Char

by Jade Kuzma

  “Petey.”

  Petey looked like he kept to himself all the time. Messy hair. Twig arms. I figured he was a hermit who spent all of his time in front of a computer.

  “There’s my man Sully.”

  Sully was probably the youngest patch I’d ever seen. His hair was combed so neatly. And there was an innocent look in his eyes. It was hard to believe an upstanding-looking guy like him got patched in.

  “And that right there is Ghost. My VP.”

  Ghost gave me a nod.

  His hair was shaggy. His beard was thick. I suppose it was appropriate that he was the VP with the whole ‘wise-sage’ look he had going on.

  The entire club had their eyes on me. Garnet leaned back in his seat.

  “All right,” Garnet said. “Let’s talk business.”

  I stood at the side of the chapel table with my arms crossed. I looked all of them in the eye to make sure I could trust them. I waited a second before exhaling a deep breath through my nose.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’m looking for someone. In a town this small, it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

  “You’d be surprised how easy it is to hide in Ivory,” Ghost replied.

  I dug into my pocket and pulled out a photo. I unfolded it and handed it to Garnet.

  “Who’s this?” Garnet said.

  “Jamie Walsh,” I said.

  He passed the photo around the table and I explained it to them as they examined it.

  “Early 20s,” I said. “He’s a petty drug-dealer. Did some time for a bunch of misdemeanors but he’s back out on the streets.”

  “Should we be worried about this guy?” Sully asked.

  “It’s nothing you need to worry about. He’s just some punk I’m looking for.”

  “And why are you looking for him?” Needle said. “You a bounty hunter? This punk skip his bail?”

  “Any of you recognize him?” I said, ignoring his question.

  The entire table looked at the photo but they all shook their heads.

  “You got business with him,” Garnet said. “It must be pretty serious if you came all the way to Ivory to settle it. What happened?”

  “He killed my cat,” I said.

  Everybody had their eyes locked on me. I waited for a response but none of them said anything. A few seconds later, Needle leaned back in his seat and started cackling.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he said. “This is a fucking joke, right?”

  “I’m not joking,” I said.

  “You came all the way to Ivory to track down some petty criminal because he killed your cat?”

  “That’s right.”

  Needle kept laughing but he was the only one at the table.

  “Whatever,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “What are you planning on doing with this Walsh guy when you find him?”

  “I’m gonna kill him.”

  That cocky smirk on Needle’s face disappeared. Everybody else kept staring at me.

  “Are you guys listening to this?” Needle said as he looked around at the rest of the table. “Am I the only one hearing this? He said he wants to kill a man because he killed his cat—”

  “We heard him,” Garnet interrupted him. “We all heard him.”

  The club president stood up from his seat and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “I just wanna make things clear,” he said. “You need to find Walsh and kill him because he killed your cat.”

  “Is that so hard to understand?” I replied.

  Garnet nodded softly then squeezed his hand on my shoulder before pulling it away. He took a seat back at the chapel table then picked the photo up. His eyes locked on Walsh, he shook his head.

  “Anybody recognize this guy?” Garnet asked.

  Nobody at the table said anything. Garnet gave me a shrug.

  “I can’t help you,” he said. “I’ve never seen this guy before in my life. But if something comes up, we’ll let you know. Meeting adjourned.”

  Garnet snapped his fingers as everybody started to file out of the chapel. I stood there and stared at Garnet, who remained in his seat.

  “Have a seat,” he said.

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  “I insist.”

  He clenched his jaw and stared hard at me. I took a seat just as the chapel door closed behind me.

  I sat alone with the president of the Black Reapers. Outside of Walsh himself, he was the only man in Ivory who could help me.

  “You can tell me the truth now,” he said. “You don’t have to gimme that bullshit story about your cat. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anybody. I got enough secrets of my own.”

  “I already told you the truth,” I said bluntly. “He killed my cat. Now I’m gonna kill him.”

  Garnet sucked on his teeth, his eyes locked on me.

  “All right,” he sighed. “You do what you gotta do.”

  “Okay—”

  I hopped off my seat but he jumped up from his chair.

  “Hold on,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “You do this shit, you’re gonna have cops all over your ass. And since you’re wearing that patch, they’re gonna be all over my ass, too.”

  He poked the patch on my chest with his index finger.

  “I’m sure you’re used to dealing with the police by now,” I said.

  “Cops I can handle. Federal agents are another thing.”

  “Feds? What do feds have to do with this?”

  “You picked the wrong time to come to Ivory. Feds are in town. And they’re scoping out every MC in Ivory. They’re setting up some special operation. I don’t know what it is but it’s something. That means everybody who’s wearing a patch has a spotlight on them.”

  “Yeah, that’s fucking great…”

  I muttered to myself and shook my head. Out of all the towns Walsh could skip to, he picked the one place where government agents were.

  “He killed your cat,” Garnet said. “He fucked your girl. He stole your lunch money. He looked at you sideways. I don’t give a shit what Walsh did. But when you kill him in Ivory, that’s my business.”

  “I’m gonna kill him. You can’t stop me.”

  “I know I can’t. I’m just telling you right now. You’re a nomad. You can kill this guy and go on the run. I can’t. You make a mess, I’m the one that has to clean it up. You got that?”

  Garnet wasn’t much help to me. But it was clear he wasn’t against me either.

  I clenched my jaw and nodded.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “You won’t have shit to worry about. I’ll get this shit done as soon as I can and I’ll be gone. Nobody will even know I was here.”

  He grinned at me and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Anything else you need, you let me know,” he said.

  Garnet escorted me out of the chapel.

  “You look like you could use some rest.”

  “I’ll get a hotel room. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  He handed me the photo of Walsh and I stuffed it back into my pocket.

  “Sorry I couldn’t help you,” Garnet said. “But if this guy is a dealer, your best bet is Finn’s.”

  “Finn’s?”

  “It’s a bar in the middle of town. That’s where most people go to party. If you don’t find him there, you’ll find someone who knows a dealer. And then you can start your search from there.”

  “All right… Finn’s it is.”

  Chapter 4

  ASIA

  It took a special kind of person to tolerate Finn’s.

  First of all, it was the decor. The place looked like something out of an old movie. Literally. The wood panels on the walls were falling off. There was dust in every corner. The floor was so dirty you wondered if they bothered cleaning it. Then again, you couldn’t blame ‘em with all of the beer that was spilled every night. There was also the constant waft of cigarette smoke and other drugs in the air. It wou
ld take more than a new coat of paint and some air freshener to spruce the place up.

  But I suppose Finn’s was Finn’s because of the patrons themselves.

  These weren’t just run-of-the-mill men and women trying to find a place to drink. They were hooligans. They were punks. They were thugs. They were bikers. All sorts of riff-raff came out of the woodwork to get their kicks at Finn’s.

  It was the only place a guy could pull his dick out and probably get away with it. It was the only place a guy could come looking for a fight.

  And it was the only place a woman could go when she needed to find a man to sleep with.

  That made it the perfect place to do business.

  Blade took me home that afternoon so that I could rest up for the evening. And if I was going to make any money tonight, I was going to need all the rest I could get.

  Finn’s was packed like it always was every night. The beer was flowing. The music was blasting. The conversations had a little too much testosterone.

  I stood next to the bar and eyed all of my potential customers. A short black dress revealed just enough to get them interested but enough to keep me modest. I put my hair up and did my makeup. I couldn’t go home alone tonight.

  “Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s make some money.”

  My legs exposed and my breasts poking out, I put my hands behind my back and waited patiently. It was hard to tell who was taken or who was interested. A lot of the time I waited until business came to me.

  It was still early in the evening, but I didn’t have to wait very long to get some attention.

  “Hey, sweet thing. What’s going on with you?”

  Sweet thing… How flattering…

  I looked up at the man who suddenly appeared next to me.

  A big, burly man with a bald head and a gut that hung past his belt stood proudly before me. He wore a leather kutte with the patch of his club displayed on his puffed-out chest. He grinned at me to show how proud he was to be in an MC.

  “Hey,” I said. “How are you doing, big man? You looking for some company.”

  “I might be. There’s a lot of sweet things out here at Finn’s tonight. And I’ve gotta admit, I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth.”

  “Careful. You might get a cavity.”

  I giggled and playfully ran my hand along his forearm. It was all just a part of the game. Get these boys a little more excited and they would be willing to spend anything to satisfy their craving.

  “I can handle cavities,” he said. “I’ve got a good dentist.”

  He smiled even wider at me. As big and fat as he was, at least his teeth weren’t a turn-off. That would make all of this a little more bearable for me.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” I said. “Come here.”

  I motioned for him to come closer to me with my index finger. He was so tall that he had to bend his knees to move his face close to mine. I leaned into him and whispered into his ear, making sure he felt my warm breath on his cheek.

  “What do you say we get outta here? Take me out and you can fuck me however you want. Show me how big your dick is, baby…”

  I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and held him close. He put his hands around my waist and pulled me in.

  “Oh!” I gasped. “You’re such a big man!”

  I felt his bulge in his pants.

  Stay focused. You got him.

  I stared up into his eyes. They started to narrow. He was slowly being hypnotized, losing himself to his desires. That’s how all men were. Weak to their cocks. You couldn’t blame a woman like me for trying to take advantage of it.

  “All right,” he said, his voice soft. “Let’s go.”

  He pulled away from me and took my hand in his. I dug my heels into the floor.

  “Hold on,” I said. “We have to negotiate.”

  “Negotiate?” he said, an eyebrow raised.

  “This is business. You can’t taste this pussy for free now.”

  He let go of my hand suddenly. His hypnotized stare was gone, replaced by a growing confusion.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” he said.

  “I mean, come on,” I said. “You don’t really think I would sleep with someone like you for free now, do you?”

  Shit.

  I knew it was a mistake as soon as I said it. I was never much of a good saleswoman. I guess that’s why I was in this line of business.

  “Oh, I see,” he said with a nod. “And here I thought you were interested in me because of who I am.”

  “And who are you?” I said, slightly confused.

  “You see this?”

  He raised his vest up for me to see the patch. I stared at it and shrugged.

  “What about it?” I said.

  “That’s reason enough to wanna be with a man like me. Think about it. You’ll be able to tell everybody else you got dicked by a club member.”

  I should have known…

  “Look,” I sighed. “Maybe you should look somewhere else. I’m sure there are plenty of women in the place who are more than willing to sleep with a club member.”

  I patted him on the chest. I turned my gaze back out onto the dance floor of the club to look for any potential customers.

  But the big man wasn’t having it.

  He snatched my wrist and made me gasp in shock.

  “Now you look here,” he said. “I’m not interested in looking for another woman. Just because you’re a whore doesn’t mean I’m gonna pay you like one.”

  His eyes locked on me, he looked more serious than he ever had up to this point.

  “Sorry,” I said as I shook my head. “Not interested.”

  “Listen, bitch—”

  “You heard her.”

  A sudden voice interrupted our conversation. I was so distracted by the big man that I didn’t notice the other man who was standing next to me. The big man and I both turned toward the stranger.

  The stranger kept staring forward, his attention focused on his glass of beer.

  “What the fuck did you say?” the big man said.

  “You heard her,” the stranger repeated. “She’s not interested.”

  “Why don’t you mind your own fucking business, punk?”

  The stranger took a sip of his beer then turned toward the big man who still had his hand on my wrist.

  “I’m trying to enjoy my drink,” he said. “I don’t wanna have to listen to you talking about raping this poor girl while I’m having my beer. This is my business.”

  “Is that right?”

  The big man released me from his grip and stepped up to the stranger.

  “You wanna get involved in my business, why don’t we step outside?”

  “I don’t have time for this shit,” the stranger said.

  “What’s wrong? Scared? You look like a pussy.”

  “…Fine. I beat the shit out of you, just don’t go crying to your club, you hear me?”

  “I won’t be the one crying.”

  The big man suddenly started stomping out of the bar. The stranger followed right behind him. I was too dumbfounded by the situation. It took me a few seconds to realize what had just happened.

  I shook my head and regained my senses before walking out of the club. But as soon as I got out, it was already over.

  “What the…”

  I only became more confused.

  The big man was laid out on the asphalt, unconscious. Everybody else who was gathered outside didn’t pay any attention. The stranger brushed right by me as he headed back into the bar.

  “Hey! Wait a second!”

  I shouted out to him as I followed him. The stranger took his place back at the counter and started nursing his drink.

  I finally got a chance to get a better look at him.

  His beard was thick. His hair was dark but probably messy underneath his beanie. Tan skin. Even from just his profile, I could see the focused look in his brown eyes.

  I looked him up an
d down and he wasn’t dressed much different from the other bikers. Leather vest. Baggy blue jeans. Boots.

  But then there was the ink on his muscled arms. All over his sleeves, there wasn’t an inch of his arms that wasn’t covered.

  He nonchalantly sipped on his beer as he kept staring off into space.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. That guy was a prick.”

  “He was,” I said with a laugh.

  I shifted closer on the bar next to him. He was about a foot taller than me, which made him more intimidating than he already was. But I needed a customer, so I figured I might as well try.

  “Asia,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Asia. My name’s Asia.”

  He finally turned and looked at me. I didn’t know what he was thinking. He just stared at me blankly.

  I smiled nervously at him.

  Come on.

  Finally, I saw the tiniest little smirk form on his lips.

  “Charles,” he said as he turned his attention back to his beer.

  I glanced at the patch on his chest and read it.

  “Char,” I said. “That what they call you?”

  “They call me a lot of things.”

  “Oh, really?”

  I leaned in closer to him. I put my hand on his arm and had to hold back my surprise at how firm it was.

  “And what would you like me to call you tonight?” I whispered.

  He didn’t seem to be falling for any of my charms. It was a shame, considering he was one of the few men I would be willing to sleep with in this line of work.

  When I didn’t get an answer from him, I sighed and reluctantly pulled away. I leaned up against the bar and crossed my arms, eyeballing all of Finn’s for any potential customers.

  “So,” I said. “You a Black Reaper?”

  “Who’s asking?”

  “Look,” I sighed in frustration. “I know you’re not interested. But I’m bored, okay? A little friendly conversation never heard anybody, did it?”

  He glanced at me. I saw the tiny smirk on his lips again as he chuckled softly.

  “I’m a Black Reaper,” he said with a nod.

  “Strange… I thought I knew all of them.”

  “I’m not from Ivory.”

  “Is that right? What are you doing here, Charles?”