Chapter One

Jag

Everything had gone to shit tonight. Everything that could go wrong did, starting with the fucking shootout at Bungalow Three. At least none of the girls were seriously injured. A few scrapes and bruises from flying glass and grabby gangsters but no life threatening injuries. Even Stitch, who’d managed to take a bullet, had a through and through that would heal in time. The doctor we kept on the payroll showed up about five minutes before the law did and was taking care of it. Discreetly.

It was bad enough the Killer Aces and their stupid ass leader, Genesis, had come to town thinking they’d leave with Lasso’s wife and baby. But at the whorehouse, we’d put down a couple members of Roadkill MC, along with a few Killer Aces. Now wasn’t the time but it wouldn’t be long before my club, the Reckless Bastards, had them in our crosshairs. Those fuckers had been playing with us long enough and it was time to make them pay.

“Yo, Jag! Some hottie with blue hair is looking for ya.” The words registered but the voice didn’t, not with so much shit going on. Cops and forensics had showed up and they were taking their sweet ass time looking around. Luckily Lasso and Rocky were already on their way to the hospital after a brutal run-in with her ex. Because there were so many cars, vans and trucks clogging up the place, nothing bigger than a bike would be able to get through.

It shouldn’t be all that hard to find a chick with blue hair. I scanned the cluster of people beyond the crime scene tape until my gaze landed on a halo of bright blue hair. Her skin was pale and appeared deceptively delicate, until I saw the sleeve of tattoos on her left arm, fully on display thanks to a sleeveless Grateful Dead t-shirt. She looked around, her gaze freezing when she finally spotted me.

I didn’t recognize her and as I drew closer I knew I’d never met her before. I would have remembered those unusual gray eyes. “You’re looking for me?” I asked, wary of this bundle of contradictions.

She nodded and her smile was soft, almost affectionate like we knew each other. “I am.” She seemed stunned to see me, which I found odd considering she’d sought me out.

“Look, this isn’t really a good time for you to be here. Who are you really looking for because I don’t know you?”

“No,” she sighed. “You don’t. Not technically.” Her shoulders fell but only for a second before she recovered, once again squaring her shoulders and looking at me head on. “But I am looking for you, Jeremiah. It’s me, Vivi.”

That one word. That name sucked all the air out of my lungs. It was a name I’d like to say I hadn’t thought about in the past almost fifteen years, but the truth was, Vivi had crossed my mind on more than a few occasions over the years. “Wow. Vivi. How the hell are you? What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

She let out a long slow breath and raked a hand through her blue hair. “Not bad but I’ve been better. Do you have a minute?” She looked nervous as hell but good. Healthy. Not strung out. Thank fucking goodness.

I really wished I could stay and chat but too much shit needed to get done and Cross needed my help. “Tonight’s not good for me, Vivi. Where you staying at?” I let out a long breath. It was still surreal to say her name and have her here in front of me. I’d spent the better part of my childhood wishing for that very thing.

“It’s Vegas,” she said simply. “Finding someplace to stay is the easy part. If you get un-busy in the next couple days, give me a call.” She handed me a business card, all black with raised silver lettering. Vivi M. was all it said. “It was nice to finally meet you in real life, Jeremiah.”

Yeah it was. Too damn bad that she hadn’t wanted to meet all those years before. But that was water under the bridge. She’d looked me up because she clearly needed something, and when I had a free moment I’d give her a call and see what that was.

“You too. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can.”

“Yeah, okay.” She said as she turned to walk away. She sounded doubtful, but I had things to do and now wasn’t a good time.

I needed to check on Lasso and especially Rocky. She’d taken a few nasty hits to the face and her pregnant belly and I knew Lasso had to be out of his fucking mind right now.

My club and my brothers were my first priority.

As much as I hated it, Vivi would have to wait.

***

Seeing Vivi had brought up so many memories and made it hard to sleep. Which was what I really needed after the craziness of the past few months. But instead of closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep, I could see it clear as day. The last good memory I’d ever had.

“I just picked up an extra shift, honey.” As soon as I came in from school, Mom was already dressed in her purple scrubs and matching sneakers with hot pink laces. She smiled at me, searching for signs that I was disappointed she was going back to work. Again.

I understood even though I wished she didn’t have to work so hard. “You know I could help out with the bills, Mom.”

She shook her head as I knew she would, her chin-length bob brushing her jaw. “Absolutely not, kid. Even if I worked every day for the rest of my life I can’t afford to send you to any of those schools already sniffing around here. Save the money from your little jobs.”

I grinned because it wasn’t all that little. In fact, it was enough to get me through two years at a top tier college and maybe the full four at a state school. But she never asked so I didn’t tell her. Yet. I planned to let her know the day of my high school graduation. Three years away. “I had to ask even though you’re a stubborn ol’ mule.”

“Who you callin’ old?” She winked and slipped on the sweater I bought two Christmases ago because she was forever complaining that the hospital was too cold. “There’s stuff in the fridge for stir-fry and your lunch tomorrow. Eat your veggies.”

“Okay, Mom. I hear you.”

She rolled her eyes and kissed my cheek. “Don’t be on that computer all night Jeremiah. Get outside and live a little. Show that beautiful smile to a pretty girl.”

I rolled my eyes because pretty girls looked right through me, but she wouldn’t believe that because she wore mom blinders. Constantly.

“Did you pack a meal for yourself, Mom?”

“Salad and a sandwich. See you later honey. And don’t hack any more government agencies.”

Her laughter stayed even after she was long gone and my shoulders relaxed. Getting caught hacking the FBI could have ended much differently if not for the excuse of my police officer father’s death just two months before they caught me. No one said anything about the forced entries they found prior to his death, much to my great relief. They found I was cheaper than other security experts but it allowed me to sock away a nice college fund.

College was a few years away. Right now, all I wanted to do was to talk to NextGen, also known as [email protected] She was my best friend even though we’d never met in real life. It didn’t matter because we talked almost every day, voice or text chat. I preferred voice chat but sometimes she couldn’t and she wouldn’t say why. I didn’t push because I knew all about fucked up home situations. Dad was killed three years ago and Mom had only returned to normal this past year.

“Calling NextGen.” The ringing sound was loud in the kitchen where my laptop sat on the far end of the counter while I pulled out the ingredients for the stir-fry.

“Jeremiah, what’s up homie?”

I couldn’t help but grin at her attempts to be cool. “Vivi, I told you never to say that.”

“You said you weren’t offended.”

“I’m not but you sound incredibly … white.”

She paused for a second and I thought maybe I’d pissed her off, something I thought was impossible. Vivi was a tough girl. A bad ass. Then she burst out laughing. “I am actually super white. The old lady next door says I’m practically see through.”

“And when you say homie, you sound it. How’d that intrusion code work out?”

“Great. It took longer than I would’ve liked but I got in and looked around, found some interesting data before adding a back door for later.”

“Untraceable?”

“Is there any other way?” Unlike the girls at my school, Vivi was confident and she had no problems being sarcastic as hell.

“I seem to remember one key time when you did leave a trace.”

“One time! One damn time and you’re never gonna let me forget it!” I could hear the laughter in her voice because we both knew I’d never let her forget.

“One time is all it takes. Believe me, I know.”

“Fine, smart ass. What are you doing?”

“Making dinner. Mom’s workin’ a double. You?”

“Just some scout work for an investigator I know who doesn’t mind hiring a fourteen year old girl.” She was always doing work like that, for guys with no scruples. “Don’t worry, I got half the fee up front like you suggested.”

“Maybe if we meet up in the real world, I could act as your body guard when you meet these people.” Yeah it was a coward’s way to ask her about meeting in person but I wasn’t ready for that kind of rejection.

“Maybe,” she said but she didn’t mean it. “It’s not like either of us can travel on our own.”

That was bullshit. “Well one of us does plenty on her own that she probably shouldn’t.”

“Which is why she can’t have people asking questions about unaccompanied minors staying overnight. I’m sorry Jeremiah, but not now.”

I sighed and nodded even though she couldn’t hear me.

I’d ask her to meet three more times over the next two years. Vivi always said no and when my mom caught a bullet from a deranged shooter in the hospital, I stopped trying.

I took the hint and stopped asking.

A few months later, I stopped messaging and calling her altogether.

Hers was the longest friendship of my life and it mattered more to me than I knew. Until it was gone. But she clearly hadn’t felt the same so when I walked into that Army recruitment center, I put all my thoughts of NextGen behind me and moved on with my life.

My single, solitary life.