Ryker
Sittin’ next to Kade in his pickup truck, I stare out the window, watchin’ the world fly by as we head to the clubhouse to handle business. We left the cabin less than ten minutes ago, and by the half-assed hug my old lady gave me, I can tell she’s put off by me leaving. Part of me is proud as fuck she doesn’t wanna see me go, while the other wants her to trust I’m not gonna fuck shit up.
Rubbin’ my palm down the supple leather of my cut, I send a silent thank you up to the Big Man for keepin’ it safe. I’d taken it off and threw it in the back of Vanessa’s car when I drove her to the hospital the day of the accident. One of the brothers found it underneath a seat, covered in debris. Kade cleaned it up. Now it looks as good as new. It’s a damn fine feelin’ wearin’ it for the first time since the crash. Seems fitting to have it on when I enter the clubhouse. If only I’d worn sweats instead of these holey fuckin’ jeans, that I had to cut in order to get my cast through the pant leg. The black Harley tee I donned covers enough of my arms, that most of the stitches aren’t visible. But I’m gonna be uncomfortable as fuck with this denim rubbin’ my leg all night.
“Watermelon Tits is pissed at you, ain’t she?” Kade asks outta nowhere, tappin’ his steering wheel to the beat of some twangy country song playing over the radio.
“Was it that obvious?” My bro might know Kat well, but he doesn’t have the kinda time invested that I do. They can be chummy best friends with all that mushy, braid my hair, paint my toes, kumbaya, BFF shit. Regardless, there’s a difference between friendship love, and the kinda love and devotion you have for a soulmate.
“Yeah, it was. She kept givin’ you the evil mom eye. That’s the one she usually reserves for me when she thinks I’m bein’ an asshole, or when I sneak the girls a second dessert. I swear, it’s as if she’s got eyes in the back of her head.”
“I know. She’s been givin’ me that look since I told her I was leavin’.” Which went worse than expected. If this situation could’ve waited, I would’ve blown it off for another week or two. As it is, it’s well overdue. Pops has been on my case since I left the hospital to come in and take care of business. I wanted a few days to settle in with my girls before I ran off for the night. He said no. That it was tonight, or he was pullin’ rank.
“Did you tell her why you had to go?” Kade prods.
“No. Why would I do that? It’s club business.” How would that look if I told her what’s goin’ down, when we just had that discussion about the club?
“Oh, I dunno, genius, ‘cause she’s your woman. Who almost lost you, and is also goin’ through a lot right now.”
“But, it’s club biz,” I reiterate, staring out the side window, wantin’ to punch him in the fuckin’ mouth for givin’ me hell. I’m trying to protect Kat, not involve her in more shit.
“You two talked about this, didn’t you?”
“The club? Yeah.” I shrug half-assed.
“And you still didn’t tell her what you were gonna do?”
He needs to get off my nutsack.
“No. Why the fuck would I? Spell it out for me, Kade, ‘cause she ain’t a brother.”
“But she’s your old lady, my best friend, and Ghost’s daughter. She’s got a fuckuva lot invested in this club. I think she might deserve to know that her man is gonna have more blood on his hands tonight.”
Scoffing, I shake my head in disgust. “You’re fuckin’ stupid.”
“Why? ‘Cause I want her to know we got justice for you?”
“Do you think Kat of all people is gonna be down with me killin’ in cold blood?”
“You did it to save her.”
One time, under special circumstances.
“That’s not the same thing,” I growl, tappin’ my finger on the windowpane, irritated as fuck. “Plus, she shouldn’t be an accessory to murder.”
“She already is. Or did you forget the dead men in your woods?”
“That was unavoidable.”
Kade snorts derisively. “Right. So it’s okay if she knows about those ‘cause it was unavoidable. But it’s not okay now? You make no goddamn sense.”
“Club biz, bro, we’ve gone over this.” That’s what’s been ingrained in us since infancy. What does he expect me to say? When the teachers in school would send the counselors to check on us, because we’d act up, or whatnot, they were constantly trying to pry. They didn’t like the club in this town back then. They wanted it gone. And to get Pops in trouble, they used us as pawns in their silly games. If we hadn’t learned to keep our traps shut then, our lives would be a helluva lot different now. My childhood wasn’t filled with hugs, kisses, and caviar dreams. Pops ran a fuckin’ motorcycle club. Hell, I saw my first set of bare, perky tits when I was in elementary school. My first gangbang, six months later. I lit up for the first time when I was ten. This isn’t a fairytale. Never was, and never will be. If that’s not reason enough not to include my old lady in this lifestyle, and what it entails, I dunno what is.
“I call bullshit,” Kade grits.
“Why? What the fuck is it any of your business how I handle my woman anyhow? Oh, that’s right, asshole, it’s not. Sorry, I don’t wanna tell her I’m about to bleed three men that almost killed me, and did kill Vanessa. She ain’t like us. That’s not gonna make her sleep peacefully tonight. It’ll make her feel guilty as fuck. Death isn’t a big deal to people like you, me, Pops, Ghost, any of the Sacred Sinners, or Rosie. It’s a huge deal to her. You know me, Kade, you know I won’t tell her stuff for her protection. Not ‘cause I don’t think she can mentally handle it. But because she shouldn’t have to carry that burden around.”
Kade groans his acquiescence. “Fine. I see your point. Your lady, your choice. Did you at least tell her about the party?”
“Nope.” I hold up my hand to stop the tirade I can tell he’s about to unleash. “She already has club whore jealousy issues. If she knew we were gonna have a massive party tonight, she’d be worried I was gonna fuck around on her.”
“Well, are you?”
I shoot Kade a scathing look, fistin’ my hands on top of my lap. “Did you seriously fuckin’ ask me that?”
“It’s a valid question. I love you, bro. But, no offense, I love her more.”
That makes two of us.
“No offense taken, fucker. And no, I’m not.”
“Did you bang that rat ass wife of yours, when you and the club left me in the dark about what was goin’ down?” Kade asks.
“No. I didn’t. And we did that—”
“’Cause I would’ve gutted that slut without thinkin’ twice.”
Right on the money. He knows himself as well as we do.
“Yes you would have, and that would’ve gotten us nowhere.”
“Doesn’t matter now. She’s dead, and their club is about to be wiped from the face of the earth.”
Hell yeah, it is.
“Did Pops tell you about Rosie?” Diverting the subject to something lighter than Kat is always best. Topics pertaining to her have a tendency to get us both riled the fuck up. She’s family. And we protect what’s ours, even if it’s from each other. I can’t fault Kade for stickin’ up for my woman. Even if it pisses me off.
Kade’s shoulders deflate as he grips the steering wheel firmly with both hands. “That she left ‘cause Big called on her to tie up loose ends? Yep, he told me. Fuckin’ sucks she left. Figured she might come back to check on Kat after she was finished.”
“Maybe she’s not finished,” I offer. It’s a valid point. Tracking people who are in hiding takes time.
“She is.” Kade’s crestfallen demeanor troubles me. I’m supposed to be the sullen sonofabitch. Not him.
“How do ya know?”
“’Cause it’s Rosie and she don’t waste time.”
I nod.
True.
Derailing the conversation to greener pastures that don’t include my woman or the one he’s lusting after, I ask about tonight’s party and what to expect. This perks Kade up. We fall into a comfortable banter the rest of the ride to the clubhouse, where shit’s about to get real.