“Kade,” Cobra says.
“Dixon,” Chaz states, wonderin’ if he lost his mind along with Widow.
“Kade,” Hawk speaks up.
“Hawk,” Boog states.
“Hawk,” I state, knowing Kade didn’t want to be a VP. It’s why he left Billings and came here.
“Dixon,” Kade casts his vote.
“Hawk,” Damon says, lookin’ to his sister. She’s still a full patch, so she has to vote. I see anger flash across her face before she clears her throat and replies.
“Dixon.”
Quickly I count up the votes. That’s four for me, two for Kade and three for Hawk. What in the fuck just happened?
Damon immediately looks to me. “Well, I didn’t expect this to happen. I won’t say it isn’t well deserved, though. Dixon, it’s an honor to have you by my side. Now we’ll need to cast a vote on who will be the Sgt at Arms. I nominate Widow, all in favor say aye.”
Everyone in the room says aye except Widow, “I don’t want that fuckin’ job. Just lemme beat people up when needs be.”
Damon chuckles, “That’s Boog’s job. He’s our muscle. I trust you to do this job, brother, and you’ll do it well.”
Widow is silent for a moment but nods, “Thank you for giving me the honor.”
Damon gives him a nod in response. “Alright, now let’s get this meeting wrapped up. We’re not going to act yet, but we need to be cautious. We know Titan declared war on us, but we don’t know when they plan to strike, or if. They could be licking their wounds back on the East Coast. Does anyone have anything to add?”
No one says a thing so Damon slams the gavel back down on the table.
Jesus Christ. I assumed this would be an average Wednesday.
Chapter Nine
Quiet the mind and the soul will speak
~ Buddha
Indra
Dixon and I exchanged numbers the other day and we’ve been texting back and forth a bit. I haven’t seen him again yet, but I hope I do soon. I finished my shift at the jewelry store a few hours ago and Sakura stopped by the yoga studio yesterday and asked to book a lesson with me. We’ve just finished and I’m going to take her down to the tea shop I adore.
She made a remark earlier that made me realize I met Dixon before. When Hawk came into the jewelry store to buy the engagement ring for Raven he was with him. I can’t believe I didn’t place him, but I was probably so focused on the sale I wasn’t paying any attention to the other people in the room.
“Sakura, this is my friend Tia. She owns the yoga studio.” I introduce Sakura to Tia, who’s all smiles.
“Hey, welcome. How was your first class?”
“I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I’m aching in parts I never thought I could.” Sakura laughs.
“Yeah, it’s rough on the body the first few times. After that it starts hurting less and feels more relaxing. I promise.” Tia tells her.
“Awesome. I can’t wait to come back next week. Indra did say something about going to some tea place. I could go for a cup of green.”
“Oh yes, Natalia’s shop is the best. They have such yummy treats too. I actually have to get going to teach my class, but I’m so glad you enjoyed your first time.” Tia tells Sakura, placing a hand on her shoulder before she heads up the stairs and heads to the room where her class is held.
“Who’s Natalia?” Sakura asks.
I walk alongside her, “Come with me and I’ll tell you on the way,” I grab my crossbody purse from behind the receptionist station and Sakura walks next to me as we walk out the door, heading down the block. “Natalia is one of our regular clients. She owns the tea shop. It actually doubles more as a café. She’s really big on natural remedies and health.”
“Oh, cool.”
We make our way to the shop, go inside and both put our order in. Sakura opts for an iced green tea with honey and lemon, adding a gluten free version of the Pasta D’Olio, which is gluten free pasta, garlic, olive oil, herbs and spices with a bit of cheese. I get my usual iced dragon fruit tea and grab a three-cheese panini.
I debate on whether or not I should ask Sakura this, but I really don’t like not having knowledge. One of the things that freaks me out the most is how I don’t know anything about the biker lifestyle. Hopefully, Sakura can open my eyes a bit. “I’m glad you came and took a class today, because it gives us a chance to chat one-on-one.”
Sakura smirks for a moment, “You look like you have something on your mind.”
I nod, “I do. I’m not sure how to ask this, so I’m sorry if it comes across weird but . . . I noticed something on Dixon’s vest the other day. Under his name it said Sgt at Arms. What does that mean?”
“Ah, you want to talk to me about the club?” Sakura asks, biting her bottom lip.
We’re sitting back in a corner, away from other patrons who might feel inclined to eavesdrop. “Yeah, I wanted to chat with you. Woman to woman and all.”
“Alright. Something tells me you have reservations about Dixon’s involvement with the club.”
“Yeah, but it’s only because I don’t know much about the lifestyle. Some women love the element of danger, but not me. I have a toddler, so being mixed up in something that could be risky isn’t very appealing to me.” I state. I like Dixon. As a matter of fact, I like him a lot, but I will never put Jalen’s life at risk. There’s this gut feeling deep within me that indicates the club isn’t just law-abiding citizens.
“It’s not my place to give you details about the club, Indra. I can tell you Dixon is no longer Sgt at Arms, though. He’s now the VP.”
“VP?” I question.
Sakura takes a sip of her tea, “It means he’s the Vice President. In layman’s terms he’s the second-in-command.”
“I don’t understand what that means. What is his role?”
Sakura immediately goes quiet, but Natalia walks up with our food and sets it on the table. “You ladies enjoy and let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks Natalia,” I say, watching her walk back over behind the counter.
“Indra, listen. I can’t talk about the club, not like that. If you have questions you need to ask Dixon directly. If you’re asking me as a friend what I think about them, and what they do, I’ll tell you the men and women in the Reapers are some of the most loyal individuals I’ve ever met. They protected me when they didn’t have to, but they made the choice to keep my demons at bay. I wasn’t important. They had no reason to help me, but they did. They could’ve chosen to let me deal with my own problems, but they didn’t. Do you see what I’m saying?”
I understand it very clearly. There’s some sort of unspoken code when it comes to talking to outsiders. Maybe Sakura is right. Maybe I should go straight to Dixon and tell him my reservations about the two of us getting more involved with one another. I like him so much, but I won’t put myself or my son at risk unless it’s absolutely necessary. “Yeah, I do. I’ll see if Dixon and I can meet up later so he can tell me more about the club.”
Sakura takes ahold of my hand and looks me sternly in the eyes, “Indra, they’re good people. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be associated with them.”
I only hope what Sakura says is true. By the end of the day I’ll either be walking away from Dixon, or getting closer to him.
Chapter Ten
“If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.”
~ Gurubogsa
Indra
After Sakura and I had dinner, I went back over to the yoga studio and asked Tia to watch Jalen for me. Immediately she knew I was going to see Dixon again and tried to ask me twenty questions, but I didn’t have time to answer her. He agreed to meet me with super short notice and asked where. I told him we’d meet up again at the diner if he was okay with it. He texted back about really wanting to try one of those monkey milkshakes and thanked me for asking him out on another date. It made me giggle, but then I realized he might not
like the way this date turns out.
But if this is going to end up going sideways, I’d rather do it now versus later. It’s never easy making a clean break after two people get attached. It’s messy and too many feelings are hurt in the process.
Dixon and I seem to arrive at just about the same time. He gets off his bike while I get out of my car and we both meet in front of the door. “Hey, Zen.”
Furrowing my brows together I think he’s given me a pet name. “Zen?” I question.
He nods, letting out a chuckle. “Yeah, it’s your nickname. You teach yoga, so you’re all zen and shit.”
Unable to help myself I release a cackle and Dixon opens the door to the diner for me. We both walk up to the hostess stand and Belle comes out from behind the bar. “Aw, hey guys! Go head over to the booth you were at the other day.”
“Sure thing, sweets. Can we get two of those monkey milkshakes, and some fried pickles?” Dixon asks, getting an immediate nod from Belle.
“Comin’ right up!”
We walk over to the booth and sit where we did about a week ago. “I was surprised you wanted to meet up this quickly.”
“Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to chat with you about . . .” God, there’s no easy way for me to bring this up.
“About?” Dixon questions, urging me to keep going.
Fiddling with the napkin on the table, I glance up from it, cringing in the process. “I don’t know what being in an MC means. I don’t know if it’s dangerous, if I should be worried about myself, Jalen, or you.”
Dixon immediately holds up his hand, “Whoa, wait a minute. Did you just say you were worried about me?”
I blink a few times and think about what I just said, realizing I let it slip out. Damn, now he knows how much I really like him. “Maybe I’m only wondering if I should be, like if the club is some sort of gang or something.”
“Well, damn. You’re goin’ straight for the kill. Aren’t ya?”
Sighing, I let out a deep breath. “I’m not trying to. I’m just not familiar with this Dixon. I like you and I think it’s blatantly obvious . . . but you learned on our first date how I had someone ripped out of my life. The thought of exploring this freaks me out. I’m afraid for many reasons. On one side there’s the fact this opens up my heart and makes me vulnerable again when I’ve learned to be alone with my son. On the other side, the thought of you getting hurt doesn’t settle well with me. So, I want to know about the club. And, I want you to be honest with me. I know I’m an outsider . . . but if you think anything is going to ever happen between us you need to be truthful with me.”
Dixon is quiet for a moment and nods his head lightly. Meanwhile, Belle comes up with our milkshakes and apps. “Thank you,” I say, looking up to her.
“No problem and thank you guys so much for last time. That tip was so generous. I’ve . . . I’ve never seen a tip like that before. Y’all had me crying, so thanks so much.”
I look right at Dixon and wonder what he did. He smiles widely, “It’s no problem, sweetheart. I overheard you tellin’ the cook you were in college and figured that could help ya grab some textbooks or somethin’.”
Belle pushes her lips out to the side and looks at me quickly, “I get he’s your boyfriend, but I totally have to do this.” All of a sudden she wraps her arms around Dixon, “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that helped me.”
He releases the young girl, still smiling. “Hon, don’t worry about it. I’m glad to help when I can.”
“Thank you so much. Okay, I’ll leave you two to eat and enjoy your dinner.” Belle rushes off and I crane my neck and stare at the man sitting across from me.
“How much of a tip did you give her?”
“Three-hundred bucks,” He replies nonchalantly.
“Wow. That was generous.”
“I like to help where I can. I make a good livin’, and I always have extra so . . . it seemed she could’ve used it more than me.”
“You have such a generous heart,” I mutter, letting my thoughts slip out.
“Yeah, well, my life wasn’t exactly the easiest when I was around her age. Figured I could help.”
“What do you mean?” I inquire, wanting to learn more about him.
He shakes his head, grimacing for a moment. “Ah, we won’t get into all that yet. You want to talk about the club, so we’ll get into that. What do ya wanna know?”
“Everything, because I don’t know a damn thing. I don’t know what your titles mean, what the point of an MC is. I’m clueless when it comes to your lifestyle, so please enlighten me.”
“Alright. Um, okay. So, the point of an MC— what we are is a united brotherhood. Sometimes we’re outcasts, sometimes we’ve been born into the club. For example, Kade, one of my brothers is like a prince. His dad was the Prez up in our national charter, and now his brother is the Prez there.”
I narrow my eyes in at him, “You have a brother?”
“No, I mean, yeah I do. Kade is patched into the club like me, and since we’re a brotherhood, he’s my brother. The club is family, Indra. We may come from all separate walks of life but we’re one big, dysfunctional family. Now, I’ll be honest with you. Everythin’ isn’t a field of roses. We support people who need our help, so if there’s a community problem we’ll help them out. But, if there’s a problem with another club or group of low-lives wreaking havoc we’ll handle it. You catch my drift?”
“So . . . you’re a group of vigilantes?” I’m trying to put the pieces together, but I’m afraid I’m not understanding properly.
“You make us sound more important than we actually are. Anyways, you wanna know if it’s dangerous I’ll tell you it is. But that’s the thing, anything you do in life is dangerous, Indra. I could be walkin’ across the parkin’ lot to the grocery store and a delivery truck could squish me like a bug. There’s no such thing as safety anymore, but I do my darndest to make sure I’m safe every time I go out on a run with the boys. So, titles . . .” Dixon looks down to his newly sewn on patch. The Sgt at Arms one is gone and now it says Vice President.
“These are a little trickier. I’m the VP at the club now, so I’m the second man in charge. I suppose it means I have a bit more responsibility when it comes to the club. In a political sense amongst other clubs it means I’m important, and to not piss me the fuck off.”
“Okay . . . so what did Sgt at Arms mean?”
“Ah, that meant I handled all the guns and ammunition for the club.”
Whoa. “I’ve never even touched a gun before.”
“If you ever wanna, I’ll teach ya.” He states.
“Uh . . . I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need you to show me a gun. Especially with the way the media is. Anyone who isn’t white and has a gun in their hands— instant criminal.”
Dixon looks ticked at me now, and I sit quietly as he clears his throat. “Zen, I didn’t say I’d show you the gun. I’d say I’d teach ya, as I would any woman who plans on being by my side. She’d need to know how to defend herself. Not just that, she’d have to know how to do it confidently. I’m not just some asshole who’d hand you a gun and let you be nervous with it. That’s how accidents happen.”
“Wow. I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“You could just be easy for once and tell me it’s a date.” He snickers.
“Easy?” I question, cocking a brow.
“You women, you always gotta make shit difficult. I’m just sayin’ it’d be easy if you just accepted the fact I’m gonna show ya. ‘Cause I like you Indra, and I’ll do just about anything to keep seein’ you. I don’t just want you to be confident with the guns. I want you to be confident about us too.”
Holy shit. Did that seriously just happen? Am I dreaming right now? Because that was a Prince Charming moment if I’ve ever had one.
I don’t know what takes over me, but I lean across the table and press my lips against Dixon’s. It’s not rushed, but sweeter. As quickly as I kissed him, I pu
lled away. My cheeks are flushed with warmth from my actions and I can’t help but notice the grin he’s wearing. “If you’re open to it, I’d like to take you to the club. That way you can see everything for yourself and make a decision about us, ya know, if you’re still on the fence about me.”
Chapter Eleven
And I knew in my heart there was nothing bad about this boy
~ Curiano.com
Indra
“Alright, let’s go.” I say, not even thinking about it. I’m going to do this now before I change my mind.
Dixon seems a bit surprised, “Wait, like, right now?”
I nod, “Yep. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. Didn’t think you meant tonight, but I’ll take ya.” He smiles, making me feel like there’s going to be a little bit of trouble mixed in there.
“Perfect. Let me just call Tia really quick. She’s watching Jalen.”
Dixon lifts his hips up and digs into his back pocket, pulling out two hundreds and exits the booth, “Sounds good. I’m gonna go pay Belle for our meal. Meet me outside at my bike when you’re ready.”
A nervous feeling washes over my body at the thought of riding with him on the back of his bike, but I’m also a bit excited too. While Dixon walks away, I call Tia and she answers on the third ring. “Hey, everything going okay?” She asks.
“Yeah, it’s actually going more than okay. He invited me over to his clubhouse to see what everything’s about.”
“Damn. So, you’re going right now?”
“Mhm. Figure it’s better to base my opinion on it now versus dragging it out.”
“Yeah, you’re not wrong about that. I’m really proud of you Indra, for opening yourself up like this. Not only in terms of your heart, but for taking a chance on something that I know terrifies you. Now get off the phone with me and go check this place out. I have Jalen, so he’s fine. He’s watching Cars right now and if he falls asleep, I’ll let you know.”
Mayhem: A Reapers MC Boxset Page 5