9  Chapter 9

AVERY WEST

Before I was anything, I was a woman. More importantly, I was a West woman and there was a damn good reason I was a virgin because of my West status. Meaning, Lenora West did not play when it came to education about one’s body, emotions and sex. Just like she wanted us to know about race relations on another level, she also wanted me to know about women relations and my responsibility to myself above anyone else.

A man unsure of what to do with a woman like me, was not worth giving it up to. It didn’t take a genius to know that Shiz was familiar with the ladies. They eyed him all the time and those looks were of longing and knowing. He didn’t return them when he was with me but I saw it.

Yesterday was amazing as we learned more about each other but the mere look in that man’s face when I shared my virgin status. He was scared, panicked even. He didn’t want a relationship or commitment.

That bothered me. So much so that I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling like I needed to get out. Making him a quick breakfast and setting the coffee to brew, I left with no plans to return.

Plus, my brother was home and he needed my help. Whether he wanted it or not.

After spending time on campus with his silly friends and conscientious girlfriend, I headed to my next task. He was fine, but I was still seeking my vengeance against the ones who harmed him. I was about to tell Shiz that but I’m glad I didn’t since he was not the man I thought.

Nathan’s girlfriend told me that my brother might not see clearly in his left eye again and he might always walk with a limp. That bit of news solidified it for me.

The King of Westonians taught both his kids how to use and wield a knife. A gun too but I kept the firearm locked away. The knife, that’s what I needed to do my next duty.

The Viper club had a party which meant all of their bikes were unoccupied. Slashing the tires of each of them was one thing but cutting the hoses, seats and strapped for all bags was another. So, I got to work. I counted twenty-three bikes with most of them Harley’s and I started puncturing each of them. I made it to bike eight, when a large hand grabbed me, growling, “What the fuck are you doing you stupid butch.”

The stale alcoholic odor from him mixed with his grotesque body scent, I nearly threw up. However, once his eyes cleared and he saw the damaged I’d done so far, he growled and slapped me across my face, which catapulted me to the ground, causing me to knock down a bike. This caused a domino effect and each of them was knocked over to my left.

That shit stung but I scrambled to my feet. Though it was too late.

Men began pouring out of the bar, shouting and yelling, “What the fuck?”

It wasn’t until they saw the damage that they put two and two together.

“It was her,” the stinky man yelled. “She’s out here fucking up our shit.”

They all looked ready to kill me but one big guy walking with a slight limp parted the crowd and hushed the drunk men. He had the Viper’s logo with President under his patch on the cut.

“Who are you with?” he asked and didn’t seem as inebriated as the rest.

“Nobody.” I stood up tall, despite being outnumbered. “That was for my brother, the one you stomped outside the Puff Bar a few weeks ago.”

The President looked around in confusion, then he asked the guy to his right, “Know anything about this?”

The man leaned in and whispered something in his ear and then backed up. The President eyed me but in a different way this time, from head to toe.

“You’re pretty ballsy coming here alone and fucking with our bikes,” he noted. “You’re going to pay for that shit though. One way or another.”

“I’ll take a piece of that ass,” the guy who hit me said behind me. “Gladly.”

“Not before me.” Another one barked.

Holy shit.

This is what I get for doing first and asking questions later. For all this bullshit, I should have let Shiz have my virginity than have it taken by a bunch of bikers about to rape and run a train on me.

Shit.

It was too late to run and too late to call anyone. Mom and Dad would freak and get themselves hurt. Nathan was already recovering from the beatdown he received from these men. So, that left nobody.

A roar of bikes rode up and if I thought there would be some relief, then I was sadly mistaken.

The khakis gave away the first guy, and I knew it was Slay. I breathed easy until I saw the look he gave me, like I was the scum of the earth.

“Looks like we’re interrupting,” he said with an easy smile to the President.

“Just some old club shit,” he replied. “About to be fixed now. Grudge, take her to the compound.”

“Gladly,” replied the smelly man who hit me.

Large hands grabbed the back of my neck to the point of pain and he pushed me forward.

“You do know she’s a Guardian bitch, right?” Slay said as a throwaway.

“Fuck those goddamn angels,” the President barked. “They think they can just come on our turf, fuck up our shit and that’s okay. Fuck all of them. If they want to come for this bitch they can, and we’ll be waiting.”

The man was going off but it did cause the guy Hedge to stop.

“Well, that would make sense if you had a strategy, but you don’t and this will have blowback. You prepared for that?” Slay said in a knowing way which meant he knew the club wasn’t.

The big man kept pushing me forward smelling of old musk and alcohol.

“Stop,” the President snapped causing the man to grumble under his breath.

He jerked me back and slowly turned around.

“What?” The reeking man snapped in his drunken haze.

“Let her go.” The president eyed the man. “Slay, here has a fucking point. We start this premature bullshit then we lose our shipment. Those angels will be on our ass and we don’t need that right now.”

The big man squeezed my neck harder almost like he wanted to snap it. Then he bit out, “How long you going to let those angels call the fucking shots? They come to our club, shoot you in the leg and you let it rock. Now this bitch comes in our club, fucks up our shit, and you’re just going to let it go. Fuck that. I’m taking payment on her pussy, ass and mouth for as long as I want. This bitch is going to pay up.”

Then he turned back around with me in hand and pushed me forward to the point that I fell to my knees on the dusty road.

There were two distinct clicks and then a shot that had me diving back down to the ground. Face first. It was a gunshot and I knew the difference between a firecracker.

Before I registered what was happening, something large fell beside me and when I turned, my first reaction was to jump back. There was a loud noise that pierced my ears but wouldn’t stop. Someone grabbed me and I realized it was me screaming that caused the sound.

I started fighting the hands that grabbed me but then I heard, “It’s Slay. Shut up.”

I stopped fighting but scooted away from him and saw the dead eyes staring back up at me. Bile rose up at the sight and I threw up the contents of my stomach on the ground next to where I sat.

“Fuck, Avery.” Slay sighed and gathered me against him. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”

That’s when I heard the ramblings of a madman.

“Tell those angels there’s more of that. Any of you that wanna cross me, I will put you down. Get her the fuck off my campus. Come back bitch and you’re dead like him.” The president was swinging his gun around at all of them. “Any fucking one. Disrespecting me like I’m some kind of bitch after I tried to build this club back up from its ashes. Tell me what you not gonna fucking do. Defy-fucking -me.”

He was losing his shit but Slay was dragging my shaking body towards his bike.

“Stupid fucker,” Slay muttered as he put me on the bike. “Degenerates. All of ‘em.”

Once he climbed on, he turned to me and said, “Can you hold on?”

My head nodded because I couldn’t speak. I felt nothing.

Empty.

And cold.

Very cold.

Absent-mindedly I held on to Slay as he drove me somewhere and I didn’t care, just as long as it was away from there.

When his bike came to a stop, my head rose, and I saw I was at the Guardians’ compound. Slay disembarked from the bike and made his way to front door. After a knock or two, several men piled out and that was when the yelling started.

“Where is she?” I heard a voice growl and as my eyes cleared I recognized it was Shiz in Slays face. Razor and Bronx were holding him back. He was moving like he was drunk.

“No, I need to see her.” He was yelling wildly.

“Not like this,” I heard Razor’s command. “Bronx.”

Someone was walking towards me and I was too tired to even act like I cared who was coming. I really just wanted to take a shower and lie down.

“Avery?” a man with a deep voice called. Making my eyes move up, I saw it was Apollo.  “Darlin’ you alright?”

My head shook in the negative because no words would leave me. My mental thoughts seemed to have shut down as I could not believe that I saw what I saw. Who would believe that? I just wanted to exact some vengeance and it led to a man dying. Literally, losing his life. No matter that I should be happy he was going to rape me in the worst ways. His dead eyes would haunt me or the fact that I put myself in that situation. My mom and dad would be pissed at me. Shit, even my knuckle-headed brother. But Shiz seemed almost distressed and his voice broken. I don’t know what Slay told him but I couldn’t bring myself to ask or even try to find out. I sat numbly on Slays’ bike and stared off.

“Let’s get you home,” he said.

Then just like Shiz, he scooped me up like I wasn’t a short butterball. He tucked me in a truck and drove off. By the time I arrived home, Dessy and Lori were there waiting for us.

“Hey, she alright?” Lori asked Apollo.

I didn’t catch his answer but I assumed it was a no because her eyes grew sad when she saw me. Dessy nabbed my keys from my purse and let us all in with me in Apollo’s arms.

“Take her to the bathroom,” Lori instructed, and Apollo moved that way.

“We got it from here,” Dessy said.

They all exchanged looks, then nods and Apollo left.

“Let’s get you outta these clothes,” Dessy said in a soft voice and I raised my arms to let her help me take off my shirt, then pants and underwear.

Lori had a hot shower going and that’s where I leaned against the shower wall and let out the most heart-wrenching cry I had within me. It just erupted from the neverlands and I fell under the cloak of its relief. Pure unadulterated pain ran down the streams of water and into the abyss. I’m not sure if I calmed down or the water turned cold, but Dessy turned off the shower, wrapped me in a towel and helped me get into bed. Lori had candles and soft music playing and it was then that I fell asleep.

What seemed like minutes but turned out to be hours later, I heard a deep familiar voice.

“I’m fine. Dessy, I said I’m fine,” the voice said.

“Let him through. Nobody gonna get between a man and his woman,” the gravelly voice interjected.

“Des,” another deep voice chimed in. “Come here sweetheart.”

“Bear?” she said in a warning tone. “We don’t know what happened to her. Anything. Slay said he didn’t know what happened before he arrived but he knows she saw someone get killed. She could have been sexually assaulted or anything. You didn’t hear her.”

“Bear!!!” the first man’s voice called.

“Desiree, get over here now. Ain’t nobody keeping you away from me. So move out the man’s way. Cause if I were him, I’d break that door down and dare anyone to stop me.” He flipped. Then he said, “Now.”

Dessy must not have moved quick enough because I heard a scuffle, a slight yelp and then the door opened. I didn’t turn to see but felt his heat from under the covers.

It was Shiz.

There was a slight noise and then something dropped on the carpet. I heard a slight movement, weight on the bed, then the covers pulled back and heat hit my back.

“Avery, you up?” a soft voice said in my ear as he pulled me against him with both arms wrapped around my neck and waist.

“I’m here now,” he continued. “Swear I’m here and not leaving. Okay? Let you down, Avery. Won’t happen again.”

His hold grew tighter, but I remained where I was; eyes closed, mind blank and heartbroken.