Rumbling Thunder

by B. F. Harrolle

  No, she had made the right decision alright. Better off just waiting it out. Her ankle was aching. It was more than likely about to rain. That was another reason she didn’t want her father to know she was in jail. He would come and get her and take her back to New York. Not that it was a bad thing, only she could no longer dance. And she knew he would blame her for getting hurt. After all, it was more his dream that she becomes a dancer than her own. Now that wasn’t really true either. She wanted to be a ballerina. It had been her dream since as long as she could remember. It made her sad to realize that it could never happen now. The only one left now of the four of them was Quinn. And her heart was set on becoming an actress. Her poor dad would never see one of his children make it big in the dance world.

  She was in a cell locked up with ten other women and had been there all day. Six of them looked like biker chicks. She would feel safer if she was with a gang of murderers, and maybe she was. Having no idea how long she would be locked up, Rainy went to the corner of the cell and sat down. She wouldn’t have minded if she was in a cell alone, but here she sat with this motley crew. And she knew that at least two of them would cut her throat as well as look at her. Dixie Sue over in the other corner was licking her lips as if she could already smell the blood. The vampire bitch.

  It was around midnight when Rainy woke up to the sound of the cell door opening. A tall blonde, female guard walked up to the door of the cell and called out, “Samantha Perez.” Rainy frowned at her, not sure of what was going to happen. Surely she wasn’t going to court in the middle of the night. Rainy stood up and walked towards the guard. She stood, waiting to be cuffed. But to her surprise, the guard just said, “Come with me.” So Rainy followed her out of the cell. All the other women were calling her names and yelling obscenities.

  As they walked past the other cells, Rainy was looking for any of the other biker chicks she knew. But she knew they weren’t there. She wondered about Liz and if she really did see her. After all, she cared deeply for this woman who always seemed to be looking out for her.

  They walked together out of the building and into the building next to the jail. Rainy stayed right with the guard. They went up a flight of stairs to the third floor. Then the guard led her to the end of the corridor. They stood, and the guard knocked on the door. “Come in.” shouted a male voice. The guard turned the door handle and pushed the door open, motioning for Rainy to enter first.

  She moved slowly into the room that she now realized was an office. But as soon as she saw him, she wanted to turn and run. And that’s exactly what she would have done, only she was wearing the bright orange jailhouse jumpsuit. And she knew she wouldn’t get too far.

  “Have a seat, Ms. Perez.” Sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

  If there was ever any doubt that this was Darius Perez, Samantha’s ex- husband, there wasn’t anymore. In a way, she would rather face her Dad. Darius was furious and Rainy knew it. “I said have a seat!” he said sternly. Rainy took a seat and cast her eyes down. She didn’t want to face Darius. “You’ve been placed in my custody for now. Your hearing is tomorrow afternoon, and at that time, you will give the judge your real name.” She only pressed her lips together. “Look at me, Rainy.” But she couldn’t. She wanted to cry so bad it was physically painful. “I said look at me!” He shouted.

  That did it. Rainy couldn’t hold back any longer. She’d been to hell and back. Jumping out of the chair she yelled, “Samie’s dead, so I’m nothing to you. Just leave me alone. Take me back and put me in jail now!” She ordered.

  Darius sat behind his desk, his head resting on the back of the desk chair. He just stared at her for a long minute, then he said, “Sit back down, Rainy, we need to talk. This is important.” His voice was softer.

  “I don’t have anything to say to you, Darius. Now call the guard back!” She shouted. She grabbed the door handle, yanking the door open and took off down the corridor.

  She didn’t get far until she felt herself being lifted and tossed over his shoulder. He carried her back into his office and sat her on top of his desk. He leaned in, forcing her to lean backwards. “Do you even begin to understand how much trouble you're in, Rainy? That little biker gang you were riding with is more than just a biker club. They are thieves, rapists, murderers, and drug dealers. I pulled your file, and maybe if we’re lucky, the judge will look at you as just a runaway who got messed up with the wrong people. Otherwise, you're going to jail for a very long time, Rainy. Maybe even life. Now tell me why you would get on the back of a motorcycle with some damn guy you didn’t even know.” Now she knew he had talked to her father. Oh God, this just keeps getting better. He waited a minute, but she didn’t answer him. “You know, there is only one other person I know that would do something this dumb, and that’s your older sister.”

  Rainy became outraged. “You leave Samie out of this, you prick!” she yelled and started pushing and kicking, trying to get him to move so she could get up. Finally, he slapped her on her leg so hard, it brought tears to her eyes. She became still.

  “Start at the beginning, Rainy, and tell me everything.” He then pulled her off the desk and sat her in the chair.

  Now she was crying and wiping the tears from her eyes. “Yes, I did get on the back of Maddog’s bike. He pulled up onto the sidewalk, and I climbed on. I was angry with Dad. I was home from college for summer break. He wanted me to dance. I told him no way And asked him why didn’t he use his real daughter for that.”

  “You were talking about Quinn?” he asked without looking up from his computer.

  “Yes, Darius. She’s the only sister I have left.”

  “Go on.”

  “I know you think I was part of that gang, but you’re wrong. I was their captive. I wish I could have come back. But the truth is, they would have killed me if I tried to leave. It wasn’t even an hour after I got on the back of that bike when five of them tried to rape me.”

  “What stopped them?”

  “He did.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “I don’t know his real name, but they call him Decker. He’s Tinman’s right-hand man.”

  “Who’s Tinman?”

  “He’s the president of the club.”

  “So, Decker is the vice president?”

  “No, not at first, he was more like a bodyguard.”

  “So he saved you, why?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t even like me. He always made fun of me and laughed at things I did. It was kind of like I was his pet. Or a big joke. Anyway, that’s how he treated me at first.”

  “But the other bikers left you alone after he saved you.”

  “No. You see, there is this rule about single women. The bikers can do whatever they want with them. No one in the club can stop them. The five that tried to rape me didn’t bother me anymore, but there were others. The next week, this biker named Hutch tried to have his way with me. We were at one of their many clubhouses. They were all drinking and having sex. Hutch grabbed me and hauled me into a bedroom. He tore my clothes off and was going to rape me. The next thing I knew, Decker was on him beating the hell out of him. I mean, it scared me. I thought the guy was dead. It was only a few days later that Decker took me to the city and had a tattoo put on my right shoulder.”

  “Why?”

  “That way the other bikers would no longer touch me. And the women hated me. You see, most of them wanted Decker for themselves.”

  “So he made you his old lady.”

  “Yeah.” She looked down now. “But we both knew it wasn’t real.”

  “Why did the other women hate you? Is he special in some way?”

  “I guess. He’s a big guy.”

  “And good looking?” Darius put in.

  Rainy nodded her head. “Only the drop dead, gorgeous type. Yeah, he’s good looking.”

  Darius was typing on his computer, Rainy took the time to look around his office. The only light on was on his desk. It
was the middle of the night and maybe the other lights were on auto shut off. On the selves behind his desk were photos of a family. His she was thinking. There were two little boys in one and the other was a family photo. The woman must be his new wife. She really couldn’t see them that well.

  ***

  Darius already knew Rainy was in love with Decker. But he knew it was normal for people to fall in love with their captors. “How long were you riding with this gang, Rainy?”

  “Since June 15th.”

  “Of this year?”

  “Duh, yeah.”

  Darius glanced up at her with a warning expression, but he didn’t say any more. He was typing on his computer. And after about ten minutes, he simply said, “Let’s go.” But then he stopped and sat back down, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited for someone to answer. “Hey, Gina, I need the envelope for Samantha Perez.” Looking at Rainy, he held one finger up.

  After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Darius rounded the desk and pulled the door open. Someone handed him a large white envelope. Darius thanked them and closed the door. He tossed the large envelope towards Rainy, and it landed on the desk. “I’ll be in the hall. Let me know when you’re ready.”

  Darius stepped out into the corridor to wait for Rainy to change. Rainy opened the large envelope and spilled the contents on the desk. It was her clothes, boots, and personal belongings. Not much. After all, she didn’t even have ID with her. She grabbed her clothes and slipped out of the god awful, orange jumpsuit. After she was dressed and had pulled her boots on, she emptied a smaller envelope that held her jewelry. Her three rings and nose ring fell out, hitting the desk, and the nose ring bounced off the desk landing on the floor. Darius knocked on the door. “ Are you dressed yet?

  “Yes!” Rainy called back.

  Darius opened the door to find Rainy on her hands and knees. “What are you looking for?”

  “My nose ring.”

  “I’ll send it to you when I find it, Rainy. Come on, I need to get some sleep, and I know you need some rest.”

  “No, D. I have to find it.”

  He knew she was about to cry. “Why is it so special, Rainy?”

  “Decker gave it to me for Christmas.”

  Darius let out a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll help you look.” In a way, he hoped they didn’t find the nose ring. He could only imagine what it would look like if it was a gift from a biker. It more than likely was big and gaudy looking. But he knew it meant the world to Rainy. “Hey, I thought you said you both knew it wasn’t real; that you weren’t really his old lady.” But she wouldn’t answer him. Instead, she started to cry. “Why are you crying, Rainy?”

  “It’s hopeless. The ring is so small, I’ll never find it.”

  “Hey, don’t give up so easily. We’ll find it. What does it look like?”

  “My birthstone, and it’s silver.”

  “And it’s tiny?” Darius asked.

  “Yes, really tiny.”

  “Why so little, this biker a tightwad?”

  “No, he said it was small and elegant like me.” Darius started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Rainy demanded to know.

  “You, elegant? You’re more like a bull, Rainy.” Rainy stopped looking for the ring now. She stood up and headed for the door. “Hey, Rainy, where you are going?”

  “What do you care?” she yelled back and was on the move.

  Darius had to run to catch up with her. He pulled her to a halt. “Rainy, I was just teasing you. The same way I would tease your sister.”

  “Yeah—well, there’s a reason the ring means so much to me. Decker never treated me as if I was some kind of mindless nothing. He treated me like I was somebody.”

  “Really, Rainy, you’re talking about the same man that made you sleep on the ground in the pouring rain. I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s all that.”

  A puzzled look came on her face. “How would you know about that? I never told you or any other cop.”

  “You told somebody because it was in the report!”

  “No, I never told anyone.”

  Finally, after a long few seconds, Darius finally said, “Look, Rainy, if the ring means that much to you, we need to find it. My wife wants me to come home sometime tonight. Come along, I have an idea.”

  After they re-entered the office, Darius turned on the light on his phone and handed it to Rainy. “Shine it on the floor next to the desk and move around it slowly.”

  Rainy did as he instructed, and Darius got down on his hands and knees and crawled, following the light. He had gone all the way around his desk and nothing. “Okay, let’s look over here.” They moved towards the door and still no sign of the ring. Darius moved the door to close it, and there it was. And Rainy was right; it was for sure tiny and elegant. “Is this it?” He held it up on the tip of his index finger. Rainy craned her neck to see, then she grinned and nodded her head. Darius handed the tiny ring off to her. He wanted so bad to give her a hug. After all, in a way she was like his little sister. Darius had watched her grow up from the time she was a baby.

  ***

  Now that Rainy had reinserted the nose ring, they left for Darius’s house. Rainy felt ill at ease going to his home now that he had remarried. She sat in the back seat alone and was looking out the window at the skyline of Macon. “What’s she like?” she asked.

  “Who?”

  “Your wifey.”

  “You’ll like her. She’s a lot like you are. I mean, you both like the same things.”

  “Like what?” Rainy asked.

  “She loves kids, animals, and dancing.”

  Rainy didn’t talk anymore. She already knew he had two boys by the framed photos that sat on his shelf in his office. Or maybe they were his wife’s children from a previous marriage. After all, from the pictures she saw, the older boy looked too old to be Darius’s child. Not that she could get a good look from where she was seated.

  They drove about twenty minutes, moving away from the city. Rainy was almost asleep when they pulled up into a driveway. They were in front of a wood-framed house that had to have been built back in the 1900’s. She waited for him to open her door. When he did, she slid out of the car and followed him to the front door. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, waiting for her to enter the house first.

  The house was dark. After all, it had to be past midnight. But from what she could tell, she liked the way the house felt. It was nicely furnished. There were live plants all around the house. Two were sitting on the mantel above the fireplace on each end of the family pictures. And the house reminded her of her Nanna Edwards’s house because it smelled like cookies. “Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Darius told her. And he disappeared down the hallway. Rainy looked around, not walking any further into the house. She didn’t want Darius to think she was being nosy. But she wished she could get a better look at his new family. However, it was just too dark in the house for her to see the pictures on the walls and mantel.

  Rainy could hear voices, and she could tell his wife wasn’t happy. She heard the part about “You can’t just bring any jailbird in this house. What about the kids, Darius?” But then there were only whispers.

  Darius returned a few minutes later with a blanket and a pillow. “Come with me, Rainy,” he said and walked past her. They went behind the kitchen to what looked like a den. There were more pictures of the two boys. And now she got a good look at the two of them, and she knew without a doubt they were both Darius’s sons. They looked just like their father. But how? The oldest boy had to be Keyon’s age. Either that, or Darius wasted no time in finding a new woman after Samie’s death. Or maybe he had been with her before Samie passed away.

  Darius spoke and broke her thoughts. “Hey, the sofa isn’t that bad. I sleep on it quite a bit.”

  “Why?”

  He chuckled and said, “You know me, Rainy, I tend to piss women off. Nothing’s changed there.”

  Rainy grinned at him. �
��I’m sorry that your wife’s upset that I’m here. Maybe you should take me back to jail.”

  “She’s okay now that I explained things to her.”

  Rainy sat on the sofa. She was tired, and sleep would be welcomed. “How old are your sons?”

  “Old enough to run us both crazy. Kevin’s not too bad, but Tray is hell on wheels.” Darius grinned and shook his head. “He reminds me of you, Rainy.”

  “Why is that?”

  “He is, for sure, one of a kind. Now get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.” With that said, he leaned in and kissed her on her cheek, then he was gone. That little action made her feel warm inside.

  Rainy was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She woke up and opened her eyes, and a young woman was staring at her. And even though her hair was different, short and jet black, it was her sister. “Samie?” Rainy uttered.

  The young woman simply replied, “ Rainy.” Then tilted her head to one side, favoring their mother when she did.

  Rainy knew she was dreaming. She closed her eyes so she couldn’t see her sister anymore. It was so hard to think of her. Still so painful. She didn’t believe she would ever get over losing her and her nephew Keyon. Yes, she still had her brother Charles and his family, along with her new found sister Quinn, but they weren’t Samie.

  The sun was peeking in through the curtains, but that’s not what woke her up. It was the sound of the cartoon Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Oh, she knew the sound of that cartoon. It was her favorite when she was little. Rolling over, she saw a little boy watching TV and playing with a toy truck, making all the sound effects that go along with being a little boy. Rainy wished he would just go away. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. He must be the younger of the two. Because the other one looked older in the pictures. Rainy rolled over to face the back of the sofa, pulled the pillow from under her head, and covered her face. She was hoping to get a few more minutes of shut-eye. But that was short lived. The little boy pulled the pillow off of her face. Looking down at her, he asked, “Who are you?”