by Turner, Xyla
We often went back and forth about me babysitting Kylie’s little bundle. She was a spit-fire like her mama and had Razor wrapped around his little finger.
“Oh hell no,” Kylie said, with a punch to my arm. “My daughter comes back cursing, I’m going to sic Shay on you.” Then she turned to Razor and said, “I’ll be right back, so y’all can talk.”
“Kay, darling,” he drawled.
Kylie also had the big man wrapped around her little finger, too.
“What’s on your mind, Shiz?” Razor gave me his undivided attention.
“Just wanted to apologize again for yesterday. You asked me to do something and like a fucking idiot, I just mouthed off. I know you don’t do shit like that. Never disrespected me or asked me to do anything unreasonable, illegal or anything. I just wanted you to know, how much I value the Guardians and everything you’ve done for me and I, uh, forgot that yesterday. That bike was my Pops, that was passed down to my brother and now, it’s mine. Probably, my one true treasure. So, I was a little sore about that and her. I mean, Avery. It’s no excuse. You’re my Pres and I just wanted to let you know. It won’t happen again.” I nodded to end my statement.
Razor nodded as well, then said, “Have a seat, Shiz.”
I sat and braced for whatever he was about to say or do. Shit, I had it coming.
“I’ma tell you like I done told many men before you and will have to tell, many after.” Razor leaned forward. “I’m looking for leaders. People, to step up and fix the rights for the many wrongs that have been done. That’s what this new brand of Guardians is about. You know about it firsthand. Shit is fucked up, people need a Guardian. You’re young, well, younger than the rest of us and some have allowed you to be young and carefree. However, you’re what, twenty-eight now. There’s going to come a time, when you got to put that shit away. Having no responsibility don’t mean you ain’t responsible. The mere fact that you’re a Guardian is a tremendous responsibility. Did you see the way that woman was looking at us? Not me, not Bronx, or just you. At us, like we hung the fucking moon because we are Guardians. That’s the work, brother, and I need people who are about doing that work. If you’re not, then that’s fine. We can talk about membership at another time. However, I’m going to take off my President hat and talk to you from an older man’s perspective.”
He leaned in closer over the desk and whispered, “This might be cliché, but it’s the best damn quote I know. When I was a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. Nothing wrong with being free but there’s something wrong with never evolving and being the man I know you can be. The type of man that can own, not just one shop but many and start a chain around the world. You can invest in property and use your skills to turn the homes to make a profit. Hell, you can even decide to house people who were in your brother’s shoes. A man that can have a vision, run with it and get shit done. You laugh and you joke. You play like you’re not smart and all that shit, but I don’t buy it. I saw it when we first met. Gave you time to get to know us. Tried to keep you around me, so you see how we do. But more than I need you carting around a girl who is in need of help, I need the leader in you to come out. We need that. Your brothers.”
Razor leaned back in his chair, indicating that his part of the conversation was over. I had no words due to the nature of his, so I nodded my head, mumbled something about not knowing what to say and excused myself. I think I would have rather him yell at me and put me on probation or some shit.
But that, what he said, was the worst thing that could have happened.
Put me to absolute shame, called me a child and called bullshit on my whole façade.
That was by far, the worst, because it was the truth.
Chapter Three
Avery West
For once, everything seemed to be working out for my good. Nathan was able to identify each and every guy from the Vipers who’d assaulted him. Therefore, all three of them were arrested and due to the nature of his injuries were charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder. The continuous way they tried to stomp in his head was what pushed it over the edge, according to the Guardian’s lawyer, Wolf.
Uno was able to find me a rideshare van that was able to take me back and forth to work, which was great because I would have never thought of something like that. The man was really smart and super helpful. He took me grocery shopping, brought me to see my brother a few times and was overall a great friend. One that I didn’t have prior until I ran over that bike.
I felt so bad for Shiz because he looked like I’d killed his damn dog on that fretful day. I didn’t know how I could make it up, but I really wanted to. Uno convinced me not to drive my Jeep anymore because I could be arrested. I did not know that, so the thought of selling it came but I quickly let it go. My truck was almost a custom car with all of my artistic additions. Who would buy a bright yellow Jeep Wrangler with abstract drawings on the interior and exterior?
Nathan was making a speedy recovery, even a week later, which was great. He was in his last year of college, so he couldn’t miss much more of it, even though I had contacted all of his professors to let them know about the incident. Mom and dad were beside themselves about the entire situation. Especially my mom, who thought it could have been that the attack was racially motivated. Dad thought it could have been a setup by the girlfriend. From what I’ve gathered, Vipers do stupid shit like this, according to the Guardians with no rhyme or reason. They just liked to fuck with people, because they can. Either way, those guys were still in jail, so some justice had prevailed.
Uno brought me to the compound a few times, because he wanted me to meet the old ladies. Well, none of them were old, he told me, but that was biker talk. Three of them were married and one was about to be. Razor, Bronx and Apollo’s wives were all there. Bear’s fiancée, Dessy, their wedding was coming up soon and she was also friends with the wives’. Every time I came around, none of the women were present.
I also hadn’t seen Shiz at the compound either. Not that I was looking for him, so I could feel guiltier about what I’d done to his bike. That man would never forgive me, but still, every time his name came up or I thought about the incident, my heart would pang a little.
In an effort to occupy my time, I stuck with Uno and tried to dwell in his calm demeanor. He’s mentioned that he could help me figure out my career, so one evening I brought my artwork for him to view. Unfortunately, I overheard someone talking about Shiz’s bike and that the insurance could not cover everything. They said, they would have covered it, if it were under different circumstances, so they were going to pay for. However, since the thing was a damn antique, the parts were nearly obsolete and would cost a fortune. Not that this wasn’t bad enough, another one of them said that the bike had belonged to his father and brother who’d both passed away. I nearly fell out of my chair, as I remembered the look he gave me when I ran over his precious bike. I had killed his puppy and probably the only memory of his male kin.
Packing up my stuff, I asked Uno to drive me home because I knew what I had to do. Once everything was in order, shockingly I felt at peace.
Well, a little.
By Friday, Uno shared that the Guardian ladies would definitely be at Peppers because that was their bar. Well, Razor owned it and that is where they spent a lot of their time. Sure enough, when I walked in, I saw a gang of ladies around the bar and they were all types of cuteness. One had long blond hair with a cute dress on. One was a beautiful black woman with long hair and a round belly that I knew from experience took hours for her to do. Another woman was tan with shortened dark hair cut in layers, and then there was a black woman behind the bar laughing with them. She was also a cutie.
“That’s the crew.” Uno pointed them out, unnecessarily. “Let me introduce you.”
I followed him over to the bar as they all greeted him, like they were on an episode of Cheers, “Uno!!!”
He laughed in his shy way and sa
id, “Hey Lady Guardians.”
They smiled in adoration at the timid man with genuine kindness. I liked them already because Uno was very nice.
“This is Avery West…” He started but I cut him off.
“Like Kanye West, but I don’t know him and we’re not kin.” I smiled. “Uno, here, has been showing me around. He’s such a good friend. I really like everything about the Guardians and I know I’ll like you all too. We keep missing you guys at the compound. Now, I know where to find you.”
They all laughed but I didn’t miss the assessing eyes they placed on Uno. When I turned to look, he simply smiled at me.
“Hey, I’m Kylie,” the blond greeted me.
“I’m Shay.” the black woman with the long hair waved.
“I’m Lori,” the dark-haired woman nodded with a smile.
“And I’m Dessy,” the last one said. “What are you drinking?”
“Whatever will get me fucked up tonight,” I said in all seriousness. “This has been a hell of a week.”
“I like her already,” Shay seconded. Then she added, “but I can’t drink, so have one for me too.”
“Oh okay, why can’t you drink?” I asked absentmindedly.
“I’m expecting,” the woman said with such shy pride.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed. “That’s amazing! Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She was still smiling.
“It’s a long story and believe me, you’ll hear it one day.” Dessy added as she slid me a drink.
“I love stories,” I exclaimed.
They all looked at each other and Lori said, “Oh honey, we have plenty.”
Then Kylie asked, “So, how did you get affiliated with the Guardians? Through Uno here?”
I saw movement to my left and it was Uno taking a step back, “That’s my cue to leave because y’all are about to start gossiping and I’m going to head on out. Avery, I can come back to get you.”
“Oh no, I ‘ll take her home,” Shay chimed in. “I can’t drink anyway. Plus, Bronx will be here at some point too.”
“Okay, ladies. Have fun,” Uno bowed and walked away.
“So, you and Uno?” Lori asked with a glimmer in her eye.
My eyebrows furrowed as I processed what she said.
“What?” I shook my head. “Oh no, he’s just a good friend. Razor had him help me get things sorted with my brother. Plus, he’s a great listener and we’re the same sign. You should never date someone that’s the same sign as you. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
All four of the women openly stared at me, then Kylie started laughing.
“What’s your story again?” she asked. “This isn’t Uno’s girl, right?”
I told them the whole story, even about running over Shiz’s bike and how it was the last thing he had of his male kin. I didn’t tell them my plan on how to fix what I had broken but that I hoped one day Shiz would forgive me. They all looked at each other and the knowing nods started to come but I wasn’t included on the inside joke.
“Yeah, that’s not Uno,” Shay agreed, seemingly picking up on the conversation from before.
“Nope,” Dessy chimed in.
“Are y’all sure?” Lori asked.
“You don’t get to assess these things Lori,” Shay noted. “You thought Apollo was trying to make amends, when that man was in love with you and everyone knew it but you.”
All the women started to laugh at Lori, who simply blushed and shook her head. Then she turned towards me and said, “In my defense, I realized the error of my ways and married the man.”
“Because, he bought a house right next to yours,” Kylie added. “And still, you just kept on with business as usual.”
Even I laughed at that one.
“Okay, I’m not assessing,” Lori gave in. “It’s not Uno, then, Shiz?”
“Hell yeah,” Shay noted.
“Uh, what are y’all talking about?” I asked. “It was Shiz’s bike, yes.”
“No, honey. We’re talking about who’s going to probably claim you. More than likely the person you’re interested in, which is not Uno, but Shiz.” Kylie spoke as if what she said was the written word of the Lord.
“No.” I hated to interrupt her groove. “I’m not interested in Shiz. He hates my guts. That’s all. I’m not interested in nobody. Just trying to live my life, find a new job, an apartment that doesn’t have mice, because I can’t afford a cat and maybe a new ride or …”
I stopped talking because all eyes turned towards something behind me, causing me to turn around and see nobody but Shiz walking towards us. Thank God, he didn’t hear me talking about him.
“Hey Shiz,” the woman greeted him.
“Wives and fiancée of Guardian men,” he greeted them back. “I see you’ve met Avery.”
“Yup, we’re becoming fast friends,” Shay said with a note of sarcasm to her voice.
“Good,” he said to my surprise. Then he turned to me and said, “They’re good people. A little crazy but so are you. This might be a match made in heaven, now that I think of it.”
I laughed because his first words to me, or the ones that I could hear, was him calling me a crazy ass bitch.
Great.
That twinge in my chest started when I thought about it.
“I’m sorry, Shiz.” I blurted out. “Swear…”
Shiz was standing next to me but looking down with his chiseled jaw turned my way. After I said I’m sorry, he turned and swear to God, he held up his finger to my lips and whispered, “Shh. Don’t apologize anymore. I accepted it the first time. It’s done and over. Okay?”
My head nodded but his finger stayed on my lips and I did not want them to move. The pretty man was all I could see, and the women no longer existed.
“You sure, you’re done talking about it?” he asked.
“Mmm, hmm,” I mumbled. “Done.”
My lips moved with the inside of his index finger, still resting there. Those dark eyes were smoldering, and they were on nobody but me.
“Okay, firecracker.” He nodded. “No more.”
Then he removed his finger from my lips, but it was almost like he didn’t because I could still feel the tingling from his touch. My tongue unconsciously snuck out to lick them, capturing the taste of him but the residue still had the surface of my lips on fire. One touch and it seemed like my entire body lit up. Shiz’s taste was on my lips, causing me to lick them again.
Someone cleared their throat and Shiz tore his eyes from me.
“So, Shiz, you were saying something about a match made in heaven,” Shay commented with a chuckle that all the ladies were participating in.
He eyed each of them with a warning look and said, “Like I mentioned, crazy. You’ll fit right in.”
“I’m not crazy, I’m enlightened,” I shared with him and tilted my chin up.
Shiz snorted and said, “Oh, that’s what they call it now?”
“Crazy is …” I was about to start in on my tangent, that also included a definition, but he shook his head.
“Sweetheart.” He smiled at me. “Crazy works for you. Okay? Cause you’ve done and said several things that fit the definition of crazy. However, like these ladies over here, crazy works for them too. So, all of y’all are cute and crazy, is all I’m saying. It works.”
“Awww, Shiz,” Kylie beamed. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about us.”
His head rocked back and then he shook it, like his point was made. Then Shiz turned to me and asked, “Can I see you before you leave? Wanted to run something past you.”
My head was nodding before my mouth opened.
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
“Great.” He nodded back at me. “Ladies.”
Then he walked off and my eyes followed him.
“Lori,” Dessy asked. “Still think it’s Uno?”
I gasped at her, but all of them started laughing out loud.
“Nope, y’all are right. It’s Shiz,” Lor
i conceded. “I stand corrected.”
“It is not Shiz,” I corrected all of them.
“Oh honey, this is going to be a good story,” Shay laughed. “A real good one.”
Oh hell.
An hour later after two Shirley Temples, I excused myself from the ladies and made my way to see Shiz. The ladies oohed and aahed, even though they were nice and cute and all, they were way off about Shiz.
Way off.
Approaching the table with the cute and sexy but taken bikers, when Shiz saw me coming he went to stand, however a big, burly man clapped him on the back and said, “Well, what the fuck do we have here, Shiz-o?”
A roundtable of manly laughter could be heard from everyone, but it seemed like another inside joke.
“Shut the fuck up, Bear,” Shiz snapped at the scary man with narrowed eyes.
“Wait, you mean like you did when it was it was Dessy and me. Or Shay and Bronx, no, Lori and Kylie. I don’t remember you shutting the fuck up.”
All heads nodded in agreement with what the man Bear was saying.
“But,” Shiz responded. “You all told me to shut the fuck up, so I’m returning the favor. Plus, it’s not even like that.”
A bunch of sure and yeah, you’re right followed him. He stuck up his middle finger and walked towards me.
“They’re good people but assholes if that makes any sense,” he said with a smirk. “I earned it though.”
“Oh, believe me I know.” My head was nodding up and down, but his eyes narrowed at me. Then it dawned on me what he thought I’d meant. “Sorry, I mean, I know about earning the shit you get dealt.”
“Gotcha,” he replied as his hand touched the small of my back gently guiding me to an empty table in the back. “Need something to drink?”
“I’m good, thanks. Plus, if I drink too much, Shay will have to carry me home and she’s prego, so that won’t be on my conscience,” I noted. “But anyway, what did you want to talk about?”
His eyes met mine and I swear I saw amazement or his normal crazy chick look in there. Yet, what he said out of his mouth is what caught me off guard.