by Kiki Leach
"Never doubted that shit 'bout you, darlin' -- never fuckin' have or would. Just wanna make sure you remain safe."
"I want to make sure of the same for you... which is why I called the clubhouse while you were out, and talked to Sniper."
He leaned back as his shoulders sagged; he arched his brow and groaned. "Darlin'--"
"We didn't talk that long--"
"What did you and that old man actually talk about, Mariah?"
"We reminisced on my time out there while I asked him to look out for you because I know that he's the only one outside of Scooter and maybe Cheddar to actually have your back during this entire mess." I took his face inside my hands and bent forward to softly kiss his lips, rolling my tongue between them before pulling back and staring into his eyes again, quietly pleading for more of his taste. He grunted and shifted his hips, pressing his dick against my sex as his fingers trailed the rim of my shorts. "I love you," I told him. "And I would do anything to help you as much as you've been willing to help me."
"I don't want your help for me goin' so goddamn far that it somehow manages to get you fucked up in all this shit, darlin'. I know you're used to the club and what we've always been about, but this shit with the Kings is on another goddamn level right now. After what they did to Rocka, we can't be sure 'bout anything else they might try pullin' on us next." He brushed his mouth against my throat and trailed my jawline before reaching my lips again. "Just wanna keep you safe from all this shit."
He slipped his hands beneath my thighs and gently lifted me from his lap, then placed me back onto the bed and crawled between my legs.
I rolled my fingers beneath his chin and lifted his face until it met mine, then wrapped my legs around him and rolled my lower half against his groin. "Make love to me tonight," I said before stopping to smile up at him. "I mean this morning."
"It can still be tonight for us, darlin'," he replied with a smile of his own. "We can pretend with that shit 'til the sun comes up again; this time I won't be leavin' you for the club -- 'least not 'til late." He shoved his hands beneath my shirt and pushed it over my head, and rolled his tongue across his lips in seeing that I wasn't wearing a bra. "You bare beneath these too?" he asked, tugging at my shorts.
I threw my arms back around his neck and shrugged. "You should find out."
"Yeah?" He kissed me with a fire that torched my heart while sliding his fingers beneath my shorts and rolling his index between my slit. I gasped before suckling his tongue and pushed against his hand as his fingers found my clit. "I ain't ever gonna give you somethin' I ain't needin' for myself just as much, darlin'."
"And you're giving me what I need while still wearing your cut tonight?"
He chortled against my lips and bobbed his head while removing my shorts and tossing them beneath the bed. "That's what you want again?"
"Yes... The first time, you weren't mine. Now you are."
"Always been yours, darlin' -- with everything I got all up inside me, just like you always been mine. Only a matter of finally knowin' that shit for yourself." He dropped his mouth to my breasts, then dragged his lips across my stomach, circling my belly button with his tongue before dipping his face between my thighs and sucking my clit between his lips. "All goddamn night."
As he stroked me to life with just the tip of his tongue, I swallowed back every breath that rolled between my lips and called for him through a set of uncontrollable pants. "I want... to give you..." I started.
"I know, darlin', I know." He chuckled. "You're gonna get your turn with me soon enough."
I laughed as his tongue swirled between my lips and wagged my hips against the bed. "Soon... soon enough isn't good enough for me, X."
"It's gonna be, darlin'. Gonna be 'til the end of goddamn time."
Chapter Eighteen
Xavier
The next morning felt like a wash of unbearable displeasure.
After tossing another beer to Scooter, Xavier reached inside the fridge to grab one for himself and cracked the lid. He leaned across the bar and turned his head aside, arching his brow as he drank it back. "You sure Gabi's makin' the way out here like she said she would, brother?" he questioned.
"Relax, motherfucker, she'll be here." Scooter peeked through the window of their clubhouse, casually gazing across the lot and waved behind himself. "Think she just needed to get some more shit squared away on campus before headin' back out to let you know how the fuck to handle this interview."
"I know how the fuck to handle a goddamn interview," he shot back.
"Not on a college campus, asshole -- no, the fuck you do not." He peeked at his brother and chuckled.
X sighed heavily before taking another sip of beer. "You know, I asked Mariah to move in with me during all this shit; wanna keep an eye on her and all that -- keep her safe."
"Oh?" Scooter turned on his heel and smirked. "What the fuck did she have to say about that shit?"
"She's doin' it. Took her half a minute to agree in full, but she's headin' home after class and lunch today to get some of her stuff to bring back to mine."
"Shit, brother, you ready for all that again? You ain't lived with a woman of no kind since your mama passed."
"Shit's only temporary, motherfucker, she ain't movin' in there for good."
"What if she wants that shit from you after a few weeks or months or however the fuck long this shit with the Kings might last? 'Cause now it ain't just about gettin' our coke back, it's about gettin' 'em out of ACE'S before they try fuckin' us over in bein' 'partners' on a permanent goddamn basis..." Scooter swallowed hard and leaned his head aside while contemplating his brother's thoughts. "What if she finds out that livin' with you out here is better than livin' with Gabi or by herself or some shit?"
"Don't know." He lowered his eyes to the bar as the possibility rolled through his mind like a tidal wave. "Guess I wouldn't be opposed to that shit if it was what the fuck she wanted." He swiped the rim of his beer across his lips and shrugged as the question lingered. "I mean, if she thought livin' with me was better than bein' by herself or with Gabi, I ain't the kinda motherfucker to judge that kinda shit, yeah? Ain't the kind to oppose it or... whatever the fuck, I guess."
"Whatever the fuck, you guess?" Scooter threw his head back and barked in laughter. "Jesus, motherfucker -- You want that bitch back in your goddamn house and for good -- just admit that shit -- it's alright, ain't nobody else out here right now but us assholes." He snickered. "Maybe you thinkin' you wanna put her on the back of your bike as your lady this go round? Maybe slip a ring onto that finger too? Make the shit official in front of God and everybody else we know?"
"Christ -- You are fuckin' reachin' for a pack of goddamn straws. We just started hookin' back up -- goddamn."
"Does it fuckin' matter when your ass has been in love with her long before she left and came back? 'Cause it don't to me, brother -- 'specially not when you called her your 'woman' the other day. Shit would make sense if that was the next step for you -- if her ass decided to head in the same goddamn direction. And I don't know a fuckin' reason why she wouldn't -- not after finally gettin' all she's ever wanted from you and whatever the fuck else you've been doin' with her now." He tilted the neck of his beer and bobbed his head. "Movin' in for good would push that first step into the second, third and so on."
"Who the fuck is movin' in with who?" Big Tech emerged from the back of the club and strolled around the bar, taking a seat in front of Xavier and reaching for an opened bottle of apple crown. "We got pussy makin' moves with you motherfuckers?" He snickered.
Xavier glanced at Scooter and rolled his eyes into his head. "Ain't nothin' that concerns your ass right now, brother."
Tech nodded. "Okay, just curious given the circumstances. Listen, Prez watched more of that vid this mornin' and replayed what we saw yesterday. Some shit he said he wants to talk to you about before Scooter's pussy rolls through."
He stood up straight and tossed his empty bottle into the sink. "You know what the fuck he
wants to talk about? You see what else he watched?"
"Not sure. He rolled that shit before I came in this mornin' and just said he wanted to talk to you in private about it."
"Shit. Thanks."
"Sure, brother."
After adjusting his cut and hustling around the bar, X pat Tech on the back and headed straight to Boone's office, knocking on his door.
"Yeah, brother, come on in," he answered.
After moving inside and shutting the door, Xavier stepped in front of Prez's desk and dropped his hands inside his pockets. He lifted his shoulders in question and made a face. "What's goin' on?"
Prez stared into his brother's face with concern, remembering when the motherfucker was a mere prospect under his thumb. "Scooter's girl on her way out here soon?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms as he nodded toward the door.
"That's what he keeps sayin'--"
"Mariah ain't showin' up with her though, yeah?"
"No. She had class this mornin' and is meetin' with another friend for lunch. After that, she's headed back to her place to pick up some things to stay with me for a bit -- least 'til this shit with the coke and Kings cools off."
"Okay, brother, that's smart -- that's smart." He leaned forward and anxiously dropped his hands on top of his desk. "Keepin' her close at a time like this will be good for both her and the club... For you too." He paused before reaching for a stack of papers and pushed them forward. "Tech tell you I watched more of what was on Rocka's tape this mornin' while rewindin' back from yesterday? All the shit he's had recorded on that thing goes back farther than we thought -- over a goddamn year and half; found where he had those contracts signed with T-Bone standin' between him and that half-assed attorney he hired after turnin' in his patches."
"Christ -- Then the Kings know for a fact that they now own 49%?"
"Not sure about the rest, but I could see T-Bone wantin' him put down from greed alone after the ink was dry. Motherfucker just needed valid a reason beyond ACE'S and the money to keep the Kings from gettin' backlash in takin' out the former brother of another club if word started swirlin' between charters; turns out, he got that shit after learnin' from you that Rocka snitched."
"Me?!" X gulped as his head jerked in confusion. "What the fuck are you talkin' 'bout, Prez?"
"Tape shows that Rocka was on the phone with LapDog before you and Mariah came in to confront him on his shit. When he dropped it, the shit never turned off and you callin' him out for bein' a snitch on the coke is what they heard."
"You're fuckin' serious?!" Prez nodded. "Jesus Christ." X anxiously swiped his hand across his face as his eyes widened with fear. "I -- I didn't fuckin' know, brother."
"I'm aware of that shit," he replied. "But after you left, LapDog hollered about it through the phone, lettin' T-Bone know what was up. Rocka tried explainin' that you were full of shit, but they weren't in the mood for hearin' it with you comin' at him the way you did over Mariah. Per the tape, he started drinkin' once they hung up, then planned to make his way back down here after closin' up ACE'S for the night to let us know about the Kings overhearin' your shit, thinkin' we could give him some kinda protection for 'loyalty' in keepin' quiet. Unfortunately for him, the Kings rolled out once the other club took off and laid him out before he could."
"Jesus..." He gradually sat down in a chair in front of Prez's desk and slumped forward; his breathing damn near stopped as he gulped. "I didn't fuckin' know, Prez... I didn't fuckin'..." He clinched his fists and grit his teeth to keep from showing more emotion than he thought he should; he knew he fucked up and feared how much. "Mariah said some shit like this could happen if I saw him again and I didn't fuckin' think it'd actually come to pass. Trac was right, I'm the reason that asshole is dead -- why we're in this shit. Maybe I never shoulda taken her home that night... maybe shoulda left things as they were, 'cause she's gonna be fucked even more in all this shit now too."
"Nobody's gettin' fucked if we can end this shit before it gets even further outta hand; especially when you seein' her again helped us with Rocka and helps us now when it comes to makin' it into Wexley undetected."
"If my ass makes it in."
"You will, or we're fuckin' somebody up to make the shit happen."
X deeply exhaled, exasperated, and stood from his chair. "What 'bout this shit with me bein' the reason Rocka's dead? You gonna hold it over my head 'til the gavel's finally handed over to Trac?"
"Nope. But I will hold this shit if it doesn't get me what the fuck I need from you. At this very moment, I've got it, which means the truth will be kept inside the vault with the tape. The other brothers can remain in the dark about how we got here -- Trac included, only needin' to be aware of how we're gettin' the fuck out of it ASA-goddamn-P."
"What 'bout LapDog and T-Bone? Spreadin' this shit across Pink could spook the locals; lettin' 'em know I'm the reason one of own was taken down."
"Rocka was no longer one of us, brother. And those two assholes can't say shit about without gettin' themselves fucked up even further in all this too; it's the last goddamn thing they're lookin' for 'cause you bein' exiled can't get 'em paid up." As a fist banged against his door, Prez pushed himself to stand and fixed the collar of his cut. "What's goin' on?" he hollered.
"Gabi's here, brother," replied Cheddar. "Says she got what X is gonna need for makin' it onto campus for that interview, along with some info about the interviewer bein' a prick and other shit he could use if the asshole tries pushin' him off."
"He's on his way out." Prez walked around his desk and stood in front of X, stared directly into his eyes and nodded. "We good in here with all this shit?"
"Yeah, brother." X eyed him from head to toe, unsure of what would come beyond their conversation as he bobbed his head in return. "We're good with all this shit."
"Good. Now let's get the info needed from this bitch and keep pushin' forward."
Prez grinned and threw an arm around X's neck as he remained skeptical, then walked him out the door and back into the front of the club.
Chapter Nineteen
Mariah
For as long as it had taken me to return to ACE'S, it had taken nearly six and a half years longer to return to any portion of the Kings' compound.
After swerving off a side road and through the partially opened gate of their fully decked MC, I parked in front of the nearly empty clubhouse and cut the engine on my rented car. I gulped a few times while staring into the bright green lights of their flashing CLOSED sign hanging from the roof, then hopped to the ground and moved inside as expected.
As the door slammed, I held my breath at the rancid smell of cigar smoke and pussy floating between rooms, then jumped at the sound of T-Bone's sharp voice calling to me from behind the bar. "BABE!" I threw my hand on top of my heart as it pounded against my chest like a box of shattered glass and forced a smile as he stumbled forward with open hands, slipping what felt like a plate of freshly greased sausages around my waist and yanking me against his chest while pressing his quickly hardening penis between my legs. He groaned as I flinched. "Mm." His bright red hair fell along the corners of his green eyes as he lowered his hands to my behind; then he sank his teeth into his bottom lip and nodded while staring directly into my face like a homemade Thanksgiving dinner. "Goddamn, girl -- I sure as fuck miss seein' that beautifully brown bare ass of yours wigglin' around on stage." He bent forward to kiss my cheek, his lips rough against my skin as he exhaled. I swallowed hard as the warmth of his breath filled my throat with bile. "You been doin' good out there?"
"I've been doing much better (than I am right now)." I bent my head aside and wiggled out of his grip to regain distance, then shifted my gaze across the corners of his club and cleared my throat. "It doesn't look like much has changed out here from what I can see?"
"Nah, it hasn't, babe." He chuckled and returned to the bar, pouring two full glasses of vodka and drinking one for himself. "Same pussy rollin' though with the same motherfuck
ers keepin' shit runnin' on more than just fumes from sun up to sun down between the bar and garage; club too. Can't change too much down here that'd be worthwhile to anybody still willin' to see what the fuck we're all about with new motherfuckers movin' in uptown ya know?"
He spoke as if I was unaware that he hadn't planned to stay; I responded in much of the same manner to keep suspicion at bay.
"Is that why I'm here?" I questioned. "To see what you're still all about?"
He wagged his head. "Heard from a reliable source that you've been lookin' to return to ACE'S for a time."
"And who exactly did you hear that from, T? The Easter Bunny hop through here recently?"
He snickered and tugged at the collar of his fitted V-neck shirt, his pale skin glistening beneath the bright white lights of his club. "Motherfucker may as well be one," he muttered. "Heard the shit from LapDog, who got it first-hand from Rocka."
"Is that so?"
"Yep. Asshole said you'd gone out there to see him a few times lookin' to get back into the shit. Is it true?"
"What does it matter to you either way?"
His eyes lowered to the second glass of vodka as he shrugged. "When's the last time you talked to that motherfucker? Saw or heard from him?"
"A few days ago. I've yet to get an actual answer from him, but I'm certain that when I see him again, it'll be yes."
His brows arched as he bobbed his head. "You plan on seein' him again out there sometime soon?"
"I don't know of any other reason why I wouldn't?" I reached for the glass as his eyes bore into mine in search of more answers than I had been willing to give and gulped back just enough vodka to nearly fry the back of my throat. He made a face as I turned my head and coughed, then held back a chuckle as I sucked in a breath and lowered the glass back down to the bar. "This still tastes like poison."
"It's homemade shit, babe."
"I know..." He laughed again and drank back what was left. I glowered. "Why the hell did you call me down here, T?"
"Offer you a job with the Kings as a sort of peace offerin' between us and the Devils," he said. "If you'd be willin' and up for drivin' down to Bartlesville every other goddamned night and between classes."