Diablo

Staring at the redheaded woman I once spent my free time with, I don’t know how I ever slept with her. It was never intimate for me. Kris was always a distraction to ease my thoughts away from Katie. It worked at the time, but now I have Savy. She’s the woman that makes all the pain and shit in my life disappear. Skull is standing against the wall, arms crossed with a mean mug on his face. If he weren’t my brother, he’d make a shiver run down my spine.

“Diablo, baby. I’m sorry for causing a scene, but she jumped on me,” Kris says. Trying to show her innocence, but failing. I can see the lies lingering below the surface. Her eyes tell it all.

“You,” I begin, “have been causing trouble for weeks I hear.”

Kris sits up straighter, real fear shows on her bloody face.

“No–”

“Do not speak,” I say. The timber of my voice is low and deadly.

Kris stops speaking immediately, and fidgets with her hands, the nervousness plastered across her face.

“You have been causing trouble for weeks. You know the rules, Kris.” I pause, and let her unease rise for several minutes. The silence is uncomfortable, but just what I need. This bitch has been crossing lines. And I need to make sure she doesn’t cross them again. “You are a sweetbutt. You are the club’s property and nothing more. Do not think you are anything special because I let you suck my dick.”

She inhales deeply, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t speak. Silent tears roll from her green eyes. She knew what being a sweetbutt meant when she came to Havoc. Just because I slept with her, doesn’t change her position in the club. We all know that is every sweetbutts’ goal, and some do find the old man they desire. But Kris would never be my ol’ lady. She doesn’t have what it takes to be the president’s property. She has no loyalty, no heart.

“You are lucky,” again I pause. Leaving her to imagine why she is lucky. Skull is still leaning against the wall. He hasn’t moved an inch. He’s seen me expel sweetbutts for less. Hell, he’s done it himself.

“Savy is my ol’ lady. She’s my property. And she has appealed for you.”

Kris’ head turns to the side, looking away from the devil standing in front of her.

“You better fucking look at me when I’m talking to you,” I say.

She snaps her head back toward me, and stares directly in my eyes. She shifts her eyes toward Skull, pleading in silence for him to help her.

“Oh no, he won’t help you. If it were up to him, you and Hazel would be dead. You’ll get no sympathy from him.”

She looks back toward me, realizing Skull will not help her.

“Savy has asked me not to kick you out of the club.” I pause to let my words sink in. “You better fucking stay away from her and Ena. You hear me?” I ask.

Nodding her head, she doesn’t say a word. And I smile.

“If you fuck with either of them again, I will kill you. Now get the fuck out of here and don’t come back until you get your head out of your ass.”

She scrambles to get out of the room, closing the door without a sound.

“What the fuck was that?” Skull asks. He’s moved away from the wall, but his body is still tense.

“Savy asked me not to kick her out. She thinks it will make her look weak and I agree. She’s gotta deal with this shit on her own.”

“Is she hurt?” Concern wrinkled in his forehead and gray eyes.

“No,” I say, finally laughing. “She has a swollen hand and a split lip, but nothing is broken. She’s tough and, she can defend herself if she needs to.”

“I’m glad she beat the shit out of Kris. I told you not to fuck with her, the bitch is crazy.”

“Yeah, well, hopefully she’s gotten the hint. I don’t want to have to kill another woman.”

“Well, from the way Ena was talking, Savy tried to smooth things over and Kris kept going. Once she called Ena a whore, she flipped and dove straight at her.”

“Yeah. That’s what Savy told me, too.”

“I hope you never piss her off, brother, I’d hate to see what she would do to you,” Skull laughs.

“Fuck, me either.”

* * *

Kris

I hate that bitch. She took what was mine and I’m going to get him back. I don’t care what I have to do to get Diablo. I can’t believe some country bumpkin came into Havoc and took Diablo right from under me. I’ve been with him since coming to Havoc and I can’t let her get away with stealing from me. I need to learn more about her. She can’t be as perfect as she seems. Sitting around the Compound all day and never leaving at all. There’s something up and I will find out what it is.

I know Donny from the club Savy works at. She’s hiding from something, but I need to find out what that is. Once I find out, I’ll make Hazel help me take Savy down. Savy attacks me and expects me to feel grateful that Diablo didn’t kick me out of Havoc? No one gets away with fucking with me.

Fuck her!

“Hazel, let’s go,” I say. I need to leave the club for a few days. I can’t walk around with the bruises I’m sure she left behind. None of the brothers will want anything to do with me if I look like a rag doll.

“Coming,” Hazel says. She patters over on her slut heels.

“I need your help.” I explain my plan to Hazel, but I can see the fear on her face. Honestly I don’t blame her, hell I’m a little afraid too. Diablo wasn’t lying when he said he would kill me. He absolutely will. And now that he has that little curly haired slut hanging all over him all the time, he will follow through with his promise.

“I don’t think I can help you with that, Kris,” Hazel says and it pisses me off.

“Fuck yes you can! Don’t forget what I know about you,” I say. “I will tell the entire club you are a homeless whore from Minnesota. Don’t fuck with me, Hazel, I’ll tell them everything!”

“I don’t care! I’m not helping you,” she says. Her reluctance to help me take down Savy pisses me off. I'm surprised by Hazel’s insistence that she won’t help me. I know she doesn’t want her secret out. Usually I can get her to do whatever I tell her to do. She used to do anything to protect against others from finding out about her sordid past. It looks like that’s changed.

“It’s okay, Hazel, I’ll take care of the little bitch myself.” I turn and walk away from my former minion. She’ll pay for telling me no. Hazel doesn’t know what I’m capable of, none of them do.

I need to talk to Donny. He’s Savy’s boss. I have to find out as much as I can, and fast. This bitch is going down and I will get my man again.

* * *

Savy

I haven’t seen Kris around the club for several days. It’s nice to not have someone trying to stab me in the back. I know if she could, Kris would take me out. Unfortunately, I went from constantly looking over my shoulder and running from Paul, to constantly looking over my shoulder because Caleb has so many sweetbutts after him. The difference between them and myself is I don’t give a shit about being with Diablo the President of Havoc Motorcycle Club. I only care about Caleb. I also understand that Caleb and Diablo are one and the same. Diablo is the outer shell. The tough exterior he shows to the world. Fortunately, he has a family of brothers he is able to be himself with. Even better, we have found each other. With me, he can be who he truly is because I don’t give a shit about him being the scary biker he has to be in front of the rest of the world.

I contemplate these thoughts as I’m getting ready for my first shift back at The Jungle. I’m so excited to get out of the Compound. I miss Cherry and the rest of the girls.

I never thought I’d say that.

It’s amazing how much I have changed since becoming Caleb’s ol’ lady. Tonight will show me how much I have grown. In the past, I used to hide behind the tough exterior I showed the world. The only person I was comfortable with at the club was Cherry so I kept my distance from all the other girls. I hope that changes.

Fuck. I really have changed.

“You ready?” Caleb asks.

“Yep,” I say. Popping the “p” and flashing my dazzling white smile.

“Let’s go,” he says.

We walk out of the front doors of the club and walk toward Diablo’s bike. The bike is beautiful. Once he is seated, I throw my leg over the seat and slide as close to his body as I can. Leaning in, I rest my head on his back as I wrap my arms around his stomach. Inhaling the scent of oil, leather and Caleb, I let the feel of the bike beneath me settle me. I’m not afraid of the road any more. I got over that fear on our first date. I may love riding more than Caleb now.

Who am I kidding? That man loves riding more than anything in this world.

Riding allows me to be free, freer than I’ve ever been before. What makes this ride sweeter is this is the first time I’ve left Havoc grounds in weeks. The wind blowing in my face is a feeling I cherish.

We pull into the front parking lot of The Jungle and I see that things have changed. The parking lot is clean and there is a row of bikes parked close to the entrance. Before Paul’s reentry into my life, we had a lot of bikers coming into the club, but it seems there are many more than I remember.

“Come on, babe, let’s get you clocked in.”

A chorus of greetings ring out as I enter the threshold of the club. There are several familiar faces, Joker, Wolf, and Preacher. What I notice most are the small changes like the waitresses’ uniforms and the new coat of paint on the once shabby walls. It’s still the same old Jungle I remember though. And for that I’m thankful. I’m just happy to get back to what I’m familiar with.

“Come with me to the office,” Caleb says. He is still in a defensive mode, standing guard even though we are inside the club and safe. Paul is after me, but I don’t think he’s stupid enough to enter The Jungle and think he will get out alive. Closing the door behind us, Caleb rounds the desk and sits in the large leather chair.

What’s going on here?

Where’s Donny?

“Where’s Donny?” I ask aloud.

“Donny doesn’t own this club anymore,” Caleb says with a straight face. “He forfeited ownership.”

Staring with my mouth open, I wait for him to tell me more, but of course he doesn’t.

Stupid club rules.

“So,” I begin, “What does that mean for me?”

“It means I own this club, little bird. You work for me and I want to give you a new position.”

“You want me shaking my ass out on a stage?” Mirth dances in my eyes.

“Fuck no! No one sees you shake your ass, but me.”

Laughing at his reply, “So what’s this new job, boss?”

“Club manager.” My eyes bug out of my head.

What?

I couldn’t have heard him right. I can’t be the manager. I don’t know shit about managing anything, plus I don’t have my high school diploma.

I don’t know shit.

I can’t do it.

“You can do it,” he says. Reading my mind.

“I can’t.” Lowering my eyes. I’m embarrassed. I can’t let Caleb know I didn’t finish high school. I haven’t told him because I feel stupid, and I’m sure he has figured it out by now. I’ve been running for ten years, there was no time to go to school every day. Plus, Paul would have found us in an instant if I had enrolled in school during those first few years on the run. I couldn’t risk it, so I haven’t taken the time to complete school.

“Baby, you can.” His words are gentle and encouraging.

A tear rolls down my cheek. I can do it, but it will be hard. I’ve been doing hard my entire life. I just want something to be easy for once.

“I can,” I say out loud. In my head, I repeat the words.

I can.

I can.

I can.

The voice in my head wants to say I can’t, but the voice in my heart is repeating I can like a mantra to convince myself.

“What do I need to do?”

Caleb spends the next two hours going over all of my duties and responsibilities. My head is spinning by the end of it, but I’m teeming with excitement. This will give me a chance to prove to myself that I can do something I thought was hard and succeed at it. I’m ready to get down to business. I walk through the club and check in with the girls, bouncers, waitresses and bartenders, announcing my new position. They all seem excited to have me as a manager. I hope I do well. I’d hate to fail and embarrass Caleb in the process. I feel like this is the first time in my life where I have something I can look forward to.

* * *

Paul

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

I look at the bright screen of my phone to see who the hell is calling me so late.

Tyler.

“What?” I answer.

“Uh, a girl contacted me about Savy. She’s asking a lot of questions and seems to have an inside connection to the bikers Savy’s been hanging with.”

I sit up and swing my legs off the side of the bed. I need to meet this girl and see how I can make her work for me. I don’t care what I need to do, but this needs to end fast. I’ve been waiting for over a year to get my daughter back and Savy is not getting away again. And I'm tired of chasing her.

“Bring her to the meet point,” I say. I need to get my plan moving forward now.

“Okay, boss,” Tyler says. “I’ll bring her over right now.”

Hanging up, I get dressed in my finest clothes. I need to make her desire me so I can control her. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll find out everything I can about her and use it against her. Less than an hour later, a beautiful redhead walks through the door with Tyler in toe. She’s stunning. Her thin frame supports large, fake breasts, but she wears them well.

“Hello, beautiful,” I say.

She smiles and extends her hand in greeting.

“Hello, Paul. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Kris.”

I shift my eyes toward Tyler and he cowers back. This little fucker told her my name.

“Please, sit down. I understand you have an inside connection to the biker scum that has my precious little girl locked away.” I’m surprised when she tenses. She came to give me information about the bikers, so it’s not the reaction I expected. I had assumed she hates the bikers, too. My assumptions may be wrong.

“Um, yes. I’ve been an integral part of the club for years,” she says.

“Good. I think we can do each other a favor. I assume you are reaching out to me because you want my help with something, yes?”

“Yes.”

“I know you have been looking for your daughters for months.”

I turn to glare at Tyler. The fucking idiot has revealed too much already.

I will deal with him later.

“I have,” I confirm.

“Well, Savy has taken something that belongs to me and I want it back. I don’t care what I need to do to get that done.”

“Well Kris, it appears we have something in common.”

We continue our conversation and make plans to take Savy and the bikers down, and ultimately, get my sweet Ena back where she belongs.