by Ambere Sabo
He didn’t want to come here today, but he really doesn’t want to cross me. Last year one of his friends wasn’t so smart, and now they all know not to fuck with me.
With a smooth motion and a clacking of the balls, I break the colored triangle, scattering balls across the green felt. Cessy walks over to my side of the table.
As she passes, she whispers, “He owes Caine money, but apparently he lost it. Bet gone wrong or some shit. Caine is not a happy man right now.”
Well damn, that explains why he didn’t want to come here tonight. I know about that bet too. Taking bets is one of the clubs less-than-legal means of income. Since I can’t hear shit, maybe Cessy will be more useful than I thought she’d be.
As she bends over to line up her shot, that thought goes straight to hell. A few wolf whistles shrill throughout the bar as every fucker in here looks at her tits on display against the green tabletop and her ass perched high and tight against the rail. About that time, I get my first look at Caine, and damn if I don’t see fucking red.
He may go by Caine now, but the fucker will always be Jose Martinez to me. It’s been damn near fifteen years, but I’ll never forget the face of the man who killed my mother. Can’t imagine anyone would.
His eyes land on mine for a split second, but he doesn’t seem to recognize me. Too focused on Cessy’s ass, I’m sure. Plus, I’m not the same scrawny seventeen-year-old kid that couldn’t do shit to save his mother. Tonight will be a different fucking story.
Stalking over to his table, I rear back and punch the son of a bitch square in the nose. Blood gushes down his face as Eddie scrambles to get out of sight.
“You motherfucker,” Caine roars.
I feel Havoc and Dash behind me, but right now I have enough rage to kill this cocksucker with my bare hands. Without a word, I reach over to do just that, pulling him up out of the booth as I try to choke the life out of him. Havoc pulls me back causing me to lose my hold on this fucker’s neck.
Struggling to get out of Havoc’s hold, I slam my elbow back into his gut. He bends over from the blow. Dash yells, “Let’s go.”
With my vision only including the mother killing fucker and my rage, I don’t realize he has back up. Three guys run up beside us. Havoc and Dash drag me toward the exit, their guns drawn as three lackeys surround Caine. Bodyguards, what the fuck? As soon as we’re out the door Dash and Havoc run across the lot to their bikes as Cessy pulls up on hers. “Get on!” she yells.
Knowing they’ll be after me, I don’t even fight her I just climb on. She peels out of the parking lot causing gravel to fly. We’re just turning onto the street when I hear shots fired. Fuck, I hope I don’t get one of my brothers shot tonight.
Chapter 6
Cessy
What the actual fuck? This asshole thought I was going to be an issue, and he just lost his shit on the only lead we had. I’m fucking pissed.
“Pull over,” he yells from behind me.
Is he serious? Screw that. Havoc knows if there’s ever any trouble, I’ll go to my mama’s old cottage, and he’ll be right behind me. Well, he better be, or I’ll be putting a bullet in this fucker’s head.
A few minutes later, he’s hollering again, “Pull the fuck over.”
I give him the one finger salute and continue making my way to the cottage. It’s only a few more minutes before I slow to turn down the old dirt road leading to my haven.
Before I even cut the engine, I round on Venom. “What the fuck was that?” I yell. “He was our only lead,” I smack him on the shoulder and continue to shout at him, “and you decide to try to kill him without getting any answers? What kind of fucking Enforcer are you?” I explode
He cuts his eyes to me. “I don’t have to tell you shit, Princess. I’ll explain when I get back to my brothers. Now move your ass, so I can take us to the clubhouse, and don’t ever hit me again.”
This fool has some nerve if he thinks I’m letting him drive my bike.
“We aren’t going anywhere, asshole. Havoc knows this is where I come when I need to hide out, so he’ll come here. For your sake he better, and no one drives my bike but me, dickhead.”
“Is that a threat, Princess?” he grinds out.
“No, that’s a motherfucking promise. If the only family I have left, just got killed because you decided to go—what did you call it? Oh yeah—half-cocked on that motherfucker, then I will put a bullet in your head faster than you can blink,” I say with conviction. I don’t care who he is, if Havoc dies because of him, I will have his head.
He looks down at my cowboy boots, probably wondering if he can get the gun away from me. Then the rumble of bikes fills the air. My eyes snap to the dirt road. I won’t believe that he’s OK until I can see it with my own eyes. As soon as I see him pull through the clearing with Dash right behind him, I let out the breath I was holding.
“Guess I don’t have to shoot you after all, but you’ll give me some damn answers once I make sure Havoc’s okay,” I order before climbing off my bike. He follows suit.
Havoc and Dash both pull up, and I’m over to them with a quickness, reaching for Havoc. I pull him in for a hug, tucking my face into his neck. I won’t let them see me cry right now, but damn it, if I wasn’t scared I wouldn’t see him breathing again.
“I can’t lose you. You and Lil are all I have left,” I whisper with tears thickening my words.
“Hey, I’m good, Cess. They weren’t very good shots for bodyguards. Right, Dash?” he says while rubbing my back and reminding me that we’re not alone.
“Right, besides no one rides like me, Cessy. No need to worry your pretty little head. Now, does anyone know why in the hell some coke dealer would have bodyguards in the first place?” Dash says, thinking out loud.
“He’s not just some coke dealer,” Venom responds drawing our attention to where he leans against the porch.
“Who’s he to you?” I question.
“I’ve done a lot of dirty shit with you in the past, and I’ve never seen you lose your shit like that before. What happened brother?” Havoc asks.
A tick in Venom’s jaw lets me know this is a conversation he doesn’t want to have. I’m calm now that I know Havoc is okay, and I no longer want to kill him.
Sighing, “Why don’t we head inside and figure this out.” I look over and see that Venom has a cigarette in hand. He must’ve lit one while I was hugging Havoc. “Come in once you’re finished. No smoking allowed in my mama’s house,” I tell him. He looks at me, and I swear I see gratitude in his gaze before he nods in agreement.
“Gimme a sec, and I’ll be right in.”
The rest of us head inside, the guys making themselves comfortable on the couch, while I go straight to the kitchen. I need something to calm my nerves. Venom isn’t the only one with a stash of Herradura Tequila.
I pull down two shot glasses from the cupboard and then grab some beers and limes from the fridge. Just as I’ve just finished placing the lime slices and salt shaker on a plate, I hear Venom come in. I quickly throw back a shot before I walk back into the living room.
Havoc and Dash gratefully accept the beers I offer them. Chancing a glance at Venom, I know he’ll appreciate a shot. I place the clean shot glass in front of Venom and set the limes, salt shaker and tequila in the middle of the table, between the two of us. He licks his hand and shakes on the salt. Damn. The sight makes my nipples tighten, but now isn’t the time for that.
He downs his shot. I wait a moment before asking, “So, who’s he to you?” He pours us both a shot and hands me the salt. We toss back the fiery liquid in unison. Venom rolls the shot glass between his palms, staring at it like it holds all the answers in the world.
“His name isn’t Caine, it’s Jose Martinez. He’s Mexican cartel, and I’d bet money those bodyguards are too,” he admits in a flat tone.
“Fuck,” Havoc exclaims as he leaps to his feet. “And you thought it was an excellent idea to try to kill someone you know is involved with the
cartel?”
“He murdered my mother,” Venom yells silencing Havoc.
“I thought your mama died from an overdose?” Dash questions.
“She did,” he responds confusing the hell out of me.
Everyone is silent for a minute before I ask, “Okay, I don’t get it. If she died from an overdose, how did this Martinez guy kill her?”
Blowing out a breath, Venom leans back in the recliner. Running his hand through his hair, the anger rolls off him in waves. He reaches for the tequila, but I wave his hand away. “I’ll pour, you talk.”
“She overdosed from coke when I was seventeen. She’d been a junkie most of my life, and after my dad walked out, it only got worse. She got into some shit with her dealer, and Martinez was sent to deal with it.” He pauses to take his shot.
“At first, she’d just fuck him, and he’d pay off whatever she owed to the dealer. She didn’t realize her dealer was involved with the cartel at that point. She got used to Martinez fixing her fuck ups. Then she got in too deep and owed too much. Martinez told her she wasn’t that good of a fuck, and she’d screwed with the cartel for the last time. She panicked, started running her mouth. Threatening to go to the department, and tell them he was dirty.”
“Wait, he was a cop?” Havoc interrupts.
“He was. I didn’t know for sure until that night. I don’t think I was ever supposed to know that really, but the walls of our shitty apartment were thinner than he realized.”
“What happened after she threatened him?” I blurt out wanting to know the whole story.
“He beat her. Then he forced her to do I don’t even know how many lines. She was already high as a kite when he got there. His shit was close to pure. It was too much for her body to handle.” Venom wrings his hands, as he collects his thoughts.
“When he left, I checked on her. She’d already had a seizure and died of asphyxiation. The motherfucker waited until he knew she was dead before he left her room, knowing I wouldn’t do shit to stop him when he did,” he admits.
I pour us both another shot. I’m not sure which of us needs it more. My heart hurts for the kid he was. I know the helplessness that comes with being unable to save a parent.
“Did you go to the cops?” Dash asks.
“I did. But to them, I was just the orphan kid of a junkie, not anyone worth listening to. Then his partner was killed, and they put the blame for her murder on him. A bunch of other shit too,” he finishes.
Standing to go cut more limes, I call over my shoulder, “Who was his partner?”
He thinks about it for a minute before replying, “Uh, something Davis, I think,” that stops me dead in my tracks.
“It wasn’t Russel Davis, was it?” Havoc asks. He’s watching me out of the corner of his eye.
It can’t be Russel. The world is small, but there’s no fucking way it’s that small.
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Venom answers.
With a quickness, I bolt out the front door losing the tequila and everything else that was in my stomach before the screen door even closes.
Chapter 7
Venom
Havoc’s off the couch and outside before I can understand what’s happening. What the fuck is going on? Looking to Dash, I realize he is just as confused as I am. When Havoc walks back inside a few minutes later, he’s practically carrying a very pale Cessy.
“She okay?” Dash asks.
“Ya, gimme a sec I’m going to put her in the bedroom,” Havoc answers and with that, he walks her down the hall.
What that hell? I pour another shot waiting for him to come back. This day isn’t going like I planned at all. Havoc walks back in looking white as a ghost himself.
“What the fuck was that about?” I question pointing toward the door.
“Russel Davis was Cessy’s uncle,” he murmurs. Like I’m supposed to know what the hell that has to do with why she just lost her lunch. I get being upset about a dead family member, but she just bolted.
Dash must know more than I do. He whispers, “Damn, this situation just got a lot more fucked didn’t it.”
My frustration shows, “Why does THAT make this even more fucked? I think were already pretty fucked,” I whisper yell. Why are we fucking whispering? This shit is ridiculous.
“We are,” Havoc agrees. “We had our cuts on today at Porkies. Caine is probably already trying to figure out who the hell we are. And if he recognized Cess he may know the connection to The Reapers too.”
Shit, I forgot about our cuts. All that effort to not get noticed with Baby, and I wear my fucking cut into the bar.
“So, this fucker is at the center of both of our problems?” I ask confused.
“More than I think any of us understand yet. Go tell Prez what went down today and who that fucker is. He needs to know they could be coming after the club,” Havoc tells me, even though it’s something as Enforcer I should’ve already done. Damn, I am going to get my ass handed to me tonight.
“And Davis?” I ask tipping my head to the bedroom.
“Rodeo knows everything about him already. He’ll get you up to speed. Take my bike. I need to stay with her,” he says tossing me the keys.
Without waiting, he turns on his heel heading back to the bedroom. When he opens the door, her sobs fill the silence.
What in the fuck is going on?
Dash and I head back to the clubhouse, hauling ass the whole way. Thank fuck Dash can keep up with me. No one likes to ride as fast as he does. That’s how he got his name—he’s always in a mad dash to be somewhere.
I need to make sure I didn’t put the club in danger with the shit I pulled today. Fuck!
We make it to the club in record time. Walking in, I yell at the first person I see, “Where’s Prez?”
“In the chapel with Lynch,” Rev our Secretary responds. We don’t say another word to him as we head straight back to church. We walk in without even bothering to knock.
“Well, what has you storming in here without invitation?” Prez asks with irritation evident in his tone.
“Sorry, Prez. But some shit went down today that you need to know about. What do you know about Russel Davis?” Not that the Princess should be my first concern, but fuck if I don’t feel like something else is going on here. His eyes snap to Lynch, who walks over and shuts the door behind us before taking a seat at the table.
“Why are you asking about that bastard? Thought you were following a lead on someone named Caine?” He takes a seat as well while gesturing for us to sit.
“I was, but his name isn’t Caine. It's Jose Martinez,” I tell them.
“Fuck,” Lynch hisses from beside me.
“And what does that have to do with Davis?” Prez asks not understanding the connection. At least I’m not the only one confused by all of this.
“Davis is the cop who took the wrap for my mom’s murder. A murder Martinez committed, and I may have tried to kill him for it today,” I rush out.
Prez’ eyes snap to me. “Come again?” he rages.
“He killed my mother,” I yell.
“Okay, why don’t you start at the beginning, so we can understand what the fuck happened today,” Lynch reasons while trying to calm us both down.
“I got it,” Dash begins before I have the chance. “Snoopy traced the money that went missing from Blue Bells to some guy named Caine who works out of Porkies. As soon as Cessy had a lead she was on her bike like a bat outta hell headed to the bar.”
“Cessy was there?” Prez interrupts.
“Yeah, she went with me and Havoc to meet up and see what Snoopy found. When we got to Porkies, she and Havoc got into it, that’s when Venom came up.” Dash pauses to take a single breath before rushing on with his tale.
“He was waiting for his snitch to show up, so he could find out who the coke was coming from. After dude finally showed, we all went into Porkies together to get a drink and see what we could find out.” He looks at me to see if I want to jump in.
I nod for him to keep going.
“Cessy and Venom went to play pool to get closer to the snitch and Caine and see what they could hear. I was at the bar with Havoc, so I’m not sure what they heard. All I know is that one second they were at the pool table, and the next Venom was punching the guy in the face.”
Rodeo’s face turns red in anger.
“Cessy ran out to get her bike when the bodyguards rushed out. Havoc and I got Venom the fuck outta dodge. We took off going to Cessy’s mama's place to regroup. That’s when Venom told us about his mom, and then Davis came up,” Dash sums up.
“How’s Cessy?” Prez asks. I don’t understand why that girl is his first concern, but the look he pins me with, makes me think I fucked up on every level today.
“She's real shaken up. Threw up as soon as Davis got brought up. Havoc took her to the bedroom to calm her down. He stayed with her.”
Now Lynch glares in my direction.
“What am I missing? Why is the Princess more important than the fact that Martinez knows what MC we’re in and I took a swing at him?” I ask, pissed that she seems to be everyone’s first concern.
“You were in your cut?” Prez hollers and asks, “Did you even think before you fucking hit him?”
I can’t look him in the eye. I know that I’ve just let down the only man to ever give a fuck about me. “I wasn’t thinking,” I mumble.
“No shit. Look, we all know how you feel about drugs coming into our town. Hell, even the clubhouse. But what you did today, stirred up more shit than you can even imagine.” He drags his hands over his face in frustration or despair, I’m not sure.
“And Cessy… Cessy has been through more hell than you know about, and I can only imagine the pain you dragged up for her today,” Prez scolds.
“I get it. I fucked up.” Lynch growls at my response. “I screwed up, royally, I know. So, what do we do now?”