by M. N. Forgy
“So, Boy Toy okay with you not being by his side?” She starts the car.
My brows pinch together at her tone of voice. Zane just cares about my safety, if she knew the shit we’ve been through lately she’d understand. It probably does look like he’s trying to control me from her side of things.
“Yeah, he’s totally fine with it.” I look to the dashboard so she doesn’t see anger flaring in my eyes. I am protective of Zane.
She pulls out of the parking lot, and I can’t help but notice Zane standing in the side view mirror. His arms are crossed, one hand rubbing his chin while he watches me drive away. The car rocks back and forth and we never part our gaze until out of sight.
“So, tell me about Boy Toy. Has he always been in a club?”
“Um.” I sit up in my seat, buckling myself in. I am not sure what I should say as I am limited to what information I can give. Then again, I don’t want to push her away.
“He grew up in the club if that’s what you mean. We both did,” I decide to confide in her. Trying to flip the conversation to myself rather than Zane.
“You too, huh?’ She gives me a quick glance before looking back at the road.
“Yeah, I mean for most of my childhood anyway.” I shrug. It’s fuzzy thinking back to what I remember last, but it’s always the club life.
She bites her bottom lip and nods.
“Cool.” She doesn’t really sound like she’s entertained though. Must be making small talk.
“What about you?” I ask her.
She taps her nail on the steering wheel, her jaw tightening.
“My childhood was hell and I don’t want to talk about it.” The finality in her voice makes my eyes widen. It should make me back off, but I just want to ask more questions now. Here I am trying to tell her as much as I can, and she doesn’t even want to try.
Maybe having friends outside the club is overrated.
Her phone rings and she slides it out of her purse, trying to keep an eye on the road. Her fingers dart across the screen texting someone back before she clicks send and clicks it to sleep.
Finally, we pull into a parking lot of a cute little restaurant. There is a pergola outside covered in lattice board and green foliage. The restaurant itself covered in little brown shingles and white paint. It reminds me of something out of a Disney movie. Little elves or gnomes ready to walk out any moment.
Turning the car off, we step out and I place the strap of my purse over my shoulder. The warm air refreshing after nearly being suffocated from cherries.
Waiting for Miss Louve to get out, I take the chance to look the place over. Little small lights light a walkway up to the door, and flowers and fake mushrooms make up a garden on each side.
“This is so cute,” I say. No matter how long I’ve lived here, I am always surprised by a new place. I guess that’s California for you though. There are always places closing and opening.
“Yeah, it’s okay, let’s eat outside it’s perfect out.” She hustles by me, and I follow her to the front door. Inside, the smell of butter and bread make my stomach growl. Little tables with checkered tablecloths and candles sitting around the floor space. Looking upon the roof, there are vines and leaves. It’s like stepping out of the city into a magical forest.
And all I can think about is how much I want to show Zane this place. It’s off the beaten path, roomy, and not too crowded. He might enjoy it here.
The host, a young looking man covered in tattoos, and a black suit with a green tie, greets us. He’s tall, his hair short and face pale.
Miss Louve takes the lead and tells him where we want to sit, and he grabs two menus and smiles at us.
“This way.” He bows before leading the way to the patio.
Outside on the patio, the tables are made of wood that reminds me of my old barn wood table, and little twinkly lights hanging in the tree limbs above. It’s kind of romantic.
The host pulls out my metal chair and seats me.
“Thank you,” I murmur, scooting up to the table.
“I’ll have a glass of your red wine.” Miss Louve taps the menu with her red nail. She’s obviously been here before.
“I’ll take a sweet tea.” I smile and look back at the menu for what to order.
He bows and steps away.
“So, what is your first name?” I ask. I feel weird calling her Miss Louve all the time.
“Everyone calls me Louve,” she informs. I peek above the menu with curious eyes.
“Really?” I mean, I guess it’s not that odd. I know a lot of teachers that go by their first name or nickname.
She nods and closes her menu.
“Yeah, if someone tried calling me something different, I wouldn’t answer. Louve is my name and way of life.” She shrugs, her eyes smiling.
I don’t reply as I’m not sure what that means.
Our drinks are set down, and a different man than the host pulls out a pad of paper. He looks like he could be the host’s twin though. Same outfit, and same pale face.
“Are you ready to order?” he asks, catching me staring at him.
“Sure, I would like the salmon and salad.” I hand him my menu with a kind smile.
“I’ll take the garden salad, extra dressing.” She jerks the menu back to him, not caring to smile.
She is really hard to read. She’s so cutthroat, but she does it with a smile.
The man bows again and steps away.
Sitting back, I look over the scenery as we wait for our dinner. We are the only ones outside, the sky darkening as night approaches. The grilled smell coming from the restaurant making my stomach growl.
“What’s your first name?” Louve finally asks.
“Addie,” I reply.
She sips her wine, her eyes looking over me. I can’t help but get the feeling she’s sizing me up. It makes me feel uncomfortable.
I stand, soothing down my shirt.
“I’m going to use the restroom, be right back,” I whisper.
“Of course!” She points to the double doors to the left of us. Taking her direction, I head inside. Tons of tiny tables with candles sit with couples. The lights above are set to dim, and there is light chatter amongst the guests. A female waitress passes, and I stop her.
“Where is your restroom?”
“There.” She points behind me toward a dark hallway. Of course, it’s always right next to me when I give in and ask.
“Oh, thanks!”
I step around the tables and down the gloomy hallway, finding the restrooms right away.
Pushing the door open the smell of lemon hits my nostrils. I head to the middle stall and do my business. Checking my phone from my pocket, I see if Zane or my mother has called.
Nothing.
Clicking it to sleep, I finish up and go to wash my hands. Glancing at my reflection briefly before heading back to my table.
Louve beams as I return, sitting up and twirling her wine glass.
“Find it okay?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I sit and scoot up to the table.
“How about a toast?” She raises her glass, her eyes smiling and face friendly. Maybe this is just as awkward for her, this whole making friends thing at our age.
Grabbing my sweet tea, I raise it up to hers.
“To… to never apologizing for leading the pack.” She lowers her head, her once smiling eyes turning a shade darker.
I glance at her a little confused. Pack?
“Of women! No, for women leading the way,” she continues.
So, to woman leading the way? I can get with that. I clink my glass to hers before taking a sip. The ice pressing against my lips as the sweetness quenches my thirst.
“You know, Addie, I used to be a scared fragile little thing growing up. Frightened of everything, and alone. God, do you know what it feels like to have your family?” Pain raises in her voice, grabbing my attention.
Wow, she’s opening up.
“I don’t.” I frown.
I mean, I’ve been scared. Especially when it comes to the club but I can’t tell her that.
“Of course you don’t,” she snaps, venom in her words stinging. “You have everything, and always have, right?” She tilts her head to the side, a condescending smile pulling at her red lips. Is she angry about something? Did I say something wrong?
I open my mouth to respond and my head suddenly feels light. My gag reflux making me want to puke.
Holding my hand over my mouth, I take a second to collect myself. My vision is starting to become fuzzy, my mouth dry and my stomach clenches to the point it feels like someone is playing with a voodoo doll and stabbing me over and over with a pin.
Reaching for my cup I take another sip, the cold tea rushing down my throat. It does nothing to help with my sudden sickness.
“But... I moved on. I knew things would eventually get better. At least that’s what my dad kept telling me.” She shrugs, taking a large sip of her wine, her eyes on me above the rim of the glass. Not seeming to notice my discomfort.
I grab the table, feeling woozy. “I don’t feel so good,” I rasp, my stomach churning until I gag.
“No?” She tilts her head to the side with doe eyes.
“I don’t, um…” I stand, holding onto the table for support.
“I moved on, Addie until I realized you were a part of the fucking Devil’s Dust!” Her words take a bite out of my reality, but before I react, I fall to the ground, nearly taking the entire table with me. My head hits that hard patio and everything spins violently. Like I’m on a roller coaster ride and there’s no sign of stopping.
Louve hovers above me, and I try and push her away. Even feeling sick I know she is an enemy, a club enemy and I’ve walked right into her fucking web.
“You poisoned me,” I croak, my mouth frothing and eyes burning.
“That’s the least of your fucking problems!” she snarls before slamming her heel right into my head.
Nothing but isolated darkness and the forlorn feeling of fear takes over.
15
Zane
It’s been two hours and Addie hasn’t answered her phone once. Not even a fucking text. I don’t want to be that guy who stalks his woman, but I’m beginning to worry.
Pacing the bar at the club, I take a swig of my beer. My hand rubbing the back of my neck.
“You keep that up, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Piper groans, flipping the page to a magazine. She’s always reading that Cosmo garbage.
“Addie has been gone for two hours, Piper, and hasn’t returned any of my texts or calls,” I explain. It’s not like her and it makes me think something is wrong. My gut is telling me something is wrong.
“Hmm.” She bites her cheek thinking. “Let me try and call her.”
Pulling her phone out she tries to call, but it goes straight to voicemail.
“She didn’t answer, did she?” I raise a brow. Why would Addie answer her and not me?
“What’s going on in here?” My mom looks at me and frowns. “You okay?” she asks, slowly slipping onto a stool.
“He’s worried about Addie. She’s out with a friend and hasn’t called or returned his texts,” Piper tells all my fucking business, but it’s true.
Mom gives me a concerned look, her lips pursing.
“Did she say where she was going?”
“To dinner with a friend for about an hour.” I shrug. I should have found out where they were going. I’m a fucking idiot.
“Shadow!” my mother hollers and Bobby, Shadow, and Lip come out of the chapel. My dad glaring at my mother for calling him like a pet.
“Addie is missing, hasn’t been heard from for hours,” she explains to them.
“She’s not missing, she’s just not answering her phone is all.” Piper rolls her eyes, acting as if we are all being dramatic.
“Piper,” I warn her, she’s overstepping a boundary she knows nothing of. Her and Addie might be friends, but Addie and I are much closer. She wouldn’t not text me back when I asked if she was okay. Fuck what if they got drunk and got in a car accident or something?
“What the fuck do you mean?” Bobby glares at me. It’s my responsibility to protect her. I failed.
“She went out with a work friend, and—”
He holds his hand up, cutting me off. It pisses me off.
Jerking out his cell phone he tries to call her, and of course it goes to voicemail. Why do they all assume she would answer them and not me?
“Lip, I don’t like this. Can you track her phone?” Bobby’s voice wavers as he looks at his phone.
“On it.” Lip fumbles with his lip ring and hustles to the chapel and everyone follows.
He clicks and taps on a laptop, and we all stand by waiting to see what he found.
“Hurry the fuck up,” Bobby hisses before turning to me.
“Do you know who this work friend is?”
Shit, I can’t remember the fucking name.
“Love, or louv? Fuck I can’t remember. It’s something weird.” I begin to get frustrated.
“I’m not getting a track on her phone, man,” Lip growls, continuing to tap at the keyboard. That’s not good. All of us have a GPS on our phone, if hers isn’t working that means someone that is bad news has her.
“Someone has to have her,” I state, my tone of voice grave and dripping with fear. People, names, and faces start reeling into my head, my mind trying to figure out who has taken my sunshine.
Bobby pulls at his hair.
“Fuck!” he roars.
“Oh my God,” my mom whispers, covering her mouth with her hand. It was dinner with a teacher she works with every day. I didn’t think it would be a problem, I didn’t want to hover or tell her no. I didn’t want to be a controlling asshole. But fuck, I should have stuck with my gut and followed them. I knew it.
“I’m going to find her,” I tell everyone; promise them. I have to, my life without Addie is not a life. I push my way through the brothers, determined to find her.
“Wait!” Shadow grabs me by the cut and I shove him off. I’m sweating, and for the first time in my life, I’m scared. I’m scared I just lost the one girl on this earth that gets me.
“You don’t know where the fuck you’re going. What if whoever has her is waiting for you to leave the club? Huh? We do this together!” Dad jerks me around by the nape of my neck, trying to get my attention. The color of blood washes behind my eyes, the beast inside of me frothing at the mouth to tear into someone’s flesh.
Turning on my heel, I roar, the beast inside of me back and ready to kill anyone in my fucking way. I need to find her. Don’t they understand? This is my fault, and Addie could be somewhere hurt and crying my name to save her.
That last thought makes me snap. I grab a chair and throw it against the wall, causing it to shatter into a million pieces and break some picture frames. It does nothing for what I’m feeling inside, I’m pissed and hurting. Gripping another chair, I haul it across the room. The girls scream and duck out of the way just as it crashes through a window.
“What the fuck!?” I hear my grandfather Bull cuss from down the hall. Blood rushes in my ears, my fingers straining like the veins in my neck. All I can see is red. I want to find who has my girl and I want to kill them a thousand deaths.
“Get a hold of yourself!” Bobby is suddenly in my face. I point at him, warning him to shut the fuck up. I cannot be controlled or tamed when I’m like this. Someone has my woman, and the wrath of my inner Devil is about to lay its fury amongst every soul that comes within contact.
“This is my daughter, and I need your head on straight! Not some fucking prospect!” Bobby tries to go up against me.
Coming at him, Shadow and Lip jump in front of me.
“Get off me!” I shove at them, wanting to strangle Bobby. He will never know what Addie means to me.
“Fuck you. Fuck all of you!” I turn around, rubbing the back of my neck again.
“Coming at us i
sn’t going to bring her back, son. Take a fucking breath!” my dad whispers at me, but I’m not hearing him. All I can think about is who has Addie. Is she safe? Is she hurt?
“Son, we will find her. Breathe. You can’t help her like this.” My mother’s voice coils around the anger controlling me, her palm presses against my back. It burns. Arching my back, I close my eyes and breathe through the pain radiating through my body.
* * *
“Who wants to explain to me why my chairs are in a dozen fucken pieces?” Bull strides into the chapel gaining my attention, he has nothing but jeans and boots on. His peppered colored hair matching his beard.
“We got a problem.” My mother sighs.
“Addie has been taken by someone,” Lip informs him.
“I need to get ahold of Doc, and now,” Bobby rasps, pulling his phone out and stepping into the corner of the room. Doc is going to blow a fucking gasket.
“Where is Doc?” Piper asks over Bull’s shoulder.
“Work,” Bobby clips, still trying to call her.
“Go get her.” My dad’s voice sharp and not to be questioned. Bobby looks around the room, conflicted if he should stay and help with Addie, or go make sure Doc is safe.
“What if they try and get her next?” My mom’s face goes stoic.
“I’ll find her. Go,” I promise Bobby. He looks at me with one look.
“You find her and call me!” The strain in his voice makes my nostrils flare. I will find Addie. She is my sunshine, and without her, my world is nothing but cold, violent and bleak.
Without her, there is no living.
* * *
Addie
Waking up, sand sticks to my face, my nose burns, and my eyes water from being hit in the head. The smell of wood burning and salt making my head hurt more. My vision is blurry, the sound of the ocean’s waves rushing upon the shore telling me I’m on a beach, or close to one. It’s dark, and hot outside. My body trembles and my limbs shake remembering what happened to me moments before I went out.
