Army

by Wilder, Chiah

  “Admit you hate your lame fireplace that gives shit for heat.”

  “Okay … maybe I wish I had the real thing, but I love the easy cleanup with this one.”

  Army chuckled. “So are you agreeing with me or not?”

  “Kind of, but not a hundred percent.”

  He laughed and held her tighter. “Damn I love you, woman.” Army swatted her ass, and Mia giggled.

  Pumpkin and Snickers padded over and sat down right in front of the couch and stared at her. She reached out and petted them, then untangled herself away from Army. “The girls want to eat,” she said, pointing at the cats. Mia sat up then groaned as the right side of her face throbbed.

  “The fuckin’ bastard,” Army muttered under his breath. “Do you have any pain pills?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not that bad. I think I just got up too fast. I’ll take some ibuprofen. I wanted to make you a killer dinner but got sidetracked when Vic paid me that unexpected visit.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, a hard edge to his voice.

  “I was thinking salad and pizza? Or we could order Mexican, Chinese, or Lebanese food from Chowtime. There’re some restaurants that use their service,” she said pulling her top on over her head.

  “Pizza works for me, but if you want something different, then I’m cool with that too.”

  “Let me give my sweeties their dinner, then we can decide what we want on our pizza.” She scooped up her skirt and underwear then went into the kitchen.

  An hour later, they sat next to each other on the couch and ate a sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeño pizza while watching a thriller. Pumpkin snuggled next to Army and Snicker burrowed by Mia. The wavering blue flame in the fireplace made Mia smile, and she craned her neck and kissed Army on the cheek. He looked at her sideways.

  “What was that for?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

  “For being such a hunk who knows how to push my buttons.”

  “Oh yeah?” He turned toward her and put his hand on the back of her neck, drawing her face close to his.

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  The caress of his lips on her mouth sang through her veins, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. Army pulled away and winked at her, then he leaned over and grabbed another slice of pizza.

  As Mia nibbled on her slice, she couldn’t remember when she’d ever been happier than she was at that moment. She loved him with a fire that could never be extinguished. He is my heart and my life.

  She put her empty plate on the coffee table then rested her head against his shoulder as they watched the movie.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Army stretched out his legs and folded his arms across his chest as he watched Taylor and Madman practice their moves. Kat walked by and threw him a toothy grin before heading into the locker room area. Even though she knew he and Mia were together, she kept trying to start something with him. The last time she’d come on too strong, Army had set her straight about his relationship with Mia. The amazing thing about his woman was it didn’t seem to bother her too much when Kat flirted with him. Of course, he never reciprocated, but he’d never been with a chick who wasn’t constantly jealous. Mia really trusted him, and he was blown away by her faith in him. Even though he trusted her as well, he still got pissed off when a guy checked her out.

  Behind him, he heard Chainsaw’s voice rising in irritation. He was talking loud enough for Army to hear him.

  “I’m just gonna tell you this one more time. You gotta be a member of Champion. You’re not, so you can’t come in. It’s pretty fucking simple,” Chainsaw said.

  Army pivoted in the chair and saw a guy dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and a leather cut standing by the door. The man’s eyes kept looking over Chainsaw’s shoulders, scanning the inside of the gym. Army had a feeling this dude wanted him, so he pushed up from the chair and sauntered over.

  When he reached the door, he knew the guy was a biker from the tats on his arms and a small patch on his cut—a devil face with guns surrounding it.

  “I got this,” Army said to Chainsaw.

  The fighter looked from Army to the guy then back to Army. “He can’t come in.”

  “I know.” Army steeled his eyes on the guy.

  Chainsaw grunted then walked away.

  “What the fuck do you want?” Army asked.

  The medium-sized man ran his beady eyes over Army then shook his head. “I’m looking to talk to Army.”

  “That’s me. Now what the fuck do you want?”

  “You’re not wearing your cut,” the man said.

  “I bet you’re the brightest member of the fuckin’ Pistons. You’ve got ten seconds to tell me what the fuck you want and then I start punching.” Army stepped outside.

  “Shark wants to meet with you,” the guy said, shuffling back a bit.

  “You a damn prospect?”

  “Yep.” The older man’s eyes shone with pride.

  “Where?”

  “He said for you to call him. He said it’s personal so it’ll just be you and him.”

  Army glanced around the street, but didn’t see anyone. “Gimme the fuckin’ number.”

  The prospect gave him a piece of paper then walked away. Army stepped back inside and headed for the break room. He opened the fridge and took out a small bottle of orange juice and twisted off the cap then took a deep drink. Taking out the burner phone, he plopped down on one of the chairs and tapped in the asshole’s number.

  “I’ve got a score to settle with you,” Shark growled into the phone.

  “That makes two of us. I don’t like fuckers who beat up on chicks.” Army took another drink.

  “You’re fucking my sister, asshole.”

  “So you hit her?”

  “She knows her fuckin’ duty to the family, especially me. She deserved the beating.”

  “I heard she beat the shit out of your wimpy ass,” Army said.

  “Let’s settle this fucker—just you and me. No backup, no weapons, just fists. And one more thing—I want you to stay the hell away from Mia,” Shark gritted.

  “You don’t tell me shit, motherfucker. Tomorrow night at ten. There’s a baseball field—Sloane’s—just on the outskirts of the city going east. I’ll meet you there and I can finally get this shit over with.” Army finished the juice. “I don’t want you near Mia again.”

  “I’ll bust your goddamn balls, asshole!”

  “I’m ready for you, dumbass.” Army clicked off the phone then threw the empty bottle in the trash. Adrenaline pumped through him and he jumped up and paced the room while he pounded his fist into the palm of his hand. “You sonofabitch. I’m ready for you,” he said aloud.

  “Don’t meet him.” Taylor’s voice startled Army and he stopped in his tracks. “I overheard you talking to Mia’s brother. You know this isn’t the answer.

  Army shook his head. “You don’t get my world so stay out of this.”

  “Your world? What the hell does that mean? How is beating the shit out of each other going to solve anything? You need a mediator. You’re both hot heads and have a lot of emotions involved in this. Let me talk to Vic. I’m sure if he understands how happy Mia is he’ll let her live her life.”

  “Are you stoned? Just leave it the hell alone. I’ll deal with it in the way it needs to be, okay?”

  Taylor walked over to Army and put his hands on his shoulders. “Please don’t do this. If you don’t care about yourself, think about Mia and Dad. Don’t you want to see Joshua grow up? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Army pushed his brother’s hands away. “I don’t plan on getting hurt.”

  “How can you know that? I don’t plan on it when I’m in the ring but sometimes it happens. Let me just try to talk with Vic.”

  Army guffawed. “Like that’s gonna do shit.” He patted his brother on the back. “Stick to MMA competitions. You don’t know a fuckin’ thing about the outlaw world.”

  “But what’s going t
o be resolved?”

  “Taylor, stay the fuck outta this. This discussion is over.” He glanced at his brother and shook his head. “You need to worry about winning your next fight not about what’s going on with me. I’m gonna hit the speed bags and pretend it’s that asshole Shark.” He laughed, ignoring his brother’s serious face as he walked out of the room.

  Stripped to his gym shorts and wearing boxing gloves, Army pummeled the bag with kicks and punches from all directions—each strike tightly executed and perfect in form. Sweat rolled down his shoulders and back, his forearms glistening under the florescent lights as he threw jarring jabs and large, hooking body shots into the heavy bag, grunting loudly. He kept up the grueling pace until his muscles screamed and he was soaked.

  As he passed by Taylor on his way to the showers, he noticed his brother didn’t meet his gaze. He grabbed a towel from the rack, stripped off his drenched shorts then turned on the water in one of the shower stalls and stepped in.

  After Army dressed, he looked at his phone and saw that he’d missed Steel’s two calls. He packed all his stuff into the duffel bag and tapped in the president’s number as he walked into the break room.

  “Sorry I missed your calls—I was working out. What’s up?” Army asked.

  “I heard you’re meeting Shark tomorrow night,” Steel replied.

  Army narrowed his eyes. Fuck you, Taylor. “Yeah, but it’s personal. It doesn’t involve the brotherhood.”

  “When one brother has a problem, we all do. There’s no fucking way you’re going out there tomorrow night without backup.”

  Army didn’t say anything, but he understood what Steel was saying because he’d be telling one of the members the same thing if they were planning to do what he was.

  “I’ll put it out to the brothers and let them know what’s up. I’ll make it strictly voluntary. I don’t trust the fucking Pistons,” Steel said.

  “I don’t either.”

  “This is going to turn into a rumble for sure. I’ll let you know who’s going to be with you, bro.”

  “Thanks, Prez.” Army slid the phone into his pocket and walked back into the gym. He strode over to Taylor and clutched his shoulder. “I talked to Steel,” he said.

  “I don’t give a shit if you’re pissed at me,” Taylor replied.

  “I’m not. I’ll talk to you later.”

  After putting the gym bag in one of the saddle bags, his phone rang and he saw it was Steel.

  “Hey,” Army said.

  “All the brothers volunteered to watch your back, but we can’t leave the clubhouse unmanned and we got businesses to run. So the ones coming up tonight are Eagle, Brutus, Muerto, Sangre, Diablo, Jigger, Goldie, Crow, Cueball, and Ruger.”

  “Okay,” Army said. He pulled in a deep breath and the feeling of being able to conquer the world filled him. The ties and friendship they all shared were forged in trust, honesty, and reciprocity, and, in that moment, he was proud as hell to be a Night Rebel.

  He swung his leg over the bike, revved the engine, and sped away. When he turned down Mia’s street, he saw her standing on the porch, arms folded over her chest, and a scowl creasing her forehead. Fuck, Taylor. Grinding his teeth, Army got off his bike, took out the gym bag and ambled up the sidewalk.

  “Hey, babe,” he said, leaning down to kiss her pursed lips. “Taylor shouldn’t have involved you.” He slinked an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

  Mia moved back. “Of course he should have. What the hell are you thinking?”

  “Your brother challenged me.”

  “Dueling went out in the nineteenth century.”

  “Not for outlaws.” His grin faded when he met glaring amber eyes. “Let’s not fight about this, babe. I just want a nice dinner with my woman.”

  Mia’s features softened. “Okay. I’m just worried you’ll get hurt. Vic’s always played dirty and I wouldn’t put it past him to have his friends ambush you when you get there.”

  “Me neither—that’s why I got my posse coming too.” Army leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. “So we’ll both be playing dirty.” He drew her to him and she relaxed in his arms. “Now how about a real kiss, baby?”

  Mia tilted her head and his mouth covered hers while his hand ran down her back, cupping her ass. “Do you promise you won’t get hurt?” she murmured.

  “I’ll do my fuckin’ best,” he whispered before claiming her mouth again.

  Army knew anything could happen at the rumble, and he was positive Shark wasn’t going to show up without packing a gun or two. Army didn’t plan on meeting the asshole without any weapons either. Since Shark was Mia’s brother, Army would try to teach him a lesson without killing him. After all, this was a personal fight and had nothing to do with the club.

  “It’s kind of chilly out here. Let’s go inside,” Mia said as she pulled away.

  When he came into the house, the aroma of garlic and onions wafted in the air, and his stomach growled. “It smells damn good in here.”

  “I made lasagna,” she said, walking into the kitchen. “It’ll be ready pretty soon. I’ll make us a salad. Do you want a beer?”

  “You read my mind, babe.” Army took the can from her. “I’m gonna step out back and smoke a joint.” He squeezed her ass then sauntered out of the room.

  The patio took up most of the postage stamp-sized yard leaving only a little bit of room for a bush against the dark wooden fence. The tall shrub looked like a small tree, and its foliage was a colorful burst of reds, oranges, and yellows. Army stood under the covered patio and phoned some of his buddies. Even though he’d installed alarm systems in both his dad’s and Asher’s residences, he wanted someone to keep an eye on them until after the fight. His friends told him it was no problem and then they all agreed to get together real soon to play some pool and get drunk. He slipped the phone in his jeans pocket and sucked in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

  Leaves blew across the grass as a cold gust of wind whispered through the nearly bare branches of neighboring trees. Smoky purple smudges painted the sky as the last remnants of the setting sun disappeared over the mountains. Army tilted his head back and saw a small spatter of sparkling stars in the darkened eastern sky. A memory from his past filled his mind: his mother pointing out constellations to him when he was a young boy. She’d loved star gazing and had bought a telescope from a thrift shop. On clear nights, they’d stand on the balcony and peer into the eyepiece, and all the stars crashed down on their heads—it’d been magical. He’d loved the way his mother’s eyes glittered like the stars above them whenever she found the Milky Way. A vibration in Army’s pocket snapped him from his reverie as he fished out the cell phone. Eagle’s name came up on the screen, and Army pushed the button.

  “Hey.”

  “Yo, bro. We just got here,” Eagle said. “We’re staying at Green Pines Motel. Do you know it?”

  “It’s off the interstate, right?”

  “You got it. We saw a diner not too far away. You wanna join us for some chow?”

  “I can’t. Mia made dinner for us. I’ll come by in a few hours and we can go over the plans for tomorrow night. What room are you in?”

  “I’m staying in Cabin 8. Just give me the heads up when you’re headed our way,” Eagle said.

  “Will do.”

  “See you then.”

  “Uh … Eagle? Thanks for everything, bro.”

  “Yeah.”

  Army slipped the phone in his jeans pocket and took out a joint and before he could light it, the sliding glass door opened and he glanced over.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Mia said through the screen.

  Army put the joint back into his pocket and came inside.

  “I hope you’re hungry,” Mia said as she locked the door.

  Tugging her to him, he dipped his head down and kissed her deeply. “I’m starving, but I’ll eat first.” He smacked her ass.

  Mia giggled. “We’re having dinner in the dining room.” Sh
e moved out of his arms and walked over to the stove.

  “Do you need any help?”

  “You can bring the salad bowl to the table, please.”

  “Okay.” Army picked up the ceramic bowl. “I’m meeting up with some of the brothers tonight. I won’t be long.” He placed the salad on the table and sat down on one of the dining room chairs. The flames from the candles flickered, and he unfolded the rust-colored napkin and put it on his lap.

  Mia placed a pan of piping hot lasagna on two hot plates. “Hand me your dish,” she said, cutting a large square.

  Army gave it to her then stood up. “I’ll get the wine.”

  As they ate, he kept staring at her thinking that she looked so beautiful in candlelight. Normally Mia would be chatting away, but she was quiet that night, and Army suspected she was thinking about the fight the following night.

  “This is really good, babe,” he said before taking a big bite.

  She looked up and smiled. “I’m glad you like it.” Then she went back to pushing her food around on the plate.

  Army set his fork down. “It’s going to be all right, Mia.”

  “Please don’t go,” she said softly. “It’d kill me if anything happened to you. Maybe the universe is telling us that we aren’t meant to be.”

  “No fuckin’ way. The problem is your brother can’t let you live your life. I know what needs to be done. I’ll make sure Shark doesn’t bother you—us—anymore.”

  Her eyes widened. “What does that mean? I don’t want you to kill my brother.”

  “I’m not. Once he’s defeated, he’ll concede, and we won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  For a second Mia stared at him as if she didn’t quite believe what he’d said, and then she looked away. “I just wish you’d call him back and tell him that you’re not going to meet him.”

  “You know I can’t do that, babe.” His gaze caught hers and held it for a few seconds. “Now eat your dinner. After I get back from hooking up with the brothers at their motel, we’ll have some fun.” He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently.”