I ended up sleeping at the MC clubhouse two nights in a row. Didn't seem right to be home alone. My brothers helped me forget about Kayla by keeping me plenty liquored up. I was finally done with that woman. I'd spent too many years of my life wasting energy thinking about her. There was plenty of pussy out there eager to get my dick wet.
I had joined the Reavers MC when I was only sixteen. It was the only thing I ever wanted in life other than Kayla. I dropped out of school and became a prospect, cleaning up shit and piss every day. But it was all worth it to get that patch on my cut that said: Member.
The Reavers were my family and I'd always be there for them.
I stumbled downstairs to the clubhouse weight room. The sun had barely risen but Juice was awake and on the bench press already. Juice was named for his over-sized muscles that were no doubt fueled by steroids.
“Little early to be working out?” I asked.
Juice set the bar of weights down and sat up, his shaved head shining from the light. “You shouldn't even be up, Rebel. The amount of shots you took last night should've sent you into a coma.”
“Couldn't sleep.” I walked around the bench press and spotted Juice. He groaned with every rep, his veins popping out of his forehead. “One more, Juice!”
Juice cursed as he pumped the bar up, his arms shaking uncontrollably. I took over the weight of the bar and set it down. I grabbed a white towel from a pile and threw it at him.
“Thanks,” he said, wiping the buckets of sweat from his forehead. “You get laid last night? There was some hot tail here.”
“Of course,” I lied. “Had two of 'em. Never been sucked off so good in my entire life.” I couldn't let him know what really happened with the one chick last night. I brought her up to my room and she was all ready for me, naked and begging me to fuck her hard. But I couldn't go through with it. I thought I was ready to move on from Kayla but something stopped me.
“Good for you, Rebel. I had myself a real hot redhead. The biggest tits you could imagine.” Juice spread his hands apart to visualize the size. “You can bet your ass I buried my cock in that cleavage until I came all over her.”
I didn't want to talk about other girls right now. “I'm going to go for a walk and clear my head. We have anything going on today?”
Juice shook his head, wrapping the white towel around his neck. “Prez told me we got the day off.”
“I'll have my cell on me. Call me if something comes up.”
As I walked out, Juice returned to the bench press. I could hear his groans as I left the clubhouse. The man was a workout fiend.
Pike stopped me at the exit, pressing his glasses to his nose. “How the fuck are you even alive after last night, Rebel?”
“Next time you want to kill me, try a gun instead of alcohol.” I punched Pike in the arm and he got me in a headlock for a moment before letting me go.
I walked down main street of Saint Marks. The air was cold and it was too early for any shops to be open. Except for Julie's donuts. The line was out the door—the only place in town that served reasonable coffee.
If I was so over Kayla, then why couldn't I get her out of my head? I thought about all those times she sat on the back of my bike as we rode around town. Her hands always held onto me so tight. Why couldn't we go back to that? Kayla must know that I was innocent. I'd never kill a man unless there was good reason to.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize that I was outside Kayla's apartment building. The four-story complex was one of the most expensive places to live in Saint Marks. Without Mr. Spencer's money, Kayla would never be able to afford something like this on her artist income.
I thought about going to her front door and knocking. What would I even say to her this early in the morning? I imagined her dressed in a tiny white shirt and only a pair of panties. I could kiss her and do away with all the words. They only got in the way. But in the end, I'd wake her up and make things a whole lot worse.
A black stretch limo pulled up and parked behind me. I turned around and the passenger door opened. Two large men—almost as big as Juice—stepped out of the limo wearing black suits and Ray-bans. I reached in the back of my waistband for my Browning 9mm.
“Mayor McCain would like to speak with you,” one of the giants said. What the fuck did the mayor want with me? The bodyguard opened the door for me and motioned me inside.
I took my hand off the grip of my pistol and entered the limo. I didn't have much of a choice. The mayor sat at the far end on cushy leather seats. He was more bald than the last time I saw him on television, campaigning for the position, telling Saint Marks that he was the man for the job. His blue suit could barely contain all his fat.
“Take a seat, Mr. King,” the mayor pointed at the seat next to him. “Would you like a drink?”
The thought of alcohol made my stomach turn. Why did Pike make me drink so much last night? I politely declined and took my seat next to the mayor.
“I bet you're wondering why I'm here.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
The mayor leaned forward. The scent of his cologne smelled like wet dogs. “Well I want to cut through all the bullshit and get right to it. You weren't released from prison due to overcrowding. I was the one that got you out.”
My head flipped upside down. “Why would you do that?”
The mayor poured himself a glass of vodka and took some ice cubes out of a bucket and dropped them into the drink. “Sure you don't want one?” I shook my head. How could he be drinking this early? “I need someone of your talents,” he continued. “Someone that could do a job for me. And you're perfect for this, Rebel King.”
The question of why me kept running through my mind. “What's the job?”
The mayor took a sip of vodka. “During my campaign for Mayor, Spencer Enterprises donated a large sum of money that helped me win. At that time it was agreed that once I was elected, I'd help them out with any little problems they had. But now things have gotten out of hand. Mr. Spencer is siphoning as much money as he can out of my pockets and the city. He's threatening to get me removed from office if I don't comply.
“And what does this have to with me?”
The cubes in his glass clinked. “I want you to take down Mr. Spencer and his company.”
I laughed. “What makes you think I can do that. And why would I?”
“For starters, you're close to his daughter. You can get access to documents that I can't.”
“I'm done with that family. Kayla doesn't want to speak to me anymore. I could care less what his father is doing to you.”
“How about for revenge?”
“Revenge? What the fuck are you talking about?”
The mayor grinned. “Weren't you a little suspicious of the circumstances surrounding your arrest for attempted murder?”
I nodded. “The sheriff wanted to put me away. Threatened to go after Kayla if I didn't confess.”
“But the sheriff was just a pawn. It was Mr. Spencer who wanted you gone. Out of his daughter's life for good. And I set it up for him as part of our deal.”
My hands burst out and wrapped around the mayor's neck, fingers squeezing harder and harder. I could kill him within seconds before his bodyguards could even react. But he wasn't the man behind it all. Kayla's father was the entire time. I loosened my grip on the mayor. He coughed, taking a drink from his glass, and straightening his solid blue tie.
Everything finally clicked and made sense. Mr. Spencer always hated me and wanted me gone. Putting me in prison was the easiest solution. All it would take was money and power—Mr. Spencer had both.
My hand clenched into fists. I could kill him right now.
Mayor McCain poured me a glass of whiskey and handed it to me. I took it and gulped it down without a second thought. My body was rigid and I needed the alcohol to relax me.
“And what if I don't do this job for you?” I asked.
“I can put you back in prison, just as fast as I got you out.”
I was cornered. A Blood Dog lashed out when he got cornered. But what could I do? I'd die before going back to prison. And Mr. Spencer deserved revenge for what he did to me. The years Kayla and I could've spent together were taken away.
“I'll do it, Mayor.”
“Wonderful!” He clinked his glass against mine. “I'm glad we could come to an agreement.”
I drank the last of the whiskey and left the limo. I thought the only thing I had to worry about was getting Kayla back. But now life had gotten more complicated.