JON

 

I sat in bed and leaned against the headboard. The smoke in my lungs made me feel more relaxed than I already was. I stared at the woman in front of me as she bent over.

Stephanie knew what she was doing. A young slut that had to make it clear what she had to offer. Tan skin. A decent pair of tits. Her body was a little soft but she was young. It wouldn’t be pretty when she got older but growing old with a girl like Stephanie was something nobody ever considered.

Nobody was ever proud of spending time with Steph. Just a young groupie trying to sleep with a club member. A man had needs though. It was never completely satisfying but it did the job. Hooking up with a slut like Stephanie was like eating a fast food burger. You took it because there was nothing else and you felt like shit right after.

The young blond hopped into her jeans and put her barely-there top back on. She bounced in place and turned around with a smile on her lips.

She sat on the bed and leaned in close to me with a smile on her lips but at this point, she’d done what I needed her to do. My cig was more appealing than her caked-up face at this point.

“So…” she started as she trailed her finger along my arm. “I was thinking… Maybe we can do this again.”

I didn’t say anything to her. I didn’t even look at her.

Thankfully, she got the message. Steph bounced out of my room and gave me the quiet solitude I needed. I sat in my bed and finished my cigarette before finally getting up.

Jeans. Boots. Kutte. I fixed my hair up before finally stepping out of the room.

I had a place of my own in the back of the clubhouse. It wasn’t much but the small room got the job done when I was in the mood for a whore like Steph.

I made my way out into the main hall of the clubhouse. The bar was mostly empty except for a few patrons scattered around the tables. I went up to the counter and poured a shot of whiskey for myself. As soon as I gulped it down, a voice rang in my ears.

“So… Steph, huh?”

Even if I hadn’t known Needle for so long, I would have recognized his voice anywhere. Fitting his name was Needle because most everybody thought he was a prick. But when you got to know him… you realized that it was only partially fitting.

“Just a one-time thing,” I sighed.

“Hey, hey. I’m not judging you. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Frankly, I’m surprised that you even took a woman like Steph back to your room.”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

I turned and looked at him.

Needle always had that cocky smirk on his face. An eyebrow raised and looking down his nose at everybody, he was like the most popular guy in high school even though high school ended years ago. I didn’t hold it against him though. He had to be the blond pretty boy that he was.

“You set an example for the others,” he said. “You’re not the type to take advantage of the patch and use it to bang sluts.”

“I don’t give a shit why these bitches let me fuck ‘em. They can brag all they want. I’m just trying to satisfy my need.”

“Hey. You don’t need to explain it to me. We all do what we gotta do. Sometimes a slut like Steph is real appealing. MC groupies are nice from time to time.”

I sighed a deep breath and rolled my eyes.

“Is there something you want from me?” I said. “Or did you just want to pontificate on who I should or shouldn’t be fucking?”

“I’ll pontificate a bit.”

I looked away from him. If he were a patch, I would’ve slugged him right there. But I humored Needle and listened to his philosophy.

“Today it’s Steph,” he said. “Tomorrow, it might be some other hot young girl who digs leather and tattoos. The day after that, someone new.”

“I’m not interested. I only fucked Steph because it’s been awhile.”

“Fair enough. But you’re single. You’ve got no obligation to Stephanie or any of these other whores sitting around trying to be an old lady. I say you get your fill. If I was single—”

“Does Katrina know?”

Needle stopped smirking as soon as I mentioned his bride to be.

“That’s just it,” he said as the smirk quickly returned to his face. “I’ve only been with Katrina ever since I got with her. Never cheated on her. Never have, never will. You, on the other hand, my friend…”

Needle put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

“…You need to get as much pussy as you can get.”

“Stop trying to live vicariously through me. Just because your old lady isn’t giving it to you—”

“Whoa, whoa!”

He put his hands up and started snickering like a schoolboy.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” he said. “Katrina’s the best pussy I ever had. And I get more than my fair share, even with the kid around.”

“I’m still waiting for you to make your point.”

“My point is you’re a man. You’re a Reaper. You gotta get as much pussy as you can get before your time’s up.”

“Thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes again. “I’m glad that I have your approval on who to fuck.”

“Glad to give you my advice,” he said, that annoying sarcasm in his voice.

I was a few years older than Needle but even if I wasn’t, the thought of him giving me advice on anything was laughable. Needle was as rash and impulsive as anybody. Even settling down with an old lady hadn’t changed his attitude.

He didn’t leave me though. He just stayed leaning up against the bar next to me.

“Is there something else you wanted?” I said.

“Garnet called a meeting. He said to get you into the chapel as soon as you were done with your little fuck session with the whore.”

“The president called a meeting and you’re just now telling me?”

“Hey, talking about the slut was a priority. I just wanted to see where your head was at—”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Ha!”

I got up from my seat and made my way over to the chapel. Just then, Garnet stepped out of his office.

“Let’s go!” he announced to the rest of the club.

The rest of the club members filed into the meeting room. I closed the door behind us and took a seat next to Garnet at the head of the table.

Garnet wasn’t that much older than me. Dark hair. Goatee and a beard as thick as ever. Tan skin and club ink displayed proudly on his arms. He carried himself like the club president that he was. Serious when he needed to be but always willing to be democratic about shit. I’d heard about other clubs. I was glad I didn’t have to deal with all of the club politics that they had to deal with.

I looked around the table at all of the club members.

Sully. The youngest member but wise beyond his years. His haircut made him look like he was in a boy-band but I didn’t hold it against him. He was a good kid and everybody in town looked up to him. Probably the most upstanding citizen in the club.

Brawn. Every club needed an enforcer. Brawn was all that and more. Nobody ever crossed us when the big man was around.

Petey. He was quiet. Messy hair. An innocent look in his eyes. He had smarts to make up for his meekness though. He wasn’t a big man like Brawn but he knew how to take care of himself when it came down to it. I’d seen it more times than I could count.

And then there was Needle. Still a prick, leaning back in his seat without a care in the world.

BRIC. Black Reapers, Ivory Chapter.

“First order of business,” Garnet announced. “Numbers are getting a little thin. Got a few prospects lining up waiting to get patched in.”

“New patches are always good,” I said. “We could get a lot more work done.”

“Can’t just let anybody in though,” Needle said. “Even being a prospect is something we can’t fuck around with.”

“That’s the point of being a prospect,” I responded.

Everybody turned toward Garnet.

“First man I’m looking at is Nathan Hicks,” he said.

“Nathan?” Needle said.

“The red-haired kid who’s always around,” I said. “He’s a good kid. He deserves a chance to prove it. I know he’ll work hard.”

“Hard work is one thing,” Needle replied. “It takes more than that to be a Reaper.”

“He’s from Ivory. He knows what it means to be a Reaper. He respects the patch.”

Garnet looked around the table.

“Let Hicks be a prospect,” he said. “Yay or nay?”

“I’m a yes,” I said.

“Yay,” Petey said.

“Yay,” Sully said.

“I don’t see any reason why not,” Brawn added.

“Sure,” Needle said with a shrug. “If you guys think this kid is good enough, I’m with it.”

“I’m a yay, too,” Garnet. “The decision passes, six to zero.”

“It’d be nice to get some new blood around here,” Sully said. “I’m kinda tired of being the new guy.”

“You’ll always be the new guy to me,” Needle said, leaning over to pinch his cheek.

Sully rolled his eyes then knocked Needle’s hand away.

“If you ladies are done fucking around, we’ve got more important business to discuss,” Garnet interrupted them.

Garnet was serious most of the time. But I knew there was some real shit on his mind from the way he was looking at everybody.

“The Chinese are back in business in Ivory,” he said. “They wanna start pushing their shit through. Their man Lin got in touch with me.”

“No shit?” Needle said. “Even with the feds still in town?”

Garnet had made a deal with the Chinese Triads to move their product. Ivory was in a town in the middle of nowhere but it was between different big cities in every direction. The Triads used the Reapers to transport drugs between cities. It paid well.

But when the feds arrived, the Chinese pulled the plug on the whole operation, leaving the Reapers and every other MC with their thumbs up their asses.

“It’s costing the Chinese more money than they want,” he said. “Ivory is a direct line to the city up north. They figure it’s worth the risk.”

“Sounds pretty dangerous,” Petey said. “With the feds in town, we could get spotted a lot more easily.”

“Not to mention that someone could be working with the Triads for the feds,” Needle added.

“I don’t think so,” I said as I shook my head. “If Lin’s the kind of man I think he is, he runs a tight ship. Any rat working for the Triads would be dead before he realized it.”

“The question now is, do we wanna do this?” Garnet said.

He looked at the table and eyeballed every one of us.

“There’s more risk involved,” he continued. “More risk means more pay.”

“Any other MCs making this deal with the Chinese?” Needle asked.

“Not that I’m aware of. They wanna test it out first and see if it works then they’ll probably start talking to more MCs.”

“That’s great. We’re the fucking guinea pigs…”

There was some reservation on Needle’s face. He shook his head and looked away. Everybody else was calm, staring off into space as Garnet spoke.

“Make the deal with the Triads to move their product. Yay or nay?”

“I need the cash,” Brawn said. “Yay.”

“Yay,” Petey said.

Sully sighed a deep breath through his nose.

“It’s too much of a risk,” he said. “But I trust you guys. Yay.

Everybody turned toward Needle.

“I don’t need the money,” he said. “I say you let the Chinese get some other MC to test it out then we jump in. No.”

“Three to one,” Garnet said.

The president looked at me. I looked into his eyes and already knew what he was thinking.

“Yay,” I said.

“Yay,” Garnet announced. “The motion passes.”

“You guys better know what the fuck you’re doing,” Needle said.

“Did you forget how to ride?” Sully said to him.

“Whatever… Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, I got something,” I said.

Everybody turned their attention toward me.

“Needle has a point,” I said.

“He does?” Brawn replied.

“Ever since Lieberman and her goons arrived, every MC in town has been sitting around not doing shit. We gotta do something.”

“Something like what?” Needle said. “Like take Lieberman out?”

“No, dummy. I mean, we have to do something for Ivory. We’re the only club in Ivory. The only one that matters. People come to us when they need help. The last time we did anything was for Amy’s Bakery when that shit got shut down.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Garnet said. “A little goodwill goes a long way.”

“What are you thinking then?” Sully said.

“We’re gonna be making some good money from this deal with the Chinese,” I said. “Donation. Charity. There are people in this town who still need help. I say we take some of this money and help ‘em out.”

“Spending money will seem suspicious,” Needle said. “The feds have got their eyes on us.”

“If they’ve got their eyes on us, doing some good around this town will only make them look bad. Let everybody see. We’re Reapers. This patch is something to be proud of.”

“All right,” Garnet said with a nod. “No motion to pass. I’ll leave that up to you, Ghost. Look into it.”

“Anything else?” Needle asked.

“Meeting adjourned.”

Everybody got up from the table and left the chapel. Needle and Sully bickered as they walked next to each other.

“You still owe me,” Sully said.

“Owe you? For what?”

“You said double or nothing. You owe me double.”

“Whatever. You saw my chips on the table.”

“Is that the kind of man you are? You’re just gonna bet money you don’t have and not pay up?”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at their conversation. Business with the club was settled for the moment. Now it was just another average day in the clubhouse.