by Sam Crescent
“A break?” Devil asked.
“Yeah. It has been a couple of years since I was in rehab, and I met someone there. I want to go and see if she’s okay.”
“You want to go and see a woman?”
“Yeah.”
“A woman in rehab?”
“No, her sister. I got talking to her, and she made life easier. She helped me.”
Devil stared at him, which Dick hated.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m just thinking about you, and a woman. She didn’t try to kill you?”
“No, she didn’t. I can be nice when I need to be.”
“Okay,” Devil said, holding his hands up. “I’m not your keeper, and I’ll believe you. Go and visit her. If you go through other MC territory, remove your cut. I’m not interested in starting wars. You know the drill. I’m not your momma or anything. Take care, and keep us updated.”
Dick agreed. He must be getting old. There was a time when he would have been happy to start a fight with someone. “I’m going to head out at the end of the day.”
“You’re not going to phone ahead.”
“No. I want to just get it over and done with.” If Martha was married with a guy, he wanted to see it with his own two eyes.
“If you two were friends, then you shouldn’t worry about just turning up.”
“I’m not just worried about it,” Dick said. “I’ve got to do this my way.”
“Fine. Whatever you decide is up to you. Keep in touch.”
He nodded, turning to leave.
“Teddy,” Devil said, calling Dick by his actual name.
“What?”
“I’m proud of you. I wanted you to know that. I’m proud of you, and what you’ve done for this club.”
Dick nodded. “Thank you.”
He didn’t like the emotion that was clogging up his throat. No one was ever proud of him, and he didn’t like the way it was leaving him. He didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of him. The last thing he wanted to do was think about being part of the Chaos Bleeds. Dick didn’t do well with tears. They never helped in any situation.
Dick made his way up to his room, and started to pack. On his way out of the door, he was stopped by Lydia leaning against the doorframe. He didn’t want her, and couldn’t believe he ever had.
“I heard you’re leaving,” she said.
“I am.”
“What do you want me to do while you’re gone?”
“Do whatever the fuck you want.”
“You really meant what you said? I’m not your old lady.”
Dick let out a sigh, and stared at her. She was a pretty woman, but on the inside she was so fucking selfish. He was surprised that Jessica had stayed friends with her for so long. “I wanted to help you out. You looked so sad when Jessica broke off your friendship.”
“You were helping me out of pity?”
“What did you want me to say or even do, Lydia?”
“Be an asshole.”
“Fine, I wanted to fuck your pussy, but it wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to fucking be. I’m moving on. You move on. It was never about love. I can’t stand you.”
“Fine.” Lydia stormed off, and Dick simply left his room. He locked the door, and Jessica came out of the room opposite him.
“You listen to that?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you going to treat me like shit?”
“No. It makes sense that you were trying to help. You’re not as big of a dick as you let everyone believe.”
“You’re a fucking idiot if you think I’m anything but a fucking idiot. How did you become a nurse?”
“Nah, I think you’re okay.” Jessica smiled at him, ignoring his jibe about her being a nurse. “Thank you for the sandwich.”
“I didn’t fucking make it,” he said.
“No, but Ripper made it while you were feeding Paul. He wouldn’t have made it, you would.” Jessica kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
He didn’t like it, but he didn’t say anything. Dick would always replace what he took.
“I’m heading out.”
“Ride safely. Regardless of what you think, Dick, you will be missed.”
Dick made his way out of the clubhouse with several of the brothers talking with him, wishing him a good ride. Part of him didn’t want to go, but he had to. There was only so much he could take. He needed a break, to get away from the crap that was happening in the club.
I need to see Martha.
Within the hour, he was on the road, and not looking back. He didn’t want to talk to Martha before he made his way to her home. If she moved on then he wouldn’t have to see her. The risk was too high of her answering if he phoned her. He wanted to be able to leave without hurting her.
He was messed up in the head, but it was his kind of logic, which made the most sense to him.
****
Martha wiped the sweat from her brow sitting back from the potatoes she was weeding through. She loved making her own kitchen style garden. The only reason she went to the store nowadays was to get milk, meat, and stuff she couldn’t grow in her garden. If pizza grew from plants, she’d be set. She wasn’t that bad though. She hadn’t started milling her own flour. This was the place her parents had handed down to her and to Becky in their will. Her parents had learned how to work the stock markets so that they could live out in the middle of nowhere without any fear of the outside world coming in. They’d lived a reclusive life, which Martha didn’t have a problem with.
Between her and Becky, Martha had taken to the reclusive lifestyle a hell of a lot easier than Becky. They were two completely different people. She wasn’t cut off from the world in all elements. She had electricity, gas, and a television, along with a laptop, internet connection, and a way of contacting the outside world. Her neighbors weren’t close, and it was hard for people to find her place out in the middle of nowhere, hidden by large trees and hedges.
Staring up at the sun in the sky, Martha took a breath then went back to digging through the dirt. She liked her potato plants to be free of weeds. They hadn’t been hit by blight, which was a relief. Some of her plants hadn’t worked, and she’d been lacking in the feeding and watering department. She was no expert, and everything she knew she’d learned from her parents and their books.
Once she was finished, she grabbed the large tub of weeds and took them to her compost heap. After she was done, she made her way back inside to get herself some iced tea.
“This is what you’re doing all day?” Lynne asked, scaring Martha, causing her to scream.
Lynne Levy sat at her kitchen table, holding a glass of iced tea in her hand. Martha had gone to school with Lynne, and they had grown up together.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
She and Lynne were best friends, even if they were worlds apart. Where Martha loved staying at home, leaving the world at bay, Lynne loved city life. She relished being involved in the world, competing to be the best damn lawyer in the country.
“You don’t have to be rude, Martha. We have a date, remember? We’re supposed to be heading into town tonight, partying it up. We arranged this three weeks ago.”
Martha hit her head. “Shit, I forgot to put it on my calendar.”
“I don’t care. I’ve turned down a chance to take on a new divorce case tonight because I opted to be with my friend.” Lynne took a sip of tea. “You still make the best tea I’ve ever tasted.”
“Well, thank you for putting me into your busy schedule.”
“Look, we’re different, I get that. I respect your way of life, and I don’t try to change you, Martha. Don’t try and change me, and don’t try to push me away. I’m not going to deal with it. We’re friends, and it’s time for you to live with that.”
“I’m sorry. I’m an awful friend.”
“You are.”
“Okay, we’re going out and partying tonight.”
“Yes, so
get your butt upstairs, and get out of that awful gardening crap. My eyes are going to be scarred for life over what I see you wearing. Go on, get changed. Make yourself actually look like a woman.”
Laughing, Martha left her friend alone while she made her way up to her room. She removed her clothes, placing them into the laundry basket after she was done. Martha took time to clean beneath her nails. She really should wear gloves, but remembering them was a nightmare. Martha wasn’t trying to impress anyone out in the middle of nowhere. This was her life, and she loved it the way it was.
After thirty minutes she looked normal, and was able to start getting ready to go out. Lynne wouldn’t let her slip away no matter how much she wanted to. She’d been Martha’s rock for so long, and she didn’t want to lose her only friend.
Lynne was downstairs flicking through the television when Martha made her appearance. She’d gone for a pair of jeans, a tight red shirt, and left her brown hair down but curled it, to give it some form of a style. It was the best she was going to get.
“How do I look?”
While she’d been gone Lynne had changed into a skirt and very revealing top that showed off the globes of her breasts.
“You look beautiful. What’s wrong with showing off some leg?”
“I’m not in the mood to show off my legs.” She’d cut them while shaving. Martha didn’t want to let her friend know that it had been two weeks since she last shaved. She had to remember to do it, as otherwise she was going to start having nightmares about the foliage she grew in certain places.
Lynne walked up to her. “It’s not your fault, honey. You don’t need to stop living your life because of Becky.”
“I know. It’s nothing. I know that. Don’t mention it.”
“Come on, let’s go and kick back, have some fun, and maybe I can get a couple of smiles out of you before the night is over.”
Martha chuckled, following Lynne out to her car. “What are we going to do for a lift?”
“You’re not drinking. You never drink. You can drive my car back with both of us. We may be out to have some fun tonight, but I’m not leaving with some asshole. You must protect me. I demand it.”
Shaking her head, Martha climbed into the passenger side of the car. She was so damn tired all the time.
“What’s the matter?” Lynne asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine, really.”
Lynne gave her a look that told her she wasn’t happy with the answer.
“I’ve missed you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with visiting me in the city. You won’t get cooties or anything like that. You may find you like it. We’re normal human beings.”
“I don’t want to. Look what happened to Becky.”
“Becky was a first class bitch. I’m sorry, but you can’t live your life through guilt. Becky took life her own way. You really should start living yours. You ever thought about what you’re going to do later in life with a family? How are you going to meet that guy who’ll give you children?”
“When I’m ready, I’ll find him. I’m just not ready. Stop pushing.”
Martha had hidden away the last two years. It had been hard from the moment Becky got out of rehab. Her thoughts drifted to Teddy, or Dick, which he preferred to be called. She’d not heard from him in so long.
You’ve not heard from him the moment he left rehab.
He was such a strong man and so different from the kind of men she was used to.
“What’s got that smile on your face?”
“Nothing. I was just remembering a guy. He was nice, but he liked people to think he was a dick, and he acted like it.”
“Sounds like a rather strange man. I thought your kink was the guy next door?”
“I don’t have a kink, or a kind of guy I like. I’ve not got any of that,” Martha said. She wondered if Dick was still on the straight and narrow, or if he’d kicked it all in, and started using.
“We’ve all got a kink inside of us. Me, I like screwing guys that are bad for me.”
“No married jerks yet?” she asked.
“I didn’t know that bastard was married, Martha. I did tell you.”
Straight out of high school Lynne started dating a guy at the law practice where she was a temp worker. She got involved with the guy only to find out eight weeks later that the guy was married with three kids. At the time Lynne had been unaware the guy had a reputation for testing out the temps, and breaking them in to be used.
Martha didn’t even want to know how a woman could go that long without finding out the truth. She believed Lynne, though.
“Anyway, you’re keeping out of trouble?” Martha asked.
“I’m out of trouble. I told you I’m working hard to make my name in the law firm. There’s no time for trouble when everyone is staring at you.”
Martha nodded. “I get it.”
Lynne parked up at the bar, making sure Martha wouldn’t have any trouble when they left later that night. Checking the time, Martha saw it was past six. She was hungry, and she really didn’t want to sit at a bar for the rest of the night, but it was something her friend wanted. She’d cancelled on Lynne before, and she wasn’t surprised that Lynne had finally come to her.
They entered the town bar, and Martha took a seat toward the back. The bar was busy but not too crowded. By the end of the night it would be busy, and a fight would probably break out.
“I’m hungry,” Martha said.
“I don’t think they come to the tables to order food.”
“That’s no good. I need food now. What do you want?”
Lynne told Martha what she wanted, and Martha made her way toward the bar to make an order. She leaned against the bar, tapping her fingers against the counter. Martha was minding her own business, waiting for her order to be taken when suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she turned.
The moment she saw him, Martha went back two years to inside the rehabilitation center moments after Becky had shouted at her. It didn’t matter how many months had passed, or what had happened since. They were staring at each other from across the room, and she would have recognized him anywhere.
“Teddy,” she said.
“Hello, Martha.”
She let out a little squeal, and rushed toward him. It had been too long, and when Teddy had been leaving the rehab center, he’d been a lot thinner than he was now. He’d filled out a lot in the last two years. He picked her up, twirling her on the spot, chuckling.
Hearing him chuckle had goosebumps erupting all over her arms. It was a good sound, and not one she was actually used to.
When he put her down, she held onto his shoulders, not wanting him to leave, and trying to convince herself that he was actually real.
“I can’t believe it’s you. You’re standing here, right now, in my arms.” She laughed, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“I’m here, in the living flesh.”
She touched his cheek, and then ran her hand down his chest. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to get away from the club for a little bit. I remember what you said about coming to see you, and I figured I’d take you up on that offer. You didn’t give me a timeline for how long it could be for me to visit.”
“I didn’t give you a date or how long the offer was on the table, but that was over two years ago. You still got my address after all this time?”
“Yes. Do you still have mine?”
“No, Becky tore it up. I wanted to reach out to you, but then I didn’t want you to remember the pain you went through during rehab. I stayed away hoping you’d be happy. I can’t believe you’re here. It’s surreal.”
“I still go by Dick, and yes, I’m here.”
“How long?”
“For however long you can handle me.”
“You’re not that bad a guy, Dick. I know you pretend to be, but you’re not fooling me. When were you coming to find me?”
“I was coming to
your place when I got hungry. Saw this bar, and stopped by for a bite to eat. Once I was done, I was going to stop by.”
“I’m just ordering some food. Would you like to sit with me and Lynne? She’s my friend, over there.” She pointed toward the back of the room.
“Sure.”
They both turned back to the bar, and Martha couldn’t stop smiling. He’d made it. Dick had made it through for two years, and he was still clean. Her time hadn’t been wasted, and he was here. She didn’t want to over-think her response to him. She couldn’t stop smiling though. He really was here.
Chapter Three
Dick followed Martha back to her table, and couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. He’d always thought she was beautiful, but seeing her now, he was shocked by how much he’d actually missed of her beauty while in rehab. Her smile still enthralled him, and he didn’t want to look away for fear of missing it. She really called to him, like a moth was called to a flame. He was the moth, and she the flame. During those months he’d not paid attention to anything other than the pain and need overriding his body. He’d wanted to deal with the reason why he was there¸ not think about anyone else.
“Lynne, this is Teddy, but he prefers to be called Dick. He’s from the rehab center where Becky was. Dick, this is my friend, Lynne.”
Martha made the introductions, and Dick shook Lynne’s hand. He made sure to sit next to Martha, and he wasn’t interested in her friend.
“Dick?”
“It’s my road name.”
“Road name?”
“He’s a biker. You’re part of the Chaos Bleeds crew, right?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, a real biker. Where’s your leather cut?” Lynne asked.
He was bored with the woman in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to the bitch in front of him. He didn’t leave his club behind for a break to get in touch with Martha just to start talking to another woman.
“Out of respect to any MCs that claim this territory, I don’t wear a leather cut.” He shot Lynne a glare, waiting for her to say some shit to him. When she stayed quiet, he nodded. Good, he didn’t want her to keep up her questions. “How have you been?” He directed his question to Martha.