by Chiah Wilder
Kicking his desk chair, he cursed under his breath. Of all the women he’d ever hooked up with, why the fuck did it have to be Hailey who’d found a way into his heart? Fuck. I need to tell Ryan. He’ll get it. He knows I’d never hurt Hailey. We’ve been buds since we were five. And what was Hailey to him? His feelings for her were all scrambled inside him, and the fact that he even had feelings for her surprised him. In all his years, he’d never felt anything more for a woman than pleasure. Some of the women had been more fun than others, and he’d liked hanging out with them more, but if they started pressuring him, he’d walk away without a backward glance. And on the rare occasion when a woman decided she wasn’t into his no-commitment mentality and left him, he’d usually be with another one within twenty-four hours. That was the way he lived his life, and it had suited him just fine until Hailey came into his shop.
Being with Hailey touched something deep inside him, and it thrilled and angered him at the same time. He loved his easy life in the brotherhood: all the booze and pussy he could ask for, camaraderie, killer parties, and doing whatever the fuck he wanted. He didn’t need a woman complicating his life, and he wasn’t willing to give it up, but when he wasn’t with Hailey, he was thinking about her. He’d skipped the last several club parties, and the only pussy he’d been in for a while was Hailey’s. It was the only one he craved.
Fuck, this shit’s complicated.
A knock on his door was a welcomed distraction from his dizzying thoughts.
“It’s open.”
Brutus walked in. “Some of us are going out drinking. You wanna come?”
“Where’re you going?”
“Rear End.”
“I haven’t been there in a long time. Count me in.” It’ll be good to just go out with the brothers.
“We’re gonna leave in an hour,” Brutus said as he walked out.
Yanking off his T-shirt, Goldie headed to the shower. A night out with his buds was just what he needed. Freshly showered and shaved, Goldie slipped on a clean pair of jeans and a black muscle shirt that molded over his chest. He reached for his phone on the desk and noticed several unopened texts.
Hailey: Whatcha doing?
Hailey: R u busy?
Hailey: U must b tatting someone.
Hailey: Forgot to ask. U wanna hang tonite? I feel like a drink.
Hailey: Text me when u’re done.
Goldie reread the texts, looked out the window, and then replied.
Goldie: Sorry. Was in the shower. I’m hanging with my buds tonite.
Hailey: Where u guys going?
Goldie: A biker bar.
Hailey: Have I been there?
Goldie: Doubt it. It’s raunchy & a hottie like u wouldn’t survive ten secs before the wolves started circling.
Hailey: hehe. Have a good time.
Goldie: Thx. I’ll call u tomorrow.
Hailey: :)
Goldie put the phone in his pocket and went over to the window. Down below, he saw Brutus, Jigger, Sangre, Army, Eagle, and Skull walking toward their bikes. The encroaching darkness slowly swallowed the last light of day. The shadows from the oak tree fell over the brothers’ heads and shoulders like a web. I almost canceled going to Rear End to be with Hailey. But he didn’t. He had to prove to himself that he could go out with his brothers and have a good time without her on his mind. She’d been totally cool with it, and he kind of wished she would’ve given him an attitude to prove that she was just like all the women he’d known. But she wasn’t. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever known. Grabbing his keys, he went down to meet his brothers.
Rear End had been around since the 1960s and had a longtime reputation as a biker’s haven. Framed posters of naked women in leather boots posed in various positions on motorcycles hung on the dirty gray walls. Beer kegs shot up by the patrons in the desert were part of the dive’s decorations. Old neon beer signs blinked intermittently behind the bar and in the small windows facing the street. The back wall was known as the “Memorial Wall” where broken bits and pieces of motorcycles shared space with photos of longtime regulars—both dead and alive. Bullet holes marked the walls, and a canopy of women’s bras decorated the ceiling. Brawling was the norm, and sometimes violence would erupt among the customers over something as simple as a lost pool or dart game. Most nights Rear End was packed with bikers and women who wanted to be near them.
Goldie and his brothers entered the dive, jerking their heads at some of the men in leather standing by the bar. Zito, the owner and bartender, grinned at the Night Rebels, his top gold teeth flashing under the flickering neon signs. “It’s been too fuckin long,” he said as he set down seven shot glasses. Zito inherited the bar after his dad had passed away ten years before. He was built like a linebacker and didn’t put up with shit from anyone. If one of the patrons justly pissed off another, he’d let them fight it out, but if someone started bullshit for no reason, he’d find himself kissing the pavement or staring into Zito’s double-barrel shotgun.
“On the house,” he said as he filled the shot glasses with Jack.
“Thanks, man,” the brothers said as they lifted their glasses and threw them back.
Goldie panned the room and saw a woman he’d hooked up with eight months before. He’d met her at Rear End, and she seemed like a good time. They got drunk and he ended up at her place for a couple of days. All they did was smoke weed, drink, and fuck. When he’d taken off, she’d been madder than hell that he hadn’t wanted her number. He’d been sorry that he hadn’t just given it to her so he could’ve avoided the scene, but he’d been too high and hadn’t thought it through.
Goldie turned his head, but she’d already spotted him and was headed his way. He ordered a double Jack and braced himself. Her long nails dug into his bicep at the same time a nauseatingly sweet citrus scent roped around him.
“It’s been a long time, Goldie. How’ve you been?”
Turning slightly, he lifted his chin. “Been good.”
White, crooked teeth shone between dark lips. With her jet-black hair and pasty complexion, she looked like a vampire. Did she look like that when we hooked up? And what the fuck’s her name?
“I haven’t seen you around here. I hope you weren’t avoiding it because of me.” Her nails dug in deeper.
“Hardly.” He jerked his arm away and gave her a warning glance.
“Not in the mood to be friendly?” She leaned in close but he pushed her away.
“Nah. Go on and circulate.” He turned his back to her.
“What’s the story with Vampirella?” Eagle asked.
Goldie chuckled. “I was drunker than shit the last time I was here and ended up crashing a couple of days with her. We fucked like crazy, and then I left. She got pissed.”
“The usual story. Damn. I was hoping for some real blood sucking, not the hickey shit.”
“She’d probably do it now. I don’t remember her looking like the undead.”
“Was she a good fuck?”
“Yeah. I mean, I stayed for two days, so she must’ve done something right.”
“Whoa, bro. Look at her now. She’s giving you the evil eye, and the dude with her is acting all tough.” Eagle laughed.
“What a couple of losers. If he wants to start shit, I’m right in. It’s been too long since I had a good bar fight.”
“Vampirella would probably love to see you crush him. Bitches like that love to have a man fight for them. Makes ’em feel special. Maybe he’s her Igor.” Goldie and Eagle laughed.
“Some dudes from the Jagged Aces challenged us to a pool game. Are you guys in?” Army asked.
“I’m out, but I’ll watch,” Goldie said.
Army jerked his head back. “I thought you’d be all over this.”
“I’m in,” Eagle said.
Soon, Brutus, Army, Eagle, and Skull were lined up to play a few rounds of pool with four Jagged Aces. The club was not a one-percenter, but they had their hands in several smaller illegal activities a
round the county. Their main claim to fame was stealing cars and motorcycles in and around the county. The Night Rebels never had any run-ins with them, and they normally got along at rallies, with several of the Jagged Aces members participating in the charity poker runs the Night Rebels organized. The Aces respected the Night Rebels and never laid claim to any territory in southwestern Colorado.
Eagle sat next to Goldie, waiting for his game to come up. “Vampirella’s Igor is a Jagged Ace.”
Goldie glanced over and she smirked at him, then wrapped her arm around her man’s waist. Goldie turned away. “She’s a biker slut.”
“Aren’t all the women we meet?”
Not Hailey. Never Hailey. She doesn’t give a damn that I’m a biker. She knew me before the Night Rebels. He chuckled when he remembered she’d told him she’d had a crush on him since she was thirteen. All of a sudden, the women in the club looked like pathetic barflies, and the pool game didn’t interest him. All he could think about was Hailey, wishing she were seated in his lap, or riding behind him on his bike.
Eagle whistled and Sangre, Skull, and Jigger hooted. Brutus was wiping the Jagged Aces’ ass in the game. Goldie tried to concentrate on it. He was out with his brothers, so why wasn’t he having a good time? Something was gnawing deep inside him. While Brutus hit the winning shot, Goldie took out his phone.
Goldie: R u home?
Hailey: Ya. Y?
Goldie: I need 2 see u.
Hailey: Is everything ok?
Goldie: I need to be inside u.
A few seconds passed.
Hailey: I miss u 2. Come fast. ♥♥
Goldie read her text several times. That was it: he missed her too. Standing up, he clasped Eagle’s shoulder. “I’m fuckin’ beat. I’m outta here. Good luck on the game.”
“This is a first.”
“What can I say? Not enough sleep, no food, and too much booze.” He sauntered away before Army started up with all the questions.
Even though the sun had gone down, it was still like an inferno, the hot air wrapping around him like a down blanket. With his cams screaming, he exited the parking lot and drove by the front of the bar. Vampirella and Igor stood on the sidewalk watching him. He sped away.
Hailey ran down the stairs right when he set his kickstand. Opening his arms, she flew into them, laughing and kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in years. He tangled his fingers in her silky hair and pulled her head back, crushing his lips to hers. This is exactly where I want to be. When he scooped her up, she yelled and then laughed as he carried her into the house, up the stairs, and laid her on the mattress.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said with a wicked glint in her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” he replied while he stripped off his clothes.
She jumped up from the bed and pulled him toward it, shoving him backward. His ass hit the mattress and he looked up at her. “What’s going on in your pretty little head?”
“Don’t move.”
She went over to her computer and the pulsing beats of “Girls, Girls, Girls” filled the room. As she slowly pulled her sundress over her head, she wiggled around. Then she placed her hands over her breasts and he thought he’d lose it. Dressed in a black, cutout, sheer teddy, she looked luscious with her pink pussy peeking out. When she whirled around, the lingerie opened just enough to show her bitable ass. Before the song went into the chorus, he had her on the bed, sucking her tits as he buried his fingers between her damp folds.
After a few hours, they held each other as he twirled strands of her hair around his finger.
“I’m so happy you came over,” she whispered in the darkness.
“Me too.”
“I was surprised when I got your text. At first I was worried something happened.”
Something did.
She kissed his chest. “I feel so good right now.”
“Yeah.” He wanted to tell her he was feeling shit he never had before, but how could he explain it when he didn’t even understand it. Instead, he held her tighter, never wanting to let the moment slip away from them.
“You’re pretty special to me,” she said softly.
“You too.” And she was, but there were complications, like his lifestyle and Ryan. But earlier that night, none of it had mattered when he’d entered her, their bodies crashing together, smacking and sliding against each other. They’d fucked over and over until the sheets were wet from their frenzied passion.
After they’d both calmed down, he’d kissed her sweetly, and she’d whimpered and curled around his body. And that’s when he’d made love to her. Long, slow strokes fueled their passion, and when they’d come together, he knew he’d experienced something he’d never had with any other woman. The smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her skin seemed to course through him, electrifying him and everything around him. Her essence gripped him; she captivated him.
And he could never let her go.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hailey stood in the doorway as a man in his late forties in a crumpled sports jacket ambled down the hall. His shoulders were slumped, and it looked like he’d never polished his shoes. A tall, young deputy followed after him as they disappeared around the corner.
“I wonder what’s going on,” Hailey said as Shelly approached the room. Hailey stood back and let the nurse walk in.
“How’re you doing, Patty? Are you sore from your physical therapy? Mica said you did great today.”
“I’m very sore. Mica worked me hard.” Patty smiled.
“What’s going on here? I see a couple of cops around.” Hailey glanced down the corridor again.
“There was an accident late last night,” Shelly said as she handed Patty a pain pill.
“What sort of accident?” Hailey asked.
“Susan tripped and fell down the stairs. Kingsley found her in the stairwell when he went downstairs to take his break. He said it was awful.”
“Is she all right?” Patty asked.
“She died. Must’ve broken her neck. Kingsley said she was dead when he found her.”
Patty’s hands flew to her mouth. “Dead! Oh my God. How dreadful.”
“I just spoke to her the day before. I can’t believe it,” Hailey said.
“We’re all shocked by it. Corporate will send a replacement, of course, but it’s always hard to get used to a new person in charge. Well, let me know if you need anything.” Shelly whirled around and left the room.
“She didn’t seem too broken up over it,” Hailey remarked as she watched the nurse go into another room.
“I don’t think she and Susan got along that well. Shelly’s very good friends with Dee, and Dee and Susan didn’t see eye-to-eye on many issues of patient care,” Patty said.
“I know you’ve told me this before, but refresh my memory. Who’s Dee?”
“The DON—director of nursing. She’s a lovely woman whose poor husband was just diagnosed with cancer.”
“Why didn’t Dee like Susan? I thought Susan was real nice, and I loved her accent.”
Darting her eyes around the room, then back at the hallway, Patty said in a low voice, “She didn’t like the way Susan drank on the job.”
“Susan was an alcoholic?” Hailey asked, wide-eyed.
Patty nodded. “I felt so bad for her. I think it was all the stress of running this place. She was constantly pressured by corporate to show increases in earnings, but she also had to provide quality care. It was a hard juggling act. I bet she was drunk when she fell down the stairs. A few months back, she slipped and fell, but she only got bruised up. Poor, poor, Susan.”
“Wow… I didn’t know. When you get out of here, you should write a book.”
“How’s one of my favorite patients doing?” Dr. Daniels asked as he walked into the room.
Patty beamed. She always did when she saw the handsome doctor. Hailey was convinced she had a crush on him and wished she were twenty-five years younger.
�
�I’m doing great. Mica gave me quite a workout,” Patty said.
“She’s also upset about learning that Susan died in a fall last night. Is that why the cops are here?” Hailey asked.
Dr. Daniels turned to her, a sad smile on his lips. “I’m sure it’s more about Mr. Halpern. He died last night.”
“Gus died? Oh no. You know, he was a brilliant trial attorney before he retired. How sad,” Patty said.
“It is. I didn’t know he used to be a lawyer,” Dr. Daniels replied.
“What was wrong with him?” Hailey asked.
“He had dementia, dear. An old friend and colleague of his came to see him, and then he sat down in the lobby, tears streaming down his face. We got to talking and he told me all about Gus. A brilliant man before the disease.”
“That is sad. Isn’t he like the fifth one to die around here? Don’t you find that more than a coincidence, Doctor?” Hailey said.
Clearing his throat, he popped his head out the door, then turned to look at her. “Actually, I do, and apparently, so do the police. I shouldn’t have said what I did, so please don’t tell anyone you heard about Mr. Halpern from me.”
“Was he your patient?” Hailey asked.
Shaking his head, he said, “Dr. Tyrell’s. Sometimes I’d stop in if I was the only doctor on the floor. It’s a shame. And now we’ve lost Susan. She was a wonderful person. Once in a while, we used to go to Bulldog Pub and have a pint. She told me it reminded her of Ireland.” He stared vacantly at the wall.
“I didn’t know her that well, but she was always nice and cheerful whenever I went in to talk with her,” Hailey said.