True Me (Fallen Brethren MC #6)

Chapter Thirteen

Rebel

W ALKING INTO ENTICE makes me feel on edge and as if I’m about to crawl out of my skin. Eagle, Cash, Titan, and Crow are with me as we enter the main room and my eyes open wide in disgust. The club is fucking dirty and hasn’t been cleaned while Eagle has been with me since losing my grandma. Everyone here has been taking advantage of his absence and it shows. Shaking my head, I make my way behind the bar and realize there are literally no clean glasses lined up waiting for me to use over the hours I’ll be working here. The shelves are almost completely empty as I move to the coolers where the beer is stored. Placing my hand on top of the bar, disgust fills me even more when my skin sticks to the surface. I look over my shoulder at Eagle and I can see the anger filling him as the guys and him look around the room. Eagle pulls out his phone and I know he’s about to fucking yell at everyone who works here with the exception of the men here to watch over me.

“I want everyone here. Now!” Eagle yells into his phone as I pull my hand from whatever is sticking to me and move to the small sink behind the bar that’s full of glasses, rinds from the lemons and limes, and other garbage.

Bags of garbage have been left behind the bar and I almost trip over one of them as I turn to go to the bathroom in Eagle’s office. He follows me down the hallway and unlocks his door for me as I rush to the bathroom to wash my hands. This is fucking gross!

When I’m done in the bathroom, I make my way back into Eagle’s office to find all the guys crowding the room and looking at me.

“Titan where the fuck were you when all this shit was bein’ left behind and not taken care of?” Eagle asks, his voice louder than normal as he sits in his chair and turns on the monitors that will pull up the cameras. I only know because I’m watching him from my spot just inside his office.

“I was makin’ sure everyone got the fuck outta here like I do every other fuckin’ night I work. Then I walked the girls out to their cars so no one fucked with them. One of the customers got handsy when he saw Sloan out back and I had to deal with that situation. Why don’t you fuckin’ ask Panther and Connor where the fuck they were?” Titan responds, anger in his own voice as he stares at Eagle from across the office.

“I already fuckin’ did,” Eagle states, holding his hand out for me to take before he pulls me down in his lap as we look at each monitor to ensure the cameras are working for the night. “Are you sure you wanna be here, Sweet Girl?”

“Yeah. I need to be here. There’s nothing for me to do at the clubhouse and I don’t really wanna be around the Fallen girls right now. They’re vile pieces of shit and are gonna have something to say to me because you two aren’t fucking with them anymore,” I tell him as I sink back into the warmth and safety of his body while Cash makes his way over to us and rests his hand on my shoulder.

“You can work at Fallen Ink instead, Doll. You don’t have to work the bar here,” he tries again even though we’ve had this conversation more times than I can count over the last four days.

“I know. I don’t really like being there though. Don’t get me wrong, I love being there and watching you work, but there’s not enough work to keep me busy so my mind is off of everything going on. Here, I know it’s going to be busy all night long and I won’t have time to think of anything when I’m behind the bar,” I answer him, burying my head in Eagle’s chest as the thoughts of my grandma start to fill my mind. “I better get to work. This shit needs to be cleaned up since the doors open in less than an hour now.”

“Everyone should be here soon. They’re gonna make sure this shit doesn’t happen again and that they pull their fuckin’ weight around here regardless of if I’m here or not. They should already know Titan is in charge when I’m not here and they took advantage of him bein’ busy and preoccupied at the end of the night,” Eagle says, some of his anger evaporating as he leans back in his chair and wraps his arms around me.

Pressing my lips to Eagle’s I give him a chaste kiss before getting off his lap and turning to face Cash. I give him the same chaste kiss as Eagle before leaving the office. Crow follows me from the room and sits at the bar as I make my way behind it to start gathering up the dirty dishes to put through the dishwasher in the back. As I trek back and forth with my arms full of glasses that need to be washed, I fill a bucket of water to clean the bar thoroughly before making my way back out. When I go behind the bar again, I see more people showing up and standing in front of the main stage. No one looks at me as I continue to clean and prepare the bar for when the door opens.

As I work, I feel eyes on me and know it’s that bitch from my first night here. She has a problem with me and wants the guys. I’ve seen her type more than once over the years and understand she’ll do whatever the hell she can to get her hands on Eagle and Cash. At least Eagle. Instead of giving her what she wants, I ignore the skank and continue working as I watch the rest of the guys come out from the back hallway and stand before everyone else. Panther joins the members of the club as Eagle looks at everyone.

“I don’t know what the fuck you guys think you’re doin’ when I’m not here, but this shit is not gonna fly. Titan is in charge when I can’t be here as it’s always been. This is not anythin’ new. If neither one of us are here, it’s Panther that’s in charge. We’ve all been busy with shit and haven’t been focused on here like we should have been. That does not give any of you the right to fuckin’ slack off and not do your damn job! It is up to each and every single one of you to clean this club before you leave for the night. Instead, we walk in here today and the place is fuckin’ trashed.

“The bar should be stocked at the end of each night and the cooler filled with beer. Garbage should be taken out and gotten rid of. Every fuckin’ surface in this place should be wiped down and sanitized. No one’s skin should stick to a single surface in this damn place. If I ever see this shit happen again, I will fire every fuckin’ person on shift that night and hire an all new staff. Do you not realize that if the place isn’t clean, the company who comes in won’t do a fuckin’ thing here? But, we still have to pay them for comin’ out here when they didn’t need to. This is the first time I’ve had a problem with any of you pullin’ this stunt and I’m fuckin’ over it already. Oh, and you all need to be here two hours before shift tomorrow. We’re havin’ a mandatory meetin’ for more than this shit tonight. Anyone who doesn’t show up will be terminated immediately,” Eagle says, his voice the hardest I’ve ever heard it when he’s going off on someone about shit.

Right now, Eagle is a formidable force as he stands in front of everyone. His feet are spread shoulder-length apart with his arms folded over his chest. His muscles and veins are bulging with every single move he makes, causing his tan skin to ripple and his tattoos to look as if they’re moving. A scowl covers his face as he looks from one person to the next. His eyes don’t land on that skank though. He completely bypasses her as she tries to bat her lashes at him and I know she’s waiting to make her move. It’s written in her body language as she slowly moves closer to the front of the group.

“Don’t worry about her, darlin’,” Crow says, a smirk on his face as he keeps his attention on me and not what’s going on behind him. “Those skanks are a dime a dozen and mean absolutely nothin’ to the guys. Eagle knows what he has with you and isn’t about to lose you for any reason. He’s waited far too long for you. They both have.”

“What do you mean?” I ask Crow, a man I’ve always respected and feel close to. Not just because of Eagle either.

“My boy and Cash have wanted an ol’ lady of their own for as long as I can remember. I’ve heard them a time or two over the years play it off and act as if that’s the last thing they want. However, I know my son and Cash grew up in my home. I saw when they first recognized you as more than the girl Pound brought into the clubhouse and started seein’ you for the amazin’ woman you truly are. Now that they have you, they don’t see anyone else. Hell, they haven’t for longer than either one of them will admit. Even to themselves,” Crow informs me as I watch Cash walk over to us while that skank tries to keep Eagle back with her.

“I’m gonna take this garbage out so I can move around back here,” I tell him before Cash can get to us. “There’s too much shit back here and I can’t move around without feeling as if I’m about to fall flat on my face.”

“You want me to do that for ya? Or I can have Connor take it out,” Crow asks me, getting off his stool as I round the end of the bar with a smile on my face.

“No thank you. If I don’t stay busy, all those bad thoughts fill my head and I need to get them gone for good,” I assure him, moving past him. “If you see Connor, he can start stocking the bar though.”

“Doll, I gotta head back to the clubhouse for a minute. You need anythin’ while I’m out?” Cash asks me, leaning down and kissing me deep as his finger slides down the leather of my rag.

“No. I’ve got what I need here,” I answer him, knowing I won’t eat even if we had food here to consume.

My appetite has been non-existent since my grandma passed away. I know I have to eat and the guys force feed me whenever food has been prepared by the ol’ ladies or one of them. Eagle and Cash want to take care of me and I have no doubt Cash will show back up with food just because he knows I didn’t eat before coming in tonight. That’s more than likely why he’s leaving if I’m being honest. Eagle probably let him know I avoided eating and now they’re going to feed me while I’m here.

Cash leaves the club and I continue on my way out back where the dumpsters are located. My hands are full of garbage bags as I push through the back door and make my way over to them. The dumpsters are a little ways away from the door so the smell doesn’t overwhelm the dancers if they come out back for a break during their shift. Usually one of the guys would be close so he can keep an eye on the girls when they’re not in the building. Right now, they’re busy cleaning the club since the doors open so soon. If everyone doesn’t work together to clean this shit up, it will still be a mess when customers start coming inside to watch the girls shake their tits and ass on stage.

Pulling open the front gate that keeps the dumpster hidden from sight, I set some of the bags down so I can open the lid. It crashes back, the sound echoing off the walls of the buildings. It’s so loud, I jump slightly before grabbing the bags once more and prepare to toss them all inside the dumpsters so I can head back inside. I get creeped out being out here. Especially when I’m alone. The shadows make me feel as if I’m being followed and I hate that feeling.

“Where are your biker bitches now?” I hear a voice from behind me as I launch the first set of garbage bags inside. “They finally left you all alone and vulnerable. It’s been a long time, Rebel.”

Fear races up my spine and I slowly turn around to come face-to-face with Chad. He’s truly changed over the years since I last saw him and it’s not for the better. His hair is longer and has that greasy look to it. Instead of every strand being in place like it used to be, it looks as if he’s been running his fingers through the strands while most of them stick up all over the place. His clothes are full of wrinkles and stains. I swear if I didn’t date Chad for as long as I did, I wouldn’t recognize this person standing in front of me. It makes me want to laugh my ass off, but I know if I laugh in Chad’s face, his temper will explode and I know it will end worse for me.

“My bikers, who are real men by the way, are inside because they don’t have to micromanage me like you did. I have the freedom to do what I need to. They don’t limit the time I can spend with others in my life and they ensure I’m safe and happy. That I feel the love they have for me without games or manipulation. They’re everything you’re not and I will never be with you again,” I state, knowing I’m pissing Chad off as his face turns an alarming shade of purple and the veins in his forehead and neck start to stand out and pulse like I’ve seen countless times in the past before he would beat the shit out of me.

“That’s why they’re in there right now letting another woman put her hands all over them?” he questions me and I know immediately who he’s talking about. This time I do start laughing my ass off.

“That skanky stripper? Neither one of them want her and would cut their nuts off before they even thought about being with her. She’s a desperate piece of shit who has no clue that anyone truly wants her. She’s a used up slut who’s spread her legs for so long no one can feel any satisfaction when they fuck her. Everyone knows it and she barely gets any private dancers these days because the customers inside are on to her games and don’t want her,” I finally manage to tell him as Chad’s eyes flare with hatred. “Oh my God! You’re fucking her! You are desperate enough to stick your pencil dick in her loose pussy. That’s fucking priceless.”

Chad doesn’t come at me with his words of anger and call me names as he’d done previously. He stalks toward me and simply starts beating the shit out of me. Chad’s so fucking fast I don’t see him swinging the gate at me until the rough edge slams into my body and I’m jarred to the point I fall flat on my ass with my ankle wedged under the edge of the metal. I can’t stop the scream that erupts from me as my ankle immediately starts to swell and I feel blood from the cut made by the jagged edges.

From there, Chad kneels down over me, his legs on either side of my body as he proceeds to start punching me, his fists landing on every sensitive area of me like my ribs, throat, and stomach. He’s learned over the years where to make the most impact with his hits. With the hit to my throat, I can’t even scream out in pain as I feel blood start to fill my mouth and fear consumes me. This is where I die. Chad is literally going to beat me to death and have no reason to think twice about doing so.

My vision starts to fade to nothing as he lands a few solid punches to my temple. Visions of the time I spent with Eagle and Cash fill my head. They don’t start from the time they made their intentions clear about what they wanted with me. These memories start when Pound first brought me to the clubhouse and I started getting close to everyone in the Fallen Brethren MC. These men and women became my support system, a safe haven, and they supported my grandma in her time of need. They all showed up for her funeral when they didn’t have to and made sure I wasn’t alone. I didn’t have to take care of anything during that time. Alex and the ol’ ladies made sure everything was taken care of.

“You’re mine, Rebel. And I’m gonna have fun breaking you all over again. The first time I took my time and played the long game. This time, I’m gonna make it quick and filled with nothing but pain,” Chad says, the last thing I hear before everything goes dark and I am filled with a sense of peace and calm I’ve never felt before in my life.