Chapter 35 – Niki
Chapter Thirty-Five
NIKI
“You need to go over to the strip club and collect their monthly,” Clark informs us.
“I didn’t know it was still in business.”
“The girls got together and formed a collective. They’re paying us for security.
” He waves his hands and motions for us to get out.
I hesitate because Clark looks off. His jacket is slung over the back of his chair.
There are stacks of bills strewn all over the desk.
He looks up from his desk and scowls. “Didn’t I tell you to get the hell out of here?
Do you need more guys for this job? Are you against strippers because you’re dating someone? What is it?”
“Sorry, we’re gone.” We hustle out of the back office.
“This is fucked up,” Bam remarks as we leave the building. Both of us are thrown by Clark’s mood and demeanor.
“You want to look into it?”
Bam cocks his head. “Thought you were only here to collect dues.”
“Did two recruitment jobs,” I remind him.
Bam nods and shrugs. I text Andy what we’re up to. She meets us at the club.
“I wanted to see how everyone was doing,” she says.
I open the door and usher her inside. The place smells cleaner and is somehow brighter, even though the lights themselves are pretty dim except around the stage. Bam veers off toward the office to collect the monthly fee while Andy is swarmed with the strippers.
“Girl, how are you?”
“How’s your mom?”
“You look like you need a massage and a facial.” The last remark is sent in my direction.
I tip my finger in the direction of the worker to let them know the message is received. I’ll book it as soon as we leave.
“Mom’s good. She likes Synergy Recovery. The people are really nice there, and I think they’re doing what needs to be done,” Andy says.
“She can always come back here. It’s way better now that Rico is gone.” This from a blonde.
“Fawn has made a lot of changes, and it’s making all of us more money,” another blonde says. There are a lot of blondes here, most of them out of a bottle.
“I’ll let her know,” Andy replies, but I can tell that she doesn’t want her mom back here.
It’s not that the club is bad but that her mom’s addictions are tied to this place.
We haven’t talked much about the future, but we should probably do that so Andy doesn’t have to worry about taking care of it by herself.
Even if we have to keep bouncing around where we stay each night for the time being. We’ll get it worked out.
“Ready?” Bam appears at my elbow.
“Any problems?”
“Nah, Fawn, the new manager, had the fee all tucked away in an envelope. Don’t worry, though, I counted it, and it’s all there.” He pats his chest. “You going to finish the runs with me tonight, or do you and Andy have some place to be?”
“Andy’s going over to the apartment to read to Julie, so I’m all yours.”
“I’ll have to come over this weekend and remind Julie who is the best Niki-related friend. Can’t have the newbie edging me out.”
“Andy bought three new books.”
“Bro, that’s just greedy.” Bam looks mildly disgusted.
“You gotta keep up.”
“Keep up with what?” Andy joins us.
“I hear you’re trying to buy Julie’s affections.” Bam glares at Andy.
She gives me a confused look.
“The books,” I clarify.
“Oh, well, if you can’t keep up, just come clean so that Julie can adjust her expectations. It’s a good lesson for her future.”
I grab Andy’s hand and tug her out of the club. “Julie has me, so she won’t be disappointed with the entire male race.”
“Just Bam.” Andy nods in mock dismay.
“Julie would throw both of you into the river to save me,” Bam declares, catching up. He throws an arm around each of our shoulders, pushing his large body between the two of us. “Lucky for you, I won’t ask her to do that.”
“You’re a giver, Bam.” I shove off his arm and dig into my pocket for some cash.
We find a Rider with a car, and he takes us to the library, where Andy says she’ll study until we’re done with our errands, as she calls them.
The collection doesn’t take much time, probably because I’m extra motivated.
Bam says he’s hungry, so we go and fetch Andy.
“I can make dinner for us,” she volunteers.
I bring my arm down in a slicing motion. “No. We’ll pick something up.”
“Why, though? I’m a decent cook. What do you like, Bam?”
He opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, I slap a hand over his face and growl. “You can talk to Andy, watch my back, read books to my sister, but you do not get to eat her food. That’s for me and me alone.”
“But—“ Andy starts to say.
I shake my head. “No buts. Your food belongs to me.”
I drop my hand and stare hard at Bam until he backs up, hands in the air.
“I never asked for her food, friend. That was all on her.”
“I was just being polite. I won’t cook for anyone but you,” she says, placing her hand in mine. I relax, but I don’t stop glaring at Bam until we arrive at the Chinese takeout joint. I put in an order for orange chicken, dumplings, and egg rolls.
As we’re waiting for our food, Andy waves to a girl in one of the booths. The red table is covered in papers. The girl excitedly motions for Andy to come closer. I want to get the food and leave, but when I ask Bam if he wants extra sauce for the egg rolls, I find him looming next to the girl.
“What’s all this?” he’s asking.
“I’m investigating,” the girl says. “Remember how I told you those boys went missing, Andy?”
Andy nods.
“I’ve been asking around, and there’s some group called the”—the girl checks her notes—“Pipefitters. They’re a criminal gang and in a territorial war with—” She pauses again.
“The Riders,” Bam supplies.
The girl brightens. “Yes, the Riders. The Pipefitters heard that the Riders were recruiting and trying to take over more territory, so the Pipefitters have gone in and taken these new recruits by either offering them money or, if they refuse, outright kidnapping them. Can you believe it?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.” Andy looks at me and then Bam. Neither of us show our tats or give away our affiliation, but I get the sense she might know who I am already and isn’t saying it. “I think you should be careful, Josie. What if the Pipefitters find out what you’re doing and come and hurt you?”
“She’s right,” Bam says. He reaches out and takes the notebook, stuffing it inside the waistband of his jeans. “Keep your nose out of this stuff. It’s not for you.”
The girl launches herself at Bam. “That’s not for you to decide.”
My order number is called. I tap Bam on the shoulder. “Give the girl her notebook back. Our food is ready.”
He drops into the booth seat opposite of the girl. “No.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Go home to Julie. I’ll get all the details from her and fill you in later.”
“You’re not going to leave me here with this caveman, are you?” the girl demands of Andy.
Andy wrinkles her nose. “I’ve got a reading date with a very demanding five-year-old. Sorry.”
We gather up the food and leave the girl gasping in outrage while Bam glowers at her like an irritated guardian angel.
“He won’t hurt her, right?” Andy asks as we make our way back to my apartment.
“Nah. Piss her off, sure, but he’s not going to hurt an innocent. Besides, we’ve been wondering why headquarters has been so bare.”
“I meant to ask you. Josie said something, and it slipped my mind with everything going on. Are you going to look into it?”
“Probably?” I sneak a glance at her. “Does that make you unhappy? Because I won’t do it if you don’t want me to.”
“Really?”
“I love you, Andy. That means I want to make you happy. I think that’s my whole purpose in life. To protect you and my mom and Julie and to make you happy.”
She lets out a little laugh. “It’s so weird to hear you say you love me. I’ve never heard that from anyone except my mom.”
“You believe me, right?” She stops me and rises on her tiptoes, her hands resting against my chest.
“I absolutely do.” She beams up at me with full trust. “And if these Pipe assholes are up to something, it should be handled if they are hurting and killing people. I’m starting to really understand that in life people like the Riders are needed.
They’ll push back against them when the cops are busy looking the other way and getting a cut from them.
Even the girls at the club. Life is better there too because of the Riders. ”
She’s right, and Bam and I will dig more into it. Bam is already going off about staying with the Josie girl. Andy is always shining a light on things I feel are all darkness. Showing me that it's not. She doesn't think the Riders are this dirty gang that needs to be off the streets.
As much as I enjoy bashing a few skulls from time to time when needed, I also like when we can do some good.
The Riders did save my sister, after all.
Not only that, but they have filled my pocket with cash.
I'd never worked a minimum wage job while in school.
In fact, I think they can help pay for a lot of things to work toward all the things Andy and I want in life.
The Riders aren't the threat. They actually might be the answer. My girl sees that, and because of her, I'm seeing it too.
I kiss her, right there on the sidewalk. I pull her tight against me, shove my tongue in her mouth, and kiss her until her cheeks are red and her breath is gone and nothing in the world exists but her and me.