Dante
I strode into the Skins’ headquarters. My music producer/manager ran after me, the short arse working overtime to keep up with me. Jade had picked me up from the rehab centre, harping on about getting Clara fired so I could return. I’d put a quick stop to that, telling him that she was the only reason I would return, so she could help me get my memories back, but not before I sorted out this mess with Killer. Little did he know that nothing ever went that smoothly with my dad’s ex, whose full name was Painkiller Rakete, a psycho with three personalities. The gang had taken to calling Painkiller different names according to which personality was present. They called his main personality Killer, the feminine one Pain, and the sociopath one Murderer, a joke that had stuck, only my dad not using the name. He just called Murderer Cunt. He hated that personality, blamed Murderer for destroying his relationship with Killer, who he genuinely loved. He even loved Killer’s other personality, Pain, just couldn’t handle Murderer, who he’d gotten into numerous fights with, the last one ending their relationship. And it was probably Murderer who’d threatened Clara, the prick a law unto himself.
I headed through the lounge, the place barren, which made sense, since it was too early in the day for anyone to be here. Though, it would probably look empty most nights too, since the majority of the gang had been hauled off to prison. Only a lucky few had gotten off the charges over the Skins’ illegal car operation, my best mate unfortunately not one of them.
My eyes gravitated to the bar on my left, a row of bottles catching my attention, one of them a Jack Daniels. I swallowed, already imagining the liquid burning a path down my throat. I glanced back at Jade, indicating to a door on the far side of the room, “Go check out the photos in the hallway while I’ll say a quick g’day to the sheilas in the kitchen. Maybe I can sweet talk ’em into making us some sammies.”
His gaze flicked to the bottles, Jade well aware of what I was up to. He went to open his mouth, probably to tell me no, but he was cut off by a female calling out my name. The Vice Prez’s old lady emerged through the doorway behind the bar, looking ecstatic to see my alcoholic arse. Mindy dropped her washcloth and ran around the bar, giving me a massive hug. I hugged her back, Fabian’s wife a right sweetheart.
She gave me a squeeze before pulling back, all smiles despite her husband being one of the men imprisoned. Though, I’d heard that Fabian could be getting out soon, which was probably why she was so happy. My mate had confessed to being the kingpin of the operation, spouting off bullshit that he’d brought in stolen vehicles behind Fabian’s and the prez’s backs, so he could get them sprung from jail. The authorities hadn’t believed him, but the gang’s lawyer kept at it, finally managing to find a loophole to get them out, Jasper’s confession working in the end. Which fucking sucked for Jasper, since it meant he was going to be in prison for a few more years. Still, I understood why he’d done it. After his dad had been gunned down and his auntie had gone missing, Mindy and her husband had become like parents to him, especially Mindy. She’d constantly turned up to his place with home-cooked meals, then proceeded to fuss over him as though he was her own son, insisting on doing his housekeeping. I guessed he wanted to give her something in return: her husband’s freedom.
“I heard you went to a rehab,” Mindy said. “Did it go well?”
“Yeah,” I lied, preferring to see the sweet smile remain on her face. I still couldn’t get over Fabian catching a bird like her. Most of the guys, with the exception of the prez, had skank-hoes, something Mindy definitely wasn’t. She was a tiny blonde waif of a woman with the sweetest face, so sweet you would expect to see her in a library, not in a gang’s headquarters. She also looked a good decade younger than her forty-five years, one of the few women in the club that time had been kind to.
“So, what brings you here, Dante?” she asked.
“I’m after Killer, or in particular Murderer.”
Her smile instantly dropped. “Why’re you after him?” she asked, looking worried.
“He’s harassing a woman I know,” I replied, not really wanting to go into detail. I indicated to the door that led to the workshop. “Is he out back?”
She nodded, her eyes going to Jade, who was being a prima donna and tapping his foot, probably annoyed that I hadn’t introduced his royal majesty. He was a Korean pretty boy in his early forties, who looked even younger than Mindy, the guy an eternal Peter Pan. Or he just had one hell of a plastic surgeon. Either way, he’d become obsessed with me after viewing illegal footage that my boss had been selling on the dark net. I hadn’t had a clue that I was being filmed until Jade unwittingly told me, thinking I was aware of it. He’d broken my boss’s porn club membership rules by tracking me down, almost getting himself and some of my loved ones killed in the process. Luckily, it ended well—with my prick of a boss dead, the drug lord finally getting what was coming to him. Afterwards, Jade stuck around, offering me a music contract and his friendship, since he realised he could never have a romantic relationship with me since I wasn’t into dudes. Regardless, the contract wasn’t just a means to stay in my life. He genuinely believed I could be a superstar... as long as I knocked my alcoholism on the head.
I indicated to him with a thumb. “This is Jade, my music producer. Jade, this is Mindy, the vice prez’s old lady.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said, everything about him sounding and looking out of place, from his Texan accent to his Korean appearance, and definitely his fancy Army suit... No, he’d called it an Armani suit, whatever the fuck that was, because I still had no clue, even though he seemed to think I knew what it was. Not like I wore suits, jeans or leathers my go to.
He held a hand out for Mindy to shake. She glanced at me, giving me the impression she wasn’t sure whether I was taking the mickey out of her over the music producer part, but she still shook Jade’s hand. “Likewise,” she said, giving him a small, unsure smile.
I indicated to the passageway door. “It wuz nice seein’ you again, Mindy, but we should go find Murderer.”
She let go of Jade’s hand. “Well, don’t be a stranger. I expect to see you in here more often.”
“Not a good idea,” Jade piped up. “He’s an alcoholic.”
“Oh!” Mindy said, appearing embarrassed. “Of course, how stupid of me.” She tapped her head. “Sometimes I don’t think.”
She pushed up onto her toes and gave me a peck on the cheek, adding a goodbye, then headed back around the bar. My eyes followed her, landing on the Jack Daniels again, the bottle calling to me like a well-endowed siren floating in a sea of whiskey.
Mindy stopped in the doorway that led to the kitchen. “I hope you make Dante a star, Mr. Producer,” she called back to Jade. “He’s got a great voice.”
Jade nodded back. “Without question.” He grabbed my arm as I went for the whiskey, yanking me back, the li’l bugger having a stronger grip than expected. “Stop it, Dante,” he hissed. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”
I wrenched my arm free, about to bite his head off, but instead clamped my mouth shut, Mindy’s eyes moving to me. I gave her a strained smile, receiving a concerned one in return. I quickly turned away before she could ask me questions, and headed for the doorway that led to the workshop. Jade followed me into the passageway, stopping to glance at the photos lining the walls. There were pictures of past presidents, gang members on Harleys, even an image of my father with his arm around his best mate’s shoulders, Hemi looking young in it. I stopped in front of the photo, saddened to see Jasper’s dad. Hemi had been shot down in cold blood during the Devil’s Crew’s attack on our club just over nine years ago, a loss the Skins had never gotten over. Hemi had not only been big in size, his personality had been massive, the whole club loving him.
“Who’s that?” Jade asked, tapping the image of my dad. “He’s really hot...”
I grimaced, grossed out that he thought my dad was hot.
“...but also scary,” he added.
“Why? Cos he has a moko?” I asked, my dad’s facial tattoo tribal, not gang related.
Jade shrugged. “Partially, but it’s his eyes. They’re soulless, like a serial killer’s.”
I snorted out a laugh. “People say I have his eyes.”
Jade turned to me, his expression confused.
“That’s my dad,” I said.
Jade’s face dropped. “Oh, God! I’m so, so sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I had no idea he was your father—”
I cut his blathering apology off, “Chill, my dad is a scary bastard. And that serial killer comment, don’t worry ’bout it, others have said it too. By the way, it’s his ex we’re coming to see.”
He frowned. “But I thought we were seeing a man...” His eyes widened. “Is your dad gay?”
“Nah, he just has a kink for Killer. Killer’s known to tempt straight men. You’ll understand when you see the bastard.”
“Does he look like a girl, like L?” Jade asked, mentioning his mate. “Well, L is intersex, so is partly female—”
“Nope, he looks completely male, he’s just hypersexual. Now, let’s go.”
I pushed through the doorway that led to the workshop. Several men were working on cars, the vehicles probably legit since the police sting had shaken the club. I spotted the back of Killer on the far side of the large garage, working on his motorbike.
Jade tried to keep up with me as I strode towards Killer, who was kneeling on the concrete floor, looking at something under his bike. The other men nodded their hellos at me, the last one shouting, “G’day, Dante!” That seemed to get Killer’s attention. He pushed up to face me as I came to a stop in front of him. He was considerably younger than my dad, thirty from memory... I grunted, suddenly realising there was a much bigger age gap between him and my dad than Clara and me. But my dad was a do as I say, not do as I do kind of bloke. Though, I couldn’t really relate his relationship with Killer to Clara’s and mine, since Killer had been in his early twenties when the two had gotten together, while I’d been fifteen when I’d had the affair with Clara.
Killer wiped his hands on his grease-stained jeans. He was wearing a loose black muscle singlet, the neckline hanging low, showing off his toned, bronzed chest. The guy looked more like a sports model than a gang member, Killer a gym junkie.
A smile lit up his stunning features, the psycho a good-looking father-fucker, which was one of the reasons he’d had my dad’s cock and balls in a vice for so long. Before I could get a word out, or even realise what he was about to do, he grabbed me, yanking me into a hug. I pushed my hands between us and shoved the fucker away, relieved that at least it was Killer before me, not Murderer, because that stone-cold bastard would more likely have knifed me than hugged me.
“Don’t touch me, you cunt,” I snapped.
Instead of getting offended, Killer cackled like a hyena, his eyes going behind me, his face excited. “Is your dad here?”
“No, and he won’t be coming back until you fuck off.”
Killer’s hazel eyes moved back to me. He flicked his tongue out, whatever he was thinking obviously not pleasant. “You know I’m gonna get him back eventually, right? So, you might as well tell me where he is.”
“Not on your life, you whack job. You put a gun to his balls, and don’t blame that on Murderer, my dad said it wuz you.”
“I thought he wuz cheating on me, and it wuz Murderer who cocked the gun, not me. And your dad should’ve told me he wuz whoring.”
I blinked at him in disbelief. Everyone knew my old man had been whoring since the dawn of time, and would probably die on the job. “You’ve gotta be pulling my tit. You knew he wuz a whore from the get go, and even accepted it, yeah, begrudgingly, but you still agreed he could continue, so don’t play me for a fool.”
“You got me wrong, Dante. I thought he wuz doin’ it to get his rocks off, not for money. If I knew the woman wuz only a client, I wouldn’t have gone apeshit.”
“Why the fuck did’ja think he wuz cheating? You know he’s in love with you. He wouldn’t fuck anyone else unless he’s gettin’ paid.”
“Rafael said he saw your dad gettin’ lovey-dovey with a really hot chick, even emailed me photos to prove it.” He breathed out, his expression distressed. “I really wish I didn’t open those emails, I let my jealousy get the better of me.”
“For fuck’s sake, why were you even talkin’ to that stalker? Rafael tried to kidnap you.”
“I didn’t talk to him in person, he only sent emails.”
“You shouldn’t have opened anything from him. He would’ve framed it to look like an affair, not a job.”
Killer ran a hand over his wavy brown hair. “I know, I know, it’s just... Your dad won’t shut up ’bout women’s tits. Small tits, big tits, pointy tits, he always has to make a comment ’bout ’em. And when I saw that client, she had massive ones, the type he likes the best. Even worse, she wuz drop dead gorgeous, too gorgeous to be payin’ for sex.”
“Is she married?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s your answer. Her husband can’t make her come, so she went to a pro. My dad can make any woman come, and he’ll do it without her husband finding out. That’s what he gets paid for. Orgasms and discretion. And, by the way, he talks ’bout your body more than he mentions tits and pussy.” I grimaced. “The gross bastard won’t shut up ’bout your arse. He’s just a crude cunt who needs his mouth sewn shut.”
“Still, I just wish he’d work for my mate instead of whoring. Porn’s more controlled and pays better.”
I lowered my voice so the other men couldn’t hear. “He would never do gay-for-pay. If the gang find it hard enough dealing with you two bein’ together, can you imagine what they would say if he did gay porn? Nah, he’d end up killing someone if they mouthed off at him.”
“Either way, he’s mine, and I’m gettin’ him back.”
“That’s if you can find him.”
“You know where he is, so tell me.”
“I don’t know shit, other than you fuckin’ made him leave.”
“Well, if you hate me so much, why the fuck are ya here?” His face dropped. “Shit, nuthin’s happened to Jasper?” he asked, mentioning his nephew.
“Jaz is fine, I’m here for Clara. Stay away from her.”
Confusion knitted his brow. “Who’s Clara?”
“Don’t play stupid.”
“I’m not playin’. You know I’m not into pussy.”
“I’m talkin’ ’bout my English teacher, not you gettin’ off.”
The confusion disappeared from his face. “Oh, that paedo. Why the fuck would I wanna go near her? And why are you even mentioning the sick bitch? I thought she wuz long gone from your life.”
“You know she isn’t! You broke into her house, leaving a threatening note.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“Cos you threatened her to stay away from me.”
“Years ago. Haven’t seen the bitch since, and how come you’re back with her? Thought you forgot ’bout bein’ the teacher’s pet. Did the paedo turn up to your place again? I warned her to stay away.”
I stepped in closer, glaring him down. The bastard was six-four or five, a couple of inches taller than me. “While you’ll keep away from her.”
He flicked his tongue over his teeth. “There’s no use in gettin’ worked up ’bout some paedo. She won’t want your cock again. She’s only interested in boys and their li’l hard-ons.”
I grabbed his throat. “She’s not into boys,” I snarled. “She’s into me, motherfucker.”
He didn’t retaliate, just grinned wide. “Nah, I’m a father-fucker,” he said, obviously referring to my dad. “By the way, Pain gets off on your dad choking her. I like it too. Gets me real hard.”
Disgusted, I whipped my hand back. “Just stay away from Clara and my dad. And tell your psycho side to stay away from them too, or I’ll smash your fuckin’ face in. Got that?”
“I have no interest in goin’ near that paedo,” he said, emphasizing the word. “When I threatened her, you were still a boy. But now you’re a man, you can take care of your own problems. Whereas your dad...” He licked his lips, the dirty bastard probably imagining rimming my old man. “He’s big enough to take care of himself without you sticking your pretty li’l nose in where it doesn’t belong. So, next time you talk to him, tell him I’m not givin’ up on our relationship. I love him and he loves me—”
I cut him off, “Kara loves me, and I love her, but I can’t be with her, cos she abuses me, like you abuse my dad. You lost him for good this time, so fuckin’ move on and learn to treat your lovers better.”
“He wuzn’t my lover! He’s my life and I will get him back.” His beautiful face turned vicious, anger warping it. “And you and everyone else who doesn’t understand that can go get fucked, cos it wuzn’t just me abusing our relationship, it wuz him too. He needs to own up to fuckin’ it up like I have. We work shit out, have always worked shit out, and we will again.”
I shook my head at him, the guy impossible to reason with. He had a one-track mind, which always led to my dad. There was no doubt he loved him, to the point of madness, but...
“You two are even more toxic than me and Kara,” I said. “You’ll end up killing each other if you don’t stay apart.”
“No, it’s killing me bein’ apart!” Killer snapped, his expression devastated. “I don’t get why people can’t understand that. I love him, have always loved him. I can’t give that up.”
“You hafta if you truly love him.”
He shook his head. “I can’t, it hurts too much bein’ away from him. Please, just tell him I’m sorry, that I’ll never raise a gun to him again. You know I wouldn’t have pulled that trigger, I’d sooner shoot myself.”
“Murderer would’ve pulled it.”
“No, cos he knows I’d kill myself if he did. He’s vicious, not suicidal, plus, despite bein’ a sociopath, he wants your dad too.”
“Yeah, to fuck him, and my dad ain’t interested in that. He does the fucking.”
“Which is all good by me. I want him to fuck me.”
“I don’t needa hear that,” I spat out, disgusted.
“But I want his love even more,” he said, his voice softening.
I exhaled, knowing he was telling the truth. “I can’t tell you where he is, cos I honestly don’t know,” I said, a partial lie, since I didn’t know his address, other than it was in Taranaki, soon to be Auckland.
Killer screwed his face up. “You must have his number. Just call. Lemme talk to him, reason with him.”
“He doesn’t wanna talk to you.”
“C’mon, throw me a bone, please, it’s just talkin’.”
I frowned. “I can’t, but I’ll mention to him what you said. That’s the best I can do.”
He nodded, his eyes filling with hope. “Yeah, yeah, do that. Tell him to call me. No harm in talkin’, aye?”
“Sure,” I said, wanting to get back to what I was here for. “So, you truly didn’t do this shit to Clara? The roses and the note.”
He frowned. “Why the fuck would I give that bitch roses? I’d sooner slit her throat than send her sweet nuthins.” He held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it literally, as I said, you’re a big boy now. Deal with her yourself, I’ve got my own problems.”
“Yeah, a shitload,” I mumbled.
“Whatever,” he replied. “Just tell your dad what I said, and I won’t tell him ’bout you gettin’ a hard-on for the paedo.”
“For fuck’s sake, she’s not a paedo! If she wuz one, she wouldn’t have been perving at me skinny-dipping.”
His eyebrows shot up. “How the fuck did she see you do that?”
“She’s a counsellor at my rehab,” I said, realising a second later I shouldn’t have told him that. “I didn’t have togs, went for a swim, she caught me.”
He shrugged. “Whatever, I don’t give a fuck. And tell your mate I’m a bottom. Murderer’s the top, and that cunt would sooner fuck your mate with a gun than his dick.”
I frowned. “What the fuck are ya on about?”
Killer indicated to Jade. “He keeps lookin’ at me like he wants me to top him.”
I turned to Jade, whose cheeks had gone bright red. “I wasn’t looking at him like that,” he spluttered.
I shook my head at him. “I bet you were, you horny bastard.”
“I...I...”
“Stop spluttering, I warned you what he wuz like, so go back to the car.”
“Not without you.”
Killer cackled his hyena laugh. “What’s with the girly twat? Didn’t think ya swung that way, Dante.”
My eyes snapped back to him. “I don’t, he’s my music producer. He’s making sure I return to rehab, which is why he’s following me around like a mother hen.”
Killer shrugged, then lifted his singlet up, showing off his defined abs and massive package, the outline of his dick obscene. “Get a good look, li’l man,” he said to Jade. “Payment for lookin’ out for my man’s boy.”
Jade’s eyes bugged out, his drool practically splashing me. I grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him around. “We’re leaving,” I said, “before the fucker flashes you.” I gave Jade a shove, making him stumble.
He looked back, angling his head around me, trying to get another look at Killer. He stopped in his tracks, causing me to bump into him. He quickly righted himself, his eyes locking onto Killer. I glanced back, swearing at what I saw, the bloody bastard unzipping his pants.
“For fuck’s sake, Killer,” I snapped, giving Jade another shove. “Stop bein’ a dickhead.”
He cackled. “Did’ja say ya wanna see my dickhead?”
“No!”
“I do!” Jade said, sidestepping me.
Killer pulled his massive dick out, the pervert wanking the anaconda. The other mechanics starting yelling at him to put it away, while Jade continued to ogle him. I gave Jade a harder shove, finally getting a yell of complaint from him.
I pointed at the door. “Out!”
“Okay, okay,” he snapped.
He waved at Killer, then exited through the door with a big grin on his face, Killer a fucking menace. The other mechanics continued yelling at Killer to put his dick away. The pervert cackled, probably getting immense joy out of pissing them off.
I headed down the passage, making sure that Jade was in front of me. He was chatting excitedly about Killer, asking if he could sing and when he could see him again. I ignored him, my thoughts returning to Clara—and who’d threatened her, because if it wasn’t Killer...
Who the fuck was it?