by M. N. Forgy
But then slowly but surely he became a man I didn’t recognize anymore. It’s like something on the outside of the law swallowed him whole and he hasn’t been able to escape it since.
“Where are we going?” Halle asks, wiping a tear from her face. I obviously didn’t think this through. I just kidnapped my own kid, which will definitely swing the judges and family services into Kace’s favor. I can’t go home, Kace will go there for sure and I can’t afford a hotel. I can’t do this alone anymore. Kace has people on his side and it’s become clear I need someone in my corner. Someone who has power and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
A motorcycle zooms by us and my eyes follow it until I’m looking in the rearview mirror. I know who can help me.
“We’re going to find North, baby.”
Looking at the clock on my dash, it’s too early for North to be at the strip club, I know that, but I can’t go to the notorious Kings of Carnage clubhouse either. I’m new at the strip club so I doubt they’ll know me. Yeah, I’m not brave enough to do that.
An hour has gone by and I’ve done nothing but driven the streets of Uprising, stopping once to fill the car up with gas. The idea of getting North involved sounding more and more appealing with every passing minute. I tried to do this the right way and be civil, but I just broke the law. I took Halle, and if I know Kace, he’s already got Pepper looking for me. I might actually lose Halle, I’ll never know when she’s sad or hungry. What will Kace do when she wakes up sick in the middle of the night? What about your passion to play basketball, will he help her learn how to play or lock her in a room while he drinks?
A tear rolls down my cheek, the love in my chest that I have for Halle hurts so much right now.
My only hope is North. The Kings of Carnage. I’d sell my soul to them if it meant keeping my daughter.
I instinctively play with my lip, curious where North would be at five in the evening. If only I had his number. Letting go of my lip, I tap my hand on the steering wheel and look over at Halle. She’s fast asleep with her head resting on the hand rest of the door. The air from the vent blowing on her sun-kissed cheeks.
Turning the wheel, I head to the other side of town, toward Centerfolds. I don’t know where North is right now but I know where he will be in a few hours, I’ll wait if I have to.
Parking behind the building, I turn the car off and rest back in my seat.
What if North says no? What if he asks for sex? I have no idea what he will say, to be honest, he’s a wild card.
A slick black Mercedes pulls up next to me and Bad Bunny gets out. Her hair is up in a ponytail just like any other girl on the streets, her black sweats and white tank top just as casual as the sneakers on her feet. You’d never think she was an exotic dancer if you ran into her at the market. She smiles at me before doing a double-take and coming to a stop. Her face falls into a grimace and she walks over to my side of the car; I roll down the window.
“What’s wrong?” She looks at Halle then to me. “What happened to your lip?”
“I fucked up, and I need North,” I say in one breath. I need someone who can break the rules and North is the only person in my life that has that kind of potential.
Bad Bunny glances to the club, then back to me, her hand smoothing out her ponytail from the Georgia humidity. “He’s probably at home if he’s not at the clubhouse.” She digs into the big black leather bag hanging off her shoulder, tugging out her phone.
“Don’t tell anyone I gave this to you. Do you understand?” Her eyes pop to mine, her fingers stalling on the screen of her phone until I answer.
I nod, not sure what she’s going to give me, but at this point, I’d agree to anything if it helps me keep my daughter and me out of jail.
“He lives on Tamper Road, house number is three-oh-four,” she mutters, the nervousness in her voice not going unnoticed. I turn the key in the ignition to start the car, my free hand tightening on the steering wheel.
“I know where that road is,” I mutter under my breath, it’s not far from the park I take Halle to.
She slips her phone back into her bag, her faced pulled with apprehension.
“I didn’t give that to you, remember that.” Her voice has a cold clip to it, but I can understand why. North is a member of a motorcycle club. She just broke a rule, I can tell. I owe her one. A big one. Handing out a piece of information like she just did is dangerous for North if it got in the wrong hands, like a cop.
Hands shaking, I pull from the parking spot of the club and head out onto the main road. Passing under every streetlight, a dark shadow creeps along my car and across Halle’s face.
God, I hope he can help me.
Fifteen minutes later I’m pulling up to a white house with the smell of fresh-cut grass drifting through my car window. I notice a lawnmower sitting in the front yard and a slick black motorcycle in the driveway. Parking my car by the curb, my hands begin to tremble harder. Regret and shame filling my chest that I even put myself in this damn situation to begin with. I don’t know what North can do for me, but if anyone can do something… it’d be him.
Halle stirs, waking up now that I turned the car off.
“Where are we, Momma?” she asks in a sleepy voice.
“Um, I think this is North’s place,” I tell her, looking around the neighborhood. It’s quiet, the house across the street has an older woman tending to a garden on the side of her house. Strangely, she doesn’t look at us or seem concerned that a strange car is parked near her house. Halle unclips her seatbelt and opens the door to get out.
“Halle, wait!” Quickly I get out and jog around the car to her side, snatching her hand before she can make it to the front door. Squinting from the setting sun, she glances up at me in question.
I don’t know what we are going to walk into when we go up there. He could have another woman there, or some members of the clubhouse.
He might be mad I came here. I just, I don’t know what to expect. My eyes slide down to Halle thinking I should leave her in the car to be safe, but it’s so hot outside the air conditioner won’t run cold enough to keep her comfortable.
No, I can do this. Just like the day I applied to work at Centerfolds, I lift my head and tell myself to be stronger than my excuses. With every step my feet take, my mind becomes stronger than the emotional side of me that has taken its place in my personality.
Stepping onto the patio, I can hear the light chatter of the TV on the other side of the door. I blow out a breath and knock on the wooden door.
“It’s open!” North hollers. Halle and I glance at one another before I grab the knob and turn it, pushing the door open to reveal North sitting on a clothed couch, his feet kicked up on a coffee table littered with beer bottles, watching TV. Taking a pull from a bottle, he looks to me before surprise flashes in his eyes and he stands up.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” His tone grips at my insecurity, making me want to turn around and run back to my car. Instead, I hold on to Halle’s hand harder.
“I need help, North.”
Halle and I sit on this multicolored couch watching him pace back and forth in front of the TV, taking in everything I just told him happened between Kace and I. North is shirtless, only wearing a pair of jeans and it occurs to me he’s shoeless as well, his feet pitter-pattering along the hardwood floor.
Situating myself on the couch, I take advantage of North’s silence and check out the rest of his place from where I sit. He doesn’t have curtains on the living room window, instead, it has a Jack Daniels blanket nailed to it to keep the sun out, and the same goes with the other windows in the house but with various blankets or towels.
He finally stops and hits me with those icy cold blue eyes that has me holding my breath like I was just caught doing something wrong. He has that effect on me. Those eyes that are so isolated and intimidating. I know they’ve seen things that can only appear in my nightmares. My body’s natural response is to freeze.
&nb
sp; “Halle, how about we put a show on for you while your mother and I talk in the other room, hmm?” He grabs the remote off the coffee table in front of us and begins to flip through the channels. He obviously has no idea where to look for children’s shows Halle’s age and stops at the first cartoon he comes to.
“Paw Patrol, what do you think I am, five? Because I’m seven!” Halle sasses, and I nudge her. My eyes silently telling her to find her manners.
North tilts his head to the side as he glares at Halle as if she’s lost her mind.
“It’s kid shit, and you’re a kid. What do you mean, do I think your five? It’s got talking dogs and shit.”
Halle suddenly stands up and rounds the coffee table before snatching the remote from North’s hands. He looks at me with a wild stare that has me biting back a laugh. I can tell North’s not used to being around children and I find it comical. Halle flips the channel a couple more times before Spongebob’s annoying laugh fills the TV screen and she hands him the remote back.
“Oh, but a talking sponge isn’t a kiddie show?” he argues with her as if he’s a kid himself.
She sits back on the couch next to me and looks to North with defiance. “It’s different, they’re smarter and funnier. You should watch it with me?” she offers, scooting over so he can sit next to us. He looks to me as if Halle has lost her mind and runs his hands down his face in frustration.
“Aspen, follow me,” he huffs, dropping his hands. Standing from the couch, I follow him into another room that appears to be a kitchen. A black towel nailed to the window above the sink full of dishes. The counters have cereal boxes, popcorn, and chips lying about them. It’s definitely a bachelor house.
He grabs me by the chin with a steady grip, inspecting my busted lip.
“He do this to you?” His nostrils flare, something dark coming alive inside of him as he brushes his thumb over the cut.
“Yeah,” I whisper, feeling embarrassed. He lets go, and turns away from me. His shoulders are tense, his demeanor angry. I just can’t tell if his hostile vibe is because of me or Kace.
“So you just took her without thinking, 'hey, this might be kidnapping?’” Both his brows lift while he scrutinizes me.
Feeling defensive, I cross my arms.
“He was drunk, and I didn’t know what else to do!”
“Um, call the cops.” He raises his voice, throwing both his arms out beside him.
“I couldn’t,” I yell whisper. “His buddy cop would have just shown up and turned the whole thing around and in the end, she would still be in the car with Kace while he was drunk.”
North stands straight, his mouth closing as if he’s finally getting the picture that I’m fucked. Nobody can help me.
“He told me he was going to take her from me and never let me see her again. Like, run away with her. I just… I beat him to the punch.” I begin to cry, overwhelmed with everything.
“Don’t cry.” His head does this weird tilt thing as if my crying is his weakness. He pushes off the counter and wraps his arms around me, his bare chest pressed against my face I can’t help but smell him. He’s sweaty and manly. God, there’s just something about him that makes me want to be someone different, someone who likes to walk the line of bad and do things I shouldn’t.
“He’s not going to get Halle. I can promise you that,” he says into the top of my head.
I push an arm length back and look up to him.
“How can you promise me that?” My voice dips. My soul is telling me not to believe his promise, but it’s too late. My heart has latched onto every word and I want to believe him more than I have anything I ever have.
He looks down at me with more confidence than I’ve ever seen anyone possess.
“Because I’m a fucking king of Georgia and I said so. You’ll see.”
Five
North
I told Aspen to stay at my house with Halle, she was supposed to work tonight but I don’t know what to do with the kid and I know that fucking ex of hers will show up here looking for them.
Sitting on my throne in the back watching Persia dance to one of her regular songs, I find it hard to focus on her and the horny men around her. All I can think about is what the hell that kid and Aspen are doing at my house right now, and how her ex hit her. There is one quick way to light my fuse and that is a man hurting a woman. I can’t fucking handle it, I come undone and see nothing but red. Aspen is a good girl and doesn’t deserve to be smacked around by anyone.
Leaning my head back, I look up at the mood lights. I gotta do something about this fucking ex-husband first. She said he was an ex-cop, I wonder if Sly can have Asher look into him. Asher is a cop we have on the payroll.
Tugging my phone out of my jeans, I text Sly to ask Asher about a cop named Kace and sit back and wait. Sitting forward, I rest my head into my hands and flashbacks of bruised thighs, screaming, and bloody fingerprints make me snap upright and inhale a deep breath. The shit that happened up north plaguing my mind all over again. I’ll never forget the night that made up my mind to leave that club.
My phone rings and I stand, trying to get outside so I can hear what Sly has to say.
“Talk to me,” I answer.
“Asher said the man is dangerous, hooked on drugs and booze. He’s under investigation for a murder. Doesn’t sound good.” Sly is the treasurer of the club and usually deals with money side of things, but I don’t underestimate what lays inside of that man. Just by looking at his eyes, I can tell he has a temper much like my own.
“Thanks,” I reply and hang up.
I shoot Jinx a quick text asking him to meet me as well, he’s a man with a temper and I can use him right now.
I see that Jinx read my text but I don’t expect him to reply, but I know he’ll show. He’s not a man of many words, but one I trust more than a lot of guys. I slip my phone back into my pocket and try to relax. This shit is going to straighten out, and everything will be back to its normal shit. Jinx will be running drugs, Bouncer will be doing what the fuck it is he does, and I can keep watching the strip club until needed at the club. Easy fucking work.
The familiar smell of Valley has me looking up. She’s wearing a long red dress with a slit above the thigh. Sliding onto my lap, her hand rests on my chest. Her cleavage right in my face.
“You look troubled, baby,” she coos, her big plush lips pout like she actually cares.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I inhale.
“Lotta shit going on,” I tell her, not wanting to go into detail.
She grabs my dick, getting straight to the point.
“Maybe we can work this out in the office?” she offers.
I look to her, the feel of her rubbing my member feeling too fucking good to pass up right now.
“Get up,” I tell her, and she slips off my lap. Setting my beer down, I lead the way back behind the stage and into the office. As soon as the door shuts, I grab her by the hips and bend her over the desk.
She giggles at my eagerness. Truth is, I just want to get off and be done, I’d jack off in the bathroom but if she’s offering a warm pussy then why the fuck would I pass it up.
I shove her dress up over her hips and onto her back and pull my cock out. She opens the drawer to the desk, handing me a condom over her shoulder.
Rolling the rubber over my shaft, I hold my dick at the base and slip inside of her. She’s wet and warm, making my cock pulse with pleasure.
Closing my eyes, I slip in and out of her. The desk screeching across the floor with every thrust.
She hisses and moans before bending upward. Turning her head, she tries to kiss me, and I grab her by the throat stopping her.
Fucking a girl is enough to make them clingy, but you add passionate shit like kissing and you just silently sealed yourself into a relationship.
Her eyes glare at me, and I sneer back just before my balls squeeze tightly and I nut.
Letting her go, I pull out of her and tug the condom of
f.
She grabs a tissue from a box on the desk and wipes herself up.
“That was quick,” she snaps.
“You offered to help me, and you did. What’d you want?” I ask.
“Um, to get off. What the fuck, North?” She holds her left hand out, palm up.
Shaking my head, I know I did her dirty, and to be honest, I don’t really have a reason why. Maybe it’s because of the way she handled Aspen. The jealousy she possessed over me like I was her boy toy pissed me off more than anything.
Maybe now she will see that I cannot be owned. Opening the door, the smell of the club wafting into the room of musk and sex, I find Jinx just arriving. He looks over my shoulder at Valley, then to me. He’s wearing sunglasses even though it’s already hard to see in the damn club and looks unapproachable as usual.
Glancing over my shoulder, I wait for Valley to leave so I can talk to Jinx privately. She slips between us both, clearly unhappy with what just happened. I don’t give a fuck about her happiness.
Jinx sits in the chair in front of the desk and rubs his chin in waiting for why I called him here. This is him. He’s not going to ask, he’s going to wait and watch.
“I need to take out an ex-cop.” I pause, anticipating his questions, the concern and brotherly advice to begin but instead he looks up at me, hands on his knees and nods his head.
“Good talk,” I respond, relaxing back in the chair, I rest my hands behind my head. “Now we wait.”
Jinx tilts his head to the side in question. Because this is how we work. He’s the kind of guy I bounce thoughts off of sometimes just to watch his reactions and learn to read him. The way he’s furrowed his brows giving tension to the lines in his forehead tell me I have his full attention.
“Oh, he’s coming to us.” I grin. “So, let’s go enjoy the show until the fucker gets here, huh?” I stand, and Jinx does the same. If what Aspen says holds true, her ex will be here, and we didn’t even have to set the trap.