Ashby Holler

by Jamie Zakian

  Dez crashed his fist onto the hood of Sasha’s pickup, denting the metal. “I can’t believe my brother’s laid up and I’m out here, hiding like a fucking pussy.”

  “There’s probably mad cops in there,” Sasha said, leaning against her bumper.

  A low growl rumbled past Dez’s lips, and he raised his finger, waving it in both Sasha and Kev’s face. “I’m gonna gut me some douchebag biker faggot mother—”

  “Look,” Kev said. “Here comes Debbie.”

  They crowded around the tall blonde in the short leather skirt whose chain belt jingled every time her stillettos touched the ground.

  “Piece of cake,” Debbie said. “Told the bitch at the desk I was Vinny’s fiancé. Spaz let me right into his room.”

  “And?” Sasha said, flapping her hand at the wrist.

  “Vinny has a message,” Debbie said, leaning forward. “He says it’s just a flesh wound. Ellen took care of the heat, and someone better be waiting around back ‘cause he’s gonna grab some pills and sneak himself out.”

  Debbie grinned, her jaw slapping at the gum that rolled in her mouth.

  “Did you do the other thing?” Sasha asked, straining to mask her annoyed tone.

  “Oh yeah.” Debbie rifled through her large leather purse. “They totally leave those medical charts just laying around.” She pulled out a wad of crumpled papers, frowning. “Oops! Had to hurry. Anyway, here’re Vinny’s records.”

  Dez snatched the papers, smoothing the creases while he read. “GSR to the shoulder, through and through.”

  “Dude must have a guardian angel,” Kev said with a grin.

  “I’m going around back to fetch him.” Dez hurried toward his truck, which was parked beside Sasha’s pickup in the near empty lot.

  “Wait,” Debbie cried out. “I need a ride home.”

  “Kev can take you.” Sasha tossed her keys to Kev. “Take my truck, and meet us back at the clubhouse when you’re done. I’ll ride with Dez.” She smiled at Debbie, patting her lightly on the arm. “The club owes you, big time.”

  “Bitchin’,” Debbie said over the clank of her heels as she flounced away.

  Dez revved his engine, and Sasha hurried into the cab. He floored the gas, thrusting her back into the seat.

  “Vinny’s fine. You can simmer down.”

  “The fleet, drivebys on our homes…” Dez hit the brakes, cutting around the back of the hospital. “What the fuck’s been going down, Sasha?”

  Sasha looked away, shaking her head. Dez slammed on the brakes, stopping in the shadow of a giant oak tree, and grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t.” Sasha yanked herself from his grasp, glaring.

  “Don’t what? Touch you?” His large hands clutched the sides of her arms, pulling her close. “Why? ‘Cause you like it too much?”

  “Fuck off.” She shoved Dez away, moving as far from him as possible. “You’re sergeant at arms. Shouldn’t you already know everything about everything?”

  “Don’t be a bitch, Sasha.”

  “Don’t be a dick, Desmond.”

  Dez stared at the hospital’s back door, his fingers strumming the steering wheel. “All I want to do is protect the club, like you. We have to trust each other. We only have each other.”

  The sincerity in Dez’s voice grabbed and held Sasha’s attention. Affection blazed behind Dez’s chilled gaze, luring her toward its heat, but she fought to keep her body still. It didn’t matter how hard she resisted, though. His soft gaze alone was enough to draw out her deepest secrets.

  “You’re right,” Sasha said, unable to stop herself from rambling. “There is a lot you don’t know. None of the guys know. My mom’s been—”

  The back door banged against the hospital wall, and Vinny snuck out. Sasha jumped from the truck, running across the parking lot.

  “I’m okay,” Vinny said, cradling his shoulder. Sasha reached out when Dez brushed by and wrapped his arms around Vinny, who groaned.

  “Jesus Christ, little brother.”

  “Ah.” Vinny wiggled away. “Careful.” He adjusted his sling and headed toward Dez’s truck. “It was Satan’s Crew.”

  “I know,” Sasha said, hovering at Vinny’s side. “They hit everyone, took out the fleet. We only have one rig left.”

  Vinny stopped short, his eyes bouncing from Dez to Sasha. “Is everyone all right?”

  “I think so. I couldn’t get a hold of Chewy.” Sasha hopped into Dez’s truck, sliding to the middle of the bench seat. They climbed into the cab, one brother on each side. The air seemed to grow thick, not suitable for proper breathing. Two different legs pressed against her own, both radiating a very different type of chill. Waves of lust collided with the flutter of love, exploding into a painful ache at the center of her chest. She didn’t want to look at either of them, afraid her eyes would give it all away.

  “Everyone should be back at the clubhouse by now,” Sasha said into her lap. “I’m sure my mom already has a plan in the works.”

  A quick peek through her hair and she caught Dez’s leer. Part suspicion, but mostly disappointment. She clasped her fingers, and her leg flinched against Vinny.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ellen

  Ellen kept her back stiff, chin high, while walking through the flagship bar for Satan’s Crew. Laughs dwindled under the crackle of a jukebox, a few guns cocked as bulky men rose to their feet, yet she walked on by. These jokers were no use to her. She wasn’t seeking a half-assed lackey. Ellen pushed open the door to the backroom, stepping inside the room that tried too hard to resemble her clubhouse.

  The man sitting at the desk that was an obvious knockoff of her antique desk flinched. Ellen forced a smile into a sneer.

  “Dante,” she said, closing the door behind her.

  “Ellen! You look pissed.” Dante snickered, leaning back in his chair. “Bad day?”

  “You blew up my fleet.”

  “Tell me.” Dante planted his elbows on the shiny desk in front of him, his muscles flexing under his tight shirt. “Did the trucks actually lift off the ground?”

  “Still playing games, huh? Well, I’m done.”

  Dante chuckled, and a strand of his thin black hair drifted down to block his glare. “See, I pictured this giant ball of flames lifting the—”

  Ellen stomped toward the desk, swinging her fist. Dante seized her arm without moving from his chair. Slowly, he rose to his feet. His body slithered along her chest, gaze locked on her glare.

  “So you do wanna play?” Dante slammed Ellen’s back against the wall, pinning her under his weight.

  The smallest grin escaped her grasp, but she reeled it back. “We had a truce.” She ripped his belt out of its pant loops, dropping it to the floor.

  “Which you broke,” his hands rode up her hips, jacking the skirt around her waist, “when Sasha firebombed my warehouse.”

  Dante thrust himself deep inside her, and she gasped. She clutched her fingers into his neck, nails digging into skin.

  “That was an accident,” Ellen whispered while staring at the chalkboard across the room.

  “What about hijacking my coke shipment?” Dante lunged harder, faster. “That an accident too?”

  Ellen shoved Dante off her, yanking her skirt back down.

  “Dammit, Ellen.” Dante pulled up his jeans, fastening the button.

  “You’re not my husband anymore, so you don’t get to cum inside me.” Ellen strolled toward the door, pausing to glance over her shoulder. “Stay the fuck outta my state.”

  Dante’s chuckle followed Ellen out of the room, but that didn’t slow her steps. This time she glared at every man on her way out the front door.

  ***

  Sasha

  The second Dez parked in front of the clubhouse, he grabbed Sasha by the wrist. Vinny stumbled into the cool morning air, leaving her with Dez and his crushing grip.

  Their eyes met, his steeped in fury. “You—”

  Otis leaned in the open passenger door. “T
hey got Chewy. He’s gone.”

  Sasha’s arm slipped from Dez’s grasp, and she scurried from the truck.

  “He was on his front porch,” Otis said, staring at the smoldering pile of metal across the lot. “Took five to the chest.”

  Sasha closed her eyes, tilting her head back. Her teeth grinded under her clenched jaw, but she couldn’t stop it. It was the only thing holding in the tears. “Where’s my mom?”

  “The place was empty when I got here,” Otis said.

  Boots crunched gravel, and Sasha opened her eyes. Everyone was standing in front of her.

  “We were hoping you knew where she was,” Kev muttered.

  Hard eyes glared at her, seeking answers Sasha couldn’t give, and her feet shuffled backward. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She rounded the truck, passing the tailgate. “What? It’s been, like, two hours, right? Give it another hour. If she’s not back, I know where to look.” Sasha turned on her heels, her gaze locked on the stairs to her room. “Don’t nobody go no where.”

  In a near run, she took off for the garage. Five minutes of peace and a big fat joint. That’s all she needed. She didn’t get it, though. Two seconds alone and a hit off a small roach was what she got before Dez barged through her door.

  “You fucked my brother!”

  “What?” Sasha froze. Shock came on so strong her mind was too stunned to whirl.

  “The way you looked at him tonight, how you flinch when he touches you.” Dez crept closer, face twisted in rage. “That’s what you do with me.”

  “I…It’s not…We’re just friends.”

  “But you fucked him.”

  “What do you want me to tell you, that I fucked your brother?” Sasha charged forward, glaring up into Dez’s cruel eyes. “That I fucked half this town? How about that I fucked Ronny?”

  Dez gripped onto Sasha’s arms, squeezing. “You better be lying.”

  It had to be a lie. She couldn’t tell him the truth, that she’d tried to fuck herself straight for six years and not one of those many men did anything for her, except him.

  “You make me do crazy things, say stupid shit,” Sasha said. When Dez’s hands loosened, Sasha darted away. “For a long time, it’s been just me and Vinny. I love him in a weird way, but our relationship isn’t about sex.”

  Dez ran his hand through his tangled hair. “He has the parts of you I want.”

  The words lit a firestorm in Sasha’s chest. She’d jump into his arms, feel his warm skin against hers, but his anger created a bubble that forced her back.

  “That’s not Vinny’s fault. Don’t let it ruin what you got with him.” An engine’s roar shook the floor as her father’s Chevelle pulled into the garage below. “You gotta get this shit outta your head, Dez. We got club business to deal with.” She brushed past him, avoiding the anguish that gripped his face, and walked out her door.

  ***

  Once everyone settled at the table and prayed for Chewy, Ellen laid out three warped emblems of semi-trucks. “We’re gonna get a little payback on Satan’s Crew tonight.”

  Heads nodded, but Sasha glared down the long table. She stared at her mother, noticing that her face was dolled up and she was dressed to kill. She knew exactly where that woman had been.

  “They only have one buyer left in their sorry attempt at trafficking.” Ellen lit a joint and took a long hit. She looked at the empty chair on her right then passed the joint to Dez. “We’re gonna intercept their cargo and snake their buyer. Not only will we shut them out, but we’ll have the potential to add a new client to our roster.”

  “I like it,” Otis said. “What’s the plan?”

  “Sasha.”

  Sasha looked at her mother through the billow of smoke that wafted from her mouth.

  “Is the old black truck still operational?” Ellen asked.

  “Yeah. Just a few melted fenders and a broken window.”

  “Good. I pulled some strings with our friends south of the border, got the Crew’s shipment moved to our dock for pickup at eight tonight.” Ellen glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s still early. If you leave now, you’ll have two hours to spare. Take Vinny with you, for backup.”

  “I don’t know,” Dez said. “Vinny’s kinda fucked up. Maybe I should go with Sasha.”

  Ellen turned toward Dez, narrowing her eyes. “I need you and the boys to hijack their truck. They owe us a few rigs.” She rose to her feet, glancing at Vinny. “You’re good, right? Can shoot a gun?”

  “Fuck yeah,” Vinny said.

  After grabbing a briefcase, Ellen headed to the safe, and Sasha hopped up from her chair. She hurried around the table, kneeling beside her mother in the corner of the room. “That’s a lot of cash for a pickup,” she whispered, staring at the case that had so much money in it, it barely clicked closed.

  “It’s a big pickup. Don’t overthink things, and don’t fuck this up.” Ellen shoved the keys and briefcase into Sasha’s hands, delivering a harsh stare.

  When Sasha stood, her eyes landed on Dez. If rage had a face, he was wearing it. A cyclone of liquid fire churned in her stomach. She dropped her head, tapping Vinny’s arm on her way out the door.

  “Grab your pain meds and a handful of joints.”

  ***

  Taillights zoomed by. The tires of the last big rig of Ashby Trucking hummed against pavement as they tore down the freeway, and Sasha glanced over to the passenger seat.

  “I’m okay, really,” Vinny said, brushing chucks of shattered glass from his seat.

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You keep looking at me.”

  “Sorry.” Sasha sunk behind the wheel, hiking her foot onto the cushion. “It’s just…it’s good to see you in that seat.”

  “After I took that bullet, I was huddled on the floor. It was like the fourth of July, loud, but all I could hear was your voice.”

  “Vinny, I—”

  “Not like that.” Vinny turned to face Sasha, wincing when his shoulder rubbed the seat. “I could hear you telling me to stop being a little bitch, get off the floor, and grab a gun.”

  “Sounds about right.” Sasha smirked.

  Vinny sat back, groaning. “Can you pull over for a second?”

  “Yeah.” Sasha hit the brakes, veering to the shoulder. “You okay?” The truck rocked to a stop, and she reached for Vinny then pulled back, afraid a single graze would break him. “What’s wrong? Maybe you should chill in the sleeper.”

  “Here, just,” Vinny inched closer to his armrest, “come here for a second.”

  Sasha maneuvered to her knees, slanting toward the passenger seat, and Vinny yanked her onto his lap with his good arm.

  “What are you doing, freak?”

  “Careful now,” Vinny said through a grin. “I’m injured.”

  A smile took Sasha’s lips by surprise. Her tense body withered against his chest, her legs tight on his sides. “I thought it was just a flesh wound.”

  “Still, it requires a lot of attention.” His hand glided down the arch of her back. “Someone has to take care of me.”

  “Really?”

  Vinny’s lips floated atop hers, so close she could almost feel them.

  “Yeah,” he said with barely a sound.

  The heat of his breath traveled throughout Sasha’s body, cloaking her thoughts in a fuzzy tingle. Her jacket fell to the floor, and a tongue slipped into her mouth. Vinny groaned from the bullet hole in his shoulder, and Sasha winced from the bruise on her side, but that didn’t stop them from fumbling with each other’s belts.

  ***

  Dez

  Dez sat behind the wheel of his pickup truck, staring down a curvy, desolate road. His right hand gripped the barrel of a shotgun, left tapping the walky-talky in his lap. He looked across the cab, finding Ellen’s eyes fixed on him.

  “How do you even know they’re coming through this way?” he asked, shifting under Ellen’s sharp glare.

  “What’s up with you and my daughter? I t
old you to keep her in check, not fall in love with her.”

  “I’m not…What the—”

  “Oh, please. I have eyes.”

  Dez rubbed his forehead. For some reason, he actually thought he could wipe the notion from his mind, but Sasha’s eyes wouldn’t fade.

  “You must really be something,” Ellen said, leaning back to stare Dez down. “I’ve been trying to push Sasha onto your brother for years, and you get her all twisted up in days.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Of course.” A smirk lifted Ellen’s cheeks. “You can’t see it. She’s been different since you came back around, less mouthy, more…chill. I like it.”

  Before Dez could chew on Ellen’s words, a diesel engine whistled in the distance.

  “Get ready,” Ellen said, zipping up her leather jacket.

  Dez looked at a garbage truck, parked only yards away. He couldn’t see Otis and Kev inside its dark cab, but he knew they were waiting for his signal.

  “Incoming,” Dez said into the walky-talky. Airbrakes whooshed as a Mack truck rounded the bend, missing his truck, which was hidden in the woods. When the long trailer rolled from sight, Dez pressed the button on the walky and said, “Go.”

  As Dez drove out of the woods, Otis parked across the road, blocking both lanes. The brakes of the mark, a shiny new Mack truck, locked up, lighting the trees in red. A squeal rang out, smoke wafting from the eighteen wheels that rubbed against the road. The Mack truck skipped to a halt, a few feet from Otis’s stolen garbage truck, its trailer jacking slightly to the side.

  After closing off the rear, Dez seized his gun and nodded to Ellen. They crept down the road, splitting off at the back of the trailer. Ellen’s boots shuffled along the passenger side as Dez crouched below the driver’s door.

  Otis and Kev pointed rifles at the windshield, yelling for the men inside the semi to get out. The door flung open, nearly clipping Dez upside the head. A shaky arm popped out and he latched on, yanking.