“Whatever you need, I’m here to help, Zena.”
She smiles and then looks over at her little girl as she plays on the floor with a toy tea set. Nova set us up in the lounge room. It’s comfortable, a soft couch, a TV, toys for kids to play with, things like that. “I just want to give Claire a better life.”
“I understand that. Anything is possible if you really want it, Zena. I’m not here to tell you what to do, or what you’ve done is wrong. I’ve been where you are.” Zena looks at me, not blinking. “The situation was probably very different, but I’ve been on the streets just the same.”
“Was it hard?”
I nod my head in honesty. I won’t lie to the woman, that’s not what I’m about. “It was tough. I was fifteen and trying to take care of my best friend. I did things I never thought I’d do so that we’d be okay.”
Zena blinks, and a tear falls from her eye. I know that tear isn’t for me; it’s for what she’s been through. “I know how that is,” I don’t need to go into detail with this woman, she knows what I’m saying without using words. She’s more than likely had to do the same thing just to feed herself and her child.
I reach out and take her hand in mine. Zena doesn’t pull away, though she looks down at our hands before her eyes meet mine. “I would never take away from what you’ve been through, Zena,” Tears are falling from her eyes, unashamedly. “But it’s over now, sweetheart. You are not broken, and you will come through this on the other side. I’ll be with you every step of the way that I promise you.”
“No one has ever wanted to help me before.” I hand Zena a tissue from the box on the table, and she wipes her nose. “My husband died six months ago. I don’t have any family of my own, and Rory’s family abandoned us after his funeral. I lost my job because I couldn’t function, and that meant I couldn’t pay the mortgage. Everything just seemed to go downhill so fast that I couldn’t keep up.”
I watch as she wipes her eyes and sniffs hard. I look over at Claire as she watches her mother closely. I dread to think of the things this little girl has seen during her time on the streets. No child should ever have to live like that, but unfortunately, it’s not always avoidable.
“We lost the house and ended up living in the car for a while. But then I ran out of what little money I did have, and I had no way to feed my baby girl. I met a woman who pointed me in the direction of this place. She told me to ask for Nova, and that she’d help us. I’m not the type of person who asks anyone for anything, but I couldn’t afford to be proud.”
I rub my thumb over her knuckles. “You did the right thing coming here, Zena.”
“I just want to feel safe. I want my daughter to feel safe. I can’t go back out there, Wynter, but I know that Claire and I can’t stay here for long.”
“Listen to me,” I shift in my seat, moving a little closer to Zena. “The both of you can stay here for as long as you need. You’re safe here, and I promise you, no one is going to ask you to leave. You and I will start from the bottom up. Give it a little time, and you’ll have a new home, a job, and Claire will have her own room with everything she needs.”
“Really?!” The little squeal of excitement has both Zena and I smiling.
“Really.” I wink at Claire, who then sits clapping her hands with a big smile on her face.
“Thank you, Wynter. Thank you.” Zena sobs. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry. Crying is good for the soul, and this woman needs to purge.
Tomorrow, the real work begins.
Chapter Ten
Havoc
The whole crew is at the clubhouse this afternoon. No family members are allowed here today due to the fact it’s time for Phoenix’s initiation. Family members are barred from these things with good reason. They can be a little overdramatic when they see a loved one being put through hell.
“We know why we’re all here.” Jett stands with his arms folded around his chest, standing proud. He looks around the vast circle of men and one woman. “Today, we find out if Phoenix is true Snakes material. There will be no special treatment and no exceptions.”
I note the smirk on Phoenix’s face. She doesn’t want special treatment because she knows she’s as good as any of us here.
“Are you serious, Prez?” Every man looks at Tex. The little prick seems to think it’s okay to question our president. It’s not like Jett to stand there and allow someone to question him, especially not a prospect. Something more is going on here.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Phoenix turns in Tex’s direction, arms folded around herself, and her eyebrow raised.
Jett shakes his head slightly, enough for every man to know we’re not to get involved. I have to wonder why when he, himself, would usually stop something like this.
“It means you’re crazy, and this club could do without someone like you.” Tex fires back.
This is not going to be good. If Phoenix retaliates, Jett will deem her unfit to join the Snakes. No man here will let Tex live if he fucks this up for the one woman who has worked her whole life to be one of us.
“Yet, you think this club needs a scrawny little cunt like you?”
“You know,” Tex laughs. There’s nothing funny about this, and if someone doesn’t shut him up, then I will. “You were a much nicer person when Gage was around. I don’t know how the poor guy put up with you. It’s no wonder he fucked off to the military; any man would want to get away from a bitch like you.”
The air in the room is tense. Wrench is an inch away from breaking Tex’s neck, and even the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up.
Phoenix looks around the room, and the hurt in her eyes is evident to anyone who cares to look closely enough. She swallows hard before turning and walking away.
Wrench rounds on Tex. “What the fuck was that, you little bastard?!”
“Stand down, Wrench.” Wrench stares at Jett, wide-eyed. “You know how these things work.”
“You told him to bring up Gage?”
“Yes, Havoc, I did,”
That’s low, even for Jett, and that man can sink low when needed. Gage is a sore subject with Phoenix. The girl was deeply in love, and the man she gave her heart to walked away from her. Sure, we don’t know the ins and outs, but having Tex bring him up in a fabricated argument is terrible.
Jett doesn’t give a damn how much this has hurt Phoenix. All he’s thinking about is pushing the girl to the limits. We all know that Phoenix can handle herself in a fight, even against a man twice her size. She can argue with the best of them, and her savage words would have a grown man crying.
What Phoenix can’t handle as much as she tries is people bringing Gage into arguments. She warned every single person belonging to the club what she’d do if they ever used Gage against her. God help Tex because this is going to blow up in his face big time. Not that Jett will care about that.
“Prez, you got any idea what you’ve done?”
Jett opens his mouth to answer Red when one almighty bang shakes the building. “What the fuck was that?” I don’t think Jett was asking anyone a question, and his eyes are locked on the window outside.
Gabe looks out of the window. “There’s black smoke coming from the dune pit.”
The dune pit is a twenty-foot deep and fifty-foot wide hole that Shepard, Titus, and BlackJack dug back in the day. The pit itself is right at the edge of the clubhouse property. Nothing that happens there can be seen from anywhere on land, nor would it cause any damage to the building. So, it’s a great place to do what Apollo had intended.
The man was crazy, and he wanted the pit dug to drop enemies in, his way of frightening them into thinking he’d leave them there to die. Punishment for whatever they’d done, or information they wouldn’t hand over. I won’t lie; it’s still used for that reason, but not often. Tank was talking about filling it in, but nothing ever came of that.
“Phoenix is out there!” Hawk yells.
“No, I’m not,” Phoenix walks in, laug
hing to herself.
“Jesus, I thought something had happened to you.”
“I’m fine, Hawk. Chill out.”
Jett narrows his eyes at Phoenix. “What have you been up to?”
“Well,” Phoenix stands next to Wrench and folds her arms around her chest. “I’m not gonna lie; the dune pit is gonna need cleaning out. I had no idea blowing up a motorcycle would make so much mess.”
My eyes widen, people mumble amongst themselves, and it seems to have dawned on Tex that Phoenix means his bike. “What the fuck have you done to my bike?!”
“Are you deaf, all of a sudden? I blew it up.”
Tex rushes outside, followed by most of the others. I stay behind with Hammer and Phoenix. Phoenix stands chuckling to herself. I shake my head at her, but she laughs louder.
“I’ve known some crazy women in my time, but you might just be the craziest.” Hammer stares at Phoenix with a raised eyebrow.
She returns his stare. “If you assholes think for one second, you can get one over on me, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
“It’s not about getting one over on you, Phoenix.” She looks at me. “It about knowing where to draw the line. You know as well as anyone that you never touch another man’s motorcycle. It’s beyond disrespectful.”
“I didn’t touch a man’s motorcycle...” She’s cut off by Tex storming through the door.
“You stupid bitch! You torched my bike!”
“You’re damn right I did.” Phoenix hisses between her teeth as she turns to face Tex. “I gave every man here a warning. Never mention that assholes name in front of me, or you won’t like the consequences. What warning did I give, Hammer?” She asks without looking at Hammer.
Hammer chuckles. “If anyone mentions the assholes name in your presence, you’d torch their bike.”
“And, there is it!” Phoenix laughs sarcastically. “You were warned, you didn’t listen, so I taught you a damn lesson. Don’t fuck with me, Tex, because next time, I’ll castrate you.”
“I’m gonna kill you, you stupid slut!” If I’d have blinked, I would have missed it. Tex taking a swing at Phoenix, I mean.
Things seemed to go in slow motion for a moment. Phoenix moves her head to the side, avoiding Tex’s fist. She retaliates by grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind his back. Tex screams, and Phoenix kicks him in the back, knocking him to the floor. Tex rolls onto his back. Like lightning, Phoenix jumps on top of him and slams a knife against his throat.
“Jesus Christ,” BlackJack mumbles. The man has seen women act like this a few times in his life, but I’m guessing it’s very different when your young daughter is the one fighting.
“If you’re going to threaten to kill someone, make sure you can come through.” She leans into him. “I should cut your throat right now...”
“That’s enough, Phoenix!” Jett yells, and Phoenix groans. She climbs off Tex and slips her knife back into the holster on her ankle. “Take this.”
“What is it?”
“Instruction on what to do next. You have one hour, Phoenix, to get the job done. Come back with proof, and we’ll put you out of your misery.”
Phoenix looks down at the note, then back to Jett. “If I do this, you’ll patch me?”
“Get it done, and you’ll find out. One hour, Phoenix.”
Phoenix doesn’t say a word to anyone; she just walks out of the building and leaves. Christ knows what Jett has her doing, but I doubt it’s anything good.
“What do we do about the mess outside?”
Tank rolls his neck before answering Gunner. “You three,” He points to DJ, Cain, and Saxon. “Get out there and clean up the mess. You,” This time, he points to Tex. “Get in the office, Jett, and I need a word.”
“A word? That bitch trashed my bike!”
“And you’ll be compensated. Now get in the fuckin’ office before I break your neck with my bare hands!” Tex’s shoulders slump, but he does as Tanks ordered and makes his way to the office.
“Was that part of your plan?” Wrench is more pissed off than I thought he was. “Have my sister set fire to Tex’s motorcycle? What kind of initiation is that?”
“No, Wrench, that wasn’t part of her initiation. Having her smack him in the mouth was. Which, I might add, is all I thought she’d do when Tex mentioned Gage.”
“Come on, Prez, you had to know it wouldn’t end well.”
Jett nods his head at Gabe. “I suppose I did. However, I didn’t think for one second she’d go out there and make good on her promise. Gotta admit the girl’s got some fuckin’ balls.” He laughs, and most of us laugh with him.
“What have you got her out there doin’?”
“That you’ll find out when Phoenix returns. For now, Tank and I have a prospect to calm down.”
* * *
Red, Stryker, and I are all outside talking when Phoenix ride through the gates. Stryker raises his eyebrow when he sees Ava on the back of Phoenix’s bike. I dread to think what the two of them have been up to. I do know that Trace won’t like it.
“What have you two been up to?” Stryker stamps out his cigarette and watches Phoenix remove her helmet while climbing off her bike. Ava follows suit.
“What Jett told me to do.”
“And Ava’s with you, why?”
Phoenix rolls her eyes, but it’s Ava who answers Red. “I was just giving Phoenix a hand with something.” Red’s eyes narrow angrily. Jett is not going to like this. Initiations are meant to be carried out alone unless Jett says otherwise. “Grandpa, please don’t be mad at me,”
I roll my eyes at Ava’s childish ways. She knows how to wrap my Dad, Roman, and Trace’s father right around her little finger. “Cut it out, Ava,” I didn’t mean to snap at her, but this shit pisses me off.
“For Christ’s sake! Can you all just shut up? I’ve got shit to do.” This time, I raise my eyebrow and Phoenix. Who does she think she’s talking to, all of a sudden? “What I did or didn’t do is nothing to do with any of you. Just as what Ava was doing with me is none of your business. Come on, Ava.”
Ava hugs Red quickly before running after Ava, like a loyal pet. I shake my head at how ridiculous that seems.
“We best get in there,” I nod at Stryker.
We follow the girls inside, where everyone is waiting for Phoenix. I stand next to Trace, who looks like he’s about to commit murder. I knew he wouldn’t be please about his daughter being with Phoenix.
I watch Phoenix hand Jett her phone. “What’s this for?” He asks.
“It’s your proof, along with this.”
Jett raises his eyebrow while holding his hand out for Phoenix to drop something in his palm. He smirks before turning to face us all. “When I sent Phoenix out of here earlier, it was to fetch me the one thing I never thought she’d be able to bring back.”
“And what was that?” BlackJack asks.
“Set this up.” Jett hands Phoenix her phone, and she leaves the room for a moment. Jett turns back to us. “I gave Phoenix the task of retrieving Billy Ryan’s gold tooth.”
“Are you fuckin’ serious?!” Wrench is so red in the face; it looks like he’s about to burst the blood vessels in his eyes.
“Shut the fuck up!” Tank snaps. “You were told that there would be no exceptions where Phoenix is concerned. She wants to be one of us; then she needed to prove she could do something most women wouldn’t.”
“I get that, Tank,” Wrench scratches his head. “But that fucker is insane. He could have killed her!”
Billy Ryan is a drug-dealing piece of shit from the next town over. He’s a vile cunt that has no problem slapping women around, nor does he have a problem taking what he wants. He’s a violent cunt, and, as Wrench said, could have killed Phoenix.
“Killed her?” Ava buts in. I forgot she was here for a moment, as did everyone else by the way they’re looking at her. “You don’t have a clue just how cunning and smart Phoenix is. She was amazing, and he didn’t stand a chance aga
inst her.”
“What the hell were you doing go along with her?”
Ava bites the inside of her cheek while looking at Trace. “She asked me for a favor.”
“If you assisted Phoenix with her task, she would have failed, Ava.”
“I didn’t help her, Jett. Phoenix would never ask for help, especially not with something as important as today. As soon as she read the note and knew what you wanted her to do, she knew how she would execute it. Phoenix called me only because she needed someone to hold her phone and record what she was about to do. She couldn’t carry out the act and film it.”
Jett nods his head, and I swear I see a slight smirk on his face. “I can let that slide, as long as what you filmed is good.”
“Why don’t you be the judge of that?” I didn’t see Phoenix there. She places Jett’s laptop on the table in front of us all. I’m guessing she’s uploaded whatever Ava filmed to the computer. “Daddy, I’m sorry for what you’re about to see.”
BlackJack looks at his young daughter, and Red nudges my shoulder. I look at him for a moment, and we share a look that says, BlackJack is not going to like this.
Everyone gathers around Jett, while Phoenix and Ava move to the back of the room. I watch them taking for a second. They’re laughing about something, not that I care what.
The screen comes to life, and we see Phoenix circling Billy Ryan as he sits in a chair. His eyes watch her appreciatively, even more so when she stands in front of him and removes her leather jacket.
Now, it’s not unusual for all of us to see Phoenix in her wet look pants and a leather bra. The girl always dresses that way, along with her biker boots and leather jacket. However, it’s very different seeing her dressed that way on the screen. She’s moving her body seductively, pushing her fingers into her hair as she dances.
Razor looks at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He’s thinking the same thing most men in the room are. Little Dana Anderson grew up. There’s no denying how beautiful Phoenix is, but seeing her on that screen, we all see the sexy woman she’s grown into. You don’t see many women with a body shape like Phoenix’s.
Havoc: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 10