Suzie repeats the same process as she did the night before, managing to distract the bikers guarding my room so that I can sneak out to go and meet Aimee. On the ride over I wonder if Rohypnol has any lasting effects—she must be giving these guys a serious dose to knock them out until the early morning. I know that this isn’t something she can do every night. Sooner or later someone is going to find out about her drugging the men, and when that happens, it’s not going to get pretty. All the more reason to make the most of the time I have with Aimee. Who knows how long we’re going to have to wait after tonight until we can be together again?
I think back over the events of the day, and they seem so surreal that it’s hard to believe they actually happened.
“You’re a natural, Jakey-boy,” Elvis had said after I’d finished my fifth round of target practice.
They’d given me a gun to use, but made it clear that, as a newly Patched member, I wouldn’t be getting my own for some time. There were tin cans set up on a wooden fence about twenty yards away and I had to shoot them down. The first shot I missed and the men rolled around on the floor laughing like this was the best entertainment ever. That’s when my competitive streak took over. After that, I didn’t miss.
“You sure you never done this before?” Grey, one of the older bikers looked between me and the tin cans that I’d just shot down in quick succession.
“Beginner’s luck.” I shrug, feeling strangely elated at having made an impression. I remind myself again that these men aren’t my friends. I have to repeat to myself all the terrible things that the Angels have done to this town. I think again how easy it would be to get caught up in the comradery and the power, and to forget about right and wrong.
As I pull up to the body shop, I can see that the light in my dad’s office is still on. It’s well after midnight, and I ask myself what he’s still doing there. I desperately want to talk to him, to let him know that I’m alright, but I know how dangerous that would be. The less people that know about my nightly visits to Aimee, the better. If I showed myself to my dad now, he’d do everything he could to make sure I didn’t go back to the Angels and, if that happened, Aimee and I risked losing our chance of getting them for good.
I peek through the office door that’s half-open and find my dad asleep, hunched over his desk, covered with streams of paper with scribbled figures all over them. I know he’s been going through the accounts, and from what I can make out, it doesn’t look good. “It’s alright, Dad. We’ll get it all back on track.” I whisper the words and lay my hand on his shoulder. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him up until now, when I’m right next to him, but can’t speak to him. “Sleep well.” I switch the desk lamp off and creep out of the office, closing the door softly behind me.
As I make my way up to studio, I can feel myself tingling with anticipation at the idea of seeing Aimee. So when I open the door and don’t find her there, the disappointment is like a punch to the gut. I reason to myself that she had no idea I was going to come here tonight, so I shouldn’t be surprised that she isn’t here. I figure that there’s only one other place that she’s going to be.
Sunny Side Up is winding down. I can see through the windows that there aren’t any customers left and that’s when I catch sight of Aimee. She looks so cute in her little yellow uniform and I have to resist the urge to just go inside and grab her and kiss her. If the diner is open then that means Big George is still inside and I can’t have anyone seeing me—not even a friend. Automatically, I go to the front pocket of my jeans, where my cell usually lives. But, of course, it isn’t there. That was the rule, no contact with the outside world unless the Angels okayed it.
I grab a handful of sandy grit from the road and throw it at the windows as hard as I can. I see Aimee’s head whip up instantly and I love the way that her expression lights up when she sees me waving at her in the darkness.
I don’t even have to tell her that she needs to get George out of the place. She holds up her index finger to signal that I should wait a minute and I make my way round to the back of the diner and slip inside through the store room. It’s not the first time I’ve come in this way. Sometimes Aimee would sneak me in when the diner was closed if I had a craving for their apple pie. I think back to those days and they seem so innocent compared to now.
I can overhear Aimee hustling George out of the front door as quickly as she can. “Yes, I’m sure, Big G. You look like you could use a break. It’s no trouble. Go home, put your feet up.” She sounds so bright and breezy that I wonder if she’s over-egging it a little, but George seems to be buying it.
“Alright, if you’re sure.” He sounds a little dubious. “First time I’ve been kicked out of my own place before,” he grumbles.
“See you tomorrow, George,” Aimee calls out, and I wonder if she’s actually pushing him out of the door.
“Just one thing, Aimee,” he says, and I stop myself just as I’m about to head out onto the diner floor, thinking that he’d already gone.
“Shoot!” I can hear the impatience in Aimee’s voice, but she’s trying to contain it.
“Don’t make too much of a mess in here with that young man of yours.” I smile in spite of myself at George’s words. The man must have eyes in the back of his head. Nothing gets past him.
“You got it, boss,” Aimee whispers, and I can imagine the shy smile that’s spreading over her face. “But Big G, no one can know,” she adds hurriedly and her smile has turned to fear.
“Know what?” George responds innocently. I think Aimee and I breathe a sigh of relief out in unison. I hear his footsteps go down the stairs and the ding of the bell as the door closes behind him.
“Jake?” Aimee calls out.
I walk out onto the diner floor and Aimee almost knocks me to the floor when she runs at me and takes hold of me. I do what I had been wanting to do since I saw her through the window: I take hold of her shoulders and pull her tight to me, needing to taste her. I kiss those lips that I could draw from memory and, as I do, it’s like everything falls into place. All the questions and worries that were spinning around in my head before this moment disappear and it’s just Aimee and me in the whole world.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have been at the studio if I knew.” Her words come tumbling out and she’s breathing hard from the kiss. Her pale cheeks are flushed and her green eyes are bright, like she’s lit up from the inside.
“Unless you can read smoke signals, there weren’t a whole lot of ways to tell you,” I point out, stroking my thumb pad along her cheekbone. “We should kill the lights,” I say without looking away from her. We’re far enough into the diner that we can’t be seen from the outside but there’s no such thing as being too careful, especially in a town like Painted Rock.
Without hesitation, Aimee reaches out and flicks all the switches, plunging us into darkness. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, but I don’t need to see. I know Aimee’s face, her lips, her body, as if it were my own. I know every inch of her.
“How long do we have?” she asks breathlessly as we kiss and kiss again, falling into each other. “There’s a lot I have to tell you.”
“Later,” I hold my index finger over her luscious lips. ‘First, this.” I pull her ponytail gently, tilting her head back so that I can access her neck. I love the smell of her here and I breathe her in, like I’m a junkie and she’s my drug.
Without pausing, I start unbuttoning her dress, but her hand stills mine. I look up at her questioningly and wish that I could see what was in her eyes. ‘What’s the matter?” I ask, confused. I can tell from the heat coming off of her slim body that she wants this as much as I do.
“It just… reminds me.” The words come out haltingly, almost apologetically, and she doesn’t have to say anything else. This reminds her of Ryan.
I think again at what that son of a bitch did to her and I get the urge to show him what a real man is. But that’s not important now. What’s important is Aimee, and taking away all the pain and humiliation that she felt at the hands of that psycho.
“Let me make you forget. Let me make you forget all about it.” I say the words softly, against her ear, and I feel her body relax into me.
I move to unbutton her dress again, pausing for a moment to see if she asks me to stop again. But she doesn’t; she keeps still and I know that she’s trying to put any comparison out of her mind. I unbutton her slowly, deliberately, and I hear her breathe in sharply as the cool air hits her naked skin underneath. I open the dress, slipping it over her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor.
The only light comes from the streetlights outside and they make her look like she’s bathed in silver moonlight. She looks like a goddess. She is my goddess. I run my hands over her curves, mapping her body with my hands. I can hear her breathing quicken and she shivers in my arms.
“Cold?” I ask, my mouth inches away from hers.
“A little,” she concedes in a small voice. She sounds excited but trying to control herself.
“You won’t be for long,” I assure her, and close her mouth in a kiss. I move my hands to her hair and pull out the band that’s holding it up, letting it fall in chocolate, silky curls around her shoulders. I flick my tongue in and out of her mouth, teasing her, tasting her.
“Jake.” She moans my name against my mouth and the sound of her excitement propels my own.
I’m already so hard, I feel like I might explode. But I only want to explode inside of her. As if Aimee knows exactly what I’m thinking, her hands move down to my jeans, easing the zipper down slowly. She reaches inside and I hear her intake of breath as she touches my erection.
“Commando again—aren’t I a lucky girl?” she laughs softly against my mouth and tightens her grip on my shaft, almost making me double over in pleasure.
“What can I say? It was laundry day.” I shrug and I see her shake her head, her hair swaying as she mockingly despairs of me.
I reach around her to unhook her bra, pulling it off as quickly as I can, freeing her beautiful breasts. I run the back of my hands over them, feeling her nipples pucker and harden under my touch and I feel a matching hardness in my groin. Aimee moves her hands over my cock so perfectly, her touch takes me to another level.
“I’m so hot for you right now,” she whispers against my mouth, biting my lower lip.
I drop my hand to her panties, slipping my hands inside and cupping her wet pussy. “I can tell,” I say, and bite her back gently and she moans against me. Her sounds drive me crazy. I think she could make me come just by the noises of pleasure she makes. You’re so wet for me.” I slide my finger around her wetness. She’s slick with her own juices and the feel of her heat against my hand is unreal. I slide two fingers inside of her slickness. I massage her clit with my thumb as I move my fingers in and out of her.
“Jake, Christ. I’m going to come,” she warns me, her words out in a rush, breathless with need.
“Yes baby, yes you are, and you’re going to come hard,” I encourage her, trapping her bottom lip between my teeth and alternating soft biting with slow licks. I change the position of my hand inside her until I find her G spot and then I stroke her harder, listening to her moans as she reaches her climax, riding my fingers hard. She screams out my name, and it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard.
I pull my fingers out of her, holding her body close to mine while she’s still shaking from the intensity of her orgasm. I bring my hand, still wet from her juices, up to my mouth and taste her. She’s salty and sweet at the same time. “You’re my favorite thing to eat,” I whisper against her ear and she pulls my face to hers, kissing me hard, tasting herself on me. She moans against me—I know how much it turns her on for me to taste her. It turns me on too, more than she could imagine. I need to feel her against me, I need her soft, smooth skin against mine. I pull off my shirt impatiently and I almost come in her hand when I feel her hard nipples against my bare chest.
She pushes my jeans down, squeezing my shaft with just the right amount of pressure as she moves her hand up and down, building up a rhythm.
“I want you inside of me,” she whispers, and they’re the words that I’ve been waiting to hear. But then she completely takes me by surprise. “I want you like this,” she says, turning around and rubbing her ass against my swollen cock.
“What?” I ask dumbly, like I’ve just acquired the power of speech.
“I want you to take me from behind. I want you here.” She guides my hand towards her perfectly rose-shaped asshole. It’s hard to concentrate on what she’s saying when she’s grinding her beautiful bare ass over my cock.
“Aimee,” I protest as I move my hand away from temptation.
“You don’t want to?” She looks over her shoulder at me like I’ve just rejected her.
“You have no idea how much I want to,” I assure her, turning her around so that she’s facing me. “Look at how hard I am—you don’t think I want that?” I ask her, holding her hand over my shaft and shuddering as she touches me so expertly.
“So why...?” She trails off, still not understanding why I’m holding back.
“I want to, but you can’t just jump into something like this. If I do, it’ll hurt you and I don’t want to do that,” I whisper against her neck as I feather kisses from her earlobe to her collar-bone and back again. “You need to be ready and open and we need to make you as wet there—” I stroke her anus, the lightest touch, but it’s enough to make my cock feel like it’s been put in a strangle-hold. “—as you are here.” I move to her pussy, fingering her long and slow, stroking her folds and feeling how slick she is.
She whimpers my name and I know how I want to take her. I turn her around so that she’s facing away from me. She makes a surprised sound, clearly wondering what I’m doing after having just said that I’m not going to take her from behind.
“Trust me,” I whisper against her ear, pulling her hair over her shoulder so that I can see her profile.
“Always,” she promises and lets me push her towards the counter-top so she’s bending over, her ass in the air as she supports herself.
I start stroking her pussy more insistently, making her even wetter, hotter, as ready for me as she can stand. When I see her hips start to rock, needing the movement, needing some kind of a release, I guide my swollen cock into her waiting pussy, sighing as I sink deep into her. She arches her back, pushing herself further onto me, impaling herself on my cock.
I move my hips back, almost pulling out of her, until only my tip is still inside of her and then I ram into her, pushing through her folds. I move back again, but this time, I rub my index finger, still slick with the juice from her pussy, over her perfect little asshole. I feel it pucker under my touch and a hoarse cry sounds like it’s being ripped out from her.
“Jake, don’t stop… So good… Fuck me…” Her words cross over and trail into each other. She’s a whimpering mass of need and I’m inside of her, fucking her, making her scream. Slowly, achingly slowly, I slip my slick finger into her ass. She moans and pushes herself up against me. The feel of her tightness around my finger turns me on so much that I know I’m not going to last for long. “Jake, I’m close, I’m so close.” Her words come out in desperate gasps.
That’s all I needed to hear. I thrust into her, going as deep as I can into her pussy, and stroke the inside of her ass, feeling how wet and tight she is. I thrust into her hard, once, twice, and then we dissolve into each other. She screams my name and I growl hers as I come harder than I ever have in my life. As her body is wracked with after-shocks, I hold onto her, her legs shaking, like they might give way.
“Holy fuck,” I breathe hard against the soft skin of her back. We’re both still breathing hard, feeling the radiations of the intensity of our orgasms pass through us.
“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to be like this, inside me forever.” Her voice has the dreamy quality that she gets right before she goes to sleep. I know the feeling—I’m exhausted.
“Stay awake, baby girl.” I don’t want to, but I pull out of her. As soon as I do, I wish that I was back inside her warmth.
I turn her around so she’s facing me again and, even in the dim light, I can see the satisfied smile on her face. “I feel like I’m floating.”
“That’s because I’m pretty much holding you up. By the way, did you put on some weight while I’ve been away?” I joke, and am rewarded with a light slap on my shoulder. I rest my head against hers; she already knows what I’m going to say.
“I know you have to go. But hold me, just for a little longer,” Aimee asks, and my arms wrap around her like this is where they’re supposed to be. It feels like this is the only job they were made for, holding her.
“You said you had some things to tell me?” I stroke her hair, intertwining the silky curls in my fingers.
“Hmmm,” she replies, half-asleep. “You were right; Suzie’s our inside man—or woman. She’s going to let me know when the next deal is going down so we can catch them in the act.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you two talked.” It’s is my only reply.
“Aren’t you happy?” Aimee seems to think my lack of a response is a sign of indifference. “We’re one step closer to getting them.”
“I know, I know, it’s all good,” I reassure her, but I’m not sure why I’m feeling like I’m only half on board.
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Aimee’s voice is little more than a whisper, but there’s no mistaking the strength in it.
“No. No,” I repeat more forcefully. “It’s just hard to pretend to be one of them, live their lifestyle, while knowing that I’m going to screw them over.”
“They screwed us first. They screwed over this whole town. And what, now you feel sorry for them?” In the dark Aimee’s eyes flash like cut emeralds and she moves away from me, grabbing her dress and pulling it on, like she can’t be naked in front of me like this.
“I didn’t say that. Calm down.” I know as soon as the words are out of my mouth that they’re completely the wrong thing to say.
“Calm down? After everything that’s happened, you’re thinking that the Angels are all cute and cuddly. How am I supposed to take that?” Her voice is getting higher and she’s talking faster as her anger levels are rising.
I pull up my pants and lean against the counter. I know the signs—when Aimee’s on a roll there’s no stopping her. Not until it’s all talked out.
“I didn’t say that they were ‘cute and cuddly,’ I just said it’s hard. That’s all.” I hate being on the defensive but I should have known this was how the conversation was going to go.
“They took everything from me—my dad, my mom, my home, and now you. They’ve ripped this town apart. Whatever they’re telling you or whatever they’re trying to persuade you of in that compound, don’t forget that these guys are bad. They’re killers and rapists and drug dealers and thieves. And the few that aren’t doing the killing or the raping or the dealing or the thieving—well, they’re just as bad because they sit back and do nothing. They know what’s going on and they opt out.” Aimee is breathing hard, but this time from anger.
I know that everything that she’s saying is right. It’s just harder to think about them all like that when I’m living among them. “I know, Aimee, I know. I’m not having second thoughts, okay? It’s just a lot to deal with all at once, you know?” I walk over to her, holding her in my arms. She’s resistant at first, but then she loosens up.
“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” she admits grudgingly.
“Another apology from Aimee Winters. Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?” I look at her in faux seriousness.
“Ha ha. Don’t get used to it, Summers.” She nudges me and in the same movement goes onto her toes to give me a soft kiss. “You should go,” she says, unwillingly.
“I’ll give you a ride home. It’s late.” This protectiveness that I feel of her is something that I’ve carried with me for a long time. It feels good to be able to say it out loud.
“Someone might see us. We can’t risk it.”
I know that what she’s saying is right, but it’s hard to leave her here. All I want is for her to be safe, to be able to protect her. “Wasn’t there something else you wanted to tell me?” I ask after a beat.
“Hmmm?” I don’t know why she’s feigning ignorance when she clearly understands me. “Nope, just the Suzie thing.” Her tone is a little too breezy, but I don’t question it. If I’d learned nothing else in the past few days, I had at least learned that if there was something Aimee wanted to tell me, then she would, and if she wasn’t ready—well, then I was happy to wait.
“Ride safe.” She blows me a kiss as I head back out to the storeroom to make sure that I’m not seen.
“Get home as quick as you can, okay?” I give her a stern look that I know from experience isn’t going to have any effect other than for her to think that I’m “cute.”
“Yes, sir!” She does a mock salute, and walking away from her is the hardest thing I’ve had to do. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like something’s coming. It’s like knowing that a hurricane is building towards you and it’s about to hit with all its might.
Back at the compound, I slip back into my room undetected. But I don’t sleep—not straight away. The feeling of all not being right in the world stays with me until my body overcomes my brain and I finally fall asleep.
The next morning, I’m allowed a lie-in. There’s no 7am wake-up call. Instead, I’m woken close to noon and, this time, it’s not by Elvis the Wonderpunk. It’s Scar.
“Heard you did some good shooting yesterday.” I’ve learned that Scar isn’t the kind of guy that bothers with “Helloes” and “How you doings.” He just barrels in balls out, asking exactly what he wants to know.
“I guess.” I shrug, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.
“Come on, there’s a club meeting.” He gives my bed a kick with his heavy-booted foot and turns to head out of the room.
“A meeting? I thought new patches didn’t sit in on club meetings.” I rake my hands through my hair, trying to wake myself up and take in what the hell is going on.
“They don’t. But something’s going down tonight and I’m going to need someone that’s good with a pistol, if it comes to that.” He squints at me in the dim light of the room like he’s trying to figure something out.
“What’s going down tonight?” I ask, although the cold shiver that I feel run down my back gives me an answer.
“Just a welcome party for some of our good ol’ Mexican friends,” Scar smiles, but dark eyes remain serious, glittering with intent. “Now get up—we’ve got a lot to do before they get here.”
I only hesitate in following him out for a few seconds, while the words he’s just said start to sink in. The drug deal is tonight. It’s tonight ,and they want me involved. “Goddammit, Summers,” I whisper to myself. “Why the hell couldn’t you have missed a few more of those tin cans?”