by Zoey Derrick
“Loni will send me home.”
He snorts, “No, she won’t, I’m calling Cowboy now.”
“Where are you going?” I ask him.
“I’m swinging back by Pyro’s” I cringe. I don’t like that name anymore and he gives me a sad smile. “Then I’m coming to the bar.” He winks
I smile and climb on my bike.
“Jesus, one of these days I’m gonna fuck you bent over that thing,” he growls.
“Fiend.”
“Only for you, baby, only for you.” He smirks and sits down on his bike as he pulls his phone from his cut. “Cowboy,” he pauses, “Yeah, we’re all set. Hey, listen, do me a favor. You at the bar?” He pauses again. “Okay, good. Tell Loni not to freak out on Skit again.” I can’t hear Cowboys reply. “Alright, see you.” He hangs up. “We’re good,” he tells me.
“She has no idea what she’s not freaking out about, does she?”
“Not a fucking clue,” he laughs and kick starts his bike. I follow suit and fire up mine.
He leads the way down the street until we get to the light. He’s going right, I’m going left, but we’re side by side. “I could get used to this,” I say over the roar of our engines.
“I’m tryin’,” he smirks and the light changes. He flashes me a wink and we both take off.
The rumble of the engine brings me a new calm and I find my center as I drive to work.
Loki was right. Loni didn’t say a fucking word, but she glared at me when I came in the door. I apologized for being late and she softened. I know she’s not mad about my tardiness, she’s pissed because her husband, who winked when I came in the door, told her to back off.
A little while later, Loni and I are alone and out of ear shot so I whisper, “I did it on purpose.”
“Why would you want to rile that man up?”
I give her an evil smirk. “Because, he deserves it.” She shakes her head but smiles nonetheless. “Thanks for understanding,” I add.
“I can’t argue with that logic,” she says and goes back to tending bar.
It’s almost three hours later when Loki shows up with Tryke, Pixie and Sticks in tow. They don’t sit in my section but I swap with Kat, giving her one of mine in exchange for the boys. She gave me a knowing smirk and a wink before I sashay to their table.
Once I’m there, I lean over and Loki growls at me. I wink at him. “What’ll it be boys?” I drawl.
“Fireball,” Sticks says. I knew that answer before I asked the question.
“All the way around,” Tryke says. I notice now that his contacts are back in, his hair is down, styled in a way that makes him Pyro and not Tryke. But there’s still something different about him, weight maybe. A burden is finally gone from his shoulders, perhaps?
“Comin’ right up,” I say as I push off the table and head toward the bar. Loki smacks my ass as I pass him, hard, and I yelp.
Loni rolls her eyes and shakes her head as I approach the bar. “They drinkin’ fireball tonight, Lon.”
She raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug. “Okay then,” she laughs.
A couple minutes later I have their drinks in my hand. Loni cracked open a new bottle, poured their drinks then set the bottle on my tray. “Trust me, they’ll want it.” She winks and I carry it over to the table.
As I’m sliding drinks off my tray, Loki grabs my ass and squeezes. My mouth falls slack when I feel his finger brush along the seam of my jeans that’s running right up my slit. “Not fair,” I grumble at him.
“Oh, it’s totally fair,” Loki smirks just before he toasts the others and they shoot down their drinks.
All four of them put their glasses on the table expectantly and I roll my eyes. “Ain’t you guys capable of pourin’ your own shit?” I ask with a cock of my eyebrow and a smirk.
“Hell no,” Pyro says and that’s the moment I realize it really is like a weight has left his shoulders. He’s never been so animated since I met ‘Pyro’ about two weeks or so ago.
I smile wide and pour them each another round before leaving them to fend for themselves.
Another hour passes, it’s getting close to eleven. I was just beginning to wonder if Taz was going to make her appearance when she comes into the bar. My eyes meet Loki’s and he gives me a nod. So far, the plan for tonight is playing out just as Opie said when Loki caught up to him.
Taz doesn’t seem like herself when she sits at the bar. Loni waits on her and she orders a drink. Loni gives me the side eye. I don’t know how much she knows about what’s going down, but even she seems surprised.
I continue serving drinks to my tables and checking on the guys, but Pyro, Pixie and Sticks are getting up to leave so Loki can do what he needs to for the night.
“You alright?” he asks me.
“No, but I will be,” I tell him.
“I promise you, nothing will happen between us tonight.”
“I know,” I breathe.
“I mean it, Kiwi, I’m not like most of these guys. I gave you my patch, you’re wearing my brand. Short of putting a ring on your finger, there’s no bigger commitment.”
My body freezes at the mention of a ring. He leans forward, getting close to my ear and he whispers, “Which I will do.” His voice is full of promises at the mention of putting a ring on my finger.
“It’s been two days,” I breathe.
“I’ve been waiting a lifetime for you,” he adds and backs away from me. I take a deep breath, trying to find my center of gravity before I back away from him. He sits there patiently waiting for me to say something else and I don’t know what to say. I simply nod and pull away from the table. My heart races in my chest.
When I approach the bar, Loni comes over to me. “You alright?” she asks, but I’m staring off at nothing. “Yo, Skit?” She snaps her fingers in front of my face.
“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”
Loni laughs, “You sure about that?”
I blink. Then blink again. “No,” I finally manage.
“What happened?”
Right as I look at her, I see Taz getting up from the bar after putting her glass on the counter. I turn my focus to Loni. “I’m just… I don’t know, but that man seriously knows how to knock me off kilter.”
She laughs again. “What he do this time?”
“Told me he was gonna put a ring on me.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “You’re wearing his patch, his permanent brand on your shoulder and you’re freaking out about a ring?” Her eyes are crinkled in the corners as if she’s fighting off another laugh. “Girl, to these guys, patching is no different than saying ‘I do’.
“Well, shit,” I breathe.
“Uh huh,” she snickers. “It’s only us who freak out about the ring.” She leans forward. “Cowboy patched me two weeks into our relationship, he didn’t put on ring on it ‘til after we had three kids and that was because I begged him to.”
“Well, hell, I guess I should’ve known better.”
I glance around and see Taz approach Loki. I turn away from them. “Get used to it,” she says, a little disdain in her voice.
“Cowboy one of those guys?” I ask.
“Probably, but I’ve spent too much time fretting over it, worrying about it, making a big deal about it. The bottom line is, they are who they are.” She shrugs nonchalantly.
“I don’t know if I can be one of those girls,” I whisper.
“Most of them only have the gall to do it away from their old ladies,” she sneers.
I try to ignore Loki and Taz. But it’s hard. She’s not done anything to him but join him and talk to him.
After about twenty minutes, they get up to leave and Loki gives me an apologetic smile as he leaves.
“Seriously? You’re gonna let him walk out like that with her?” Loni grabs me.
I shake my head and let it go.
Chapter Twenty-Three
LOKI
Taz is in her car, I’m on my bike, because that’s how this rolls. I may
be giving into this, but Kiwi is the only bitch I’ll have on my bike. We’re headed to the back of Pixie Sticks. The club put rooms back there for club members to use and after hours it’s usually pretty quiet.
I’m thankful when I get stuck at a light and she goes on ahead. I whip out my phone. “She do it?”
“Yeah,” I say into the phone. “When was the last time you swept Pixie Sticks for cameras?” I ask Tryke.
“Yesterday, who suggested it?”
“I did.”
“Then you should be alright, but I’ll sweep the feeds.”
“Thanks,” The light changes and I rev, I faintly hear the click on the line and I take off, putting my phone back in my cut and following behind her.
I feel my phone vibrate against my chest, but it just goes once, so it’s a text.
A few minutes later, I’m pulling into the back of Pixie Sticks and there is no one else here, as expected.
I park next to her car, and I pull my phone from my cut again.
Pyro to Loki:
Sweep checks out. Watchin.
. Some of the tension in my back subsides and breathe a bit easier. My brother has my back.
I put my phone away and grab the keys from my bike. She’s waiting by the door. She’s nervous and her lack of pick-up tonight has me worried. She’s not her usual self and it makes me wonder if she’s ready to turn against Rooster.
I punch in the code to the building and hold the door for her. She reluctantly steps inside and I lead her to the first room on the left. Once inside, I close the door behind us, and she wraps her arms around her midsection and she starts crying.
“What is it?” I ask her.
“I can’t do this,” she mumbles.
I walk behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. “Talk to me, Leslie.” I say her real name and she stiffens.
“They have him,” she sobs.
“Who?” I demand with urgency.
“Rooster, Gunnar, they have Hunter.”
“Fuck,” I groan.
“If I don’t do this, they will kill him.”
“What are you supposed to do?” I ask her and she produces a syringe from her purse.
“Give you this.”
“What’s in there, Leslie?” I ask, backing away. She’s a woman on the verge of losing it and I don’t want her stabbing me with whatever is in that needle.
“I,” she sobs, “I don’t know. They just gave it to me. It looks like H,” she says. “But there’s a lot of shit that looks like it, so I have no fucking clue. They told me whatever is in here won’t kill you, but it’s supposed to take you out and then I’m supposed to call them and let them know the job is done.”
Her tears are making it hard for me to understand what she’s saying. I reach for my phone.
There’s a text from Pyro.
Calling it off. Hunter is more important. Where is he?
“Where is he, Leslie?”
She turns and her eyes are desperate, pleading. “I don’t know,” she says through quivering tears. “Right before I came into I.W. they sent me this.” She pulls her phone from her purse and shows me a picture of Hunter, there’s a little blood dripping from his nose and his cheeks are dirty.
I see red, blood fucking red.
“If they want you dead, or drugged, I figured I could trust you to help me,” she breathes.
I nod. “You can, but please, give me the needle.” She has no problem handing it over to me.
“I want him back, I need him, Loki,” she sobs.
“Hey,” I tell her as I approach her, having set the needle down on the dresser. I wrap my arms around her.
She sobs in my arms for a moment before sobering. “I’ll help you,” I tell her.
In a move I didn’t think her capable of, she twists in my arms and out of my hold. Something hard presses to my head and I hear the familiar click of a gun being cocked.
“Jesus,” I spit and she pushed me to my knees and forces my arms behind me. “What the fuck is with you bitches today?”
She presses the gun harder to my temple and her eyes meet mine, solid green and focused, pointing right at me. “So fucking gullible.”
“Are you kidding me?” I tell her. “I’m not your enemy, Leslie. If anyone can save your son, it’s me.”
“Yeah, by me killing you.” The gun rattles a little bit.
“Have you ever fired one of those before?” I ask her. I’m trying to distract her. If she wanted to kill me, she’d have pulled the trigger already.
“Shut up,” she snaps.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Sure, I have a gun to my head, what else is fucking new. “I know Gunnar threatened you into doing this. Told you if you didn’t do it, Hunter would pay. I knew before you walked into the bar that this was the plan and I must admit, you gave off a stellar performance, Leslie.”
“Stop calling me that,” she snaps.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?” She doesn’t answer me, I didn’t expect her to. “I really thought you were scared when you approached me tonight, so well done.” I lean into the gun, her eyes widen. I’m not called Loki for nothing. “So if you’re going to kill me, do it. But know this before you do, I’m the only one who knows Hunter is in his hands. I’m the only one who has a pretty good idea where he is and most importantly, if you kill me, no one will help you.”
“Hunter will be safe,” she insists.
“No, Leslie, he won’t. You kill me, you do their dirty work, and how long before they hold Hunter over your head again? Next time it won’t be as simple as taking down an unarmed man. Next time you could get yourself killed in the process.” She doesn’t say anything so I continue, “Think about it. You know I’m right. I’m willing to bet this isn’t the first time they’ve threatened you into doing something you didn’t want to do.” I take a chance, because I need to keep her talking, or at the very least, distracted. “When they kill him, and you know they will, what will you do then? What’s stopping them from killing him, even if you kill me?”
I hear the gun rattle again and I take my shot, grabbing her arm and lowering the gun. It goes off, but it doesn’t hit anything but plaster behind me. “Oh, God,” she cries.
“It’s alright, I’m alright,” I tell her.
“They’re going to kill him.”
“No, they’re not. A gunshot has rung out. You’re going to call them, you’re going to tell them that the job is done. Then you’re going to find out where they’re holding Hunter, or a place to meet to get him back. Do you understand me?” I ask.
She nods, but she’s a million miles away.
I tuck the gun in my jeans and grab her shoulders. “Leslie, look at me,” I tell her with a little shake and her eyes turn to me, but it takes a minute for her to focus. “Did you hear me?” I ask her.
“Call them. Tell them it’s done,” she breathes.
“Then find out how you get Hunter back,” I say again. She nods, her eyes are glazed over, she’s in shock. “I need you to call them, now, Leslie. If there is someone outside, someone that followed you here, they’ve heard the shot. The longer you wait, the more danger you’re putting him in.”
“Okay,” she breathes.
“Where’s your phone?” I ask.
“Purse,” she mutters.
Fuck, this isn’t going to work. I want to slap her, wake her up, but I’m afraid of hurting her. “Leslie?” I snap. She doesn’t move, or even flinch. Fuck. I slap her across the face. It takes a second but she focuses. “There you are,” I say softly.
“Why did you do that?” she asks. Tears fill her eyes.
“Because you’re in shock, Taz. I need you to focus right now.”
“Ohhkay,” she says reluctantly.
“I need you to call them, tell them it’s done and find out where Hunter is or how to get him back. You hear me?”
“Yes,” she says, reaching into her purse for her phone.
I stiffen because I don’t know what else t
his crazy-ass woman has up her sleeve but she only produces her phone.
She presses a couple buttons and puts the phone to her ear. I lean down, listening.
“It’s done,” she says softly into the phone.
“Good,” Gunnar says on the other end of the phone.
“Where’s my son?” she asks him.
“Patience, bitch. I need you to do something else for me.”
“No,” she snaps into the phone. “I’ve done what you asked me to do, I’ve taken him out. He’s dead, now give me back my son.” The catatonic woman that was standing here a minute ago is no longer here, the mom in her is taking over.
“We’re not done with you yet.”
“Let me talk to Hunter,” she begs. “Let me hear that he’s okay.”
“Mommy, mommy, where are you? I wanna go home.”
She cries, “I’m right here, baby, are you okay? Has he hurt you?”
“I’m scared.” His voice ricochets in my brain. He’s sounds terrified.
“Now, where were we?” Gunnar returns to the line.
“I’ve done what you asked, give me back my son,” she snaps.
“Not until you’ve completed your next task.”
“What do you want from me? Why can’t you do this shit yourself?” she barks into the phone.
“Because it’s much more fun watching you do it. Now, I need you to go to Iron Wings, get that bitch of his and put one in the back of her head.” The line goes dead.
Kiwi.
“When you dance with the devil, the devil always wins,” I mutter. “We’ve got to get you out of here,” I tell her.
“What about Skit?” Tears trickle down her cheeks.
I shake my head. “You’re not touching her,” I tell her. I grab my phone from my cut. There’s a new text from Pyro.
Wow, that was close.
We’ve got a lock on Gunnar’s location. He’s in the old warehouse behind the clubhouse.
Rooster is in his house, waiting for us. We have eyes on him.
Cowboy has eyes on Kiwi. They’re shutting down the bar early. Stay put.
“Now what?” she asks.
“We wait.”