Linda
“How are you so good at this, Jones?” I asked, watching the tall, lanky man lean against the table and make his final shot. If he sunk the eight ball into the side pocket, he would win the game. It would be the third game in a row, too.
“Jones is a natural, but I have a hunch that he cheats.” Kyle placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it slightly. My cheeks felt warm and I wasn’t sure whether it was due to the elevated temperatures in the bar or if his touch affected me in such a way. I preferred to believe the first option.
“Are you calling me a cheater?” Jones jabbed his stick in Kyle’s direction.
Kyle immediately stood in front of me, his arm reaching out in a protective stance as his other hand grabbed the stick, yanking it from his opponent’s hands. “Hey, watch where you point that thing. You could really poke someone’s eye out like that.”
Jones was already rushing at us. I quickly scrambled out of harm’s way. He tackled Kyle into a nearby table. The chair they landed on collapsed under their weight. They started to roll around, throwing punches. I wanted to do something to stop it, but it felt like I was frozen in place.
All of a sudden, Nina came waltzing in. “Alright. Alright. Break it up you two.” She yanked them apart, clicking her tongue in disapproval. The two men looked at each other, their eyes narrowing before they burst out laughing. They hugged and then brushed each other off.
“That was a good one.” Jones smiled brightly.
“You got me pretty good on the jaw there.” Kyle was hinging his jaw back and forth.
“You want me to get you a band-aid for your boo-boo?”
Kyle responded by shoving him off.
“What was all that about?” I asked, feeling confused. One moment it looked like they were going to kill each other, the next they were laughing like nothing happened.
“That’s just how it is around here. We rough each other up sometimes, but we always kiss and make up.” Kyle grabbed the pool stick out of my hand. “Since you attacked me, I’m going to assume you forfeit your turn.” Before Jones could protest, Kyle had already positioned himself for the perfect shot.
I couldn’t help but stare at him. His body was like a work of art. Even though his leather jacket covered his upper body, I could tell he was packing on muscle. His posture was just so straight and defined like he was a part of royalty. His legs were powerful. I had to admit, I had taken a peek or two at his package throughout the night. After all, he was wearing skinny jeans – really tight skinny jeans – what is a girl supposed to do?
Before my mind could wander off, Kyle made the shot. The sound of the cue ball smashing into the 8-ball broke my trance. I barely had enough time to watch it disappear into one of the pockets. “Wow…” I whispered unconsciously.
Kyle stood up, his dark eyes softening with smugness. He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “Seems like I still got it. How about I get a kiss as a prize for winning us a game?”
“As if.” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. I was starting to warm up to the Blackbirds, but that didn’t mean I was going to kiss Kyle. Fat chance of that ever happening.
“Oh, c’mon. You know you want it.” Kyle reached forward, about to grab me, but I weaseled away. It was the first time that night I had managed to evade his grasp. Feeling confident, I didn’t notice the chair that popped up right in front of me. I tripped, about to tumble to the ground when Kyle caught me, pinning me to his body.
My breath caught in my throat as I looked into his dark eyes. It felt like my heart was tightening and my immediate thought was to get away. My skin started to tingle in what I thought was disgust. I pushed away, but not before I caught his musky scent. I stopped like it had bewitched me.
“So feisty.” He laughed. “I’m surprised you’re not trying to scratch me.”
“Thanks for the idea,” I smirked at him.
“Not that I would mind. I might actually like it. Do you bite too?” He exposed his neck to me and I pushed him away.
“Stop being such a pig.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He winked at me and I felt this strange shiver running down my spine. A draft maybe?
“You guys going back to headquarters?” Jones had tidied things up and rejoined us.
“Yeah, why don’t we all head out?”
“Cool, I’ll see if anyone else wants to ride with us.” Jones stopped to look at me. “Is there any way I could convince you to ride with me?” He asked, lowering his voice, trying to be seductive, but all he managed to do was sound super creepy.
I backed away until I bumped into Kyle. He wrapped his arms tight around me and smirked. “Get lost Jones, she’s mine.”
“You always get the cute ones. It’s not fair.” He sighed, giving me one more look before walking away.
Kyle chuckled. “Good to know you’d pick me over Jones.”
“Well, you’re just the lesser of two evils, that’s all.”
“I can’t believe you still hate me, even after I taught you how to become such a good pool player.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“Then why do you cringe every time I try to hold your hand?”
“I don’t.”
“Really?” Just to prove his point, he grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I instantly regretted my stubbornness, but at the same time, it felt kind of nice to be holding his hand, especially when our fingers locked together.
Without another word, we walked outside to his bike. Just like last time, he helped me with the helmet, taking his time. It was strange to see all these different sides of him. It seemed he could be really gentle if wanted to, but that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t also a pervert or a thug. I wondered which one of those personas was the real Kyle.
“Ready?” Knowing I had no other choice, I wrapped my arms around his chest and moved close to him until our bodies were practically locked together. The motorcycle started up and my whole body shook with the vibrations. I nearly moaned as they ran through every inch of my body. I blushed deeply, but I couldn’t deny that there was something sexual about riding a motorcycle. I didn’t really know what it was. Maybe the surge of adrenaline was a big part of it.
Kyle chuckled and shot off, followed by a few more members of his crew. The group made quite a ruckus, but it wasn’t annoying. With the noise from all the engines, it was almost as if we were all warriors, letting out a rallying cry before heading into battle.
I tightened my grip on Kyle. To think, I was supposed to be in bed by now, but instead, I was cruising the highway with a bunch of bikers.
***
Soon enough, we arrived at what looked like an old warehouse. The brick building was covered in graffiti. A few of the windows were boarded up. “Where are we?” I asked as I got off the bike, letting Kyle help me. I couldn’t allow myself to fall into his arms like last time.
“This is the Blackbird headquarters. This is where our members come if they need someplace to hide or relax. It’s also where I live.”
“What? You live here? But this place is a dump!”
“Sure. On the outside. But you haven’t seen nothing yet.” He took my hand and guided me toward the entrance. Jones was already there, pushing the metal doors open.
Light spilled from the building onto the dark street. I blinked, my eyes taking their time to adjust. Kyle kept walking and I had no choice but to follow him. When I could finally see again, I was completely shocked.
The warehouse had in fact been converted into a rather cozy place. The main area was a sort of lounge with various furniture throughout as well as a bar. There were a few tables set up, where a group of men and women played blackjack.
“That’s 21. Pay up boys!” A girl with bright pink hair and an ear full of piercings got up from the table, pulling a pile of chips in her directions. The men grumbled, throwing in their cards.
“That’s the third time in a row. Why don’t you pass me some of that luck, Izzy?”
The girl laughed. “Just keep paying me and maybe tonight you’ll get lucky in other ways.” She winked, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. The man went red in the face as everyone else burst out laughing.
“Don’t mind her. She’s the group flirt. If you’re alone with her, she won’t hesitate to flirt with you too.”
“But I’m not…”
“Don’t matter. Lizzy just likes to have fun, doesn’t matter who she’s with.”
“Okay then…”
“Just one more reason why you should hold on tight to me.” He whispered in my ear, his lips just barely grazing my earlobe. I immediate let go of his hand and moved away from him. He laughed. “When are you going to learn to like me?”
“Maybe when you stop making stupid comments.”
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, but if you aren’t going to hold my hand, at least follow me to the back. I want you to meet someone. I think she might change your mind on the whole Ross thing.”
“Look, I don’t know what you’re going to show me that the private detectives haven’t already.” I crossed my arms, refusing to budge.
“Please.” He turned to look at me. “You and I both know that the private eyes in this city don’t do half the work they should. They’re sitting in their cars birdwatching half the time.”
“What is it that you want to show me?”
“When the detectives brought in witnesses, did they bother to bring in Ross’ sister? Did they bother to tell you that she’s now taking refuge with the Blackbirds because she thinks there’s a traitor in the Iron Horses?”
I was floored. I didn’t even know that Ross had a sister. If I did, I would have asked her to make a statement. “Fine. Show me.” I followed him, my arms crossed over my chest. I was starting to think that Kyle had been telling the truth from the start. Maybe there was something fishy about the whole thing. Besides, if he was the murderer, why would he let me talk to the victim’s sister? Maybe he was innocent after all…
We stepped into another room. The doors were open, making it very cold. I rubbed my arms, goosebumps forming all over my skin. Kyle shrugged off his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders. “I don’t need this…” I started to take it off, but he stopped me, offering a soft smile.
“Your teeth are chattering. Stop being so stubborn for once and listen to me. It might actually do you some good.”
I glared at him but didn’t say anything else. His jacket was really warm. I slipped it on, enjoying how comfy it was. It was much too big for me, but that was part of the appeal. Plus… it smelled just like Kyle… that earthy scent was slowly driving me… No… What had gotten into me?
I shook my head and followed him down the steps where people were hard at work fixing up motorcycles. Most of the guys were covered in grease, wiping the sweat from their brow. “Are you sure that Ross’ sister is down here?”
“Positive. If you’re going to find Olivia anywhere, it's working on a bike.”
We passed a few men, all of which complimented Kyle as we went along. Finally, in the back of the garage, we stopped in front of a large black motorcycle with the Blackbirds symbol on its side. There was a girl laying on the ground, tightening something near the exhaust pipe.
“Liv, you got a minute?” I glanced over at Kyle, wondering why he was talking to her as if they were the best of friends. Weren’t they supposed to be enemies?
The woman shimmied out from under the bike and sat up. She had a boyish cut to her dark hair. Her face was covered with grime and her black shirt had a few holes. “Kyle. Good to see you.” She grabbed his hand and hoisted herself up. The woman looked strong, well-built, and tough. She wore some heavy combat boots that slammed into the floor with her every step. She placed her wrench on a workbench before leaning back.
“Something the matter?”
“I just wanted you to meet Linda here.”
Olivia wiped her hand on her pants before holding it out to me. I shook it and offered her a smile. “I’m sorry for the loss of your brother.”
She shrugged. “It was hard, but we always knew that his life was in jeopardy, being the leader of the Iron Horses and all.” I couldn’t help but glance at Kyle. Did that mean he was in jeopardy too? I bit the inside of my lip and quickly looked away. Why did I even care? As far as I was concerned, he was a felon who had committed murder.
“Sure, but don’t you feel strange being here with the Blackbirds, knowing they killed your brother?” I asked, determined to get some answers. I wished I had a notepad with me so I could take some notes. Hell, I wish I had my phone so I could have called for help a long time ago…
Olivia just laughed. Her laugh was hearty like I had just told a good joke.
Kyle looked smug, his hands in his pockets as he leaned back.
“You know, that’s a good one. I can’t believe you fell for all that media bullshit. Kyle had nothing to do with that murder. Neither did anyone else around here.”
“What are you talking about? It all makes perfect sense.”
“Sure, to the average Joe who knows nothing about motorcycle club culture. It’s not always that simple in here.” She ran her fingers through her silky hair before she picked up a screwdriver and headed back to the bike.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying that what the truth appears to be and what it actually is…” She was muffled as she stuck her head next to the engine and started to tinker with something.
“So if you don’t think Kyle is the killer, then who is?”
“She straightened up, holding a belt on her finger. “Isn’t it obvious? A member of the Iron Horses.”
“But why?”
“Well, for one they could take over and two, it would be the perfect opportunity to get rid of the Blackbirds.”
“I don’t get it…” This was the same story Kyle was telling me back at the precinct. Could it be that he had been telling the truth all along?
“Well, think about it this way. If one of their own members killed the leader, then that position opens up, right?” I nodded. “Then you frame the leader of the rival gang for the crime and all of a sudden, you got all the members of the Iron Horses thinking this is a turf incursion. People get riled up. A war starts and whoever this mystery man is, well, he gets to reap all the benefits.”
“Exactly as I told you.” Kyle finally butted in. “I was trying to tell you all this before the hearing, but you didn’t want to listen to me.”
I fidgeted on my feet, looking into the woman’s green eyes. She seemed to be telling the truth. Why would she hang out with the main suspect for her brother’s murder, unless she was one hundred percent certain Kyle didn’t do it? “Okay, so if Kyle isn’t the killer then who is?”
“Daniel Smithson.” The name fell like a rock in the room. Everything went quiet. Even the other men seemed to stop working. Olivia’s eyes had suddenly darkened and her hands had clenched into fists.
“Who is he?” I hesitated to ask, not wanting to break the ominous silence that had settled throughout the room.
“He was Ross’ second in command.”
I nodded. “So you think he killed your brother to take his position.”
“I don’t think, I know. Daniel is scum. A few years ago, he tried to date me just to get a foothold in another club. At the time, I was part of the Drifters. They paid me good money to work on their bikes and I was little pressed for cash. Ross was in jail at the time and needed bail money. But anyway… the son of a bitch… he tried to hit on me and I was a goddamn fool for going for it.” She was starting to shake now. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she just kept going. “He used to hit me constantly. If it wasn’t for Kyle here, I probably still would have been trapped with that dirt bag.”
I looked over at Kyle in surprise. If this was all the truth, then things were starting to make a lot more sense. Daniel would have a grudge against both Kyle and Olivia, making the murder of Ross the perfect crime. Not only was it a step up for himself, but the fallout affected both Kyle and Olivia. “I had no idea…”
“That’s why I had to come here. Daniel is still out there somewhere and the cops refuse to acknowledge it.”
I gulped, suddenly feeling guilty.