“Which is exactly why you’re going to have a bit of help for a change,” Angel finished, joining the girl hug.
Even if the brothers didn’t want to help, the old ladies had just adopted her. Things were about to get complicated.
Once they sucked you into their world, getting back out of it was another thing entirely.
Malia
The women were just as terrifying as I’d expected based on Reef’s very brief, very last-minute warning.
But they were also so much more.
Protective.
Loving.
Determined.
Family.
“Wanna show us the papers?” Wolf asked, but before I could hand him the packet, Reef intervened and took it. All the people in the room smirked, like there was some inside joke I wasn’t privy to.
“Can I get you a drink?” Gigi asked.
“No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”
“Fuck me!” roared Reef. “I used to joke that he’d make a fortune in porn but I never expected it to come true. He was rifling through sheets of photocopied papers until he muttered, “Well that isn’t a surprise.”
“What?” Wolf asked.
“His old high school sweetheart is his leading lady.”
“I thought she was his high school sweetheart?” Shadow asked, nodding my way.
And from the depths of Reef’s manly tone, I heard, “Yeah, so did she.”
It hurt.
Really fucking hurt, and everyone in that room knew it.
“Come on. Let me show you around.” Before I could dissolve into a pit of my own despair, Angel propelled me towards the door. When I was firmly on the outside of the aperture, she spun back and whisper-shouted, “Asshole.”
Once outside in the bright sunshine, I felt a lot less under scrutiny and found breathing came easier.
“Men, especially these men, can be extreme assholes.”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize for him. He’s not exactly wrong.”
“Doesn’t mean he can’t show a bit more tact.” With no warning, she shouted, “Hey, Dad!” Angel waved at a thickset, bearded guy sporting a bandana and Ray-Bans, strolling across the yard. “Dad, this is Malia, Wave’s girl.”
“Uh… I…” I fumbled, trying to find the appropriate words to put her right.
“Another one bit the dust, hey? Nice to meet you, girlie.”
“I… ah…”
“Thinking we need to roast a pig later, Angel, welcome her officially.”
“Party?” I was really beginning to sound like a simpleton. I should just shut my mouth and say nothing for the rest of the time I spent here.
Angel launched forward into his arms, and the smile on his face was something special. Even with sunglasses on, I knew his eyes were beaming with the joy this girl brought into his life. “On it, Dad.” When he let her go and walked past me, he ruffled my hair like I was twelve years old.
Before she could start the tour again, I grabbed her arm. I had to put her right. “Angel, I’m not Reef’s girl and he’d probably be really angry if he thought people believed that.”
“When these guys fall, they fall hard, and from what I’ve heard, Wave is down and out for you.”
“No. I hurt him badly. He’s just doing me a solid because he’s a stand-up guy.”
“You’re right. He’s all of those, but I bet he’d be more than happy to give you something else solid.” She laughed and rumbled that I’d already had that immediately. “Oh. My. God. He’s already taken care of business.”
“Shit.” I rubbed my hands over my face in a panic. Reef wouldn’t want anyone to know about that and I didn’t want Angel to think I was a gossip. I knew girl code, and this topic of conversation was off limits as far as I was concerned.
“Why do you look like you don’t know what’s going on?” She waved at a few guys who were completely happy to stop whatever they were doing to come and say hi to us, or rather her. The more people she told that Reef and I were together, the closer I was to hyperventilating.
“I do know what’s going on. Nothing.”
“Babe!” Wolf hollered from the top of the stairs and we spun in his direction. When he crooked a finger at her, I swore we both experienced it in the same way, with a shiver. Angel was one lucky lady. The look that passed between them was electric, and I knew instantly that he’d crooked his finger at her many times before, and that when she obeyed, she got a whole lot more than a shiver and his simple attention.
Back in the common room, Shadow stood with my paper packets rolled up in his hands and looked at Wolf to share the outcome of their session. “We’re gonna look into what’s going on. Check out this policy, see how best to proceed.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank you. I’m ready to roll straight away.”
“You’re staying put,” Reef decreed.
“But I need to help.”
“You can help by staying outta the way,” he affirmed again.
“Are you going, Reef?”
“Fuck, no. I see him again and shit will explode.”
“Who’s going then?”
“Shadow.”
“Then Shadow will need me to show him around, point out Dean, that kind of thing.”
“Babe, you’re staying put.”
This was ridiculous. “How will he know what’s what?”
“Because he’s good at what he does.”
“Which is?”
“Fuck me.” Reef looked to the heavens and his brothers’ gazes dropped to their boots in an attempt to hide their amusement. “He does what he does. You can stay at his place while he’s outta town.”
“Oh, thanks.” I smiled at Shadow.
“And I’ll be staying with you. No arguments.” I went to open my mouth. “Stop talking. We send someone asking questions, I need you where I can see you case there’s any blowback.”
“Dean doesn’t know where I am,” I argued, the back and forth between us still providing the peanut gallery with enjoyment.
“A few million dollars is a good enough incentive to look. Seriously.”
His reminder pulled me up short, but his agreement that it was cause for concern gripped me. Reef hated me, but he’d stay under the same roof as me rather than see me dead.
“Alright, enough of this cuteness. Hog roast tonight. Dad’s already getting the pig and the brothers are setting up the rest. Time to introduce Wave’s woman properly.”
“Uh… I… really, no,” I began, but at the look on Reef’s face, I clamped my lips shut. His expression demanded it. He wanted me to zip it, so I zipped it.
Before we left to go back to Shadow’s I had a few brief minutes to say thank you to him. I never expected anyone else to get involved and go physically looking into my shit, but once again, someone was putting themselves out for me. Then he was gone, as Reef put it, ‘on the clock’.
On our way to the door Reef said, “Be back in two hours to pick you up. Wear something sensible. We’re taking the bike to the club.”
A moment of panic swiped at me. I’d never been on a bike, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Angel give me a big thumbs up and Gigi smile at me, because this was the way of their world.
The men said stuff.
Their words constituted a decision.
The women obeyed.
I couldn’t see this going very well for me. I’d never been good at obeying orders.
Back at the house, I pawed through my meager collection of clothes and settled on the only thing I could—jeans, cropped and frayed mid calf, a tight tank top, which in hindsight wasn’t ideal but the only one I had. Across the chest in big letters it said, ‘eat pussy not animals.’ Luckily, I was able to cover it up with the only sweater I had, and finally, some retro Nikes.
“Babe,” I heard shouted from the doorway. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“You need to lock up when you’re in.”
“Shadow didn’t”
“Sh
adow isn’t a one-hundred-fifty-pound female whose only arm of defense is constant arguing. Use the key he left you.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go.”
I hesitated a little too long but felt the need to explain. “You don’t have to do this for me. These are your people. I don’t need to intrude on your bike-club pig-roast thing.”
“Still arguing…” He sounded exasperated.
“Sorry.”
Reef started for the door again, making it clear the chat was over. When we were outside, he looked at me and barked, “Key.” And even though I didn’t want to follow orders, I wanted to argue even less, so I handed it to him. He inserted it into the lock, locked the door and then pocketed it.
Guess Reef was keeping the key.
At the bike, he handed me a helmet. “Gonna need to release the ‘fro.”
“I do not have an Afro. They’re curls, maybe with some chaos thrown in.”
“Either way, this lid isn’t going on whilst they’re tied in that knot on top of your head.”
He was right. I loosened the untamed mane and finger-combed it as much as possible, watching his eyes widen like he was transported back to a different time. I used to run my fingers through my hair all the time when we were floating in the ocean. The sea water dried it out so much that I had to battle with it just to stop it constantly knotting up like a fisherman’s net.
“You been on a bike before?”
“Nope. What do I do?”
“Throw a leg over, hang on tight and enjoy the freedom and bliss of it.”
I jumped as he started the engine, the throaty grumble beating down the pipes so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. With nothing left to do, I did as he suggested, threw my leg over, held on tight and squealed through a smile when he pulled away from the curbside.
It was intense.
It was exhilarating
It was nearly as freeing as surfing.
We passed shop after shop, and in the windows, I could see our reflection. I could see Reef, the muscles in his arms strained and taut, completely dominating the machine we rode. His skin was still tanned and his thighs muscular as the fabric of his jeans strained against their power. And then there was me, at ease, comfortable, with my curly hair billowing out behind me, streaming and floating with each flick or twist and turn of his wrist.
We fit.
We fit well together. We could be an artist’s impression of a typical biker couple.
It would kill me when this was over. Whatever time we had together, I would enjoy it. I would suck it dry until it was over and I had pick my life up again.
All too soon we were rolling up to the Black Sentinels auto shop, and as soon as the bike rolled to a stop, I was off and jumping around as I pulled the helmet off feverishly. “Oh my god! Oh. My. God. Epic! Just like surfing. I mean remember that time there was a storm warning and we snuck out and went all ‘point break’?” I looked at Reef’s face and my euphoria evaporated. “Sorry, bringing up the past is obvs a no-go.”
He reached for the helmet. “It’s not. Just remembering the good times has only served to remind me of what happened. I’ll get there.”
I nodded. What else could I do?
In what I was sure was an attempt to make amends, he smiled and continued, unaware that his next words drilled a hole in my heart. “You comin’ could be a good thing, trouble aside that is. Forces me to find a way forward so we can both get on with our lives.”
I didn’t dare speak.
“Let’s go grab a beer.” He urged me to walk with him and my legs followed on autopilot.
A few hours later, the sun had long gone down and there were pockets of people milling around the firepit, keeping the partygoers happy. The beer flowed and the music changed from eighties rock to modern dance depending on who wanted to dance. I’d seen Angel arrive with Wolf, and Gigi had pulled up shortly after on the back of Gears’ bike. All the while I sat in the same spot, with Wave coming and going, bringing different people over to say hello.
Every time I looked around, I felt this intense need to belong. I so desperately wanted to fit in and become a part of this, but I couldn’t. They’d just be another bunch of people I’d need to say goodbye to, and I was sick of having to do that.
I wanted permanency.
The next place I landed I would stay, make a home for myself where people needed me and wanted to be in my life.
Four beers later and I was kicking back and cutting loose. Angel was a hoot, a real go-getter and I loved that Wolf was always nearby somewhere because they felt this connection that kept them close. Reef stayed with me, but I knew that was out of duty, and I’d had enough. “Go play,” I laughed.
“What?”
“Go shoot pool, throw a ball or whatever. I can look after myself.”
“Shoot pool or throw a ball.” He laughed. “What am I, twelve?”
“Okay, there’s a girl over there, who by the way I reckon is bald downstairs. I think this because I can see up her belt-slash-skirt. She’s been making fuck-me eyes at you all night. I think you’ve pulled.”
I was drunk and rambling, but even with my perception filter affected, I felt Reef tense next to me. When I looked at him, there was fire in his eyes, and it wasn’t the reflection of the fire pit. “Come again?”
“I saw what was happening the first night I was here. That girl could definitely do that kinda thing for you, too.”
Through tipsy, smoke hazed eyes, I saw him look at me and stand up before storming off in the opposite direction of the girl I’d pointed out.
“What did you say?” Gigi appeared beside me a few moments later.
“Not much, fancy a beer?”
“I’m thinking you’re one past sensible already, especially if Wave’s mood just then was anything to go by.”
“He always was moody and broody.”
“We must be talking about someone else. The Wave I know is funny and kind. He’s considerate and, well, a brother.”
“Yeah that sounds like him, too,” I sighed.
“Why don’t we go find him?” she suggested as another Black Sentinels brother interrupted her.
“Hello, new face.”
“Hello, rude guy,” I threw back.
“I can absolutely be one of those.”
“What’s your biker name?
“I’m special. I have two. Some days I’m Grease, some days I’m Gravel.”
“Right now, you’re definitely Gravel,” Gigi warned.
“Oh, I don’t know. Feeling this one calls for the ease of Grease.”
“I’m thinking this one is spoken for.” Even drunk, I knew Gigi was telling him to back off.
“I don’t get your names. Shadow is a shadow. Wave is definitely Wave. Wolf seems like he could be a wolf.
“He can be for sure,” the stranger agreed.
“Gears, I’ve yet to get to the bottom of, but you? I don’t get it.”
“Simple,” he answered. “On some days I’m easy, some days not so much.”
The strange man smiled at me as a voice I recognized came from behind me. “On some days he’s slippery and on others he’s irritating, like now. Fuck off, Gravel.”
Gigi muttered, “Uh oh,” beside me quietly.
Reef’s brother stood up.
“Bye, Greasy Gravel,” I sing-songed drunkenly as he chuckled and wandered off. “That wasn’t very nice. He was just being friendly.”
“Malia, don’t be naïve. He wants to get between your legs.”
Gigi laughed at Reef’s direct delivery while I sat back feeling hot, drunk and flustered. “Well… I… don’t think… I’m overheating,” I declared, and pulled my sweater off.
“Thank fuck you didn’t do that in front of him.”
“Do what?”
“Show him your T. What the fuck, babe?”
I looked down at my animal friendly t-shirt and snorted. “Oops, I just snorted. That’s not attractive.”
“Yo
u’re done,” Reef decreed, and stood up. In a swift move, he had me over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.
“Reef!”
I looked back at an upside-down Gigi, smiling. “Told you.” She laughed and then I had to look away. The ground was moving way too much.
“Where are we going?”
“My room. Told you you’re done for the night.”
“Everything alright, brother?” I looked around and saw Wolf and Angel. She had the same amused grin as Gigi, and from the tone of his voice, I could see Wolf was amused, too.
Wave
There was no fucking way I was gonna stand around and watch another brother, another fucking friend of mine, hit on her. While I was pretty certain Grease wasn’t her type, she was only a bottle away from drunk, and even tipsy Malia thought he was ‘friendly’. It was like saying an alligator had a nice smile.
She was still slung over my shoulder when I walked into my room at the compound before dropping her onto the bed. “Whoa! Easy, tough guy. Are we on a boat?”
“No.”
“Fairground ride?”
“Not yet,” I mumbled, feeling the urgent need to ride something.
The more I saw her loosen up tonight, the more we felt like Malia and Reef from our teenage years. Sharing jokes, ribbing each other with cute back and forth banter—it was bittersweet. This was how I’d once seen us growing old, maybe not the biker club part, but together, with solid friends, living our best life.
I hated that she’d taken that away from me, from us, yet motherfucking fate still saw fit to show me in vivid color just what it would look like.
“Where are we?”
“Compound.”
I saw her look around, a bit confused. “Is this a biker motel?”
“No.” I folded my arms across my chest.”
“Then why are there beds?”
“Why do you think?”
Malia looked down at where her hands had made contact with the sheets and jumped up before swaying heavily on her boozy legs. “Am I gonna need jabs after sitting on that?”
“I meant sleeping. Where did your mucky mind head to?”
“Oh—”
“But don’t stress out. Yesterday was laundry day and seeing as I was banging you then, I haven’t had the opportunity to break in the fresh sheets.”
Malia: A Black Sentinels MC Novel Page 15