Oz managed to push me off and he got a punch in, a hard one straight to my stomach and I felt the breath being knocked out of me.
“Don’t fucking make me hit you, man,” I growled while he flexed his knuckles, heaving hard.
“You fucked my sister, in my home, behind my back! You fucking motherfucker!” Oz roared and he came at me again.
I grabbed him by his shoulder and whipped myself around, wrapping an arm around his neck and choking him lightly; making sure that he couldn’t move.
“Stop it! Please just stop!” Alexis screamed and I looked at her. She was standing in the corner of the room, with her hands on her mouth, screeching. This was exactly the sort of violence she was against, and we were not doing ourselves any favors by giving her a little demonstration of it.
“Oz, we need to sit down and talk about this like men. I’m going to let you go but you have to stop taking punches at me,” I said while he continued to writhe and struggle in my arms. His face was turning red. He was strong, he was very strong but I was stronger than him and I needed him to know that.
“What is there to talk about? You came in here and fucked my sister!” he groaned and growled while he tried to get out of my grip.
“I wanted it, okay? I wanted him!” Alexis screeched and instantly, I felt Oz stop struggling. I released his neck and he staggered forward, trying to get back his footing.
“What did you just say?” he stepped threateningly towards his sister and I fought the urge to defend her. I was itching to pull him back, away from Alexis but I knew that would be wrong. This was between the two of them and I had caused too much damage already.
“I said that I wanted him to…fuck me,” Alexis said, in a weaker shriller voice. I could see that she was struggling to keep her head up, to meet her brother’s eyes while Oz glared at her.
“You wanted to sleep with Abe? From Marked Skulls? You know who he is, right?” Oz shouted and Alexis licked her lips nervously and nodded her head.
“Yes, I do…what I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to defend my honor because it’s not like he forced himself on me. I wanted it too,” Alexis continued and I could see her cheeks turning pink again. She was ashamed and embarrassed and angry with herself; all at the same time.
Oz was breathing heavily, still glaring at her.
“I don’t believe this. I don’t fucking believe this! This is the man you’re forcing to stay away from me and then you go and sleep with him?” Oz’ voice quivered as he pointed at me.
I was watching Alexis, trying to stop thinking about how I wanted to take her into my arms. I hoped fiercely that she wouldn’t break down in tears again, because I wouldn’t be able to control myself then. My reflex would be to hit Oz, to break anything that had made this woman sad.
“I know how this sounds, Oz, trust me…I didn’t want to…” Alexis said, in a pleading helpless voice and Oz whipped away from her. He glared at me and gulped.
“Look man, maybe we should all sit down and just talk. I don’t want to disrespect you,” I said and he shook his head.
“This is all fucking messed up. I can’t believe your double standards. It’s like you want to do everything to stop me from doing what I want to do. And then, you don’t live by your own rules!” he barked at Alexis again and she looked away from him.
“Okay, that’s enough, Oz. You need to stop screaming at your sister,” I stepped up towards them and Oz looked at me again, his eyes bloodshot.
“Just because you’ve fucked my sister once doesn’t make you an expert on our family,” he hissed and then pushing past me, he strode out of the living room. I heard the front door open and bang shut, while Alexis remained in the corner, with her head hanging low.
“You all right?” I asked and she nodded her head. I could see that she was struggling to keep her tears in.
“You should go after him. I’ll be the last person he wants to talk to right now,” she said and looked back up at me with watery eyes.
“I’m sorry for…” I began to say and she interrupted me.
“Don’t apologize. It was my decision to sleep with you, I’ll deal with it and get over it. You deal with Oz, since that’s what you’re good at,” she said and Alexis left the room too.
I sighed and took a minute to compose myself, before I ran out of the apartment. I needed to find Oz so that I could tell him what I had come here to say in the first place; that I had a job for him.
***
“Oz, wait up, man!” I called after him when I ran out of their apartment building. He was sprinting, trying to cross the road before I could get to him but the traffic made it impossible, he was stuck there, trying to keep his gaze firmly averted from me. I didn’t blame the kid. He must have been forced to have an image in his head of me with his sister. He didn’t want to look me in the eye.
“Are we cool here?” I went up to him, standing behind him. I could see him clenching his jaws. I gave him a minute and then placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
“Look man, I get it. I shouldn’t have done anything with your sister, and I know she tells you she hates me,” I said and he whipped around to look at me. There was still some rage in his eyes and I didn’t blame him for it.
“Her fucking double standards, man!” he growled, flaring his nostrils, and I nodded my head.
“I don’t understand women either,” I said, grinning and Oz shook his head, like his mind was all messed up inside.
“It’s like…she doesn’t want me to be happy or something. She wants me to lead this picture perfect life, according to her fantasy. What happens to what I want?” Oz continued and I nodded my head.
“I hear you, and I think you need at least one chance to decide if this is the life you want or not,” I said and Oz looked at me hopefully.
“This is the life I want. I know that already,” he stated and I smiled.
“Okay, then I have a job for you. Consider it a preliminary test, one of probably several more before you get officially patched in to the MC,” I said and now Oz couldn’t help but smile.
“Where and when do you need me?” he asked.
“Tomorrow, midnight, I’ll text you the address when the location is decided,” I said and Oz nodded, looking all serious.
“I’ll be there,” he said, then his expression changed again. “Look, man, I didn’t mean to hit you. As in, I did, but I wasn’t thinking straight…I mean, she’s my sister and all,” Oz said sounding apologetic, and I thumped his back and smiled.
“It’s already forgotten. Can’t blame you for the way you reacted. I would have done the same thing if I was in your place, and if I had a sister,” I said and we smiled at each other. Oz ran a hand through his hair.
“Is it like…are you two like a thing now or something?” he asked and I forced myself to laugh, even though that question felt like a slap across the face.
“I don’t think any man can tie down that woman to one place. No, we’re not a thing, we’re just…” I said and Oz looked away from me, embarrassed.
“Yeah, cool, you don’t have to explain it to me,” he said and I laughed at his embarrassment.
“Honestly man, I don’t know what to do about her. I want this job, I want to be a part of the MC, this is the life I want to lead…but my sister, Alexis, she’s just making everything difficult for me. I don’t want to sound like a pussy right now, not right after you’ve offered me a job, but I don’t want to upset her. I don’t want her to worry about me constantly,” Oz continued.
I watched him as he spoke about Alexis, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. I didn’t even know her, and already, I felt like it would kill me to see her disappointed in me. It didn’t matter that I was stronger than her, or more powerful. What mattered was the effect she had on me when we were alone together.
I grabbed the back of Oz’ neck and squeezed.
“I hear you, and let me see what I can do about it. I’m going to try and make her come around,”
I said and he nodded his head.
“Cool, okay, best of luck,” he said with a laugh and I smiled at him too.
Then we shook hands, we exchanged phone numbers and I walked in the direction of where I’d parked my bike.
I was riding back to T-Bone, and thinking about Alexis and how mind-blowing it was to have sex with her. No woman, not Vanity or any of the other sizzling hot women I was used to fucking; had felt as good as Alexis had. It wasn’t even like she was the hottest or the prettiest girl I’d set my eyes on, there was just something else about her—like she lit up a spark in me. I’d felt that from the moment I’d walked into the storeroom at the supermarket.
I knew immediately that she was someone who was going to leave her mark on me. And now, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I felt like I was getting obsessed with her and that was bad, that was very bad.
I didn’t know what a relationship looked like, what sharing a meal with a woman alone felt like, what it meant to talk about the future with someone…I wasn’t experienced in any of those things and I was comfortable. Vanity was comfortable, all the other casual sexual relationships I had with women were comfortable, and now Alexis was making me think about if I wanted something more.
I cursed under my breath as I rode the bike to the bar. I needed a drink. I needed to get my mind off all these crazy thoughts. What was happening to me? It was like Alexis had left a grenade inside me which was blowing up and shattering me into pieces.
Chapter 12
Abe
It was midnight the next night, when Rodeo and Girth followed me on their bikes to the old abandoned warehouse. Lewis had given us the nod to get back in touch with the Garcias and they in turn had set up this meeting with one of their men.
We parked our bikes at the rusty shutters of the warehouse and got off. Girth passed around the cigarettes and we each took one, to help us with the wait. We wanted to get here early so that we weren’t unprepared for any surprises.
“This still feels like a bloody bad idea to me,” Rodeo said, when he took his first drag. Girth was characteristically quiet as he smoked his cigarette and I stood in the middle of them, watching at the distant dark space beyond for any sound or movement.
“This feels like a new beginning to me,” I replied, just when we heard the sound of a beaten up truck approaching, rattling along the way. I heard Rodeo and Girth both cock their guns.
“It’s the kid,” I said, raising a hand to stop them.
Oz’ car rattled along the dusty path towards us, with one headlight beaming weakly at us.
“For starters, we need to do something about his mode of transportation,” Rodeo said and I heard Girth chuckle.
Oz stopped the truck and jumped out.
“Am I late?” he asked, rushing towards us, his face was lit up and excited.
“Yeah,” Rodeo said to him and Oz looked apologetic.
“It’s cool, this is Rodeo and Girth,” I made the introductions and Oz shook their hands respectfully. He looked like a kid in candy-land. Like someone who was meeting legends.
“What are we doing here?” he asked.
“We’re meeting some people. Rodeo and I will be doing the talking, and you need to stick with Girth, keep a lookout,” I told him and Oz nodded his head.
“Are there any rules I should know about? Any signals?” he asked and I looked at Rodeo who smiled at me.
“Just follow what Girth is doing,” I said and Oz’ gaze travelled to the gun in Girth’s hand, which he hadn’t stuffed into his belt yet.
“Okay, but I’m not exactly armed. I have a knife, but that’s about it,” he said, building up his excitement again.
“Take it easy, kid, you don’t need a gun just yet,” Girth said and Oz nodded his head vigorously. I thought his head was going to fall off.
We heard the sound of another engine down the road, and the four of us spread out in a semi-circle.
“Who are these people?” Oz whispered in the dark, as we saw the silver limousine approaching us, flanked by two bikes on either side.
“This boy asks too many questions,” Rodeo snarled beside me.
The car came to a stop in front of us, along with the bikes, throwing up a cloud of dust in our faces.
I could sense Rodeo and Girth being as alert as I was, and Oz seemed jumpy. He was ready for some action. I just hoped that it wasn’t a mistake to invite him here.
A man stepped out of the car. Brown skin, thick mustache, dark slicked back hair and in a smart gray suit. There were four men with him, two of whom had ridden on their bikes.
“What a strange place to call a meeting,” the man said, walking straight towards us. His bodyguards were fast on his heels and they looked like professionals.
“We needed it to be neutral ground,” I said, keeping my hands tucked deep in the pockets of my jacket. My gun was in my right hand already, of course.
“Why are you suspicious of us? When we are the ones who want to do business with you, Mister…” the man said.
“Abe,” I told him and he nodded his head.
“Mister Abe,” he finished the sentence.
“Because we don’t have a deal yet, and we can’t rule out the possibility that you’re working with some other MC who’ve laid out a trap for us,” I replied and the man looked over at one of his bodyguards and smiled.
“Thinking of everything, I like that. Exactly the kind of attention to detail we need for this contract,” he said and took a step forward, stretching his hand out to me.
“I’m Paz Garcia,” he said and I shook his hand, before he offered it to Rodeo next.
“Good to meet you Mr. Garcia,” Rodeo said and he extended his hand to Girth, who stared at him, like he’d been offered poison.
“He doesn’t shake hands,” Rodeo said with a smirk and Mr. Garcia cleared his throat and stepped back.
Oz had remained in place beside Girth, kept his mouth shut…so far, he was doing well.
“Can we get straight to the point here, Mr. Garcia? We are curious about the message our contact gave us about doing business with you,” I said and Paz nodded his head.
“Yes, sure, let’s just get down to business then. My brothers and I have been looking for men here, who we could make responsible for receiving shipments of certain items and their distribution,” he began.
“By items you mean weapons?” I asked and Paz laughed menacingly before he clamped his mouth shut again.
“Your words, not mine,” he said and I watched him closely. I needed to figure out just the kind of men we were going to do business with, before I signed off on something this big for the MC. Ultimately, this was my idea. I was the one responsible for the consequences.
“Anyway, the question here, Mister Abe, is if you boys are up to the task,” he continued and I heard Rodeo chuckle. He didn’t like his capabilities being questioned.
“Maybe we are,” I said and Paz smiled widely, his mustache stretched tightly over his lips.
“How do I know you are? By the looks of it, you are a group of four biker boys with ambition,” Paz said and I could sense Rodeo itching to strike his face with the barrel of his gun. I cleared my throat, hoping Rodeo would get the hint to stand down. Shit talking each other was a part of this game, and he would just have to get used to it.
***
“We are a part of a team,” I told the man and he nodded his head.
“Yes, I’ve heard about the Marked Skulls. We were impressed with how you handled the kidnapping of the girl and the revenge for the death of one of your comrades,” Paz said and the atmosphere seemed to relax a little.
“Why have you picked us to make contact with? When there are bigger and stronger MCs you can do business with here,” Rodeo asked and Paz looked at him and smiled.
“Because we know how greedy and corrupt those motherfuckers are. We need a team we can rely on, who won’t skim from the top. You will be heavily compensated of course,” Paz replied and I looked at Rodeo who gulped.
“We’re interested in taking this on,” I said, before Rodeo could say anything else and he snapped his head around to look at me.
Paz grinned and nodded his head.
“Of course you are, but we need a trial run first before we can make a deal,” he said.
“Fine. Tell us when you’re planning your first shipment,” I countered and Paz looked at his men and indicated to talk privately. Two of them stepped up to him and they started talking in Spanish and in whispers to each other.
“What the fuck are you doing man?” Rodeo hissed at me.
“Trying to make a deal,” I said.
“We don’t even know the scale of this thing. How are we going to handle it with the handful of MC members we have right now?” he asked, glaring at me with widened eyes.
“We have one extra prospect now, at least a test prospect to help with the trial run,” I said and tipped my head back towards Oz. Rodeo looked over my shoulder at the kid and grunted.
“We have no idea if he is good enough. All he’s done here tonight is stand around with Girth and watch the show. We don’t even know if he can be trusted,” Rodeo hissed.
“He can be trusted,” I said.
“Based on what?”
“Just trust me!” I growled and Rodeo shook his head.
“We need to talk to Lewis about this. You’re getting mad fucking ideas, and I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with this kid,” he said through gritted teeth.
“One week. We’ll schedule the trial run for one week from now,” Paz turned to us after he’d consulted with his men.
“Fine, we’ll be ready,” I replied and he looked over at Girth and Oz and grinned again.
“I can assure you that you will need more men than this,” he said.
“We’re working on it,” I told him and he nodded.
“If things go smoothly…the storage of the shipment and the distribution; you boys have got yourselves a deal. Fifteen percent of the sales is yours,” he said and stepped forward to shake my hand again.
Fifteen percent of the sales, on the scale of weapons that the Garcia brothers wanted to distribute meant a serious amount of money. Enough to make us all richer than we had ever been before.
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