Chapter 7

ASHTON

Most people thought Jordan was a little young to be president of an MC, especially one with a history like the Cobras. I might’ve agreed with them in some cases. Jordan was cocky, arrogant, and could get a little hot-headed at times. But he always put the club first. He watched over all of us like family. I couldn’t remember a time when I had doubts about him being the president.

Having a man like Rex as his VP really made you realize just how level-headed Jordan was. What Jordan lacked in impulse, Rex made up for in spades. He had just the right amount of brashness to keep Jordan in check and keep him on his toes. Jordan played it safe but Rex made sure we took risks when we needed to.

Doc was the club’s treasurer. The oldest man in the crew, he had all of the wisdom the MC needed. Money. Other MCs. Drugs. Violence. Women. Doc had been through it all. More important than any of that, he was loyal, so there was never any worry about him not having the best interests of the MC. I imagined even if the clubhouse blew up, Doc would still be there in the remnants, sitting at the bar, waiting for the next meeting.

Micah was the newest member. The guy was straight. You had to expect that from someone who was in the military. He might’ve been new but he proved his loyalty to the MC. It didn’t hurt I’d seen the guy fuck people up like nothing else. He was on my side.

We all sat inside of the club meeting room, Grant sitting by my side like we always did. Jordan looked at me, his eyebrows raised.

“Grant told me what happened at the garage earlier,” he said. “You got a visit from Picardo?”

“It wasn’t a long visit,” I said. “But Picardo didn’t need very long to get his point across. Wanted to see if Grant and I were up for souping up his ride.”

“I thought we ain’t doing any business with the cartel?” Micah said. “Nobody needs a reminder after the shit with the Reapers and the Devils.”

“This ain’t business,” Rex said. “Picardo just needs a mechanic to do some work. We ain’t getting our hands dirty… Even though I think Picardo’d pay better than anybody else—”

“No business with the cartel,” Jordan said. “We already put it to a vote. Another vote won’t change things. Too much of a hassle. Picardo could drive a dumptruck full of money right in front of the bar but that wouldn’t be enough for us. We won’t sell out just to make a few dollars. Unless one of you is broke and hasn’t said anything about it.”

We all looked around the table, smirking at one another. The Bone Pit made enough, so every member could more than make ends meet. We all had our own shit going on the side. A big deal with someone like Picardo meant a big reward but an even bigger risk.

“No deal with the cartel,” Doc said. “But what about Ash and Smoke? Can’t knock their hustle. Picardo’s not stupid enough to visit them in broad daylight for everybody to see, when he knows he’s got eyes on him. I don’t see the harm in doing any work as long as it’s just some work on his ride.”

“What’d he say about the mods he wants?” Jordan asked.

Grant shrugged, shaking his head like it wasn’t a big deal. “Didn’t say. The guy wants to move a little faster and needs more storage. Nothing illegal about chopping and gutting his ride. Nothing illegal about a tuneup to give him a little more horsepower. Some nitrous would just get him a fine if he was caught with it, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

Jordan looked around the table and nodded. “No vote. See what Picardo wants exactly and make your own decision. If he asks for anything else. A ride up the street. A bottle of water. Some advice on where to get inked up. You tell him to go fuck himself. Picardo’s up to something. Keep the MC out of it. Don’t need no drama.”

“You got it,” I said.

Jordan snapped his fingers and everybody got up from their seats before heading back into the bar.

It was a relaxing day in the Bone Pit. The sun was just about to go down and patrons were starting to file in to get their night started. The calm before the storm.

The place was as nice as any MC clubhouse I’d ever been to. Maybe I was just so used to it I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.

I took a seat at the bar and reached for a bottle of scotch over the counter. Grant patted me on the back before heading for the exit. “Gonna head back to the garage. Get some shit ready for tomorrow in case Picardo comes rolling by.”

“Rose is coming by tonight.”

“I know. I’m definitely coming back, brother.” Grant gave me a smirk before heading out of the bar.

“So… Mrs. Rose is finally coming to the clubhouse.” Doc took a seat next to me while I poured myself a double. “What took you so long?”

“Look around. Look at the club members. Were you in a hurry to bring your girl around motherfuckers like Rex?”

“Just teasing you.” He laughed and hit me on the arm. “She was just my girl before she knew what kinda man I was. Then when she found out, she became my old lady. You don’t know if she’s an old lady until she sees what you’re really all about. No better place to figure that out than right here.”

“I’m not trying to make Rose my old lady. Hell, she’s not even my girl. I’m just having a good time with her.”

“And does Rose know about this?”

“Shit, it’s her idea. I’m just trying to talk to her and she’s the one begging me to fuck her.”

“You don’t think she’s some groupie just trying to get a ride on a Cobra, huh?”

“Nah… Rose is from around here but she’s not like all these Ivory sluts. She’s smart. She’s educated. She can actually talk. That’s why it’s so surprising all she wants me to do is bend her over.”

“And do you really believe that?”

Doc raised an eyebrow at me. The old bastard always tried to make his point without saying anything. Probably because it worked. I swallowed down my scotch and sighed through my nose.

“From what you’re telling me about her, Rose might just be telling you what you wanna hear—”

“I wanna hear her tell me what she’s saying. But I know Rose wants what she’s asking for. She can’t fake that. I’m not trying to figure out what else we’ve got between us. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then I’ll move on. There ain’t no girl in the world I can’t get over.”

“Teddy used to say the same thing and look what happened to him.”

“I know you’re trying to bless me with your infinite wisdom but can you do me a favor, Doc?”

“What’s that?”

I poured myself another double and held the glass up in my hand. “Shut the fuck up.”

Doc burst into laughter and patted me hard enough on the arm to shift the glass. “I can’t wait to meet this girl.”

“If you talk to her, just tell her the truth. Life in the MC ain’t easy. They call us one-percenters for a reason.”

“If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. There’s nothing I can or can’t say that’ll change her mind, one way or another.”

Doc got up from his seat and left me alone with my liquor. While more patrons started to fill the place up, I pulled my phone out and saw the message from Rose I didn’t notice. It wasn’t just a message though. Under the text, there was a picture. No face in the photo. And she was still in her underwear. I recognized that body though. All I could do was smile.

“I can’t wait for tonight…”