I gulp, looking down in my lap before lifting my gaze back up to his. “Are you trying to tell me that he did that for a reason?” I ask.
Snake snorts. “Bitch, he did that for you. I would have tortured the cunt, if I thought that she had a hand in shooting my brothers, almost shooting their women, and putting my goddamn family in danger. I wouldn’t have hesitated to torture the cunt.”
“For me?” I ask. “No, he did what he did for the club.”
Snake leans back in his chair, his lips forming a thin line, his jaw clenched. “I am not going to counsel you on relationship shit. All I’m going to say is that if you fuck with his mind anymore, I will not blink before feeding you to the wolves. You are dismissed.”
I stare at him for a beat, blinking a couple times before I stand to my feet. My entire body trembles from his words. I have no doubt that he will do exactly what he’s threatening, no, promising. Leaving Snake’s office, I don’t try to defend any of my actions or feelings. I don’t tell him that I love Houston.
There’s no point to it. Like he said, he’s not my counselor. He is, however, looking out for his brother, and I have been mind-fucking him. I know that I have, I just can’t stop myself, I’m doing it to my damn self too.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HOUSTON
I chose to patrol the grounds, rather than stay inside of the clubhouse with the women and children. Everyone was gathered late last night and transported by van through the back of the property, with as few members’ knowledge as possible. We had emergency church this morning where Snake explained everything to us.
Fucking shit. He has no clue who has done this, and Keys is our tech guy. He’s fucking in a goddamn medically induced coma. Scrubbing my hand down my face, I pace my section of the perimeter. We all have small sections that we’re watching out for. I’m as far away from the clubhouse as possible.
“Houston,” a voice calls out from the woods.
Frowning, I walk a little closer to the sounds. I blink at the sight in front of me. It’s little Lea, Gracie and Skinner’s teenager. She’s standing in the woods, wearing a dress too fucking short for her own goddamn good.
“What the fuck?” I ask. She shifts from foot to foot. “Your parents don’t know you’re out here,” I point out.
She shakes her head. “I snuck out after everyone settled in last night.”
I blink, unsure that I’ve actually heard her correctly. “You’re thirteen,” I point out.
“Fourteen,” she snaps, squaring her shoulders.
Frowning, I look down at her. “Don’t give much of a fuck about a year’s difference. But, girl, where the fuck you been all night.”
“I think I’m in trouble,” she whispers.
“No fuckin’ shit, but explain your troubles, girl.”
She looks from side to side, her eyes watering when they connect with mine again. She presses her lips together, then lets out a sigh. “He told me that he liked me. I thought, I thought he really did.”
I grunt, picturing some punk assed kid getting handsy with Lea and my blood begins to boil. I don't speak, waiting for her to continue, trying to keep my anger at bay. That anger doesn't stay at bay though, it turns into white-hot fucking rage by the time she's finished.
Reaching out to her, I wrap my hand around her bicep and I march her toward the clubhouse. No, I drag the little girl behind me, I’m so goddamn pissed the fuck off. She cries out, but I ignore her fuckin’ ass. She’s lucky she’s not bent over my fuckin’ knee getting her ass beat right about now.
Walking into the clubhouse, I find Snake’s gaze and lift my chin toward his office. I hear Gracie gasp in the background as I continue walking toward the office. Tossing the girl inside, I take a step inside as well. She’s standing in the middle of the room, her angry eyes filled with tears and narrowed on me.
“Sit your ass down,” I bark. She shakes her head, crossing her arms across her chest. “It wasn’t a fucking option. Sit your goddamn ass down,” I growl. She quickly sits in one of the chairs that is across from Snake’s desk.
“What in the actual fuck is going on. Why are you manhandling her?” Skinner roars, walking into the room.
“You’ll see,” I grunt.
Baby is close behind Skinner, and I’m not surprised he’s made his way into the room. I don’t know what’s up with the two of them, I’m sure it’s not healthy and he’ll probably get shot in the head if anyone knew what he was thinking when it came to the girl, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that Snake and the rest of the men hear her little story.
“You better do some fast fucking talking with the way you dragged that girl through the clubhouse,” Snake shouts after he slams the door closed behind him.
“Lea,” I say, dipping my chin.
She looks up at me, causing me to smirk, if looks could kill she’d had me long gone and buried. “I’m fucking waiting,” Skinner growls.
“I just wanted to have some fun,” she pouts, looking at her hands in her lap. The room is silent, waiting for the girl to continue. “He said it was just a small party, nothing too crazy.”
“A party,” Baby grumbles behind me.
Lea nods. “A party. I didn’t know,” she whispers.
“What didn’t you know?” Skinner asks.
Her watery gaze lifts to Skinner. I feel bad for the girl, I really do, but Christ did she fuck up, epically. “I didn’t know that they were the La Foule,” she whispers.
“Fuck,” Snake hisses.
“You’re shittin’ me,” Baby barks.
“Christ Lea, what have you done?” Skinner rounds out the surprise.
Her bottom lip trembles, tears finally fall from her eyes and she shakes her head almost violently. “I didn’t know, but they did. They knew who I was. He knew. He asked if I thought it was sexy the way he made himself known. He asked me if you were all impressed. Then he told me…” Her words trail off.
“Finish, Lea,” I gently prod.
Her shoulders start to move up and down with her sobbing. “He told me that they were going to take over everything. They were going to be in charge and you wouldn’t be able to stop them. They are going to rule. They said they had some big people backing them.”
“I’ll just fuckin’ bet,” Snake grunts.
“He touch you?” Baby asks.
Lea closes her eyes, her entire face turning white. “He touched you,” Baby rasps. “What’s his name?”
“He went by Règle.”
Skinner wraps his fingers around her bicep, much gentler than I did, and tugs her to her feet. We watch in silence as he guides her out of the room. A few seconds later Free and Crooner enter. Snake catches them up on what’s just transpired.
“This group, they white supremacists?” I ask.
Snake shrugs. “I don’t know much about them. Far as I know, it’s a group of punk ass kids who loot, distribute, and wave guns around. I never thought they’d attempt to fuck with us.”
“They did, and now they’ve bought themselves a whole heap of trouble,” I point out.
Free clears his throat, we turn to him and he shakes his head. “They don’t care. Been keeping my eye on their movements for a while now. I hoped they would steer clear, mainly because I didn’t want to deal with them,” he says. “They’re trouble. Not in the way we’re used to, but in a way we aren’t. They’re dangerous because young boys are not only fearless, they’re dispensable. They constantly recruit. When one dies, four more replace him.”
“Fuck,” Snake hisses.
“They will be powerful, if allowed.”
Placing my hands on my hips, I stand with my legs spread. Between offing Melodie and Brent, then now this, the whole situation just keeps getting fucking worse every goddamn day. “How do we stop them?”
“At the source. These kids are not in charge, but someone is, someone who has the know-how of running a gang. They aren’t just running around the streets, they’re fucking organized
,” Free says.
“Church in five,” Snake shouts.
ROXANNE
I watch Lea being dragged into Snake’s office, then leaving a few moments later with Skinner. Glancing over to Gracie I watch as she takes off after the two of them, presumably to find out what’s just happened.
“Fuck,” Traci grunts. Looking over to her, I tilt my head to the side in question. “Lea was brought in last night. No way was she allowed outside, and your man dragged her in the way that he did, shit is going down. That girl caused some trouble if I were going to make a guess.”
“Lea? She seems so sweet,” I mutter.
Traci shakes her head. “That girl is all kinds of teenage messed up. She’s wild.”
I bite the corner of my lip. I was wild too, but she couldn’t be like me, no way. She’s just a normal teenager. I don’t know what normal really is, but I’ve heard of people talking about their teenagers being monsters, so I assume that’s all this is. Some acting out and angst.
The problem is, we had a shootout here yesterday, one that almost claimed one of the Notorious Devils’ men. This isn’t just some harmless teen acting out, if she was involved, this could be so much more.
The men begin filing out of the office, and I keep my gaze glued to the hall, waiting for another glimpse of Houston. He doesn’t disappoint me. My mouth waters at the sight of him. His hair is disheveled, his eyes a little wild as they scan the room. They land on me and I swear he breathes a sigh of relief, or maybe I just imagine that he does.
He walks over to the bar and orders a drink. I watch the bartender pour the liquid into a shot glass and he shoots it down. His throat works the liquid, his arm flexes as he brings another shot up to his lips. I’m unable to take my eyes off of him.
A woman walks up to him. I don’t recognize her, but I know exactly what she is. She’s a whore. She reaches up, wrapping her hand around his wrist. My blood boils at the sight. He tilts his head to look down at her, and just when I expect him to shake her off, he smiles. He fucking smiles at her.
She presses her tits against his bicep, and he doesn’t push her away, no, his arm slips around her waist. My stomach twists at the sight. I feel hot all over, and sick, so fucking sick.
“It’s what you wanted, right?” a voice asks.
Tearing my eyes from the scene, I look back to see Snake standing next to me. My eyes move back over to Houston and I wish that they didn’t. He’s got his mouth against her ear, whispering something to her. It must be good because her eyelids close slowly and her mouth parts.
“No, I mean, yes. No, not with a whore, with a nice woman who would give him a family,” I admit, hating every single word that comes out of my mouth.
Snake snorts. “You can’t choose who he fucks, if you ain’t the one he’s fuckin’ anymore. It’s your choice, right? You didn’t want him.”
“I do want him, that’s why I’m letting him be free.”
“As long as it’s with someone you think is good enough for him?” he asks.
Turning away from Houston and his whore, I look back up to Snake. My eyes narrow. “I didn’t say that,” I point out.
“You didn’t have to. It’s obvious you don’t want Dimples all over him. I happen to know that she’s a nice girl, just got stuck with some shit luck. She’d make a good Old Lady. She’s young, too. Give him a lot of those babies you’re adamant he wants.”
“How do you know so much about her?” I ask, lifting a brow.
Snake laughs. “Man who was a hang around left her here with nothin’. We took her in. She’s only a kid. I looked into her background myself, interviewed her before I allowed her to stay,” he explains.
“And what? You thought by that one interview she’d make someone a good little wifey?” I snap.
Snake clears his throat. “I’d allow her into the fold if someone wanted to mark her as theirs. What I wouldn’t do is string someone along, make him miserable for months, then do it all over again. You’re either with him or you’re not. Stop with the games, Roxie, you’re better than that. Smarter too.”
He leaves me alone, speechless, and a bit stung. Turning back to Houston and the whore, my heart aches immediately. She’s snuggled up close to him, but he has his eyes on me. He isn’t looking at me to show off the little piece at his side. No, he looks concerned, heartbroken, and worried. He looks like a man who has been broken, and I’m the person who did the breaking.
I muster a grin, and give him a wave, attempting not to act affected. I am. My heart is being ripped into a billion little pieces, if I thought it was broken before, I was so very wrong. He tips his head down, brushing his lips across the whore’s forehead then pushes off of the bar. He, along with all of the other men, file out of the bar and into another room.
I’m too busy watching him to notice someone else has joined my side. “I know he loves you, and you him,” a voice says softly. Tilting my head, I see the whore at my side. I blink, then nod, because I do love him. “He’s been trying to get over you. Just leave. Leave now, and leave him alone,” she says.
“I will, after this, I will,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “You’re missing me. Leave now.” Her voice goes a bit darker, maybe even deeper.
“It’s not safe,” I point out.
She lifts her hand, extending her finger and points at the center of my chest. “It’s not safe because they want you. Nobody else will do. If you give them what they want, then the rest of us can go on with our lives.”
“How do you know? What do you know?” I ask, narrowing my gaze.
She smirks. “I know more than you could ever imagine, but that’s a totally different story. Let the man be comforted by me. He can’t move on with you here darkening his door with all of your crazy fucking drama.”
Clearing my throat, I take a step back. “Why don’t you worry about yourself, and your job,” I sneer. “Leave the adults alone, little girl.”
Her hand flies to her hip, her head tilts to the side, she gives me a pure evil smile. “Listen, you old raggedy bitch. You leave, or I’ll make you leave. Either way, your head doesn’t rest in Notorious Devils’ territory.”
I let out a bark of laughter. It’s loud and maniacal, it draws attention which is exactly what I want. “I’m not going anywhere. Whoever is part of this shit, it’s going to come out. I have a feeling there will be some ass saving and finger-pointing, and some of it will come your way. So, little girl, you need to get the fuck out of my face. You are not in charge, you are not an Old Lady, and you will not make threats against me.”
She lets out her own laugh, it’s got a slight tremble, showing her fear, but she attempts to hide it.
“What’s happening here?” Houston asks. “I forgot my phone at the bar, I come out and you two are practically in a girl fight.”
Dimples turns to him, but I speak first. “She’s threatening me. She’s involved in the shooting yesterday and the call about me, I know that she is,” I call out.
“Now, Roxanne…” he begins.
I know he’s going to be a condescending ass to me, and I probably deserve it, but not about this. Not when I know that this bitch is up to something, she is involved in something.
“Tanner, you have to believe me,” I beg.
He shakes his head. “You change your mind about us, or is all this a jealousy thing?”
“It has nothing to do with us, Tanner, you have to believe me, she’s involved in all of this,” I plead and beg for him to listen to me—to hear me.
“You need to go. You can have my bed until we get this situation under control, but we’re done, and I don’t want to be around you,” he says, turning away from me.
“Tanner…” I call out.
He freezes, turns his head, and his eyes, they’re hard as he looks at me, but he doesn’t see me, he’s looking through me and my entire body aches.
“To you, I’m Houston.”
He turns around, walking away without another glance b
ack. As final as his bedroom door this morning, this is even more so. We are done. No, that’s not true. I pushed him away, and now he is done. It’s all my fault, every fucking step he takes away from me is my fault.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HOUSTON
I shouldn’t have been so mean to Roxie. She didn’t deserve that. She’s lost her new friend from my own bullet. She’s lost her home and she’s lost just about everything, except Carson. She thinks she’s lost me, but she hasn’t, she never could.
I can’t continue to pant after her like some lovesick pussy anymore, though. I have to keep her at arm’s length, or I’ll continue to let her in, continue to let her fuck me, continue to love her.
Sitting in church, I listen to Snake, then Free, talk about the La Foule, what little he knows about them. They’ve been taking over smaller gangs all over the area, but for the most part, leaving the bigger ones alone. They’re young, dumb, and fucking violent. They also have a larger group as their backers, but nobody knows who they are.
“Any chance they’re the Aryans?” I ask.
Free shakes his head. “Maybe if they merged with someone else. But we’ve disassembled too many of their compounds for it to be them.”
“Who else could it be. We have no beefs with anyone else. I refuse to think that this is just some punks trying to take over the club,” Baby says.
Snake lifts his hand scrubbing his palm down his face in frustration. We have a man in the hospital fighting for his life. Several others that have shed blood, and no goddamn answers.”
“Keys found all those notes about women, dead, alive, unbreedable, could they be in with some other club and pimping them? What about the Big Sky group, they just disappeared. We killed Skull, but everyone else from that club vanished. Combine them with some Aryans that got away, they’d have the know-how,” Crooner grunts.
Twisted with Chaos: A CASH BAR NOVEL Page 12