by Deja Voss
“Lady, I have no idea who you are or what the hell you’re doing in my house.”
She pouts her lips and puts her hands on her hips, looking like a dejected child. “My name is Riley. I really thought you would’ve known about me. Lord knows I’ve heard enough about you.”
I gasp a little, trying to hide my complete shock. As long as I’ve known Kid, he’s banged on about this girl Riley. His first love, his high school sweetheart, his perfect angel. I didn’t really expect her to be so over-the-top extra. I can’t imagine the two of them in the same room together, let alone being madly in love.
“I know who you are,” I say. “I guess I just expected you to be a little more…”
“Haggard?” she asks with a satisfied smile.
“You want some coffee?” I ask, trying to wrap my brain around what’s happening. I pull open the kitchen cabinet with a squeal, reaching for a filter and the coffee can.
“Why don’t you let me take care of that?” she asks. “You look like you need a shower.”
I sniff my armpit and scrunch my nose. “I’d tell you not to steal my shit while I’m gone, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing here you want.”
I have no idea what the hell is happening, but my stomach feels like it wants to evacuate my body. Obviously she’s here for a reason, but at this very second I’m in no condition to hear about whatever she’s selling.
I can barely stand up in the shower. I know I’m just dehydrated and I’ll be fine after a couple aspirins and a cup of coffee or two. I sit down in the tub and let the water crash over my head, knowing if I have to puke all I’ll have to do is lean over into the toilet.
Before I can get too comfortable the bathroom door swings open, and this crazy blonde bitch is standing there singing some random country song at the top of her lungs. She walks right in like it’s the most normal thing in the world, flings back the flimsy curtain, and holds out a mug of coffee to me.
“I don’t know how you like yours. I put cream and sugar, but I can get you another cup if you want, sweetie.”
“I like mine not in the shower,” I growl, pulling the curtain tight again. “Please, can I get a little privacy in here?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says, lowering herself onto the toilet, just sitting there sipping on her cup of coffee, “I guess I’m just excited to get this thing rolling along. I can pack for you if you want.”
I push myself up the side of the shower, even though it feels like someone is beating me over the head with a brick when I stand upright. “I don’t know what you’re doing here or where you’re taking me, but I’m not comfortable with you just storming in here telling me what to do. I don’t know you from shit.”
“God, you’re so much like her,” she says with a shrill laugh. “That’s not an insult at all, either, babe.”
“You knew my mom?” I ask. There was no denying I was my mother’s child. We looked more like sisters than anything, right up until she started getting sick. From the dark curly hair to the random freckles, I even inherited her clumsiness.
“No. Your sister. We’ve been best friends since I was a kid. Well, kind of. It’s complicated. She was always going after Kid in high school, and you know how teenagers are. Really put a split between us. Things aren’t much better now. She’ll barely even speak to me. She’s off doing her own thing. Tattooing in the city. Too good for us little folks now.”
I can barely hear the words she’s saying. She lost me at the fact that I have a sister.
“My sister,” I mumble, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.
“Oh shit,” Riley stammers. “You mean to tell me nobody ever told you about your sister? Not even your mama?”
I pull back the curtain just enough to see her arched eyebrows and the glimmer in her eye that looks like she’s up to something no good.
She cocks her head and stares at me. “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. She probably wanted to come see you. Probably just never had the time, sweetie. You know how it gets.”
“Wait... she knew about me?” I turn off the handles on the faucet and reach for my towel.
“Of course, baby. I made Kid tell her everything as soon as I found out about you guys. I guess maybe it was easier to just keep living Vinnie’s lie than to try and do something about it. I mean, I can hardly blame her. She has a pretty good life. It’s probably hard to admit that the man who raised you is a complete monster. She probably just figured you were better off away from them.”
I step out of the shower and push past her, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt in my room. I grab a duffel bag out of my closet and start shoving stuff in it, not really being mindful of what I’m grabbing. I can’t put myself in my sister’s position because I never had a fucking chance at a normal life. I never had the luxury of a career, or a home, or childhood friends. I grew up spending every day of my life completely terrorized until Kid rescued us. Then I spent every day of my life in hiding, living to survive.
So, I can’t rightly say what I would do if I found out I had a long-lost sister if I was her.
But I can say what I would do as myself finding out I had a long-lost sister.
The hair on my arm stands up.
She’s just another accessory to what me and my mama had to endure.
She’s just another nail in my mom’s coffin. Just another scar on my legs. Another brand on my side.
“What’s her name?” I ask.
She looks at me like I’m some sort of sad puppy dog. “It’s Pearl. And honestly, love, you are much prettier than her. I can’t wait to get you back to my place because we are going to have so much fun playing makeover.” She runs her finger down the side of my face and tugs at the hem of my sweatshirt, bunching it up to show off my waist. “I’m sorry, you probably think I’m nuts, but I can’t resist. I always wanted a girl to play with, but I just keep on popping out boys.”
“You have kids? Like, you and Kid?”
“Oh honey,” she says with a wide smile. “Kid and I aren’t together. Not yet. It’s really complicated. I do have a husband named Henry, though. Just in title.”
“What?” I ask, cocking my head. This woman is nuttier than a bag of squirrels. Not just this woman… all these people. The Kid I know always seemed so cool and collected. He seemed like the kind of guy who didn’t have time for this sort of nonsense.
“You’re gonna come stay with Henry and me until the job is done. Don’t worry. He’s a cop.”
“A fucking what?” I ask, dropping my duffel bag to the ground. “I am really confused.”
“Hey, look who it is!” she says, holding out her cellphone. Kid’s name runs across the screen. “You want to talk to him?”
I take the phone from her hand and wander out into the hallway. Considering this chick wouldn’t even let me shower alone, I’m sure she’s hot on my heels, but I need to get to the bottom of what’s happening before I agree to go anywhere with her.
“Kid? Is that you?”
“Bella! Oh good, she’s made it to your place. How are you holding up, sweetie?”
I sigh, tiptoeing down the steps, looking over my shoulder the whole time. “What are you doing running around with some woman who’s married to a fucking cop?”
He laughs, but it doesn’t give me any sense of relief.
“Eyes on the prize, Bella. It’s all for the greater good. I promise I won’t do you dirty.”
“You know you’re my hero, and I owe my life to you, Kid, but why didn’t you tell me I have a fucking sister?”
“Relax, Bella. You’re doing that thing, babe. You’re gonna make yourself pass out.” I realize I’m hyperventilating, realize I’m bent over the back of one of my kitchen chairs just trying to suck air, realize he’s absolutely right. I sit down on the ground and start petting Juniper while Riley stands in the doorway smiling at me, my duffel bag draped over her arm.
“She’s a means to the end, babe. She knows the MC.
She knows that clubhouse inside and out. The guys know her well enough. She’s got the ins. She’s got the law on her side with her husband.”
“He knows?”
“Of course. Listen, I wouldn’t send you in there without protection. If you change your mind and want out, I’m not gonna be mad at you, kitten. I promise. No harm, no foul. But I know how much this means to you. I don’t want anybody to take this away from you.”
I hug Juniper and hang my head. Never once has Kid led me down a wrong path. He’s never done anything to hurt me. He was so brave when he rescued my mom and me, so capable and generous when he found us a place to live, found me a job, made sure our lights stayed on when the money wasn’t good. Now he’s got the wheels in motion to give me the one thing that money could never buy.
Revenge.
Not just revenge, but closure.
“I trust you,” I say. “I’m all in.”
“I can’t talk much longer, but I promise I’ll check in as much as I can,” he says. “Make sure Riley takes you somewhere nice for dinner. I’m sure you’re fucking skin and bones.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, Kid. I love you.”
“Can we go now?” Riley asks, hefting a bag of dog food over her shoulder.
I nod and hang up the phone. I might not trust this broad as far as I can throw her, but I hang on to the fact that once all this is over with, I will finally be free. Free from the people who ruined my life. Free from the debt I owe Kid. Free to move on and finally start trying to figure out who the hell I really am.
9
Ransom:
I bite down on my lip so hard it makes me wince. I’m getting tired of fucking biting my tongue. I didn’t say anything to anybody about what happened with Carley and Stoney, not even Driller.
I don’t know if it was for the good of the club, just letting this shit drop, or if it was really my pride getting in the way the whole time. It was easier for me to just write her off as a random crazy bitch and nobody ever talk about her again, but that shit hurt me to my core. It’s not like I’ve never been betrayed before, but that shit felt extra personal. Not just that Carley would choose some old married man and his best friend over me, but that the president of our club, a man I once greatly admired, would put me in that position to begin with. What the fuck is loyalty if it’s only a one-way street?
It’s been a long winter. Cold winter. Lonely winter. I moved out of the clubhouse and started putting all my effort into getting this house fixed up. Something about putting in fresh hardwood floors and building cabinets gives me a feeling of ownership, accomplishment, helps me escape from the fact that the club I pledged my life to is spiraling out of control.
I even started taking work from the shop directly in my garage, giving me even more of an excuse to avoid my brothers. It’s easier this way. They can just write it off as me going through a bad breakup, and I can just bide my time until I figure out what my next move is.
I pick up my hand sander and press it to the rough cut lumber on the beam on the ceiling, my phone resting on the base of the ladder as Driller rattles on about something I’m not trying to hear.
“Can you stop doing that for like five minutes and listen to me?” Driller asks impatiently on the other end of the phone. “Can’t hear you over all that racket. Come on, dude. I only went over there because Stoney was going to fucking kill her.”
“It’s cool,” I mumble over the loud vibration. “Whatever.”
“I’m sorry, man. I should’ve told you when it was happening. I should’ve just taken you with me. I just, I know you’ve been trying to avoid Carley and I couldn’t believe of all the damn places Stoney decided to tweak out it was at her apartment. I mean, I guess Vinnie used to live there back in the day, but still, seems really random.”
I shut off my sander and grab my phone. “You really think he just RANDOMLY went over there? Are you really that fucking stupid?” My hands are shaking, and all the blood starts rushing to my head. “I don’t give a fuck what kind of episode he’s having. He can fucking die for all I care.”
“Jesus, dude,” he mutters. “She’s just a bitch.”
“It’s not about her. It’s about our club.”
“I know, brother,” he says. “I’m working on it. You gotta tell me what you need, though. Stoney is all fucked up. He’s not in his right mind. Doctor says he’s having mini-strokes. But you gotta tell me what you know. I don’t like seeing you like you’ve been. I miss the old Ransom. I miss having my ride or die best friend. You hardly come around at all unless it’s church. You know how fucking lonely I am? Kid’s gone. You’re gone. I feel like I’m a fucking child again. All I do is sit around and wait for the old-timers to fuck up. Clean up their fucking messes.”
I pick up my bottle of whiskey from the coffee table and take a long pull.
“You can’t shut me out, Ransom. You’re all I fucking got. If we’re gonna get our club back to where it needs to be, I’m gonna need you on my side.”
“I’ve always been on your side,” I remind him. I just don’t fucking know if he’ll ever be able to do what needs done because his MC family is also his literal family. His father, Old Nasty, is our VP. His Uncle Stoney is our president. The nepotism runs deep in Dead Ringers canon, and if Kid wasn’t locked up, those two would be on their way to taking over the kingdom. I don’t know what runs deeper, the patch or the blood.
“You want to come by Vinnie’s with me tonight and see what he might know? I want to know what him and Stoney are up to. I gotta know what they’re hiding. Figure I might get some ink while I’m over there.”
The thought of setting foot in that tattoo shop turns my stomach. Just the mention of Vinnie makes me want to put my fist through my wall. He might just be the party guy, the guy who does whatever Stoney tells him to, but it still doesn’t make him any less of an accomplice in the most humiliating day of my life.
“Nah, I’m good. Too drunk to drive,” I say, taking another swig from my bottle, knowing that’s not a lie. “Enjoy.”
I hang up the phone and get back to my sanding job, sanding and sipping, getting myself good and toasted while sawdust flies through the air. Hating myself for not telling him the truth about what’s going on with me. Hating Stoney more and more by the minute, knowing he’s gonna rub salt in my wounds every chance he gets. Fuckin’ mini-strokes. He’d say anything to get out of owning up to the bullshit he’s put us through.
As soon as I start swaying and staggering on the ladder, I know it’s time to call it a day.
I climb down and wipe the sawdust off my sweaty face. Before I can hit the shower, my phone rings. It’s Romeo, my sponsor, my boss.
“Ransom, I need you to get your ass to town as fast as possible,” he growls. “Shit’s hitting the fan.”
“What’s up?” I ask, walking to the bathroom, splashing some water on my face. I can tell by the tone of his voice he’s not fucking around.
“Somebody shot up the tattoo shop. They got Driller in the back of an ambulance.”
“Holy shit.” I slap myself in the face a couple times. “Is he alright?”
“He’s a lot better than Vinnie. Whoever did this really wanted him dead.”
“I’m on my way,” I say, hanging up the phone, grabbing my cut and throwing on my boots as quickly as possible. I don’t know what kind of condition Driller is in or who has the balls to fucking roll up to the shop and shoot like that, but the thought sobers me up instantly. I guess all it takes is a fucking disaster to remind me who I am and what I am.
I put my self-pity aside and straddle my bike. It’s time to do what I was put on this earth to do, and that sure as shit isn’t moping around my house. Nobody fucks with my MC.
10
Annabella:
I pace around the penthouse apartment across the street from the tattoo shop, watching the chaos unfold below me. So far, the plan has gone off without a hitch. I almost feel a little bit guilty about Stoney. That man is obviously not in his r
ight mind, and I think the envelope stuffed with evidence of him and my father’s “transaction,” wherein they sold me and my mom to traffickers all those years ago to pay off their own debts, might have pushed him over the edge. For all I know, he might actually have a conscience and off himself before I even have to make another move.
The sound of sirens fills the air as police below begin marking off the sidewalk. Riley stands with her face pressed up against the window, waving and blowing kisses at Henry like some kind of psychopath.
I guess I can’t judge. I just shot and killed my father and now I’m watching the aftermath from a few yards away. The only thing I’m feeling right now is numb.
Numb because I never actually met the guy. I have less attachment to him than I do the deer I used to hunt every fall to keep our freezer stocked. Numb because it happened so fast and nobody noticed a thing. I’d been waiting years for this day, and in a matter of thirty seconds, it was all over.
Numb because I assumed when all this was said and done, I’d feel like a different person. I thought killing him would wake something up inside of me, help me let go of my past, and give me what I needed to move on in this world. Instead, I just feel like my usual lost and lonely self, only now, I’m a murderer.
“Oh shit,” Riley says, her eyes growing as wide as saucers. She motions me over to the window, and I look out over the chaos. They’re dragging some guy out of the building on a stretcher and it isn’t my dad. He’s sitting upright, blood dripping from all over his body. He can’t be much older than me.
“I thought you said the building was clear, Riley,” I shout, punching my hand into the glass. I don’t feel so numb anymore. I made a promise to Kid that there would be no casualties. I made a promise to him that the only people taken out would be Stoney and my dad.
“Look, he’s fine,” she says, pointing at him. He’s up and walking around. He might be fine but he looks like a bloody mess, and he definitely is mad as hell.