“She yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, man.”
It was a big deal when a man let another guy ride his bike. Bikes were like women. Personally owned and operated. Nobody ever rode another man’s bike, or his woman. The fact that Kane was allowing Tinker to ride his bike, was a great honor.
“Alright, boys!” Hound yelled. “Mount up. Let’s go.”
Tinker walked back over to the Panhead and tossed his leg over it. Taking the helmet off the handlebar, he held it out to Keily. “Put it on.”
She looked at it like it would bite.
“Come on,” he barked, causing her to jump.
She grabbed it from him, and he saw her hands shake. “Have you never ridden on a bike?”
She shook her head.
Fuck!
He looked around. Stepping off the bike, he grabbed the helmet from her and set it on the seat before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward a blacked-out truck with an empty trailer attached to it.
Tinker opened the passenger door. “Get in.”
“What?”
“You don’t know how to ride and right now isn’t the time to teach you,” he replied. “So, get in. You’ll ride back with Abel.”
Keily looked at the man in the truck and then back at Tinker.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Abel said. “I’ll even let you play with my dial.”
Tinker’s brows furrowed as he saw Abel wink at Keily. And when she laughed at his sideways comment, Tinker wanted to punch the other man in the nose.
“Calm down, Tink,” Abel said to him. “I meant my radio dial.”
“Mhm.”
Tinker waited for her to climb in then he shut the door and hurried back to his loaner bike. Climbing on, he snapped the helmet onto his head, and fired it up. The sound of the bikes echoed off the buildings and as the group pulled out onto the street, the sound vibrated through him and once again, Tinker felt the peace of the wind carry away all his worries and soothe his injured spirit. He let everything fall away as he became one with that machine.
And for the first time since all this shit started, Tinker felt a-hundred-percent steady… Whole. This was where he would always belong – on the back of a Harley, with the wind whipping at his face.
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling onto a gravel road that led to an old Victorian house. The Devil’s Henchmen flag hung from the front porch, along with an American flag. Several other bikes were parked in various spots and members were sitting around in smaller groups here and there. Tinker followed the line of bikes and backed his into an available spot.
Cutting off the engine, he dismounted and removed his helmet. He watched as Abel parked the truck and Keily stepped out. The smile on her face caused him to let out an almost animalistic growl.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Kane, the chapter’s Sergeant at Arms said to him, parking next to him. “You know how Abel is with the ladies. If there’s a slit between their legs and the chick is breathing – he’ll flirt with her.”
Tinker ignored him. He walked over to where Keily was standing talking to Abel and laughing about something he’d said to her and without a word, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
“Hey!” she protested. “What is wrong with you?”
“Walk,” he ordered.
But Keily dug in her heels and tried to yank her arm away from her. “Let me go!”
Tinker twirled around on her. “You will do what I say, when I say it,” he said angrily. “Got it?”
“No,” she said stubbornly. “I don’t ‘got it’. What the hell is your problem?”
“You,” he replied. “You are my problem.”
“I’m sorry,” she said sarcastically. “Because I absolutely decided to get involved in all this crap. Yep! Sure did. I love being separated from my child and running for my life all willy nilly like from some crazy-ass, psychopath. Yep! A dream come true.”
“Keily.” There was a warning in his voice. “Enough. While we are here, you will do as you’re told.”
“Screw you, Tinker!”
That was it. He’d had enough.
Tinker snapped.
One minute he was standing there facing off with her, then next he had her over his shoulder carrying her toward the house. All the guys that had witnessed the interaction whooped and hollered, encouraging him while Keily screamed at him to put her down.
He brought a hand up and smacked her ass, hard.
“Ow!” she yelled. “You asshole! That hurt. Put me down!”
As Tinker stepped onto the porch, Kane opened the door for him. “Up the stairs,” he called after him. “Second door on the right.”
He didn’t comment. He just continued, following the other man’s directions. More cheers echoed through the house as Tinker carried a pissed off Keily up the stairs and down the hall. When he got to the room that Kane had reserved for them, Tinker twisted the knob and stepped inside before kicking the door closed. He tossed Keily down onto the bed, none too gently.
She bounced on the mattress, and Tinker glowered at her.
“What the fuck is your goddamn problem?” she shouted. “How fucking dare you!”
“My fucking problem is, you’re in a house full of bikers, Keily!” Tinker roared. “Some of these guys are great. But others won’t think twice to back you into a corner. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She continued to stare at him, which only angered him more.
Did she have no self-preservation?
“Hello!” he shouted. “I’m fucking talking to you. Do you understand what I’m saying or not?”
“Yes!” she yelled back.
“Good.”
He turned to walk out of the room. He needed to get away from her. He needed a drink. Keily moved to get off the bed. He turned back to her, and growled out, “Stay!”
“I’m not a fucking dog.”
Tinker wanted to rip out his hair. “Do not leave this fucking room, Keily.”
“Do not act like you own me, Tinker.”
He took a deep breath. If she was a man… Without another word, he walked out of the room, slamming the door so hard that it rattled on its hinges. He waited to the count of ten before walking away from it and heading back downstairs.
He’d never been so pissed off in his life. And to make it worse, he had no idea what he was mad about. Keily wasn’t his woman. He knew he had no right to tell her what to do, but that hadn’t stopped him. It was his job to protect her, but damn it she made that hard at times.
He hadn’t lied to her when he said that most of the Henchmen were good, decent guys. But there were still a few who were off their rocker. Creeps on the highest levels.
“Tequila,” he told the girl behind the counter.
“Make it a double.” Tinker turned to see Skeeter positioning himself in the seat next to him. “Trust me,” he said. “You’ll need it, kid.”
Tinker nodded in agreement. Keily Hopper had his head messed up – a hundred ways to Sunday – messed the fuck up! And he wasn’t handling it well, which only pissed him off more.
“So, is she yours?” Skeeter asked.
“No.”
Skeeter nodded, as he took a pull from his beer. “But you want her to be?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Tinker didn’t know what he wanted.
Skeeter nodded, again.
“Here you go, darling,” the bartender said, setting his drink in front of him. “Just holler if you need anything else.”
“Thanks,” he told her.
“Women are complicated,” Skeeter said, staring at the TV that was mounted on the wall in front of them. “Lust is complicated. Hell, love is complicated, too.”
Tinker looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Nobody said anything about lust or love.”
“Of course not,” Skeeter replied, still watching the TV. “Women are beautiful, fucked-up creatures,” he continued. “Kinda like volcanoes.”
>
“What?” Tinker chuckled.
“It’s true,” Skeeter smiled. “They both are calm for a long time and then suddenly, something happens, and they blow up, killing everything around them.” He shrugged, taking another swig from the bottle. “And then they’re good again.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
“That is the most messed up thing I have ever heard you say.” Tinker downed the shot in his hand.
Skeeter didn’t miss a beat. “Listen, kid. A woman will go back to a man that’s fucked her over a million times but boycotts the bitch that fucked up her nails. That is the fucked-up part of a woman’s mind.”
Tinker shook his head.
“Anyway.” Skeeter stood, slapping him on the back. “Either take the girl or let her go. Don’t do the push and pull. Nobody needs that shit.” And then he walked away, leaving Tinker with nothing but his thoughts.
Was that what he was doing? Did he have feelings for Keily? Did he care about her? Yes, he did. But love her? Tinker didn’t love. That wasn’t something that was in the cards for him. He’d given up on that a long time ago.
“Hey,” he called to the bartender.
“Want another?” she asked.
“Nah, but there’s a girl upstairs,” he said. “Take her some food when you get a chance, please.”
“Will do.” The woman smiled sweetly.
Needing to get some fresh air, Tinker headed out the door. He didn’t want to leave Keily alone at the clubhouse, but if she did what she was told, she would be fine. Heading over to the bike, Tinker grabbed the helmet and strapped it in place before throwing his leg over the back and firing it up. Kicking it into gear, he pulled out of the Devil’s Henchmen Colorado chapter house and let the wind whip away all his mental chaos.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Keily
Keily paced the room. Her anger at Tinker building with every pass.
Who the hell does he think he is? she thought to herself. Ordering her to stay here, like she was a damn dog!
She walked over to the door and turned the knob, but she froze. His earlier words prevented her from opening the door. But then, a knock on the other side caused her to jump. Her heart slammed into her chest.
Thinking it was Tinker, coming to apologize, she opened it.
But it wasn’t Tinker.
It was a pretty blonde with big blue eyes and even bigger boobs wearing a shirt that read: ‘Warning: Contents Under Pressure”.
“Hey, sugar,” she said, smiling brightly. “I brought you something to eat.”
Keily reached out to take the offered plate of food. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” she replied. “Enjoy.”
The other woman turned to leave, but Keily stopped her. “Wait! Do you know where Tinker is?”
“He left.”
“What?” He’d left her there. “Where did he go?”
“Not sure.” She shrugged. “They don’t tell me anything, honey. I just work here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“You’re welcome!”
Keily closed the door and stood there for a moment. At first, she felt scared. What if something happened while he was gone? But quickly, that fear morphed into something else…
Anger.
Keily was pissed off. If Tinker had just left here, without saying a word to her, then obviously this place wasn’t as dangerous as he’d made it sound. So, why did he lie to her? Why was she grounded in a room like a child? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Fuck him, she said to herself.
Walking over to the bed, she sat down with her back against the wall and unwrapped the plate. Seeing the contents made her stomach growl. The plate was loaded with pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a Hawaiian style roll. The smell coming off it made her stomach rumble even more. Keily unwrapped the plastic utensils and quickly dug in. She moaned as the first taste of tender beef fell apart in her mouth. The potatoes had a perfect smoothness with just the right amount of lumps to offset it. Everything was delicious.
As she ate her meal, her thoughts turned toward Tinker again. She couldn’t understand what his problem was and why he was suddenly acting like a territorial jerk. Is that what he was like around his brothers? Even though that wasn’t how he reacted to her when they had been at home. The guy he was today was the opposite of who he was before.
With a heavy sigh, Keily just shook her head. Without Tinker talking to her, she’d never be able to figure him out. Men are so damn complicated…
She cleaned the entire plate, eating every bite in record time, and climbed off the bed. Wrapping her arms around her middle, Keily began to pace again.
The longer she was in the room, the more the walls seemed to close in around her. She didn’t understand why they were still there. And with Tinker gone, she wouldn’t even receive Sledge’s message about Emily making it to the clubhouse. A lump formed in Keily’s throat. All she wanted was her daughter.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to push the thoughts out of her head. If she stayed in that room any longer, her carefully constructed walls would come crashing down. She had to get out of there – and fast.
Keily walked back over to the door and turned the knob. This time, she opened it and stuck her head out into the hallway. It was empty but she could hear music from downstairs, mixed with a few whoops and hollers.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the room, half expecting Tinker to jump out of the shadows and order her back inside. When that didn’t happen, she slowly put one foot in front of the other and stopped at the top of the stairs. For a second, she almost reconsidered.
Could she really just walk out?
Yes, the voice in the back of her mind said. He doesn’t own you.
Then another voice popped into her head. But Tinker will be pissed if he finds out.
So? the original voice asked.
Keily felt like she was losing her mind. Like the angel and devil were sitting on her shoulders. Each of them trying to convince her to do their bidding.
Shaking her head, she shut them both out and made her own decision.
As her first foot hit the stair, Keily just kept going. Nobody paid her any attention as she made her way over to the bar and climbed onto one of the barstools.
“Hey!” the girl who brought her food said, coming over to her. “Need a drink?”
“Please.”
“What can I get you?”
Keily shrugged. “Surprise me.”
“Alcohol or not?” she asked.
“Definitely alcoholic.”
“You got it.” She grinned.
Keily sat there quietly, glancing around the room. This clubhouse wasn’t anything like the clubhouse back home. Here, half-naked women walked around serving drinks and flirting with the guys. She looked down at her clothes and suddenly felt as if she was overdressed in her t-shirt and yoga pants.
“Here you go,” the bartender said, setting the drink in front of her.
Keily picked it up and took a sip from the rainbow straw that was sticking out of the top. “What is this?” she asked.
“Sex on a Beach,” the girl announced proudly. “Like it?”
“It’s delicious.” Keily took another sip. “I’m Keily, by the way.”
“Brandi,” the bartender said. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything else.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Keily went back to people watching as she sipped her drink. In the far corner, some girl was straddling a man’s lap, rolling her hips. Keily’s eyes widened.
Was she…?
Then the woman lifted just a bit and Keily saw that she was doing exactly what she thought. The woman was riding a guy’s dick – for everyone to see.
Oh, my goodness! Where the fuck had Tinker brought her?
Turning away from the show, she locked her eyes on the TV just ahead of her. It was the nightly news and K
eily half-expected to see her face plastered all over the station. But there was nothing, just some political rants and tasteless attacks against the opposite party. Keily completely lost interest in the segment.
Moments later, as Keily continued to people watching, someone walked over and bumped into her, almost causing her to spill her drink.
“Sorry, honey,” the woman said immediately.
Keily looked at her and realized she was the same woman who was having sex just a moment ago. Keily glanced back to the man and her mouth fell open. “Your man is… Um… With another woman,” she told her.
The girl glanced back and shrugged. “Oh, Jet? Nah, he ain’t my man.”
“But you just…”
“Fucked him?” The girl laughed. “Honey, that’s what we do. The sooner you figure that out, the better your life will be.”
Keily blinked. Wow. Did she think… she was… No!
Grabbing her glass, she slid off the stool and decided that maybe going outside would be a good thing. “Brandi, I’ll be outside.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll let your man know if he asks.”
“Oh, he’s not my man,” Keily told her.
“If you say so.” Brandi smiled.
Keily thought of arguing the subject, but then decided it wasn’t worth it. It didn’t matter what Brandi or anyone else thought. Soon, this place and the people would just be a distant memory for her. So, she just excused herself and headed out the door.
She stepped outside and took a deep breath. The evening had grown cool and she almost thought about going back inside to grab her jacket off the bed, but she didn’t. Looking around, she saw that a few people were gathered around a huge bonfire and she recognized one of them.
Stepping off the porch, she stopped when someone tightly grabbed her upper arm. “Where are you going, baby?” he asked.
His breath smelled like rancid alcohol and Keily tried to pull free. “Let me go, please,” she asked calmly.
“Not yet,” he slurred. “You lookin’ mighty fine in them stretchy pants. I bet you’d look even finer out of them.”
Keily stomach rolled. “Not a chance.” She tried again to pull her arm free. “Now, let me go.” This time she didn’t say please.
Tinker's Dilemma: Devil's Henchmen MC Next Generation, Book One Page 22