German Variation of Louis: Ludwig

➸ Glitch ★

I don’t think I’ll sleep, but Clove’s warm body and steady breathing lure me into a nap. Six hours later, I wake up to find Clove gone and a message on my phone saying she’s in the lobby.

Heading downstairs, I see her sitting with her feet up on the couch, likely annoying the front desk employee. I think she might be reading until I notice the distinctive colors of Candy Crush on her phone.

“What’s the plan?” I ask, sitting in the chair next to the couch.

“I thought we could grab something to eat and then head over to Suede to show off your alpha aura.”

“Show off how?”

“Start a fight maybe. I don’t know, but you seemed worried about Joker intimidating you. I’ll help you impress the local losers.”

Studying Clove, I’m wary of her sudden support. We had a fun evening, and I want to pretend we’re in a good place now. Except that was fucking, and we’ve always been great in bed.

Clove might feel guilty for making me look like shit at the first meeting. While that idea makes sense in my head, my gut suspects she has another reason for throwing me a bone.

We head to a local place to eat greasy burgers and salty fries. Clove doesn’t look relaxed in a restaurant she often frequented back in the day. I can’t help hoping she realizes she belongs in Rawlins where we make vastly better burgers.

“I remember when this place opened,” she says after wiping her mouth. “I didn’t think they’d last a year, but I greatly underestimated the allure of cheap food.”

“Are you still thinking about moving back here?”

“No,” she instantly answers. “My nostalgia ended after Anise told me a pack of wild dogs was hunting people near the apartment. I forgot how shitty the shitty side of Little Memphis is.”

“Wild dogs, huh? We have them in Rawlins.”

“I’ve never seen any.”

“I’ll show you where they hang out when we get back,” I say and hand her one of my salty fries.

“No, that’s okay,” she says and hands me one of her salty fries.

“Oz considered killing them. He worried they’d head out to his old house where all the wild cats live.”

“Huh, Rawlins sounds like a craptown too. Why do we choose these places to live?”

“Where else are we going to live? Little Rock? Come on.”

Clove grins before taking a bite of her burger. “While you were snoozing,” she says with her mouth full, “I considered what Joker and his guys told you about someone from Little Rock trying to grab up Rawlins. Don’t his worries seem kinda random?”

“He thinks we’re weak. How is that random?”

“He’s met Oz, and he knows the crew has your club’s back. Why is he so fucking worried?”

“Are you hinting that my hair made him worry?”

Clove throws her head back and laughs wildly. A guy nearby checks her out for the third time since we arrived. I consider throwing my drink at him. Before a fight breaks out, Clove throws a fry at me.

“I was serious. No hair jokes,” she says even while giggling. “I think Joker’s worried about his ass, not your lovely mane.”

“It really is lovely,” I say, flipping back my hair. “But why would he be worried about his ass.”

“I don’t know, but Little Rock might not be the problem. It’s possible Little Memphis is facing a threat from Big Memphis. The local club guys are older, and Joker’s enforcers are whipped bitches. I don’t care how tough Ford and Pax might act. Men hesitate when they have someone waiting for them at home. It’s human instinct for even the biggest dicks to go a little soft once a woman owns their balls.”

“So you think...” I pause and consider what she’s saying. “I don’t get your point. Why imply we’re weak if he’s the weak one?”

“If I had to guess, he misses having Pepper around,” Clove explains and then leans forward and whispers, “Our sniper was quite good at getting rid of the club’s problems. Do you remember a year ago when the news reported about a possible serial killer in Memphis? They thought the shootings might be by another DC Sniper-style killer. Well, let’s just say those victims weren’t random.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Don’t you ever lash out at harmless people because you’re stressed about a threat?”

“No,” I mumble with a bite of hamburger in my mouth.

“You’re so well-adjusted it makes my sphincter flinch.”

Grinning at the thought of her lovely asshole, I say, “I don’t need to lash out at innocent people. It’s my job to pound assholes. That’s who I take out my troubles on.”

“In Joker’s mind, you’re a bad guy. So am I.”

Shaking my head, I don’t follow her logic. Clove throws another fry at me. “Your manners are shit,” I grumble.

“You’re not wrong.”

“But I think you are wrong about Joker.”

“What’s more logical? He sees you as a wimp or Joker’s edgy because he sent assets to Rawlins that he wishes were here.”

“Why send away those assets then?”

“He technically sent Ginger. No one knew specifically who’d go with her. Of course, Pepper pretty much lives inside Ginger’s anal cavity so only a moron wouldn’t assume she’d move south.”

“Why can’t he ask Pepper to handle his problem if the crew is still aligned with his club?”

“Maybe he did, and she said no.”

“Why would she?” I ask, very curious about the inner workings of the crew.

“Because her woman’s pregnant, and even women lose their balls when they have someone waiting at home.”

I admittedly often forget Pepper and Bay are married. They’re not touchy-feely, and my brain decides they’re best friends rather than lovers. Yeah, though, Bay’s pregnancy would put a damper on Pepper signing onto a killing spree. I wouldn’t sign on for a dangerous job if I had a kid on the way. Clove isn’t wrong about the soft balls thing.