Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You’re going to a lot of trouble with this chick,” Paco said.
“Do I have use of the prospects or not?” Goldie replied, ignoring Paco’s comment.
“Steel and I are wondering how we can justify taking the prospects away to do personal stuff for a brother who has a hard-on for his best friend’s sister.”
“I’m just gonna tell you this one time, dude. I don’t give a shit that you’re the VP of the club. If you say that shit to me again, I’m gonna smash your goddamn face.”
“Then we’d have a bloody mess after I kick your ass.” Paco’s arms flexed when he crossed them over his chest.
“If the club doesn’t want to help me out with this, fine. I can figure it out. I was just asking because it didn’t seem to be a problem when Muerto and Diablo asked for their women. Just fuckin’ forget about it.” He pushed away from the bar.
“He’s messing with you,” Steel said as he walked over.
“You sick fuck,” Goldie said.
Paco laughed and handed him a shot of tequila. “You were the one always giving Muerto and Diablo shit about their women, so I thought I’d take over your spot.”
A half smile curled Goldie’s lips as he shook his head. “So I can use Ruger and Patches if I need to? I’m gonna be doing it most of the time. I just want to make sure she’s safe until they catch this fuckin’ perv.”
“Since Wexler can’t find his ass with both hands, I’d say you’re gonna be watching your woman for a long time,” Paco replied.
“I heard a detective from Durango’s manning the case,” Army said as he came over.
“Who’re you fucking this time at the sheriff’s office?” Steel asked.
“A hot redhead. She just loves telling me everything going on after I fuck her good.” Army laughed and picked up his beer.
“What do they know about this bastard?” Goldie said.
“They think he may be the one offing the old people at your grandma’s place.”
“Fuck. I got a bad feeling about all this. I have to figure out how to protect my grandma when I’m not there.”
“Why don’t you move her out?” Chains asked as he sat on one of the barstools.
“Cherry Vale’s the nicest private place in the area. The state-run ones are shitholes, and I don’t want to send her to Durango. Besides, moving her now would totally screw her up. I just have to figure it out.” Goldie scrubbed his face.
“You know the badges are usually wrong. I can’t believe a guy raping women is also offing old people. It doesn’t make sense,” Paco said.
“If he’s trying to avoid detection and throw the badges off, it does,” Chains replied.
For a few seconds, silence descended on the group. Then Paco clasped Goldie on the shoulder. “When are you gonna tell your friend about fucking his sister?” The others guffawed.
“I don’t know,” he grumbled. After he finished his beer, he begged off a game of pool and headed to his room. Paco’s question needled him, and he knew it was something he had to do. Since he and Hailey had come together, they’d both acted as though Ryan didn’t exist, but he was always in the back of Goldie’s mind. Sometimes he’d chastise himself for being so weak or a disloyal, shitty friend, but then the memory of Hailey’s kisses and the sunlight in her hair washed the guilt away. How could he give up the way she snuggled close to him when they slept, the way her lower lip jutted out when he annoyed her, or the way her face contorted when she climaxed? He couldn’t. It was that simple, yet somehow it wasn’t.
Kicking his desk chair, he cursed under his breath. Of all the women he’d ever hooked up with, why the fuck did it have to be Hailey who’d found a way into his heart? Fuck. I need to tell Ryan. He’ll get it. He knows I’d never hurt Hailey. We’ve been buds since we were five. And what was Hailey to him? His feelings for her were all scrambled inside him, and the fact that he even had feelings for her surprised him. In all his years, he’d never felt anything more for a woman than pleasure. Some of the women had been more fun than others, and he’d liked hanging out with them more, but if they started pressuring him, he’d walk away without a backward glance. And on the rare occasion when a woman decided she wasn’t into his no-commitment mentality and left him, he’d usually be with another one within twenty-four hours. That was the way he lived his life, and it had suited him just fine until Hailey came into his shop.
Being with Hailey touched something deep inside him, and it thrilled and angered him at the same time. He loved his easy life in the brotherhood: all the booze and pussy he could ask for, camaraderie, killer parties, and doing whatever the fuck he wanted. He didn’t need a woman complicating his life, and he wasn’t willing to give it up, but when he wasn’t with Hailey, he was thinking about her. He’d skipped the last several club parties, and the only pussy he’d been in for a while was Hailey’s. It was the only one he craved.
Fuck, this shit’s complicated.
A knock on his door was a welcomed distraction from his dizzying thoughts.
“It’s open.”
Brutus walked in. “Some of us are going out drinking. You wanna come?”
“Where’re you going?”
“Rear End.”
“I haven’t been there in a long time. Count me in.” It’ll be good to just go out with the brothers.
“We’re gonna leave in an hour,” Brutus said as he walked out.
Yanking off his T-shirt, Goldie headed to the shower. A night out with his buds was just what he needed. Freshly showered and shaved, Goldie slipped on a clean pair of jeans and a black muscle shirt that molded over his chest. He reached for his phone on the desk and noticed several unopened texts.
Hailey: Whatcha doing?
Hailey: R u busy?
Hailey: U must b tatting someone.
Hailey: Forgot to ask. U wanna hang tonite? I feel like a drink.
Hailey: Text me when u’re done.
Goldie reread the texts, looked out the window, and then replied.
Goldie: Sorry. Was in the shower. I’m hanging with my buds tonite.
Hailey: Where u guys going?
Goldie: A biker bar.
Hailey: Have I been there?
Goldie: Doubt it. It’s raunchy & a hottie like u wouldn’t survive ten secs before the wolves started circling.
Hailey: hehe. Have a good time.
Goldie: Thx. I’ll call u tomorrow.
Hailey: :)
Goldie put the phone in his pocket and went over to the window. Down below, he saw Brutus, Jigger, Sangre, Army, Eagle, and Skull walking toward their bikes. The encroaching darkness slowly swallowed the last light of day. The shadows from the oak tree fell over the brothers’ heads and shoulders like a web. I almost canceled going to Rear End to be with Hailey. But he didn’t. He had to prove to himself that he could go out with his brothers and have a good time without her on his mind. She’d been totally cool with it, and he kind of wished she would’ve given him an attitude to prove that she was just like all the women he’d known. But she wasn’t. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever known. Grabbing his keys, he went down to meet his brothers.
Rear End had been around since the 1960s and had a longtime reputation as a biker’s haven. Framed posters of naked women in leather boots posed in various positions on motorcycles hung on the dirty gray walls. Beer kegs shot up by the patrons in the desert were part of the dive’s decorations. Old neon beer signs blinked intermittently behind the bar and in the small windows facing the street. The back wall was known as the “Memorial Wall” where broken bits and pieces of motorcycles shared space with photos of longtime regulars—both dead and alive. Bullet holes marked the walls, and a canopy of women’s bras decorated the ceiling. Brawling was the norm, and sometimes violence would erupt among the customers over something as simple as a lost pool or dart game. Most nights Rear End was packed with bikers and women who wanted to be near them.
Goldie and his brothers entered the dive, jerking their heads at some of the men in leather standing by the bar. Zito, the owner and bartender, grinned at the Night Rebels, his top gold teeth flashing under the flickering neon signs. “It’s been too fuckin long,” he said as he set down seven shot glasses. Zito inherited the bar after his dad had passed away ten years before. He was built like a linebacker and didn’t put up with shit from anyone. If one of the patrons justly pissed off another, he’d let them fight it out, but if someone started bullshit for no reason, he’d find himself kissing the pavement or staring into Zito’s double-barrel shotgun.
“On the house,” he said as he filled the shot glasses with Jack.
“Thanks, man,” the brothers said as they lifted their glasses and threw them back.
Goldie panned the room and saw a woman he’d hooked up with eight months before. He’d met her at Rear End, and she seemed like a good time. They got drunk and he ended up at her place for a couple of days. All they did was smoke weed, drink, and fuck. When he’d taken off, she’d been madder than hell that he hadn’t wanted her number. He’d been sorry that he hadn’t just given it to her so he could’ve avoided the scene, but he’d been too high and hadn’t thought it through.
Goldie turned his head, but she’d already spotted him and was headed his way. He ordered a double Jack and braced himself. Her long nails dug into his bicep at the same time a nauseatingly sweet citrus scent roped around him.
“It’s been a long time, Goldie. How’ve you been?”
Turning slightly, he lifted his chin. “Been good.”
White, crooked teeth shone between dark lips. With her jet-black hair and pasty complexion, she looked like a vampire. Did she look like that when we hooked up? And what the fuck’s her name?
“I haven’t seen you around here. I hope you weren’t avoiding it because of me.” Her nails dug in deeper.
“Hardly.” He jerked his arm away and gave her a warning glance.
“Not in the mood to be friendly?” She leaned in close but he pushed her away.
“Nah. Go on and circulate.” He turned his back to her.
“What’s the story with Vampirella?” Eagle asked.
Goldie chuckled. “I was drunker than shit the last time I was here and ended up crashing a couple of days with her. We fucked like crazy, and then I left. She got pissed.”
“The usual story. Damn. I was hoping for some real blood sucking, not the hickey shit.”
“She’d probably do it now. I don’t remember her looking like the undead.”
“Was she a good fuck?”
“Yeah. I mean, I stayed for two days, so she must’ve done something right.”
“Whoa, bro. Look at her now. She’s giving you the evil eye, and the dude with her is acting all tough.” Eagle laughed.
“What a couple of losers. If he wants to start shit, I’m right in. It’s been too long since I had a good bar fight.”
“Vampirella would probably love to see you crush him. Bitches like that love to have a man fight for them. Makes ’em feel special. Maybe he’s her Igor.” Goldie and Eagle laughed.
“Some dudes from the Jagged Aces challenged us to a pool game. Are you guys in?” Army asked.
“I’m out, but I’ll watch,” Goldie said.
Army jerked his head back. “I thought you’d be all over this.”
“I’m in,” Eagle said.
Soon, Brutus, Army, Eagle, and Skull were lined up to play a few rounds of pool with four Jagged Aces. The club was not a one-percenter, but they had their hands in several smaller illegal activities around the county. Their main claim to fame was stealing cars and motorcycles in and around the county. The Night Rebels never had any run-ins with them, and they normally got along at rallies, with several of the Jagged Aces members participating in the charity poker runs the Night Rebels organized. The Aces respected the Night Rebels and never laid claim to any territory in southwestern Colorado.
Eagle sat next to Goldie, waiting for his game to come up. “Vampirella’s Igor is a Jagged Ace.”
Goldie glanced over and she smirked at him, then wrapped her arm around her man’s waist. Goldie turned away. “She’s a biker slut.”
“Aren’t all the women we meet?”
Not Hailey. Never Hailey. She doesn’t give a damn that I’m a biker. She knew me before the Night Rebels. He chuckled when he remembered she’d told him she’d had a crush on him since she was thirteen. All of a sudden, the women in the club looked like pathetic barflies, and the pool game didn’t interest him. All he could think about was Hailey, wishing she were seated in his lap, or riding behind him on his bike.
Eagle whistled and Sangre, Skull, and Jigger hooted. Brutus was wiping the Jagged Aces’ ass in the game. Goldie tried to concentrate on it. He was out with his brothers, so why wasn’t he having a good time? Something was gnawing deep inside him. While Brutus hit the winning shot, Goldie took out his phone.
Goldie: R u home?
Hailey: Ya. Y?
Goldie: I need 2 see u.
Hailey: Is everything ok?
Goldie: I need to be inside u.
A few seconds passed.
Hailey: I miss u 2. Come fast. ♥♥
Goldie read her text several times. That was it: he missed her too. Standing up, he clasped Eagle’s shoulder. “I’m fuckin’ beat. I’m outta here. Good luck on the game.”
“This is a first.”
“What can I say? Not enough sleep, no food, and too much booze.” He sauntered away before Army started up with all the questions.
Even though the sun had gone down, it was still like an inferno, the hot air wrapping around him like a down blanket. With his cams screaming, he exited the parking lot and drove by the front of the bar. Vampirella and Igor stood on the sidewalk watching him. He sped away.
Hailey ran down the stairs right when he set his kickstand. Opening his arms, she flew into them, laughing and kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in years. He tangled his fingers in her silky hair and pulled her head back, crushing his lips to hers. This is exactly where I want to be. When he scooped her up, she yelled and then laughed as he carried her into the house, up the stairs, and laid her on the mattress.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said with a wicked glint in her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” he replied while he stripped off his clothes.
She jumped up from the bed and pulled him toward it, shoving him backward. His ass hit the mattress and he looked up at her. “What’s going on in your pretty little head?”
“Don’t move.”
She went over to her computer and the pulsing beats of “Girls, Girls, Girls” filled the room. As she slowly pulled her sundress over her head, she wiggled around. Then she placed her hands over her breasts and he thought he’d lose it. Dressed in a black, cutout, sheer teddy, she looked luscious with her pink pussy peeking out. When she whirled around, the lingerie opened just enough to show her bitable ass. Before the song went into the chorus, he had her on the bed, sucking her tits as he buried his fingers between her damp folds.
After a few hours, they held each other as he twirled strands of her hair around his finger.
“I’m so happy you came over,” she whispered in the darkness.
“Me too.”
“I was surprised when I got your text. At first I was worried something happened.”
Something did.
She kissed his chest. “I feel so good right now.”
“Yeah.” He wanted to tell her he was feeling shit he never had before, but how could he explain it when he didn’t even understand it. Instead, he held her tighter, never wanting to let the moment slip away from them.
“You’re pretty special to me,” she said softly.
“You too.” And she was, but there were complications, like his lifestyle and Ryan. But earlier that night, none of it had mattered when he’d entered her, their bodies crashing together, smacking and sliding against each other. They’d fucked over and over until the sheets were wet from their frenzied passion.
After they’d both calmed down, he’d kissed her sweetly, and she’d whimpered and curled around his body. And that’s when he’d made love to her. Long, slow strokes fueled their passion, and when they’d come together, he knew he’d experienced something he’d never had with any other woman. The smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her skin seemed to course through him, electrifying him and everything around him. Her essence gripped him; she captivated him.
And he could never let her go.