Tread: Biker Romance (Ronin MC Series Book 1)

by Morrow, Justin

“Better every day, Tread,” he announced as he shyly stole peeks at Susan.

  “Don’t be bashful, guy. I think you’ll hit it off just fine.” I inspected Susan’s face.

  She gave me a subtle nod. “I heard you were in the Army?”

  That was the cue, She was good. My job was done for now. I excused myself and lit a victory cigarette as I pulled up to the bar.

  “Lola, has Harvey checked in yet?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be here in ten. You might want to get your ass outside,” she responded.

  “Yeah, will do. Can I get a Jack and Coke first?”

  She went to work, handed me the drink, and I stepped off for the back parking lot to wait with the other boys. Royal, Hendrix, Mac, they were all there. All but Alt who had been trusted with a very sensitive, very secret squirrel mission. To meet Stevie-the-hacker and exchange details. The remaining crew was ready to meet the first gen in our usual fashion. We had a cooler of ice and beer. We had a box of cigars. We had the Doves lined up to clap, flash, and cheer them into the parking lot.

  “Looks like we’re set,” I stated while surveying all the details.

  “Yeah, they should be here soon,” Royal replied first. “Has Alt checked in?”

  “Yeah, he’s met his guy and exchanged the info. I think they’re just bullshitting about Xbox now. Want me to call and get a frontline trace?”

  “Nah, let him geek out tonight. I’m more concerned with making sure no one asks about him. What did we decide on for a story, by the way?”

  “The truth. Well, kind of. He’s geeking out with his boyfriend tonight.” I thought for a second. Yeah, that was believable. “Just like usual.”

  “All right, they won’t be happy, but we’ll roll with it.”

  “Won’t be happy?” Hendrix interjected. “Y’all better hope that the girls decide on a conservative dance routine.”

  Later, the boys were settling in, drinking, fondling beautiful women twenty years their junior, at least. Lucky motherfuckers. I mean, I shouldn’t be jealous. They had thrown us one hell of a welcome home when we returned from Afghanistan for our last time, and these guys didn’t pull in the dangerous stuff anymore.

  All things considered, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Everyone was giving Lonny shit for screwing up the route and extending their time away by half a day, but other than that it was peachy. It was times like these that I was reminded most of my dark place.

  If I wasn’t careful, I would get caught up in it and destroy my night. When it happened, I would get piss drunk and ask myself why I deserved to have a good time when my brothers came home in a box, draped with an American flag, their families broken. I couldn’t afford that tonight. Tonight I had to make-up for my failure. To Polly. To Grace. And to myself.

  I didn’t like mistakes.

  “Good job, son.” Harvey walked up. I was sure he was glad us kiddos didn’t burn the place down. “Well done. Well, for now, I still have to check your books, kid.”

  I hated being called ‘kid.’ I served, I fought in a war against a determined and devious enemy. I came back to the MC. I hadn’t offed myself. I’d literally held the MC’s business afloat. Times when I felt treated like something inadequate, something less than worthy, I became disgruntled . . . just a little.

  “Yeah, easy sailing. Sorry we didn’t get anything crazy for entertainment.”

  “What did you guys get for entertainment?” Harvey asked, very condescending. Which made what happened next all the sweeter. I pointed with my glass then hid my smirk behind it.

  The lights dimmed and everyone waited for the surprise show. The music started. It was a song written by a Nevada heavy metal band known as Five Finger Death Punch. “House of the Rising Sun” began to play and a feeling welled up inside.

  Emotions that I didn’t know what to do with. Was I sad?

  Happy?

  Angry?

  I didn’t know. Something about this music brought me back to a specific time of endlessly marching through mountainous terrain while questions that would never be answered would swirl in my mind. I felt the slip; the slip that would ruin my night and send me tumbling into the abyss. The lights kicked on and a surprise fantasy of my own came to fruition. I felt myself coming back to the present, as if by magic . . . or three women posing as some kind of Charlie’s Angels.

  On the stage, on the end to the right of Marley and Tatum, was Grace. Her hair had been blown out in a neo ‘80s style that didn’t quite scream huge but was big nonetheless. She wore a leather jacket with rhinestones and black short-shorts.

  The music thumped loud in the speakers, and the boys went wild. Hips shook side to side and I was brought back to what I walked into hours before.

  I slept in Grace’s room the night before,. Despite my nightmares, I couldn’t resist the peace upstairs instead of driving to my house after so many beers. But I forgot my wallet the next day when I was ready to ride out.

  After doing my shoulder bang, uplift twist on the doorknob, I walked into the room. My eyes expectantly went to behind the door, but the dog bed was empty. Hearing a gasp, my eyes moved to the bed, where Grace was scrambling to cover lily white legs.

  “Holy shit.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, big eyed, holding a wand attached to the wall above her head like a baseball bat.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I asked reflexively, recognizing the vibrator in her hand. Never would I have imagined Good Angel Grace of my wildest dreams getting off by herself. When she had rubbed against my leg in the junkyard, that had been her first time. She hadn’t known what was happening, I knew that. So how did she get it?

  “Get out!”

  I walked into the room and shut the door firmly. “Nuh uh.”

  I leaned against the dresser-of-one thousand-bottles and crossed my arms. “Why are you in bed at two o’clock, Gracie Lou?”

  “Don’t call me that and get out,” she hissed.

  I smirked and gestured with my chin to the vibrator raised like a weapon in her hand. “Whatcha doin’?”

  “Oh my God. World, please end,” she murmured, and I fought the urge to laugh as she hid the white wand. The vibration was loud in the silence.

  “You need somethin’?” I asked as nonchalantly as possible, regretting that I had looked behind the door first and missed all of that soft pink on display.

  “Either I’m going to die of embarrassment or you’re about to, because I’m never leaving this room,” she declared, her voice shaking, cheeks adorably pink.

  “Who gave you the vibrator, baby?” I cut to the chase.

  “Marley,” she mumbled.

  “Don’t let me interrupt. I forgot my wallet, but this seems a hell of a lot more pressing.”

  “Shut up,” she said quietly. I could tell she was dying of shame, but she had my full attention.

  “Put it back, baby. Don’t let me interrupt your ‘me’ time.”

  “Not until you leave.”

  “I’m not moving until you cum. Just like you did on my leg. If you have needs and I’m not meeting them, you gotta get yours. Nothing to be ashamed about.”

  She watched me for several long minutes, but it was obvious I wasn’t leaving and after watching her, knowing what she was doing for so long, my cock was feeling neglected for not being invited to the party.

  Her eyes moved down me like a caress. I swallowed, but didn’t move to adjust. Her eyes stayed on my dick for what felt like years while I studied her reaction. Her eyes got bigger, her chest rose faster, and her cheeks became a ruddy shade of red.

  She was turned on. I licked my lips, the action bringing her eyes back to my face.

  “Keep going.”

  “Tread—”

  “I said. Keep. Going,” I ordered, not knowing if I was pushing her virgin ass too far, but my cock was taking over.

  She moved below the covers and I only got shadows and faint movements between the covers. I gritted my teeth to keep from or
dering the blanket turned aside so that I could see what I thought she was doing.

  I waited until the vibrator made contact with everything I wanted. I knew it happened the second her eyes fluttered.

  “What were you thinking about before I came in?” I asked quietly.

  She panted, her bicep flexing as the comforter stalled then moved again. I tried not to groan out loud.

  “I don’t have a lot to go on.”

  If that wasn’t a leading comment, I didn’t know what was.

  “What do you have that made you feel good?” I asked.

  “You.”

  “What about me?”

  “You know when.” Her eyes narrowed, only making them more blue as they stood out against her dark eyelashes. Goddamn, she was so beautiful.

  “When I made you cum?”

  “Yes.”

  “When you rubbed your pussy against my leg in the field?” I pushed. Please don’t let it be too much.

  “When I sucked on your neck?”

  She moaned. She fucking moaned. My dick heard it. Felt it. “Yes.”

  “What else do you want me to suck, Grace?” I tried not to grit my teeth. God, knowing she was getting off on what I did to her was hotter than any Dove I’d had in this place. But she didn’t answer. I was forced to prompt, “Your nipples?”

  I watched in fascination as her stomach convulsed. She still didn’t answer. That was okay. I knew, anyway. “You want me to suck on those tits? Make them hard and shiny. I bet you would feel that in your clit. Wanna try? Pinch it for me.”

  I waited without breathing, not knowing what the hell would happen. When her hand began to move, it was like the skies parted. Nothing existed but Grace’s fingers tightening under her shirt. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t see it. I knew she was responsive now. I knew I could get her off from my words with the first touch and her back arching off of the mattress. She was mine.

  I watched, mesmerized as her hips swayed with the bass with her back turned. She did some kind of rolling of her hips and I felt it like a caress against my cock. When she bent at the waist and her hair touched the floor, her little shorts riding up over the curve of her ass, I groaned.

  When she turned and started unzipping her leather jacket, my heart almost stopped. I couldn’t tell if there was anything on under it. That was when I came out of my tunnel vision and realized there were thirty pairs of eyes on Grace’s half naked body.

  I slapped the brother next to me on the back of the head. He was whistling and waving dollar bills in the air. “Put your goddamn money away, and your eyes on the floor, douchebag.”

  “What? Why? Hey don’t worry, dude. I wasn’t looking at your sister.”

  I ran my hand over my face as the bigger fuck up clicked. “Jesus Christ.”

  It didn’t take the old man twenty seconds after that to blow his lid. “What the fuck?!” Harvey shouted as he pounded his fists into the bar. “Who’s running this shit show? Why are those little girls dancing on my stage?!”

  There was fire in his eyes. His face was so red it was almost purple. I thought he might have an aneurism at any moment.

  “That’s it! Party’s over!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

  A few people turned to look at him briefly then went back to the show. I couldn’t blame them. If it weren’t for the enjoyment of seeing Harvey freaking the fuck out, I would be front and center, blocking the view from anyone else while I enjoyed it.

  Bang bang bang!

  The music stopped. Everyone jumped up and turned to the noise, some of them grabbing for their pistols. The girls on stage dove for cover. Immediately, there was ringing in my ears. I turned to see a purple faced Harvey holding his glock above his head. The crazy old bastard just shot three holes into the ceiling of a two-story saloon.

  “I said party’s fucking OVER. Get the fuck out. Now.”

  Suddenly, Doves were scrambling for the door. I tried to look for Grace. Marley and Tatum were dragging her out the door. All of the brothers besides cabinet members followed suit.

  It was game over.

  I headed out after the girls with the crowd to make sure they were safe, pissed at the noise but gleeful that Harvey blew his fucking stack, even if I was going to catch hell for it later. Hilarious.

  I found Marley outside with Tatum and Grace. I was bursting at the seams, trying so hard not to make noise as I laughed.

  Grace stalked over with fire in her eyes. “This is funny to you?!” she yelled, getting in my face. The uncontrollable need to laugh had tears forming in my eyes.

  “Shhh, shhh,” I tried to tell her between gasps.

  “People could have died because that psycho lost his temper. I’m done, Tread.” Grace said over her shoulder before getting into Tatum’s truck and slamming the door.

  Tatum growled under her breath and I tried to rein myself in.

  “Hey, sis . . . ” I cleared my throat. “Can I have a minute?”

  “Yeah, what?”

  “Let’s take a walk, Tate.”

  We strolled side-by-side, one arm around her shoulder, cigarette in the other as we walked around the corner.

  “What? What’s your deal with Grace, anyway?”

  Tatum was quiet, hopefully coming up with a logical explanation instead of flying off the handle for some reason unbeknownst to me.

  She started to speak, “That bitch . . . That girl, that itty-bitty-little-delicate-soft-hearted-cheesy-Bible-thumping CUNT!”

  I guessed she needed another moment to get her argument straight, so I waited as another lull of nasty shit to say flew through Tatum’s head. Her brown eyes appearing as dark-empty pits of loathing and hate was enough to turn a chupacabra to stone. I felt my balls pull into my body with that look. Her jaw fully flexed as she gritted her teeth. Scary shit.

  “You know, Mom paid good money to get those teeth looking pretty.” I tried to brave it out.

  “Fuck you, hermano.”

  “Oh, now with the Spanglish. What is it? Why are you so fired up?”

  “First, you dump your toy on me so you can do your little recon. Then she almost shoots me fucking dead. She’s been nothing but trouble—”

  “Oh, come on. From what I heard, she showed real concern for your life. Then you chew her head off instead of a simple thank you. That’s not like you. What is it really?” I did my best to yank the thread so I could get the full, unadulterated truth that had my sister’s eyes on the brink of tears.

  “That bitch is trying to replace my best friend!”

  With that, she lunged at me and I collected her in my arms. Her legs fell from under her and I was left standing, holding her pint-sized frame like a child.

  I believed she had only sobbed this hard maybe twice in my life. Once when Dad died . . . and now.

  My immediate reaction was to push her back and tell her to get a goddamned grip. Grace wasn’t replacing Kit. She was just a stranded girl that got picked up by the biker crowd instead of the police.

  She was innocent in this.

  Wait.

  There was a little tiff with Royal when we called Kit’s old room Grace’s.

  Grace had assumed Kit’s job, her room, her clothes, her perfumes, and to top it all off, Kit confided in her something that she wouldn’t even hint to Tatum.

  The blocks fell into place, and I struggled to explain it logically while I held my sister in my arms, shirt undoubtedly soaked in tears from the most badass of us all.

  “Tate, honey, listen to me.” I lifted her chin and her eyes met mine. “It’s true, with all the evidence it might look like—on the outside—that Grace replaced Kit. But Grace didn’t ask for any of this. The girl just wanted some custard. Can you blame her? You were doing the same thing?”

  Tatum burst into a short-lived smile before going back to a wet-faced frown again. I wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “Grace didn’t ask to be here. God knows how she ended up on our doorstep and into our lives. She could never replace
Kit. Kit doesn’t need replacing. She’s going to come back. She’s going to contact you. I promise you. That girl is as tough as you, and made her own decision. Don’t put misguided blame on the new girl.”

  “Well, Kit has an ass kicking to come home to for sure, compliments of me.”

  I beckoned her to follow me and we went to the back of the saloon to the kitchen door. Inside, you couldn’t make out what Harvey was screaming due to the dynamat inside the walls, but you could hear yelling. Tons of it. Briefly, I had a moment were I found it less funny because Royal was probably getting a real ass chewing.

  “Take Grace to your house. I’ll be there in a bit. And don’t kill each other, please.” I leaned down to kiss her head then pushed her away as she took a swing with a little fist.

  Laughing to crying, and back again. Marley watched Tatum’s headlights fade as she pushed off of her SUV and walked closer to me with a chuckle.

  Marley laughing brought me back into the mood, though. There was a loud pound on the wall of the saloon that startled us and we ran laughing all the way around like kids in trouble. I lit a cigarette and passed it to her, then lit one for myself.

  “Oh God, that was funny shit tonight. I’m probably going to catch hell for it, but I haven’t laughed like that in a long time,” I told her.

  “Yup. Everything worked out as expected. Thanks for volunteering us.”

  “I expected some shit like that from you, Marley, but I never imagined you would take it that far.”

  “It was a long time coming. We’re tired of being treated like off limit daughters. Look at what damage that did to Kit. Prez should be thanking his stars she wasn’t here, because she would have been the first to take it all off, just to get a rise out of him. We need some breathing room.”

  “I get you. Do I have you to thank for Grace’s Hitachi wand, too?”

  “You saw that, huh?” she asked slyly.

  “Uh, yeah. Walkin’ in on her made my fuckin’ week.”

  “I wanted her to feel sexy for the dance or it wouldn’t have worked. I doubt she would have had the nerve, otherwise.”

  “I’m surprised she got up there to do it. I thought Tatum mentioned before that she wouldn’t do that last part of your dance class.”