Strays (Red Kings MC Book 1)

by Eliza Marsh

  She killed the engine and got out of the truck, making her way to the passenger side. After several seconds of carefully balancing the numerous bags in her hands, Jackie turned and started a slow trek towards the garage. A few steps in, she paused, unsure whether she should take the food to the clubhouse instead. Assuming the garage would be potentially less hostile, she continued on her way only to stop again as a figure exited one of the bays.

  Of course, it was Dean.

  He stopped just outside the bay, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright spring sun. Seeing the woman with her hands full, he looked behind him for someone else to help her and found no one. With a reluctant sigh, he headed her way as she took a few hesitant steps in his direction.

  A comment from Mack floated through his mind, reminding him to be nicer to the woman. "What are you doing here?" His gruff voice didn't have the edge it always seemed to possess, and that eased her a little bit.

  "Tyler called, said you guys were hungry. I brought food." Jackie gestured at the bags she was holding.

  Dean grunted, grabbing a few of the bags to ease her load. "Great, I'm starving." He started walking towards the clubhouse, but Jackie's voice stopped him.

  "Hey, Dean. About last time..." He turned around, waiting for her to continue. Jackie looked at the ground and took a deep breath, then her gaze settled on his. "The yelling and-"

  The biker grunted and lifted one of his hands to cut her off, his other reaching into his jeans pocket to fish out a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one from the carton and pocketed the box. "It's fine." He lit the cigarette and took a drag from it, looking at her closely. "You were defending your friend. I respect that. Besides, it took balls to come at me like that, kinda cute." Dean turned around and started his walk to the clubhouse again. "That was your one free pass, though!"

  Jackie was left gaping after him, shocked. For the past two weeks, she had been preparing for the hell she would endure the next time she saw him. She was definitely not expecting him to be so calm and nonchalant about the whole thing.

  As he opened the door, Dean noticed that Jackie wasn't following behind him. "Are you coming or what?" he asked over his shoulder, then entered the building without a backward glance. That had her hurrying after him, still not sure what had just happened. Did they just have a friendly conversation? She sighed. Maybe Dean wasn't as bad as she had initially thought.

  6

  Jackie parked her truck in the lot of Eastside Mechanics, grabbing her bag from the passenger seat. She got out and carefully avoided motorcycles and their owners, looking for a familiar face as the hot May sun baked her. There were at least a half dozen bikes roaring to life, getting ready to hit the road. As they steered down the drive and hit the street, TJ came rushing out of the clubhouse, sliding on a pair of sunglasses.

  "Cupcake!" he yelled, jogging towards a large bike near the end of the row. Jackie rolled her eyes at the nickname but ignored it.

  "Have you seen Tyler? Supposed to be picking him up." Jackie moved towards TJ, hoping the man could at least narrow down the list of places she had to search.

  "I'm doing great, thanks for asking." He smirked as she looked at him apologetically. "He's inside talking business with the boss." TJ picked up his helmet from the bike's left handlebar and placed it on his head. "Why don't you go wait in the garage for him? The clubhouse is kind of a mess. He shouldn't be too long." He snapped the buckle together, securing the helmet. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta go." Jackie backed up as he started the bike, waving to him as he peeled out of the lot.

  Making her way into the garage, she was surprised to find it empty for the time of day. She settled herself to wait on a stool next to an old Toyota and pulled out her sketchbook, figuring she could use the spare time to work on her drawings. Not being able to afford the most prestigious art school in Chicago had crushed her. Still, with Tyler’s encouragement, she had studied art for a couple of semesters in community college. It wasn’t enough to get her a degree, but she was stubbornly keeping up with the skill because it was her true passion. Not that it was helping her out at this point in life, but it didn't mean she couldn't dabble when she had the chance.

  A loud bang shook Jackie from her daze a few minutes later, her head shooting up from the paper to locate the source of the noise. Her eyes fell on Dean, who was storming out of the clubhouse and towards his bike. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, as most of the bikers went riding to cool down.

  This time, however, Dean merely sat on his bike while pulling a cigarette from a pack in his pocket. Lighting it, he took a hard drag, letting his eyes roam around the lot. His gaze landed on her before she could avert her eyes, but she tried to act as though she had never seen him. The sound of heavy boots hitting the pavement alerted Jackie to the fact that he had indeed noticed her staring.

  "What are you doing here?" he asked roughly, stalking over to her. Guess their previous venture into being friendly had only been a fluke.

  Jackie swallowed hard and closed her book, craning her head way back to meet his eyes as he stood in front of her. "TJ said I could wait in here until Tyler finishes doing... whatever it is he's doing."

  Dean stared her down, trying to see if she was telling him the truth. He nodded after a second, then closed the distance between them, his eyes landing on her art notebook.

  "Whatcha got there?"

  She followed his gaze to the bounded papers in her lap, then quickly looked back up at him. "N-nothing. Just my sketchbook. It's-" He pulled the book easily from her hands and leaned against the car next to her to examine it, "-sort of personal."

  "Tyler said something about you being an artist." Jackie watched nervously as he flipped through the pages, the blank expression on his face never changing. "Not bad." He stopped on a picture of a motorcycle and narrowed his eyes. "You drew my bike?"

  She sputtered out words as he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Th-that's your bike? I didn't know it was yours, honestly. I'm so sorry. You can rip-"

  His raspy chuckle stopped her, and Dean continued his perusal of the book. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Looks good." Jackie let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, relaxing against the cabinet behind her. The next drawing to catch his eye was one she had finished recently. "How did you manage to make Nash look so nice?"

  She laughed, looking at the rough pencil sketch of Nash working on a car. "He's quite sweet once he knows who you are. Especially if you bring him food."

  Dean shook his head and replied, "Some tough biker he is." Jackie giggled, and Dean's mischievous eyes met hers. The next flip of the page revealed an oil pastel landscape of a city, a river and a bridge in the foreground. Tints of orange and pink reflected off of the water from the setting sun.

  "This is really good." A blush crept up her cheeks at the compliment. "Do you think you could do a piece for my bike?" Jackie looked at him, puzzled. "You can paint, too, right?" She nodded hesitantly, not sure where he was going with his line of questioning. "So then you could draw something for me and paint it on my bike."

  She looked at him incredulously. "Theoretically, yes."

  Dean turned expecting eyes on her, waiting for her to continue. "But...?"

  "But what if I mess up or... or you don't like it? Then I've ruined your bike, and you'll hate me even more than you already do." Her eyes glazed over as anxiety struck her. "That is if you don't kill me in a fit of rage first."

  He stared at her, slightly wide-eyed at her sudden panic. "Or you could just paint over it and try again?" he suggested carefully.

  Jackie snapped her mouth shut, wondering how she always managed to lose her common sense when he was around. "Oh... right. I guess I could try. But I don't guarantee anything. What exactly is it that you want me to draw?"

  "Some kind of club logo, like the one on our kuttes." He took the pencil from her hand and turned to a blank sheet of paper in the book, placing it on the hood of the car. Jackie got off the stool and watched over
his shoulder as he drew what looked like a crooked face. He then added hair on top, finishing up with a hastily scribbled 'KINGS' underneath the picture. "Something like this. Except, ya know, artsy."

  She picked up the sketchbook and held it closer to her face. After several tilts of her head and turns of the paper, she finally had to ask him. "What is it?" He stared at her blankly and then rolled his eyes, turning his back to her. At first, Jackie thought he was angry, but after a second look, she finally understood what he had drawn. "Oh! 'Kutte' means 'vest,' that's right." She held the paper closer to her face and squinted as she compared it to the crowned skull on the back of his leather vest. "So, that's not hair?"

  She squeaked as Dean snatched the book from her hands. "Forget about my shitty drawing." He flipped the sheet over and laid the notebook back down, then held the pencil out to her. "Get to work."

  "What?" Her eyes grew wide as she sputtered a sentence together. "R-right now?" He nodded and wiggled the writing utensil in her face, waiting for her to take it. She sat back on her stool nervously, hoping someone would come to distract Dean long enough for her to escape. She hated being put on the spot. "Good artwork takes time. I can't just pull a picture out of thin air. I need-"

  Before she could blink, he was next to her, calmly picking up both her and the stool and settling them next to the car hood where the notebook lay waiting. She had no time to make any objections. She merely sat frozen as he once again held the pencil out to her. "I'm not asking for a Picasso. Just a quick sketch."

  Jackie nodded mutely and took the pencil from his large hand. After a few seconds of staring blankly at the paper, she signaled with her hand for him to turn around. "Let me see the design again." He shrugged off his cut and placed it carefully next to the paper. "Or you could do that." He responded by leaning a hip against the car and crossing his arms. "You're gonna stand there and watch?"

  "Just draw."

  "Right, sorry." She started with the outline of the skull, then moved on to the crown.

  "I want the skull to look insane. Terrifying."

  She said nothing in response, only continued her drawing. After adding some extra shadows to the face, she looked up at him. "We doing grayscale or color?"

  "Whatever you want to do. You're the expert." She smiled softly and went back to her work.

  A few minutes later, Tyler entered the garage, quickly becoming confused at the scene in front of him. Nodding a greeting to Dean, he turned his attention to Jackie. "Hey, Jack, ready to go?"

  She turned her head towards him briefly. "Yeah, give me a minute."

  Tyler walked to her side, eyes focused on the seemingly calm biker looming over her. "What are you guys doing?" While he had grown to trust the club's Vice President immensely, he knew Jackie and Dean were not always on the best of terms. He glanced down at Jackie to see her busy at work. It wasn't unusual to see her drawing, but skulls weren't usually her thing. "What is that?"

  "It's a piece for my bike," Dean said with a grin.

  "How come you didn't draw anything for my bike?" Tyler asked, crossing his arms accusingly as he stared at the side of Jackie's head.

  "You never asked," she muttered distractedly as she finished up the letters on the sketch. "Done. What do you think?" She held the notebook up so Dean could get a clear view of the design. He examined it thoroughly, then grinned.

  "Perfect. When can you put it on my bike?"

  She laughed at his eagerness and replied, "I need to do a formal sketch and add some color. Of course, I also have work and-"

  "Whatever. Just finish it when you can."

  She nodded and stuck the notebook into her bag for later use, then glanced at her watch. "You ready, Tyler? I have to be at work in twenty." Tyler nodded, and Jackie stood up, moving the stool back to its original place. "I'll let you know when I get a chance to finish it," she said to Dean, then moved to follow Tyler out of the garage.

  "Thanks," Dean said, following them to the bay door. He watched as the pair headed over to the truck, Jackie waving at Taco as the prospect came out of the clubhouse.

  "What the hell was that?" Tyler whispered loudly to her, looking behind him to make sure Dean was out of hearing range.

  "No idea. But he wasn't threatening or insulting me, so I'm just gonna go with it."

  7

  “Be careful, I mean it. If you get hurt, I'm going to kill you.” Tyler rolled his eyes at the threat and hugged Jackie again for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour.

  “I'll be fine. It's just a quick thing, and I'll barely get involved. Besides, we'll be driving most of the time anyway.” Tyler tried with no avail to console his friend, who was worried that he would get hurt on the club's latest run. Even after six months of working with the club, she still got nervous every time he went out with them.

  “Relax, princess,” Mack said, sauntering up to the pair. “I'll be with him the whole time.” He slapped Tyler on the back, causing the smaller man to stumble forward slightly.

  “Oh yeah, that's really comforting, thanks,” Jackie replied sarcastically as the large man moved down the line of motorcycles.

  Tyler wrapped his arm around her shoulder and directed her towards his own bike. “I'll be home before you know it.” He kissed her cheek and got on the motorcycle, sliding his helmet over his shaggy blond hair and securing it. "I'll be fine," he stressed, hoping she would stop worrying about him.

  “I know, I know. I'm sorry. Have fun.” Tyler cranked the motorcycle and joined the group leaving the lot. Jackie stood there until they were out of sight, only moving when Nash came up behind her.

  “You can go hang out in the clubhouse until they get back if you want. But I don't want to see you, and I sure as hell don't want to hear you.” Jackie smiled and couldn't resist hugging him, her grin getting even wider as he cautiously patted her on the head like a child. “Now, scram.”

  She walked quickly towards the building before he could change his mind. Watching her disappear inside, Nash shook his head and sighed, knowing that sooner or later she was going to cause someone in the club some serious trouble.

  Shutting the clubhouse door behind her, Jackie was glad to see that the bikers usually occupying the room had all gone on the run. She walked over to the empty bar and sat on a stool, wondering how she could pass the time. Grabbing a magazine off the countertop, she noticed the detailing of the bikes on the front cover. Hoping to get some ideas for Dean's decal, she pulled out her sketchbook and began flipping through the magazine.

  “Let me guess, TJ said you should wait here.” She jumped and spun around on the stool, surprised to see Dean leaning against the end of the bar. She absently wondered how a man as large as him could move so quietly since she hadn't even heard the door open. A clock on the wall told her it had been over an hour since she'd taken her seat, and she was amazed at how quickly the time had passed.

  “Actually, it was Nash. TJ told me to go home and stop worrying.”

  “TJ was right.” Jackie looked at him, trying to figure out if that was his polite way of telling her to get out.

  “I can leave if you want.” She moved to get off the stool, but a calloused hand landed on her shoulder and kept her from leaving the seat.

  “Nah, it's fine.” He then backed up, and Jackie was afraid she had somehow offended him. She started to say something but then realized that Dean had only moved behind the bar.

  “So what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to fill the silence. "Shouldn’t you be out causing trouble with the rest of the Kings?”

  “Someone had to make sure the place didn’t burn down while everyone was gone.” He bent out of sight, and she heard the sound of glass clinking together. “You look like you could use a drink,” he said as he stood upright and placed an open bottle of beer in front of her, his other hand holding one for himself.

  “Oh, I don't really drink.”

  Dean snorted as he moved back to the customer's side of the bar and sat down, leaving an empty sto
ol between them. “You should start.” Jackie eyed both him and the bottle wearily, knowing she didn't need to be drinking in the middle of a biker bar, especially near this man. “Go on. One beer won't hurt you. It'll just knock the edge off your nerves and help you relax.”

  After weighing her options for another moment, she picked up the cold bottle and poured the amber liquid hesitantly down her throat. She coughed lightly as she swallowed and grimaced at the taste. “That's disgusting,” she muttered, putting the bottle down gently.

  Letting out a rough laugh, Dean turned towards her and propped his feet against the bottom rung of the stool next to him. “It's the price we pay for a little peace,” he said before taking a sip of his own drink. “So, you and Tyler are really close, huh?”

  “We've been best friends since we were eight. His family moved into the apartment a few doors down from mine.” She took another gulp of her drink, the taste not quite as bad as before. “He's just always been around.”

  “And you're afraid the club is going to take him from you?” Dean said this as more of a statement than a question. She looked up at him, wondering if he understood how she felt. “I'm not gonna lie to you. The club will take up a lot of his time. And should he decide to prospect, it will basically become his life.”

  Jackie nodded, drinking her beer in the hope that she could shake some of the anxiety she was feeling. “I'm not upset that he's in the club anymore. I mean, he's found something that is like a family, and he really enjoys it here. I'm just afraid that he's going to get mixed up in something and get hurt.” She took another mouthful of the alcohol and turned her head towards Dean as she continued. “I can't live without Tyler. I need him more than I care to admit.” Jackie swallowed hard, breaking the eye contact and fighting back the tears that were threatening to form. “I'm sorry,” she said shakily. “I didn't mean to get all emotional on you. I just really care about him.” She scoffed and shook her head. “Of course, you're a badass biker, so you probably think I'm stupid.”