Hammer

by James, Nicole

  He smiled, like all was right with his world again. “Of course. I hope you feel better. I’d like to have you sit for me tomorrow, if possible.

  “Well, I do need the money,” she taunted, somehow sensing she could push him to reveal his dark side, the one who’d lied to her about the painting. Hammer was probably right about him. He probably jacked off to it. Suddenly she wanted to prove herself right. She needed to know she wasn’t wrong about him. She tilted her head and lowered her lashes. “You think there will be…other projects you could…use me for?”

  He took the bait, a sly smile forming on his face as his eyes slid down her body, and he took a step closer. “There could be more money in it for you. Other things you could do for me. I’d be willing to pay much, much, more if you want to make it worth my while.”

  “Like what?”

  “I think you know, Alexandra. I think you know exactly what I’d like to do with your sweet body. You could stretch out on that couch right now for me and let me do as I please.”

  “And letting you do as you please… How much does that pay?”

  “Much more than you’ve earned so far.”

  “So you think I’m a slut?” she asked, and he sensed the shift, his face hardening.

  “What?”

  “You’re disgusting!” With that she punched him in the nuts. He doubled over. “You stop payment on this check or report that I assaulted you, I’ll report you attacked me, and I’ll make sure all your rich friends know about it.” She moved toward the door, then whirled back. “Oh, and in case you didn’t figure it out, I won’t be back to sit for you again. Find another model.”

  ***

  Tink drove back across town.

  As soon as she walked in the clubhouse, Hammer, who’d been at the bar talking to Ghost and Griz, came over to her. “Where’d you go?”

  She lifted her chin. “I went back there. I had to know for myself.”

  His body stiffened, and his chin came up. “You went to him?”

  “Yes. I wanted to confront him. I sat in the driveway wanting so badly to go in there and tell him off.”

  Hammer frowned. “But you didn’t?”

  She shook her head. “I knew I couldn’t. Not without tipping him off that I knew he kept the painting. The only way I’d know about that was if I was in on its theft.”

  She saw Hammer relax. “So, you didn’t go inside? You drove away?”

  “Oh, I went inside.”

  “Tink, goddamn it. Why?”

  “He lied to me. He used me. I wanted to see if he’d continue the lie. I needed to see the lie on his face. And I wanted the money he owed me. If I didn’t at least get the money, I would have felt like not only had he used me but he’d gotten away with it. All those hours of standing there… for free.”

  “He pay you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “I pushed to see if what he really wanted was to fuck me.”

  “What? Tink!”

  “He propositioned me. Said I could make a whole lot more.”

  “Tink, what the fuck did you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Did he touch you?” He moved to brush past her, not even waiting for the answer. “I’m gonna kill him.

  She grabbed his arm, pulling him around. “He didn’t touch me, Hammer. It’s over. It’s done. I told him to go to hell and that I wouldn’t be back. Then I punched him in the nuts.”

  “You what?”

  She grinned. “Advantage of being a tiny little pixie.”

  He bent, wrapped his arms around her upper thighs, and lifted her off her feet until he had to look up at her. She yelped, laughing and grabbing his shoulders.

  “You still pissed at me, Tink?”

  “Of course, I’m still pissed. You went behind my back. You didn’t trust me enough to ask me about it.”

  “I asked. You only gave me vague answers.”

  “Well you should have trusted me.”

  “I trust you; it’s guys like that I do not trust. There will always be men in the world like him, lookin’ to see what they can get, what they can take. And I will always protect you from them.”

  “I don’t need a body guard, Hammer. I’m a big girl. I certainly don’t need you having the prospect following me around.”

  “You’re gonna have to get used to it, because I will always look out for you.”

  “Hammer, I mean it. I won’t be put under lock and key. I’m capable of taking care of myself. I’m not some weak flower.”

  “Tink, you need to understand something. I don’t feel the need to protect you because you’re weak. I know you’re not. I want to protect you because you’re important to me, because I don’t ever want you hurt, because you’re my heart. I love you, Tink.”

  “Woo Hoo!” JJ pumped his fist in the air. “Way to go, Brother.”

  “You see that one, comin’?” Ghost asked Shades with a grin.

  “I did not.” Shades whistled.

  “Ain’t that sweet? The Karma Gods finally smiled on him.” Griz chuckled.

  “Hammer! You did not just tell me you love me for the first time in the middle of the clubhouse with all your brothers all watching!”

  He turned his head, taking in their smiling faces.

  “Yeah, I guess I did. You gonna say it back?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “I love you, too,” Tink whispered, pressing her forehead to his.

  He tipped his head and captured her mouth.

  Thunderous applause broke out in the clubhouse, and Tink buried her face in his neck. His body shook with the laughter of happiness—happiness he hadn’t felt in a long fucking time. He spun her around, and she shrieked.

  “Take her in the back and fuck her brains out, Hammer!” someone yelled out.

  When he set her down, his phone went off. He pulled it out, and his smile faded.

  “Who is it?” Tink asked.

  “Ma.” He put it on speaker. “Yeah, Ma?”

  “Son, we got problems. I know you been wishing the boy’s father would turn up. Well, he’s here. Showed up five minutes ago,” she whispered. “He’s in the other room.”

  “That’s good news, Ma.”

  “No it ain’t,” she whispered.

  “Why?”

  “Just get over here, but don’t bring the boy.”

  “Why?”

  “His daddy ain’t what we hoped.”

  “Shit. ”

  “Hurry.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just not the kind of person I want to entertain in my livin’ room.”

  “Leavin’ now, Ma.” He disconnected, his eyes meeting Tink’s.

  “I’m coming with you,” she insisted before he could speak. He nodded. He’d never admit it but he needed her with him.

  They got on his bike and rode twenty minutes across town from the clubhouse to Avondale where his mother lived. Hammer rolled his Harley up her drive, and they both hurried up the steps and inside.

  “Ma?” Hammer called as he came through the door.

  “We’re in the kitchen.”

  He had Tink’s hand tight in his grip. As they came into the room, he got his first look at Ethan’s father. He sat at the table, his arms folded, full tattoo sleeves. He was skinny—drug-addict skinny. Dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt with lots of jewelry, he looked like a wanna-be rock star.

  Hammer wondered if he’d looked any better when Josie got pregnant a few years ago. When he was younger, before addiction stole his looks, he probably could have turned a few heads. Hammer could see what the appeal must have been for his sister. But now? Now he just looked like a tweeker. “You Ethan’s father?”

  “Yeah, yeah. How’s Josie doing?”

  Hammer crossed his massive arms and stood, boots apart. “She’s working on getting better so she can be a good mother. I didn’t catch your name.”

  The guy grinned. “Right. You can call me Coolie.”

 
Hammer dropped his head to the side. “Coolie?”

  “Right, right.”

  “What’s your driver’s license say, Coolie?”

  “Hey, that’s just autocratic bullshit. I don’t do all those labels.”

  Hammer’s brows shot up, and he leaned forward, already fed up with this guy’s bullshit. “Cut the crap.”

  “You can just call me Coolie. Understand?”

  Hammer planted his fists on his mother’s kitchen table and leaned into him. “Look, Coolie, you’re gonna tell me your fucking name or you’re not leavin’ this fucking room with all your fucking limbs. Understand?”

  “Chill out, brother. It’s all cool.”

  Hammer grabbed him by a fistful of t-shirt and hauled him out of the chair to pin him against the wall. “I ain’t your brother.”

  Tink gasped and scrambled out of the way, pulling his mother back.

  Hammer got in Coolie’s face and growled, “Want to change your answer before I move my hand from your shirt to your throat?”

  “Okay, dude. Name’s Jason Riggs. I just came to take Ethan. Just give him to me, and I’ll be gone, okay?”

  Hammer shoved him back in the chair and huffed out a laugh. “Not okay.”

  “I’m his father.”

  “Are you, though?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know, all this time, I’d been hoping Ethan’s father would show up and take the baby.”

  “Great, I’m here. Give him to me.”

  “Mmm… I don’t think so.”

  “You have to give him to me; it’s the law.”

  “I don’t have to do shit. First of all Jason “Coolie” Riggs, your name’s not on Ethan’s birth certificate, so you don’t have any legal claim on this boy. Sure, you could try and file for a court ordered DNA test, but that’s gonna take some time. Second, ain’t no way I’m letting you anywhere near that boy, you strung-out tweeker.”

  “I ain’t no tweeker,” he denied.

  “Really? I think if we did a drug test on you right now, it’d come back dirty.”

  “You don’t know shit about me.”

  “Oh, make no mistake, I’ll be digging up everything there is to know about you by the end of the day.”

  Hammer felt his chest tighten at the very thought of putting his little nephew in the hands of this loser. That precious child who looked up at him in the morning holding his hands up and saying, “Uppie, Uppie.” The happy child who ran to him when he came home and clutched at his leg, calling him Unkie. The sweet child who fell asleep in his arms and looked like an angel as he put him to bed.

  If this guy thought he was going to hand over that precious boy he’d come to love so much, he was sadly mistaken.

  “What do you do for a living, Jason Riggs?”

  The guy immediately got fidgety and vague. “I’m an entrepreneur.”

  Hammer grunted out a huff. “Right. Selling drugs?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you. Where’s the kid?”

  Hammer grabbed a fistful of Riggs’ shirt and dragged him through the house, opened the front door, and shoved him stumbling across the porch and down the steps to the yard. “Get the fuck out of here. And don’t fucking come back. I see your face again, you’re fucking dead. Understand?”

  Riggs stood out in the yard and pointed a finger up at Hammer. “You can’t keep me from him. I’ll be back to get the kid. Count on it.”

  “You do, you’ll meet the end of a shotgun. Fuck off, loser! Get the fuck off the property!”

  Riggs stalked over to a car parked out on the street. It was an older model, blue Toyota Corolla with the paint coming off the roof and hood revealing bare, rusted steel. He jumped in and sped away. Hammer was able to catch the first three digits of the Florida license plate.

  He’d get Slick on it. He’d find everything there was to know about that asshole.

  As Hammer watched the car disappear down the hill, he thought about Ethan. The child was safe, and he would remain safe for as long as Hammer had anything to say about it. Taking a deep breath, he admitted to himself he’d pinned some major hope on the boy’s father stepping up. That option was now out of the realm of possibilities. Hammer just had to hope that Josie would get well, and his own time as caregiver would still be only a temporary situation. He had to believe that, because he wasn’t ready for the alternative. Just the possibility that Josie would never be fit and able to mother her own child scared the shit out of him. If that happened, would he be able to step up permanently? His whole life would change.

  On the other hand, the more time he spent with little Ethan, the more attached he was getting. It was time to admit he was even more terrified that when the time came, he wouldn’t be able to give the child back.

  ***

  That night as he lay in bed, Tink cuddled against him, and he stroked her back absently, his eyes on the ceiling.

  “I have to go to my parents’ house for dinner tomorrow night.” She twisted to look at him. “Come with me?”

  He huffed out a laugh, his eyes meeting hers. “Babe, I would rather slit my own tires than have to go to dinner on Highland Avenue.”

  She pouted out her bottom lip.

  He leaned forward and bit it. “Sorry, babe. Not happening. Not now. Maybe some time later, when things settle down.”

  “I guess I understand.” She put her head back down on his chest.

  “After dinner with your parents, meet me at the clubhouse. We’re doin’ a thing for Ghost since he got the news he’s gonna be a dad.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  He continued stroking her back.

  “You worried about Josie?”

  “Ma says she’s doin’ good. More worried about that asshole who showed his face today.”

  “You think he’ll be back?”

  “Depends how stupid he is. He does, it ain’t gonna end well for him, I can guarantee you that.”

  “I love you.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Love you too, beautiful.”

  “Thanks for the Raisinets.” She kissed his chest.

  He grinned at the ceiling. He’d stopped to get gas on the way home and had come out with a pack for her. She’d thanked him earlier with a blowjob.

  “Do anything for you, babe. Say the word. You want it, I’m on it.”

  “Really…?” She drew the word out.

  He chuckled. “Oh, Lord. Will I be bringing you a pack a day?”

  “Not unless you want me fat.”

  “I’d love you just the same, but you sure look cute in that dress.”

  She snuggled against him.

  He closed his eyes and gave all his worries a rest. Ethan slept peacefully in his crib, and he had Tink in his bed. Life was good.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Tink moved behind her father’s chair and leaned down to hug his neck, pressing her cheek to his. He sat at the head of the dining table, finishing his peach cobbler. Dinner was finished, Raven had already gone upstairs, and Mother had left to take a phone call.

  He put his spoon down and patted her forearm. “You decide about school yet?”

  “I’m going to withdraw. Nursing just isn’t for me, Daddy.”

  “I understand, Alexandra.” He chuckled. “I’ll get a refund. If you need the money for some other degree or classes—”

  She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “Have you made any decisions about your life?”

  “I’m thinking of taking some culinary classes. You know I love to cook.”

  “You do. You’ve followed Ada around that kitchen since you were little.” He took a bite of cobbler. “How are things with you and that young man?”

  “Did you like him?”

  “I did. I liked he wasn’t a pushover for Raven. But what I think doesn’t matter. Do you like him?”

  “I love him, Daddy.”

  He twisted to look up at her. “Well, now. That’s something.”r />
  “And you’re wrong. What you think does matter.”

  “I’ve waited a long time for you to bring a boy home.” He nodded. “Invite him over for dinner, okay? I’d like to get to know him better.”

  “I don’t know, Daddy. He’s not exactly comfortable on Highland Ave.”

  “Well, he wants my daughter; he’ll have to buck up. If he loves you, he’ll do it for you.”

  “I’ll ask him.”

  “Maybe a night when your sister’s unavailable.” Her father winked at her.

  Tink returned the wink. “Definitely.”

  “Well, you be safe driving home.”

  “I will. I love you.”

  “Love you too, pumpkin.”

  Tink headed to the foyer and picked up her jacket and purse, digging out her keys.

  “Leaving so soon?”

  She turned at the sound of Raven’s voice to find her standing on the staircase, dressed to go out clubbing in a short dress and high heels.

  “Yep. Goodnight.”

  “Wait. Where are you headed?”

  “A party.”

  “Where at?”

  “What’s it to you?”

  “Can I tag along?”

  Tink frowned. “Why would you want to spend time with me?”

  “I’m trying to make an effort here, Alexandra. You could do the same.”

  “You wouldn’t like the place. It’s not some fancy dance club.”

  Raven shrugged. “I don’t care about that.”

  “No way.”

  “Alexandra, come on. I have nothing to do tonight, and if I have to sit home again I’m going to scream.”

  “That’s not my problem.”

  “I could make it your problem,” Raven threatened.

  Tink turned back slowly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means maybe I’ll tell Daddy where you’ve been spending time.”

  “You don’t know where I’ve been spending time.”

  Raven gave her a Cheshire Cat grin. “You’ve been hanging out with a biker gang.”

  “Where’d you hear that?” Tink felt her stomach drop.

  “I overheard Mother talking on the phone to Aunt Sissy. She tells her everything. I hope you didn’t think that was some little secret the two of you shared. Mother can’t keep a secret. You should know that.”