by D. D. Prince
***
“Earth to Pippa?”
“Hm?” I blinked at Jenna, who was waving her hand in front of my face.
“What do we want for dinner? And where were you just now?”
I gave my head a shake. “What is it about these Valentine boys and their magical man-parts? I can't even think clearly. My brain is mush. It’s like the equivalent of pussy-whipped, but with penises.”
Ella nodded. “That would be the cock-fog effect. I know how you feel. Deacon regularly puts me in one.”
Jenna leaned forward. “Yep. I feel you. I got cock-bombed by Rider until I relented.”
Fogged? Bombed? How would I describe what Spencer was doing to me?
Cock-smashed? Cock-torpedoed?
No. Wait. I’m brainwashed by his abilities with that cock. Yep. That’s it…
I’ve been cock-washed. Cock-notized.
I was sitting on the couch, lounging and thinking about Spencer, after we vacuumed and tidied the lounge, which was fairly organized since Deanna had done some tidying before she left, but there was a lot of silly string and balloons floating throughout the place.
I was thinking about more than just his skills, how amazing he was in bed, how communicative his bedroom eyes were. I was thinking about going to the doctor next week, so I could get tested and then present him with a clean bill of health, so we could dispose of the condoms.
But, would he want to get a test of his own? He was weird about it and I didn’t know why. Most guys couldn’t wait to ditch condoms.
I was also thinking about making him waffles. Every Sunday from now on. It was goofy of me, but that’s how I was feeling.
I had told my mother the day prior that we would have to skip this Sunday dinner, that I didn’t know if we’d be too hungover.
Mom was not happy. Joanne Griffin was more than unhappy, because a) I wasn’t coming for Sunday dinner and b) I hadn’t invited them to the party I’d had for Spencer. Well, Mom said ‘we’ but I didn’t think Dad would care all that much.
I explained to my mom that a) the MC style birthday party might not be her jam and b) the surprise factor nearly blew up in my face because he didn’t like birthdays.
Her feelings were still hurt over it. She insisted that we come for dinner on Wednesday so that she could celebrate Spencer’s birthday with him. Dad would be home that night only this week, and we would have food and cake.
“What’s his favorite meal?” Mom inquired.
“He doesn’t like his birthday, Mom. He won’t want to celebrate twice.”
“Nonsense, it’s just dinner. With a card and maybe a little present.”
“What part of what I said didn’t you understand, Mom?”
She sighed. “It’s just dinner. He has to eat dinner, doesn’t he? Why can’t he eat it here on Wednesday?”
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll ask. But, don’t hold it against him if it’s a no.”
“Find out soon so I have time to prepare. As it’ll just be me and Dad today, I’ll just make a sandwich for his Sunday dinner, which he always looks forward to,” she grumbled.
Mom Guilt Trip.
***
Me, Ella, and Jenna hung out, sending Scott out for greasy hangover take-out food.
Well into the evening and a rom-com movie marathon, my phone rang with an unknown number. I picked up.
“Hello?”
Ella hit pause on the TV.
There was a pause on the other end of the line and then, “Is this Pippa?” a man’s voice.
“Who’s asking?”
“Name’s not important, but I was just in with Reardon. I’m out now and he asked me to get a message to you.”
My blood ran cold. Was this who called yesterday and held the phone when Spencer answered?
“I don’t want any messages from Joe. Lose my number.”
I ended the call.
It rang again.
Nope, nope, nope.
I declined it.
“You okay?” Jenna asked.
“Nope.” They’d obviously heard what I’d said. “I can’t believe he won’t just leave me alone. Getting some con cellmate to call me when he’s out?”
My phone made a text alert.
The text message came up on my phone from a local number.
I opened it.
“Spencer Valantine is bad news. Don’t trust him. Reardon doesn’t want you to get hurt. Says youll be sorry if you get serious with that guy.”
There was a misspelling in Spencer’s name, but the message was clear. Jan had told Joe that she saw me and Spencer together. And Joe was trying to fuck with my life.
I showed the girls the text.
“Don’t believe anything that comes from Joe,” Jenna hissed. “He lost the right to give you advice, to have any say in your life whatsoever.”
“I know.”
I blocked the number. I then made the mistake of scrolling Facebook.
I glared at Jenna. “Seriously?”
She sat up. “What?”
“You tagged me in a bunch of pictures from last night.”
She frowned. “So?”
“And Penny’s on my Facebook. So is Jan.”
I flipped my phone, so she could see the screen. Me with my tongue on the Sugar Spencer crotch. I swiped left and showed her the next one. Me on Spencer’s lap, laughing. Silly string hanging off my chin and spilling forth from my cleavage, a silly string can in Spencer’s hand.
The album had a dozen more pictures of the gang from the party.
And on every one of me and Spencer there was one of those angry face emojis from Penny.
I guess I didn’t get deleted and blocked after all.
“Sorry, chickie.” Jenna looked full of remorse. “I didn’t think about it, but you can’t hide having a guy like Spencer. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen more PDA in my life. He makes it clear you’re his when you guys are in public, like he is on a mission to make sure everyone knows you’re together. Why are you trying?”
Ugh.
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed of my moving on. I have every right to. I just… Penny’s so young and she doesn’t get it. If you’d seen Jan’s face when she saw us in the supermarket on Easter, too… I don’t wanna feel like I’m rubbing anything in anyone’s face.”
“How is being happy, like you deserve, rubbing anything in anyone’s face?” Ella snapped, looking angry.
I blinked at her.
“Delete them and block them, Pippa. You’ve done nothing wrong. Joe did the wrong. Not you.”
I slumped. “You’re right.”
I couldn’t bring myself to delete Jan and Penny, though. I just tightened my privacy settings up instead.
***
Spencer didn’t get in until four o’clock in the morning. He climbed in bed with me.
“Hi,” I cuddled in.
“Hey, baby,” he kissed me. “Sorry to wake you up.”
“That’s okay.”
“I was quiet like a mouse. I make a racket ‘n I don’t usually wake you.”
“I’ve been worried. I only sleep deep when I’m good. Everything okay?” I asked.
“No.” He let out a sigh.
I got up on an elbow and propped my head on my hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Outside the Jackals clubhouse in Sioux Falls?”
“Yeah?”
“Kailey, Gia’s stepsister? Found dead. Strangled. Naked on their doorstep, just like Jet was left outside the Sioux Falls clubhouse. That’s why we went. They arrested Edge.”
“Oh my God.” Nausea swept over me.
“Cops didn’t say what, but something specific tied to Edge was at that doorstep. And they staged it that way to make it look like revenge. Sayin’ Kailey was Mantis’s fiancé and that Mantis is missing. His old man filed a missing persons’ report. Yesterday. Not months ago when Jet got dead and he wasn’t bein’ found by the cops who were lookin’. Yesterday.”
“Oh Go
d!”
“Fuckin’ bullshit. Jackals are gonna burn.”
“Has Edge got a solid alibi?”
“Yeah. It’s bullshit. The charge won’t stick. Their lame attempt at a framing. They’ve arrested him on a formality. Lawyer says he’ll be out tomorrow. We had a meeting to firm up some plans.”
“Has anyone told Gianna?”
“Yeah,” his voice went funny. “We stopped at the cabin on the way back here tonight. Fuckin’ rough.”
“She must’ve been devastated.”
“She didn’t approve of the fucked-up shit Kailey pulled with the boys last year, especially since it cost us Lick and Jet. But, if it weren’t Kailey, someone else would’ve been used in the same way. This was Mantis; he wants us to suffer. But yeah, Gia was a wreck tonight. And she’s scared. It’s possible Kailey got caught tellin’ Jackal secrets and if they know she told Gia, we got good reason to keep Gia hidden. They’ll be after her next.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Edge’ll get off. Cops know the score with the Jackals. Everyone knows he’s been huntin’ for Mantis; cops want Mantis for questioning in Jet’s murder. Things are far from over, Sunshine, and they’ll be gettin’ ugly. You and the other girls have to be vigilant about safety.”
I snuggled in.
“Fuck. Exhausted. Need to get a coupla hours of sleep. Scoot’ll bring you and Jenna to work, okay? I’ll call you when I wake up.”
“Okay,” I ran my fingers through his hair.
“That’s nice.”
I kept stroking his head and it didn’t take long at all before his breathing evened out in sleep.
I didn’t fall back to sleep. I lay there until two minutes before my alarm went off, shutting it off early so it wouldn’t wake him. I kissed him goodbye before I headed to the bathroom to get showered. I tried to do it stealthy, so I wouldn’t wake him, but he grabbed me and hugged me close before letting go.
“Careful, Sunshine.”
“Okay.”
***
“I do not fuckin’ think so!”
This was what I heard shouted from outside my procedure room. I was between appointments, so the door was half open.
Scott? Scott wasn’t a shouter.
I went to step out but came face to face with Scott’s back, his Dom prospect cut.
My stomach clenched. In front of him were the bearded Jackal and the ugly Jackal. Oh shit.
I made eye contact with the ugly one, the one Spencer had called Nico. I could see his face due to his height, but not the other one who was in front of Scott. I only caught sight of part of him.
The bearded one was doing the talking.
“Listen, man. She has a debt that needs to be paid. This ain’t about colors, territory, it’s about respectin’ one another when there’s a debt to be collected on. Basic biker code, bro. As a prospect, this is basic stuff you should be taught.”
“You want to talk her debts, you take it up with her man, who’s on his way. Step outside. Girls’ve got a business to run.” Scott gestured, then called over his shoulder. “Shut the door, babe.”
“Think we’ll have a seat in the waitin’ area,” the bearded one said.
Oh shit.
“Now, Pippa,” Scott said, low. The ugly Jackal kept looking at me.
I closed my door. Shit.
My phone was ringing. Jenna.
“What the fuck?” I answered.
“I know! I’m in the utility room. Scooter told me to get in here as he pulled a gun on them. They didn’t even seem scared! Thank God the joint is empty. I have two customers due in the next hour.”
“Holy fuck.”
A gun?
Scott was a happy-go-lucky surfer dude type in a biker cut. We saw him get drunk and rowdy on occasion when he wasn’t on duty, but for the most part, he was sweet, cute, and easy-going. Always smiling. Never shouting.
But we knew he was carrying a gun because of what’d gone down in the past. And for him to have to face those Jackals after what some of them had done to him? My blood chilled at the thought.
“Rider, Spencer, and who knows who else are on their way. I ran in here and called Rider, like Scoot told me to do. This is awful. Rider’s carrying a gun. We’re being guarded by a prospect with a gun.”
“Holy shit. Spencer told me he’d carry if he had to.”
“Looks like he has to,” Jenna said.
Ugh.
“How can they be after you for more money?” she asked.
“Damned if I know!”
“Damn it, Rider’s gonna make me shut us down,” she grumbled.
“He can’t do that!”
“Technically, he can. He owns the joint on paper.”
I blew out a breath. It was true.
She was in danger of losing the salon over stuff her mother pulled while the salon was in her and Jenna’s dad’s name. Rider bought the salon for her. It was still in his name and up until now that didn’t bother her a bit.
“Not that he’d ever throw that in my face. Unless I pushed it. After all we’ve been through, I can’t push it. He’s gonna go ballistic over this.”
“Damn it,” I whispered. We were gonna lose customers if we shut down for any length of time.
Some of my customers were very loyal. A lot of them were. But, they would not remain that way if we made it difficult to keep their hair, nails, and brows looking great. Plus, it was Spring. People were going to be booking us for their make-up and hair for prom and wedding season. It was a bad time for this. There was no good time for this, but this was a very bad time for this.
I had maxed out my credit card and cleared out most of my savings between the Jackals extortion and Spencer’s birthday. I normally left myself a bigger buffer, but the last few months with Joe, I had been paying most of the bills. I had figured I was fine what with the upcoming Spring rush. If we closed down for any length of time, I would not be fine for long. I’d be eating a lot of Ramen and maybe even eating a lot at Mom and Dad’s.
“Hear that?” Jenna asked.
Motorcycle pipes.
“Yep.”
My heart was racing.
“I wish I could see out there,” I said. “But not. Wait. Can we see the CCTV? You said you could log in.”
“Oh!” Jenna breathed.
I heard the door chime jingles.
“Go to your laptop and put in this URL and then video chat me.” Jenna said.
She gave me a URL and I hung up and called her back and put her on video call and showed her the screen as she told me the password.
The two Wyld Jackals were still in the waiting area, which we could see on the screen and Spencer, Rider, Scott, Bronto, Skip, Brady, and Deke were all there. Rider was talking first and then Spencer was leaned in, pointing his finger and talking to them aggressively. The bearded Jackal looked amused. The big ugly one looked bored.
I wished I could hear the conversation, but only had a visual. Two minutes or so and the Jackals left.
Spencer moved toward my room with a face like thunder and Rider headed past him, obviously heading to Jenna in the utility room with a twin scary expression on his face. Lulu and Deb were both off today. Thankfully, there had been a lull without any customers, too.
“Talk to you soon,” I said to Jenna.
“Yeah, bye,” she whispered as my doorknob turned.
Spencer was in front of me as I hung up, jaw muscles clenching.
He looked rough. He’d only gotten a few hours of sleep. He grabbed my hand and I got to my feet and put my arms around him.
“Hi,” I whispered.
He was trembling with anger.
I looked up into his eyes and put my hands to his jaw on both sides. He was in need of a shave. Past stubble. But, he looked edible.
“Fuckin’ Jackal fucks.”
“What was that?”
“That’s them buyin’ up Joe’s debts. He owed almost a grand between another two dealers. They bought the debt. I told them I
’m buying it out and they got no beef with you. They’re meeting me in front of the clubhouse in two hours for the cash.”
“Shit. I don’t have a thousand dollars. I’m like… almost tapped out right now. Um…”
He put his hands on my hips.
“You’re not payin’. I am.”
My mouth dropped open.
“I got this,” he said.
“Neither of us should have to pay. It’s Joe’s debt. I only paid the last time, so they wouldn’t hassle Jan. But---”
“Don’t worry about it. They’re lookin’ for reasons to have beef with us. They know we’re under careful watch with Edge gettin’ picked up and they’re pickin’ at wounds to try to escalate shit. They broke a cease fire before shit went down by settin’ our clubhouse and bar on fire, so everyone knows there’s zero honor with these fuckheads. But, I’m payin’ the debt. It’s the easiest thing to do right now to erase any potential beef they’d have against you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, cuz you were his when the debt happened.”
I made a sour face.
“Believe me, it fuckin’ shits me to even say it.” He clenched his jaw again. “I told ‘em to scour the fuckin’ streets for any further debt before they meet me because this is it. They’re done with their attempts at fuckin’ with you. And don’t worry, I’ll get my money back.”
I shivered. He held me close, running his hand up and down my back.
“Why do they want to fuck with me?” I asked into his chest.
“It’s just one of the ways they’re tryin’ to fuck with The Brotherhood. They’ll use whatever they can use, any opportunity to stick it to their enemies.”
“I thought they said they wanted you guys to leave them alone. They said---"
“They lied. This won’t be over until there are no more Wyld Jackals. They’re bent, Sunshine. They don’t want peace, only said it while they swelled their numbers and made their moves. We aren’t stupid. We knew this, and we’ve been makin’ moves of our own. They want the ability to sell their dope and pull their nonsense anywhere they choose, and they think they’ve got backing from enough powerful people to take liberties. They’re making moves and doin’ so with word out that they’re backed by a cartel, which will make anyone think twice about balking. Talkin’ about swelling their numbers further until they can start patching over other MCs that aren’t fallin’ in line. We are treadin’ careful but we’re gonna shut ‘em down. Gordino is about to get arrested in a way he’ll go down for decades. Mantis is already wanted. By us, by the mafia, and by a different Mexican cartel. He either shows his face and gets nabbed by the cops or he gets found by one of his many enemies and winds up with a bullet in the brain.”