I blinked slowly, taking in her words. “I need more coffee.” I had resigned myself to the idea that Pipe didn’t want me, and now here he was living next to me, and Cora was telling me that was a huge step.
A grin spread across Cora’s lips, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “You get it, but you don’t want to admit it. Just make that man grovel, Nikki, and you’ll get it soon enough.”
“What’d I miss?” Alice set down Karmen’s huge platter of food in front of her and put her hands on her hips. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said looking down at me.
Karmen patted my shoulder and reached for the syrup. “She’ll be fine eventually. Cora just laid a load of information on her that she’s struggling to process.”
“Well, was it good information?”
Cora kicked me under the table, and I jumped a bit. “In time it will be.”
I sighed and watched Alice bustle back to the kitchen to get the rest of our breakfast.
That was good information?
More like it was information so confusing I had no idea what was what anymore, and all I wanted to do was crawl back into my bed and never surface.
“Chin up, buttercup,” Karmen smirked. “You have a badass motorcycle man who wants back in your bed. Make him work for it.”
Jesus. That was easier said than done.
Life was so much easier when I thought Pipe didn’t want me anymore.
*
Chapter 15
Pipe
“Holy fuck. I didn’t expect to see you for a week.”
I sat down to the right of Wrecker and tossed my phone on the long table. “Yeah, well, the red carpet wasn’t exactly rolled out for me when I hit Kales Corners.” That was a damn understatement. The two interactions I had with Nikki were less than promising.
“So what? You gave up?”
“Nah, just regrouping. Karmen and Cora came to visit her all weekend, so I don’t really think I’m going to get any of her time.”
“Nice excuse.”
“You back already? I thought for sure Nikki was going to put up more of a fight than that.” Nickel walked into church and took the seat on Wrecker’s left.
I scoffed and shook my head. “Nah, she’s still there. With your ol’ lady, by the way. Thank you for that. Now I really can’t get to her.”
Nickel grinned. “You really think I had any say over that? Right now, I’m at Karmen’s mercy until she pushes out that baby. One wrong word and she turns on the waterworks. I avoid that shit like the plague, brother. You don’t want her there? You tell her.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. “She’ll be gone Sunday. I can wait until then.”
“Wise man,” Nickel mumbled.
Brinks, Maniac, Clash, and Slayer filed into the room and took their places around the table.
“Where the hell is Boink?” Wrecker asked.
Nickel cleared his throat. “Last I saw, he was stumbling to his bed at six this morning when Karmen and Cora left.”
“Jesus Christ. It’s like herding cats with you fuckers. When he manages to fall out of bed, make sure you tell him he’s cleaning the whole common room for missing church,” Wrecker growled.
“Well, just look at it this way,” Clash chuckled. “You’ll never need to have kids with the seven of us around.”
“Yeah, seven dumbass sons.” Wrecker grabbed the gavel in front of him and crashed it down on the table. “Let’s get this shit over with. Cora.”
“Uh, what about her?” Slayer asked.
“Where the hell is she?”
Nickel looked around. “Um, she’s up in Kales Corners with Karmen, like Pipe said. I figured with Pipe living next door, it was fine for her to go.”
“What part of she needs to have someone on her at all times was hard for you to understand. You think your woman and Nikki are going to keep her safe?” Wrecker barked.
“How much trouble can those three get into, really?” Brinks asked.
Nickel leaned forward and looked down the table at him. “Have you met Karmen? She’s a crazy wildcard at the moment.”
“Then why the hell did you send her to Kales Corners with Cora?”
Nickel stood up and pointed at me. “I damn well told you. Pipe was there to watch them.”
“Don’t you think maybe you should have run that shit by me?” I drawled. If I had known I was supposed to hang around, I would have.
“I didn’t think you would run with your tail between your legs not even forty-eight hours later. I thought you had balls of steel, man. I figured you would throw her over your shoulder, tell her what the hell was going to happen, and that would be it.” Nickel fell back into his chair, disgusted.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and stuck it in the corner of my mouth.
Wrecker turned to me and shook his head. “No smoking in here, dumbass.”
“Since fucking when?”
“Since I said so.”
I ripped the cigarette out of my mouth and tossed it on the table next to my phone.
“Can I ask a question?” Slayer said.
“This oughta be good,” Clash chuckled.
Slayer smacked him on the back of the head. “Shut it, dick.”
Clash flipped him off and scooted his chair closer to Nickel. “Abusive asshole,” he muttered under his breath.
“Fucking cats,” Wrecker mumbled under his breath. “What the fuck is your question?” he growled at Clash.
He cleared his throat and looked around the table. “I might have missed this, but do we know why we need to keep an eye on Cora? I mean, she’s just Jenkins’ sister. What could possibly be going on with her?”
Wrecker leaned back in his chair. “It’s not what she did, it’s what Jenkins is getting his club into. I know you all are starting to hate all of these runs we are doing, realizing we are getting into deep shit when what you don’t realize is that Jenkins is fucking knee deep in the shit.”
“You’ve told us all of this before,” Maniac drawled. “I, for one, would like to know exactly what the fuck you are talking about you when you say, ‘knee deep in shit.’” He leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. We are putting ourselves on the line for some chick we don’t even know, and furthermore, for a club and president that no one at this table can stand,” Nickel agreed.
Wrecker stroked his beard and eyed everyone at the table. “The problem with you guys knowing more about what is going on is I don’t even know anything more than what I just told you.”
“Then why the hell don’t we demand to know more. You think Jenkins or anyone in River Valley would put their ass on the line for us? I fucking doubt it.” Maniac slammed his hand down on the table, and Clash, Slayer, and Brinks all grunted their agreeance.
“Look, I get where you guys are coming from, but I think busting into River Valley with our dicks swinging demanding answers isn’t the way we need to go about this.”
“I agree with Wrecker.” I shifted in my chair and pointed to Nickel. “You’ve been restless for a while. I get that, and you and I talked about the effects of you jumping ship and rushing into opening a new chapter. You think you all have it bad now, you don’t know the shit Jenkins would bring down on a new club. Here in Weston, we are established, popping up wanting a new chapter opens the door for you to be Jenkins’ whipping boy.”
Nickel shook his head. “I don’t want a new chapter anymore, I just want Jenkins to get out of the business of Weston. You don’t see us poking around in the bullshit he’s gotten himself into, do you? Instead, he’s pouring that bullshit over each chapter, fucking everyone over.”
Wrecker stood up and leaned over the table, his hands braced in front of him. “Listen up, and listen real good. I hear everything you guys are saying, and I agree with it all. I want more than anything to go back to the club we were when all we had to worry about was who was buying the keg for the pa
rty. Unfortunately, those days are fucking gone. I’m not saying we will never have them back, I’m just saying to get them back, we need to tread very carefully. Because if we pull out, we not only upset Jenkins, we upset everyone he has tangled himself with.”
Brinks smashed his finger into the table. “But we didn’t make those fucking deals, Jenkins did.”
A smirk spread across Wrecker’s lips. “So you think they’ll care about that? We can just skip on over to them, tell them we are out and if they have a problem with it they can just deal with Jenkins, right? Come on, Brinks, you’re supposed to be the smart one of the group.”
“Find out who the deal is made with, and I bet we can find a way to get out of them without any bloodshed,” Brinks insisted.
Wrecker turned to me. “Brinks lives in a fucking fairytale land with unicorns and rainbows.”
A chuckle escaped my lips, and Brinks growled. “I know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
Wrecker threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, rainbow, you win. I’ll get whatever information you need, and you can ride off on your unicorn and save us all. Sound like a plan to all you fucking idiots?” Wrecker stormed out of church, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Does that mean Brinks’ name is now Rainbow?” Maniac asked.
“No, you fucking idiot, it means you all need to chill the fuck out. Wrecker and I don’t like this muling bullshit any more than you all do, but for now, it’s what we do.” I stood up and grabbed my phone, stuck my discarded cigarette in my mouth, and looked at the guys. “Try not to piss off Wrecker too much while I’m gone. With Cora up in Kales Corners with Nikki and Karmen, I won’t be back until Monday.”
“I can go up there if you need me to,” Nickel volunteered.
I shook my head. “You don’t need to. Now if you wanna go up to see your woman, knock yourself out. But I’ll take care of Cora.”
The guys relaxed back in their chairs and started talking about what they were going to do this weekend. I shoved my phone in my pocket and set out to find Wrecker. As much as I didn’t want to have to deal with him when he was pissed off, I needed to talk before I left for the three days.
I walked into the common room and saw him behind the bar downing shots. “It’s only eleven o’clock. Starting pretty early, huh?”
Wrecker glared at me and refilled his glass. “Dealing with you fucking idiots would make a saint drink.”
“What about a unicorn?” I laughed.
He shook his head and tossed back the shot. “Fucking Brinks. Always sitting back, watching, and smart as a damn whip. Then he suggests we just nicely ask to be released from whatever shit we’re in like we’re letting them know we can’t make it to the damn dance next week.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried not to laugh. “Rainbows, unicorns, and now dances. You sure the president of an MC?”
Wrecker growled. “I don’t fucking know since half of those pansies in there are chicken shits.”
I shrugged and leaned against the bar. “They have a point, Wrecker. We’re putting our asses on the line for something that isn’t benefiting us at all. We don’t see any of the money Jenkins gets off these runs.”
Wrecker slammed his glass down on the bar. “I fucking know it, Pipe. I tried to fight it at the beginning, and I couldn’t. Jenkins has some powerful friends that were more than ready to come to Weston and make us bend any which way they felt right. Agreeing was better than taking a stand and all of us getting our faces rearranged.”
I held up my hands. “Look, I get that too. I’m fucking Switzerland in this. I get the guys, and I get you. Now we have to figure out a way to get what everyone wants.”
Wrecker hung his head. “I don’t fucking sleep at night because all I do is lay awake trying to find some exit strategy to get out of this, but there isn’t one, Pipe. We’re fucking stuck.”
I sighed and lit the end of my cigarette. “Don’t tell me to put it out,” I threatened. Wrecker rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. “What if you try what Brinks said?”
“Pipe, don’t tell me I’m going to have fucking call you Periwinkle now. I told you that shi—”
I held up my hand and shook my head. “I’m not saying we simply ask to be out. I’m saying we do what Brinks said, find out who is at the core of this. Try to work a way that maybe we get in their good graces and work this situation in our favor. You and I both know we aren’t getting anything from this right now, so I say we find a way to benefit from this shit.”
Wrecker sighed and grabbed the bottle from me. “Fine. I want you to head back to Kales Corners and keep an eye on Cora. I’ll try to work with the guys without calling them fucking idiots.”
I leveled my gaze on Wrecker and busted out laughing. “We both know that’s bullshit.” Wrecker was known for calling anyone and everyone a fucking idiot at one point or another.
“Yeah, yeah. Get the fuck out of here and keep an eye on the girls.” Wrecker filled his glass and tossed back another shot. “Call me Monday, and I’ll let you know if we need you back here. I know you got shit going on with your woman, so I’ll try to rely more on Nickel ‘til you get your shit straight.”
“Thanks, brother, but you know I’m here whenever you need me.”
He waved me off and lumbered back toward church where all of the guys were still waiting.
I inhaled deep on my cigarette and closed my eyes. The nicotine coursed through me, and I sighed deeply. This was shit, but we at least had a plan now.
Were we going to make any headway? Who the hell knew?
I had planned to spend the day in Weston, but now that someone had to be on Cora, and I was volunteered for that duty for the next three days, I needed to get back to Kales Corners.
The one good thing about keeping an eye on Cora was I was going to be close to Nikki, whether she liked it or not.
*
Chapter 16
Nikki
“Oh, I brought a game!”
Cora rolled her eyes and kicked her feet up on the couch. “Are we in first grade?”
Karmen ignored her and raced to the bedroom.
“I’m gonna order a pizza, but someone has to go pick it up.” I grabbed my phone and scrolled to the number for The Shack.
“They don’t even have pizza delivery in this town. How in the hell do you live here?” Cora complained.
“The pizza place is two blocks away. I can walk to get it.” I put the phone to my ear and waited for Pete or John to answer the phone. Yes, I was on first name basis with the pizza place.
Karmen came bounding out of the bedroom when Pete answered the phone. “Nikki,” he called. “The usual?”
Lordy. I had only been in town over a month, and I already had a usual order at the pizza place. “Um, yes, but double it.” If I could polish off a small extra cheese pizza by myself, I knew I was going to need more to feed us. “Actually, triple it.” It had been a few hours since the last time Karmen ate, and I knew she had to be close to starving.
“Ready in twenty minutes.”
I hung the phone up, checking the time. “I gotta leave in fifteen minutes. Who’s going to walk with me?”
“Not it,” Karmen and Cora called at the same time.
I rolled my eyes and set my phone on the counter. “You’re both fair weather bitches. I’ll go get the pizza by myself.”
“It’s only five minutes away,” Cora snickered. “Just take your car, and it’ll only take you two.”
Karmen held up a box and did a little shuffle. “Stop talking and look at me,” she hollered.
“What in the devil is that?” Cora squinted at the box and leaned forward. “Is that a box full of dicks?”
“Yup, sure is,” Karmen sang out as she lowered the box and took the cover off.
“You know, it’s always the pregnant ones that are freaks. Coming out here with a box of dicks,” Cora mumbled. She sat back on the couch and watched Karmen sit on the floor and pull some cards out of
the box.
“It’s like the memory game where you have a bunch of cards in front of you, and you flip over two at a time trying to match them,” she explained.
“Um, yeah. But isn’t that with like fruit or something?” I asked.
“Yes, if you’re playing the kid version. This is the adult version.” She tossed the cover at me, and I caught it midair.
“Dick Match,” I read out loud. “Jesus, they will make a game out of anything, won’t they?”
Karmen tossed me a few cards, and I busted out laughing.
“What?” Cora demanded. “What the hell is so funny about a bunch of cards with dicks on them?”
I tossed her a card and watched her cheeks flush. “The fact they hilariously named them. Nothing like holding the Sergeant Penis in your hand, huh?”
Cora tossed it back at Karmen and slid off the couch to check out the rest of the cards. “This is hilariously gross,” she mumbled, inspecting another card. “Why do you think this one is called Steve?”
“Oh wait,” Karmen replied. “This one is Steve’s friend.”
“Yup, this isn’t strange at all, you guys.” I shook my head and headed into the kitchen. “I think this game calls for wine and snacks.” I grabbed one of the four bottles of wine we had bought at the store today and the extra-large tub of licorice Karmen had insisted we needed.
“Don’t forget my wine,” Karmen called.
I grabbed her bottle of non-alcoholic cranberry grape wine and three glasses. “I just don’t know why you didn’t buy grape juice?” I asked as I dropped down on the carpet next to them.
“Because this is fizzy, and juice isn’t. It mimics wine in a half-assed way.”
A knock sounded at the door, and we all looked at each other. “I thought you said they don’t deliver?”
“They don’t,” I mumbled as I stood up. “Did you call Nickel and tell him to come up here?”
“What? Hell no. This is a girls’ weekend. I told him I would see him Sunday afternoon,” Karmen insisted.
“Then who the hell is at the door,” I mumbled as I twisted the lock and unhooked the chain. I wasn’t afraid of Richard anymore, but I decided it never hurt to be safe.
Fallen Lords MC: Books 1-3 Page 27