by April Lust
Jessica felt hot, angry tears fill her eyes as soon as she put the phone down, but she hurriedly wiped at her eyes, refusing to let herself cry over a fake friendship that was never what she thought it was. Jessica had nobody in her life that she could trust. But that was fine. She would survive on her own, just like she always had. Jessica touched her lower stomach, rubbing over the skin, right over where her baby was growing. At least now Jessica had a reason to keep fighting for her life, even if she had to do it all alone.
Chapter Twenty-One
Pax
Pax was sitting on his couch, halfway through a bottle of bourbon when there was a loud, sharp knock on his door. “What!” he yelled before getting up. If it was just some random salesperson going door-to-door, he was going to be pissed. He needed to wallow in his feelings for a while. If he couldn’t be with Jessica, he had to be alone.
But a few seconds later there was another knock on the door, louder and more insistent. Pax groaned and got to his feet, putting the bourbon on the ground next to his couch before he stumbled over to the door, swinging to open to reveal his landlord, Arnold.
“The fuck do you want?” Pax spat, wavering a little on his feet as a result of the alcohol he’d pounded down his throat over the past hour.
Arnold stared at him a moment before reaching into the pocket of his coat and pulling out several sheets of paper. “I’ve got some things to show you.”
“I haven’t been late on the rent, so I’m pretty sure you’re legally obligated to leave me the fuck alone,” Pax said, barely keeping his voice above a growl. He needed to take his anger out on something or someone, and Arnold was as good a target as any.
But Arnold looked undeterred, offering forward the pile of papers for Pax to take. “Have a look,” he said, leaning against the frame of Pax’s door.
Pax dropped his eyes down to look at the papers, his heart jumping up in his throat as soon as he saw the pictures printed on the front. It was him and Jessica. Naked, in bed together. Kissing.
“What the fuck?” Pax muttered out loud, sifting through the papers to see shot after shot of the two of them making love. He remembered it vividly. It was the night Gary came by Jessica’s apartment, the night they’d moved from fucking to something else. Something more tender and soft. Something scarier than anything else Pax had done before in his life. And now there was evidence of it. “Where did you get this?” he demanded, looking back up at Arnold.
“That’s none of your concern,” Arnold said casually. “What you should be worried about is Gary. He’s seen these pictures, and let me tell you, he isn’t happy.”
Pax shoved the pictures into Arnold’s chest, pushing the smaller man out of his doorway. “Get fucking lost. You think I care about what your little boss thinks? He’s nothing.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Arnold said, shaking his head. “You might be able to take Gary in a one-on-one fight, but let’s be real here, that’s not what’s going to happen. He’s going to run all over you, use everything he’s got. I just came by here to warn you, man. And maybe give you a little friendly advice, as well.”
Pax narrowed his eyes, his blood rushing in his veins, ready for a fight.
Arnold pressed on. “Look, this isn’t your fight. You just got caught up in the crossfire. Gary loves Jessica. He’s obsessed with her, and he’s never going to back off. Believe me. And anyways, it’s not worth it for you to get involved in this mess. She’s just a common tramp.”
A common tramp? Those three words set off a fire inside Pax’s brain, obliterating all his thoughts except the need to smash Arnold into a pulp. He roared loudly and pushed his body through the doorway, launching a hard punch right at Arnold’s face. “Fucker!” he shouted as he swung again, this time landing directly on Arnold’s nose.
“Shit, man!” Arnold cried out, clutching at his bleeding face. “Wow, you can really throw a punch.”
Pax was about to sock him again, this time aiming for his stomach, but the odd lightness of Arnold’s tone stopped him. When Arnold pulled his hand away from his face, Pax saw that he was smiling, almost beaming despite the blood trickling down from his nose. “What the hell is going on here?” Pax asked.
The next second, a familiar-looking woman stepped out of the shadows of the hallway outside of Pax’s apartment. It took him a second to place her, but then he realized who she was. Macie. Jessica’s best friend.
“Hey, Pax,” Macie said with a smile, reaching down to pick up the fallen pictures that Arnold had dropped a second before. Without looking at them, she folded them in half and tore them up, four times in a row until they were in tiny pieces. “Can we come in? I need to throw this out.”
Pax was so confused that he didn’t know what to do, but he must have been standing aside with enough space anyway, as Macie and Arnold pushed past him to walk into his apartment. Macie walked over to the nearest trashcan and dumped in the remainder of the pictures, all at once. “Arnold, shut the door, okay? You never know who’s listening in.”
Arnold gently pushed Pax to the side and did as Macie instructed before going over to stand by his girlfriend. “Sorry about the pictures. But we had to be sure you cared about her.”
“What are you talking about?” Pax asked, his brain still not totally computing what was going on.
“Jessica,” Macie said. “I had to make sure that you really cared about her, so I took those pictures the night Gary showed up. Originally, I didn’t know if you were coming, so I figured I’d just take pictures of Gary to try to prove to the police that he was stalking her, but then you showed up. I had a feeling you cared about her, but I needed to be sure. And now I am.” She smiled at him, her eyes glowing with happiness.
Pax was still utterly confounded, and a little part of him wanted to resist and say that no, he didn’t care about her, not really. But the stinging sensation on his now-open, bleeding knuckles told him otherwise. “Okay, but why? Is this just an elaborate way of screening all of Jessica’s sexual partners or…?”
Arnold laughed and shook his head. “We’ve got a proposal for you, Pax. But fair warning: it’s pretty fucking dangerous, so think about it before you answer.”
“A proposal for what?” Pax asked.
Macie cleared her throat and stepped forward. “To get rid of Gary. Once and for all. You interested?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jessica
Jessica threw another pair of jeans into her suitcase, pressing them down into the case to make space for more clothes. She’d need to take two bags onto the bus, minimum, but she figured she would need to leave a lot of her possessions behind in the interest of time. Now that Macie knew she was pregnant, she needed to get out of town as soon as possible. She was just about to zip up the first bag and start on the second when somebody pounded on her door, four or five times in a row.
“Jesus,” Jessica murmured to herself, wondering what could be so urgent. But then the next second fear struck her, sending a single bead of sweat down her back as she wondered who could be pounding on her door at this hour. Was it Gary? One of Gary’s cronies? Did Macie tell them that she was knocked up? Was that her executioner at the door?
Bang. Bang. Bang. Three more knocks at the door. Jessica swallowed thickly, willing herself to be strong as she slowly tiptoed into the kitchen area, grabbing the sharpest knife she could find before walking over to the front door. “Who is it?” she asked, trying to keep her voice as still and steady as possible. Don’t show them you’re afraid. Don’t fucking give them the satisfaction, she told herself.
There was only a muffled sound on the other side of the door, so Jessica walked up to the eyehole, peeking out to see a woman standing there waiting. It was blurry, but she was pretty confident it was Macie. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief before she had second thoughts; maybe it was a trap. Maybe Gary was just using Macie to lure her out of her apartment, and then a dozen Nightwalkers would leap out at her and smash her into the ground.
“You can talk to me from out there!” Jessica said, clutching harder onto her knife. “What do you want?”
Macie sighed loudly and leaned against the door, almost obstructing Jessica’s view through the eyehole. “I have to tell you something. It’s really important, okay, and I don’t want to say it loudly where other people might here. Just let me in, sweetheart.”
Jessica’s heart only beat faster, thumping up against her chest so hard that it hurt. “How do I know you didn’t bring Gary with you?”
Macie laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous sound. Jessica could detect how hurt she was even in the noise of her fake laughter. “Oh, believe me, you have no idea how funny that is,” Macie said, but her voice was sad and soft. For the first time in weeks, maybe even months, Jessica felt like she recognized the sound of her best friend, who only wanted the best for her.
“Macie,” she called out after a pause, reaching down to wrap her hand around the doorknob. “I’m serious about this. If this is just a trap, setting me up to get grabbed by Gary, we’re done. Forever. Think about if you can live with that before you do this, okay, please?”
“Jessica,” Macie said, leaning her head against the door. “Jessica, please, trust me. Please. I promise. I would never hurt you. I’m so sorry for letting you think otherwise. Please. I love you.”
Jessica inhaled deeply and stepped back from the door, quickly undoing the locks and swinging it open, just enough for Macie to step inside. As soon as her friend was in, she slammed it shut and locked it again, looking out the hole again to see if there was anyone waiting outside.
“Jesus, you’re really scared, aren’t you?” Macie said, biting her bottom lip as she stared at Jessica.
Jessica shrugged, but she knew there was no hiding from her best friend. “What are you doing here, CiCi?” The old nickname fell out of Jessica’s mouth before she could stop it, causing a slight smile to spread across Macie’s face.
“I have to tell you something, Jess,” Macie said, walking over to the couch. “Come on, sit down. You shouldn’t be on your feet.”
“I’m not that pregnant,” Jessica pointed out, but she did as Macie suggested, sitting down next to her on the couch but keeping a safe distance between their bodies.
Macie was silent for a long moment, staring down at her own lap before looking across at Jessica, her eyes wide and full of sorrow. “Jess, I’m so sorry that you think I abandoned you. Believe me, I would never do anything to let you get hurt. Ever.”
Macie looked so earnest, so sincerely upset that Jessica almost immediately forgave her on the spot. But her anger won out, and she shook her head, refusing to accept the apology that easily. “But you did abandon me, Macie. You left me here alone with Gary, and anything could have happened. How could you leave me like that?”
“I didn’t leave you,” Macie said quickly.
“Yes, you did,” Jessica said, her face screwing up in confusion as Macie shook her head several times in quick succession.
“No,” Macie said, reaching forward to grab Jessica’s hand, holding onto it hard even when Jessica tried to pull away. “I promise you, I didn’t. I stayed right outside the whole time, hiding in the bushes, making sure that he didn’t hurt you. I waited there the whole night, just to make sure he didn’t come back after he left.”
Jessica stared across at her friend, unable to comprehend her words for a long time. When they finally sunk in, she was still baffled, even if she couldn’t bring herself to tear her hand away from Macie’s warm grasp. “Why would you do that?” she finally asked as soon as the ability to speak returned to her.
Macie sighed and pushed some of the hair away from her face. “It’s complicated.”
Jessica shrugged. “I’ve got time. Well, no, actually, I don’t, now that I think about it, but I want to know. So tell me. Please. I deserve to know.”
Macie nodded slowly and blew out her breath to prepare herself for her answer. “So, I guess you’ve noticed that I’ve been pretty distant lately, huh?” Jessica nodded. “Well, there’s a reason for that. Arnold’s been getting closer to Gary, every day. Gary’s been losing his mind, going crazy without you. I just know that he’s not going to give up. He’ll do whatever he wants to do, no matter who it hurts. Even if it hurts the MC.” Macie paused, shaking her head. “I’ve been around the Nightwalkers my whole life, and I’ll be damned if I let some egotistical little shit ruin everything that my father and his father before him built. We’re taking the club back.”
“But what does that have to do with--?” Jessica asked, turning around in her seat to face Macie head-on, but Macie cut her off to answer.
“Arnold is Gary’s number one guy now,” Macie said. “I had to make sure I obeyed him so he wouldn’t get suspicious and distance himself from Arnold at all. I made it look like I left that night so he wouldn’t wonder about my loyalty, but I’ve always been loyal to you, Jess. I never would have let him hurt you.”
Jessica didn’t know what to say. For a long moment, she just stared at Macie, trying to read her face for any sign of dishonesty. But she couldn’t detect a single note of deception anywhere in her features or in the sound of her voice. Macie’s face looked physically strained with the overwhelming desire to convince Jessica that she was telling the truth. She’s my best friend, Jessica thought as she felt Macie’s hand tighten around hers.
“Please, Jessica,” Macie said, scooting closer on the couch so that barely any space separated them now. “Please, I’m so sorry. But I did it for you. For both of us. Please. Help me destroy Gary.”
Jessica still had a million and a half questions stewing around in her brain. Macie said they were going to take the club back. But how? Most of the members were still loyal to Gary, as far as Jessica could tell, and there was no way to determine who all would be willing to betray him.
But staring across at her best friend, seeing the unbridled belief shining in her eyes, Jessica knew that ultimately the logistics didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was being there for her best friend, the same way her friend was there for her. “Okay,” she whispered, squeezing at Macie’s fingers to demonstrate that she was committed. “Okay, I’ll help. I’ll do whatever it takes. I swear.”
Macie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled widely before reaching across the couch to press Jessica into a gentle hug. “I love you, you know,” Macie whispered into her hair.
“I love you, too,” Jessica said back, and for the first time in weeks she felt safe. Like nothing could hurt her, even with the new life brewing inside her body.
When they pulled apart, however, all of Jessica’s worries returned, all at once, making her feel like she was going to pass out as she thought of what lay ahead. “Jesus Christ. I can’t believe I’m knocked-up,” she muttered, more to herself than to Macie, shaking her head at herself.
“Have you told Pax?” Macie asked, staring up at Jessica with wide, concerned eyes.
Jessica scoffed and shook her head. “No, there’s no way I could tell him. He’s not interested in me like that. It’s not his fault I couldn’t afford to be on the pill.” Jessica could tell by the skeptical look on Macie’s face that she didn’t agree with that assessment, but she pressed onward. “Anyway, it’s just pointless. He’ll only just freak out and leave town the second he finds out, anyway.”
Macie clicked her tongue from behind her teeth and shook her head slowly. “You know, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I think you’re not giving him enough credit.”
“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.
“Arnold and I went to him first. We had to, if we were going to figure out if we had a shot at actually making this shit work. And Pax’s in.”
“In on what?” Jessica asked, still feeling completely confused.
“Taking Gary out,” Macie explained. “He’s going to help us. Why do you think he’d do tha
t, just out of the goodness of his heart?” Macie chuckled and shook her head again, her smile beaming so bright that it practically lit up Jessica’s entire apartment. “Jessica, come on. Think about it. Why does Pax give a fuck about the Gorge or the Nightwalkers or any of it?”
“I don’t know,” Jessica said honestly.
Macie rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s for you! It’s all about you, Jess. He only cares because he cares about you.”
Jessica shook her head and laughed bitterly. “No, come on, there’s no way,” she said, pulling her hand out of Macie’s in protest. “He’s not like that. He probably just hates Gary because Gary is a piece of shit.”
“Yeah, right, I’m sure that’s it,” Macie said sarcastically, shaking her head furiously. “Get real here, Jessica. What we’re going to do is fucking dangerous. He wouldn’t risk his life just for kicks. He’s doing it for you. Because he l—”
