by Hamel, B. B.
Clutch must have heard something in my tone. “You couldn’t have stopped this,” he said.
“Maybe. I know.”
Dow laughed. “Yeah, what would you have done, Janine? Rode out with guns blazing?”
“Maybe agreed to marry Jetter sooner,” I said. “Got these guys into the club faster.”
“Not something you could have predicted,” Slip said, surprising me. It was the most he’d talked all day.
“Plus, nobody wants to see you marry that fuck,” Dow said. “We do appreciate what you’re doing for us, though.”
Clutch was silent, but I could feel the anger rolling off him.
“Thanks, Dow,” I said. “I appreciate that.”
“Well, hell, girl, you’re practically family.”
“The club is my family,” I said, “nothing less.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Dow slammed back another drink and called for more.
Suddenly there was more commotion toward the back of the room. Some of the Rebel guys were pushing each other, speaking loudly.
Clutch stood up. “Janine, go see your dad. I’ll take care of this.” He walked off.
“He always so serious?” Dow asked.
“No, not really,” I said. “In a bad mood today, I guess.” I stood up. “Thanks for the drink.”
“Anytime.”
“See you boys later.” Dow nodded and Slip waved.
I walked off and headed toward the back. I stopped and knocked on Dad’s door. “Come in,” he called out.
I opened the door. Dad was sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar. He smiled at me.
“There you are,” he said. “How was work?”
“Fine.” I took a seat in front of him. “Things are crazy here. Clutch is out there throwing more guys out.”
“Can’t be helped,” he said. “We need to weed out the bad apples before we can start patching the new guys over.”
I nodded slowly. “About that.”
“What’s up?”
“When am I officially marrying Jetter?”
“Haven’t discussed it yet. Honestly, we have more pressing matters. The claim is good enough for now.”
“I heard about Parkey and James.”
“Shit,” Larkin said. “Real shame there. Two good boys.”
“I think we should do this sooner rather than later.”
He cocked his head. “Why are you trying to move this up? I know you don’t want this to actually happen.”
“No,” I said, “but if we can end this war before anyone else dies, that’d be ideal.”
“More guys are going to get hurt,” he said. “Just the nature of this.”
“If I can do something to help it, I will.”
He sighed. “Just be patient. Listen to Clutch. We’ll work it out.”
I clenched my jaw. I’d been waiting for that sort of answer from him.
The Demons were a male-dominated gang. Most of the time they listened and respected my word, but every once in a while they pushed me aside just because I didn’t have a fucking cock. And I knew my father was ignoring my wishes because he felt like he knew better.
Which frustrated me to all hell. I didn’t want to listen to Clutch or to anyone. I just wanted to get this the fuck over with. Instead, he was giving me some vague answers and bullshit, putting me off.
I was sure he meant well, but it wasn’t helping.
“Fine,” I said, standing. I didn’t feel like pushing too hard. “I’ll wait.”
“Just be patient. Clutch is a good man. He’ll take care of you.”
“I don’t need to be taken care of,” I said, angry.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”
I turned and left his office, sick of looking at him.
I wasn’t really mad at him, and I knew it. I was mad at the situation, at the violence and the death that was happening all around me. I couldn’t control a single bit of it, and even the small part that I could play was out of my hands. All I could do was sit around and wait and hope that this marriage thing would work and actually do something.
I saw Clutch throw another guy out the door and yell something out at him. He turned back in with a big grin on his face. Nothing made Clutch smile more than fighting, beating the fuck out of some assholes. Except for maybe sex, I realized, since that look on his face was the same look he’d had as he licked my pussy clean last night.
I blushed and bit my lip, looking away from him. I had to keep thoughts like that out of my head.
He walked over to me. “Problem solved,” he said.
“I’m sure you talked it out.”
“Nah,” he said. “This time I wasn’t so subtle.”
That made me smile. “Come on,” I said. “Get me out of here.”
“Where to?”
“Home, I guess.”
“Sure.”
I walked toward the door and could sense him right on my heels.
Clutch, my bodyguard. He’d keep me safe if I just listened to him, at least according to Larkin. But if Larkin knew exactly what Clutch was telling me to do, he’d pull Clutch out of there faster than he could breathe.
As I climbed on the back of Clutch’s bike and wrapped my arms around him, I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like if I really did everything he asked me to do.
If I really did drop to my knees, tear off his pants, and suck his cock until he came down my throat. Or if I let him fuck me rough from behind, slapping my ass hard, savoring the slap of skin against skin.
I gripped his body and felt his hard muscles through his clothes. He kicked the bike into life, the loud roar tearing through the sky, the powerful buzz of the engine moving up through my body.
I felt a thrill run through me. I needed to control myself, but being so close to him, straddling his bike, it just pushed me to the limit.
I took a deep breath as he pulled out into traffic.
18
Clutch
The wind was whipping past my face as we sped back toward Janine’s place.
The damn clubhouse had been a fucking zoo, and I was a little pissed that Dow had been stupid enough to tell Janine about Parkey and James getting lit up. The fucking idiot had no clue what Janine was putting on herself; in her mind, the whole club’s safety was somehow her responsibility.
Which was bullshit, of course. She had no more power to save anyone’s life than anyone else did. Difference was, she had this mission that she thought was important. And it was important. It could do some good things for the club, bringing in these new guys, but it wasn’t her responsibility to make that happen.
The fucking guys themselves, they were a bunch of damn thugs. Not that I minded a good thug; I was one myself really. But they couldn’t go a single day without starting some fucking shit, and each guy thought he was tougher than the next. They all wanted to take a shot at the club’s enforcer. Not that I minded. That only meant I had to beat their asses and throw them out.
Every guy I threw out was one less soldier against the Snakes. We were so damn busy fighting within ourselves that we were forgetting the real fucking enemies.
As I made a left onto Janine’s block, I spotted something a bit back: two guys on bikes, riding side by side. Not too close but not too far away, they made me give them a double take.
I rode past Janine’s place just to be careful. They were probably two fucking suburban dads out for a ride in their leathers.
But instead of pulling past me eventually like I expected, they stuck a car or two back, tailing me.
Fuck. I realized that these were two fucking bikers following us, not some regular assholes out for a ride on a nice day.
I felt Janine squeeze my side as I stopped at a light. She yelled into my ear.
“My place is back there,” she said. “What are you doing?”
“Gotta keep riding,” I said back.
“Why?”
“Tell you in a bit.” The light changed and I pulled out, drown
ing out her response.
The guys were professionals; that was for sure. I could tell by the way they kept their distance. I lost them a few times, but as soon as I rode around a bit, they would reappear a few cars back, tailing me.
They were Snakes. There was no doubt in my mind. I couldn’t see their cuts of course, but they didn’t look like Mezcals, and I couldn’t think of anyone else who would want to tail us.
Fucking hell, Larkin was right. The Snakes were making a move and making it early. I didn’t blame them, since this fucking merge with the Rebels could be a disaster for them. They probably thought that if they could kill the girl, then that would cause enough shit to make the merge fall apart.
I couldn’t just pull over, and if I went to the clubhouse, then the guys would just wait for us and came again another time. No, I had them and they didn’t realize I knew they were back there. I needed to make a move and finish this off before they caught wind of what I knew and backed off.
I took a right and headed for the highway. I got on and watched as the two guys followed, staying carefully back, never drawing too near.
I could feel the anxiety in Janine behind me, but I couldn’t stop and tell her what was happening. We hit the open road and drove, riding out fast and far.
As I went, a plan slowly started to form in my mind. It was maybe risky, but if the guys fell for it and really stuck to following me, it might work.
I headed off another ramp and got onto another highway, this one leading out into the desert. There were fewer cars here for those two bikers to hide behind, but they kept at it, maybe being a little more reckless. They were probably suspicious, since why would I be going into the desert right now, but they didn’t back off. That was fine. All I needed was for them to stay with me.
We drove out along the desert highway, deeper and deeper into the growing night. The sun dipped low over the horizon, and Janine just held on tight as I rode, wind whipping past, my machine roaring between our legs.
Death was following us, death on two bikes, two men ready to murder us both.
And it was my job to stop it, like I had so many times in the past. Me and the Grim Reaper, we were old, intimate friends. We were on a first-name basis. I saw him regularly, and he wanted me, wanted me bad.
But it wasn’t my time just yet.
As the time wore on, the sun disappeared and night fell seriously. The guys were still on my tail, but I could tell they were getting antsy. They were falling back farther and farther, maybe preparing to give up following and ride home.
But fortunately for me, I could see my destination up ahead. It was an old gas station set off the highway by a dirt road. It still worked, still sold gas, but the place looked like it hadn’t be touched since the fifties.
I slowed down and took the right, heading off the highway. My bike kicked up dirt as I revved the engine, heading down the road toward the station.
That was on purpose. I needed to buy myself precious moments to prepare.
The dust cloud grew as I went down the road, revving and spinning my tires. Janine held on tightly, clearly confused and afraid. I finally pulled the bike over next to the gas station’s main building and killed the engine.
“Clutch—” Janine started.
“Listen to me,” I said fast. “Two men are coming to kill us. Get inside that bathroom and don’t come out unless I tell you to. Got it?”
She stared at me for a second and then nodded. She got off the bike, went over to the bathroom, and went inside. I checked to make sure the door was locked and then quickly moved away.
I could see the two guys coming. They emerged from the thick dust cloud I had made and pulled up at the pumps. I got my gun out, my trusty revolver, and checked the chamber. It was full.
I tucked myself back behind the building and waited.
This was my plan, my only plan. I wanted to drive them deep out into the desert where I didn’t need to worry about cops or witnesses, except maybe the old guy who ran the station. He’d be easy enough to pay off, though. I wanted to tire the Snakes out, make them confused and wonder why I was riding out so far.
I watched as they parked their bikes next to mine, looking around. I could practically smell their fear as they pulled out their weapons and got off their bikes.
They walked over to my bike and began to rifle through my saddlebags. They must have assume I was hiding in the bathrooms or inside the main building, which was stupid.
I wasn’t hiding at all.
My heart was hammering in my chest, excitement running through me. I always felt the most alive when death was nearest.
I cocked my gun. One guy looked up.
I put a bullet through his skull.
My gun made a screaming boom, like lightning made real. The man barely grunted as he fell over, his head caved in, blood everywhere.
The other guy raised his gun, but I was already ready. I put a bullet in his chest, but he didn’t stop. He fired back, missing. I put another bullet in his chest, and another, and another, until finally he dropped, blood spreading out around him.
And just like that, it was over.
I got up from my hiding place at the corner of the building and slowly advanced on the guys. I got up close and kicked away their guns before putting my own away.
I grabbed the second man’s body and rolled him over. Sure enough, he was wearing the Snake Spit patch. I didn’t bother to check the other guy, since the less I touched him the better.
I knocked on the bathroom door, and Janine slowly opened it. “What was that?” she asked softly.
“Killed two men,” I said, “but we’re safe.”
She looked past me and saw their bodies lying in the dust next to the bike.
“Don’t look,” I said to her. “Just don’t.”
But she couldn’t help herself. She was staring, wide-eyed and shocked, at the two men, at the blood spreading out. She’d clearly never been so close to dead men before, and I didn’t blame her for having this reaction. It wasn’t an easy thing to see.
“Come on.” I took her hand and pulled her along behind me. I got her on the back of the bike and then started the engine. I rode it slowly to the front of the building and then stopped. “Wait here,” I said to her.
I quickly grabbed a wad of cash that I kept in my saddlebag and went inside the store.
The old guy who worked there was sitting behind the counter. He smiled as I came up to him.
“Help you?” he asked.
I put the wad of cash on the counter. “This is two grand,” I said. “Can you make sure any security tape disappears?”
“Seems like it was on the fritz today,” he said, nodding.
“And you never saw me.”
He just smiled and looked back at his book.
I turned and left. Good old man, understood how these things worked. I was sure he’d wait until I was gone before calling the cops and reporting what had happened. He wouldn’t snitch, because he’d definitely recognized the Demons patch on my vest.
I got back outside and took Janine by the shoulders. “You’re okay,” I said to her.
She nodded, still in shock.
“Come on. I need to gas up. Then we’ll get you home.”
She just nodded again. She looked completely numb.
I rode the bike over to the pumps and filled the gas tank. Janine kept looking over her shoulder back toward where the two bodies were lying in the darkness. I didn’t say anything to her, just put as much gas in as fast as I could. When my tank was full, I got back on and the bike roared to life.
We sped out of there, back the opposite way we had come, back down the highway.
I didn’t know what the girl was thinking, but it couldn’t be good. She’d just witnessed her first gang murder, or at least heard it. She’d been around us for a long time, but she’d never had to see what we did close up before. I couldn’t begin to guess what she was feeling.
We sped back, and suddenly I felt her p
ress herself up against me harder. She gripped me like that, holding my body hard, and I could feel her begin to shake.
Crying, probably.
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to stop and hold her, help her, but I couldn’t. I had to keep going, just in case the cops were looking for us or just happened to ride by. We couldn’t slow down.
So I let her hold me like that as I rode fast back toward her apartment.
19
Janine
They were the first corpses I had ever seen in my life.
When Clutch rode out of town and eventually got onto that desert highway, I’d had a feeling that we were running from someone. I couldn’t tell who exactly, since I didn’t want to look back, but I figured it was bad. Clutch wasn’t the type to do something rash without a reason.
When we got to the gas station and he told me to get into the bathroom, I understood what was happening, but some stupid part of me thought maybe he’d just fight the guys, beat them up, and then we’d run away.
It never occurred to me that he was about to kill them.
But of course he did. Of course he killed them, because they were there to kill us. He had no choice. I saw the weapons the men were carrying, and I saw the patch on the one man’s back. They were Snakes, and they were after me.
I was numb at first. I hadn’t actually seen them die, but I had heard the shots and seen the bodies. I was just totally numb and couldn’t think about anything but those bodies and the blood, all that blood.
We hit the road and headed back toward the city and my apartment. I couldn’t stop myself from hugging up hard against Clutch as all my fear and terror spilled out of me. I cried and cried, sobbing against his back. We couldn’t stop of course, since Clutch had just killed two guys. We had to keep running back toward the city, where we would be safe. But I needed to hold something, needed to cry, to get it out of my system.
We rode back through the night, not stopping or slowing down. Clutch was like a stone sitting ahead of me, but he was also something else.
He had killed for me.
About halfway back home, that thought hit me like thunder. Clutch had just killed for me without a second thought. He’d put himself in danger and killed two men just to keep me safe.
