“What about you?” I asked, barely able to process what I was hearing. “How could she leave you?”
“Honestly, I don’t think it was hard for her at all. She’d call on my birthday, and we’d see each other three or four times a year, but I don’t think she ever really wanted to be a mother.”
“Is that why you never had kids?” I asked, immediately regretting it. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my fuckin’ business whatsoever.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t usually talk about myself a whole lot, and I kind of suck at it. I didn’t mean to dump a whole ton of family history drama on you before we’d even gotten in the car.”
“Speaking of,” I said, happy for the subject change, “Shall we go?” I asked, opening the passenger door.
“Thank you,” she said and slid in.
After getting Eldie in her seat, I spotted someone standing near a small group of trees, at the other end of the guest parking lot. They were dressed in dark clothes, facing our direction, and remained totally motionless.
“Stay in the car,” I said, as I closed her door, and then began walking quickly toward the shadowy figure. Once I was about twenty-five feet away I called out, “Can I help you with something?” To which the person immediately turned in the opposite direction and ran away at full-speed. I couldn’t see much in the darkness, but it looked like a man, well under six feet in height. The one distinguishing feature I was able to make out was a white dragon printed on the back of his jacket.
I walked back to Eldie, who was still waiting inside Lucille. I got in, fired her up, and took off in hope of spotting whoever this creep was.
“What’s going on?” Eldie asked as I zoomed through the parking lot.
“I just wanted to show you how great Lucille handles in tight spaces,” I said, as I headed toward the rear of her building, Lucille’s tires screeching.
“I think I get the point!” Eldie screamed as she fumbled for her safety belt.
I made a hard left and spotted the dragon-clad creep moving between two of the complex’s buildings. I slammed on the breaks and put the car in park.
“Stay here,” I said firmly, got out and took off at top speed toward the creep, who spotted me and also bolted; and when I say bolted, I mean Usain Bolt-ed. I gave up the chase after ten seconds when I could clearly see there was no way in hell I’d ever catch this fucker. I could move pretty well for a guy my size, but this prick was wiry and small framed, and from the way he moved, I’d guess he was an athlete at some point in his life.
I took a few moments to catch my breath and turned to head back to the car only to find that someone had snuck up on me. I pulled from my waistband and leveled my 9mm at whoever was trying to get the drop on me.
* * *
Gina
Cheesecake.
When Clutch asked me out for dessert, I thought the most dangerous thing I would face tonight would be the number of calories in a slice of cheesecake. Actually, if I was being honest, the order on tonight’s potential threat list was Clutch’s enormous dick then cheesecake, but those were certainly the only things that had come to mind. Boy was I wrong.
Everything started out nice enough. Clutch put me in the car... he’d even opened the door for me, which I thought was sweet. Then the next thing I knew he was either running around, or driving around, the parking lot like a maniac. He’d currently left me stranded, car still running, with his door swung wide open, in the middle of an access road after taking off on foot between two buildings. I was terrified. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Did this have something to do with the Burning Saints? Was I in danger? Was Clutch actually Batman?
I sat frozen for a moment before I realized that only Gina was scared. Eldie was a bad-ass biker bitch, who didn’t take any guff, and clearly needed to work on her tough-chick biker talk. Either way, I was getting out of this car and finding out what the fuck was going on.
I jogged in the direction I saw Clutch go, and it wasn’t long before I could see what looked like his silhouette, barely lit in the alleyway. I began walking slowly and silently, as I still had no idea what I was walking toward. In fact, I was now wondering why I was out here in the first place. I could now barely see the Burning Saints logo on the back of Clutch’s kutte and was about to whisper his name when he suddenly turned, pulled a gun, and pointed it directly at me.
“Holy shit, Doc,” I heard Clutch say, through what sounded like a long tunnel, and my vision began to blur and darken.
The next thing I knew I was in Clutch’s muscular arms, feeling like I’d just had the most glorious nap ever. Every muscle in my body felt loose and relaxed.
“Doc are you okay?”
“I’m great,” I said, smiling, my eyes adjusting to my surroundings. It was then that I remembered where I was, and exactly what’d just happened.
“You pulled a gun on me!” I squealed, scrambling to my feet. “You... you pulled a gun on me... and... and... I passed out.”
“You might want to keep it down a little,” Clutch said, shushing me. “Your neighbors and all.”
“Keep it down?” I whisper shouted. “You pointed a loaded gun at my head. Well, I assume it’s loaded.” I could barely make out Clutch’s nod in the darkness.
“Perhaps a little less alktay about the ungay out here in ublicpay,” he whispered back.
“Uckfay uyay Utchclay!” I said, as I rose to my unsteady feet and turned back for the car. At least, I hoped I was headed in the right direction. With having just fainted, the lack of light, and the fact that I’d been wearing an old pair of glasses since breaking my good ones during the accident, I could very well have walked right into a wall.
“Doc, please wait. It’s not safe,” Clutch said, coming up from behind.
“Stay away from me,” I snapped as I picked up my pace down the alley. “And don’t follow me.”
“Eldie, please, he’s still out here. Just stay close to me please,” he pleaded as he kept up with my pace.
I turned to find myself face to chest with Clutch. He’d worked up a light sweat and smelled amazing. I was finding it harder and harder to resist full-on animal urges when I was around him. Even now, when terrified, I was still drawn to him in every way. This revelation was terrifying.
“Who were you chasing?” I demanded
“I don’t know who he is, that’s why I’m out here and why you need to stay in the car while I look for him.”
“If you don’t know who he is, then why are you running after him with a gun?”
“Let’s just get back to Lucille and we can talk more about this,” he said, pressing me forward, giving me no chance but go with his flow.
“I’m not getting back in that car, or any car, with you,” I said as we reached the end of the alley.
It seems I wouldn’t have to worry about that, as the spot in the road where Lucille had been previously, was currently vacant.
Clutch
“Eldie, did you park Lucille?” I turned to face her, and she looked as surprised as me, but said nothing, which made my blood run cold. “Eldie, did you move the fucking car?” I shouted.
“No,” she replied, “I left Lucille, running right here where you left her.”
“I left her with you. You left her here alone, and now she’s fucking gone!” I bellowed.
“You left me alone, in a running car while you ran off to chase whoever the hell it was you were chasing!” she yelled back.
“Look, we have to get off the street and get you to a safe place. I have no idea who this creep is or what he wants.”
“Looks like he wanted your car,” she snapped back sarcastically.
“I don’t think this is about the car, but I swear to God, when I find who took her,” I stopped myself before I scared Eldie anymore. She was already looking at me like a glass of spoiled milk. All the best, really. This little escape from reality, or whatever the fuck Doc and I were doing, had to come to an end. She may as well get a little glim
pse into my fucked-up life and see the monster that I truly am.
“Look, Clutch. Whatever you’re doing here, I want nothing to do with it. You asked me out for dessert, not to play robbers and robbers in the middle of the night. I’ve had more than enough adventure for one weekend and I’m going to walk back to my building now,” Eldie said, and started to march back down the access road toward her place.
What the fuck could I do? She was right to be pissed and scared, and the last thing I wanted to do was make things worse, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her walk back to her condo alone. I thought about it for a moment before saying, “Okay, Doc. I understand. Have a good night. I’ll see you around.”
“I hope not,” she replied without looking back.
“I’ll text you and make sure you got home safely,” I called out.
“Delete my number from your phone,” she yelled back as she disappeared around the bend.
As soon as she was out of sight I cut back the way I’d just come, between the two complex buildings, heading toward Eldie’s unit. I made sure I stayed out of sight but kept her in mine. If this guy was more than a car thief, there was no way I was going to let him near the Doc. I followed her all the way to her building until I saw her enter the secured front door, before turning and making my way toward the freeway, dialing Ropes for a lift on the way.
* * *
Gina
“That’s what you get for pretending to be something you’re not, Gina,” I said out loud to an empty condo.
How could this have gone any other way? I mean, really, what did I expect? I was simply not cut out for wild nights and bad boys. Apparently, I also sucked at being a wife that was married to a stable, normal guy. A few days ago, the thought of being divorced from David made me feel like a free woman, and now I just felt like a failure in an empty condo.
I pulled out my phone and pulled up Clutch’s contact. I smiled, but was struck with sadness when I saw his contact name “N. Chriznowskovitz, esq.” How in the world did he go from knight in shining armor to guy in dark alley pointing gun so quickly? My thumb hovered over the ‘Delete Contact’ Button for what felt like an eternity before I huffed in frustration and shoved my phone back in my pocket.
I grabbed a bottle of wine, and an opener from the kitchen and headed for my bedroom. I didn’t bother bringing a glass.
* * *
Clutch
It had been a week since I’d had any contact with Eldie, and two weeks since we’d dropped her Jeep off at the Clinic. She’d asked that I not be the one to deliver it, and although it felt like the biggest dick punch ever, I agreed and had Mayday’s guys handle it.
Even though Eldie and I had only spent a weekend together, I missed her. I missed her in a way that scared the shit out of me, and the more I thought about how badly I’d screwed things up, the shittier it made me feel. I couldn’t believe that I’d laid into her about Lucille. That I’d actually tried to lay the blame on her for my dumb-ass. This was the reason I didn’t have a family, and never would. I didn’t deserve one. I was a bad guy, and bad guys don’t get to ride off into the sunset with the good girl, despite whatever fantasy land Minus was living in with Cricket.
Cricket.
A thought occurred to me that she might be able to help. Not with the Eldie situation. I knew I’d shot any chance of that to hell, not to mention she was still on Minus’s ‘no fly’ list, but she might be able to help me with Minus himself.
Now that the chaos of the picnic, rescuing a stray Kitty had died down, and all seemed quiet on the Los Psychos front, Minus texted me and the other officers earlier and said he was ready to circle back to regarding our business plans. I was confident that Minus was going to hate my idea, but perhaps Cricket could give me some insight into how to best get through to him. As close as Minus and I once were, I knew that she knew and understood his current state of mind better than anyone.
I pulled out my phone and hit Cricket’s contact icon. She answered right away.
“Hey, Clutch. Is everything okay?” She asked.
“Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked, surprised by her question.
“Oh, no reason, it’s just that you’ve never called me before, so I was a little surprised to hear from you, that’s all.”
I thought about it and she was right. I never had called her. Every club member and associate were programmed into our phones but, although I liked Cricket, I’d always tried to steer clear of her unless absolutely necessary.
“Yeah, well, I was wondering if you and I could have lunch or something?” I asked, nervously.
“Lunch? You and me?” she asked.
“I sorta want to pick your brain about something. Are you free today?”
“Sure, yeah, that would be great,” she said in her usual cheery tone.
“Sally Anne’s at noon?” I asked.
“See you there, Clutch,” she replied and hung up.
* * *
I arrived at Sally Anne’s a little early, to find Cricket already sitting at the club’s private table.
“Of course, you’re already here,” I said as I approached.
“My brother always told me, “Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable,” she said, in a deep, mock “Hatch voice.”
“Speaking of your brother,” I said. “Has Minus told him about Kitty yet?”
“He and Hatch discussed that very topic last night, as a matter of fact,” she replied.
“And how did that go,” I asked.
“Minus is at home nursing a black eye and bruised ribs, and last I heard the doctor was checking Hatch’s foot for a possible fracture.”
“A fractured foot?” I asked. “What the fuck were they doing, Kung-Fu fighting?”
“I have no idea, I just know that they’re both idiots and are going to have to learn how to get along better,” she said.
To which I added, “In order for the club’s partnership to continue.”
“No, in order for me not to kill both of them,” she countered. “They’re both acting like children and I’m about to break both of my feet off... in their asses, if they don’t knock this shit off.”
I was starting to like Cricket a lot more.
“So, what did you need my advice about? Is this about Eldie?
What the fuck?
The new cute red-headed waitress, whose name I could now see was Devlin by her nametag, came to take our orders. We let her know what we’d like to eat and drink through polite smiles, mixed with a little chit-chat, but as soon as she’d finished up with us and was out of range, I shot right back to Cricket.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I assumed that you wanted to talk about what to do about Eldie,” she replied, casually laying her napkin on her lap.
Maybe I wasn’t gonna like her so much after all.
“I came here to ask for your advice about Minus. Why would you think I wanted to talk about the Doc?”
“Aside from the fact that you couldn’t take your eyes off her at the picnic?” she replied “Then again, how could anyone miss her after you’d become her personal shopper. Seriously Clutch, you gave her an extra-small T-shirt to wear, I expected better of you.”
I felt a sting of guilt, but also a sense that Cricket actually cared about me. The fact that she’d set any kind of expectation for my behavior somehow made me feel good.
“I know, I was just goofing around at first, but you’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize,” I said.
“You can apologize to her the next time you’re out with her,” she said.
“Who said anything about going out with her? I gave her a ride and a shirt after her fender bender and that’s that,” I said.
“So, the fact that she left and then you disappeared right afterwards was just a coincidence?”
I shifted in my seat while trying to find a convincing excuse knowing full well that this chick had me pegged.
&nb
sp; Cricket looked me in the eyes and said, “Clutch, I know we don’t know each other very well, but I’ll make you a pledge right here and now, and I swear that I will never be the one to break it. I promise that you can tell me anything, and that I will never repeat a single word of it to anyone, unless I have your express permission to do so. Not even to Minus.”
I stared intently at Cricket, trying to do my best to determine exactly what she was all about.
She continued, “I do not ask that you do the same, only that you never lie to me. If you do, I’ll know it, and our bond of trust will be broken. Can we make that deal? Can you be straight with me?”
I nodded silently, and Cricket called out to Devlin, “Sweetie, bring us two shots of Jameson when you come back, will ya?”
* * *
Gina
I was starving. I usually hated it when people used that term, but I honestly felt like I could and would eat any food-shaped item placed in front of me. A decorative bowl of wax fruit wouldn’t currently stand a chance.
“Maggie, the schedule’s clear for the next forty-five minutes so I’m gonna run out and grab lunch. Do you want anything from the Taco Factory?” I asked my nurse as I grabbed my purse.
“It’s the middle of the day,” she said with an air of disgust in her voice.
“That’s when people usually have lunch,” I replied with a laugh.
“Yeah, but not at the Taco Factory. That place is strictly for after the club. I’d accept it as a hangover meal as well, but it’s certainly reserved for post-drinking only.
“Well, three crispy carnitas tacos with extra cilantro sounds perfect to me right now,” I replied, heading out the door.
“Don’t even bring that devil’s lettuce back here with you!” she yelled as the door closed behind me.
I unlocked my newly repaired Jeep and as I opened the door, heard a familiar rumble in the distance. As the sound got closer there was no mistaking it was Charlene, and I looked up to see Clutch ride by. My heart didn’t so much skip a beat as it stopped entirely, and I felt a sudden sense of loss and longing. I imagined Clutch making a sharp left turn and pulling into the clinic parking lot. I could clearly picture him taking off his helmet and smiling at me before saying something sexy like, “Hey there Doc, you wanna go get some tacos?” Jebus, I needed tacos and to stop thinking about the charming, sexy, gun waiving criminal that somehow had a direct line to my juice box.
Clutch (Burning Saints MC) Page 9