Unthinkable: The Blazers MC

by Paula Cox

  Jenna, who has probably faithfully been by my side since whenever they brought me to this makeshift, backdoor hospital, replies, “No, not yet.”

  “Good,” he mutters to himself. “We’ve got some business to attend to.” My skin crawls listening to him. The bastard is up to something. Even in my weakened state with me unable to talk or move, I know better than to trust him alone with my woman.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Vic. If you have business with Rev, it can wait until he’s up and recovered. The doctors say it should be in a few days’ time.” She places a hand protectively on my arm, rubbing gently near where they put my IV line.

  “It has everything to do with you. The deal was that if I were going to help you and him take down Enrique, he’d be part of the Blazers for one year.” He walks around the bed towards Jenna, and I feel the mattress slightly move as she turns and leans against its side. He continues, this time directly addressing Jenna, “In the Blazers, we have a rule that no man can have claim on a woman except for me. If you want to stay with Rev, there’s gonna be a few things you’ll have to, well, do for me.”

  Without hesitation, I hear the sharp ring of a slap. I try to turn my head towards her, but the painkillers they got me on leave me fucking catatonic. I can’t stop him as he grabs her and throws her up on the side of the bed next to me. But then, as soon it has begun, it stops. Something has happened.

  The tides have changed, she sits up straight and gets off the bed to walk forward a few steps. I hear Vic’s boots walk backward towards the far wall of the room.

  “Put down the knife, girl. You don’t know what you’re fucking doing here.”

  “I know what I’m doing, and I’m done being threatened and pushed around like a piece of damn meat to you guys. I will not be your girl. I will not let you fucking touch me! Do you understand?!”

  My heart rate must have ticked up because the monitors begin to buzz and ring. They don’t seem to notice as she continues, “Here’s what’s going to happen, Vic. You’re gonna forget the deal you have with Rev. If he wants to join up with the Blazers, that’s gonna be on him. And you’re going to march out of this room and never try to pull that shit with me again. I’m no man’s woman!”

  Vic chuckles to himself and then replies, “Whoa, honey. Enrique must’ve done a number on you. It was a joke. I want nothing to do with a skinny, mouthy chick like you. You’re not my type. But I’m not letting up on that deal. He shook hands and gave me his word. I had two men die out there for him to end up alive.”

  “No!” Jenna states, her voice pitching higher. “He will not be part of the Blazers!”

  “Jenna...” I murmur. “Jenna....”

  “Rev?”

  Did she hear me? I’ve been trying to say her name for hours now. After my surgery, I did my best to scream it, but it was like communicating with the dead. Now, she runs back to my side, her hand on mine as she repeats my name over and over again.

  My eyes flicker open. The pain from the sharp white overhead stings. I’ve been in the dark for way too long. I try to squint and focus on the two shapes leaning over me until they become crisp as possible. Still, a white fog surrounds them—the drugs.

  “Well, fucking hell... you’re awake,” Vic says with a hint of excitement.

  “Yeah, I am.” I try to press myself up, but the stitches along my side stop me from getting even an inch higher. I may be awake, but my body still has me pinned to the bed. I settle on looking straight up at the pair as I say, “Jenna, I’m a Blazer now. That’s how this is gonna work.”

  “No, Rev... why would you do that? You gave up everything!”

  “I didn’t give up anything,” I sigh. “At the end of the day, I get you. That’s everything.”I watch the corners of her lips peel up into a wary smile while the worried look crinkles the line on her forehead. A few tears fall like steady rain onto the scratchy hospital blanket. I squeeze her hand—the best I can do to comfort her. It was going to be okay.

  “Don’t act like I fucking sentenced you to death. Jesus,” Vic interrupts. “I came here with an offer. After we got you the hell out of there, we started taking inventory of Enrique’s shit and the men who stayed behind. While he might have been a dumbass fucker for messing with us, he knew his business and had quite the empire growing. It’s too big for the Blazers to do alone.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask, frustrated.

  “It means, I’m putting you in charge of it. You’ll report to me, but you run the guys, the business, the show... etc. You ride under the Blazer’s colors and come to a few business meetings with the secretary. But that’s all I need from you... for now.”

  “My own club?” I struggle, not sure if I’m hearing him right.

  “My club,” he corrects me, “but yours to manage. Don’t fuck it up. I’ll send you more details when you get the fuck out of here.” With that, he turns and heads out the door, not looking back to see if I accept. It doesn’t matter. The deal is sealed. I’m now the manager and president of the former Red Dukes, current Blazers. Didn’t think that day would ever come.

  After a few long seconds where I mull the thought of me in charge, Jenna clears her throat. “Rev, you okay?”

  “I’m better than okay.” I smile as I lean back into the thin pillow. Jenna crawls into bed next to me, her head resting on my chest. For a long while, we do nothing but listen to the sound of my heartbeats on the monitor.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Jenna

  “I have to go,” I whisper into this chest. He smells like gasoline and fresh dirt. God, do I love Rev’s smile after a night of sex. I smile thinking of his legs tangled in mine with the blankets being thrown off the bed onto a pile on the floor. I can still feel the moist press of his lips on my naked skin.

  He pulls me up to him so that I sit straight up in his lap. After going in for another long, deep kiss with his hands tangled up in my hair, he pulls away and tempts me with, “You don’t have to. You could stay here and be a kept woman. I could provide.”

  Kept. I would have hated that word nearly a year ago. The idea of being owned by anyone seemed so barbaric, so cold. And with the guys I was dating then, I would’ve rather taken a bullet to my brain than commit to assholes like them. But with Rev, being kept meant something completely different. It means he owes me his loyalty and devotion. It means that nothing can break our bond. What we have here, in our home, is forever.

  I turn back to him, still smiling at me as he awaits the “no” I always give him when he begs me to skip out on work and stay with him in bed. I touch his cheeks and nose gently as I reply, “I know you could do a lot for me. You already have...”

  I scan the room of our new condo. It’s been six months since we’ve moved in, and I still can’t believe how amazing this place is. Rev’s job of managing the Blazers sub-group has been anything but normal, but it sure has been profitable. I’d do anything to just lay here in the fresh linen sheets, against his warm, naked body, but today is a big day for me—the day I become head of the recovery center.

  “But,” I continue, “I really have to get going. Can I get a raincheck on the offer to be ‘kept’ a little longer?”

  “Tonight,” he growls. “If not sooner.” He scoops a chunk of my ass into his hands and squeezes until I squeal out in pleasure. How his hands can do this is beyond me. Every one of his touches feels like it’s the first—dangerous, forbidden, wild.

  I force myself up and into the shower. I’m surprised he doesn’t follow me—he usually does. But today’s special. The only one in my bathroom is Barkley who insists on following me everywhere since the day we picked him up. I smile thinking of how he ran to me from across Rev’s old motel’s parking lot. The woman who kept him, a friend of Rev’s cousin Tommy, did a pretty good job keeping him fed and happy, but you could tell that he was waiting for me, and me alone.

  It was a big surprise knowing that even then, when he could’ve just abando
ned the dog, Rev did something so selfless. But the more I learn about him, the more I realize that it’s who he is. While he knows so much pain and darkness, there was a person in there that believes in honesty, loyalty, and most of all, love.

  When I’m out of the shower and finally dressed, he’s in the kitchen making breakfast for me. Even with all the money we have now, he still insists on wearing that skin-tight black T-shirt and a pair of jeans with old boots. Through the fabric, I can see the outline of his scar from the surgery. I really wish he would’ve seen real doctors for the work, but that was club life—you don’t risk the outside world knowing what goes on, even if it means giving up your life.

  Rev doesn’t worry about it. At one point, he told me he’d just get another tattoo to cover it up. But it already, oddly, fits in with the rest of the artwork he’s got up and down his body. For me, it’s a reminder of all that we’ve been through and all that he’s willing to do to make sure I’m safe. I hate to admit how much I love that damn scar.

  “Do I need to dress up for this?” he asks as he places a plate down in front of me.

  “No. They know you. Plus, it’s just a small ceremony, and then we can go out and get a drink at Tommy’s bar.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact. I push it aside as I change the subject to what’s on his agenda tonight. Fridays are reserved for club meetings with Vic and business with the Blazers. I try not to ask many questions about it. Early on, he made me make a deal that I wouldn’t get involved any more than I had to be. It was for my protection in case anything happened to him, and as much as I hate not knowing the details, I trust him. After all, he’s never steered me wrong.

  ***

  The day passes quickly as I get used to my new office at the front of the wing. The entire staff has rallied around me since I returned. They had so many questions for me that I eventually had to use Rev’s connections with the local hospitals to get a fake doctor’s note to excuse my unannounced absence. To make it up, I worked my ass off, became a better therapist, and applied myself towards this promotion. It’s all paying off today.

  About an hour before the ceremony, there’s a knock at my door. My new secretary walks in, holding Barkley’s leash. Getting him certified to be a therapy dog was the best decision ever. I love that I get to bring him into work, and he loves that he gets to cuddle other patients and still sneak off to see me. He follows my secretary in as she hands the leash over to me.

  “Oh wow!” I say as I go to head out the door. “I can’t believe it’s that time already.” I turn to Barkley as I ask, “Are you ready for your walk?” He wags his tail and pants heavily in reply. I’ll take it as a yes.

  We pass the parking lot, the gazebos full of patients, and the picnic tables where I usually take my lunch. Finally, we make it around towards the intake side of the hospital where new patients are admitted. We’re not expecting any entries today, but I’m surprised to see a man walking straight toward the door. He looks around nervously, itching the back of his neck. As he sees me, he stops dead in his tracks. With the sun glaring in my eyes, I place my hand above my eyes to see what he’s up to.

  “Jenna?” he shouts across the yard. “Is that you?”

  That voice is completely unmistakable. I drop Barkley’s leash as I run to my brother’s side. “Mark! Oh my God! Mark! What are you... how are you...” He engulfs me in a hug so that I’m smothered against his old, worn down T-shirt.

  “I didn’t know... Jenna...” He chokes back. “I’m so sorry. I really am.” He looks down at me, taking my hands. After a few seconds to compose himself, he explains, “I heard about what had happened to you, what you went through for me. I would’ve come, I swear it, but I was in the hospital getting help and detoxing. It wasn’t until a few months ago when I guy came to see me.”

  “A guy?” I ask.

  “Yeah, this guy I didn’t know walked into my hospital room. He said he knew you and told me the full story—how you risked your life for me and tried to get out of my debt. God, I’m so fucking sorry, Jenna...”

  “Please, no. Don’t.” I try to hold back the sob in my throat. I’ve been working on trying to forgive him for months now. Rev would talk to me for hours about my anger towards him, and how I thought I’d lost him forever. No one could find him, at least, I thought they couldn’t.

  “The guy, well, he convinced me to come get help here. He said that I should be close to you and that maybe ... maybe you could forgive me if I showed you how serious I was.”

  “Mark, who was the guy? Did you get his name?”

  “No, but he was wearing a Blazer jacket. That’s why it surprised me. I didn’t have anything to do with the Blazers...”

  “Rev,” I murmur to myself. It had to be him. He’s the only guy with enough heart and balls to track my brother down for me and bring him here for some redemption. My chest feels as if it could burst wide with something more than joy. He found my brother—the brother I thought was dead. And not only that, he brought him back to me.

  With the widest smile I can possibly carve, I take Mark’s arm and lead him into the intake area. He leans his head onto mine, the same way he did when we were kids huddled up on the couch watching TV while our parents were out doing who knows what. As we take a step inside, Mark’s first real step to recovery, I whisper to him, “It’s going to be okay, Mark. I love you, and I’m here for you—no matter what.”

  We hug one last time while the nurses get his paperwork ready and make the necessary phone calls with the inpatient housing directors. In the background, I watch the clock tick down to the time of my little party.

  With a few minutes to go, I hear the sound of Rev’s motorcycle pulling into the parking lot. I pull myself away from Mark, promising to visit him in the next few days when he was done settling in, and run out towards the lot with Barkley following slowly behind.

  Rev’s still sitting on the bike. He takes off his helmet. The sun shines down on his golden-brown hair and tanned skin.

  “Am I late or something,” he asks as he studies my face. “Did something happen?”

  “No, I mean, yes...” I reply, shaking my head, “I just—” Before I can finish my sentence, I leap at him, throwing myself into his arms. He pulls me up into his lap, pressing my body into his.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, clearly not quite sure how to take me suddenly jumping on him like this. “Was it your promotion? Those bastards can’t take that from you. I swear to God that if they did, I’ll make sure they regret it—”

  “No, Rev!” I laugh-cry. “It’s that I love you so much. You gave me the best gift I could’ve ever asked for.”

  He pulls my chin up to stare directly into my eyes. After a pause, he asks, “Mark? Is he here?”

  “Yes, but it’s not just that. It’s... it’s this. It’s everything. You’ve given me so much, and I have... I’ve got nothing to give to you. How did I get so—”

  Rev stops me. “Don’t ever say that. You’re not lucky. You were the girl I met one night while I was trying to kidnap your brother. Everything that’s happened to us, everything we’ve been through, has been because of me. I could never say sorry for that enough. A girl like you deserves so much more than the asshole that I am.”

  “Stop Rev,” I blubber. “Please, don’t say that. If it hadn’t been for your job going after Mark, we would have never met. And who knows if I would’ve ever seen him again. It doesn’t matter why you were there. All that matters is that you were there and I was there. And now...”

  Rev interrupts again, “I’m the lucky one here, Jenna.” He runs his hands through his hair as he looks nervously at me. “You’ve given me my life back and saved me when I needed you the most, Jenna. I owe you everything. I guess this is the best time to...”

  The breath is lost in my chest as I watch him fish out the black velvet box from his pocket. His hands tremble a little as he asks the one thing I never thought he would. For all that he is and for all that I am, we ha
ve found each other, and when I say yes, I promise him that from this day on, we will never be apart again.

  THE END

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  BIKER DADDY

  Chapter 1: Passed Around

  CAL

  It’s so motherfucking hot.

  I kick the sheet off of me and roll to my side. A small, delicate arm drapes over me, following my motion. Inside, I cringe. I absolutely hate it when they overstay their welcome. And this chick’s been here way too long for my liking.

  I slide her arm off of me, watching it fall fast to the bed below. I’d hoped that would wake her up, maybe even give her the signal that it is time for her to skedaddle, but she doesn’t do anything but snore softly through her open mouth. Is she this clueless with the other guys?