Tank didn’t have the time, patience, or energy for this crap. This was not the life he wanted to deal with every day. He wanted calm, peace, and happiness. Not chaos and bullshit.
Straddling his bike, he wasted no time firing it up and tearing out of the driveway. The sooner he got home, the better. Back to his regular life.
Chapter Nineteen
Sapphire
What the hell just happened?
Sapphire watched, dumbfounded, as Tank stormed out of the house. An ache in her chest formed and she reached up absently and tried to rub it away, but it held on.
This was not how today was supposed to go. Her first day as President of the club and she was royally fucking it up. Tank was right. This was turning into a circus.
Flopping into her office chair, she explained what had happened to Sledge, but her mind was elsewhere.
Did Tank really leave?
Maybe he just went outside to cool off. Yeah, that was probably it. Earlier, he was too set on staying to just get upset and leave.
Taking a calming breath, she returned to the situation at hand.
“Okay,” Sledge said. “So you plan to ban her from the property?”
“Yes.”
“And what exactly started the brawl?”
“She said I would never be the leader my mother was and I snapped.”
“Well, she’s right. You won’t. But that’s to be expected because you are not your mother. You’re Stephanie “Sapphire” Kimber. Y’all are two different people. Your mother wouldn’t want you to operate like she did. She would want you to make this club your own.”
Sapphire thought back to the letter her mother had left her. That was what her mom had said — make it her own.
“You’re right,” Sapphire sighed. “I guess I owe Sable an apology.”
“No, you don’t.” Sledge said. “You don’t owe her anything. You want her out, then put her out, but you need to learn to keep your cool. If the house had seen you acting like a crazed loon, you would have lost their respect. Keep yourself calm — always, Sapphire. It is vital to the longevity of this club.”
“Got it,” Sapphire grumbled. She felt like a chastised child.
“Do you?” Sledge asked. “Do you really get it? Because I am trying to help you. Not take your club. But if you don’t listen, there is no point in me wasting my breath.”
“Yes!” Sapphire snapped. “I am listening. I get it. I royally fucked up my first day. Okay, we’ve established that. Let’s move on.”
“Okay,” Sledge said throwing his hands in the air. “I’m done. Figure it out on your own. If you want to be a bitch, you can do that shit to someone else.”
Sapphire stood watching Sledge and the others leave the room. She heard as he opened the door to the other room and ordered Diesel and Reaper out of the house. Still standing in the same spot, she heard Sledge give the order for the Henchmen to mount up and the front door slammed shut. It wasn’t until the rumble of bikes turned to silence that Sapphire finally collapsed into her chair.
She had no idea how long she sat there. No idea what would happen next. She waited for Tank to walk back into the room, but as the daylight hours slowly faded, he never returned. In less than twenty-four hours, Sapphire had managed to push away every person who offered her help. Every person who had her back.
A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts, “Come in,” she croaked.
“I brought you something to eat,” Scarlet said quietly, entering the room and setting a plate on the desk.
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry about today.”
“Don’t be.”
“You really,” Scarlet said, fidgeting with a string on her shirt. “Tank was right. I talk too much. I need to learn when to shut up. Not everything needs to be told out loud.”
Sapphire didn’t know what to say. Tank was right. Scarlet had always had a bad habit of talking too much. The saying, some things are better left unsaid — never entered Scarlet’s mind. No, Scarlet said everything.
Staring out of the window situated behind her desk, she wondered how many times her mother had sat in that very spot and contemplated whether this was the life for her.
Probably never.
This was the life her mom had wanted. She built this clubhouse from the ground up. She made the rules, set its focus, and ensured that everything ran smoothly. And in one day, Sapphire had completely destroyed that.
What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she get this right?
Sapphire sat in the office long into the night. It wasn’t until the first rays of the sun started to touch the night sky that she finally went to bed. Maybe a few hours of sleep would do her some good. Doubtful. But maybe.
* * *
Two Months later...
So many things had happened in the last two months, and Sapphire was grateful. In the first few days of taking over the club, she floundered, badly. It wasn’t until Raven, Pope’s Vice President, came back from Florida that Sapphire finally started finding her way. With Raven’s help, Sapphire found her place. The stress of running the club seemed to lessen. With another person to keep her grounded, Sapphire grew into her new position.
“You have the Biker’s Ball in Austin this weekend,” Raven reminded her.
“Shit,” Sapphire sighed. “I forgot about that.”
“I figured you did,” Raven grinned.
The Biker’s Ball was a huge party that was thrown every year for numerous MC’s in the states. It was a great way to build new alliances and fortify old ones. Sapphire attended one several years ago with her mother, but this year was all on her.
“Also, Sable called again and would like you to call her.”
“I have nothing to say to her.”
“Sapphire, you need to let it go.”
“No,” Sapphire said. “What she did was unforgivable. There is nothing else to say. End of discussion.”
“Okay.”
Sapphire was still salty over the crap Sable had pulled. She knew she should move on, and in a way she had, but she still wasn’t ready to forgive her sister, yet. Sable’s mouth had caused a shitstorm to rain down and in the end, Sapphire lost not only her ties to the Henchmen, but she lost Tank. She knew that it was primarily her fault. Her actions in the aftermath is what pushed everyone away. She took full responsibility for that, but until Sable took hers, Sapphire had nothing to say to her.
Chapter Twenty
Tank
“Dude!” Reaper yelled. “Get your head out of your ass! If we lose this game, I’m gonna kick you in the gooch!”
“He probably can’t see straight anymore,” Diesel taunted. “Two bottles of Jack has a way of fuckin’ with a man’s sight.”
“Fuuuck you,” Tank slurred.
Tank lined up the shot and sent the eight ball into the corner pocket, winning the game. Drunk or not, he never lost a game of pool.
“See,” Tank stumbled. “I gots this sheet. Shit. Yeah, shit.”
“Man,” Reaper said, shaking his head. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Nuttin’,” Tank replied, falling into the closest chair.
“Bullshit,” Reaper responded. “Does this have anything to do with a certain black-haired, blue-eyed woman?”
“Reap,” Tank said, warning in his voice. “Don’t.”
“Man, call her.”
“No.”
“Then stop this whiny ass shit. If you aren’t gonna man up,” Reaper said. “Then Move. The. Fuck. On.” He emphasized each word with a finger to Tank chest.
“Motherfucker,” Tank said, standing back up, his buzz fading fast. “If you poke me one more time...”
“You’ll what?” Reaper taunted. “Your drunk ass can’t even bend over to tie your boot.”
Tank had enough. They didn’t get it. They never would. For the second time, Tank lost the woman in his life. The ache of not having Sapphire near was still too real.
Before he could think
better of it, Tank sent his fist flying towards Reaper’s face. In a split second, a full out brawl exploded between the two men. Hit for hit was exchanged until each was bloody, battered, and would definitely have the bruises to prove it. Tables fell over, chairs crushed under their weight as they knocked each other around the bar, neither giving up an inch.
Luckily, it was way past closing and all the customers had long since gone home for the night. If not, the entire place would have been destroyed.
Tank needed this though. He knew Reaper goaded him into this fight, and he was grateful for it. Tank had so much tension built up inside of him, it was past time he released it. Blow for blow, he and Reaper blasted each other until they both finally fell to a knee, completely exhausted.
“Are y’all dumbasses finished now?” Amber asked from the doorway.
“Hey, baby!” Reaper called cheerfully.
Tank looked over to his friend and a burst of laughter erupted. He curled over onto him, grabbing his stomach in a full belly laugh. Reaper’s face was bloody, but what caused the uncontrollable fit of laughter was his huge, bright, goofy ass, bloody smile.
“What’s so funny?” Reaper demanded.
“Your face,” Tank laughed even harder.
“Fuck you, dude,” Reaper replied.
“No,” Tank took a deep breath. “You just have to see your face.”
“I see it every day,” Reaper grumbled.
“Not like that,” Tank tried to calm himself.
“Okay,” Amber interrupted. “If you two Neanderthals are finished pounding the shit out of each other, I’ll go ahead and take this dumbass home.”
“Hey!” Reaper protested. “I was just trying to help out a friend.”
“Yeah,” Amber retorted. “And when we get home and Kailyn sees your face? What are you going to tell her?”
“Simple,” Reaper replied. “That her daddy had to save the world from a bad guy who smelled funny and looked like a rabbit.”
“I don’t smell funny,” Tank complained. “And I sure as shit don’t look like a rabbit.”
“In this story you do,” Reaper grinned.
“You’re an asshole,” Tank replied, getting to his feet.
Walking to the bar, he reached for a bottle of water. He really did need to get out of this funk.
“By the way, we have that Biker’s Ball in Austin,” Reaper called over his shoulder. “Sledge wants you to go with us. Sober.”
“Yep,” Tank mumble. “Sober.”
He hated to be sober. Sapphire always crept into his head when he was sober. When he was drunk, it was easier to forget the feel of her skin against his, the sound of her voice and breathy moans. It was easier to forget everything.
“Be ready by noon,” Reaper said as the door slammed shut.
Tank couldn’t even remember the last time he was awake before noon. What did noon even look like?
Grabbing another bottle of water, he headed towards the back of the bar. Taking the stairs two at a time, he entered his apartment and headed straight for the shower. After the fight with Reaper, there was sticky shit all over him and he didn’t even want to contemplate what that stickiness actually was. A hot shower and maybe some bleach, and he should be good as new.
* * *
Arriving at the Four Seasons, Tank couldn’t help but smile. All the fancy pants people milling around and a group of bikers rumble into the parking lot. These people had no clue what was about to hit them.
“Are we at the right place?” Diesel asked, helping Rachel off the back of his bike.
Almost two months ago, Rachel had surgery and was learning to walk again. She got around pretty good with the aid of a cane, or her pimp stick, as she liked to call it. Sapphire had been right all along. There was a medical reason why Rachel hadn’t been able to walk. A nerve in her spine had been pinched, preventing her from feeling anything from the waist down. Once the surgery had been performed, Rachel had gone through, and was still going through, extensive physical therapy. Sapphire had sent her assistant to stay with Diesel and Rachel so she could continue to evaluate her progress.
“This is the place,” Sledge said, placing his and Beth’s helmets on the handlebars of his bike.
“Why the hell did Chaz pick this place?” Tank asked. “A bunch of bikers at the Four Seasons.”
“I don’t know,” Reaper replied. “But behave.”
“Always,” Tank grinned.
“More like never,” Sledge mumbled.
* * *
The place was even fancier once they passed through the gold gilded doors. Everything sparkled, gleaming black, white, and gold. Tank had never felt more out of place. After checking in, he headed to his room for a quick shower to wash off the road grime, with a promise to join the crew in the restaurant afterwards.
An hour later, Tank was seating himself with the rest of the Henchmen. Looking around the room, he could easily make out the bikers spread throughout the place — each one looked uncomfortable as hell. If he wasn’t in the same boat, it would have been comical.
“Holy shit!” Reaper whistled.
“What?” Tank asked, turning to see what had caught his friend’s attention.
Sapphire.
“Damn!” Diesel chimed in. “She cleans up good.”
“She looks beautiful,” Rachel smiled. “I can’t wait to walk up to her and give her a huge hug. If it wasn’t for her, I’d still be in that damn chair.”
Tank’s mouth had gone dry. Like Sahara Desert dry. Sapphire did look beautiful. She was stunning. Tank had never been jealous of an article of clothing, until today. The black dress she wore hugged every curve and he desperately wished it was him wrapped around her body instead.
He wasn’t ready for this. He should have known he would see her here, but he never prepared himself for it.
Because if you thought about it, you wouldn’t have come.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Tank demanded. “Sit down!”
“Dude,” Reaper said, pushing in his chair like a fucking gentleman. “Move on.”
Tank knew the moment her eyes landed on him. He felt them burn into the back of his head, but he refused to turn around again. As it was, his nerves were sky high. His stomach had formed a knot and he was afraid if he looked her direction again, his anxiety would have him puking on the floor. Not the way he wanted to start this weekend. Sitting straight in his chair, he sat motionless.
“Breathe,” Beth whispered. “You’ll be fine. Just breathe.”
Tank took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. Sapphire’s perfume invaded his space. She was close. Too close.
“Breathe,” Beth repeated, squeezing his hand.
If he breathed any more, he would hyperventilate. He had to get out of here.
“Hey guys,” Sapphire’s voice flowed over him, calming him instantly.
A part of him was grateful, but another part hated it. She still affected him in a way nobody else ever had. Just the sound of her voice could calm the storm raging inside of him.
“Hi!” Rachel squealed.
Tank watched with pride as Rachel stood from her seat and took the first step towards Sapphire.
“Oh my God!” Sapphire exclaimed. “Megan said you were doing good. She never said you were walking!”
“Why don’t we slide some tables together,” Sledge offered. “And y’all can sit with us?”
“Oh,” Sapphire replied. “No, that’s okay. We’re sitting over there.”
Tank looked to where Sapphire was pointing, and a fire lit in his gut. Chaz Montgomery stared over in their direction, eyeing Sapphire like she was a T-Bone steak and his last meal. Anger shot through him.
Not your business.
Taking a deep breath, Tank remained quiet.
Not my circus, not my monkeys.
He had to remind himself. It wasn’t his place. Sapphire was a grown woman, and not his. He walked away from that over two months ago.
“Well,” Sle
dge replied, “Don’t be a stranger this weekend.”
Sapphire gave a curt grin and with a few quick goodbyes, and a promise to Rachel to get caught up soon, she walked over to join Chaz and his crew.
“Those Kimber sisters are something else,” Beth said. “Absolutely stunning, each and every one of them. That should seriously be illegal to have genes that good.”
“Right!” Amber agreed.
“The tall brunette isn’t a Kimber,” Reaper replied. “That is Kat “Raven” Montgomery, Chaz’s sister and Sapphire’s VP.”
“Her VP is the sister of another MC president?” Beth asked. “That’s weird.”
“Raven was Pope’s VP before Sapphire took over,” Reaper informed the group. “She’s helped Sapphire transition into her new role. From what I hear, Sapphire has become one hell of a President.”
“That’s what I’ve heard, too,” Sledge agreed. “She’s taken the club and made it her own.”
“Yep,” Reaper nodded his head in approval. “I’m proud of her.”
“Same,” Sledge grinned. “Now, if I could just figure out what game Chaz was playing here.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, brother,” Reaper acknowledged.
“What are y’all talking about?” Rachel asked.
“There is an unspoken rule,” Sledge explained. “One MC president cannot establish an intimate relationship with another. It can cause too many problems, especially hierarchy issues. One will always try to rule over the other.”
“It also prevents one MC from having too much power,” Reaper finished.
“So you think Chaz is after Sapphire for her club and the power?” Beth asked.
“Could be,” Sledge replied. “Sapphire is forty to fifty members strong. For an MC, that’s pretty big, but I don’t know. Something about it isn’t sitting well with me. What do you think Tank?”
Tank listened to the exchange and wondered if the guys weren’t onto something. If Chaz was using Sapphire to gain more power throughout the state, Tank would gut him from pelvic bone to sternum.
“Kill him,” Tank answered straight-faced.
Sapphire: Iron Angels, MC (Book One) Page 12