by Tia Lewis
There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” I barked, pacing back and forth.
“Only the man whose office this is.” Jack came in, ducking down, stooping to clear the doorway without hitting his head. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
I stopped pacing. “Sorry. I just needed to get away from out there.”
Jack looked behind him, to where a few of the girls were talking with Bree and the rest of the club finished up their lunches. “Why? What did I miss? What’s going on?”
“It’s that new bitch, man. The one sitting at the bar like she’s the fucking queen of this place. That’s what you missed.” I wanted to pick up something and throw it through the window. Only the thought of what Jack would do to me if I did stopped me. I punched the palm of one hand with my balled-up fist.
“Calm down, Drake. What happened? Who is she?” Jack closed the door behind him then sat in his custom-made black leather chair behind his custom-made desk. He was so damned tall, ordinary office furniture wasn’t big enough for him.
“I don’t know. Some bitch Richie picked up when he grabbed sandwiches for lunch.” I waved it off.
Jack chuckled, raising his aviator sunglasses until they sat on top of his head. He whistled. “Damn. I wish I could pick up something like that when I went to the deli.” He chuckled again.
“Oh, so you looked at her?” I asked.
“Son, new pussy doesn’t come walking in here without me noticing it. Hell, yeah, I saw her. She’s hot shit, isn’t she? And she’s Richie’s? Talk about a fucking waste.”
“She’s not his. He only found her and brought her here. You don’t think that’s a bad idea?”
“What?”
“That he picked up a random chick and brought her in?”
Jack got my point, and he stroked his chin like he always did when he was deep in thought. “I don’t know. What do you think?”
I sighed. He wasn’t going to make it easy to me. “I figured she was a fucking spy for the Cobras the minute I saw her. I mean, she’s too good looking to be hangin’ around here. Right? You have a chick that looks like a model walking off the fucking runaway who steps inside our domain, and that doesn’t scream red flags to you?”
“Hmm.” That was what Jack would say.
“And she talks nicer than any of us. She sounds like she got a good education and was raised properly. You know that’s not like the way the rest of us talk. Something is up, man.”
“Hmm.” Again with that?
“But she says she comes from a shitty home not far from here, and she’s always lived in Queens. Ha! I don’t buy it, I really don’t. I think they sent her here. She must think I’m fucking stupid.”
“So, wait. You believe that the Cobras found a beautiful, smart, classy chick and used her as a spy? When’s the last time you saw any of those jackoffs with a woman who didn’t look like she just came in off the corner or out of a crack house? Gimme a break, son.” He laughed, shaking his head. “No way. All the reasons you think she doesn't belong here are reasons why she sure as hell don’t belong with those losers.”
“Man, I don’t know.” I paced.
“You’re thinking too much into this.”
I sat, the fight draining out of me like water through a pipe. “You think so?”
“Yes, I think so. Come on. The Cobras wouldn’t send somebody like her here. They would send someone like them. And we could sniff that out a mile away. Don’t let it get to you.”
“I guess it just threw me, somebody like her with somebody like Richie. I mean, come on. It’s Richie for fucks’ sake.”
Jack threw his head back, letting out one of his famous full-body laughs. He was a big guy, so he had a pretty boisterous laugh when he really let loose. “You already said she wasn’t with him. She just went along for the ride. Completely different. Right?”
“Right.” I nodded. “You’re right.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Since when are you jealous of a little shit like Richie?” I heard a joke in Jack’s voice, and I didn’t like it at all.
“What? I’m not jealous of Richie. Are you fucking serious? What the hell would I have to be jealous of him about? Shit.” I stood up, running my hands through my hair. “Nothing, that’s what. I could break him in half.”
“So why are you so shook? Chill out, V.P., or I’m gonna throw you in a cold shower.” No matter how tough I was, Jack had a way of breaking me down. I didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. He was my president.
“If I wanted her, I could have her,” I said.
“No doubt. So why don’t you take what you want?”
“I didn’t know if it was safe,” I admitted. I could admit that much to Jack. “I didn’t know if she was for real or not. If I could trust her, you know?”
“And that’s why you’re gonna make a great president one day,” Jack reminded me. “You think about stuff like that. Anybody else? Creed, Buzz, Stretch, Phil? They’d be sniffin’ around after her in no time, giving her all our secrets if she was from the Cobras. They wouldn’t think twice. You know how they act around new pussy.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. I didn’t need him to tell me I was smarter than them. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, anyway. I wanted to hear that it was safe for me to take her for my own. Times were tough for us. In peace time, I would have been all over her. She just begged for me to take her and break her down. She wanted me. I could feel it. But I couldn’t risk the Club, and that had to be my number one priority when the Cobras were breathing down our backs.
“By the way, in case you were wondering, things went okay today.”
I felt like world’s biggest ass. “I’m sorry, Jack. I forgot.” I sat down in front of him, wanting to hear more. “What did the doctor say?”
“He said I’ve got plenty of time. We caught it early enough that with the right treatment, I could have as much as ten years to my name.” He grinned. “Shit, I didn’t think I had that long. Did you?”
I smirked, but his humor was a little dark even for me. “Colon cancer, though. That’s no joke.”
“No, it’s not a joke. I’ve gotta make light of it whenever I can, though. You understand.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And you understand the rest of the Club can’t find out about this.”
I winced. That was a little much to ask. Jack’s eyes burned like fire. “I mean it, Drake. Don’t say a word to anybody. This gets out? We might as well kiss everything we’ve worked for goodbye. I ain’t ready to do that yet.”
“I get it, man. I do. I just wonder how long you’ll be able to keep it a secret. I mean, treatment for cancer is a rough time, right?”
“Yeah. By the time anybody notices it, though, it’ll be a while. We’re not going through with the radiation for another few weeks, so by that time I hope we’re settled with this Cobra bullshit. And it’ll be a little while after that before any of the symptoms show up on me. So we’re looking at a month before people start asking what’s wrong with me. That’s a month before anybody has to know. You follow me?”
“Yeah. So it’s important to get the Cobras pinned down before that.”
“Exactly. You know how word spreads around here. Even out into the Bronx. They’re gonna find out after the club finds out. You know those guys out here. They’re worse than a bunch of teenagers when it comes to gossip.” He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against his seat. The thing was, and I didn’t want to tell him this because I knew he would hate it, he already looked a little sick. Thinner than he usually did, and tired as hell. I was a bit more observant than the guys were, so Jack had that on his side.
I stood up. “Your secret’s safe with me. I mean that. Just rest up in here for a while, okay?”
“Will do. Thanks, Drake. I know I can always count on you.” I left him sitting there in his office that was really more like a refuge. He didn’t do any work in there, not really. He went there to esca
pe us when things got too crazy. Things had been crazy for a long time, so he’d been spending more time than usual with the door shut. Even without cancer, his doctor diagnosed two weeks before that, we had been at war with the Cobras for months.
I looked at the pictures of Austin, Pete, and Lance on the wall outside Jack’s office. We had lost them over the course of the war. I wouldn’t lose another man, not to the Cobras. They had earned their name. A bunch of snakes, just slithering around in the grass until they could make their move.
There she was, still sitting there at the bar. She didn’t plan on going anywhere, did she? I waved at Darcy, one of the girls sitting with Bree. She hopped off her stool and walked over as fast as the ridiculous shoes she wore would let her. What was with women and those heels? Yeah, they were sexy, but not when they made a woman clomp around like a horse. That wasn’t sexy.
“What’s up?” She twirled a piece of long, black hair between two fingers. Another one I had been flirting with for a while—Violet taught me that fucking inside the Club was a bad idea, though. I made sure Darcy didn’t think I called her over for anything personal.
“You get a good idea of what she’s all about? What did you two talk about?” I nodded in Bree’s direction. She nodded back.
“Yeah, she seems sweet. Nice girl. A little too nice, maybe. I don’t know.”
“You think so?”
“Well, I don’t think she’s spent a lot of time around people like us. I think she maybe did live with her aunt for a long time like she said but in a nicer neighborhood. Or maybe she’s just one of those really smart people who always seems sort of—off. You know, the kind of kid who gets bullied in school because they’re so much smarter than everybody else.”
I nodded. I knew enough of those kids in school. “But you think she’s legit?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s legit. She doesn't know anything about the Cobras or anything. I think she’s actually cool.”
“Okay, thanks.” I watched her laugh about something with the other girls. Violet was there. “Is Violet talking shit about me?” I asked.
“Why? Did you fuck her over again?” I smirked at her, and she shrugged. “She told me about it before we started talking with Bree. Why are you such an asshole? You can’t just sleep with girls and toss them aside like they’re garbage.”
“Why not?” I smirked.
“Really, Drake?”
“Oh, you just reminded me. Do you think you could do a load of laundry for me? Please?” I flashed her a quick grin, getting a little closer to her. “Come on. I don’t even have a clean pair of underwear.”
“Going commando?” Her eyes drifted south while she licked her lips. I shrugged.
“Maybe.”
“Why are you such a fucking flirt?”
“I’m not.” I chuckled. “So, you think you can help me with that?”
She shook her head. “Ugh!”
“What did I do?” I shrugged, displaying a mischievous grin.
“I can’t stand you! Do me a favor and get the shit together yourself. Last time I went to your room, I found a lot of stuff I didn’t wanna see. Like your magazine collection. God, you’re fucking disgusting.”
“Whatever. You know you want this dick.” I bit my bottom lip and went to my room to get the laundry together for her. It was the least I could do since she asked nicely. And I didn’t feel like having her go through my magazines or anything else. Part of the problem of living at the Clubhouse was having no real privacy of my own.
And not having a home. That sucked, too. Still, it meant I was always close to my club. I was always there if anybody needed anything or there was any action going on. I was there for whatever came along. They could depend on me, especially since I didn’t have any personal shit going on that would get in the way. I wasn’t tied down to an old lady or kids. I only had myself, so when shit went down, I would be there to take care of it.
It was important for a club to trust their leader and believe in him. They didn’t know we might not have Jack for much longer—even if he had ten years, the way the doctors said, he wouldn’t be able to lead us for all that time. I had a feeling he was making up that number, too. It seemed a little random. Either he was going to keep living, or he wasn’t. It was weird to put a number on his life like that when he was only in his fifties.
I got my dirty clothes together and carried the laundry basket out to Darcy. She took it, rolling her eyes. But she did take it. She just liked to put on a big show.
“I thought you were the vice president.” I turned around and saw Bree grinning. She stood not far away from me, arms crossed. I told myself not to look at her tits. If I did, she would know how turned on she made me.
“Yeah? So?”
“So the vice president leads the Club, but he can’t do his own laundry?” She shook her head, snickering. “What? Are you a momma’s boy or something?”
“That’s it. Come here!” I grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to my room. We had to get a few things straight if she was gonna hang out with the Club. Starting with the way she talked to me.
6
Nicole
Maybe I took it too far. Maybe I let the contempt I already felt for Drake Collins and the rest of the Blood Riders cloud my judgment. Maybe I was a born smart ass who forgot herself a little too easily. Whatever it was, Drake didn’t seem to like it. My heart almost pounded straight out of my chest when he pulled me into his room. What was he planning to do to me? I almost couldn’t walk, I was so terrified. If I screamed, somebody would come to my rescue, right?
“Get in here.” He almost shoved me into the room, slamming the door. “Let’s get this straight. This is my fucking club. You don’t come in here and talk to me with that attitude and expect to get away with it. Nobody gets away with it. Understood?”
“Do you always talk to people this way?” I asked. “That’s not how a real leader speaks to people.”
“Do you understand?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Yes, I get it. But I didn’t like that little show you put on out there, either. Putting me on the spot in front of all those strangers. It doesn’t feel good, does it? When somebody puts you on the spot?”
“Oh, cry me a fucking river.” He stormed past me, and I flinched. Did I really think he was going to hit me? If I did, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to toy with him the way I had. Instead of striking me, he went through his dresser, yanking the drawers nearly out of their tracks, he started slamming them shut. Over and over. “I know I have a pack of smokes in here somewhere. Where the fuck are they!”
I watched him, watched the way his body moved. He had a sort of natural grace, an elegance disguised by toughness. I could see why people looked up to him, listened to him. He had that kind of power ... that force behind everything he did. He was no wimp or pushover. He would get what he wanted.
His room was a real dump, however. “Is this where you sleep?” I looked around at the gray walls, the ugly furniture. There were a few posters of female swimsuit models on the walls, a few pieces of clothing strewn around the floor.
“Yeah,” he said, not turning to me. “Why? You have something to say about that?”
“Only that it’s a little empty,” I admitted. “I guess this is just your room when you stay here, so that makes sense.”
“Why do you have to look so closely at everything I do?” he asked. “For your information, even though it’s none of your business, I live here.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, half-crumpled, looking triumphant. I was too busy focusing on his words to care.
“You live here?” I asked.
“Oh, what, you have something to say about that, too? I can’t wait to hear it.” He lit a cigarette, breathing deeply as he inhaled. “My first one in months,” he admitted. “I fucking need it, thanks to your bullshit.”
“You’re the one who started the bullshit, remember? I only came in with Richie.”
“Yeah. Convenient. What the hell is a gi
rl like you doing with him? That’s what I don’t understand.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, a cloud of smoke blurring his features. Instead of making him look less attractive, it only added to his sex appeal.
“I’m not with him! Why can’t you let it go? He told you why I came here with him. He invited me. No big deal. Why can’t you get it through your head?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because it doesn’t make much sense. A girl like you, following a guy like him here.”
“A girl like me? What’s a girl like me supposed to do? You’re such an expert.” It was getting harder and harder to keep control of myself the longer our game of verbal chess lasted. I was smarter than him—book smart, at least. He had a shrewdness to him that couldn’t be underestimated, however. He kept outthinking me. He’d picked up on me being a phony almost as soon as I’d walked in, like a living burglar alarm. He just couldn’t figure out how I was phony, or why. I needed to backtrack and change my strategy if my plan was going to get me anywhere. I had to fall below his radar, because if he kept a close eye on me, he would figure me out sooner or later.
He snickered, leaning on his dresser. His thick muscular arms supported his weight as he looked at me in the mirror. God, he was sexy as hell. I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t stop the thought from coming up even though the fact that I’d thought it left a sour taste in my mouth. He was garbage, scum, lower than low.
“You’ve got class. Who raised you? You said it was your aunt, right?”
“A combination of her and my mom,” I said, thinking fast again.
“But mom’s a mess, right? So, what, your aunt raised you to be a lady, but your mom made it so you couldn’t be? You’ve got to walk around all day, hoping some idiot in a leather vest buys you a sandwich?”
Asshole. I didn’t like the way he talked about Richie. The kid reminded me of a bird with a broken wing, and only a bully would hurt that kind of animal. “Yeah, you’ve got me all summed up.” Be careful. Don’t use big words, don’t try to prove you’re smarter even though you want to. Even if you wouldn’t have to work very hard. He’s on to you.