by Kiki Leach
Xavier peeked around his brother and arched his brow with suspicion. "You're sure they just kicked your ass out the goddamn dorms without givin' an explanation for it? Shit don't sound like it makes a whole lotta sense to my ass."
"Mine either, brother." Cheddar looked over his shoulder and glanced at Mariah. "Some shit like that make sense to you, Mo?"
"No, but I've never stayed on campus long enough to know how the dorms work. Gabi would, but do you think there's a chance LapDog had something to do with this?"
"Motherfucker would need more than a few teeny-boppin' asshole connections out there to make some shit like that happen, would he not?"
"He could, or he threatened someone the minute he realized you no longer being on campus in the same way is a result of being with someone else. Even if he isn't sure or knows about Cheddar specifically, he would have to suspect something or could be having you watched."
Cheddar snarled as he turned back to Kyla; then he sucked in a breath and shook his head. "That girl you got sniffin' around him now -- you tell her more than what the fuck she needs to know in why it's happenin'?"
"I never told her anything more than what you said was needed in order to get her on board with him," Kyla answered. "I said before that I would not do that to you or your club; I wouldn't balk on it now." She stopped and lowered her eyes to the ground. "What if Mariah's right and he's having me watched? Why the hell wouldn't I be thinking about that before tonight?"
"Because it's not something anyone would normally be thinking about," Mariah muttered. "But..." Xavier turned his head and soured as her voice dipped. "T-Bone mentioned LapDog showing him your picture when I saw him on the compound."
Kyla's head dropped back as she shrieked and turned on her heels. "Oh my God." She threw her hands in the air and crossed the lot.
"Jesus Christ." Cheddar groaned in exasperation as he spun back around to Mariah and grimaced. "You're just now sayin' this shit after givin' up everything else before it?!"
"It's not one of the thoughts that's been on my mind this entire time outside of his initial questions about her and them, my apologies," she retorted. "But I remember it now and if LapDog isn't having her watched or followed, there's the chance that T-Bone might."
"How long could he have been doing something like that without me or anyone else knowing or realizing it?" asked Kyla. "Days -- Weeks?"
"I'm not sure. But if you were kicked off campus without explanation, it's possible that one or both of them want or needed you isolated from it."
"What the fuck for?" asked Cheddar. "What could they gain from that kinda shit?"
"Outside of possible information and more insight into the club, I don't know that either. Maybe they assumed she would tell you much sooner than now about being kicked out with the hope that you would take her into your place; tracking the on goings out here would've been much easier by slipping something into her car or purse undetected."
"You fuckin' think so?"
"I'm only guessing," she said. "I can't be sure of anything with the only person willing to let me know what is happening on that side of the fence no longer around to do so."
"Yeah, all shit because of a stupid motherfucker who decided to jump in front of his own goddamn gun."
Cheddar's face blushed with anger before he stormed across the lot to comfort a sobbing Kyla.
As he slipped his hands behind her back and pulled her into his chest, shushing her until she relaxed against him, Mariah reached for Xavier's rattling hands and interlaced their fingers to calm his growing nerves.
He swallowed hard and sucked in a long, slow breath as his entire body stiffened against her. "Asshole don't even realize who the fuck he's actually talkin' 'bout with that shit."
"You're not the sole reason for what happened to Rocka," she replied.
"Darlin'--"
"No." Mariah leaned aside and stared into his face as he kept his eyes straight ahead. "One way or another, Rocka was dead the minute he signed that 49% over to T-Bone."
"And I was the excuse that helped make the shit happen."
"Don't do this to yourself again, Xavier -- not now. Using you as an excuse doesn't change the bottom line of why it happened to him in the first place."
"There's a reason Prez is keepin' the shit quiet for now, Mo."
"I didn't like that nickname then," she said, "and I don't like it now. Cheddar should know better than to use it with me again and so should you."
He grinned and bobbed his head. "Yes, ma'am."
She brushed her hand beneath his chin and turned his face toward hers; she swiped the whiskers along his jawline and gradually swallowed as he stared. "I can understand Boone keeping quiet about that portion of the tape with the way some of them are out of their damn minds -- your Vice President included. I have always understood the importance of your brotherhood, but that's never eliminated ulterior motives for anyone else looking to climb the ranks within your club at the same time. I've seen it since before I could walk and so have you. That Enforcer patch is what you earned and what too many that have come in after you still want for themselves. Even being back here tonight, I can see it; just like ACE'S and everywhere else, nothing has changed. If anything, being away only gave me clarity into what I no longer want to have for myself, as well as everything I still hope to claim once this is all over."
"What the fuck are you still lookin' to claim out here, darlin'?"
"You," she said with a smile. "Along with that cut and the back of your bike."
"Yeah? Property of a goddamn Devil?"
"Yes."
He wrapped his arms around her chest and buried his face into the side of her neck, brushing his mouth across her skin as she shivered against him. "You gonna wear it for me with nothin' else?"
"I could, if you earn it."
"What's the price I gotta pay for that shit?"
"Doing everything I've already asked, Xavier. And then some."
"What's that 'and then some', darlin'? 'Cause you already got my cut and bike with your name on it, along with anything else you want; shit that ain't nobody else ever been allowed to claim." He tightened his grip, forcing her heart to nearly stop as she exhaled. "Never been a goddamn question of who owns what I got anymore, Mariah; just the one who had it all understandin' the impact."
"I do." She dropped her head onto his shoulder as he lifted his hand to her throat and parted his lips. She parted her own and inhaled, then pushed her hand behind his neck and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him so softly, so deeply as he grunted and swirled his tongue against her own.
"Goddamn." He dropped his hand to her breast and brushed her nipple between his fingers until she moaned. "You are fuckin' killin' my ass," he muttered between her lips.
She expanded her smile and dropped her other hand between his legs, stroking his cock through his jeans, then rolled her fingers to his thigh and broke the intensity of their kiss as a bright orange pick-up with flashing headlights pulled into the lot and stopped at the center.
"Motherfuck." The brothers went still as Prez flicked his joint to the ground and squint as a pair of half-drunk women squealing and falling on top of each other in the bed of the truck nearly tumbled from the side. "Shit." He kicked his foot against the wheel of his own bike and eyed the truck with disdain as the color nearly lit up the darkness of the sky, then turned to Coco and Poke, snapping his fingers and pointing toward the club. "Get these bitches down from there and throw 'em the fuck inside. Hurry right the fuck back so we can handle this prick."
Coco nodded. "Yeah, brother."
After watching his brothers help the women inside the club, Xavier tapped Mariah's shoulder, forcing her to hop out of his lap and return to her feet. He stood in front of her and fixed his jeans and cut, then looked to Cheddar and jerked his chin.
Cheddar nodded and lowered his mouth to Kyla's ear, whispering a few words of something no one else could hear; she bobbed her head in understanding and kissed his cheek, then
returned to the picnic table and sat down alongside Mariah, whose eyes remained on Xavier as he and Cheddar joined the rest of their brothers across the lot.
Prez clinched his teeth while staring into the darkness of the driver's window and reached for the door. As he yanked it open, Rider slipped from his chair like a limp noodle, forcing Prez and Tractor to catch him in their arms before his head could hit the pavement.
"Shit was goddamn wild," Rider muttered as his bloodshot eyes rolled between them. He blinked a few times as his pupils dilated and wagged his head. "Fuckin' wild." He chuckled to himself as they pulled him from the truck and forced him to stand between them.
Prez peeked inside the truck, glancing into the ashtray and floor, then turned back to Rider and flared his nostrils. "What the fuck is this shit you rolled up in here with, asshole?!" he hollered.
Rider winced and grabbed his head as it began to throb. "Pussy I found on the way here, like I told you and Coco--"
"Not the pussy, dumbass," Tractor interjected. "He's talkin' about this fuckin' truck. And goddamn orange -- what the entire fuck is wrong with your stupid ass rollin' through here with a color like that? You actively tryin' to draw attention to the club at a time like this? Fuckin' flashy shit like some kinda goddamn pimp? And where'd you get the money?!"
"The truck was a fuckin' gift." He lowered his hands to the arm of the bed and scrunched his brows as his head continued to pound between his ears. "Shit was in my goddamn driveway after leavin' church this afternoon. Thought one of you fuckers did it and was rollin' back in here with it tonight as a thank you."
"Why the fuck would we give your stupid ass a goddamn truck?" Coco hollered as he returned to the lot with Poke. "Let alone fuckin' orange? Your gift is right fuckin' here." He stopped near the tarp and pointed. "An orange pick-up in favor of a refurbished chopper with the Blue Devil emblem wouldn't be our thing, motherfucker -- You been around long enough to know some shit like that."
"Did the truck come with a goddamn note?" asked Xavier. "Somethin' allowin' you to even think the shit was a gift? Let alone one bein' from us?"
"No."
"Then why the fuck would you think some shit otherwise?" asked Cheddar.
"I don't fuckin' know, asshole!" he spat. "Just assumed since I hadn't seen any shit from the club before tonight."
"What the fuck are you talkin' about, motherfucker?! Your stupid ass knew we were havin' this party out here for you with pussy comin' outta the goddamn walls!"
"I didn't know I was gettin' gifts is what the fuck I mean."
"PUSSY IS A GODDAMN GIFT SENT STRAIGHT DOWN TO US FROM GOD HIMSELF!"
The brothers looked around at each other and chuckled.
Porkchop stepped forward and cleared his throat. "You don't know anybody else that would leave a goddamn truck in your driveway that wasn't meant to blow the fuck up before you took off?"
Rider swallowed hard and stood up straight. "Maybe I got an idea for about a minute, but the shit quickly fell outta my head -- didn't make much sense."
"What kinda ideas do you have swirlin' around inside that fat head of yours?" asked Poke.
"The kind makin' me wonder why a vial of coke mighta been sittin' in the cup holder as soon as I jumped inside."
Coco glowered. "WHAT? Where the fuck is it?!"
"One of the girls popped the entire thing between her nostrils on the way out here."
Tractor's mouth dropped as his eyes widened with anger. "JESUS CHRIST -- YOU STUPID FUCKIN' GODDAMN DUMBASS WITH FUCKIN' SHIT FOR FUCKIN' BRAINS!" He roared and balled his fist, tossing it into the air to keep from throwing it alongside Rider's face. Then he turned back to him and pointed. "THIS WASN'T A GODDAMN GIFT FROM US, MOTHERFUCKER -- IT WAS A FUCKIN' MESSAGE FROM THE KINGS! GET FUCKIN' RID OF THIS SHIT!"
"Hold on." Prez lifted his hand and tossed his gaze between the brothers before bringing his attention back to Rider. A snarl ticked the corner of his mouth as he grimaced. "The pussy you picked up, where'd the fuck they come from?"
Rider rolled his eyes to the corner and shrugged. "Hangin' around my neighborhood--"
"You ever see 'em out there before tonight?" Red crossed his arms as his nose wrinkled. "See 'em doin' more than just waitin' for your ass to show up and give 'em a goddamn ride on the way out here?"
Rider's head dipped as he gradually closed his eyes and lowered his shoulders in fear of what he had now come to know as the truth. "No."
"They ask you for this ride out here tonight, or did you offer that shit?" asked a skeptical Shadow.
Rider fell quiet and averted his eyes, forcing his brothers to collectively groan with ire.
"Fuck." Prez snapped his fingers again and looked to Chopper. "Find Big Tech and get his help to get those bitches back out here."
"Okay, Prez -- yeah."
As he hurried inside, Prez threw his hands into Rider's chest, shoving him aside and climbing into the truck for himself, anxiously and aimlessly searching for anything that pointed to the Kings or T-Bone alone.
While shifting a pack of wires near the glove compartment, a sudden rash of gun shots rang out from behind the front gates of the club; bullets sprayed along the wall before reaching the opening and crashing through the windows of the truck.
"FUCK!"
As Prez fell beneath the seat to avoid being hit by shards of glass and screams flooded the walls of the club, the brothers reached for their Glocks in retaliation and stormed the gates.
"GET THE GODDAMN GIRLS INSIDE!" hollered Tractor.
A panicked Xavier raced to Mariah's side as a screeching Kyla nearly fell into her arms; he shoved them near the club and reached into his second holster, placing a smaller Glock inside her hands. "Get inside and lock that goddamn door, yeah?"
Mariah reached for his cut as pieces of leather crumbled between her fingers and nodded as tears filled her eyes before latching onto Kyla's wrist and dragging her into the club.
Once the door slammed shut, more shots rang out from the street in an attempt to unravel the skull of every member firing back.
Xavier sprinted past his brothers and aimed his Glock at a speeding white fan, hurling a slew of bullets into the back wheels before it turned a corner. While sliced rubber flapped beneath the metal, a masked knifeman tumbled from the sliding door and rolled into a nearby flower bed.
"LET'S GO!" X raced forward with Cheddar at his side and dropped his knee into the back of the man on the ground before he could escape. As Poke, Red and Tractor chased the van on foot, X sank his muzzle into the back of the man's head and gnashed his teeth while attempting to catch his breath. "What the fuck is this shit?!" He glared as the man shook his face against the ground and tossed the knife from his hand, then lifted his eyes to Cheddar and brushed his finger across the trigger.
"We gonna fuckin' find out." Cheddar bent forward, wrapping his hand around the mask and quickly removed it from around the man's head and face. "Holy. Shit." As a flow of reddish-blond hair tumbled from beneath, he jumped back and shoved the mask into his front pocket.
"Jesus. Christ." Xavier locked his jaw and returned to his feet, allowing the man to roll to his back while revealing himself to be none other than LapDog. "Fuck." He dragged his hand across his mouth in noticing that the motherfucker had nearly swallowed his own goddamn tongue and shook his head.
"We are fucked with this shit," snapped Cheddar. "Fucked-fucked up a goddamn wall covered in horse piss. Do we end this asshole out here and throw him elsewhere? What the fuck do we do with this shit?"
"Fuckin' call Tech and have him and the others get the clubhouse cleared of everybody who ain't a member or within the mother charter, then handle this shit in the only goddamn way Prez would want."
"Brother, we can't get the entire club at that table tonight -- you remember why the fuck that is?" He paused and swallowed hard. "It's why I asked what to do with this asshole -- he'll spill every goddamn word he can to the rest that don't know the truth about Rocka bein' gone."
"Shit
." Xavier looked aside and nodded. "Alright, we get the ones who need to be in chapel with us on this shit and have the rest takin' women home and lookin' after this prick. And we duct tape his mouth 'fore he can say a goddamn word on it."
"You don't think they're gonna question that shit?"
"We ain't got a goddamn choice. If Prez chooses, we can tell 'em the facts on what's up tonight, but right now can't be it." He leaned over LapDog's body and grunted, then latched onto his cut and lifted him from the ground. "Get your ass back up here."
"FUCK!" LapDog hollered out and stumbled forward, then looked behind himself and narrowed his eyes. "Watch my shit, asshole -- ain't fuckin' pleather."
"Ain't fuckin' man-made either when your VP has the shit shipped in from toddlers livin' in Guatefuckin'mala -- And I ain't watchin' for shit. You should be doin' just that with your goddamn cock in the hope my brother don't blow it right the fuck off and make you swallow back what's left. But you been used to that kinda shit though, yeah?" He leaned into his face and damn near grinded his teeth straight to the bone. "What the fuck is your ass doin' down here as it is? Who the fuck else was inside that goddamn van?"
"I ain't sayin' shit," LapDog returned as the whites of his dark green eyes burned red. "Ain't sayin' shit when I know what the fuck you assholes are capable of."
"We're capable of blowin' off your goddamn dick like he said," replied Cheddar, angling the muzzle of his gun at LapDog's zipper. He chortled. "All two motherfuckin' inches of it. Start talkin' or the next bitch you see is gonna have herself a pair of blue balls with no cock to suck 'em down with for dinner."
"The only bitch I been seein' is one who couldn't get me fuckin' hard if she tried. Not like my last one, that's for goddamn sure." He eyed Cheddar with a sneer and squint. "Chocolate bitches always know just how the fuck to ride some thick cock, yeah? Knock a motherfucker straight up silly with the way her ass can move and fuckin' swirl -- makin' me cum all up inside her fuckin' bare. Heard of 'em sayin' shit like, the blacker the berry and all that? Talkin' about their juices and shit." He bobbed his head and licked a drop of blood clotting in the corner of his mouth. "Yeahhh, that bitch's juice sure was fuckin' sweet on my tongue. Hope like hell it didn't get too sour while chokin' on your pale ass cock in the meantime."