Chapter Nineteen
Jarrett
I take her hand as I bring her into the clubhouse — the Broken Crown Saloon — and the place that, if she puts down roots nearby, might become her clubhouse, too.
She’s everything I want without a doubt. She’ll fight with the best of them; she’ll drink any challenger under the table; she’ll keep a stiff upper lip when life’s giving her shit, and she’ll fuck until sunrise and both our bodies give out. She’s fearless when fighting and fearless in love.
When this is over, when our club’s free of our weapons obligations to the Triads and we don’t have the threat of war hanging over our heads, I’m going to ask her a question I never thought I’d ask a woman: to stick around and stay as my old lady.
Even thinking that puts jitters in my stomach, but it’s what I know deep down to be the right thing to do. I care for her, and I care for her son. My life will be a lot better with them in it.
In the meantime, I mean to introduce her to my family. And make up for the fact that the last time she stepped foot in my club’s bar, I pulled a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she ever came back. That’s something that I have to set right.
Heads turn as we enter the clubhouse. Ozzy from his place at the bar, Sam from behind the beer taps, Bear from one of the tables, where he’s got a pile of papers spread out in front of him. Concern flashes across the face of each of them for just a second, until they get a look at the smile on my face — and then they look relieved.
“What’s going on here, Jynx?” Sam says, handing over a full-headed pint glass to Ozzy. “I don’t want any blood on my floors. So if you’re here to kill her, take her out back. Do it on the gravel.”
“I’m not killing her, Sam,” I say. “I need to set the record straight about the two of us.”
“This about the gambling?” Bear says, looking up from the papers in front of him.
“You heard?”
“Grease told me about it,” he says. “We had a talk last night over a few beers when we were switching shifts.”
“Did you lose more money, Jynx?” Sam says. “Rog isn’t going to be happy to hear that.”
I shake my head.
“No, I didn’t. Not now, and not back then, either.”
Selena tightens her grip on my hand.
“You don’t need to do this right now.”
She sounds like someone’s got a gun to her head. I frown but decide to keep going. This is important, there’s a record I need to correct, and I want to make sure she starts things off with the club on the right foot.
“Way back when, I didn’t lose that money gambling. I didn’t fucking gamble at all in Reno. I got up to the usual, I drank too much, I fucked around, I got in a few scrapes, but I didn’t gamble. I borrowed that cash to help Selena out of a tough spot and to settle a debt she had with some serious players that had killed her old club and decided they wanted to keep her around like some kind of slave.”
It feels good to finally get that off my chest. There’s a lot of things in my past that still have a hold on me, but, if I can get this small one out of the way, it’s a step in the right direction.
She brings it out in me. This urge to figure my shit out.
For a moment, everyone turns to look at Selena, who has a mixture of embarrassment and fear painted on her face. I don’t blame her for feeling that way — it’s a tough thing having dirty laundry like this dragged out into the open. But it’s the first step in setting things right with the club and she shouldn’t feel any shame about what’s in the past and what she’s overcome.
I want her to be part of this. For the first time in so long, things are becoming stable for me — I have a club around me, I’ve lived in the same home for a few years now, and now I have woman by my side that has seen some of the shit I’ve been through and is willing to stay and help me fight my demons.
I have hope.
And damn, does it feel good.
“So, we can’t really call you Jynx anymore,” Ozzy says, squinting at me with a curious look on his face. “Course, not many things really go along with ‘Jarrett’. I suppose we could just call you ‘Jerry’. Or ‘JerBear’.”
Sam scowls. “Ozzy, hun, just… no.”
“Seriously, Ozzy, what the hell? You want to call him ‘Jerry’?” Bear says. “It makes him sound like he’s some sixty-year-old used car salesman, with a fucking beer gut and a combover.”
“Do you hate me, now? Is that it?” I say, half-teasing.
“No. I had an uncle named Jerry. He was a good bloke. Very business-minded,” Ozzy says.
“What’d your uncle do for a living, Ozzy?” Sam says.
“He worked for Amway Australia. They called him the Amway King of Auckland. If you bought Nutrilite anywhere in the city, you bought it from him.”
“How many people in Auckland actually bought Nutrilite?” I say.
“Not many, to be honest — Uncle Jerry lived in his mum’s guest room until the end. Died when a bunch of boxes of Nutrilite fell on him. But still, not many people can say they cornered an industry.”
“Yeah, Jarrett, I’m not too fond of you having the same nickname as the failed vitamin king of New Zealand,” Selena says.
“We’ll think of something for you, brother,” says Bear. “Until then, we’ll just use your name, yeah?”
“Fine, fine, but let’s keep on the topic, here,” I say.
“Your non-existent gambling debts? Or would you like to buy some vitamins?” Ozzy says.
“No. And no fucking vitamins,” I say, gesturing to Selena by my side. “Brothers, I need to introduce Selena to you, properly. She’s helping me organize the charity event, and, when this is all over, I’m going to convince her to stick around.”
Sam’s got a knowing look on her face and hasn’t taken her eyes off Selena the whole time I’ve been talking. Ozzy and Bear both nod, accepting without any objection.
I turn to Selena.
She looks like she’s seen a ghost. It’s an impression that’s barely there for a second, and by the time I blink, she’s got her usual twisted smile on her face and a friendly light in her eyes.
“Pleased to meet you all,” she says. “This time without a gun in my face. It’s going to be nice to have a place like this to call home.”
I kiss her right on the lips, long enough to draw hoots and cheers from the others.
This is the best I’ve felt in ages. And I owe it all to her.
Life is finally looking up.
Let’s hope it stays this way.