Skid
The bar was a dark one, perfect for the likes of Satan’s Legion. Skid and a whole crew of the other members had ridden out, eager to get out of the clubhouse and escape the tension that had been building ever since the announcement of Mina’s pregnancy.
Skid himself was particularly eager to get away. He knew Park wouldn’t let Mina out of the clubhouse, at least most of the time, and it was unlikely that any of the men would be willing to give her a ride. Nobody wanted to be associated with her, because they would instantly be blamed for her current condition.
He raised his finger in the air to get the bartender’s attention. “Another beer, please.”
The bartender was an older man with a gray handlebar mustache and his hair combed close against his head. He nodded soberly. “Coming right up.” He moved as though his body knew how to tend bar because he had been doing it for so long, but his spirit was no longer in it. His hands moved quickly and deftly as he mixed a martini or pulled the tap for a beer, but his eyes were dull as they watched the motions. A few moments later, a cold frothy mug slid down the bar to Skid.
There was no point in trying to drown his sorrows. He knew that. No amount of alcohol would make this all go away. It wouldn’t make Park understand that what he and Mina had was a whole lot more than just a fling. It wouldn’t make things easier on him once he was kicked out of the club and forbidden from seeing Mina or his child ever again.
Unwillingly, his mind slipped to the past. He was no longer in the dingy bar but standing just outside a reinforced tent in Iraq. His fellow soldiers were around him, shading themselves from the sun and trying to find another cigarette. Johnny had received a huge package from home, one that his mom had put together for him, and even though he had a giant tin of homemade cookies, he only ate one each day. It wasn’t a particularly special memory. Skid would have thought it would be the hard times and the combat that would have stuck in his brain more than anything. Those times were there, too, but even the long hot afternoons when he and his men were off-duty were still vivid images.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Skid looked up, startled. He’d barely touched his beer. His eyes slowly swam out of the past to discover Jewel standing at his side.
She was dressed in a skimpy blue top that barely covered her breasts and showed most of her midriff. The skin on her flat stomach was a little smoother than that on her face, but she was still an attractive woman. Jewel had put on eyeshadow that matched the color of her top, and she slid her eyes sideways at Skid as she picked up his beer and took a sip. “I said your name a minute ago, but you didn’t answer. I guess you were miles away.”
“More than you know,” he replied gruffly, taking his beer back and keeping his fingers firmly around the handle. Jewel, like the other club girls, was a constant mooch. It was basically their role, and in a way he didn’t blame her, but he wasn’t feeling particularly generous.
“What were you thinking about?” She leaned on the bar, arching her back so that her hips were thrust backward. Her ribs rubbed gently against the side of Skid’s arm. “Maybe it’s something I can help you with.”
“I don’t think so.” He tried looking off toward the other end of the bar, but the men clustered down there were laughing and raising their beers in the air. They looked so happy, like they didn’t have any cares in the world. It unsettled him, and he turned his gaze to the mirrored shelves behind the bar. Rows upon rows of liquor bottles surrounded the reflection of his own face, and he frowned.
“Don’t be so sure,” Jewel purred. She reached out a finger and trailed her nail down his bare arm. “There’s a lot a woman can do to ease a man’s mind, especially a woman who knows what she’s doing.”
“No, thanks.” He hadn’t been with another woman since Mina. That wasn’t like him, or like anyone else in Satan’s Legion, but she had done something to him. He didn’t know what, and he didn’t like to think about it too much, but Skid knew he was different now.
Jewel pressed against him fully now, engulfing his upper arm between her breasts. “Come on, Skid. You know you want me just as much as I want you. Of all the men in the club, you’re the only one I want.”
“More like the only one you haven’t managed to get into your bed yet,” he scoffed. Yes, a woman could probably ease his mind quite a bit at that moment, but it couldn’t be just any woman. He needed Mina.
“What’s the difference?” she asked pitifully. “I could have my pick of any man in this bar, club or not. I chose you. You should be thrilled. I can show you a night of passion you’ll never forget.”
Skid turned to look at her fully now, feeling angry and frustrated. “I said no, okay? Quit throwing yourself at me. It’s disgusting.”
Jewel backed up, but she wasn’t done with him yet. “I bet you wouldn’t think it was so disgusting if I had asked you a few months ago. I’ve noticed a change in you, Skid, and the way you look at women.”
A fiery heat prickled under his skin. Had he somehow managed to let his secret slip? Had he glanced at Mina for a second too long here and there? Had someone else been in the stairwell that afternoon when he had pressed her against the wall and kissed her, eager to have so much more? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She was close to him again, probably thinking she was making some headway. “Sure, you do. You don’t go out and party anymore. I mean, you’re here at the bar, but that’s nothing compared to the way you used to be. You’re not slipping off into the darkness with random women or talking to any of the club girls. Something’s come over you. Tell me what’s the matter, and I can fix it.” Jewel bumped her hips suggestively against him.
“Knock it off,” he growled. “I’m sure there are plenty of other guys in here who would be thrilled to have you do this to them, but I’m not in the mood.” He downed his drink and stood up, ready to go find another corner of the bar to sulk in.
“It’s got something to do with Mina, hasn’t it?”
“What?” Skid turned back to her, angry and worried.
“Ever since Park said she was pregnant, it’s like every member has had some sort of hang up.” Jewel crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows, no longer flirtatious. “I don’t see why everyone has to get their underwear in a twist just because she went and got herself knocked up. It’s happened to plenty of other club girls, and nobody thinks a thing about it.” Her lip had curled up into a snarl.
“Maybe that’s because she’s not just one of the club girls,” Skid retorted. “Sorry to burst your little bubble, Jewel, but she’s more important than that.”
“No, she’s not,” Jewel argued. “She thinks so, and her daddy thinks so, but you give her a little more time and she’ll just be someone else to fuck like the rest of us are.”
In a moment, he had her by the arm. He yanked her close, his face right in hers. Jewel’s eyes widened, but her look of fear quickly turned into one of satisfaction. Skid tried to ignore it. “You might not think anything of her, but Park does. As the vice president of this club, it’s my job to protect her the best I can, even if it’s from the likes of you. If you know what’s good for you, I suggest you shut the fuck up unless you actually know that the hell you’re talking about.” It was all he could do not to shake her like she deserved.
Surprisingly, Jewel threw her head back and let out a peal of laughter. She slapped him playfully on the arm and wiggled her hips against him. “You big brute! I just love it when you get rough with me!” Her catlike eyes slid across the bar.
Skid looked. Mina had just come in the front door. She had left her revealing outfits at home, instead wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. Even without any makeup and her hair in a state of disarray, she looked beautiful. Her melted chocolate eyes scanned the room and landed on Skid. They flicked quickly to Jewel and back again, taking only a second to absorb their close proximity to each other and the way Skid was holding onto the club girl. Her soft mouth hardened, turning down slightly at the corners. Mina’s chopped hair flew out from the back of her head like a fan as she turned and walked out the front door again.
Biting his tongue on a curse word—which would only let Jewel know just how much she had gotten to him—Skid shoved Jewel away and marched across the bar without saying any more. He would find Mina and ask her just what the hell she thought she was doing there and how she had gotten out from under her father’s thumb. He knew he wouldn’t like the answers, but he would ask the questions anyway.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to reach the front door before a tall man stepped in front of him. With broad shoulders and a trim waist that cut in at a vee only an action figure could hope to achieve, it was instantly clear that the biker in front of the skid had not always been a biker. His high-and-tight blond hair was one left over from his days in the military, and the way he carried himself said that he was still on high alert for enemies. He looked at Skid, however, with a friendly twinkle in his eyes. “It’s been a long time, soldier.”
It was difficult not to salute his former commanding officer, so Skid stuck his hand out instead. “That it has, Russ. What are you doing in these parts?”
“It’s Stomper now, if you don’t mind. I got out of the army shortly after you did, but it was hard to leave it all behind. I have a new group of men to command now. I imagine you’ve probably heard of the Sons of Chaos?” He gestured behind him to a cluster of tables occupied by quite a few bikers, and none of them from Satan’s Legion. They eyed the Legion boys with malice.
Skid set the edges of his teeth together, keeping a wary eye on both sides of the crowd. It had been a long time since the Legion had a good brawl, and he knew some of the men would be itching for it. But Skid didn’t have time to deal with that right now. He needed to go find Mina, for one thing, and he didn’t feel like having to deal with an angry bar manager or the police. “I have. I didn’t know you were into motorcycles.”
“Not much time for them in the desert.” Stomper pulled a toothpick from his shirt pocket and stuck it between his teeth. “I thought that was you sitting over there at the end of the bar, but I couldn’t be sure. You were always a pretty brash guy back in the day, but you’re not acting like it tonight.”
“You could say the past few months have been a little rough on me.” He was ready to get this over with and head out the door, but now he was concerned about leaving. Several of the Sons of Chaos were leaning their heads together, whispering and pointing. Skid didn’t need to ask to know they were deciding which of the Legion boys they would take down, who would fall first, and who would be the biggest challenge. Several of them were watching him as well, and Skid didn’t know if his association with Stomper would keep him from being a target. He would rather not find out. “Well, it was good to see you, but I’ve really got to get going.” If nothing else, he could circle back and check on things once he’d found Mina.
“You can’t go just yet,” Stomper insisted. “It’s been years. I don’t run into many of the guys these days. Why don’t you come sit down and have a beer with me? There are a few things I’d like to talk to you about.”
With one last glance toward the door, Skid nodded. As worried as he was about Mina, he knew he could find a way to make things right with her. What she’d thought she’d seen was purely a misunderstanding, and it had been Jewel’s fault. Besides, he was curious just what Stomper had to say to him. It should have been obvious from Skid’s vest that he was part of Satan’s Legion and even the VP. If Stomper wanted to try to recruit him, he had another thing coming. Skid followed Stomper through the crowd, threading his way between the tables to a relatively quiet place in the back corner.