touching her just a little earlier, the way it felt inside her. The prim princess turned into an animal. I stirred just thinking about it.
Someone else saw me standing there, though, and when he came over to me, I had to change my course of thought fast. “So? What happened?” Onyx did his best to look casual when he spoke.
I backed up, into the lounge, and gave him a brief rundown. “I have to take a handful of them with me,” I said, jerking my thumb toward the dining room.
He sighed, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. “Do you think that maybe it’s time to come clean with them? I mean, all this secretive shit. People are starting to wonder what’s really goin’ on. If you ask them to go with you, you have to tell them why.”
“I didn’t want to do it this way,” I admitted.
“I know. It would have been easier to put it out there later. After everything blows over. But it didn’t work out that way.” He shrugged. “I know you. You’ll do what you’ve gotta do.”
I knew what that was, even though the thought of it turned my stomach.
“Get everybody together,” I muttered to Onyx. “Out here.” I took a deep breath and looked at Erica. She smiled at me, nodding her head. She was the only thing giving me strength. I didn’t know if I could do any of it without her.
I thought about what she’d said earlier when we were in bed together. How she felt responsible for everything. If it hadn’t been for her, I never would have known about the way Lance betrayed me. I wouldn’t have gotten the heads up that someone was going against me. I still didn’t know who the person was. I’d be watching the faces of everyone in the room to see how they reacted when I dropped the bomb on them.
Soon, the whole club was in front of me. They sat on bar stools, stretched out on couches and chairs. The girls stood in the back, huddled together. I noticed the way Erica took her place with them. I wondered if that was a deliberate choice, or if she just felt safer with the girls than she did sitting in the middle of the guys.
I cleared my throat. All eyes were on me, and even after all the time as head of the club, it was still unnerving. They looked to me as the person with the answers. What would they think if they knew how lost I was?
“So listen. You all know there’s a lot of shit going on right now, and there’s been some close calls the last two days. I’ve been keeping as much of it to myself as I could, not because I don’t trust you, but I just don’t wanna put anybody in danger. Besides, I didn’t know the full story. I still don’t, totally, but I plan on going out in a little while to find out what I’m missing.”
I glanced at Erica, who was nodding. I felt my spine stiffen. God, she’d make a great old lady. I wondered how the name would make her feel, or if she even wanted to be one. I knew it wasn’t anything she’d planned on but hoped her feelings for me would be enough to make her consider it.
“The one thing I never wanna do is put anybody in danger, but the fact is, we’re all sorta in danger right now.” I heard a murmur go up from the room. I had expected that. They were probably mumbling, “No shit”—it wasn’t a secret there was trouble. “I think if you’re in danger, you should at least know why.”
This was where things would get sticky, and I took my time. “I know you gossip like a bunch of women around here.” Now there was another murmur, this time laughter. “So you all have an idea how I met Erica last night. She was taking pictures for an art exhibit, which are awesome by the way and I think we should all go when she gets it up and running.” She blushed and shook her head.
“When she was doing that, she heard two men arguing and started snapping pics. She saw something she shouldn’t, and one of the two chased her down. He had her on the ground and was probably gonna attack her, one way or another.” I forced back the flash of anger at the thought and reminded myself I had to keep it together. Would I always have such a strong reaction when I thought about Erica being in danger? It was hard to think straight.
“What she saw was the man, the one who attacked her, stabbing another guy.” There were a few concerned mutters, and a few heads turned in Erica’s direction. She nodded to them, confirming the story.
“Who was it?” Joe turned from Erica back to me. “Who did she see?”
“That’s the thing,” I explained. “I got a look at the memory card this morning. I know this is gonna seem unbelievable, and…” My voice caught. I took a second to get myself back together. I had to be strong for them. I knew they would feel as hurt and betrayed as I did. “Trust me, I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s there in the pictures. The man he stabbed was Lance.”
At first, silence. More than one jaw dropped. Then, all at once, the room erupted. Voices, screaming questions. A few guys jumped to their feet.
“What the fuck are you saying?” I chose to answer that question and raised my voice over the others.
“What I’m saying is Lance didn’t die in the explosion. He was in on the double cross.”
It took a while for everyone to calm down after that. I did my best to hold them together, but it was pointless. I had just told them that one of their brothers went against them. Someone they mourned. One of the girls was crying in the back. I saw Erica comforting her.
“So is he dead now?” Axel asked.
“Yeah. He’s dead.”
“Good,” Frankie said, spitting on the floor. “Bastard. Got what he deserved.”
I looked around the room. Either I was looking at a bunch of really gifted actors, or they were all as surprised as I had been. Not one of them seemed like he was putting on an act. Nobody acted any more hurt or upset than anybody else. I had told myself before I got started that the one who was in on it would overdo it to make up for their guilt. Nobody did that. I was still at square one.
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br /> “Where do we go from here?” Chip asked. “I mean, how’s it all come together?”
“Randy called me a little while ago. The Wolves are guarding someone in one of their safe houses on the other side of town. It has to be the guy we’re looking for.”
“I wanna shake his hand,” Frankie growled. “He took care of that traitorous—“
“Now just hang on a sec,” I said, holding my hands up. Everybody was getting worked up again. “Listen, I know how you feel. That fit I took in there today? The holes in the walls? Now you know why I did that. I wanted to kill Lance all over again.” My eyes met Erica’s from across the room. “But somebody reminded me that he was only doing what he thought was right. That’s all anybody can do, what they think is right. From what Erica heard in the alley and the way it looks in the pictures, Lance knew what he did was wrong. He was standing up for himself and saying he couldn’t go through with it anymore. That’s why he died.” I let that sink in for a minute.
