by Kay Marie
“Shut the fuck up. If you were in such a hurry, you should’ve gone and got them,” I shoot back. Shade flips me off. We set up two tables about halfway between the house and the bonfire, not wanting to be too far from the house when we need more beer.
“We playing teams or singles,” I ask Shade.
“Teams. Sketch and I are first on one table,” he says.
“I’m gonna go grab some cups and beer,” Clutch says after getting his table set up. I nod in response.
“Buster, team up?” Raze walks over to me. “Saint is chasin’ ass right now.”
I laugh. He means Rivet’s ass and he’s always chasing’ after her. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go grab us some beers.”
There’s conveniently a door from the backyard that goes directly to the garage which is where we have what we’ve dubbed the beer fridge. I grab two for me and two for Raze and head back outside. As I’m walking back to the tables, Minx is sitting at a picnic table talking to a girl I’ve never seen before. She has her back to me, but I catch a glimpse of daisies tattooed on her shoulder.
“Hey, who’s Minx talking to,” I ask Raze, lifting my head in their direction.
“I’m pretty sure she’s one of the girls who works at the bakery she’s always going to.” He shrugs. “I wasn’t paying much attention.”
Something about the girl draws me to her. I want to get closer, see her face. I try to will her to turn around so I can when Lexus, one of the new cut bunnies, walks up, blocking my view. I say cut bunny, but she’s more of a tire biter. She’d rather fuck around with one of the Riders than the other brothers. She’s wearing a crop top with a deep v-neck showing off her too big fake tits, daisy dukes, and stripper heels.
I fucked around with some girls like her when I first moved to Arizona. Trying to get over the heartbreak I caused myself. After I pulled my head out of my ass and got past that little phase, I started avoiding tire biters. Instead, I’d go out to bars and pick up chicks who had no idea who I was or what I did. It didn’t matter what a chick looked like, I always saw her face instead of theirs.
“Hey, Buster,” Lexus draws out, undressing me with her eyes. “How’s it goin’?”
“Lexus, go find some other poor soul to fuck with. We’re about to play a game and Buster doesn’t need the distraction,” Raze spits out at her. I fight back a laugh. If looks could kill, Lexus would have killed Raze. He’s such a fucking asshole to anyone who isn’t Minx. Just the way it should be. He fucking worships the ground she walks on— like she deserves.
“Yeah, Lexus, I’m not interested,” I tell her. She scoffs and storms off. I turn to Raze. “These bitches don’t take no for an answer.”
“Not even when you have an ol’ lady,” he says as a group of hang-arounds walks over to us.
“Need some competition for beer pong?” one of the guys ask.
“Yup, let’s do this,” Raze replies. The cups are already set up and ready to go. We give the hang-arounds first shot.
Five games later, Raze and I finally lose to Hollywood and Tech. Those pretty boys are better than I expected they would be. Secretly, I was happy to lose. I was getting bored playing. Shade and Sketch lost three games ago and were watching, waiting for another turn. The sun is going down and it’s a perfect time to get the bonfire started.
“Yo, Raze, wanna help get this bonfire goin’? It’s gonna be pretty big. I figure we could each light it from different sides to get it going.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll light this side,” he says, motioning to the side where Minx and her friend are. Only now, Rivet and another girl are with them.
“You just want to be close to Minx,” I smirk at him.
“Hell yeah, I do. I won’t deny that shit,” he tells me. “Plus, I saw some new hang around eyeing her. Even with her property patch on, motherfuckers still try to push their luck.”
“He must have a death wish,” I laugh out. We each go to a side of the bonfire to light it. I get my side lit and walk over to the table Minx is sitting at when I see the two new girls walking away. I get a glimpse of the one I saw earlier and my heart skips a beat. I don’t know who she is, but something about her reminds me of Cali.
“Hey Minx, tell me when you want to go back to the bakery,” I say, walking over to the table she’s sitting at. “I’ll relieve Mouse and go with y’all.”
“Did you try the apple cake we brought?” Rivet asks me as I sit.
“Yeah, it was fucking delicious,” I tell her.
“She only makes it on Thursdays, but made it special for us today,” Minx explains to me.
“You don’t have to wait until Thursday to go again. We can go whenever you want,” I tell her. Raze is giving me a questioning look and I grin.
I need to find out if it’s the same girl who’s had my heart all these years. Even if she won’t talk to me, I need to know.
Chapter Six
Cali
“Wow, what a dick move.” I finished telling Minx about Ryan and how he ghosted me all those years ago. “Has he tried to reach out to you since he left?”
I pause before answering her. That’s something both Emma and Bash asked when I told them about him. “No, he hasn’t.”
She looks at me with sympathetic eyes and grabs my hand. Before she gets a chance to respond, Rivet and Emma are joining us again.
“Have any luck?” Minx asks Emma.
A huge smile breaks out across Em’s face. “There are so many hot guys!” Emma laughs out.
“She had googly eyes for Clutch.” Rivet rolls her eyes but grins.
“Which one is Clutch?” I ask them.
“He’s at the second beer pong table. The only one wearing a grey shirt under his cut,” Rivet tells me. When I turn around, I get a glimpse of a black and blue hat. My mind instantly goes to Ryan and my heart skips a beat. My phone is vibrating in my pocket. I pull it out and Wren, one of my employees, is calling.
“Hello?” I answer my phone.
“Hey, Cali. I’m sorry for calling you, but I didn’t want to call my brother and I don’t have anyone else I can call,” Wren stutters out.
“Oh, sweetie, it’s okay. What’s up?”
“I, uh, was supposed to be meeting my boyfriend and he stood me up. I don’t have enough money for another Uber. Can you come and get me?” she pleads.
“Of course. I have Emma with me, but tell me where you are and we’ll come and get you,” I say calmly. She tells me where she’s at and it isn’t far from us. I tell her we’ll be there in ten minutes and we hang up.
“What’s going on?” Emma questions. Rivet and Minx look worried.
“No time to explain, but Em, we gotta go. Minx, Riv, I’m sorry. I’ll text y’all later.” Emma and I head to the car.
“Okay, I’m starting to freak out a bit. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” she asks as we reach her car.
“Wren was stood up by her boyfriend. She didn’t want to call her brother.” I tell her where she’s at as she turns the car on. Wren is only a couple of years younger than us, but you wouldn’t guess by the way she acts. She’s quite a bit more mature than other girls her age.
We get to the restaurant and she’s standing on the sidewalk. As soon as Emma pulls up to the curb and parks, I hop out.
“Oh, Wren.” I wrap my arms around her. “Are you okay?”
“I honestly don’t know.” She has tears in her eyes.
“Come on,” I tell her, walking her to the car. “You can stay with us tonight.”
We get in the car and none of us say anything the rest of the drive. Once we’re back at our apartment, Wren seems to relax. I get her settled in my room, letting her take my bed for the night and give her some chamomile tea to help calm her mind. I make up the couch for myself. Tonight was a lot of fun but I’ve been going non-stop since four this morning. I’m out as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I wake up the next morning and check my phone. I sigh in frustration. Seven o’clock. I’m so used to waki
ng up at four, I struggle to sleep in on my late days and days off. Even when I don’t go to bed until late. I get up and go to the kitchen to make some coffee. As it’s finishing, Wren walks in.
“Good morning.” I smile at her.
“Mornin’,” she responds. She gives a small smile but there’s a sadness in her eyes.
“I’m going to head into A Novel Bunch soon. Would you like to come with?” I pour us both a cup of coffee and grab creamer out of the fridge. White chocolate mocha, my favorite for brewing coffee at home.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Mind if I borrow some clothes,” she asks.
“Of course! Leggings or jeans?”
“Leggings, please,” she laughs.
“I’ll lay some out on my bed. I’m going to take a quick shower and dress, then we can go,” I tell her. She nods and I leave the kitchen. I lay out some leggings and an A Novel Bunch t-shirt for Wren, and grab some clothes for myself. I take a quick shower and get dressed within twenty minutes. When I walk back into the kitchen, Wren is leaning on the counter, staring at her phone with a blank stare. I clear my throat, announcing my presence. She jumps a little and gives me a shy smile.
I smile back at her. “You ready to go?”
“Yup!” She puts her phone in the side pocket of her leggings. It takes around twenty minutes for us to get to A Novel Bunch. Emma opened this morning with Madison. It’s still pretty early when we arrive and not busy yet. On Saturdays and Sundays, the morning rush is mid to late morning.
“Hey! Y’all are up early,” Madison says as we walk in.
“I struggle with sleeping in.” I shrug.
“Are y’all hungry? I can get you something to eat or drink,” Madison says to both of us.
“I’ll have a ham, egg, and cheese croissant with an orange juice,” Wren tells her.
“I’ll have the same,” I respond. Madison turns to the counter behind her and prepares our breakfast sandwiches while Emma grabs our drinks. Emma is telling Madison and Wren about the bonfire.
“Y’all went to the bonfire at my brother’s?” Wren asks shocked. I look at her confused. “My brother, Shade, is a part of the Savage Riders. The four of them recently moved here from Arizona.”
That’s where I’ve heard the name before. I’m about to respond when customers walk in. I turn around and see Minx and Rivet. I grin at them. The door opens again and my face falls. My heart damn near stops.
Chapter Seven
Buster
A few of us woke up early this morning and chose to go get some breakfast. Minx suggested we go to A Novel Bunch. Most of the brothers were all still asleep, so it’s just Minx, Rivet, Shade, and I. I agreed to A Novel Bunch in hopes I might see Cali. To see if she’s my Cali. I also wasn’t expecting her to be here since she was supposedly at the bonfire last night.
I barely get through the door when I stop dead in my tracks. She was smiling until her eyes locked on mine. She pales like she’s seen a ghost. She was always beautiful, but she’s even more so now.
“Cali, are you alright,” Minx asks her.
“What are you doing here?” Cali is staring right at me, ignoring Minx. She sounds calm. If it wasn’t for her spooked look when she first saw me, I’d think me being here didn’t even phase her.
“Wait, how do you know Buster?” This comes from Rivet. I haven’t taken my eyes off Cali, afraid she might disappear from my sight. Cali is the one to break first, turning to Rivet.
“This is Buster?” Cali sounds confused.
“Oh my God. Is he . . . ” Minx starts with surprise in her voice. Cali walks around the counter and takes off through a set of doors to where I’m guessing is the kitchen.
“Brother,” Shade whispers. I’m still staring at the doors Cali disappeared through. Minx and Rivet go after Cali, leaving us with Wren, Shade’s sister, and one of the other employees. I finally turn at Shade. “It’s her, isn’t it?”
My whole crew in Arizona knew I had the one who got away. Shade was the only one I ever told the whole story to.
“Yeah, it’s her,” I tell him. We walk over to a table and Wren walks over and sits with us.
“Well, this makes things interesting.” She takes a sip of her drink and glances at her phone before setting it on the table. “So, you know Cali?”
“Something like that,” I respond.
“What are you even doing here? I thought you didn’t work today,” Shade says to Wren. Her phone vibrates and a guy’s name flashes across the screen. She looks at it and turns it off, ignoring the call.
“I felt like coming in and seeing friends. Lend an extra hand if they needed it,” she responds. Shade is glaring at her. He doesn’t believe her. Minx and Rivet walk out of the kitchen before Shade can respond to her.
“You have some explaining to do,” Minx says to me. She’s standing with her hands on her hips and a disappointed look on her face.
“I’m not talking to anyone about this until I talk to her,” I tell her. Disappointment is replaced with sympathy.
“You still love her,” she whispers, I almost don’t hear her right. Wren’s phone vibrates again, the same name as before pops up again.
“Is that your boyfriend you don’t want me to meet,” Shade asks Wren and her cheeks turn bright pink.
“Oh, leave her alone!” Minx says to Shade. I chuckle.
“Go get whatever food or drink you came here for and we’ll head out,” I tell Minx and Rivet. Minx gives me a pointed look and Rivet rolls her eyes at me before they go place their order. The other girl who went into the kitchen with Cali comes out. When she looks at me, she gives me a death glare. I don’t blame her. If Cali told her about me, then she probably told her I broke her heart.
“I better go make sure Cali is okay. I’ll see you guys later.” Wren stands, grabbing her phone.
“Wren.” Shade stops her. “If you need anything, I’m always here for you, right?”
She gives him a small smile. “Yeah, Shade. I know.”
Fuck, I was hoping I could talk to Cali while we were here. I knew before we got here if it was her, there was a possibility she wouldn’t want to talk to me. I glance around the shop and smile. She made her dream a reality. My eyes land on the books and I get an idea. I walk over to the counter.
“Do you have a pen I could borrow,” I ask the girl. She hands me one and I go back to the table and grab a napkin. I write a note and my phone number. I take the note and go over to the area with books, searching for a specific one. I find it, put the note inside, and go back to where Shade is sitting.
“What the fuck was that about?” He’s looking at me like I’m crazy.
“The start of my plan to get Cali to talk to me,” I tell him. He shakes his head at me. We both know I fucked up. I wouldn’t blame her if she never wants to talk to me, but I have to try.
“Alright, we can go now,” Minx says as they walk up to us. As we’re leaving, my phone vibrates. I pull it out and see a text.
From Bull: Church in thirty.
“We gotta go straight to the clubhouse,” I tell Shade.
“Why?” Minx pops up right beside me.
“Church.” It’s all I say, but she understands.
We pull up to the clubhouse and it looks like everyone is here with how many bikes there are. Both Clutch and Diesel’s cars are here, so I don’t have to worry about bitching at them to get here. I’m sure they were already here when Bull sent out the text. Raze is standing outside, waiting for Minx. I don’t even get the car in park before she’s pushing on the back of my seat.
“Hurry up and let me out,” she shouts impatiently, causing me to chuckle. I get out of the car and she comes flying out behind me.
“Hey Minx,” I call out, stopping her before she gets too far away. “Do me a favor?”
“What’s up?” She’s eyeing me suspiciously.
“Text Cali and tell her to look for Alaska.” Her face twists in confusion. “Please? She’ll understand what it means.”
> “Okay.” She shrugs and pulls her phone out, typing out the text as she walks over to Raze.
“Do you really think your little plan is going to get her to talk to you,” Shade asks.
“Honestly? I’m not sure, but at least I can say I tried,” I tell him. He nods his head but doesn’t say anything. We walk into the clubhouse and the main room is filled with all the brothers. There are a few cut bunnies here, but since the party was at our house last night, the others are probably at their own homes.
“Alright fuckers, Church. Now,” Bull says as he walks toward the room where we have Church. All the brothers follow suit, dropping their phones into the basket by the door. Once everyone is settled in their seats, Bull sits.
“Riders, how did the meet with Nikolay go?”
“He was pleased with his shipment. We let a couple of his guys test the guns. Nikolay said they would be in touch soon with another order,” I tell Bull. He nods his head in approval but his face is unreadable.
“We got word the Torres Cartel has been seen snooping around. We don’t know why they’re here or what they want, but everyone needs to be on alert,” Bull announces. The cartel hasn’t been an issue for us, but that could always change. They know their business is not welcome here. They’re into some shit the club doesn’t agree with and if they try to bring it here, they’ll be starting a war with us. Bull turns to Raze before continuing.
“This doesn’t need to be said, but I’m going to say it anyway. Minx needs someone with her at all times. If it can’t be any of us, for whatever reason, it will be a prospect.”
Raze nods his head in response. His face giving nothing away. The cartel could come for her as leverage. She’s not just the club princess or Raze’s ol’ lady. She’s family to everyone in this room. No one would hesitate to keep her safe.
“I don’t want anyone going anywhere alone. Make sure all the women are aware and keep an ear to the ground. I want to know why these fuckers are here,” Bull growls out. “Does anyone have anything that needs to be discussed?”
