Trembling from head to foot, I toss back more beer.
“What’s he like?” A feminine voice sounds up from behind me and I spill half my beer jumping out of my skin before I turn to face her.
“Sorry,” she laughs lightly. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Must be your first time here.”
“It is,” I take her in. She looks to be my age and has jet black hair with purple tips. She’s dressed in black from head to boot, a silver and black raven wing’s necklace resting in her ample cleavage. “Are you asking about Sean?”
She’s exotically beautiful and jealousy simmers through me to the point that I can’t help my question. “Why?”
She takes a step toward me, hesitation clear as she lifts light brown eyes to mine. “Sorry, I guess that was weird to ask his…girlfriend?”
She wants Sean, and she’s brazenly telling me within seconds of meeting me. Is that how this works? An even better question is would he be interested to know about her?
“I don’t know…what we are.” I take a sip of my beer. “We’re new.”
“Hard to know what you are with any of these assholes unless you get winged,” she sighs. She glances at my cup. “You’re out. Let’s get another one.”
I never used to drink, not like this. I blame the new men in my life and the nerves associated with them. She nods toward the guy minding the keg as we walk the few steps to get to him and hand him our cups.
“I’m Alicia.”
“Cecelia.” She’s taller than me by a few inches, definitely not a girl any male eye would pass over. She sizes me up just as carefully. “Did you come with anyone?”
“My brother,” she supplies. “We’re Virginia.”
“Oh.” Not from Virginia, no, she claimed a whole state.
“Dominic’s never brought…neither of them have ever brought a girl here. I thought you came with Dom, so I wasn’t sure which one you were with?”
I fumble with my reply because I don’t know exactly how to answer. And I decide I’m not going to. She smiles and does me a solid by taking the question off the table, so I do her one back, even with the lingering sting of jealousy.
“Sean is kind, considerate, smart, so smart, caring, sexy, funny, protective.” And mine.
“I thought as much,” she blows out a breath, pushing her waist-length dark hair away from her shoulder. The woman has the most beautiful head of hair I’ve ever seen.
“So, you’ve got a thing for him, huh?”
I’m graced with an apologetic grin. “He used to come to Virginia a lot when I was younger. I never said a word to him, but yeah, I guess you could say I do. Hope that doesn’t piss you off.”
It does, to a degree. But she’s being honest.
“He’s also bluntly honest, like you.”
“Yeah?” She smiles.
“But, I am with him.”
She nods. “I’ll back off. I just…he’s perfect, but you know that. Dominic too. But he scares the shit out of me.”
Me too. But in the way I can’t get enough of him.
“Yeah, they’re…hard to describe.”
“So, come on, girl,” she nudges me with her elbow, “what exactly did you do to get in that car?”
Fucked them both on a float. I cringe at my vulgar thought and burst out laughing despite it.
Who in the hell am I? Alicia gives me an odd look.
“Sorry, it’s been an interesting week. I met Sean at work and we all just started hanging out.”
“If my brother wasn’t such a dick, I could too.”
“Overprotective, eh?”
“Yeah, to the point I might kill him in his sleep.”
“Have you been to many of these?”
“This is my fourth.” She rolls her eyes. “Twenty years old and I still have to ask my brother to play with him and his friends.”
“So, what is the meetup about?”
She shrugs. “It’s just a party.”
I harrumph. Third time is not the charm.
“You don’t find it odd that every one of these men has the same tattoo?”
She lifts a shoulder, her face impassive. “Not at all.”
“Please, please tell me what I’m missing.”
She frowns. “You don’t know anything?”
“No. Is this a gang?”
She squelches her laughter after gauging my expression. “No, not like that. But if they were to bust us right now, I’m sure half of these assholes would serve time.”
“For?”
“Their crimes.”
Questions and evasive answers. It’s becoming an infuriating pattern and I can see she’s sympathetic. I go at her at a different angle.
“So why do you come here?”
“Because I believe in this.”
“And this is?”
“A party.”
Annoyed, I glance around and look for a sign of either Sean or Dominic and come up empty. The longer I look around, the less faces I recognize. My garage guys are also nowhere in sight.
She sees my panic and does her best to study me. “You have nothing to be afraid of. This is just a meetup. It happens once or twice a month.”
“Like Masons?”
She nods sharply. “Sure. Like a club.”
“But you can’t tell me about the club? Like rule number one of Fight Club?”
“What’s that?”
“A movie,” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “Never mind, so this is a club?”
“Sure, and I guess you could say this is the clubhouse.”
“So that necklace…”
“Means I belong to someone or am with someone in the club.” She grimaces. “Right now, it’s my brother.”
“So, who is the leader?”
“There’s no leader at a party.”
“I thought this was a club?” I counter.
“A club party.”
More evasion, another thousand questions popping up that I have no doubt will go unanswered.
“This is so weird,” I mutter as an outburst of laughter sounds behind us.
“I thought so too, at first.”
“And now?”
She shrugs, pulling a joint from thin air and lighting it. “It’s a way of life.” She exhales a plume of smoke and offers it to me.
“No thanks.”
“Sure? It’s going to be a long night.”
“Yeah.”
I need to keep my wits about me. What in the hell am I doing here? The question spins in my head constantly as I survey the party. Alicia walks with me as we talk in circles and I get nowhere with answers until commotion breaks out on the other side of the fire. We both strain to search for the reason around the volcanic flames. A second later, we hear the roll of engines.
“Shit, this should be interesting. Come on,” she grabs my arm and I allow her to drag me to the other side of the circle to see Dominic’s Camaro roar to life along with two other waiting cars. “One of them belongs to one of the Miami crew, the other is Tallahassee’s ride,” she continues on. Sean appears at Dominic’s side as they exchange words and Dom gets a clap on the back from Sean before he steps away and starts his own car.
“Where are they going?”
“To play tag.”
“Like a race? On these roads?” I turn to see Sean searching the party for me behind the wheel before his eyes land on the two of us. I hear the stutter of Alicia’s breath as he looks from me to her, and I know she’s got it bad. The smile he casts in our direction lights me up, and I know I do too. And I’m not sharing him.
Even if these weird-ass men belong to a strange club held in the backwoods of Bumfuck, Nowhere.
“So, what’s going to happen?”
“They’ll race.”
“And then?”
“One will come back the winner.”
Catcalls and whistles sound out as they collectively pull out, engines gunning as they make their way toward the road. The now-familiar rumble stirs so
mething within me. It’s as if new code is being embedded into my genetic makeup. An image of Sean hovering over me the first night we were together flashes through my mind, along with the stolen minutes Dominic and I shared tonight.
“Anyone ever died?” I ask, the blood draining from my face.
“Twice. But that was years ago before the rules changed.”
Years. I wonder how long this has been going on. Unease slithers through me as I focus on at the fading taillights.
And then I hear it, the tell-tale signs, engines roaring in the distance. They’re racing. A part of me wishes I was inside that car with Dominic. But mostly, I’m terrified. Sean’s more careful, but Dominic is fearless with his driving, dangerously so.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be back,” Alicia speaks up from beside me.
“Let me have that joint,” I say, hoping it will calm my nerves. She laughs and passes it to me, and I inhale deep.
Ten minutes later, the sound of an engine has us all craning our heads. Dominic is the first to enter and the bodies around us roar with cheers.
“He won,” Alicia lifts her beer toward him in salute.
“Of course he did.”
He’s hell on wheels and tonight he represents his name well, a king amongst the masses crowding around his car. Pride fills me as I watch him, knowing tonight was the start of something between us. I move to go to him, but the second he’s parked, he’s out of the car, pushing those congratulating him out of the way to inspect the body, a string of curses erupting from him. Miami comes idling in next, and the second the driver is stopped, Dominic flies towards him, meeting him at his door. Emerging from the car, the Miami driver smiles in a way that makes my stomach roll. A moment later Dominic wipes it off his face with his fist.
“Oh, shit,” Alicia says next to me.
Sean speeds in sideways, barely stopped before he’s flying out of his car and stalking over to where Dominic is unleashing hell. Tallahassee trails in last, the side of the car caved in as it comes into view under the firelight, wheels wobbling, smoke billowing out of the hood. The driver gets out, a crocodile smile in place as he watches Dominic beat the ever-loving shit out of the Miami driver. Everyone at the party stands by, watching, including Sean, for several punches before he moves forward, barking at Dominic to stop. I can’t help myself. I move closer to hear the exchange as Miami finally steps up in defense.
“Ease up, Dom.” The guy Sean informally introduced as Andre says, moving in. His expression puts me on edge. These men are dangerous, and as I survey the faces of most of the onlookers, I see amusement. They’re clearly desensitized by what’s playing out in front of them, which instills some fear in me. I’ve never bore witness to this type of raw violence. Not only that but by a man who less than an hour ago was lighting my body on fire with tender touches.
Though a little fearful, a foreign but carnal desire begins to course through me as I watch him destroy his opponent. Dominic delivers one last punch and the guy goes down, landing limp at his feet.
Dom steps away, his power rolling like a tidal wave over the crowd as he addresses everyone within feet of where he stands. “Happy to fucking address any objections.”
Andre jerks his head and two of the guys behind him lift what’s left of the guy on the ground.
Dominic’s livid gaze follows him. “You do that again, you’re out,” he barks as the guy spits out a mouthful of blood. Dom’s hand is dripping with it, and I push through the crowd to get to him as Sean speaks up.
“Ease up, man,” he mutters just as I reach them.
“Fuck him,” Dominic snaps, his rage-filled posture challenging everyone within feet of him.
“You’ve made your point,” Sean takes his place by his side.
Dominic looks over to where Tallahassee stands, surveying the damage to his car. “You all right, man?”
He nods as I reach Dominic, lifting his hand to inspect it. He jerks away from my touch, turning on a dime and rears back, fist drawn. He drops it once he sees my face, which drains of all blood when I witness up close, the rage in his eyes.
“I’m good,” he snaps, jerking away from me and I back away, right into Sean’s chest just as he hooks a hand around my waist. “Let him cool off, baby.”
I nod as Sean pulls me to his side and glance over his tense frame, scanning for Alicia in the crowd, but she’s disappeared. “Let’s go,” Sean prompts, tugging me in the direction of his Nova.
My gaze flits back to where Dominic stands, his chest heaving, his eyes frighteningly feral before he stalks out of sight.
“He’s good,” Sean assures before he whisks me into his car and in seconds, we’re back on the dark road, the eerie quiet a stark contrast to the party we just left. If I hadn’t have been there, I would have thought I’d imagined it.
“You’re pissed,” he speaks up as tension grows in the cabin. I am angry, but these men make it impossible to rationalize a functional line of hard limits and remain sane while doing it. But in choosing my battles, this one I’m not backing down from. I’m done with all the mystery.
“First of all, you left me at a party where I hardly knew anyone.”
“I knew enough people to know you were safe, safer than you are locked up all alone in your house.”
“Whatever. Second, you went racing—racing—in the middle of the mountains at night.”
He grins. “Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s fucking dangerous and stupid. Look what just happened.”
“I love that you care.”
“Don’t smile at me all sexy.”
His grin only grows as he checks his rearview.
“Third, what the hell is all this?”
He expels a breath.
“And don’t you dare tell me it was a party, or you can lose my number.”
He flicks his gaze on me, and it’s unforgiving. I’ve just pissed him off. Good.
“What is this, Sean?”
“It’s your explanation.”
I focus on the beam of the headlights as I sift through my thoughts.
The phone rule, his dealbreaker. The secrecy. The omissions and half-truths. The subtle hints he’s been giving me since the day we met. This is what he’s been hiding, and I still have more questions than answers. It’s not enough.
“Then explain.”
“I just did.”
“You have to know how infuriating this is.”
“Trust me, I do.”
“Yet, you won’t give me anything.”
He glances my way. “Let me guess, you asked around tonight and got no answers.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because that’s how it is.”
“So that’s what this is…like a secret society? Like the masons or some shit?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Take me home.”
He chuckles. “I am.”
“And then lose my number.”
His smile disappears as his fingers tighten on the top of the wheel. “If that’s what you want.”
“I want the fucking truth!”
“You’re getting it,” he says calmly, “you just don’t like what I’m telling you.”
“Because it makes no sense!”
“It makes perfect sense.”
A minute or two of silence follows before he finally speaks up.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
“Too quick to answer,” he snaps. “I mean really keep a secret. Can you think of secrets that you’ll take to your grave, that you’ve never confided in anyone, ever?”
“I have a few, yeah.”
“And how do you go about doing that?”
“By never talking about it. Or thinking about it. Acting like it never happened.”
“Exactly, I can’t give you specifics on a history that doesn’t exist. I can’t give you rules and details or dates about things that never fucking happened.”
“So, all of those pe
ople back there?”
“Can keep a secret. Nothing about that party, and no one in attendance can tell you who was there or what went down because it never happened.” He goes quiet for long minutes and I know it’s because he’s trying to find his words. He darts his gaze my way. “Masons have walls, out here, it’s tree lines. So, when you asked me what tonight was. I told you the truth. It was a fucking party. When you asked what we do, the answer is nothing.”
“Unless I’m in on the secret. And even then, nothing ever happened?”
My answer is silence, but I’m starting to think that silence may be admission.
“So why even show this to me? Why not leave me clueless like the rest of the world?”
“Because you’re with me.” Simple. To the point. And if I want to be with him, I have to be willing to be in on his future secrets. He chances another quick look at me. “It’s going to be your decision.”
“And what if I don’t want to be in on it?”
“No choice tonight,” he says, gunning the gas. He checks his rearview again and I turn and see blue lights flash from a side road behind us before turning our way. “Hold on,” he says as I turn to face him in the seat.
“You’re kidding. You’re going to pull over, right?”
“No can do, baby, they aren’t impounding my shit for thirty days.”
Oh, Fuck. Oh, Fuck. Oh, Fuck. Oh, Fuck.
A phone rings in his pocket, and when he pulls it out, I don’t recognize it. He answers without looking my way. “Yep, someone must have called in… I figured. Better break it up. I’ll take this one.” Sean floors it and my eyes go wide. I turn and see the lights are falling farther behind us, he’s losing them, but every muscle in my body is screaming with warning.
“We’re running from the police. You do realize that?”
I sink in my seat as Sean completely ignores me, his concentration solely on the road.
“Sean, this isn’t fucking funny!”
Calmly, he says to me. “One more time, Cecelia. Can. You. Keep. A. Secret?”
Terrified, I search myself for the answer. “Yes.”
He slows, downshifting and yanks the wheel and I scream, slamming my eyes shut as we veer sideways onto a gravel road. When I open them, I fully expect to catch a glimpse of my imminent death, but I can’t see anything because Sean cut his headlights and we’re now running in the light of the moon.
Flock Page 21