by April Lust
He turned and started heading across the road, but just as Tom turned back around, looking up at Pax with unmasked terror on his face, Gary turned around and yelled something in his direction. “Hey, say hi to Jessica for me, will you? I know she’s working tonight. She’s my girl, you know.” Then he broke into a run, dashing toward his bike before he roared off into the cold night, his buddies in tow.
Pax watched as Tom’s expression changed, anger replacing the worry that was written across it seconds before. His jaw set and his hands clenched into fists as he marched past Pax, shoving his way back into the bar. Pax didn’t know what he was about to do, but he had enough sense to follow him. The door could watch itself for right now.
“Jessica!” Tom shouted as soon as he entered the main room of the bar. “Jessica, my office! Now!”
Various bar customers looked up from their drinks, some of them looking scared and concerned, while others grinned at the display of workplace drama right in front of them. Pax watched as Jessica visibly swallowed, putting down the rag she was using to wipe down the bar counters before she walked around the bar to follow Tom back towards his office.
Pax followed them without saying anything, barely slipping into the room right before the door slammed shut behind Tom, who must have noticed that Pax came with him but chose not to address it right now. He was clearly more concerned with shouting in Jessica’s face, blaming her for what had just happened. But at first, he simply spoke calmly and softly, deceptively hiding the rage that simmered beneath the surface.
“So, it’s you. It’s all you,” Tom murmured barely audibly, his eyes glued to the floor of his own office, while Jessica looked at him with wide, worried, confused eyes.
“Sir, I’m not sure I understand,” Jessica started to say, stuttering a little over the words.
“The Nightwalkers!” Tom shouted without warning, his voice booming so loud in the office that the customers outside in the main room of the bar could probably hear his words. “The fucking motorcycle club you brought here! You dropped this bullshit on my doorstep! Now I have to deal with this like I’m in the middle of a goddamned gang war.”
“I’m—I’m sorry,” Jessica stuttered out, her voice sounding weirdly clogged, like she was fighting back tears. “I didn’t know this would happen. Really, honestly, I had no idea!”
“Well, save it,” Tom spat at her. “All you’ve brought me is trouble since you first came here.” He paused, staring at her, maybe feeling a little hesitation as she appeared to crumble before him. “I’m sorry, Jessica. But can’t you see I only have one option here? What else can you expect me to do?”
Jessica nodded slowly, seeming to accept her fate as the light dimmed in her eyes, her fingers visibly trembling as they moved to her waist, attempting to remove the apron that she wore as a part of her uniform.
“Wait. Tom, wait,” Pax said, stepping in between them and encouraging Jessica to go stand against the wall and collect herself. “Now, look. Think about what you’re doing here.”
“I have,” Tom said defensively. “This place has been doing great. Everything would be perfect if we didn’t have that stupid biker gang breathing down our necks. She brought them here. Maybe they’ll go away if she leaves.”
“Think about what you’re saying, Tom!” Pax protested, reaching forward to grab Tom by the shoulders. He saw his boss flinch a little, like he was expecting Pax to hurt him, but he was careful not to squeeze him too tightly or threaten him in any way. In any other situation, Pax would have been tempted to use his considerable physical strength to get what he wanted, but for some reason he cared too deeply about this job to ever jeopardize it like that. “Listen to me. First of all, it’s not Jessica’s fault. Eventually, Gary and his stupid band of cronies would have heard about this place. They would have heard that it was doing well, no matter who your fucking bartender is. They would have come sniffing around here sooner or later, and then you’d be in the same situation that you’re in now, juggling everything between different MCs, hoping none of them get the drop on you.”
Tom narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything, probably overcome by the logic of Pax’s argument. So Pax pressed onward, moving to his second point.
“And, anyway, even if that weren’t true, what is firing Jessica going to accomplish for you now? Really, think about that. What is it going to do for you? You think Gary’s just going to step off now, leave you alone? Fuck no! This place makes money, and more importantly it’d be a sign to the other MCs in the area that they’re top dog. There’s no way they’re just going to disappear now, even if you kick Jessica out onto the street.”
“So what the fuck am I supposed to do, then?” Tom yelled, his face going red as he stared at Pax expectantly.
“Show them they’re not the fucking boss of you,” Pax said, the words coming to him seconds before they left his mouth. He didn’t know that he thought all this, but as soon as he said it he realized that it was the truth. It was what he believed. Fighting for the Gorge. “Show them that you’re not scared of them. That you’re not going to be bullied and pushed around by a bunch of losers on some motorcycles. Can you do that? Can you do it, Tom? Can you stand up for what’s rightfully fucking yours?”
Tom bit his lip, looking from Pax over to Jessica, who stood still and silent over by the door. “You could have told me about them, you know,” Tom said to Jessica. “You could have warned me, back when you interviewed for the job. I didn’t know there were fucking MCs in this town.”
Jessica sighed deeply and nodded. “I know. I should have said something. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to get involved in this mess. I can… I can just go…” She began to head for the door, but Pax stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, firmly tugging at her until she backed up, away from the doorway.
“No,” Pax said. “You’re not going to fucking quit, either. Can’t you see what’s happening? They’re intimidating the two of you. They want you to feel this way. They want you to roll over and do whatever they want. Aren’t you fucking sick of it, being bossed around, told what to do by someone who shouldn’t have any authority over you at all? Aren’t you sick of it?”
Tom and Jessica looked at each other, crossing their arms and shrugging as if they were sharing the same thought. It was like they knew Pax was right, but they were unwilling to concede to his terms just yet.
Pax kept going anyway. “If you fire Jessica now, or if you quit or whatever, they win! He wins! He gets what he wants out of you, because all he wants right now is to terrify you. That’s how fucking weak and pathetic he is, that he depends on scaring other people to feel stronger. Don’t you want to fuck with him? Come on, guys. We can do this!” Pax had no idea where the enthusiasm he felt was coming from, but he was certain that he hadn’t felt this passionate about anything in years, not since he signed up for the Army as a young adult.
Tom finally sighed and nodded, walking around his desk and pulling out an aged bottle of whiskey, pouring out shots for all of them. “You’re right. Fine. I admit it.” Pax would have felt smug if Tom didn’t still seem so defeated. “You can stay on, Jessica. As long as there’s a Gorge, at the very least.”
“Thank you,” Jessica murmured softly, stepping forward to take one of the shots off Tom’s desk and downing it in a few seconds. “Jesus, I needed that.”
Pax leaned down to take his as well. “We can fight this, Tom.”
“How?” Tom said blankly, finishing his shot and going ahead to pour himself a second one, then a third, all in a row, grimacing a little at the taste as he downed them in quick succession. “How can we fight this? One way or another, I’m losing the Gorge, right? Either they’re going to burn it down or they’re going to take it over. I don’t want my bar to be a front for a fucking gang. Is that too much to ask?”
Pax wasn’t sure what to say. He now felt more invigorated than ever, committed to this new workplace as if he’d sworn an oath to protect it. But despite his confidence that they could
put up a fight, that there was still a chance they could protect the place from the Nightwalkers, he didn’t have a plan yet. At all. There was nothing he could really say to placate Tom’s fears or to reassure him that they weren’t going to be controlled by the toughest MC in town.
For now, he just nodded at Jessica to follow him back out into the main room of the bar. “Take the rest of the night off, Tom,” Pax said, clapping Tom on the shoulder as reassuringly as he could. “We’ll see you this weekend, okay?”
Pax and Jessica walked back out to the bar, where most of the customers had already left. There were a few stragglers still drinking, chatting up the other bartender on duty tonight, but they just settled into a dark corner to talk. “Do you really believe what you said in there?” Jessica whispered under her breath.
“I do,” Pax said, feeling himself blush a little bit as he admitted the truth. “But we got to come up with something. Tom’s right. If we don’t act soon, we’re totally fucked. They’re going to take over the bar and then…”
“The whole town,” Jessica concluded for him, cupping her forehead in her hands and closing her eyes, exhaustion written all over her worn-out face.
“Yeah,” Pax said. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her, to work the tension she was feeling out of her muscles and bones. But for some reason he still felt hesitant to touch her like that in public. It wasn’t like he was embarrassed, exactly, about other people knowing. After all, given how loud they were the first time they fucked, most of the people who worked here, at the very least, had to have some idea, along with the alcoholic regulars who stopped by every day. But Pax was keenly aware that he was in danger of crossing into new territory with Jessica. He was already calling her “baby” and “my good girl” in bed, like he’d already lost his goddamn mind. It was ridiculous. And scary. And pathetic, so pathetic that he was letting those words spill out of his mouth even when all of the blood in his body had abandoned his brain in favor of his cock. He couldn’t afford to show affection in other ways, lest Jessica get the wrong idea about the two of them.
It’s not serious, Pax told himself as Jessica looked up at him with wide, concerned eyes, eyes that just begged him to reach down and take care of her. It’s not serious. It’s just a casual thing. We’re just fucking. We’re just fooling around. We’re friends who mess around with each other. That’s all it is. Really.
But he still had to bite down hard on his tongue to avoid asking Jessica to come sleep at his place again. He would hold off for tonight, deny himself what he wanted, just to keep both of them safe.
After all, someone like Jessica deserved better. She could do better than a car crash walking around pretending to be a person. That’s all Pax was, underneath it all.
Chapter Sixteen
Jessica
Jessica balanced two cups of steaming hot tea on a plate piled high with cookies, walking slowly over to her couch, where Macie waited for her. They had days like this at least once a month, where they just got together to drink tea and talk about their lives and maybe watch a movie or two to unwind. They were crucial for Jessica’s mental health, especially now that things had gotten so chaotic at the Gorge. She needed time with her best friend to heal, to relax, to feel like her life wasn’t a total flaming trashcan fire.
“So, then Tom tried to fire me,” Jessica said, recalling the story from the night before, when Gary and his friends had come to the Gorge to intimidate her boss.
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Macie said sympathetically, reaching forward for her cup of tea along with a few cookies to dunk into the hot liquid. “Did he go through with it?”
“No, Pax stopped him,” Jessica said with a sigh, curling her legs underneath her body for warmth.
“Hmm,” Macie said as she took a sip of her tea.
“What does that mean?” Jessica said, smiling teasingly at her best friend, who continued to make murmuring little “hmm” and “mm” noises under her breath.
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Macie said with a mischievous grin. “Just that it seems like somebody likes you…” She dragged out the last two words before sticking her tongue out, waving it at Jessica like they were two little girls in elementary school.
“No!” Jessica scoffed, shaking her head before taking a drink of the tea herself. “No, you’re crazy. It’s not like that.”
“How many times have you fucked now?” Macie asked, raising her eyebrows quizzically.
“A few times,” Jessica admitted. “But, really, it’s not what you think, I swear.”
“Mm-hmm, sure,” Macie said sarcastically, shaking her head at Jessica like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Jessica, girl, I know you’ve only dated one guy for, like, your whole life, but you really do not understand how men work, do you?”
Jessica screwed up her face in disagreement, reaching forward for a few cookies to snack on while she told Macie off. “It’s you who hasn’t been dating recently, since you and Arnold are practically married by now. It’s disgusting, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Macie said, waving her hand to dismiss Jessica’s words. “But seriously, honey. This guy is into you. I can always tell these things. Do you not feel the same way or something?”
Jessica shifted uncomfortably on her couch, averting her eyes from Macie’s piercing, investigating gaze. “No. I mean, not ‘no,’ exactly. I care about him a little bit and all, but it’s not like he’s my boyfriend or anything.”
“He sounds like he’s something,” Macie said, dipping another cookie into her tea. “Look, don’t be embarrassed by it. I think it’s great that you have another man in your life. Just, you know, be careful.”
“Careful about what?” Jessica asked, feeling her nerves go on edge, worried about the potential hidden meaning lurking behind Macie’s advice.
“Well, I just mean, don’t get attached too quickly,” Macie said, shrugging a little. “I mean, what do I know, right? I don’t want to tell you what to do. It’s just that we don’t know him, you know? He’s not in the MC. He didn’t grow up in town. Who knows what he could really be like, underneath all that muscle?” She laughed, clearly trying to cut the tension that had developed between them.
But Jessica wasn’t having it. She put her plate down on the coffee table, scooting a little farther away from Macie. “So, what, just because he’s not a biker that a thousand townie girls have fucked before, he’s not trustworthy?” she asked.
Macie shook her head and waved her hand impatiently. “No, now, come on, you know that’s not what I meant.”
“Well, it kind of sounds like that’s what you’re saying,” Jessica said defensively. She didn’t know why she felt so angry all of a sudden. Macie had a point. She barely knew Pax. Nobody knew him, in fact, and she and Macie had been friends for a decade. Why should she take Pax’s side if Macie just had a few reasonable concerns about the guy?
But it didn’t matter what the logic inside Jessica’s brain had to say. Her mind was going wild now, resisting any urge to accept Macie’s opinion or just move on and agree to disagree.
“You know, there’s this stupid cult mentality in this town,” Jessica said, not letting Macie get a chance to speak even though the other woman opened her mouth to respond. “I’m not finished. I’ve lived here for over fifteen years, and you know what the people in this town have done for me? Nothing. Or practically nothing anyway. Everybody just stood by and watched while Gary cheated on me and mistreated me and acted like I didn’t matter. Nobody stood up for me. Nobody.” The unspoken accusation was still clear, and Jessica couldn’t soften her gaze even as Macie visibly cringed.
“Honey, that’s not fair,” Macie said. “The MC is a force for good, too. We’re just very loyal people, you know, so it’s hard to change things or stand up to Gary, but it’s not like the club is just filled with a bunch of bad people who don’t care about you. The boys love you, Jess. Arnold loves you. I love you, of course.”
Jessica sighed deeply, fe
eling the sick sensation of regret start to build in her stomach, but before she could return Macie’s words, there was a sudden sharp knock at her front door. “Oh, Jesus, who could it be at this hour?” Jessica said as she got to her feet, crossing the living room area to the front door.
Out of habit, she opened the door without looking, revealing a grinning Gary standing there waiting for her. “Hey, darling,” he said in a sugary sweet voice, his eyes gleaming with something that made Jessica’s stomach turn. “Miss me?”