Jaded: (Beautiful Biker MC Romance Series), page 50
“How are you, Gia?” asked the other.
“Hanging in there, thanks.” She looked at me.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
“Can we take a little walk for a minute?” she asked.
I followed her as she headed past my bike, down the road.
“Um, so…” she started.
And I thought, here we fucking go.
“Her best friend moved to Canada about fifteen years ago. She got married to a man up there. Aunt Tammy. She was always super sweet to me and Kailey.”
She stopped at the gate to the trailer park and leaned against the post. “Asked Aunt Francie and she wants to go there. The prognosis isn’t good. It’s really bad, actually, and she doesn’t want more treatment. Doesn’t want more poking and prodding. She’s pretty adamant about that. It’s not just how sick it’d make her, it’s because there’s such a low chance it’ll do much for her that she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her time left feeling like garbage. We talked and she wants to go stay with Aunt Tammy and finish out her time there.”
“And?” I asked, knowing what was coming.
“I’m gonna go with her.”
I stared at her.
“For a little while,” she went on, “Get her settled. See how she does. Spend time with Aunt Tammy. It’s a pretty little town an hour outside Halifax, so I’ll be way out of Wyld Jackals radar. We went there once when Aunt Tammy first went. Got to go to her wedding and spent two weeks there. Me, Aunt Francie, and Kailey. Kailey loved it so much there. Wanted to move there. Pretty, colorful village on the ocean. Beautiful place. She used to talk about wanting to go back. See if she could find a nice Canadian man to marry her.” She snickered, looking lost in memories. “I think Kai would love having her ashes spread there. So I’m gonna get them from Delia and take them with me.”
“I’m not gonna be able to talk you out of this, am I?”
“I love you so much. I don’t want you upset with me. But I need to do this, Jesse. Everything inside me is telling me that I need to get her there and go from there. I can’t desert her now. She was… different when we just talked. So different. She’s facing facts about her life ending and I just can’t leave her to it alone. And I’d really love to see Aunt Tammy, go back to a place me and Kailey loved and spread her ashes there. Aunt Francie said she’ll go if I come with her. She perked up, too, because Dad can’t come since he can’t leave the country due to his criminal record.”
“This your idea?” I asked.
“I called Aunt Tam this morning. I wanted her to come here and be a reinforcement. To talk to Aunt Francie with me about lookin’ after herself, about not giving up. It was Aunt Tammy’s idea to bring her there for a visit. Told me she’d cover airfare for us if I wanted to come too. She has a little bed and breakfast, and we wouldn’t have to worry about any expenses. Guess she doesn’t know either about all Aunt Francie’s money. Aunt Tam is a good person. Aunt Francie’s better around her, too. And it’s so pretty there. So peaceful. And it’s safe. Aunt Francie said it won’t just be a visit for her. She wants to go there for peace until it’s her time. We’ll see if she changes her mind, but I think she means it.”
I let out a long exhale.
“It’ll just be a visit for me. A couple weeks, probably. Please don’t break up with me,” she whispered, eyes filling with fear.
I shook my head.
“Jesse, please…”
“I’m not happy about this. Not at fucking all. But I’m not gonna try and stop you.”
“And you’re not breaking up with me?”
“Gonna spend the rest of my life with you, hostage,” I told her.
She faceplanted into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.
“You were so worth waiting all this time for, Jesse,” she said, looking up into my eyes with tears in hers.
***
“First up,” Deke said, “I wanna appoint Edge as my VP. Asked him, since I didn’t know if he wanted to stay or go back to the falls, and he’s down to settle in permanently. So, let’s put it to a vote.”
This was our first post-Blow church. We voted in favor. Edge was a natural choice with Blow gone.
“Next: Blow’s family didn’t want us at the funeral. They’re having a family-only thing at their home but there’s an interment at the cemetery down the street from the Sioux Falls clubhouse. That’s in three days. What do we wanna do?”
“Blow wasn’t big on that funeral shit,” Brady put in. “But he also wasn’t big on his folks, so I say we show up anyway or at the very least, we skip the service but do a procession.”
“I like that idea,” Deacon put in. “Blow would appreciate that.”
”Agreed,” Rider piped up.
“Skip?” Deke called out. “You can handle that?”
“I’ll get with Duck and plan it, Prez,” Skip replied.
Duckie was Skip’s equivalent in Sioux Falls.
***
A bunch of us showed up at the funeral but didn’t go in. We were seen and then we rode as part of the procession to the cemetery from the family’s home.
Blow’s sister approached Deke and Rudy afterwards with tears of gratitude, because she said the way her parents had done it would’ve pissed Blow off.
She said the family had agreed to give her the urn. She was going to lend it to us for Blow’s real funeral when we were ready.
Deke and Rudy set a date with her for a few weeks out.
25
A Few Weeks Later
I was in the garage, finishing up a tire rotation, when Scott got in my space. He looked pissed.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Gonna lose it brother, need to vent,” he said, pacing.
I looked at the clock on the wall. “Let’s go hit The Roadhouse for a beer.”
“Somewhere else,” he fired back.
“All right,” I said and wiped my hands on a rag. “Gimme five to grab a quick shower. Yeah? Or no? Too long?”
“Yeah, g’head,” he muttered and followed me through the gates to The Hall.
“Sure?” I checked.
He nodded.
“I’ll be quick, man.”
We were completely moved in now. The space above The Roadhouse was now split up. Our old front lounge and kitchen were now available for rent for parties and other events. The bedrooms were spares for visiting bikers with a few walls knocked down to make a kitchenette in the back and expand the smaller lounge. Prez was gonna have another set of bathrooms put up front, too.
Fork’s father had died, suicide by cop. This was after a whack of drama with him and Fork’s mother. Other than that, things had been quiet with the Wyld Jackals. They hadn’t been back to their hideout. They were wanted by the cops for Blow’s murder among their many other crimes. Local security footage showed Kylo had fired the shot that killed Blow. Sarge was wanted for attempting to murder Pudge. The four were wanted for kidnapping Marlena. Three for raping her. Sarge was the only one that didn’t.
Our trail cams at their hideouts had picked up nothing, but we weren’t surprised they hadn’t been back. They were wanted by the cops, but they might not have figured out the cartel had picked up the guns. We were watching and nobody had tripped any cameras at that house or barn.
We were living, but carefully.
Marlena was still staying with us, but rarely came out of the room that she was in. The VP suite (a small bachelor apartment setup with private bathroom and kitchenette) had been assigned to Blow and Edge wasn’t pushing to take over, giving her time there instead.
I now knew she’d split with Blow after finding out he was cheating and he wasn’t happy about her ending things, was trying to get her back. The night they’d lured him to her place they’d made it seem like she wanted to make up via a text message that’d been sent. That’s how they got him there for the ambush.
I’d told my girl that I didn’t want her sharing where she was or why with anybody. Wanted her to be extra safe. And we decided we’d use the text coding system she’d come up with and used with her stepsister, so I’d know if any texts coming from her were really from her.
We only said she was staying with family in the Halifax area to a select few, but she was coming home tomorrow because she needed to start her new job at the senior’s home in a few days.
Francie was doing well with her friend. My girl would be home in time for tomorrow’s party to celebrate the life of Sean “Blow” O’Grady. The mother charter would be bringing Blow’s ashes here with them. Deke’s Roadhouse was closed to the public for the night, and it would be a full house.
After my shower, I found Scott at the bar in the hall with Bront. Bront was bitching that Lulu was still ghosting him. He wanted more where their night together came from.
I jumped in Scott’s car with him to go for that beer. Bront came with us.
Once we parked, but before we went out to go into the bar, I said, “You wanna have a few, I’ll drive back.”
Scott spoke up. “Can’t drink tonight. Deanna gave me an STD. I ended things with her an hour ago.”
“Fuck,” Bront grumbled from the backseat. “An STD?”
“Was burnin’ when I took a piss. Didn’t know what the fuck, so I went to the doctor. Tricho-something. Whatever that is. Fuckin’ fumin’. Doc gave me prescription for a mitt of pills to down at once and said that’d be the end of it. Can’t drink for 24 hours afterwards so you guys can drink but I’ll be sippin’ soda.”
“Shit,” Bront muttered.
“Yeah,” Scott said. “So, she cheated on me again and said it wasn’t with her ex this time, it was someone else. She wouldn’t tell me who only complained it was because someone else made her feel seen. He can see her all he wants with his burning, oozing pecker. Cuz this sucker is done.”
“That’s rough, brother,” Bront said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But you tried. You forgave her last time and tried. This shit is all on her, not you, Scoot.”
“I know. Gonna miss those boys,” Scott muttered.
“She’s the idiot, man,” Bront added.
Scott looked at me.
“Meet you guys inside. Gotta make a call,” I said.
Scott gave me an odd look.
“I might know who it was she fucked. You wanna know?”
“Of course I wanna know,” Scott growled.
“Gimme five minutes to confirm. I’ll meet you inside.”
Scott tried to push for an answer, for who I suspected it was. Reluctantly, he went inside to give me five.
I called Ella and got her to give me Sara’s phone number. And then I gave her a call. I knew she’d gotten back a week and a half ago from her parents’ place.
“Hello?”
“Jesse Garcia here, Sara. Can you talk for a sec?”
“One second; I’ll step outside.”
I heard the click of her heels and then she said, “What’s up?”
“Your man bring home that STD again?”
“Why do you ask? She give it to you?”
“No. Someone else in the club got it from their girl. It’s the same infection you said he gave you twice, so I’m checking in case it was him that gave it to her. If so, the brother deserves to know where it came from.”
“I haven’t let that asshole touch me since the last time he gave it to me. Dunno if he got treatment or not. Let me call you back. I’ll find out. Who was it?”
“Not gonna answer that loaded question, Sara.”
“Know what? Doesn’t matter. If this is what I think it is, this is the end of the road. I’ll call you back.”
“Appreciate it.”
I went inside and found the boys at the bar. They’d ordered me a beer.
“I might know who it was. I’ll let you know soon,” I told Scott.
“Yeah?” he asked, fire in his eyes.
“Stay tuned,” I said.
“You’re gonna leave us hangin’ like this?” Bront asked.
“’Fraid so,” I answered. “We’ll know soon enough though.”
Two hours later, we were at Deke’s Roadhouse after deciding we didn’t wanna keep spending money at the competition. Better the money land in Deke’s pockets.
Scott was angry, drinking club soda, and eyeballing every unattached female in the place, bitching that he needed to give those meds time to work before he could drink his face off, hook up with someone, and forget Deanna exists.
My phone buzzed against my thigh. A text from an unsaved contact.
Yep. The dumbass has it again. Or still. Don’t know, don’t care. I don’t even want to know who he gave it to. I’m done. He and I are over. But fair warning, tell Nolan I doxed him. I did not tell Skip we talked about this so you’re off the hook.
I couldn’t give a shit about being on a hook with Skip. Scott deserved to know who fucked his woman even though all this would cause a major fucking shitstorm.
I got another text from Sara.
BTW, feel free to spread the information that the minute I got home after blowing that prospect, I brushed my teeth with Skip’s toothbrush.
I’d find that shit funny later. First, I needed to talk to Scott. Then Nolan.
***
“Payback for my sayin’ what I said alluding to you having a bigger prick than him,” Scott muttered.
“You think?” Bront asked.
“I’d put money on it,” Scott said.
“Who the fuck lets themself get the same sex disease three times?” Bront muttered.
“No kidding,” I replied. “Hope his cock falls off.”
“Though Dee let it happen and then fucked me after bein’ with him, so while she was bitchin’ about not liking where things were at with us, was doing that gonna fix it? If she wanted to move on, she should’ve ended it with me, then moved on. Or at the very least not fucked me again after fuckin’ someone else. Though if she let me move on, she’d have to find a new babysitter. Someone else to keep opening his wallet. Bought Timmy’s back-to-school clothes and shoes for both of the boys a few weeks ago. Paying her rent and buyin’ the food most of the time so she’s got extra for the boys.” He slammed his fist on the bar top. “Fuck her.”
Then he turned and watched Skip walk in. “And fuck him.” He got up.
“Shit,” Bront muttered.
“Yo!” Scott bellowed.
Skip didn’t even flinch, he was on his own mission, making his way toward Nolan, who I’d been just about to warn. But too late, because Skip got to Nolan at the bar and his fist connected with Nolan’s face, the force sending Nolan down like timber.
“I said yo,” Scott shouted.
Skip turned and Scott hauled off and hit him in the face, sending him backwards until he tripped over Nolan’s prone body.
“The fuck?” Deke called out and immediately as Skip got to his feet, Scott went toward him again, but Brady grabbed Scott and Deacon got between him and Skip, backing Skip up.
Nolan started to rouse and looked around like he didn’t know where he was or what the fuck was going on.
“Explain!” Prez demanded.
“Nolan knows what he did. Don’t ya, you little fuck? Fuckin’ around with my wife? I’m gonna end you.”
Multiple hisses were heard in the crowded bar.
“Why’d you hit Skip, Scoot? Defendin’ Nole?” Brady asked.
“Skip knows what he did. Don’t you, you fuckin’ cockroach?” Scott yelled.
Skip laughed, wiping blood from his lip. “Yeah. Stretched her out good for ya brother, didn’t I?”
“And gave us both a goddamn disease!” Scott shouted, trying to break free of Brady’s hold. No dice. Brady had a tight grip on him.
“You’re all pullin’ this shit in the bar? You boys know fuckin’ better,” Deke said. “Chapel. Now.”
The three of them followed Deke.
“You chuckleheads, too,” Prez called back to me, Bront, Deacon, and Brady. And he did it with zero humor.
***
“What the fuck?” Deke demanded inside the chapel.
“He fucked around with my wife,” Skip defended.
Nolan threw his hands up, “She jumped me while I was driving her home after she caused a scene in Deke’s Roadhouse. I couldn’t pry her mouth off and chance wiping us both out.”
Skip growled.
“Skip fucked my girlfriend and gave her an STD,” Scott stated. “which meant I got it and had to go to the goddamn doctor for it.”
“How do you know she didn’t give it to me?” Skip said cockily.
“There is the fact you’ve given that same STD to your wife twice,” I interjected.
Skip’s nostrils flared as he stared at me. “How about you mind your own business?”
“Yeah? How ‘bout I mind my business? You want me to do that, Skippy?”
Skip’s nostrils flared.
“Let’s stick to the matter at hand,” Deke put in. “You got issues Jesse, we’ll deal with those next.”
“No issues here now,” I stated. “We’ll see if it stays that way.”
“You can fuck off,” Skip snapped.
I laughed.
Deke pounded his fist on the table. “Jesse? Shut it. You’ll get your turn if you need it.”
I lifted my hands up defensively.
Deke looked at Scott and Skip. “You brothers forget the rules about workin’ out your beefs outside my fuckin’ place of business? This shit better not happen again. You hear me? You all know the protocol for this shit. You can’t work it out, call one another into the ring. That’s not enough, kangaroo court. Get me?”
“Yeah, Prez,” Scoot said.
“This ain’t new shit, boys. And Skip, you know better than this. You been patched what, eight, nine years?”
“Sorry, Prez. I saw red.”
“Get the fuck outta here, you shitheads.” He threw a hand toward the door.
When we got outside, Skip stopped and looked at Scott.
“Scooter, my apologies. Like to put this behind us.”
Scott growled. “Whatever, man. I’m done with her anyway.”
“Us too, Skip?” Nolan asked.
Skip leaned in toward Nolan, whose left eye was the size of a golf ball. “You get near my wife again, I’ll fuckin’ kill ya,” Skip threatened.
