by Deja Voss
Thing is, the only way I’m ever going to do right by her is getting to the bottom of whatever it is going down with her dad and Stoney. Apparently, the Mules might have some answers. When Stoney pulled me aside earlier, he said one of their guys was doing a deal across the street when the shooting happened. He might be bluffing. It’s hard to say. These guys aren’t exactly an alliance of ours, but we aren’t enemies.
Better to keep the peace and entertain their offer than to straight-up disrespect them.
Still, we’re going in cautious. Ten men deep, everybody armed, neutral meeting spot.
Cully’s is a pretty rough bar, bad part of town, I’m really not sure how it’s even open still. The place has that acrid smell seeping out the front door of old cigarettes, body odor, and something that’s either cat piss or crack, can’t really tell the difference. We gotta make this quick.
Barret, president of the Mules, spots us as soon as we walk in the door and waves us over to the round table he’s seated at. His men are all hardened thugs with tattooed faces and sunken in eyes.
Stoney shakes his hand first and waves the bartender over, asking her to buy the entire bar a round. Cool, calm, collected, my uncle, our president always knows how to command a room, even if the guys at the table are eyeing him with skepticism.
“Have a seat, gentlemen,” Barret says, motioning for us to join him at the table.
“I’d prefer not to,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets. “We’ve kinda got places to be.”
His gold tooth shimmers as he sneers.
My dad shoots me a side-eye and pulls out a chair. “You obviously got something we want, but don’t think you got the upper hand here, Barret. Y’all aren’t exactly known for being the most reliable sources of intel. What do you want from us?”
“Nothin’ really,” he says. He slowly and dramatically pulls his pistol from the holster under his hoodie and lays it on the table. “Just some upgrades. We’re fully willing to pay you for them.”
My dad grumbles. Even though we have the gun trade on lockdown, we’ve always been extremely picky about who we put them in the hands of. We definitely don’t arm local gangs. Our community has enough of that shit.
“You know we don’t work like that,” Stoney says, taking a seat next to Barret. He takes a long drag from his bottle of beer. “Don’t care how you guys get your shit, don’t care what you guys carry, but that ain’t blowing back on us. Y’all aren’t exactly the best at staying out of jail, no offense.”
“Kinda like your son?” Barret asks, shrugging like he didn’t just insult the shit out of us.
“My son is in jail because he kept his mouth shut like a true soldier. He’ll die in jail if that’s what it takes.”
“You must be so proud of him.”
I feel my hand coil into a tight fist. “We didn’t come over here to get insulted. What do you know?”
He spins the gun on the table around a couple times. “You’re gonna wanna sell us the guns. I can tell you that. I got a tail on the bitch who shot up the shop. Been watching her ever since she sped off. She’s been watching you, too.”
“It’s time to go,” Stoney says, standing up from the table. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Barret.” He slams his beer bottle down on the table and motions for us to join him. “Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit. Some bitch. Only bitch I know is you guys. Bringing us over here and wasting our fucking time. Insulting my family.”
He takes his chair and kicks it over. I don’t know what the fuck is going on. Something isn’t right here. I catch eyes with Cubby and he quickly looks away, storming out the door behind Stoney. My dad follows.
“I don’t know what to tell you, son,” Barret says to me, “but the offer’s still on the table. You might want to be a little more careful about getting caught with your pants down in a storage shed. That chick is hot, but I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“The fuck is going on here,” Ransom shouts, looking at me. I shrug. I don’t know what to tell him. “Shit ain’t adding up, Driller. Hasn’t been adding up for a while now.”
He runs to the door, and I chase after him. “Ransom!” I shout. “Just calm down, dude.”
“We don’t let fucking wannabe gangsters insult us. We don’t just fucking run away. That’s not the club I pledged my life to. This guy knows who shot up the shop.”
He runs straight towards my uncle’s motorcycle, Decker and I following close behind. My father, Romeo, and Chubs have already mounted up.
“Stoney, you dumb old bastard!” Ransom shouts. “What the fuck was that? The fuck did you drag us out here for? You really gonna let shit go down like this? You look like a fucking nut job.”
“Calm the fuck down, dude,” I say, but he’s got Stoney by the back of his cut and is trying to pull him off his bike.
“Son, you better back the fuck up right now,” Stoney growls. He slaps Ransom across the face and I cringe. There’s something so insulting about an open hand versus a fist. Both hurt, but in entirely different ways.
“Fuck you,” Ransom snaps, reeling backwards. “I’m sick of this bullshit. I’m sick of these lies. I’m sick of being treated like a fucking child.”
“Then stop acting like one,” my uncle says. “We don’t negotiate with folk like that. We sure as shit don’t stoop to their level. They got no intel. They’re just trying to get us all riled up so they can make a move.”
“They do so have intel,” he says. “Fucking tell them, Driller. Tell them what he said.”
My palms are dripping with sweat. There’s only two moves I can make here. If I tell my uncle, there’s a good chance he’s going to do whatever he can to cover up what I know.
If I don’t, I’m potentially betraying the men who raised me. The patch as I know it.
I take a deep breath and think about what really matters here, and it sure as shit ain’t covering up for my senile uncle and his shady past.
Pearl needs protection. The only way she’s gonna get it is if we do things my way.
“He doesn’t know shit,” I mutter. “Fucking waste of my time.”
Lying definitely doesn’t come naturally to me. I feel the bile rising up in my throat, and my heart’s racing so fast I feel like I might throw up. The way Ransom’s staring at me with razor beam eyes, the hurt on his face, it fucking shatters me.
I walk to my bike, keeping my head down. Ransom just stands there as everybody takes off.
You gotta fucking trust me, bro, I think as I cruise past him slowly. Right this second, I don’t even trust myself.
Chapter Twenty
Driller
She looks like a painting sleeping there all peacefully. An angel. I swear she’s smiling, and I wonder what she’s dreaming about. I know in that instant I’m gonna do whatever it takes to keep her smiling like that every day of her life.
Right now, though, I worry she’s not safe.
If what Barret said is true, there’s somebody out there following her. I can’t let her out of my sight until we get to the bottom of this, and this shitty little spare bedroom isn’t exactly the most secure spot in the house.
I brush her hair out of her face and she wrinkles her nose like it tickles. So sweet. Too good to be true, or mine for that matter.
Her eyelashes flutter and she looks at me and grins when she sees my face. “I’m too tired for round two, Driller,” she says with a giggle, rolling over and pulling the blanket up tight.
“That’s fine, but we gotta go to my room.” I rub her back and she groans.
“This bed’s big enough for both of us.”
I pull back the blankets and take her in my arms.
“What the hell?” she says with a giggle as I pick her up. “Well at least grab my purse.”
I sling her purse over my other arm and realize I don’t want to walk down the hallway with her bare ass in the air. I grab a blanket off the bed and drape it over her.
Fortunately I’m not too far down the hallway. Difference is, my room is a permanent fixture. I have a steel door. I have security cameras. I have a fridge and a couch. It’s more like an apartment than the crusty old spare room.
I put my key in the door and push it open, flicking on the lights.
“Holy crap, you sure we just walked down the hall?”
I slide her down to the floor and she wraps the blanket over her like a dress as she walks around my bedroom, checking everything out. From the look on her face, I’d say she likes it, and that makes me happy. It’s not much, and someday we can get more, but if it’ll work for now that’s one less thing to worry about.
“This is where you live?” she asks, running her fingers over the blanket on the back of the leather couch.
“Sure do. It’s just easier that way. Don’t really need a whole house right now. I get to be close to my family.”
“It’s not what I expected at all. It kinda makes me realize I don’t know anything about you.” She purses her lips and studies my face. “Like, what do you even do for a living? What do you like? What do you do in your spare time.”
It’s been a long day, and I’m not trying to play twenty questions. I was kinda hoping we could just come back here and crash.
“Well,” I say as I lead her to the bed. “On paper I’m a personal trainer.”
“Oh my God, you must think I’m a complete bum,” she groans, pulling the blanket up tighter around her.
“Stop.” I sit down next to her and kiss her shoulder, reaching for her perfect curvy breasts. “I train men to box. I’d prefer you weren’t built like them. You’re perfect. I like you. And in my spare time I guess I like waiting around for girls like you to fall in my lap.”
“You’re super cheesy.”
“I’m super tired,” I say. I take off my boots and slide out of my jeans. “You hungry, thirsty? Need anything?”
She shakes her head and stares over at me, her eyes squinted. “Where were you?”
“We’re gonna have to talk about that in the morning.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on.” I peel back the covers and take off my t-shirt. She bites her lip and traces a line down my chest.
“You literally left me in the dark, Driller. You can’t just keep doing that. You gotta see where I’m coming from. I want to trust you. I want to be with you, but my life is pretty upside down right now. If I’m gonna put everything I have into you, you’re going to have to answer my questions.”
“Alright, well, we went and met up with a guy who supposedly saw the shooting go down. Could lead to something, or it could just be him trying to get something from us. He’s a shady fuck.”
“But you think it’s something,” she says with certainty.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You did. I can tell by the way you looked when you said it.”
“And how was that?” I tease, crossing my eyes and sticking out my tongue.
“Knock it off,” she says, punching me in the shoulder.
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I just have a feeling it’s bigger than either one of us realizes. And I have a feeling my uncle is trying to cover something up. It’s a really bad fucking situation, Pearl.”
She wraps her arms around me and presses her head into my shoulder, that deep sigh coming out of her almost comforting.
“You know any women that have it out for you?”
“I mean, other than your former slam piece Gwen…” she says trailing off.
“Be serious. Your dad never dated or anything did he?”
“Here and there. Nothing too serious. I think once they got a load of the glamorous life we lead they took off running. I never met my mom before, but anytime I brought her up he told me she was dead and changed the subject.”
“That’s fucked up.”
She rolls over and crawls under the covers, motioning for me to lay beside her. I spoon up next to her body, reveling in the softness of her skin, her warmth. I want to do so many things to her, but in this moment, I just want this. Whatever this is.
“Somebody was following us earlier tonight, weren’t they?” she asks.
“Why you gotta be so smart?” She takes my hand in hers and brings it to her lips. “Nobody’s gonna hurt you. You don’t have to worry about anything. You’re mine now, Pearl, and I’m yours, and whatever happens, it’s gonna be alright.”
“Cuz you claimed me,” she whispers.
“Sure.” I kiss her shoulder again, the words hitting me right in the heart, making me feel whole.
“One more question. Ransom said something about I was going to have to prove it? What’s that supposed to mean.”
I grab her tighter, running my beard over her back and kissing her until she giggles.
“That is a question that’s definitely going to have to wait for the morning.”
Still haven’t figured out what I’m going to tell her about that one yet.
Chapter Twenty-One
Pearl
His sheets are soft. His room is cold, but his muscled body is warm and his embrace so tender, I almost forget I’m in a clubhouse, wrapped up in a biker, and now, possibly, running for my life.
I go in the bathroom and start the water on the shower running.
“What did you do, Dad?” I think. “What did you and Stoney do? Why did your life have to end like this?”
I still can’t shake the feeling this is somehow my fault. If I would’ve only been there more. If I could’ve just swallowed my ego, bit down my pride, been a better daughter, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
Everything in my life is suddenly working out better than I’d ever imagined, but the only man who’d ever given a shit about me is dead.
I regret every instant I’d ever said he never gave me anything as I lather myself in Driller’s bodywash. His shampoo burns my eyes and I don’t know if those are sad tears or soap tears, but I get so overwhelmed I have to sit down on the shower floor.
I’m jarred from my moment by the sound of voices in the other room. The smell of coffee hits my nose, and I pull myself up.
Get your shit together, Pearl. Nobody needs to see you like this.
I get out of the shower and towel off, trying to listen in on the conversation in the other room. For a moment, a little twinge of jealousy hits me when I realize it’s a woman he’s out there talking to. When I realize it’s Betty, I feel my spirits lift.
I hurry up and use his toothbrush, hoping he doesn’t mind. I’ll buy him a new one if I have to, but my mouth tastes like garbage.
I stick my head out from behind the bathroom door and smile when I see him sitting there at his little kitchen table across from Betty. He looks fucking hot fresh out of bed in a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. He looks fucking hot always, but the way his eyes light up when he sees me makes me feel all kind of strange inside.
“I’m not proper,” I say. “You got a t-shirt or something I can throw on?”
“Hey, lovely,” Betty says with a smile. “I see you’ve changed rooms. I wanna say I’m surprised, but not really. You want some coffee?”
“Yes,” I say with a groan. “More than anything.”
Driller goes in his dresser and pulls out a t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. He hands them to me and plants a kiss on my lips. “You smell like a man,” he teases.
He stands there and stares at me, like he’s waiting for me to drop my towel right in front of him. I nod towards the doorway, where Betty is standing just on the other side, and he shoves his hands in his pockets and shakes his head. He turns for the door, but not before slapping me on the ass.
As he pulls it closed behind him, my heart flutters. This is all so strange to me. I’m not used to feeling like an object of desire. I’ve always been a burden. Unwelcome. Just that loud bitch who always gets in
the way.
I like the way I look in his white t-shirt. I don’t even care that it’s kind of sheer and my nipples are showing through. His shorts barely stay up, but I roll them a little bit at the top. I dry out my hair over the sink, knowing if I don’t get some product in it I’m going to have a legit fro for the rest of the day, but first I need coffee.
“Good morning, Betty,” I say, as I step out into the little area of his room that he has set up like a kitchen.
I walk over to the table where they’re sitting and pick up the cup of coffee sitting there, bringing it to my lips as he pulls me down onto his lap and wraps his arms around me.
“I hate to do this first thing in the morning, but I wanted to talk to you about Vinnie’s memorial service,” she says, her lips growing thin. “I just want to run some stuff by you to make sure I’m not overstepping.”
“I feel like I’m the one being a bum,” I say. “I should be taking care of all of this. I don’t even know where to start, though. I suck.”
“Stop it. We have everything we need here at the clubhouse if that’s okay. Me and the girls are going to take care of the food. Is tomorrow alright?”
“Sure. That sounds great. Please tell me what I can do to help you.”
“I think just you being here is help enough. I know Stoney’s taking this really hard, but he swore to your old man you’d always be taken care of. Having you here, knowing you’re safe, it gives him a sense of purpose. He’s always been that kind of man who needs to keep busy all the time. He doesn’t really process shit like a normal human.”
“Whatever you guys need,” I say. “Do you think maybe if you have time today we can go shopping? I don’t have the stuff I need for my hair, and I don’t really have anything appropriate to wear to the service.”
“Jeans are fine.”
I motion to my bare legs. Poor Pearl doesn’t even have a pair of jeans to her name at this point in her life.