by Zara Teleg
“Uncle Kai, you really came.”
“Well, slugger, I told your mom I would.” I looked up at Jenn, who was smiling, watching Reid and I talk.
“I brought you something. It’s not new, but it was my favorite, and I’ve outgrown it. Thought maybe you would want it until you’re old enough to get your own.”
Jenn swatted at me and gave me big eyes as I handed the sweatshirt to Reid. When he opened it and saw my name on it, he jumped up and down.
“This is great, Uncle Kai.”
“Why don’t we let Mom finish getting ready, and we can toss a football in the backyard?”
“Okay.” He pulled on his new hoodie and ran in the garage for a football.
“Shut the door, Reid,” Jenn yelled behind us, mouthing “thank you.”
I spoke to Reid about what happened in school and how his dad was the one who helped me with the bullies when I was a kid.
“But you’re so big. How could anyone bully you?” He looked up at me, his brown freckles sprinkled across his nose.
“I wasn’t always big, but I always knew, no matter what, those boys would somehow get what was coming to them. Ya know, most bullies are that way because someone in their life bullies them.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Sometimes, they take it out on other people. People may be having a hard time, we just don’t know it. So always remember to keep your cool and be kind. Don’t go hitting anyone, unless to protect yourself. Think of your mother, how worried she’ll be if you get into trouble. So promise Uncle Kai that you’ll keep your nose clean, alright?”
Reid looked down at his Converse high tops, kicking at the dirt, his hands in his pockets, the hoodie practically reaching his knees.
“Promise,” he said with a huff. “But I don’t promise if I see them picking on Tommy. He’s little. And he doesn’t have a dad either, and worse, he has no Uncle Kai.”
I ruffled his hair. “I want you to talk to a teacher or Mom before you take action on your own, ya hear?”
“Yeah, alright.”
When I pulled into the lot just after 10 pm, I looked up at Paige’s window and found it dark. Damn, I really wanted to talk to her tonight. Being around Jenn brought back a lot of memories. Ripper had been a ladies’ man from the time I met him, at eight years old, when I moved next door to him. His reputation made me seem like a priest in comparison. Jenn changed all that. When she got pregnant, he was so happy. Him, the man who never wanted to settle down and never wanted kids. Unbelievable.
I remembered how Ripper was so adamantly against my relationship with Daisy. He said I was sick with love. I didn’t listen to him and couldn’t see whatever it was he saw. But then she fucked me over, obliterated my heart, and I knew I should have listened to Ripper better.
“Kai, have a beer with me.” Ripper pointed up to the tiny deck that was built on top of the clubhouse.
“Nah, man, I’m good. Just going to bed.”
“Kai, that wasn’t an offer. That was an order.” He ran his finger over the sergeant-at-arms patch over the right side of his jacket.
I flipped my head back and huffed out my annoyance.
“Fuck, dude, I’m asking you to join me for a beer, not a fucking enema.”
Ripper was 5’11” and about 250 pounds of not-so-lean muscle. Age and road time had given him permanent smile lines around his eyes. He was the comedian and the deadliest of the bunch, a little Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
He carried two beers in each hand up the stairs and nodded for me to open the window that led to the deck. He pointed to the stool and handed me an icy bottle. Pressing a smoke between my lips, I prepared for the speech that was coming.
“Kai, you know what I’m going to tell you, don’t you?”
“Rip, I don’t need a lecture. I’m fine.”
“Fine, huh?” Ripper looked up in disgust.
“It’s been two months since that bitch left. You don’t hang out with the brothers, you barely shower, and you sleep for fifteen fuckin’ hours a day. That doesn’t seem fine to me.”
Ripper pulled out the joint he had tucked behind his ear. He placed it to his lips, lit it, and passed it to me.
“Do you remember when you were just a little squirt? You used to come to my place and flirt with all the women who walked through my door. You remembered all their names.” He started to laugh. “I used to pull you aside to remind me who they were.”
I passed the weed back to him, the red tip lighting bright as he took its smooth smoke in. “Your mama was so mad when those girls would cook for you. Remember Hannah?”
I smiled as I recalled the cook from the diner just up the highway. She had a massive crush on Ripper. When she found out he was sick, she brought him food and soup every day, and she would ask what I wanted her to bring me.
“Burger, fries, and macaroni and cheese,” we said simultaneously, laughing. “I would say the same thing every day.”
“You always said you wanted to be just like me when you grew up. I think that horrified your mother, but she knew I would never let anything happen to you.
“Kai, you cannot let this get you down. There is a world full of women out there. You never need to have the same one twice. You can’t just wallow in hurt forever. I don’t know what you saw in that stuck-up know-it-all. She hated the club and looked at all of us from Sugar Maple like we were just hicks she was too good for. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think she just had to have you to piss off Amber.”
“I’m not stupid, I know that’s how it started, but she’s different. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. She has passion and ambition and drive. She made me think I could become something more than this small town…”
Ripper’s eyebrows drew together. His eyes darkened as he slammed the bottle down. The fiery sunset was a perfect backdrop to the anger that tightened his jaw.
“You think that little piece of tail would have been there for you over us, your brothers? You may be on your way to your permanent patch, but you have been a part of this club since you were eight years old. Bitches are the ruination of brotherhood. I’m sorry she hurt you. But you need to get your head out of your ass and wake up and look around. This club has offered you everything. Even paid when your mom got sick. The Souls were there for you then and will be there through all your heartbreaks, all your fuckups, and all your good times. You better not forget that. I want to see you up tomorrow at 8 am and ready to ride. No more of this slumping around feeling sorry for yourself. It’s been long enough. You are either in this club or out. You can’t be both.”
He breathed out the last of his smoke and stomped out a roach with his boot.
“I expect we won’t be having this conversation again.”
I vowed I would never let a woman get to me again. I distanced myself from getting to know them, not even their real names. That made things easier, and I liked things fast and easy, no attachments.
Now, everything seemed complicated. I stood on the fire escape, just looking into Paige’s window. From the moment I saw her being carried by that goon, awaiting a fate of God knows what, I stepped in and began falling into those eyes, and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped. When her frail body clung to me, and when she looked at me, I knew she trusted me to protect her. When I saw her in that hospital bed, I wanted to find that man and cut him up into little pieces and sprinkle him into a fucking shark tank.
I rubbed my hands over my face and sipped whiskey straight from the bottle. Each sip had me wanting to go to her and confess how much she had changed my life. She had brought me back to life. She had strength and vulnerability that ripped me up. I forced myself back inside before I did anything stupid.
Paige
The bells chimed, and I inhaled the thick scent of incense as I walked through the beaded curtains. The room was lit with candles. Statues of angels, saints, and the Blessed Mother adorned the walls. I let out a yelp when I turned the corner.
“I thought she w
as a real person.” I placed my hand on my chest.
The gorgeous young woman came from around the counter, her brown curls tumbling over her shoulder as she laughed.
“Funny, some people don’t even notice her.”
“What? How could you not notice a life-size Saint Theresa?”
“I know, it’s bizarre. I leave her there just so I can see who notices her.” She had layers of crystals hanging from her neck, her burgundy hippie-style wrap dress had a slit and showed off her knee-high boots. She put out her hand, beautiful antique rings adorned her slender fingers.
“I’m Coral.”
“Hi, um, my name is Paige.” I reached out, shaking her hand.
She pointed to the comfy-looking chairs that sat in the back of the store behind the sparkling curtains. I passed the rows of candles, incense, and tarot decks before taking a seat.
“Your sign said you have $10 readings. I have never had any kind of reading before. What exactly is it?”
“Well, a $10 reading is for a question, something you need insight on. I’m also a medium and communicate with those who have passed on. I’m not the kind of psychic who tells you when you are getting married or how many kids you are going to have. I communicate with your loved ones, and things are often revealed. I also work with cards.”
She picked up a deck, shuffling it between her hands. “I only work with white light and the divine. I pray and am a very spiritual person. I’m connected with nature and Mother Earth, God, and angels.”
She reached out her hand, using her index finger to lift my chin.
“Oh my, your eyes. Are they contacts? They are so unusual,” she said.
“Not contacts. Everyone asks that,” I answered. “I have so many questions, I don’t know if $10 will do it.”
“Do you pray?” she asked.
“I did. Lately, I kind of…lost my way.”
She nodded and took my hands in hers. Her charcoal-lined eyes looked into mine.
“I need you to take a deep cleansing breath and let it out real slow. I want you to close your eyes and focus. Call out in your mind what is worrying you.”
Well, that was like a jigsaw puzzle. Images of my parents, Meme, Kai, Juliet, and the stories my grandmother told me were swimming through my head, competing for the top spot of worry.
“The first thing I’m getting is that you recently found out information that has been held back from you. You are very conflicted and holding onto anger. You have been through some real trauma, and you have been carrying it all alone. Someone is here. She’s been gone for a while. I see go-go boots, Nancy Sinatra, Nancy. Her name is Nancy. Do you know who this is?”
Chills ran through me as every hair on my body stood on end. A prickling sensation crept up my skull.
“It’s my Nana. Her name was Nancy.”
“She’s showing me you as a child with another little girl, older than you. A sibling?”
“Yes.”
“I see a family eating dinner together outside next to a pool. They’re painting rocks.”
My throat was choking up, remembering the summer we collected rocks and painted them with wishes. My Nana Nancy loved having us do arts and crafts.
“She’s trying to show me something. I see an ambulance, a bad accident, someone almost dying.”
My body began to tremble.
“My sister.”
Coral squeezed my hands. “Your Nana was with her, watching over her. You both have powerful angels around you… Ahh, who is the sexy man with green eyes?” She smiled knowingly.
“Um, I don’t know.”
“Oh, you know. This man, he’s had it rough, he runs away instead of getting close to people. He’s quite the ladies’ man, but this is a facade to keep from feeling. There’s a grave with a blade on top and white flowers. Someone important to him. He has trouble opening up. He uses humor to hide his true self. He has secrets. If you want him, you need a breakthrough. He may not show you, but he cares for you, he is very protective of you.”
I peeked an eye open. Coral’s eyes were closed, and her face looked grave.
“Nancy is showing me a young woman, blond hair, looks almost exactly like you. But she’s sad…and she’s wearing a silver medallion. I can’t read it, but I see a skull. And a young man with purple eyes like yours. Drums are beating. A dark but handsome man is there, with cruelty in his eyes. Wrapped around him is a three-headed snake. His eyes are full of fire. I can hear something else, not music. It’s chanting. Voodoo dolls are dancing around the fire. He’s…he’s…he’s looking right at me.”
Coral let go of my hands and stood up, all her cards spilling onto the ground.
“I’m not sure what just happened. I have never encountered anything like that before. Did any of that make sense to you?”
“Some of it.” I waited for her to say more.
“Don’t be afraid, Paige. You are very strong and Archangel Michael is powerful around you. Pray to him, and your answers will come. I think you need to talk to someone connected to those who came through.” She began lighting a big bunch of sage and waving it in the air.
I left the shop feeling hopeful for the connection to my Nana, but all the rest didn’t make sense, except Kai and his secrets. I guessed I knew there was more to him than good looks and a sense of humor.
I wasn’t paying attention to the bunch of college kids stumbling out of the bar. They were all laughing and joking with each other. The boys draped their arms around the girls as they strolled to the busy pizza place that I was walking past. Big Joe’s Home of the Super Slice. The neon open sign was missing a bulb, and the decor looked very vintage.
“Watch where you’re going,” a snooty college girl with way too much makeup shouted at me. Taking a step out of her way, I moved closer to the giant window to allow the group to pass. Everyone inside the pizza place looked so happy.
Wait, was that Kai? I looked more closely. It was definitely Kai. He sat in a booth next to a young boy and across from a beautiful woman. His actions were animated as he spoke to the two, the boy laughing at everything he said. When their giant pizza arrived, he kept his eyes on the woman and the boy, not even a glance at the waitress whose breasts were popping out of her tight Big Joe’s tank top.
Kai reached out, serving slices to the two of them before himself. As he shook the bottle of hot pepper and garlic on his pizza, the little boy watched and then did the same. When the boy rose from his seat, he walked to the condiments area that was near the window. And as he got closer, I could see the oversized Stained Souls sweatshirt he wore. I didn’t know how long I stood there, watching the cozy-looking family laugh and talk. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I ran to my truck.
I ducked down in the seat and spied as he walked them down the sidewalk. Kai had his arm hooked through the woman’s as she leaned into him, holding the box of leftovers; the boy was jumping from one block to the next ahead of them. They stopped next to a silver SUV, where Kai opened the door for her. She handed him the keys before he closed her door. My heart pounded in my chest as the SUV drove in the same direction I was parked. I was so confused, Coral’s words stuck with me: “He has secrets.”
Chapter Fifteen
Kai
I knocked the buzzing phone to the floor, the bottle and keys next to it crashing down. What time was it?
“Fuck!”
My missed call was Colt. It was 11:30 am. I was due to be at the clubhouse at noon.
On my way, I texted back.
After the fastest shower of my life, I pulled into the lot at 12:02 pm.
Colt was filling his saddlebag and yelling at someone on his phone. Lately, he had been so wound up.
Ledger was tapping at his phone screen, leaning against his bike, not even noticing when I came up behind him.
“Really?” I waved a hand in front of his screen when he didn’t respond. “Don’t you get enough poker?”
“It’s good for surveying situations and calculating odds. It’
s called practice, Kai, you should try it.”
“Oh, I practice, and the ladies are very appreciative.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they are grateful.”
Colt shot out a few talking points, and we were on the road to Torrentsville.
By two o’clock, our bikes were parked outside the building that no longer looked abandoned. Paper hid all the windows so no one could see inside. A man wearing a Cajun Kings prospect patch was guarding the back door. He looked a little old to be a prospect. His blond ponytail was secured at his neck, and he was clearly balding on top. His sunglasses covered his eyes. A smoke was pressed between his lips as he stood like a statue with his legs spread and arms folded.
Colt approached with his head held high. He walked up the concrete stairs, meeting the man’s gaze.
“Please let Vicious know Colt is here to see him. He is expecting me.”
The man touched the earpiece and relayed the message. He waved the three of us through the large metal door into the dark hall. My hand gripped the knife on my side as we turned the corner. The man knocked on the door before opening it and gestured for us to enter.
Four men in Cajun Kings cuts stood around the table.
“Colt.” Vicious held out his hand.
“Vicious.” Colt returned the shake.
“Everyone can take a seat.”
Vicious’ eyes fell on the knife I was still gripping. “No need for that, boy. This is a friendly conversation.”
I released my hold and took a seat across from the fucker that was eyeballing me. He was one of the fuckers Ledge and I had paid a visit to. A small smirk etched his lips as he spotted the wrap on my arm. I wiped the edge of my mouth using my middle finger, earning me looks of daggers.
“Vice.” A younger man with black hair and deep-purple streaks stood. All his piercings and ink made him look like a goth model more than a biker. “I want you all to meet my son. This is Vice, and he is the owner of this building and will be the head of our chapter here.”
“Nice to meet you, Vice.” Colt extended his hand.