by Simone Elise
I scoffed but didn’t say anything. Hanging up and can’t help but think the bastard will see it for himself when she arrives at the club. God knows her attitude is known throughout the clubs.
Rev forces us to put up with her. But fuck. Alexis’s reputation of causing trouble and being hated but respected from members has done the rounds around clubs. In fact, Vex, fucking told me, she is a bitch even when you get to know her. Which was going to make this stay so much harder. I already had one bitch at home, didn’t need a second one at the club.
"You forgot self-absorbed."
I turned around seeing Alexis leaning against the doorframe, her blue eyes as cold as ice and a pleasant smile on her face. The thing no ones tells you about Alexis is, she fucking stunning. While she looks like a goddess, she is known to have a temper that can scale a mans. It’s also known, she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She lives and breathes this club, would die for it, and would kill anyone that threatened it.
But fuck one look at her, and I can see why men put up with her at the club, just because of her figure and those witching blue eyes.
"Ready to go?" She asked, not friendly at all or an ounce of respect in her tone. I knew last night she was silently judging me. I knew she was making an opinion of me, and I had failed to show her, the club side of me. The president side. No last night she had seen the man whipped by his woman.
Danni and I, our relationship was either going to the next stage or not and I wasn’t mentally prepared for it to end. So I was holding on to it, and it was doing damage to both of us. Again, she wants the ring, the wedding, the kids—and I’m not prepared to settle down.
My eyes run over Alexis again. I watched as she opened the fridge looking for god knows what. Who the hell told her she could make herself comfortable? I sure as fuck didn’t. The respect I have for her father stopped me from telling her off.
"Yeah, you can follow me." I patted myself down for my keys.
"Actually," She gulped down a mouth full of orange juice. "I was thinking, maybe I could ride with you."
Was she kidding? I just stared at her. "What?"
"Are you deaf?" She frowned slightly, but with a teasing tint in her eyes. "I'll ride with you to the club house or wherever you keep your paper work."
"Right, you aren't getting on my bike." I put my cigarette out on the ash tray. No way in fucking hell was I having her on my bike. For one, I wouldn’t even let Dani on the back.
"Cigarettes will kill you, you know?" She said, and her eyes are fucking captivating.
"My girlfriend tells me regularly." It was one downside to having a girlfriend in the health industry. She was always trying to get me to quit. Then again, it was just another thing we didn’t see eye to eye on.
"Your girlfriend, is that what you call her?"
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing." She shrugged her shoulders, "So ready to go?" She ran a hand through her raven hair. But it’s her expression that makes me not look away. She’s that beautiful you can’t look away, but at the same time—you know staring at her will only lead to your own downfall.
She frowned and pulls out her phone from her back pocket. It’s when she answered that I’m annoyed.
"Bit early for you to be calling dad?" She actually sounded nice— who knew that was possible. Hell if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t have believed it. Alexis and the word nice, doesn’t go in a sentence together.
Her eyes sharpened, and I saw rage raise in those ice blue eyes.
"Yeah dad, I'll stop by and handle it."
What was she handling?
"I can handle it by myself dad, I don't need to take any Pythons with me." She placed her hand on her hip. "Dad I'll handle it." She snapped hanging up and spun around to look at me.
“You ready to go?” I asked, looking her dead straight into those icy blue eyes.
"Change of plans anyway. I have to make a stop before I head over." She pulled her car keys out, and walked out the door.
I didn't want too but I knew it was the right thing. "Need me to come?"
I heard her soft laugh, "I thought you couldn't wait to get away from me?"
"Do you need me or not?"
"No I don't need you." She said that like she didn’t need anyone. Can’t help but think, she is a lot like her father. Rev is known for pride decisions and Alexis seemed to have the same habit. I just nodded my head, accepting it. She didn’t want help. So be it. I couldn’t give a fuck if she got herself into trouble and while I told myself that, I knew her safety was on my shoulders.
So, did I follow her, or let her leave? In the end she walked out the front door and I didn’t say anything but my guts is telling me, she needed my help. Which really pissed me off, when I headed for the club house because the whole time, I’m thinking to myself, is she okay—and that really frustrated me.
She a citizen with a backstage pass to the lifestyle it’s this fact, that reminded me, that she wouldn’t be in trouble. Wherever it was she was headed. Because Rev wouldn’t let his daughter walk into trouble. Would he?
"Come on Tyler you make her sound evil." Ethan rolled out from under the car, and I handed him a wrench. "You sure she knew how to get here?" He said that as if he cared about her arriving. I was dumping my problems—being Alexis at my house, on to Ethan. But the man only cared about her whereabouts.
"She'll arrive I'm sure of that." I picked up my beer and took a gulp. If there was one thing I was certain of, it was Alexis could find the clubhouse. The woman shouldn’t be underestimated.
"Revenant phoned." Luke my Sergeant of Arms walked out of the office. "He wants to know where his daughter is."
"He should go ask Satan himself." I scoffed. Ethan giving me a look like I should show her respect. And I would show her father respect, her however, I wouldn’t.
Ethan got out from under the car, wiping his hands on his pants. “So, when we holding this meeting?” he said it like we weren’t waiting on Alexis.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t test me brother, you know we are having this meeting because of her. Can’t hold it without her.”
"Waiting all day for a bloody female." Luke muttered and walked away. Can’t help but think he is right. We lived a lifestyle where the woman didn’t have power, but here we were—waiting on Alexis and I couldn’t do shit about it.
"Looks like you have a visitor." Ethan gestured his head towards the gate and I see a silver sedan heading this way. Half of me is relieved it isn’t Alexis, the other half wants her to arrive so we can get this meeting over with. But as my eyes land on Danni, as she walks from the car, in her nurses uniform—it’s her soured, pissed off expression, that reminds me we didn’t end things well last night and on top of that, all we fucking do is fight. And it looked like another fight was coming, as she came to a stop in front of me.
"Hey babe, how was your shift?" I had hoped that after a long shift, she might have calmed down a bit. But the reality was, Danni was in a bitch of a mood lately. Don’t know why. Every time I asked her, she would brush it off. Now, as I locked eyes with her emerald greens ones, I can’t remember the last time she looked at me without hatred or annoyance in her eyes.
Like right now, I see hatred for being at the club, and I’m wanting to think that the hatred isn’t at me directly but she is staring right at me.
"It was fine, until at the end of my shift two gunshot victims showed up." She crossed her arms, with a bitter expression on her face "What Tyler, couldn't wait till I finish to have a shoot up?" she arched her perfectly manicured eyebrows at me. If there is one thing about Danni, it is she doesn’t walk out the house, unless her makeup is perfect. She had worked nightshift, and still looked flawless. Know for a fact she isn’t putting that much effort into her makeup for me.
Nah. She has another man on the side. Not the first time. Perhaps the fifth time. Always a doctor, always could give her more than what I can. But she usually always ends it when they get serious. Because for a reason only god
knows, her and I stay together. Though I’m sleeping with club girls and she’s fucking doctors. Why and how we work, is beyond me.
Though we made an agreement that the sleeping around stops as soon as the ring goes on her finger.
"Have fun." Ethan muttered and walked away, giving us privacy.
I don’t have to explain myself to her. I know that. Yet I know she is expecting an answer from me. And her thinking the worst of me is normal.
"I didn't shoot anyone." I gripped the beer, suddenly needing to calm down.
"Don't lie to me." Danni sighed dramatically. "They were Lions, and not to mention the one I was treating kept cursing the bloody Python’s the whole time."
"We haven't done anything." Even if we had, I wouldn’t have to explain it to her. Yet, here I was telling her the truth, and her looking at me like I was lying. Story of our relationship. Her hating me, yet we still stay together.
My eyes bounced off Danni and on to a hummer which was driving into the lot. Danni glances at the car and I heard her scoff.
Looked like Alexis had finally decided to show her face. I watched her get out of the car walking towards us. Danni immediately crossed her arms. Looking pissed off the moment she made the connection from the car to Alexis. After all Alexis had parked her in last night. It was the only reason Danni let me take her to work. Only for her to get her car in her break.
“Boys ready?” Alexis came to a stop in front of me. I see the cut lip, and the tint of pain in her eyes.
“Been waiting all day.” I looked her up and down, seeing dirt on her jeans, and her stiffened body language. Knew something had happened to her since I last seen her, but I wasn’t going to question her on it.
I looked at Danni. “I’ve got business to handle. I’ll see you tonight.”
Her expression sharpened. “I won’t be home. I’ve got a date.” I see out of the corner of my eye, Alexis face melt with confusion. “It’s with Jett.” She added.
I scoffed. “Doesn’t matter how many times you apply the pressure Danni, I’m not ready.” I then moved around her, pissed off that she was so open about going out with another man. Fucking hell. Usually she kept it to herself, but not this time around. She wanted me to know, and she wanted me to propose. Can’t stop myself from thinking, the fact she is sleeping around, doesn’t make me want to propose. It makes me want to end it. But that’s the anger talking. The sixteen year old kid I was with a heart, is still hooked up on her.
3
Alexis
I wasn't big on discussions, or public talking. Needless to say the last hour was painful, more painful than the hole in my side. I sat at the bar, my side was aching. Now it was time to address the pain I had been in all day.
I lit up a cigarette and I just so happened to pull a stool up next to Tyler, who was drinking bourbon like the club didn’t have an endless supply.
I have to do something I don’t like and that is be nice. So I turned to him. “Sorry about crashing at your house.” I watched his eyes go off the bourbon and on to me, I see his calculating look. He’s giving me this hardened expression and I know now a simple sorry, won’t do much. “Also sorry for causing troubles with your woman.” I added, hoping that would be enough to break his exterior.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out seeing Vex’s name. I felt my expression drop. What did he want?”
“What do you want Alexis?” Tyler gets straight to the point, and I glance back at him, not opening the message.
“I need your girlfriend’s help.”
He scoffed. “Damn sure she won’t want to.”
“Which is why you are going to make her.” I wasn’t going to lie and say he wouldn’t have to force her. He scoffed again but didn’t say anything. He and I both knew, as much as he hated it, he was entrusted by my father to keep me safe. I hoped one day my father could see I could look after myself.
After all it was one of the reasons, I dealt with the Lions today by myself without involving the Pythons.
Arriving back at Tyler’s house, I ended up driving because he had taken to the bottle like a seriously alcoholic. Then again I couldn’t judge because I drank nearly as bad. Still even though he had drank a lot, he wasn’t unsteady on his feet.
Danni has her arms crossed as she looked hard at me. “What is you want?” She hissed, and I shrugged my jacket off.
“I got grazed today.” I said and see Tyler’s eyes are narrowing on me. “I need you to stitch it up.”
She scoffed. “Bullet wounds, it’s all I’ve dealt with today.”
It’s Tyler who is handing me a bottle of whiskey. Danni is getting out the medical kit and while she is pissed off, I knew deep down this wasn’t the first bullet she had dealt with for the club. I pulled my t-shirt off, and Tyler’s expression sharpened on me. Like as if, I was meat and he was meat eater. He’s eyes run over my bloody stomach, and bra that had been white.
“God Tyler get out.” Danni is quick to say.
“It’s okay Danni, men have seen me in a lot less.” I went and sat on a chair while she is glaring at Tyler. Who I noticed, hadn’t left.
“You said you grazed it.” Danni eyes narrowed on me. “How the hell are you dealing with the pain?” I see her pull out a bottle of pills and immediately I see red flags.
“I don’t need pills.” I’m quick to say and gripped the chair that bit tighter because it fucking hurts, but the withdrawal from meds and drugs, last longer then pain.
“Don’t need to be a hero Alexis.” Tyler growled, like me being in pain affected him.
“Just stitch it up.” I muttered and I felt like Danni enjoyed pouring alcohol on it, as she cleaned it. Fucking bitch. Then again I wouldn’t have gotten the graze from a bullet, if I had listened to my father and taken Pythons with me. So I could hardly be angry with Danni, as she stitched me up.
“Wanna explain what happened?” Tyler said lowering his beer. I tilted my head as I stared at him. I saw his eyes drop to my cleavage and Danni saw it too. Which I think was the reason she went in a big deeper into my flesh with that needle, causing me to hiss, and Tyler to shoot a glare at me. “Start explaining Alexis?”
“Loins.” I give him little detail. “We had a run in and I handled it.”
“Yeah by shooting two of them.” Danni said like she knew the victims.
I give Tyler a direct look. “I handled it.”
“More like I will be forced to.” He glanced at my buzzing phone, and I see Vex’s name. Because it is a new phone, I haven’t turned the preview of message off. And right under Vex’s name, is the words. I’m in town want to fuck?
Then before Tyler can look at me. Danni said she is finished and I stand up, swiping my phone off the bench.
“I have to shower and leave.” Danni said.
“Tell someone who cares.” I said looking at my phone. Glancing up I see Danni, giving me this look like I couldn’t be that much of a bitch. But I am.
“Tyler can I have a word?” Danni then walked out of the kitchen and I’m forced to glance at Tyler. Who doesn’t have judgement in his eyes, in fact, he’s looking at me, with this wondering expression. I knew Vex was hardly a good guy. He was the road reaper of the club. Did things no one wanted to do.
But he didn’t know I was here. He thought I was still home. Vex’s and mines relationship runs through my head and to say it isn’t healthy is an understatement. We had a semi normal relationship and broke up. I wouldn’t admit to anyone that I cared for Vex, just like I wouldn’t tell a soul that I loved the man, only to have my heart ripped out.
Though some people; in fact of a lot of people would say I didn’t have a heart to begin with. I might be cold, but I’m not heartless.
I rolled over again, the pain was getting unbearable. Not being able to take it any more I threw the blankets off me in frustration.
There was a knock on my door before it opened. My eyes ran over Tyler’s toned muscles and the ink that decorated his skin. I saw similar tattoo
s across all the bikers, but Tyler had a few unique ones, like his stomach piece. Which is dedicated to the Python MC.
It reminded me that this man stood for everything that my family did. He was the future of our club but more importantly, him and I had similar beliefs. So I didn’t snap at him for letting himself into my room.
His eyes locked with mine. “Are you alright?”
“Can’t sleep.” I gritted out through pain. God. It was a flesh wound. I needed to harden up.
"Yeah I can hear you moving about." Tyler crossed his arms and leant against the door frame. "I'm a light sleeper, don't think too much into it." He added, making sure I’m under no impression that he cared for me.
"I wasn't going to."
"Have you had anything?"
I knew what he was talking about—pain medication. The thing most people didn’t know about me, was when I was sixteen I got hooked on drugs. Any type and I’d take them. Prescription, meth, cocaine, anything I could get my hands on.
My father got me cleaned. It was thanks to him I was alive today. It was one of the reasons I was so loyal to my old man. Also why I loved the club so much, because the whole mother chapter stood by me when they didn’t have to.
"No." I replied.
"Well I've got—"
"I'm fine." I cut him off.
"You can barely talk." Tyler moved into the room and stood in front of me. "I won't think less of you if that's why you won't take anything." His chiselled grey eyes locked with mine again.
I looked up at him. The moonlight which was creeping through the half closed curtain, was dancing across his defined upper body.
"I don't do drugs." I didn’t need to go into detail on why. I didn’t need to tell Tyler it took me six months to get clean last time, after slipping up every month from the detox program. I didn’t need to tell him that for months I was treated like a member, that was trying to get clean. My father was harder on me, then any member.
"How about pain killers then? Just over the counter ones?"