TORI

 

     I woke up later than usual, the bleating alarm from my phone the only reason I woke up at all. The empty space next to me was cold, which meant Trench had already left on his run with the club. I recalled our conversation the night before. It was only three days and he would be back. I knew it was for Alexei, but beyond the vague details I overheard during their meeting I had no idea what Pandemonium was running. It was a sore spot when I imagined Trench could be involved with drug trafficking. I needed to steel my nerves to ask him outright without overstepping my boundaries here.

     Things were moving fast between us and while I’d been taking the time to enjoy the moment, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe it would be long lasting. Once the rush wore off and Pandemonium’s debt was considered paid in full, I would be back on the street. If Aaron and Preacher were still breathing, I wouldn’t be safe in Sparrow Creek any longer.

     My short visit with Sadie the day before had felt more like good-bye than see you soon, but it was nice just the same. I missed work, as crazy as it sounded. I found myself keeping busy around the clubhouse by helping Mama Jo in the kitchen, cleaning up or wandering the grounds outside. There was not much to see, but the couple times I’d wandered into the garage the men were nice enough. The office was in desperate need of a woman’s touch and a lot of organization, but I was afraid my help in there wouldn’t be received well. Too much access to financial records when I was not a trusted member. I was a liability on a leash.

     Trench left Stryker and LoJack behind to keep an eye on things. That meant they were on babysitting detail. On the up side, Trench asked Mama Jo to consent to let Aimee stay with me for the next couple nights. She wasn’t happy about it, but since Clutch would be gone she’d agreed. I laughed when Trench shared that bit of information with me. Clutch wasn’t fooling anyone, but himself and Aimee.

     I reached under my pillow, groaning in protest as I gripped the phone in my hand and swiped the screen to stop the alarm. Two missed text messages appeared. Both were from Trench. There went the butterflies again.

 

Trench

Today 8:00 AM

     Didn’t want to wake you. So fucking beautiful.

 

Today 9:30 AM

     You still sleeping woman?

 

     My jaw hurt from smiling so hard. I started typing back immediately.

 

Today 10:15 AM

Awake now. Heading down to wash sheets in a few. ??

 

     I didn’t expect an immediate response, especially if he was riding. I rolled over and stretched, tossing the covers aside. I planned to find the laundry room today, wash the sheets and the pile of clothes in the corner of the room. It seemed the least I could do to help. Tidying up would keep me busy and make the time go by faster. Aimee was coming by later this afternoon and she would stay until the boys got back. That gave me enough time to start a load in the washing machine and make an early lunch for Stryker and Lo. They wouldn’t ask, but I thought I’d make the gesture since they were stuck here because of me.

     I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, splashed my face with cool water and pulled my hair back in a messy bun for the morning. I pulled on a pair of jean shorts and slid into my flip-flops by the door before pocketing my phone and rolling the sheets and comforter into a big ball to head downstairs.

     Rock music drifted up when I walked out of the room and I heard the faint murmurs of a couple talking. Who could that be? Everyone else was gone and I assumed the guys would be hanging out in the garage. I was wrong.

     After nearly tripping down the stairs with full hands, I spotted them. Stryker and Jinx were giggling like lovers behind the bar. One of his hands gripping the side of her waist in an intimate hold while the other was…oh, shit. Jinx’s head rolled back against the shelf and she let out a moan that was recognizable even from this far away. There was no mistaking what was going on in the corner. I hoped they wouldn’t notice me.

     No such luck. I lost my balance on the last step at the same time my phone beeped with an incoming message in my back pocket. The room went silent while I regained my footing and picked up the loose end of the sheets that had tripped me. When I chanced a look at the two, Stryker was grinning like an idiot and Jinx was giving me a scowl that could have melted ice.

     “Don’t mind me. I didn’t see a thing. I’m just looking for the laundry room.” I fumbled with what else to say.

     “No worries, sunshine. Jinx and I were just catching up, weren’t we hon?”

     I cringed. Stryker was a brave man, pushing Jinx’s buttons in front of me. I readied myself for the moment she’d knock Stryker’s smug grin off his face, but then it hit me. The way Jinx stared up at Stryker and my jaw dropped in surprise. I don’t know why I didn’t notice before, but she was infatuated with him. He was the one Aimee mentioned. The one member of Pandemonium Jinx had slept with, but no one could confirm.

     “The laundry room is down the hall, past Trench’s office. I think you remember the way.” Stryker chuckled and my face heated with embarrassment. Had they heard me the other day?

     “Um, thanks,” I picked up the pace, ready to remove myself from the room and the awkward tension.

     “I see you’re washing the sheets already. Take it easy on Pres, Tori. He’ll be an even bigger ass to work with if his dick falls off from too much sex.” Stryker laughed harder and I swore I heard Jinx smack the front of his chest, but I was halfway down the hall.

     “Asshole,” I yelled back. “I’ll be sure to let him know you’re having thoughts about his dick.”

     This time I heard Jinx laugh in response. We would probably never be besties, but her laugh suggested we might just have a truce.

     “Never mind, T. Forget I said anything.”

     I found the laundry room and dropped the pile of sheets on top of the table inside, sticking my head out for the last word.

     “Already forgotten. You’re not that memorable, Stryker,” I snickered, betting it would get a rise out of the man who thought he was a gift to women. 

     Jinx’s raucous laugh was the last thing I heard before I closed the laundry room door and started looking for detergent.

     Once the machine was running I reached in my pocket to check my message.

 

Trench

Today at 10:45 AM

     Why? They’ll be dirty again in 2 days.

 

Two days? You said it would take three.

 

     You’ve given me a reason to hurry. Hitting the road again. Talk to you later when we stop.

 

     I thought about texting him back, but then decided against it. He said we would talk later. I was grinning again. Come to think about it, I’d been grinning every day since I met Trench. He given me back my smile.

***

     Always expect the unexpected. Life was constantly throwing curve balls I did not know how to catch, but as two days bled into three which bled into four, I was beginning to go stir crazy. Aimee stayed with me the first two nights, but even she had a life outside these compound walls, and a job that needed her to come in. I’d learned that Aimee was a hairstylist in downtown Sparrow Creek and she kept odd hours, catering to a mixture of clientele. We laughed for hours over the funny stories she recalled, saying the barber chair was better at getting gossip out of people than an actual therapist office, and cheaper than any co-pay. Plus, she wasn’t bound to silence like a doctor.

     Stryker and LoJack even hooked up Netflix on the downstairs big screen for us. Jinx refused to join the party, but the guys entertained us with their commentary as we binge-watched the first four seasons of Supernatural, ate popcorn and drank tequila together. Even if their interest in the show didn’t extend past Dean’s muscle car and the beautiful women, it was fun to see their reactions.

     “Hello,” I picked up my phone on the second ring, a little too eager to hear Trench’s voice.

     “Hey, sweets,” Aimee’s sing-song voice rang out and my shoulders slumped in disappointment. I instantly regretted my feelings. Aimee had been nothing but nice to me. She deserved better than my mediocre response.

     The first couple days, Trench and I texted and spoke on the phone like two teenagers. I wasn’t afraid to admit it was almost sickening. By day three, I’d only received one text mid-day and no calls. Day four, nothing but crickets. It was already happening. The newness was wearing thin for him. I tried to perk up for Aimee’s sake.

     “Hey. I thought you were working today,” I replied.

     “I am, but I had a cancellation this afternoon. I thought you could use a spa day. How about it?”

     “A spa day? Honestly, I’ve never had one.”

     “That needs to change. Ask Stryker or Lo to bring you by in an hour. By the time Trench gets back, he won’t recognize you.”

     “Maybe we’ll try something a little less dramatic then. Him recognizing me is kind of the point,” I laughed into the receiver.

     “Good point. One hour. See you soon.”

     She hung up before I could argue. In truth, it sounded wonderful. A chance to get my hair washed and styled for the first time in years would seem like vacation.

***

     The salon was busy, but not so much that I felt claustrophobic. Chart hits played through the speakers wired in the ceiling on a popular radio station and the hairdressers were all occupied with a customer. A couple kids ran around up front and the phone rang loudly at the front desk. It was normal and I realized how much I’d missed it.

     “Tori! Over here, girl.”

     I looked up at the sound of my name being yelled across the room and saw Aimee standing by the last chair on the left, a stack of freshly folded towels in her hands. I made my way back and gave her a hug. It seemed almost natural again to have a girlfriend I could talk to, hang out with, one who wouldn’t judge my past. Over the last week, I’d opened up to Aimee about Aaron and Preacher and while there were tears in her eyes as she listened carefully, she never showed pity or made me out to be a fragile victim. I appreciated that about her. I respected her.

     “Take a seat,” she gestured to her station, already draping a smock around my shoulders and fluffing out the back of my long hair. “Do you have something in mind or can I run with my own ideas?” Her devious grin in the mirror had me second-guessing this makeover. “Chin up, buttercup. I won’t do anything too wild. We need to get your feet wet first. Baby steps,” she giggled, but I didn’t echo her sentiments when the shears came out.

     Wash, color, cut, wash, blow dry. It was beautiful when she finished and nothing I would have ever imagined for myself, but it fit. New beginnings, new me. I perched on the edge of the barber’s chair, admiring the sleek cut with long layers and the cute auburn blonde highlights throughout.

     “Do you love it?” Aimee winked in the mirror, unwrapping the smock from around my neck.

     “I really do, Aimee. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

     “The beauty was already there. She just needed a pick me up.”

     Fresh tears pricked at the corner of my eyes as I stood.

     “How much do I owe you?” I reached for my back pocket for the few bills I had remaining from tips. Trench had refused to let me help with my cost of food or anything else.

     “You’re kidding, right? This was my treat. Put that away,” she shooed my hands back and ran the comb through my hair one more time for good measure, though there was no way to possibly improve on what she’d done for me. “Stryker came in while you were under the dryer. Said he’d be waiting out front when we were done. He looked uncomfortable coming in.”

     We both laughed at that. Big, bad biker in a hair salon. I bet he was really hating life now.

     “Thanks again. Do you mind if I use your restroom before I head out?”

     “Sure thing. It’s in the back, second to last door on the left. I have to get my next client, but I’ll see you later this evening, okay?”

     I hugged her and went in search of the bathroom; grateful Stryker drove the cage today. Otherwise, my new do would be a hot mess by the time we got back to the clubhouse.

     I washed up and started for the hallway. I should have been paying attention instead of checking for messages from Trench. The cloth that covered my nose and mouth smelled chemical. My phone fell from my fingers as I grappled with the hands held firmly over my face, but it was useless.

     Warm breath shushed next to my ear and my limbs became too heavy to hold up. I made one last attempt to scream before darkness took over.