Red Thorns: Red Thorns Crew Book 1

by Hart, Rebel

  Hannah sighed. “All right. Ready when you are.”

  “When I tell you to, I need you to rattle off the password for this wifi so I can make sure everything hooks up well.”

  “I can do that.”

  I heaved the television up. “Good.”

  I heard Hannah munching on pizza as the smell of that hot honey filled the air. It was very distracting, but it only made me work quicker. I got the television hooked up with power and slipped the Roku stick into the HDMI port. I checked to make sure the power worked, and before I knew it the Roku was prompting me to sign into the wifi.

  “All right. Password time.”

  Hannah swallowed hard before she cleared her throat.

  “Capital U-lowercase o-Capital M, 9-3-4-1, underscore-lowercase c-Capital O-lowercase m.”

  I typed it in. “Well, that was complex. Let’s see if it works.”

  I watched the loading screen as the Roku did its thinking. I’d brought the DVD player just in case we needed it. But I hoped the internet was strong enough for something like this. I murmured to myself, saying a little prayer for our pizza and movie night. And when the home screen for the Roku popped up, I threw my fists into the air.

  “Victory is ours!”

  Hannah clapped her hands. “Now get over here and help me eat this food. And grab me a soda, would you?”

  I tossed her the remote. “Find something you want to watch.”

  “Just not a chick flick. I want something funny tonight. Something that’ll make us laugh so hard we’re scared of throwing our pizza back up.”

  I opened the fridge. “I hear Trevor Noah’s new standup is hysterical.”

  “Oh, Trevor Noah it is, then.”

  I plucked us both a soda from the mini-fridge, then hopped onto Hannah’s bed. And as I poured that hot honey over my first slice of pizza, I drew in a deep breath. This was it. We had a week before classes started, then we’d be well on our way to tackling our second year of college. It felt good, no longer being a freshman, a stranger on campus, always questioning things. Registration had been easier this time around. Moving in had been a breeze. Sort of. And now, I got to spend quality time with my best friend for an entire week before classes dragged us to opposite ends of campus.

  Hannah guffawed. “Oh, my God. My stomach. It hurts.”

  I had to stop eating pizza in order to take deep breaths. My gosh, this standup special really was hysterical. It almost made it hard to eat.

  Almost.

  We stuffed ourselves stupid with pizza as the comedy show wound down. And just as we started throwing things into our small trash cans, I heard loud music rolling down the hallway. The walls thudded. Lights went off. And as I saw the soft glow of ethereal colors from underneath the doorway, my eyes slid over to Hannah.

  “You know what that means,” I said.

  She grinned. “Yep. It means decorating is going to be left until tomorrow. Because the first dorm party of the semester is already under way!”

  She raced for her closet and started sifting through her clothes. The music grew closer. And closer. Until the loud music was all my brain registered. I had just enough time to put up a few music posters to offset the twinkling lights Hannah had already strung up on her end. Then I changed my pizza-covered T-shirt and slipped out of my tennis shoes. Hannah changed her outfit four separate times, giving me even more time to unpack the rest of my shirts and jam my underwear into a drawer in my dresser.

  After she was done, she swung our room door open.

  “Welcome to campus, guys. Woo hoo!”

  A random voice filled our room before a string of fake flowers descended around my head.

  “These. Are so. Cute,” Hannah yelled.

  “Whenever you’re ready, there’s drinks and some snacks. Come enjoy yourselves!”

  I nodded. “Thanks!”

  I walked over to the window and peeked down. I saw students piling into the dorm as music started pulsing below us. Each floor of the dorm was gearing up for their own party, hosting a level-by-level concoction of drinks, snacks, dancing, and decorations. Strobe lights quickly filled the room. I peeked out into the hallway and saw Hannah with her hands in the air, already dancing with a drink in her hand, enjoying her ‘not freshman’ status.

  “Come on! What are you waiting for!?” she yelled.

  Rearranging the flowers around my neck, I started for the hallway, ready to make a new memory, usher in the new college year, and hopefully shake that massive brute of a man from my mind long enough to get some sleep tonight.

  4

  Max

  “Hey, got a smoke?”

  I rolled my eyes as Benji rode up on his rust bucket of a bike.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Ah, come on, Max. You always have a pack on you.”

  “And I’m not giving you a single one.”

  Benji snickered as he parked his bike next to me. Most men didn’t dare do that. Not when I was at the helm. But he was my cousin, and he was an idiot. Booksmart, sure. But certainly not street smart. He didn’t understand how this game worked. How things were played. And as the guys smoked their cigarettes and shot the shit, I gazed across the street. At that damn dorm building.

  For the second day in a row.

  “He’s already rubbing shoulders with some girl, you know.”

  Rupert’s voice piped up behind me and Benji snickered.

  “Shouldn’t shock me one bit. What floor is she on?”

  I licked my lips. “Top floor.”

  “Wanna know a secret?”

  “No.”

  “You’re really going to like this secret, though.”

  “No.”

  Rupert smacked my upper arm with his hand. “Listen to the boy for once.”

  Benji snickered. “I’m not a damn boy. I’m older than you guys were when you pledged this damn crew.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Watch your mouth.”

  Benji shrugged. “Whatever. That’s my dorm, too.”

  Rupert barked with laughter. “Of course it is.”

  I slowly looked over at Benji as a sly smile crossed his face.

  “That’s your what?”

  He grinned. “That’s my dorm. I’m on the third floor.”

  I pointed to the girl’s building. “That one.”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  “You’re in that dorm.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “On the third floor.”

  He grinned. “Yes, siree. And you don’t know what you’re missing, either. College girls are where it’s at. They know how to have a good time, they know how to keep their feelings in check, and they’re always wanting to try new things.”

  Rupert elbowed me. “You hear that? New things.”

  “And biker guys are always new things to girls like them.”

  I sighed. “You’re not a biker guy.”

  Benji waved his hand in the air. “When I graduate, I will be. I’ll be so fraught with knowledge on business and shit like that you’ll have no choice.”

  Rupert paused. “The fuck is ‘fraught’?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Shut up, you two.”

  I felt the guys staring at me as I watched across the road. All night I’d thought of that girl. Those eyes of hers kept me awake. That ass of hers kept my fingertips tingling. I didn’t know what it was about her. Possibly her clumsiness. Possibly the innocence in her eyes. I could almost smell virgins. They had it written all over their faces. And it was cute when one pretended to be tough.

  Even cuter when they pretended not to be interested in me.

  Daddy’s girl.

  The waver of her voice as she called out her name yesterday stuck with me. How nervous she had been, yet the fight she put up. It was admirable. The strength she thought she possessed made me grin. I pulled my pack of cigarettes out from the inside pocket of my leather jacket and slipped one out of the sleeve. I heard someone already strike up a match to hold to my face when Benji’s vo
ice piped up.

  And his complaining blew out the flame in front of me.

  “The fuck? I knew you had cigs on you. Give me one.”

  I glared at him. “No.”

  “Dude.”

  “Benj.”

  “I’ll just go get my own, then.”

  I nodded. “You do that.”

  Another match struck up and I stuck the cigarette between my lips. I sucked on it until the damn thing lit, staring Benji down the entire time. No way I’d let this fucker pledge us. He had better things coming with his life. He was destined for more than we were. He deserved a nicer life than this one provided.

  I mean, I could only clean up a motorcycle gang so much.

  “Whatever,” Benji murmured.

  Rupert nudged me. “Can I get one of those?”

  I handed him the pack and my cousin scoffed.

  “Yeah. Great. Rub it in my face, you little fucker.”

  I blew smoke his way. “You wanna try that again?”

  He waved his hand in his face and the guys chuckled at him.

  “Can’t handle the smoke? Don’t ask for the cigarette.”

  “College is where you’re needed, boy. Not here.”

  “That rust bucket can’t keep up with us anyway.”

  “You get laid with that rust bucket over there?”

  Benji grumbled. “I hate you all.”

  Rupert puffed on his cigarette. “So tell us more about these college girls you meet up with.”

  Benji glared at him. “Why should I?”

  “Because the man asked you a question,” I said.

  All eyes were on me as my cousin shook his head.

  “Girls like them, they don’t have sexual boundaries. They know how to have a good time. And there’s practically a party every damn night on campus somewhere. We had a party in our dorm last night. Multi-level. There’s been talk of another one striking up around nine. But I don’t know much about that.”

  Rupert snickered. “Why not?”

  Benji paused. “Because I’ve been walking around campus to familiarize myself with what my route is.”

  Good for you. “Find out more about this party for me.”

  “I’m not part of this crew, remember? You don’t get to give me orders.”

  My eyes slowly fell to his and I narrowed them.

  “Get me more information on this party I’m going to attend.”

  My cousin grinned. “Trying to get some ass?”

  “Just go,” Rupert said.

  “All I’m saying is, this is the place to get it. Want me to check up on your girl for you?”

  I puffed smoke in his face. “Just go.”

  “Fine, whatever.”

  Benji pushed off the sidewalk with the sputtering old rust bucket I’d told him not to buy. I told him it would suck down more money than it was worth and it still wouldn't ride like he wanted it to. But my cousin was always determined to prove me wrong. I told him he couldn't pledge this crew, but no matter what I did, he always tried. Showed up randomly and tried to ride with us. Tried getting himself into trouble just to show us he was capable of defending himself. I’d had to bail that asshole out of more bullshit in his life than I had the rest of this fucking crew. I used that mindset against him, though.

  I told him he’d never get the grades in high school to go to college, and he did.

  I told him he’d never get into a university, and he did.

  I told him he’d never have the guts to do something no one else in this crew had done, and he did. He was the first one of us to go to school. To declare a degree. To make something of himself.

  And if that’s what got him away from this place, I’d keep challenging him until it got him as far away from this family as possible.

  “So you coming back for the party?” Rupert’s voice pulled me from my trance.

  “Don’t know.”

  “Oh, come on. You know you’re going to come back.”

  I shrugged. “Got shit to do.”

  “What kind of shit? Better than getting laid?”

  The guys behind me agreed with him as I puffed at the last of my cigarette.

  “We’ll see,” I said.

  I let the butt fall from my lips before I smashed it into the ground with my boot.

  “Oh, come on. You can tell us. You're coming back, aren’t you?”

  I slowly looked over at Rupert and blew the last of the smoke I had in my lungs in his face.

  “Shut up, Roop.”

  He snickered. “I love pissing you off.”

  I revved my engine before I sped off, watching Benji putter his way to his dorm with that awkward bike of his. He was a bit too big for it. Those wheels were a bit too flat. But even so, I saw how girls stared at him, licking their lips and running their eyes over him. To them, he was a prized treasure wrapped in leather, black denim, and cockiness. Which they seemed to enjoy.

  Interesting.

  No matter. There were other things to focus on before that party. And collecting our next job was one of those things. I rode down toward the main highway with the guys following me. And when our first opening came, we sped in the direction we needed to go. We turned onto the highway and weaved in and out of traffic. Horns honking. People cursing. Lights flashing.

  It made me smile, feeling the wind wrapping around my body as the people of Ann Arbor cursed at us.

  I thrust my hand into the air as we sped down the road. I twirled it around once, then gave the signal. I held up the number ‘two’ with my fingers, instructing the men to disperse, to go carry on with their days so I could do what needed to be done. It was time for us to get paid again. Time for us to bow down to the darkness we sold our souls to. I heard men darting to my left and right. I saw Rupert speed ahead of me and pop a wheelie before cruising past a police officer that flashed his lights.

  “Better run, boy,” I murmured.

  I settled in for the ride as I slowed down. I wanted to take this drive slowly, drink in the world around me. Because every job came with a risk I knew I had to take. As president of the Red Thorns motorcycle gang, it was my job to see to it that my men always went home. That they always came out of things alive. Even if it meant my own life in the process.

  It came with the territory.

  And it was a risk I was always willing to shoulder.

  The Red Thorns had been through some shit in their history. My father had established the crew after parting ways with a particularly nasty gang that used to roam these parts. He was the only man in gang history to successfully leave. Before he left, he had to endure a serious amount of ridicule and physical pain, as they burned the crew tattoo right off his back with a brand from a bonfire.

  I shivered every time I saw those scars on my father’s back.

  He’d established the crew I headed up now. But he wasn’t a fan of me trying to clean them up. My father was a ruthless man. Angry at what his former crew did to him. What they put him through. What they’d expected of him. They’d turned him into a dark man, and the irony was that he thought he was doing this world a great deal of good. He had become the kind of man he’d tried to get away from, and he didn’t even realize it.

  I saw it, though.

  And so did my older brother.

  I need to check on him soon.

  I darted down an alleyway and drew in a deep breath. I knew where I was going to pick up this job. The same place I always went. When my father had finally stepped away from the crew, he passed it onto my brother, who was three years older than me, and not very good at standing up to our father. My brother was a pushover. As strong as he was physically, Dad had a grip on him mentally. Which dove this crew into some shady shit for a very long time. But after my brother’s accident, after having the only thing he loved ripped away from him, he finally saw the light.

  Like I had years before.

  That’s how the club got passed down to me. From my father, to my older brother, to me. Family lineage, just like t
radition stated. But my father didn’t like me having control of the Red Thorns. I wasn’t as much of a pushover. I always questioned him as well as his motives, something he never enjoyed about me. It had been easier to manipulate my brother than it was me. But with my brother no longer being able to ride due to his injuries, I was the only thing the crew had.

  Since Dad was enjoying his wealth too much.

  My lungs longed for another cigarette. I pulled over and ripped my helmet off. I always needed a cigarette before going to see my father, who doled out not only our jobs, but our paychecks. Despite not being the president any longer, he still owned us. All of us. We depended on him for jobs, getting paid, and generally keeping our noses clean with the police in the area. Which was why dealing with my father was always a delicate balance. A ballet of tension and release. Pleasure and pain. My father was the ultimate sadist, and I was a dominant in waiting. Accepting my punishment before popping up and showing my father exactly who ran this show.

  I struck a match and inhaled deeply, pulling the smoke into my lungs. I felt the nicotine spread through my veins, relaxing me as I sat on the side of the road. Cars whizzed by at lightning speed. Eighty miles an hour wasn’t enough on this highway sometimes. And as my eyes looked toward the horizon, I saw it. Up on the hill. With the sun dipping below it, signaling the end of the day.

  Our owner’s mansion in the middle of his estate. Stationed on a hill for all of Ann Arbor to see.

  Like a beacon of darkness that taunted the world to come get him.

  5

  Dani

  I groaned as I lay in bed. Holy mackerel, I shouldn’t have done that party. As I lay there staring at the ceiling, I fell in and out of sleep. Instead of getting up and walking campus, or decorating the rest of my side of the room, or generally organizing things, I dozed. The smell of pizza and booze still hung in the air. The beating of the music still thudded in my ears. I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head, determined to go back to sleep. Determined to not let that morning sun wake me up since I hadn’t gone to bed until three in the morning.