by Zara Teleg
“You may think it’s okay to walk all over other people and try to steal their man, but you do not mess with my friends,” Maggie shouted in Tara’s face as she shook out the hand that punched her.
Our mouths were still open as Maggie pushed Tara, who held her nose with a line of blood trickling from it.
“We are all tired of your antics, Tara, so you and your cronies better stay away.”
“You’re going to be sorry,” Tara threatened as she spun on her heel, taking off.
The group then started yelling and applauding Maggie. All but Lex.
“I always knew you were an asshole, but doing this to Sissy? That’s fucked up, man.” I dropped one arm around Sissy and the other around Maggie, leading them back to the carnival before yelling, “Lex, you better find your own way back to the club.”
Magnolia
“Way to go, slugger,” Viper teased. I just offered him a remorseful glance. “Come on, Maggie, that girl had it coming. Don’t give me that face.”
“Leave her alone, Viper.” Vincent yanked me closer to him in the truck, and I rested my head on his shoulder. Mongo and Shannon were on the truck bed listening to Sissy’s tirade about what a jerk and loser Lex was and how she should have never been with him in the first place. She was right. I knew it the moment I met the arrogant and creepy guy. I hated the way he looked at me.
Vincent dropped off Shannon and me at the campground; the others were still going to the club.
“Speed it up, loverboy,” Viper yelled again, sucking on his cigarette.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your cabin?” One of Vincent’s hands held mine; the other was entangled in my hair.
“I’m sure.” My voice was nearly a whisper.
Vincent pressed his forehead against mine, our noses touching, his hand wound in tighter in my hair.
“I was really proud of you tonight, standing up for Sissy like you did. You were so fierce. You always surprise me, Maggie Grace.” His hand let go of my hair and cupped the side of my face. “I am so glad you are my girl. I’m going to make your birthday weekend full of surprises.”
That made me smile. “I can’t wait.” My eyes shifted from him to the ground. “You better get them home.”
After Vincent kissed me once more, Shannon groaned in disgust and waited with her back turned. “Let’s go, Maggie.”
We waved goodbye, and I thought I would be heading to bed after all the excitement for the night. Instead, when we got to our cabin, Catherine and Paul were waiting. My stomach fluttered. They knew. I could feel warmth spread over my cheeks; embarrassment had surely turned them red.
Catherine stood, marching toward us. “Magnolia, can you come with us, please?”
I became nauseous as we walked to their cabin. We shuffled in there together, and Paul went to check on Ana, who was already asleep in her bunk. Catherine crossed her arms.
“You want to explain why Tara came crying to us that you and your gang of thugs attacked her? And you, of all people, punched her when she was alone and defenseless?”
I opened my mouth, but no good excuse could be found. Guilt began in my toes and spread through my body as I thought about my actions. How many people would be disappointed in me? I didn’t turn the other cheek.
“Well, Magnolia?” Catherine added a tap to her foot. “Maggie, I know she hasn’t made this summer easy on you. I understand your frustration with her, but that gives you no right to place a hand on her. That’s not you.”
I hung my head in shame. Catherine’s arm went around my shoulder.
“Why would you hit her?” Paul asked.
“Well, if you really want to know. Besides the fact that Tara’s tormented me through high school and now this whole summer, she hurt my friend, and I just lost it. I couldn’t take her mouth another minute, and I wanted to defend my friend.” I let out a long breath. “I know I was wrong, and I’m sorry I lost it, but I won’t apologize. She deserves way more than that for what she has done to me over the years.
“Maggie, we’re worried about you.” Catherine moved in front of me to look me straight in the eyes.
“You’ve changed since you arrived here. Well, really, since you started hanging around those boys. I am afraid they are just not a good influence on you.” She pulled us both down to sit on the little sofa.
“Maggie, hunny, you’re eighteen. If she pressed assault charges, you could lose your scholarship. Is she worth it?” Her big green eyes pleaded with mine. “Is she worth losing your future?”
Paul cut in. “Maggie, you have less than two weeks here. Then you’ll go to school and start a beautiful future, healing children, becoming a doctor, making your dream come true. Don’t let anyone get in the way of what you have worked so hard for. Alcide has done nothing but brag about how you’re like a sponge, sopping all the knowledge and putting it into practice. You have a bright future, unlike those kids. I’m sorry, I’m not judging them, but it is obvious. I’ve heard about their family’s club. They are outlaws. Their future could end behind bars if they’re lucky or in a casket if they’re not.”
I stomped my foot. “You know nothing about their family. At least they genuinely care about each other. Heck, they have treated me more like a member of their family than my own. My mother only cares about appearances and is ready to marry me off to some hotshot politician’s son. My father does not care about my happiness. He thinks my going to med school is a waste of time. So don’t tell me that just because you disagree with how they live, they’re bad people. They would do anything to protect one another.”
“Maggie, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you so much. Paul and I have begun to think of you as family. We’re so proud of you. We say all the time what a great influence you are on Ana, and we hope she grows up to be as kind and smart and giving as you. The last thing we want to do is hurt you.”
Her words stung. I felt the same way about the two of them and Anabelle. And here I was, yelling at them for caring, for not wanting me to put my future at risk. I guessed if I looked at things from their perspective, I could see why they thought Vincent and Viper were a bad influence.
“I’m so sorry.” My lip quivered, and my eyes began to sting. “You’re right. And I feel the same way about you.” I threw my arms over Catherine’s neck and cried into her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have. Tara just pushed me too far.” I sniffed.
Catherine rubbed my back. “It’s okay, Maggie. We just want to make sure you stay the good person you are.”
“I will apologize tomorrow. I promise.”
“That would be very big of you.” Catherine smiled. “Now, why don’t you go back to your cabin and get some sleep? I am sure Shannon is waiting to hear how this all turned out.”
Shannon wouldn’t stop until I answered all her questions. I couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. Although sleep didn’t come. My anxiety had me restless. My body trembled as I held myself praying and trying to think positive thoughts. The night brought on the guilt of everything I had done the past few weeks, followed by the fear of never feeling this way about someone again.
What if Vincent is my one true love? We are different, but that does not mean we can’t make it. I twisted and turned, not getting a wink of sleep. I spent the next day hibernating in my cabin. I wasn’t eager to make my apology.
Vincent was supposed to be at camp in the morning, but something must have come up. He never made it back until Sunday evening. I heard voices and ran to the little window, moving the curtain to see Vincent and Viper entering their cabin.
I couldn’t understand why Vincent didn’t stop in to see me. He said he would. My anxious nature had my mind reeling with questions for an hour before I slipped into my shoes and walked to their cabin.
I knocked on the door and saw the curtain move. Then I heard whispers that sounded like arguing.
“I know you both are in there. Now, what the heck is going on?” I asked, listening closer.
The door creaked open, and a shirtle
ss Vincent with wet hair stepped out in jeans and bare feet. His long hair wasn’t styled in its usual way but hung long over his eyes.
“Maggie, hey, I’m sorry. I’m just real tired.” Vincent kept his head down.
I walked to him, and he took a slight step back. That was when I realized he was hiding something.
My hand moved to his face. I swept his hair away, revealing the giant shiner that discolored his eye in purple and green.
My hand covered my mouth. “What happened?” I reached out tenderly, running my fingers over the swollen area.
“Nothing. I got into it with Lex, is all.” He shrugged it off like it was nothing. “No big deal. When I got back, Voodoo was there and had us sort things his way.”
He enveloped me in his arms, and my head rested on his chest. “It’s all good. Don’t worry, Maggie,” he whispered in my ear.
“All this violence. I don’t like it. I don’t like me right now.” I remembered the overwhelming urge I had to not only hit Tara, but to destroy her. “This is not who I am. I don’t understand—”
“Maggie, it’s okay. Please don’t beat yourself up over this. Tara had it coming, and so did Lex. At the club, we work things out like men.”
That was something I wouldn’t wrap my head around.
“If it wasn’t a big deal, why did you not come to see me when you got back?”
“’Cause I knew this is how you’d react.” His arms gave me a squeeze before his lips kissed my head. “Can we just forget all this?” he asked, swaying me in his arms.
Arms that made me feel so secure I never wanted to let go.
“I have to visit Paw-paw this week. You want to come along? I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see you again.”
“I’d like that.” I rested my head on his chest, choosing to believe him. I listened to the beat of his heart and believed everything was alright.
Chapter 18
Venom
Lying to Maggie was a punch to the gut. It was far from alright. I didn’t know how, but I would have to keep her from going back to the club, at least until Voodoo went home, which didn’t seem like it would be anytime soon.
When I’d returned to the club, Voodoo was there, waiting for me. Anger flared in his eyes as he tightened his fists and cracked his knuckles. Sissy passed me, rushing out of the room. Black tears streaked down her ruddy face as she gave me a sorrowful look.
Voodoo’s voice was a roar when he dug in his cruel words, questioning my loyalty. When I refused to apologize for letting Maggie jump in and go against my MC brother, he backhanded me clean across the face.
“Didn’t we just have this conversation?” His fists pounded the table. “Brothers first.”
“But Sissy—”
“Sissy knows better. She’s not his old lady, and even if she were, she should know her place.”
“Her place?” I stood up to my father as I had never done before. “I thought her place was here, part of our family, protected by us.”
“Boy, are you questioning my authority?” His voice was a hiss. His black eyes pinned mine.
Knowing this may not end well, I cowered to him, acknowledging my place. “No, sir.” I hung my head. “I just—”
“You just what?”
“Sissy’s my friend. When I saw Maggie stand up to that bitch on her behalf and not back down from Lex, well, I was proud of her. You said she was weak. Well, tonight, she wasn’t. She was like one of us.”
“Ahh, fuck, son. You got it way worse than I thought. The summer is nearly over, that girl will be leaving for college, and you’ll just be that fling she had that summer when she was eighteen. You’ll be her exciting story she shares with her stuck-up college friends who probably won’t believe her.” Voodoo cracked his neck and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.
“I was going to wait to tell you this, but our timeline has moved up. The papers need to be signed this week. So you will ride out and make it clear that I ain’t going away until I get my land. You got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now go put some ice on that eye, and I’ll see you tomorrow with the final offer.”
“Do you think he’s going to cave?” Viper asked as he passed the joint to me. We were lying on the rooftop out his window. I took a long drag hoping the mellow smoke would take me away from all the thoughts that were fighting in my head. I passed it back and considered his question.
“Paw-paw is just as stubborn as Voodoo. I hope he comes to his senses. The offer is generous. He could move into a new place with less upkeep and enjoy the rest of his life.”
“Yeah, but in his eyes, that would be giving in to Voodoo. You think that will happen?”
“I don’t know, but I want this shit over with now.” I sat up a little too fast, not realizing how much I had smoked. I used to ignore drama and never really thought about what others were going through, until Maggie awakened this new side of me that cared. Now, I found myself feeling bad and wanting to comfort Sissy when I heard the sobbing coming from her room. That girl had such a hard life. I tried to warn her, but she got what she asked for with Lex. That didn’t make it easier to hear her hurting.
“You going to head back in the morning?” Viper held open the window.
“We’ll see. I need some space to think.”
“You, brother, need to stop whining. I heard what Voodoo said to you. You could be throwing away the chance to be the future president of this club, something many of us would like to be. He’s practically giving it to you, and you don’t even seem to care. Maybe he’s right—Maggie has gotten under your skin. You know I love the girl, but not at the cost of this club. I will never let any chick, no matter how great she is, come before the club.”
I crawled the rest of the way into the window. “You’ll know someday.” Just what I needed—another person on my case.
I spent Sunday by myself at my fishing cabin, carving away. I racked my brain trying to come up with Maggie’s birthday present. It needed to be special, something she would keep forever. Before I knew it, hours had passed, and it was late afternoon. I hadn’t eaten all day. I just kept whittling the hunk of wood into what would be my most extraordinary piece. I gouged and shaped the lines. I chose fine points to get the image just right. The words my grandfather had said to me when he taught me as a child were true: When the piece has meaning, when there is love involved, it flows out of you. Time is no longer relevant, and your fingers, although tired, will feel no pain. Something almost spiritual moves through them, creating the details without you even thinking about it.
I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t even know what I was going to make. I just had the wood and chisels in my hand. And hours later, from piles of shavings on the floor emerged something perfect. I didn’t even have a picture, just a memory. I stretched my hands and put the chisel set away. I found a towel to wrap it up in until I could stain it this week. A warmth filled me as I held it in my hands, admiring it.
It pained me to lie to Maggie when I had snuck back into camp, but I was not prepared for questions. I wanted more than anything to keep her away from the clubhouse until Lex and Voodoo were gone.
The humidity was suffocating as I walked through the dewy air. I found Maggie on the blanket in our spot under that grand cypress. I stayed as quiet as I could. She was on her knees, hands pressed together and eyes closed. She had tried to explain her connection to prayer, but it still was not my thing. It did seem to bring her comfort, and I hated to interrupt. Her back was to me the way I approached, but she knew I was there. She could sense me, I guessed, the same way I could sense her.
“Come sit down. I’m almost through.” Her voice was so calming. Her hand patted the blanket.
When her green eyes met mine, a sad smile matched her words. “I can’t believe our time is almost up. I am going to miss this spot.” She looked around like she was absorbing everything.
I sat, crossing my legs and moving her against my chest. Her clean scent hung in the thick air.
“I spent so much time dreading this summer. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would volunteer for this, but now I get it. It does feel pretty good when you help make someone’s dream of returning to their home come true.”
“You feel that way? Now you understand why I want to travel and help people?”
“No, I didn’t say that. I couldn’t leave my whole life behind to do that. You’re a special person to be able to commit to that kind of life. Do you think your family will let you?”
Maggie’s eyebrows knitted together. “I don’t care. They can’t tell me what to do anymore. I will live on pennies, I will sleep in shacks, nothing will take this from me. This summer proved to me that I need to do this. It’s not just what I want to do, it’s who I am.”
“I didn’t realize how committed you were.”
“I am.” She turned to me, bowing her head in emphasis. “You know, you don’t have to let your family define your role in life. You could be anything you want to be. You could go to school or start a business like your grandfather.”
“Me, school? No way. I had twelve years too much of that shit. My business is the club. The club takes care of all my needs.”
“If that’s what you truly want.” She almost looked disappointed, like she couldn’t believe it was true.
“It is what I want. Why do you sound like you disapprove?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, you just seem to not want to live by society’s rules, yet you have all these MC rules. And your father is such a dictator, it doesn’t seem to be the free life you think it is.”
Before I could respond, Maggie spoke again. “I am sorry, Vincent. I shouldn’t have judged your choice. I shouldn’t have—”
“Our ways are different, Maggie. But just like you, the club is not what I do, it’s who I am, who I was born to be.” I looked at her, hoping she would understand, but club life is hard for outsiders to even tolerate. Even Paw-paw, or my own mother, couldn’t understand it.
