Perfect Collision

by Lina Andersson

  “I’m not going there. She can come here, and I’ll spend time with her, but I’m not going there.”

  I’d been to visit Mom twice; it had been horrible. It was strange, I didn’t remember her being such a bitch when I lived with her, but she sure had been on my visits.

  Lisa’d sort of adapted into the Cali style fashion, and so had Mom, which meant that everything about me was completely wrong. My clothes were wrong, my hair wasn’t just the wrong color, it was unruly and far too long, I wasn’t wearing enough makeup, and… on and on forever.

  When she’d nagged about how I always had a frown on my face, I bit my tongue before I snapped that I had some good reasons to pout.

  I didn’t want to go there. I was feeling good about myself. Or better, at least, and I didn’t want all the ways I was wrong shoved in my face again. By my own mom!

  “You need to at least talk to her. She’s threatening to press charges against Mac.”

  I stared at him. No woman formerly married to a Marauder was stupid enough to press charges. Ever. At least not that I’d heard of. If they left without making too much of a fight about it, they got what they deserved. If not… it got nasty.

  “For what?”

  “Statutory rape.”

  “But I’m eighteen.”

  “Yeah. I pointed that out.”

  “Then why is she pressing charges?”

  “She was rambling, kept yelling about shit, and one of the things she yelled was that she’d press charges against Mac for having had sex with you while you were underage.”

  “But… we didn’t. I mean… we still…” I really, really didn’t want to talk to Dad about this. “We didn’t start seeing each other before I turned eighteen.”

  “I know.”

  “Is she insane? Like, for real?”

  “Yeah, but listen honey, she’s won’t do anything if you just call her. Talk to her, and then I’ll take care of the rest. It’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.”

  I felt like crying. I should’ve seen it coming. When things were too good, something always came along to fuck it up. This move from Mom just felt so damn stupid. What did she think she would accomplish besides pissing everyone off?

  Dad stood up and walked over to me, and gave my forehead a kiss.

  “Go to bed, love. I’ll take you to work tomorrow. Don’t worry about your mom, call her and talk to her, let me know what she says, and I’ll take it from there.”

  Of course he would. Dad always did what he could to fix things for me, but I was still scared. I went into my room, and after some hesitation I took my phone and called Mac. I didn’t want to worry him, but I wanted to talk to him.

  “Babe,” he mumbled when he answered. It sounded like he’d been sleeping.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you up again.”

  “No worries. You okay?”

  “It’s Mom, she’s… being Mom.”

  “Yeah? In what way?”

  “I don’t know. She called and yelled at Dad. Said she’d press charges against you.

  “For what.”

  “Statutory rape.”

  He was quiet and then started laughing. “Are you sure she’s your mom?”

  “What?”

  “Well, she obviously doesn’t know how old you are.”

  “She might say we had sex before I turned eighteen.”

  “Baby, this is so stupid. Don’t worry about it. Your dad’ll take care of it, and she was married to your dad for more than a decade, there’s no way she’d be that stupid.”

  “It could mean a lot of trouble for you, though. Even if we didn’t do anything it could—” He wouldn’t let me finish.

  “She won’t press charges against me. Promise. Don’t worry, Katze.”

  “Okay. Miss you,” I mumbled. “See you tomorrow?”

  “You know you will. And don’t worry about your mom. Really don’t. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I was glad he seemed calm about it, and he was right. We hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Mostly I was pissed she’d managed to mess things up for me again. Making me feel bad. I hated how she always knew how to do that, and I knew she’d be a bitch when I called her. She’d start out by being angry about how rarely I called—then continue with the nagging. This time, I’d start out with being angry. I was going to make a few things very clear to her.

  -o0o—

  Bear was in the clubhouse and nodded at Mac when he came and sat down next to him. He was still adjusting to thinking about Mac as a guy who… did things to his daughter. That didn’t work all that well, so instead he preferred to think about him as someone Vi liked, which made him slightly more accepting of Mac. It was still hard to think about Vi as old enough to have a boyfriend.

  When Vi was around two years old, her two favorite toys were a red plastic fish that had once contained bubble bath, and a stuffed dog he’d bought her on a whim at a garage sale to keep her occupied while he searched through bike parts.

  The plastic fish didn’t bother him much unless she brought it to their bed in the middle of the night, and he accidentally slept on it, squashed it, and had to spend a lengthy time trying to restore it.

  The stuffed dog on the other hand—it reeked. And it didn’t fucking matter what they did with it—washed it, aired it, or kept it in the freezer for a week—it still reeked. The stench was unbelievable. He still had no idea how the fuck his baby girl could sleep with her nose tucked into it, but she did. She carried the stinking dog with her everywhere, and the only reason he tolerated it was simply that she loved it. Vi didn’t love all that many things even back then, and if she loved it, he’d figured he could stand his truck stinking like an outhouse during indian summer.

  While Mac didn’t stink all that bad, the thought of what Mac did to Vi gave him the same nauseating feeling as the smell of the stuffed dog. But she obviously saw something in him, which made Bear decide he could stand him being around until he got used to the idea of Mac and Vi… doing things.

  “She’s worried,” Mac said as he sat down. “What did Ella say?”

  “Nothing important. She’s got nothing, she knows it, and that pisses her off more than anything.”

  “Still don’t get it. Vi’s eighteen.”

  “Yeah. Think she just wanted to prove she knew what was going on here. I’m not worried about what she says about you and Vi. I’m more worried she’s talking about cops at all.”

  Ella’d been a fully informed Old Lady. She knew everything about the club and what they’d been up to. If she went to the cops, it wasn’t what she’d say about Mac he was worried about.

  “She wouldn’t be that stupid,” Mac said, but didn’t look convinced.

  “Don’t worry about it. She’s my crazy ex-wife bitching about my daughter. I’ll handle it.” He waved to get one of the girls to bring him a beer. “Vi’s calling her today, then Ella’ll call me and bitch, I’ll yell back, and it’ll be calm for now. We do this dance on a fairly regular basis.”

  “Why do you want Vi to call her?” Mac asked, and when Bear glared at him, he continued. “I’m just asking.”

  He could see why the kid was asking, and he didn’t miss the protectiveness his asking implied, but there was no easy way to explain. Vi needed to fight her own battles to a certain point; he couldn’t let her shy away from everything, especially not her own mom. Ella had a way of getting to Vi whether he wanted her to or not, and this way he at least knew when the battle took place.

  When Vi finally called him, she was angry. Really angry. Which was better than sad.

  “She’s coming here for a weekend.”

  “When?”

  “In December.”

  “Honey, what else did she say?”

  “Loads, nothing important. I’ll talk to you later.” Then she hung up.

  “Fuck!” He didn’t even bother to put the phone down in his pocket because he knew Ella would call next. And she did. “Ella.”

>   “I hope you’re happy. Obviously you’re serving your own daughter on a plate to your brothers, and now she’s threatening me.”

  “She threatened you?”

  “Yes. Fucking little brat.”

  He didn’t have the energy for this. “She said you’re coming here for a weekend.”

  “I don’t know if I want to. She said if I so much as mention going to the cops about that fucking pedophile, she’d never talk to me again. Ever.”

  “Jesus. She’s eighteen, and he’s not that much older than her.”

  “Can’t fucking believe you just… hand her over and let her be a part of that shit life, become a tattoo artist and just be… trash.”

  “You were happily a part of it yourself for over ten years. Didn’t hear you bitching back then.”

  “Maybe I know better now and want her to have better.”

  “Maybe you should let her chose for herself.”

  “And like she’s gonna get away from it now. She’s gonna be stuck with that molester, all doe-eyed. She’s been in love with him for years.”

  He thought that was the nice part, that Vi’d been in love with Mac for a long time, but obviously Ella had a different view of it.

  “Who told you about Vi and Mac?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Darlin’, if you wanna leave this town with the tits I paid for intact, you tell me who told you.”

  She was quiet for a while, but she knew he meant business. In general, he didn’t give a shit about gossip, but if this wasn’t Mel, then some other bitch was gossiping about things she shouldn’t.

  They had learned the hard way what sweetbutts and the girls at the strip club could do. It had caused a member’s death a few years earlier.

  “Nikki,” she spat out before hanging up.

  “Nikki.” He looked at Mac who shrugged. “Never had anything going with her?”

  “No. She might’ve just been gossiping.”

  “Yeah. I’ll go and talk to her about gossiping,” Bear said and got up. “Want in?”

  Mac looked at his phone and shook his head. “I’m picking up your girl. Either way, this is your thing.”

  “Okay. One o’clock.”

  “I know.”

  He watched Mac leave to pick up Vi and went to find Bull. After explaining the situation, Bull didn’t growl much about having been interrupted with his dick hanging out and simply left the sweetbutt in the hallway. Since his divorce, Bull practically lived at the clubhouse, and he tended to have at least one girl in his bed at all times. Missing out on one fuck couldn’t possibly bother him all that much.

  They went around the corner to the Booty Bank. Nikki wasn’t on stage, and after asking the club mama, they found out she was in the back getting ready, but she would rearrange the schedule if they wanted to talk to her.

  Nikki smiled when they walked into the changing room, but the smile faded when Bull ordered the other girls to get their asses out.

  “What?” she asked with a frightened face.

  Bear sat down on the chair next to hers. “My ex-wife called and was upset about Mac and Vi. Any idea how she could’ve found out about that?” When she opened her mouth he held up her hand. “And keep in mind that I might dislike gossip, but I detest lying.”

  “She calls me and asks me about stuff.”

  “Stuff?”

  “About Vi mostly. How she’s doing.”

  That was something of a surprise, and even if it pissed him off it at least meant Ella gave a shit about Vi. But if she wanted to know, she should’ve asked him or called Vi herself.

  “I suggest you stop discussing my daughter with anyone, even if it happens to be her mom. In fact, I suggest you simply do your job and don’t talk to anyone about anything you might see or hear here or at the clubhouse.”

  “Okay.” Nikki nodded vigorously. “I won’t.”

  “Who else is she talking to?”

  “I don’t think she’s talking to anyone else.”

  “Make sure and get back to me.” He leaned closer. “Can I assume you’re going to keep your mouth shut from now on, or do I need to ask Bull here to teach you a lesson?”

  She looked at Bull with big eyes. Bull had a nasty reputation even among the girls. So much of a reputation, he hardly ever needed to actually do anything anymore. Just standing there usually did the trick. Everyone knew he’d do what was needed to make them understand, cooperate, or just fess up—especially people like Nikki, who were close to the club.

  “No,” she whispered and shook her head. “I won’t tell her anything.”

  “I think you should promise me to not tell anyone anything.”

  “I promise.”

  “Good.” Bear stood up and left the room.

  Bull came a few minutes later, and when Bear raised an eyebrow he shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure she got the full picture.”

  “Okay. I’m heading back to the clubhouse. You staying here?”

  “Yeah. Might as well,” Bull muttered and went to the bar.

  Bear left for the clubhouse. A few beers later, Amanda came over to him. He hadn’t seen much of her since Mac’s birthday party—months earlier.

  “Hey, baby,” he said and pulled her into his lap. “Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been busy. I’m moving from Greenville next week. Thought I’d come by to say goodbye.” She said it with a smile and leaned closer. “Maybe give me an all-nighter for the road?”

  He grabbed her neck and gave her a kiss. He’d be more than happy to do that.

  CHAPTER TEN:

  Cherry Blossoms and Butterflies

  -o0o—

  THE ERGONOMIC CHAIR I was sitting on didn’t feel all that ergonomic. I didn’t care much at the moment, though, because I was sitting at my very own work station!

  I looked around; it was still empty. The tables, shelves, and walls were all cleaned out and ready to be filled with my own stuff. I was planning to put my own designs on the walls, and ask Sami if I could do a wall painting, too. It’d been fun to do it at Mac’s place, and this was a chance to do another one.

  “Do you like it?” Sami asked.

  “I like what it means.”

  It meant I was one of them. Even if my name wouldn’t go up on the front window yet, if it ever did, I was now officially one of the artists working at Wicked Ink. I was a tattoo artist! Well, I was still an apprentice, but I’d be allowed to take on customers.

  I’d be paying rent for the work station, but he’d cut the price on my fee on the condition I kept doing some work at the shop, and gave him a small percentage of the money I made on tattoos. It was a fair deal, better than I’d get in most places.

  He handed me a gift. “This is from all of us. You’ll need it.”

  I opened it, and it was a portfolio in leather to put in pictures of tattoos I’d done. It was obviously purple and had my name engraved on it. I ran my fingers over the letters. It looked expensive and really professional.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

  “I’m still your teacher, but this,” he pointed around us with a wave, “means you’re getting there, and you’ll get to book your own customers. I still want you to consult me on every tattoo! I decide what you can do, and I still want you to keep to the simpler stuff when it’s people you don’t know.”

  “I know, Sami. I’m not stupid, and I’m not gonna ruin my reputation before I even have one by doing things that are beyond me. You know that.”

  “I do know that,” he said with a smile. Then he looked around. “This is your station, so make it yours.”

  I pointed at the wall. “Can I paint that?”

  “Sure,” he shrugged. “Make sure you keep Trixie informed of what days you’re working. You have a calendar now,” he said with a wink. “It means you can set your own hours however you want as long as you get the job done. I’ll send some small jobs your way, and I’m sure the others have things they’ll be happy to get rid of
.”

  “Cherry blossoms and butterflies,” I smiled, but I didn’t give a shit. I had a calendar and a portfolio!

  “Cherry blossoms and butterflies,” he confirmed. “Probably a fairy or two, too.”

  “I’m fine with that.”

  “Just giving you a heads up.”

  He left, and I kept looking around with an impossibly big smile. This was so huge—enormous! Even if I’d do nothing but flash tattoos for the coming year, I couldn’t have cared less. I’d make some money of my own, because I was actually a fucking tattoo artist!

  “With a smile like that you better be thinking about me,” Mac said as he showed up at the door.

  “This is my work station,” I tried to explain.

  “What?”

  “I have my own workspace now—this is all mine! I have a calendar and this,” I held up the purple leather book, “a portfolio.”

  His smiled and pulled me out of the uncomfortable chair. “Yeah? So my girl is really a tattoo artist then?” I nodded and put my arms around his neck. “So would my girl maybe do some ink on me?”

  “Yes, your upper body is unbalanced. I can fix that.”

  “I bet you can.”

  I sneaked my hands under his clothes, and placed my hands on the upper part of his chest. “You should do something here. On both sides.”

  “Yup, but not today. Today I’m taking you to dinner to celebrate. I think you’ll like the place I have in mind.”

  It was a tapas place, and he told me to order for the both of us. He didn’t ask me about Mom, and I was glad he didn’t. I wasn’t ready to talk about it and assumed Dad’d already filled him in. We ate and talked about other things instead. A lot about the tattoo on his chest and what he wanted.

  After dinner, he took me to his place, made us popcorn, and fired up a movie. Obviously we didn’t watch much of the movie, and soon I was naked on his bed while he was giving me head.

  Just as the night before, he pressed his fingers inside me and the feeling was… incredible, but I wanted more. I sat up, interrupting him, and pulled off his jeans and t-shirt.

  “I wasn’t done,” he laughed and kissed me. I could taste myself on his lips. It used to gross me out, but now I kind of liked it. When I pushed him to his back, he chuckled again. “Baby, you’re getting very bossy in bed. I like it.”