LYDIA

 

I could never quite get over Finn’s Bar. It was only my second time there but I didn’t think I would get used to it if I went there a million times. The scene of bikers and women surrounding me was like being on a completely different planet. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone.

“How do you know her?” I asked.

“It’s a small town. Everybody knows everybody. Amy’s has been around for a long time, along with the people who work there.”

“I suppose it helps that she loves drawing attention to herself.”

“Yeah, she does. She definitely does.”

Sean and I laughed as we watched my coworker dance off to the side of the bar. Gina was surrounded by a couple of bikers who were vying for her attention. They were both muscled and intimidating with tattoos up and down their arms. It was hard to tell which one would win if they got into a fight over her.

“Who do you think she’s going to pick?” I said.

“Who said she has to pick at all?”

“That’s a good point.”

“A girl like Gina… She knows exactly who she is and she’s not afraid to show it.”

“That’s probably for the best. I’d hate to see a fight break out in the middle of the bar.”

“Why not? Too much excitement for you?”

“Excitement I can handle. Watching two guys take swings at each other? I would head back to the big city if I wanted to see that.”

I looked over at Sean and he smiled back at me. He looked especially charming tonight. Maybe it was the atmosphere at Finn’s that made him fit in so well. But whatever it was, there was no other man I would rather be with at the moment.

“I don’t even know why she bothers inviting me out,” I said. “As soon as we get here, she’s off gallivanting with the first guy to show her any attention.”

“That’s what the bar is for. Just a bunch of horny men and women who are looking for a good time.”

“And is that what you’re looking for?” I said, raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re just a horny man looking for a good time?”

“Any man who tells you he’s not horny is a fucking liar. And if he says it to a woman like you… He’s definitely lying about it.”

I felt my face blushing from the way he stared at me. I shook my head to distract myself from the thought of him wanting me. I sipped on my drink next to the bar while Sean kept me company.

It was still early in the evening and the patrons in the bar were only just beginning to get rowdy.

“I had an interesting visit today at the bakery,” I said.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I met a guy. He said his name was Ben.”

“Ben?”

“Officer Rose, I think he said his name was.”

“Right. Officer Rose. I think I’ve heard that name before. What about him?”

“He said the Sheriff’s Department was doing some investigations. They were looking into the activity of some of the motorcycle clubs in this town…”

Sean wasn’t looking at me, his attention taken by the rest of the bar.

“…You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

He didn’t respond immediately. He sipped on his beer like he hadn’t heard what I said. Considering how loud it was in the bar, I considered that a possibility. But I waited patiently for a response and he eventually gave it to me.

“I know something about it,” he said. “Cops and bikers. They just don’t mix. It’s like water and oil. The Sheriff’s Department is always getting on our case.”

“That’s true. But do you have something to hide?”

He slowly turned and looked at me. His brown eyes locked on mine, he stared at me with a seriousness I hadn’t seen in him before.

“What if I did?” he said. “Would that scare you?”

“I… I’m not sure. What are you up to exactly?”

“Club business is club business. I’m afraid I can’t share it with you.”

“Right. I get that. Still… I’m a little concerned.”

“Concerned? For me?”

“You just got out. I was there when you talked to Sheriff Sutton at the bakery. I’m sure they’re keeping a close eye on you. I just… I wouldn’t want you to do anything crazy and get caught, that’s all.”

It was strange. I barely knew Sean but I was already worried about him. Knowing that he was possibly putting himself in jeopardy with the cops watching him made me feel uneasy in a way I wasn’t expecting.

Sean stared at me like he believed what I was saying. He hesitated for a second before finally saying something.

“You don’t have anything to worry about,” he sighed. “In fact, I was talking to the club about the bakery.”

“You were?”

“I told them about possibly supporting Amy’s. I told them it might be a good investment. For the club and for the city.”

“That’s great! What did they say?”

Sean shook his head. The disappointed look on his face told me enough.

“They weren’t up for it,” he said. “But maybe you can change their mind.”

“Me? What can I do?”

“Just… be you. Talk to them. Garnet’s a good man. I’ve known him for a long time. He’ll listen. I’m sure you can convince him that this is a good deal. All you have to do is tell him how he could make some money.”

“Right… Make some money… Of course… Yeah, I’ll have to think about it but… Thank you, Sean. I really appreciate it.”

“You know, if you really appreciate it, there’s something you can do for me.”

He gave me a knowing look. I bit the corner of my bottom lip, trying to fight the smile from coming to my face.

Dammit!

His stare. That damn stare. That’s all it took to light a fire in my stomach and make me lose my sanity.

“All right,” I said with a nod. “I do appreciate it and I will pay you back. But you’ll have to remind me of what it is you had in mind.”

“I think you know what’s on my mind…”

He leaned in closer to me. His face drifting toward mine, Sean was breathing on my lips.

“You!”

A loud voice interrupted our kiss.

I jerked my head back and looked at the man standing before us. Everybody in the bar turned and looked at him, too.

He was pale-skinned with a shaved head. In place of hair, there was a line of black tattoos across his head. They trailed down his neck and around his shoulders.

He looked like a biker. Blue jeans, boots and a leather vest. I looked for patches but there were none.

He had his eyes locked on Sean as he slowly moved toward him.

“You,” the man said. “You fucking asshole. You’ve got some nerve showing up back here.”

Sean was glaring back at the man. His jaw clenched, Sean stared at the stranger like he was trying to burn a hole through him. He put his hand on my arm and gently pushed me away. I gulped as a sudden nervousness filled my stomach.

“Poison… What the fuck do you want?” Sean said.

“You know what the fuck this is about,” the man said. “My brother—”

“Your brother was a piece of shit.”

He rushed up to Sean and put his face right to his. Everybody started crowding around, holding the man back before he could do anything more. I looked down and noticed that Sean had both hands balled into fists. Tension started to fill the bar and the rowdy conversation slowly started to quiet.

“Don’t talk about my brother,” the man said. “You’ve got no fucking right. Not after what you did.”

“It was a mistake. I made a mistake. He made a mistake. Move on.”

“No, there’s no moving on. You’re back. He’s not.”

“I did my fucking time! They locked me up for three fucking years!”

“Oh, cry me a fucking river! Razor is dead! He’s not coming back and you’re whining about doing three years.”

“I’m not whining,” Sean said, shaking his head. “I’m over it. Let go, man.”

Sean stood stone-faced as the man was held back by some of the bikers surrounding him. The man continued to stand defiantly before Sean, shaking his head in disgust.

“You’re gonna fucking pay for what you did,” he said.

“Don’t fucking threaten me!”

“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want! You got no business coming back to Ivory. If there was any justice, you’d be in the fucking ground!”

Without warning, the man pulled his arm free and took a swing at Sean. Sean just managed to move his head back out of the way.

Chaos broke loose.

Everybody in the bar erupted out of their seats and rushed to the scene as Sean took a swing back at the man.

Groups of bikers struggled to keep the man and Sean apart but failed as the two of them eventually broke free. He collided with Sean, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

“Sean! Sean!”

I cried out helplessly because I couldn’t do anything. But even my words were lost in the shuffle.

Sean and the stranger continued to struggle with one another, throwing punches like they were trying to kill each other. Eventually, the bikers were able to separate the two and move them to opposite sides of the bar.

“You’re gonna fucking pay for what you did!” the man yelled across the room. “You’re gonna fucking pay!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Sean responded. “Stop being a bitch!”

Eventually, they both settled down. The man calmed down enough to be escorted out of the bar without causing a further scene.

Everybody returned to their seats. They resumed their conversations and tended to their drinks. Just like that, it was as if nothing had happened.

I made my way over to Sean and saw the scrape across his cheek.

“Shit!” I said. “Are you all right?”

“It’s nothing,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve done worse to myself shaving.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine…”

I put my arm around his and escorted him back to the bar. Sean nonchalantly sipped on his beer. I figured there was no better time to ask him than now.

“So…” I started. “Do you want to explain to me what that was all about?”

“What’s there to explain?” he said plainly. “I killed his brother and he wants to get back at me.”

“Right.”

It was so absurd that I managed to laugh at it. Sean smirked at me then downed the rest of his beer.

“I’m assuming that’s why you were locked up,” I said. “Because that’s the guy you killed. Razor, I think he said his name.”

“Razor’s the man I killed. That was his brother, Poison.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s more to this than that. And that’s not even mentioning his name…”

“Yeah… There is.”

I was waiting for him to give me all the details. At this point, it didn’t matter how well I knew Sean. The time he served in prison was going to follow him around constantly. I had to know all about this before I figured out anything else about him.

But I couldn’t ask him any more questions because he suddenly took my hands in his.

“Listen,” he said. “I know you’re still in the dark about everything. I’m sure I’m a big fucking mystery to you.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement…”

“I know. And I’m sorry. But you’ve gotta trust me when I tell you that that’s not who I am. That’s not the real me. That’s not the me I want you to see and know.”

“All right… Who is the real you, Sean?”

He looked around the bar as if making sure to see nobody was watching.

“I think we’ve been in Finn’s long enough,” he said. “Let me take you for a ride.”

“A ride? Horny already, are we?”

“It’s not like that. Well, not just like that. I wanna show you something. Come with me.”

“Okay… Of course. Just let me make sure Gina will be all right.”

“I’m sure Gina is just fine.”

I tilted my head and looked over Sean’s shoulder. Sure enough, Gina was getting into the thick of it with a couple of bikers who were infatuated with her. I giggled at the sight then turned my attention back to Sean.

“What do you want to show me?” I asked.

“Just come with me. You’ll see.”