by Kay Marie
“Tink, do me a favor?”
She lifts her head, catching my eyes. “What’s up?”
“I’m going on a run for the club. Can you give Marley my number in case she needs anything while I’m gone?”
“It would mean more to her if you gave it to her yourself,” she suggests. Saint comes back before I can respond. I’m consumed with my thoughts, ignoring anything Saint says until we leave.
8
Marley
I’ve locked myself in my room for the past couple of days. It used to be to keep from running into Rascal. Now, it’s to stay away from Ruger. I’m not sure what his deal is. I’ve tried to tell him I’m not interested in him, but it hasn’t stopped him from coming up to me and flirting with me. Rascal’s weird behavior hasn’t helped any either. The few times I’ve seen him since Sunday, he hasn’t used any of his cheesy, lame pick up lines on me. He’s barely even made eye contact with me.
This past year has been a struggle, but October is the most challenging month for me. I have new friends to keep my mind occupied, but it doesn’t stop the darkness from creeping in. Today is one of those days. When the darkness rears its ugly head, I retreat to my safe place and smoke myself stupid. The high from the weed plays as a shield from the darkness. Working at Higher Zen was a blessing. Blaze took excellent care of me while I was living out there. He still does, in a way.
The Savage Menaces still go out there to buy product from him, and Blaze always sends them with a care package for me. More often than not, it has way more stuff that I need in a month. He’s the only family I have anymore, and I will forever be grateful for him.
I’m sitting on my bed with my back against the headboard, watching TV. I took a few hits of my pen and am finally relaxing when there’s a knock on my door. Slowly, I climb out of bed to answer it, hoping like hell it isn’t Ruger. Opening the door, I’m surprised at who’s standing in front of me, but I don’t let him see that.
“Hey, Princess,” Rascal says.
I groan. “What do you want?”
He throws his hands up in defense. “I wanted to be the one to tell you that I’m leaving to go on a run tomorrow.”
“How did I manage to get so lucky?” I smirk at him.
“The gods must favor you.” He grins, and it makes my stomach flutter. I push the feeling way down deep. Letting him in, even the slightest bit, will end in me getting hurt. I won’t give him that satisfaction.
I shrug a shoulder. “I am pretty awesome.”
He chuckles. “Anyway, Chains will be around if you need him. I wanted to leave my phone number with you, too. In case, for whatever reason, you need to reach me.”
I glare at him. “Is this some slick way for you to get my phone number?”
He laughs this time. “That does sound like something I would do, but no. That wasn’t my intention. You never have to use it if you don’t want to.”
I study his face. Trying to find any sign of him lying, but there’s nothing there. “You can give it to me, but I doubt I’ll have any reason to use it.”
“I won’t be back until Monday.”
“Thanks for the warning.” I roll my eyes.
He smiles like a cat who caught the canary. It’s as if he knows something I don’t. He hands me a folded piece of paper, then turns to walk away. “Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone,” he calls over his shoulder.
I shake my head, close the door and head back to my bed, tossing the paper on my side table without opening it. I glance at it, contemplating opening it and maybe saving it in my phone. I choose not to and text Tink instead.
To Tink: Rascal just came by my room.
I don’t have to wait long for her to respond.
From Tink: What? Why?
To Tink: To tell me he was leaving for five days and he gave me his number.
From Tink: Oh shit!
To Tink: *eye roll emoji* I’m sure Bull told him to make sure I had it.
From Tink: I wouldn’t be too sure about that. ;)
I glance at the table. I can save it to my phone, so I have it if I need it. Not like I will need it. I shake my head, setting my phone on the table. I start getting the munchies. I climb back out of bed and scavenge my snack stash, realizing I have no more chips. Of course, that would be what I’m craving the most. I slide some shoes on and head toward the kitchen. Walking into the main room, I have a one-track mind and don’t pay attention to who’s sitting out here.
“Miss me already?” Rascal says.
His voice makes me jump. “Not even close.”
He laughs as I walk into the kitchen. I spot an unopened bag of BBQ Lays and grab it, heading back to my room.
“You got the munchies there, Princess,” Rascal asks as I walk back out of the kitchen.
“Fuck you,” I mumble.
“Name a time and place.” He gives me a sly smirk.
I flip him off over my shoulder as I walk back to my room. I lock the door behind me and turn off the lights. I grab a water bottle out of my mini-fridge and slide into bed, setting the unopened bag of chips and bottle of water on the bed next to me. Rascal scaring the hell out of me made me not want the chips as much. The Ugly Truth is playing on TV. I lay down to watch it and pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow.
9
Rascal
I stayed up a lot later than I meant to. I couldn’t get that ornery ass chick out of my fucking head. I couldn’t help thinking that giving her my number was a bad idea. I want her to be able to get a hold of me if she needs anything, but why would she need anything from me? I’ve been the biggest jackass when it comes to her. Luckily I don’t have to drive first. I’m riding with Shade in his car while Saint is riding with Diesel. I plan on sleeping as much as possible.
I walk out to the main room with my duffel bag. Saint and Diesel are already out here, eating breakfast.
“Did you make enough for the rest of us,” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s in a box on the kitchen counter. Milk is in the fridge,” Saint deadpans.
“Well, fuck me. That’s a gourmet meal.”
Diesel chuckles to himself.
“Don’t encourage him,” Saint says to him.
“Aren’t you a ray of fucking sunshine this morning,” I tell Saint.
“Would you two knock it the fuck off?” Shade walks into the clubhouse. “Are you assholes ready to go?”
I sigh. “Let’s get this drive over with.”
The fifteen-hour drive is the worst part of this run. Breaking it into two days drags it out so much more. If I could be more inconspicuous with my bike, I would ride it to Denver. I would rather have two days on my bike than two trapped in a cage, but it’s not an option. I fall asleep in the first thirty minutes of the drive.
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Rascal, I got some bad news,” Sketch tells me.
“What’s up?”
“Marley took off. We can’t find her anywhere,” he says.
My heart sinks. “What do you mean she took off? Why the hell wasn’t anyone watching her?”
“Chains thought she was in her room sleeping. She gave us all the slip,” he explains.
“Find her and bring her back!” I hang up and dial Marley’s number.
“What do you want, Romeo?”
“Hey, Princess. Sketch said you weren’t at the clubhouse. What’s goin’ on,” I ask.
“You didn’t want me, so I left. Don’t come looking for me. I’m not coming back.” She hangs up, not letting me say anything else. I try calling her back, but it goes straight to voicemail.
I wake up, sitting straight up, my heart pounding in my chest.
“What’s up? You alright?” Saint’s brows draw together.
“Yeah. I had a weird dream. Where are we?”
“About halfway to our destination for the night. We’re about to stop to grab some food,” he explains.
“Good, I’m fuckin’ starvin
g.” As if on cue, my stomach growls.
We pull up to an Applebee’s twenty minutes later. I climb out of the car and stretch. Shade, Diesel, and Saint head toward the front door.
“I’ll be in soon. I’m gonna make a quick phone call,” I call out to them.
Saint nods in acknowledgment. The dream I had felt too fucking real. I dial Chains’ number, needing to know that she’s still at the clubhouse and okay.
“What’s up?” he answers.
“When was the last time you saw Marley?”
“She’s sitting right here. Why,” Chains asks.
“Let me talk to her.” It’s bad that I can’t take his word for it, but I ignore that.
“Hey, Rascal wants to talk to you.” His voice is distant. I’m sure from handing her the phone.
“Romeo,” Marley deadpans.
“How’s it goin’?”
“Seriously? You called for small talk?” Irritation laces her voice.
“I wanted to check on you.” I smile, even though she can’t see me.
“It’s been, like, what? Four hours?”
“And?” I draw out.
“Goodbye, Romeo.”
“Talk to you later, Princess.” I laugh. I head inside and find the guys.
“Everything alright,” Shade asks as I sit.
“Just peachy,” I smirk at him, and he shakes his head. When the waitress comes by, we each order what we want. It’s not busy here at all, and we get our food pretty quick. The rest of the day is uneventful, as is the rest of the drive the next day. The only thing that happens is Shade getting a text from his buddy, Ric. Ric is one of two guys who run the underground circuits in Denver. He told Shade he has some guys who want to talk about joining the Savage Menaces MC and asked if we could meet up once we got into town.
We got to Ace and Nitro’s house a quarter after five. We took some time to get settled and relax after two days of driving. Now, we’re headed to grab some dinner and meet with Ric and Axel.
“Shade, my man! How’s it going?” Ric greets as we walk up to the table they’re sitting at.
“It’s good, real good,” he replies. “Y’all know Diesel and Rascal. This is Saint.”
We all exchange greetings and sit around the table. A waitress quickly comes by to take our drink order and scurries off again.
“So, tell us about the guys that want to join the Savage Menaces,” I say to Ric.
“Ace and Nitro are two of them,” Ric tells us.
“They’ve mentioned to me before that they were considering it,” Shade says. “Have Breeze and Zero expressed interest?”
“Ace told me all four of them were interested,” Ric replies.
Shade nods his head.
“Is there anyone else,” Diesel asks.
“Yeah,” Axel says. “Four bikers, Flame, Sniper, Thrasher, and Darko.”
“We can set something up for you to meet them tomorrow night if you all don’t have anything going on,” Ric adds.
“We have a meeting with a supplier in the early afternoon. After that, we’re free,” Shade tells him.
“Why don’t we have them come to Ace and Nitro’s tomorrow night?” Diesel suggests.
“I’ll shoot Ace a text and see what he thinks,” Axel says.
We spend the next few hours bullshitting about cars and motorcycles. Once we get back to Ace’s house, I crash hard.
10
Rascal
The next morning, I wake up close to nine. I stay in bed, lost in my thoughts. A few women came up to our table last night, trying to hit on us. All I could do was think of Marley and wonder what she was doing like I am right now. That stubborn woman fucks with my head even when I’m damn near a thousand miles away from her. I stay in bed for another half an hour before I get up and shower.
After my shower, I get dressed and head to the kitchen for some breakfast. When I walk in, there’s a full pot of coffee, hot and ready. I glance around and find Nitro grabbing cereal from the pantry. I pour myself a cup of coffee, drinking it black. Every once in a while, I’ll add creamer to it, but when I’m staying at someone else’s house, it’s easier to drink it black.
“Sup, man? Want some cereal?” Nitro holds the box up.
“Yeah, I’ll take some.”
He grabs two bowls while I grab the milk, and we meet at the table. After I fill my bowl with cereal, I shoot Chains a text.
To Chains: She giving you any trouble?
He texts back right away.
From Chains: Not at all.
I shake my head. Of course, she’s not giving him any trouble. The only person she ever gives trouble to is me, and I’m actually okay with that. I smile to myself at the thought.
“So, I guess we’re having a party tonight,” Nitro says.
“Yeah, Ric wants us to meet some new guys. They apparently wanna be Menaces.”
He nods, mulling it over in his head.
“We’ll vet ‘em and see how everyone gets along before bringing them to meet Bull,” I tell him. “He’s aware that we’re scoping out some new guys, so he’ll be waiting to hear from us.”
“Cool, I’m excited to party tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve thrown a party.” Nitro chuckles. “Ace invited some chicks, too.”
“Yeah, for sure.” For the first time in my life, I find myself completely uninterested in partying.
A few hours later, Shade, Diesel, Saint, and I are pulling up to Higher Zen. I walk in, and a new guy is standing behind the counter. He barely looks old enough to be working here.
His eyes widen when he sees the four of us. We can be a tad bit intimidating. “What’s up? Welcome to Higher Zen. Can I help you find anything?”
“We’re here to see Blaze,” I state.
“I, uh, I’ll go let him know you’re here.” He walks past the tapestry into the back room. While we wait, I walk around the shop, picking out things I want for myself. The door to the shop opens with a bunch of giggling. I glance over my shoulder and catch two pairs of eyes already watching me. If my mind wasn’t already consumed by another chick, I’d invite these two to our party later. I go back to wandering the store. There’s whispering behind me, and from what I can tell, the girls are trying to decide who’s going to come talk to me.
“Hey, how’s it goin’?” Blaze pulls my attention to him.
“Bro, are you feelin’ alright?” Saint raises an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah, why?”
He hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “Those chicks were hella sexy and couldn’t keep their eyes off you while you flat out ignored them.”
I shrug. “I guess I have a lot on my mind right now.”
Saint stands there, gaping at me. “You sure you’re alright?”
“Fuck off.” I turn to Blaze, who’s grinning like an idiot.
“Follow me, fellas,” Blaze says to us. We follow him to the back room. “I have quite the selection for you to choose from.”
On the table are at least twenty jars of weed, each one a different strain.
“These are all new ones,” I ask.
“They sure are.” The smile on Blaze’s face shows how proud he is. As he should be. He’s doing big things with this place. “Bull requested six pounds of flower and a thousand carts, so take your pick.”
“For flower, we’ll need four pounds of sativa and two pounds of indica,” I remind the guys.
“Candy Kush is always a hot seller,” Diesel says.
“So is Blue Kough,” Saint adds.
“We’ll take a pound of each of those, and the rest will be new strains,” I tell them. Moving toward the table, I’m stopped by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I have a new text from an unsaved number.
From Unknown: Hey, it’s Marley.
From Unknown: Have you gone to Higher Zen yet?
I stare at the screen in disbelief. Someone has to be fucking with me right now.
To Unknown: The Marley I know hates me and wouldn’t want me to hav
e her phone number.
From Unknown: Get over yourself, Romeo. I don’t know the other guys very well, and Blaze told me if I wanted anything, I had to ask you.
It’s definitely Marley. I chuckle. I save her number on my phone.
“What are you all giddy about,” Saint asks.
“Your mom letting me know she’s ready for this dick.” I deadpan. He flips me off, and I laugh. “Mind your own business, asshole.”
To Princess: We’re still here. What do you need, Princess?
From Princess: I left a tapestry there. Blaze knows where it is.
To Princess: Is that all?
“Yo, Blaze.” I grab his attention, and he walks over to me.
“What’s up?”
“Marley said she left a tapestry here and asked if I would bring it back for her,” I tell him.
“I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ll grab it for you before you guys leave,” he says.
“Thanks, man.”
From Princess: Well, since you asked . . .
From Princess: Some gummies and bath soak.
From Princess: Oh, and some chocolate.
I laugh to myself.
To Princess: So a little bit of everything. Got it. ;)
From Princess: I mean, if you’re offering, okay.
Once we’re done picking out the flower we want, I head out to the front of the shop to get the things Marley asked for as well as some things for myself. As soon as Blaze is done packing up our big order, we load it up and head out. Shade and I head back to Ace and Nitro’s while Diesel and Saint head to the store to get some food to grill tonight.
Marley and I text on and off again all night, keeping it a good mix of flirty banter. I find myself hoping this keeps up once we’re under the same roof again.
Zero mans the grill, getting it started a quarter after five. The new guys show up thirty minutes later, and a group of chicks follows them shortly after. We spend the evening talking and getting to know each other while the girls keep most everyone entertained. I manage to ignore them, wishing Marley was here with me.