by Erin Trejo
I don’t know how the hell she could ever forgive me for that or why she’d even want to , but I do owe it to her to listen and hear her out.
I walk around and down toward the creek when I see Blaze chuckling.
“Hey, Pres. Look at that head!” He laughs as he points toward my feet. I look down and almost step right on that shit.
“Son of a bitch.”
Chapter 4
“Who the hell’s head is that?” I ask pointing at the motherfucker.
Billy, the President of Saints MC , laughs along with Blaze.
Sick fuckers.
“That is Louis Omar. Head fuckin’ cocaine maker.” Billy says. [RE1]What in the fuck is going on around here?
“What the fuck!” I roar trying to piece this all together.
“His ass is down in the river about a mile up. Got my guys draggin’ it back over here for a little bon fire.” [RE2] Billy says. I press my fingers into my eyes wondering where this is all coming from. First rival MC’s and now fucking head of the coke game?
“He’s not a fuckin’ obvious kill. This is fucked,” I say more to myself but the guys heard me.
“Fuck yeah it is. We got his ass on our land. You think that shit is gonna sit well with his boys?” [RE3] Billy asks.
“FUCK!” I growl. They all know what that means. It means a goddamn war. A war I’m not sure we’re ready for.
“Anyone else know about this shit?” I look at Billy for an answer.
He shakes his head as he smokes his joint and says, “Just us.”
I glance around before turning to Luck and Trig.
“Go check the rest of the area with Billy’s guys. Make sure there isn’t one fuckin’ piece of this motherfucker left lyin’ around here.” They both nod before walking away. I turn back to Blaze and Billy as they kick the asshole’s head around between them like a soccer ball.
“Are you sure you motherfuckers aren’t related?” I have to wonder. Both of them are some sick fucks.
They both look up at me at the same time before looking to each other and laughing.
“We burnin’ this shit out here?” I ask when they clearly ignore me.
“Fuck yeah we are. Bon fire, brother, bon fire.” Blaze responds. I shake my head before walking the other way. It’s no surprise to me that Blaze wants to play with fire. That is what he’s good at.
I lean against the old house that now sits to rot here. Once upon a time , this was the nicest area to live in. Now it’s all going to hell much like the rest of my life.
I take a deep breath of the cool air and hope that whatever comes out of Jess’s mouth tonight doesn’t add to the stress I already have brewing around me. I don’t know how much more I can handle before I fucking snap.
I check my phone to make sure I hadn’t missed any calls from Reid hoping like hell that he’s come up with something but there is nothing.
Now I’m left to figure out what the hell is going on. Are we being set up? Are we being targeted for some fucking reason?
I have no idea who we pissed off to that point , but I have a bad fucking feeling that we are about to find out.
Chapter 5
I wander the clubhouse watching the guys as they play pool and just hang out. The bon fire earlier was eerie as fuck. That billowing black smoke was almost like a sign of something to come. It made my fucking skin crawl. I know there’s going to be hell to pay once the police start to realize that people are going missing around here.
I take a step outside the back door and look at the dirt below my feet. There’s another problem I need to take care of buried about four feet under me. I make a mental note to pay a little visit to the county coroner for a little insight in to that issue too. If anyone has the answers I need, it would be her.
“You always were an outdoorsman.” Her voice sends chills up my spine like they did years ago.
“There’s peace out here sometimes. Not all the time though.” I turn around and see Jess standing there in a pair of tight jeans and a tank top. Her long golden blonde hair is hanging around her shoulders just like she always wore it.
“You look good, Damion.” Her bright smile makes my heart leap. She could always do that with just one look.
“Nah, I’ve gotten older. You look younger somehow.” I give her a smile before she steps forward.
“Older? Hell, if that’s what it looks like to get older, I’m all in.” Is she flirting with me right now? That’s something I haven’t had in many years.
“You tryin’ to make me blush, darlin’?” Her hands stay tightly tucked in her pockets as she looks down.
“Did it work?”
“Not a chance. Bikers don’t blush,” I inform her. Her smile fades slightly, a piece of my heart ripping away.
“What’s goin’ on with you? What did you want to talk about?” I ask. Running a hand through my hair, I look at her face. That beautiful face I’ve missed for so goddamn long.
“A lot actually.” She glances around like she’s nervous. That’s never been one of her traits before.
“You’re scared. Why?” We may have been apart for a long time , but I still know her. I know her every look, her every fear.
“I’ve missed you, Damion.” Yeah, she has , but there’s something more.
“Are you gonna tell me what the hell you’re scared of, Jess?” I take a step toward her, her breathing kicking up a notch. I can still instill that in her , and I love it.
“There was this guy I was seeing,” she says, her voice dropping along with my heart.
I stop myself from reaching for her, touching her, pulling her into me. She was seeing someone?
“And?”
“And he went missing. He vanished one day. We weren’t together anymore but.” She looks away chewing her lip.
“You still care about him.” I fill in the fucking blanks. Fuck! Here I thought she was here for me , but she needs help.
“Get me a name , and I’ll see what I can do.” I turn on my heel and walk back toward the door.
“So that’s it?” she calls from behind me. What the hell does she want from me?
“That’s all you came for.” I pull the door open and step inside my heart falling to the floor.
All this time I thought I’d see her and it’d be like old times. She would fall into me and I’d take her in my arms.
“You ok?” Blaze asks when he sees me standing in the hallway.
“Jess is outside. Can you go get a fuckin’ name from her?” Blaze looks at me as though I’ve lost my mind.
“I don’t wanna talk right now, Blaze. Can you do it?” I snap.
“Yeah, D. I got it.”
Chapter 6
“What the fuck you mean she’s sleepin’ outside?” I snap as Blaze looks at me funny.
“Just what the fuck I said. She said she didn’t have anywhere else to go right now.” He shrugs his shoulders making kissing faces at me. I swear to god if this motherfucker wasn’t one of my best, I’d kill him on the spot.
“So, you left her to sleep outside like a goddamn animal?” I roar. What the hell is wrong with this idiot?
I shove past Blaze as he chuckles. Yeah, laugh it up dumbass. I head out the back door and find Jess curled in a ball in the chair sound asleep.
“Goddamn it,” I mumble. I walk over and bend down, lifting her in my arms.
Her head lolls to the side, landing on my chest.
“What’s going on?” she asks through her groggy state.
“Takin’ you to bed, darlin’.” Her body comes alive, alert. She wiggles until I release her. She leaps to her feet before looking around frantically. I raise my hands in defeat when she realizes where she is.
“Jesus Christ, Damion. You scared the shit out of me!” she yells. She actually has the balls to yell at me?
“You were asleep on my back deck. What the fuck is goin’ on, Jess?” She runs her hand through her matted hair before taking a step back.
“I can’t go home
,” she mumbles.
“Well , that was pretty fuckin’ obvious. Why not?” She’s running in circles trying to keep something from me , and I want to know what it is.
“When Davey went missing, they took him from the house. They didn’t know I was there.”
“And you’re afraid they’ll come back?” She nods her head slowly as I blow out a breath.
“Come on. We got guys comin’ in this weekend. You can stay in my room.” I nod toward the door , but Jess doesn’t move.
“I didn’t love him, Damion.” So, she says. They were living together.
“It’s not my business, Jess. Come on ; , it’s late.” She looks at me but doesn’t know how to respond. I don’t either.
She lowers her eyes before she walks past me and into the clubhouse. I close the door and check the locks behind me. I follow Jess out into the main room. All the guys get quiet as they see her walk in. A few idiots even whistle.
“This is Jess. You keep your goddamn hands off her. She’s stayin’ here until we figure out a few things. Again, don’t fuckin’ touch her!” I growl. I reach for Jess noticing the slight color on her cheeks.
I put my hand on the small of her back and lead her through the room. A rush of memories invades my mind. All the times that I walked her to bed like this. The way I’d lead her into the clubhouse. Fuck, I need to get my dick straight.
“Thanks for letting me stay,” she says softly as we walk the hallway. I turn the handle to the room that we shared so many years ago.
I usher her inside when she suddenly stops and gasps. “You didn’t change it.” It wasn’t a question.
When Jess left me after I cheated , I didn’t have the heart to change a thing. She may not believe me but I never once brought another girl into this room. If I fucked a whore , it was always in one of the spare rooms.
“It made me feel like I was at home. A sense of peace. I didn’t want to lose that too,” I admit. Jess walks around me looking at all the pictures that still hang on the wall.
“Do you remember that night?” she asks gazing up at the one of us on the beach.
“Damn right I do. First time I took you there. You were afraid of a shark attack. It t T ook me an hour to get you into the water.” I chuckle as I remember that day.
Jess was never afraid of the water but the idea of there being sharks in there frightened her to death. It took all I had in me not to laugh at her.
“You threw me in there! I thought for sure I was going to be eaten.” Jess smiles as I look over at her.
“You’re still here.” I chuckle.
Chapter 7
“What do you got, Trig?” I ask as I yawn. I scrub my hand over my face.
“Not much. Billy wants to meet up when Devils get in. Cort has some new shit he wants to run by us.” He shrugs as he talks. Well , that ain’t shit to me then.
“Please tell me there isn’t any more body parts lyin’ around.” I look at Blaze.
He shakes his head before he says, “Nope. We lit that fucker up that we found. Nothin’ else has come in so far.” I blow out a breath, thanking G g od that no one else has been found. We have a pile right now as it is and I don’t need any more stacked on top of that.
“Thank fuck for that. If that’s it, we’re done here. Trig and Blaze stick around I need a minute.” The guys stand and leave , but those two stay back.
“Jess said someone took her man from their house. She’s afraid they’ll come back for her.” Trig blows out a breath , but Blaze grins like a fool.
“She said his name was Davey. I ain’t found shit on that name.” He crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. I look at him and then Trig before I say, “He ain’t a goddamn ghost. He has to be around somewhere. See what you can dig up.” Trig nods before he stands and walks out.
“You ok with her bein’ here?” I shake my head. I don’t know what the hell I am anymore.
“I don’t know, Blaze. She said she didn’t love him. They fuckin’ lived together though.” I grab the pack of cigarettes off the table and pull one out.
“Don’t mean shit, Pres and you know it.” Blaze’s attitude lately has really been shit. I get that he is having his own issues over Ally but fuck!
I light my cigarette up before I lean back and look at him.
“He’s right you know? That means nothing.” I close my eyes when I hear her come into the room.
“So, what is it you want here, Jess? You want the club’s protection , or you want back on D.’s dick?” Blaze is blunt and straight to the point with her. I don’t know how to take that either.
I don’t open my eyes to see the look on either of their faces. Instead, I lean forward and rest my head in my hands.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to go, Blaze. Our past is none of your business,” she snaps. I grin a little knowing inwardly inwardly a little knowing that she’s handling herself.
“That may be true but you ripped his goddamn heart out sweetheart , and I don’t intend to watch that shit happen all over again. I get why you did it, trust me I do , but I know the man that he’s become. He’s not the same and you better not fuck him over.” Blaze’s growl vibrates through the room. I still don’t look up though.
The past is just that. I’ve had to let that go. I can only hope she did the same.
“He’s a good friend,” Jess says when Blaze leaves the room.
“Best one I got next to Trig.” I hear the chair shift next to me. I turn my head to the side and glare at her.
She looks lost. A lot like Nina when she first came here.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Jess.” She turns her head to face me, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“I know, Damion. The past just haunts me. It’s not the only reason I came here. I was planning on coming here anyway. Davey going missing, it just got me here faster than I planned on.” I sit back in the chair before sliding closer to her.
“Think long and hard for me, Jess. Who would have wanted him? Why? Anything you can think of that will help us.” She closes her eyes before I grab her hands in mine.
“Just breathe, Jess.” She lets out a breath before opening those blue eyes.
“He was running coke. He made deals with clubs all the time. I tried to stay out of it. I didn’t go with him to the meetings or anything.” Coke? Was he in on that shit that happened to Omar?
“Did you ever hear him mention a man, Omar?” Her eyes widen a little before she nods her head.
“That was his boss. Or sort of his boss. I don’t really know how he played into things. I’ve only heard his name mentioned.” I nod once before shoving out of my chair. I head toward the door when she stops me again.
“Damion, wait!” I turn around and watch her stand and walk toward me timidly.
“I heard something else too.”
“What? What else did you hear?” I ask noting the sick look on her face.
“They, whoever they are. They are coming after you. They said that you were the target, Damion.”
Chapter 8
Things change. Life changes. The world changes. We change.
Jess has changed. I can see it in her eyes. She sits in the corner talking with Nina , and a few of the girl ' s Devils brought in.
“I heard she was back,” Billy says as he slides me a beer. I nod my head before taking a long pull.
“Yeah, she’s back. Not sure what the fuck for though. She said she heard some shit. Wanted to run it by you.” Billy nods.
“Go for it.”
“She said she had a man that was in the drug trade. Names Davey. Went missin’ from their house. Said she overheard that they were comin’ after me but didn’t know who they were,” I tell him.
Billy’s eyes widen as he lets out a low whistle. “That’s never somethin’ you want to hear.”
I shake my head knowing that all too well. What’s worse is that we don’t know who the fuck it is either.
“You think you can run some inside shit around, s
ee what you can find out?” Billy nods his head before sliding his phone out of his pocket.
“Give me a few. I’ll make some calls and get the word out there. We’ll figure it out.” I watch Billy shove off his stool and head outside before I let out a breath. I don’t like involving other clubs in this shit , but I need to know what the hell is going on.
“She seems to like Nina.” Blaze drops onto the stool that Billy just left. I look up at the smile on his face.
“Nina’s easy to like. How’s shit goin’?” He knows what I’m asking.
“It’s ok. I’m workin’ it out. I wasn’t in love with Ally. I think the part that bothers me most is that it’s all over now. It doesn’t make me sad , but I don’t know, man. It’s final.” I understand where he’s coming from.
“Finality is somethin’ that’s just as hard, Blaze. You two had a long past. That shit doesn’t just disappear now that she’s gone. We’re all here for you though.”
He nods once before taking down two shots. He looks over at me and smiles, “Just promise me I get a motherfucker in the basement soon.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder before he stands.
“I’ll throw you a few,” I tell him. He grunts and walks toward Nina when I see Jess walking toward the door. Something about her is different.
The air around her is calmer. She isn’t the girl that she once was.
I stand and walk toward the door. When I step out my world shifts a little more.
Jess stands against the brick wall of the club crying her eyes out. My heart leaps inside of me. My instincts are kicking in.
I’m next to her in a few short strides, wrapping her in the protection of my arms. She falls into me and sobs.
“Everything’s ok, Jess. I’ll make it all ok.” I try to reassure her , but I don’t even know what the hell is wrong with her.
All I know is I want to make it right. I want her to trust that I can make it right whatever the hell it is.
“You can’t. I ruined it, Damion.” She ruined what?