Rumor's Fury (The Chosen One's Book 2)

by Harlow Brown

  "So, umm, since you got my beer earlier, I could be nice and offer to go get you one." She said, making eye contact with me with those clear eyes.

  "Sure. I'll drink one with you. No one likes drinking alone. If you don’t want a beer then we can have something else."

  "I'll be back with drinks then." She turned quickly and scurried out of the room.

  "Here you go." She handed me a Samuel Adams Summer Ale. It wasn’t my favorite, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. I decided I'd just go get the next round.

  "Thanks."

  Awkward silence surrounded us, and we both looked around the room like idiots. She finally broke the silence with, "So, how long you been in the club?"

  A question that I could answer and not be nervous about.

  "About four years."

  "What brought you to it? I mean, how does one just become a member? Was it a lifelong dream? Did you luck into it? Did you research which club to join?"

  "Darlin', you are full of questions. Why couldn't we talk like this earlier?"

  "I was nervous."

  "You aren't now?"

  "You intimidated me, and I didn’t know how to handle that."

  "Well, shit. I didn’t mean to. What can I say, I just have a naturally cheery disposition that radiates off me.” This was seemingly easier than earlier today. I didn't want to totally ignore her questions, so I replied, "I lucked into the club. Chief needed a loyal person, and I needed a new place to channel my energies. How about you? How long have you been with the Regulators?"

  "Now who is the one with all the questions?" She smirked, still not looking me in the eye. "I've played most of my life actually, since I was about six. I have been with the Regulators for about three years. Best decision I have ever made was to try out for this team. My best friends are on that ball diamond with me."

  "You want to go outside to the deck? It would probably beat standing in the middle of the living room, Just saying."

  She nodded and we headed out to the back deck. The sun had set and the sky was a nice shade of blue-grey. Since the tide retreated, the beach looked larger, and the moon shone on the water, and the ripples and waves from the ocean made the moon appear to move around on top of the water.

  "So are you from Rudy, too?" I asked.

  "Not originally. I am from a little town outside of Little Rock. I'm a transplant to the country life."

  "I bet it was a culture shock going from big city to a nothing town."

  She thought about something and just simply stated, "You could say that."

  This girl was not giving away anything freely. It was clear that I had to earn her trust. I just wasn’t sure I really wanted to. She would be returning to Rudy and I would be staying here. There was no point, but damn it, there was something inside me that kept me talking to her.

  I reached inside the door and flipped a light on. I wanted to see her icy blue eyes and beautiful features. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail and she was totally makeup free. Natural beauty was the best kind, and she had it in spades. I had never really considered anyone to be as beautiful as Daisy, but Rumor was just as beautiful, only in a different way. Daisy was native, dark skinned, dark hair, and green eyed. Rumor was the opposite of Daisy. Polar opposites, actually. She was tan skinned, blonde hair, with those clear, icy blue eyes. Blonde girls were never my thing, but Rumor was different.

  "What are you staring at?" She interrupted my inner warring with myself on who was the more beautiful woman. Clearly, I was comparing with my eyes locked on her.

  "You." I said before I thought.

  "Oh. Why?"

  "You are mysterious, and honestly, your eyes are pretty fuckin' awesome to look at."

  "I’m not looking for any kind of relationship, so you should stop there if that is your plan.

  "Fine by me. I’m not looking either. I don’t want to ever be in another relationship. It would have to be one of those that snuck up out of the blue and smacked me in the damn head."

  "Why are you against them?"

  "I was just burned by the last one, and I can't and won't repeat that ever again." I wasn't lying. The last one singed my heart and seared itself into my psyche, so there’s no way it could never be forgotten.

  "Were you serious?"

  This is getting too close. Time to shut her down.

  "I don’t like to talk about the past. There is a reason it's called the past and it’s not meant to be brought back to life. How about you?"

  "I just seem to have bad luck with guys. They always leave me, and I get tired of saying goodbye. If you don’t want to talk about the past then that is fine by me. I don’t like rehashing it either. I actually try to forget it every chance I get.”

  Honest, beautiful, and real. How could someone ever let her go? Her exes had to idiots.

  "So, what do you do for a living?", I asked her as I attempted to change the obviously uncomfortable subject.

  "I am a waitress. You?"

  "I'm in sales." That was as vague as I could get.

  "What do you sell?"

  "Alcohol."

  "Like a distributor or something? Or more from more like a marketing stand point?"

  How the hell was I going to answer this?

  "All of the above, I suppose you could say. How about another drink?”

  “You know, you are kind of mysterious yourself, Fury. Why do they call you that?”

  “Because I am usually pissed off, and I am generally a dick to everyone. Not on purpose, but, again, my natural sunny disposition beams bright." Sarcasm dripped off those words. "Why are you called Rumor?"

  "God-given name. My parents weren't married when I was conceived, so it was rumored that I was a thing. They thought that it would be cute to name me Rumor seeing as that is how I started life. What is your real name, Fury?"

  Shit. Here we go. This is why I didn’t want to start talking to anyone. It starts with a lie and keeps building. Oh well, I already started this and now I have to finish it.

  "Legend." I left it at that, hoping she wouldn’t keep digging.

  "Well, that is a different name. I like it."

  "I prefer Fury. I never liked Legend."

  "Okay then. Fury it is. So, where did you get your tattoo?"

  "Sunset Tattoo. A girl named Roxxi was the artist."

  "What does it mean?"

  "Remember when I said I don’t like to relive the past? This is one of those things that I don’t talk about."

  I had to put a stop to this. There was no way that this could end well. Time to live up to my name. As bad as I wanted to just change the subject and continue conversation in the company of this hot girl, I decided to end the discussion all together.

  "Look, I don’t know why I thought talking was a good idea. Turns out I don’t like it any more than I used to," I said as I entered the house and started to turn the corner. I realized, even for me, that was a dick thing to do. I turned around and went back to her and said, "Feel free to make yourself at home. If you are hungry there is food in the kitchen, and you know where the drinks are." She didn’t say anything in return. She just stood there and waited for me to leave again.

  Anger and confusion tormented her face. I don’t blame her. I would be pissed as well if I was treated the way I had just treated her. I needed to go to bed to escape this shit storm that I brought on myself. It's best that this day ended.

  I then realized that she was going to be here for a week, and that I should try to make amends and make stay here pleasant. Hopefully, we can both make the most of this week. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe she would forgive me. Only one way to find out, but that had to wait until tomorrow.

  Chapter 6

  Rumor

  WELL, HE SURE did his name justice. That was a shitty thing to do. I asked a simple question and he completely shut me down. I get that he didn’t talk about his past, but he didn't have to be a dick about it. So much for finding a friend outside of the norm. I don’t care if I ever ta
lk to that bastard again. I could play his game. Turnabout's fair play, buddy.

  Who does he think he is dealing with? Some timid wallflower? I'm no doormat. He would hear about it tomorrow. I had a couple of words to say to him, and for his sake, hopefully, no one else would be around to witness it. I don’t like looking like a bitch, but damn, he was out of line.

  I walked around on the deck for a while, trying to cool down and corral my feelings. Why did I let him bother me this much? How does this matter in the grand scheme of things? I'm only here a week then I can go home and forget his name. Hell, it ain't like we are sleeping together. I was just trying to get to know him. Prick.

  My thoughts drift, and I wonder why he is the way that he is. What happened to him in his past to make him shut completely down on me like that? Nothing could be that terrible. Everyone has a past, and skeletons in their closet. Hell, he just needs to make friends with them and visit them occasionally, so they don’t come looking for him. He'd run if he knew mine. No one should get close to me. Hindsight is pretty clear. It might be for the best if he and I didn’t talk. He might’ve actually done us both a favor and not have even known it.

  I was destined to be alone. That's fine. I function better that way. When I'm alone, the cops tend to not show up as much. I mean, don't get me wrong, they still do, asking their questions over and over, threatening me with so called “new evidence” against me. I have nothing to hide. They can try all the scare tactics they want. It just sucks when they do their theatrics and try to bring in someone that I am talking to. I wish that the past could actually be the past and the sorry sons of bitches would let it go, so I could. It is hard to bury the past when they keep dragging it up.

  The last time I dealt with them, I was pulled over and I had the guy I was sort of talking to in the car. I had done so well at keeping everything a secret, and not letting my past into the relationship and then bam there it was with a vengeance. Instead of explaining everything, I told him a lie that he eventually busted me on that ended our relationship. I don’t blame him, I couldn’t be with a liar either. I wasn’t ready to delve that deep into my past and take the proverbial band-aid off the wounds.

  After my temper simmered down, I decided to go and fix myself a drink and a sandwich. As I made my way into the kitchen, I saw Chief sitting at the bar. It appeared that he was on his phone. I edged past him, as to not disturb him. I gave a small wave and quickly turned around and opened the fridge. A turkey sandwich and a Coke sounded good. Simple pleasures.

  I was lost in delicatessen mode when I hear, "Give him some time. He will come around."

  What the hell? Had he been eavesdropping on us? How did he know that shit went south?

  "How did you know that we weren't exactly on speaking terms?”, I asked as I shied away and retreated to the farthest cabinet.

  "Mainly because I know him. I knew he would fuck this up."

  "This? What this? There isn't a this. I just thought it would be cool to have a friend other than my girls."

  "Come on, I ain't blind. I see the way you blush when you are around him. I'm just saying that if you would still like to talk to him and have a friendship, be patient. He was burned before, so he says, and he hasn't quite gotten over it."

  "Why was he such a dick to me? I didn't light the match that burned him. Why couldn't he have said he would rather not talk about it, then change the subject to the freaking weather or something? He was totally out of line."

  "Look, Rumor, I don't disagree with you, but, dear, have you thought about how he got his name? He has it for a reason and he usually fits the part. It's part of who he is, and who he has had to become."

  "What do you mean, who he has had to become?"

  "I told you he was burned. It made him have a hard soul, a black scorched heart, and a calloused mind towards love."

  "Love? Slow down. I don’t even like him right now, so I damn sure don't want to talk about love. Besides, I don't know that I will ever be ready to love again."

  "You get burned too?"

  "I just", I stopped to figure out how I was going to say this without sounding like a total nut job, and without spilling the things that I try to keep hidden away from everyone. "I just don’t like seeing people get hurt. When relationships or friendships end, it is always hard. I hate to see people that I care about hurting because of me. Shit always happens too. Don’t try to tell me that it won't. I promise you that it will go south. It is best that I don’t get involved in any way.” I paused. “Every once in a while, it would just be nice to talk to someone different though."

  "Look, I just want to tell you that he is a good person. He drew the short stick in life and he is a little bitter about it. He would enjoy your company. He has talked more since you have been here than he has in a long time. Just think about it."

  With that, he turned and exited the room. There I was, my head spinning. Thoughts everywhere. I just don’t know about this dude. He is sexy, no doubt, but I just wasn’t sure that looks were enough to make me put up with the piss poor attitude when I didn’t deserve it. Not only that, but I wasn’t really in the market for a man. Opportunity just brought a really hot one that seems to like me, or so I thought.

  I finished my sandwich, put my plate in the sink and headed to bed. There was too much to sort through at the moment, and I was tired. Besides, I was still pissed at him for acting the way he did. I went upstairs, changed my clothes, and crawled into bed. Haze slept soundly in the bed across the room. She must have had a couple of drinks tonight judging by her snoring. Raige was shaking her head as she looked up from her book in the other twin bed beside the one that Haze slept in.

  "She's such a lightweight." Raige said with annoyance in her voice.

  “What are you reading?”, I asked.

  “The Spark Ignites, by Kathleen Kelly. I figure that if I am going to stay with some bikers, I should read about a biker!"

  "You know that is fiction and that most MC romances are fairytale, right? Most of them are not even close to how life in a MC actually is."

  She flipped me off and went back to reading.

  Everything started to slow down in my mind as I began to wonder what it would be like to date or marry a MC president. I thought about all of the different things that might happen, or that I imagined could happen. I daydreamed about my favorite biker show and imagined myself as the wife of an outlaw as I felt myself lose grip with reality and slip into slumber.

  Crosby! Crosby! What are you doing? Don't leave me! You can't leave me. You’re my other half, my reason for living. I would be so lost without you by my side. You’re all I have ever known, all I ever care to know. How am I supposed to go on without you? I can't do this life alone." I stared at the gun he had pressed to his head.

  "Shhh. Hush now, Rumor. You will do just fine. You are a tough girl and will find someone who is more of a man than I ever was. You need someone stronger than me to stay with you. This is just high school puppy love and you have your whole life ahead of you. I am not what you need, I can never be what you need. My time here is done and I need for you to do me a favor and promise me that you will move on and not mourn me. I was never right for you, sweet girl."

  "What on Earth are you talking about? You are my everything. My life line, my one saving grace. You are the only one that gets me and knows me and my struggles. You have been my rock, even when I didn’t deserve you. Crosby, you are the love of my life, and I can't do this without you. Please don’t do this. Put the gun down. You’ve been drinking again. Let's stop and talk about this. Let's talk in the morning when we both have a fresh outlook on the day. Now isn't the time to discuss it. Please. I'm begging you. Don't do this. I need you."

  "Goodbye, my sweet Rumor. I will always love you and will never be enough for you."

  BANG

  I sat straight up in bed with a gasp. Panic, fear, and uncertainty ran rampant through my body. My mind raced trying to catch up, trying to make sense of what I just witnessed. I coul
dn't distinguish whether or not it was real, or make believe, as it was all an identical replay of the day my world changed. I looked around the room in a frantic manor and saw Raige and Haze sleeping peacefully in their beds. At that moment, I realized I was dreaming. My heart was still racing, and I knew that I had the nightmare again. The nightmare of the last time I saw and spoke to my fiancé. We had been high school sweethearts, and everything was perfect. That is, until it wasn't. He started acting out of the ordinary and detached. His best friend, Creed, tried to tell me that something was off with him, but he couldn’t put a finger on it either. Creed was the first person that I called after witnessing the tragedy. I should have called the cops and I knew that, but Creed was his best friend. Besides, I had just watched my fiancé take his own life after I begged and pleaded with him to just talk to me. I needed someone that I could connect with, and someone that I knew loved him too. The cops would come regardless, and I needed comfort right then.

  Creed and I were a thing in junior high. He was so cute and popular, and I was the quintessential straight-A student and all-around athlete. We were voted cutest couple and most likely to get married. Then we drifted apart, for no real reason that I can recall, over the summer between ninth and tenth grade. I was busy playing softball with my summer league and he was off to football camps at different colleges. Neither of us were distraught about the break up. It was the most comfortable breakup in the history of breakups. We remained friends and still hung out. We simply just weren't meant to be. Who finds their soul mate in junior high anyway, right?

  Then my world was turned on its side by a blonde headed, blue eyed, six feet tall, ripped package of muscle, Crosby. My whole universe revolved around him and his revolved around me. We were inseparable. So much so, that we were engaged by the time we graduated high school, before if you want the truth of it. Our parents would have flipped out, so we just didn't tell anyone ‘til the night of graduation. On graduation night, he made it official with the proposal and the ring. After the last name was called at graduation, Rebecca Zimmerman, he ran back up on stage and took the microphone from a school board member whose name I can't recall. He said, "Rumor, it's time that we made it small-town official. Most everyone is here tonight watching us graduate." He then hit his knee in his cap and gown and said, “Marry me, Rumor. Let me take care of you for the rest of our lives." What was a love-struck teenager supposed to say? I ran up on stage and said yes. Upon the word yes, he shouted and embraced me and spun me around. He threw his graduation cap in the air, and the rest of the small-town class of 2014 threw theirs, too.