by Hazel Parker
A few years ago, when Amelia had known him, that might have been true. However, lately, Nina’s whole “innocent” thing was seeming more and more attractive to him. Maybe it was because he got to see the look on her face, that seductive combination of terror and exhilaration, every time she took a step nearer the metaphorical fire without being burned. He got to listen to her hoot and holler after every time he took her on the back of his bike, got to watch her crave more danger without needing it to survive the same way that girls like Amelia did. With Amelia, and even with Vance himself, the thrill of knowing that at any moment, everything that they’d built could come crashing down around them was a necessity for just getting up in the morning. Adrenaline was like a drug, one that he needed just to function. For Nina, it was new and exciting, but also something that she could (and should) walk away from at any given moment. She wasn’t allowing Vance to hang around because she needed him, but because she wanted him. Even though Amelia had been the one to choose a dangerous lifestyle, he’d felt more responsible for anything that happened to her because of just how dependent she was upon him. Nina hadn’t chosen any of this, but she could also shut it down whenever she wanted to. He was satisfying her rather than sustaining her, and that made him feel less like he was putting her in danger even when he brought things like this into her life.
“Alright, you want a straight answer?” Amelia finally asked, seemingly bored by chatting and probably irritated of how protective Vance was being over Nina. “The straight answer is that the reason we’re here has nothing to do with her, or with you, you jackass. It’s about boundaries.”
Vance rolled his eyes irritably. “This again?” he asked. At that, Tyson took a step forward, seemingly content to have allowed Amelia to handle her ex-boyfriend for the initial confrontation but wanting to deal with the real problems himself. He was the most senior member of their club, though not the leader, and had dealt with a lot of the issues like these over the years that he’d been a member. Vance knew that Tyson was the guy they sent to talk to people that they wanted to intimidate, but he wasn’t going to let it work.
“The boss didn’t just send us so you two could play footsies again,” he announced. “We’re here because we know you’re trying to close in on Agua Dulce, and we’re not letting it slide.” As he took a step forward to threaten him, Vance didn’t back down.
“Listen, pal,” he said, giving polite intimidation one last try, “I’ve said it before and I’m not gonna say it again—I don’t peddle product. Wherever they’re selling isn’t any of my business, and even if it was, Agua Dulce’s been Kings’ turf for years.”
“Not anymore,” Tyson corrected. “Times are changing, son.”
“Don’t call me son.”
“Territories shift to accommodate competition,” he continued as if Vance hadn’t spoken. “I think it’s time you cut your losses and just let us continue to service the community like we have been for the past eight months.”
Vance locked his jaw. “Like I said,” he reiterated, “the only problem with that is that I don’t have any control over where anybody sells. I don’t touch that shit. I just run my bar, so I don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”
“Yeah, you’re not exactly the most reliable source for that,” Jack cut in, “and I think you’re full of shit.”
“Well, I can’t really do much about that, can I? If I don’t have any control over what you’re asking for, why keep asking? Seems to me like you would want to go straight to the source.” Aces, the King’s leader and founding member, was the only person who had control over the big plans like this, though Vance did know him, they didn’t speak often, since Aces was usually pretty busy with more important business. He trusted the other Kings to handle themselves, and for the most part, they did that pretty well.
“If you don’t talk to the person who does control that shit, then we’re gonna have to give you no other choice.” Vance set his jaw angrily, adamantly refusing to stand down in the face of the threat. He knew that it wasn’t hollow—clubs that were smaller than the Kings, even if the Disciples were pretty much the second largest group of bikers in the area and had done nothing but gain control over other clubs’ selling grounds in the past few years, couldn’t really afford to make idle threats. They all knew good and well that if they exposed their underbelly for even a second, gave the Rebel Kings one Achilles heel to attack, that they’d be done for and unable to ever recover.
“You touch this motel, and we—no, I—will snuff you out so fast that you won’t know what hit you,” Vance promised in a dangerous, warning tone that he had only used a handful of times in his life. Half the reason that he played the part he did in the group, keeping track of the money and making sure that everything looked legal and stealthy, was because he didn’t like to get his hands dirty if he didn’t have to.
However, it was part of the job, Flip had told him after a few bad incidents that Vance hadn’t really ever gotten to learn about in much detail, and the price that they had to pay for a brotherhood like this was that they all agreed to stop at nothing to take care of one another. That didn’t take away the haunted look from his eyes, though, nor the flawed coping mechanisms of drinking and riding away from problems rather than facing them. The Kings were usually never directly responsible for situations where bystanders were hurt, but that didn’t mean that they hadn’t seen their fair share of tragedy. Drug deals went bad; accidents happened when new kids tried too hard to prove themselves. Even if the Kings didn’t want to hurt a fly, they did have to protect themselves, and that wasn’t always easy to do.
“You think you can touch us?” Tyson asked, turning to the others with a mocking smirk on his face. “This fucker thinks he’s gonna shove us around. Ain’t that cute?”
“I don’t care what you do,” Vance shrugged, not playing into the condescension that was supposed to boil his blood. “You’re not even on my radar. Go wherever you want, sell whatever you want. The other Kings will figure that shit out; it’s not my job. I care that you back the fuck off this motel.” Amelia huffed out a sigh, seemingly ruffled by his aloof attitude.
“He’s trying to show off for his girlfriend,” she explained. “He thinks that if he throws his weight around, that he can just keep this Cheers life where he runs the bar and gets the girl in the end.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Going soft, are you?” he teased. “Lookin’ to settle down and get a house and a lawn? Have some kids?”
Vance snarled. “Fuck no,” he snapped. “I’m not that kind of guy, and I’m not changing for anyone. That’s what she wants, and that’s why she’s got a boyfriend who’s gonna give it to her. I don’t want anything to do with that.”
“Melly’s just jealous, Jack,” Tyson accused. “Single women get weird and possessive about their exes.”
“Cops,” Amelia blurted, her previously icy tone melting into fear and anxiety. It wasn’t exactly the response that Vance had been expecting, but as soon as she said it out loud, he could hear the sirens in the distance. They were getting closer.
“They’re probably just patrolling the highway,” Vance dismissed. “They do that. Miss Sullivan’s boyfriend is a cop, so he likes to make his rounds.” Nevertheless, Jack hopped on his bike and moved it so that it was no longer suspiciously blocking Vance’s own into the space, something that would look blatantly threatening even from a drive-by patrol. To Vance’s surprise, the cop car didn’t just pass by on its way to its next destination, but slowed down as it approached the Oasis motel, pulling into the parking lot with its alarms still blaring.
“What the fuck, Vance?” Amelia demanded. “You called the fucking cops on us?”
Vance rolled his eyes. “Of course not,” he shut her down. “You think I want the law here anymore than you do?” It wasn’t good, particularly when Adam had so much potential to hate Vance, anyway, to give him fodder for thinking that he was involved in anything shady, and to be seen chatting with a group of bikers who w
ere clearly a threat to Nina’s motel was definitely incriminating. What had she been thinking, having the police come break up this meeting? If she’d been intending to go to her boyfriend, anyway, why even bother asking Vance to help her out?
Before they could continue, the door of the police car slammed shut and Vance turned casually to greet Adam, another cop, and a very stressed-looking Nina.
“Hey, Adam,” he greeted. While it wouldn’t look good to the Disciples that he was on a first name basis with the cops, he needed to protect himself first.
“Vance,” he greeted tonelessly. “Hate to break up the party.”
“No party,” Vance corrected mildly. “These are just some old friends of mine. They were in the neighborhood and heard that I’m staying near here.”
Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I bet,” he replied sarcastically. “You don’t need to defend these guys if they’re causing trouble.”
“We’re not,” Amelia interjected. It was a strategic move to have the most sympathetic, least threatening person do the talking. She was probably used to it, just as she had been when she’d been with the Kings. She eyes Nina suspiciously, but so subtly that it would have escaped Vance’s notice if he didn’t know her better. “So is there a problem with us?”
Nina stood up a little straighter. “Just thought you looked a little lost,” she replied calmly. “Figured you might benefit from some help getting out of town.”
“Kind of you,” Tyson said in a tone that sounded almost genuine. “You’re right, we are a little turned around.”
Adam’s posture slackened a little as if he were believing them. “Well, that’s no problem,” he reassured. “Do you need directions? We can show you out.”
Sensing the hidden threat behind the words, Jack and Amelia looked to Tyson, who nodded toward Adam.
“That’d be great,” he accepted, reaching for his helmet. He turned to Nina before tugging it back over his head, offering her a patient smile with a fire lurking in his eyes. “Sorry if we made you nervous, ma’am,” he apologized. She shook her head immediately, her own expression so measured that Vance assumed that she knew exactly how Tyson was trying to threaten her and wanted him to know that it wasn’t going to work. He cheered her on internally as she smiled.
“Not at all,” she replied. “If you ever need a place to sleep, the door is open.”
Nina had a tendency to weaponize kindness in that way, to show that she wasn’t afraid to let someone into her life because she knew that she could handle whatever they’d bring. He admired that about her, even if he wasn’t sure whether he shared her confidence in herself. Perhaps she just didn’t know what a storm she had coming.
Chapter 18: Nina
As Adam hopped back into his car to lead the Disciples out of town, Vance turned to Nina expectantly.
“So,” he began, “what happened to letting me handle this?”
Her face turned red in embarrassment and she looked guilty. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I ran into Adam while I was out and I had to tell him something. I texted you a heads up as soon as I could.”
Vance took his phone out of his pocket and read her text, but it didn’t make him any less upset.
“They think I called the cops,” he told her. “That’s not good, Nina. That kind of shit gets around. Once somebody gets a reputation as a rat, it’s hard to shake. Even the Kings are going to have questions about it.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I wasn’t expecting to see Adam at the mall. I couldn’t not talk to him.”
“You could have lied,” Vance suggested. “Told him that you were out running an errand or something.”
Though Nina had thought of that herself, of course, the assertion from Vance came across much less kindly.
“Adam is my boyfriend,” she reminded him. “I’m not going to make up a lie to explain away things I don’t want to tell him.”
“Why not?” Vance asked. “Couples do it all the time.”
“Not healthy couples.”
Vance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and you two are doing great,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up indignantly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Vance huffed. “Just that one white lie isn’t going to break you two up unless it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. If you’re really doing good together, you didn’t have to tell him.”
At that, Nina felt her whole face heat up in anger. “Do you have any idea how deluded you sound?” she asked. “I’m serious. You think it’s okay to lie to your partner as long as your relationship is going well?”
“No,” he corrected. “I just think that couples who trust each other can afford to have secrets without driving the other person crazy.”
She hated being able to see where he was coming from, even if she still thought that he was absolutely insane, and she hated even more that she agreed. She’d told the truth not because she didn’t want to lie to Adam, but because she knew that if she’d been caught in a lie, that their relationship wouldn’t have survived it. If she’d told him that she didn’t want to talk about it, he’d have pressured her into telling him everything. That was because Adam was nosy, not because he cared. He liked being in charge, and if there were plans that he didn’t know about, it made him angry.
“That’s bullshit,” she insisted once more, not wanting to elaborate because she didn’t really know what she’d even say. There was no way that she was going to tell him he was right, so she’d just have to stick with being angry for the time being. However, Vance didn’t seem to be buying it, because the little shrug of his shoulders betrayed a sort of cocky gloating that made her cheeks turn hot with fury that she couldn’t even articulate to him.
“Whatever you say, Red,” he caved with a smile. He sat back down on the seat of his bike without another word and reaching into his pocket for a cigarette and a lighter.
In the quiet of midday, Nina had a chance to finally process what had gone on earlier, and dread washed over her. If Vance wasn’t a good guy and even he didn’t trust these bikers, what kind of danger were she and the motel really in? She had so much to lose and only a tenuous grasp on what she already had. If they threatened her, really came in hard and pulled out all the stops to ruin her business—she knew that there was really nothing that she could do. She could be belly-up in a matter of weeks if someone was trying their hardest to ensure that happened.
“Vance,” she sighed, not sure how she wanted to finish that sentence. He glanced over at her as he lit his cigarette, his dark brown eyes illuminated by the flame of the lighter.
“You want one?” he asked, and though she hadn’t smoked a cigarette a day in her life, she nodded. She’d always seen her auntie leave stressful conversations with the excuse of “needing a smoke,” so she’d assumed that they had a calming effect. Nina could definitely use some calm right now.
She reached up for the proffered cigarette, the one that Vance had already lit in his mouth, and held it between her finger and her thumb. Vance shot her an amused, questioning look at the posture, so she quickly adjusted her grip on the thing to mirror his own, holding it gently between her pointer and middle fingers.
“You’ve never done this, have you?” he accused.
She laughed lightly. “Is it that obvious?” Vance nodded.
“You’re holding it like it’s gonna bite you. Choke up a little.” However, as soon as the advice had left his lips, he shook his head as if to clear it. “What the fuck am I even saying; give me that,” he demanded. “It’s a bad habit that you don’t need to get into.”
Nina didn’t hand the cigarette back. “Maybe I need some bad habits,” she admitted, “if they make me feel good. I could stand to feel a little better than I do, sometimes.”
Vance seemed to consider that. “Well, I guess out of all the vices you could pick, this one isn’t the worst,” he finally said. “But, I have somethin
g a little more immediate that I think you might be interested in.”
Nina’s mind ran rampant with panic as Vance stood up from his bike, handed her his cigarette to hold, and unlocked the door to his motel. Was he going to give her drugs? “Immediate,” what could that mean? Pot? Heroin? She knew that Vance’s business wasn’t strictly legal, but he’d never once struck her as a drug user. All at once, she regretted even allowing him to stay in her motel for this long without really knowing anything about him—until he came out of the room holding a little box of chocolate.
“This,” he said, “is the best chocolate you’ll ever have. I guarantee it.” She laughed out loud, more than she had in a long time, both with relief and the ridiculousness of her assumption. Time and time again, Vance proved himself to be nothing but good to her, even if he himself wasn’t good. It made every gesture, every little thing that he did to care for her or to protect her, feel even more meaningful and rare. He made her feel special.
“Strong words, Vance,” she teased, holding out her hand as he took his own cigarette back and put it between his lips, then took hers from her other hand and snubbed it out in the pavement.
“I’ll clean that up,” he promised with a glint of humor in his eyes. “I know how you feel about cigarette butts in the parking lot.” She opened her hand for the truffle, but he shook his head, instead opting to bring it straight to her mouth. Nina took a bite and her eyes widened in surprise as she hummed delightedly.
“You weren’t lying,” she praised once she’d swallowed the entire bite. “That’s really good.”
He nodded, taking a small bite of the other half before giving the rest to Nina. Neither of them said a word as they waited for the chocolate to melt in their mouths, feeling that chewing it would be a crime. He folded the little cardboard box in half and set Nina’s burned-out cigarette inside—he’d given her his last one.