Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RYAN
NOW
I heard my doorbell ringing non-stop and whoever was at the door wasn’t getting the hint and leaving. I picked up my pillow and pulled it over my head trying to silence the irritating ringing sound. It was a Saturday morning which was usually when the salesmen were door knocking and trying to sell kitchenware or meal plans. Once the ringing stopped and I just started to fall back asleep, I felt water dripping on my back.
I pulled the pillow off my face and sat up to see where the water was coming from and before I even saw him I could already hear him laughing.
“Haz, what the fuck are you doing here?” I threw my pillow at Haz’s stomach before lying on my back.
“Good morning, sunshine. You are extra chirpy today,” he said sarcastically.
I stuck my middle finger up at him. I’ve lived on my own for the last four years with the occasional night where I crashed at the clubhouse, but I preferred being in my own space now. When I was younger, I lived at the clubhouse full time; I never left. It was work and home. But when everything went down five years ago and I lost Lexi, there were too many reminders of her in that room. I needed somewhere that wasn’t tainted with our memories.
One night, Haz and I had too much to drink and we stumbled back to my apartment together. He saw where I kept my hidden key and somehow, even though he was completely wasted, he remembered where it was. Now he lets himself in numerous times a week. Usually it’s late at night when he’s had too many beers and he stumbles to my place because it’s closer to the bar than the clubhouse is. Those nights I wake up in the morning to him passed out on my couch, but then sometimes it’s in the mornings, like today.
“You missed out on an epic party last night, Ry.” Haz sat on the bed beside me before resting his head on the pillow and kicking his feet up on the bed. The boys had yet another party at the clubhouse last night, but I didn’t feel up to going. After my argument with my dad and with Lexi returning to Haven Cove, I needed a night on my own to process everything.
“If you two need some alone time, I can just meet you at the diner.” Tyler, our current prospect, was standing in the doorway of my room looking at Haz and I both lying in my bed. This probably would have looked a bit strange to anyone else, but Haz and I were brothers. We were there for each other through everything and we had no boundaries. Except for Lexi; she was a boundary Haz learnt not to cross from the first time he spoke to her.
“Funny, Ty.” I stood from my bed and grabbed a shirt from the drawer along with a pair of jeans.
“I’ll meet you outside in a minute, unless you want to watch me shower.” I looked at both the boys and Haz shot up from the bed and walked out the door, pushing Ty out with him. I heard the front door shut as they walked outside and I went into the bathroom to shower.
Once I was dressed, I made my way into the kitchen and looked out the window, down into the driveway. Haz, Ty and Drew were all sitting on their bikes, smoking cigarettes as they waited for me. I grabbed my black leather cut that hung on the rack and swiftly put it on over the top of my white t-shirt.
We rode into town together; Haz and I up front with Ty and Drew following behind us. The loud sound of our engines always caught people’s attention, eyes watching us from other cars and from the people walking along the pathway. We were in the main street of town and only a few more minutes away from the diner when I noticed a line up of three bikes outside the cafe. This usually wouldn’t be surprising, but what grabbed my attention was that none of those bikes belonged to Vipers. Haz saw me look over at the bikes and we both looked at each other confused. We changed direction, crossed over the main road and parked in front of the bikes. The four of us got off our bikes and put our helmets on the handlebars.
“You two wait out here, see if anyone claims these bikes,” I said to Drew and Ty. They both nodded back at me, listened to my direction and waited outside as Haz and I walked into the cafe.
From the second I stepped into the cafe my eyes instantly went to the back corner where three men were sitting at a table wearing black cuts with a horse’s head on the back. The Horsemen were our rivals; they ran a MC club in the next town over but the Horsemen and Vipers always tried to claim each other’s territory. They would try to step into our business and we would do the same back. There had been blood shed on both sides of the war and it was far from over. As a Viper, we were always carrying protection.
I looked at Haz, questioning if he had his gun on him and he nodded and tapped the right side of his cut where he’s kept his gun for as long as I’ve known him. Mine was tucked safely in the back of my jeans. There is no reason for Horsemen to be in Haven Cove and especially not to be sitting in a cafe having a coffee as if they are just your regular visitors.
“Enjoying your coffee, boys?” I asked the Horsemen as we approached their table. I watched as the one in front of me sat up straighter before turning around to look up to me. It was Silas Gray, the current Vice President of the Horsemen. Silas and I went to high school together when we were younger and he always tried to tag along with my friends and I. When I became a prospect for the Vipers, he wanted to do the same. A rule the Vipers had is that they only take on one prospect at a time per charter and, well, I was a legacy, so there was no way they would have picked him over me. Silas didn’t understand this and he got angry. He gave up on trying to be my friend and instead became my enemy.
We were nineteen when I found out he joined the Horsemen instead and his new circle of friends were more than willing to help him out by jumping the son of the head Viper. I was walking home late one night and four of them came from nowhere and punched and kicked me until I had to practically crawl back to the clubhouse. The memory that came to mind when I saw his greasy jet-black hair slick and tied into a little bun at the back of his head wasn’t that one though; it was one that involved the Davis family and that memory was the one that had me keep one hand on my gun.
“We’re just here for business, Blake. Feel free to take a seat.” Silas smirked at me, motioning to one of the seats that was occupied by his friend.
His friend stood up in front of Haz. “You have no business here, you need to leave our town now.”
Silas laughed as he stood from his seat and as we stood face to face, I saw something in his eyes, as though he was trying to challenge me to see how far I would go.
“Now, that’s not very welcoming of you, Blake.” He kept that smirk glued on his face and it pushed me over the edge.
I removed my hand from my gun and reached up and grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him back against the table so I was leaning over the top of him. It was a Saturday and the cafe was full of people enjoying their morning coffee, so I kept the gun away, but if this was out on the street, my gun would’ve been aimed right at his head.
“I’ll say it again since you clearly didn’t hear me the first time.” I got closer to his face as he was half leaning on the table behind him. His friends are both standing by Haz waiting to make their own move once Silas gives them the go ahead. “You need to leave Haven Cove, right now.”
Silas stood up and I let go of his shirt. He looked at his friends and nodded his head towards the door.
“I’ll see you soon, Blake.” Silas hit his hand against my chest before walking past, making sure to hit my shoulder with his as he made his way towards the front door.
Haz and I followed them out to make sure they all got on their bikes and left, and to ensure they didn't start any further trouble outside with Drew and Ty. All three of the Horsemen got on their bikes and turned on their engines. Silas winked at me, causing Haz to put his hand on my chest to hold me back from going for him again.
“What the hell was that?” Drew asked as he came and stood closer to Haz and I.
“I have no idea, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I think we need to keep a close eye on the Horsemen, see what they’re up to,” I answered as I watched the bikes disappear down the street.
The Horsemen had no reason for being in our town other than to start trouble with us. It’d been over twelve months since either club had made a move on the other, but now seeing Silas Gray here in Haven Cove, that streak was about to end.
“So, I guess some things never change around here?” I heard a voice ask from behind us. I knew the voice; it was soft and familiar. I turned around and saw Lexi standing behind Haz with a coffee in her hand, her sunglasses pushed up on her head holding her blonde wavy hair off her face. I was too focused on Silas to notice who was in the cafe. I knew it was full but I didn’t see Lexi in there, and now I had a sense of relief that no guns were brought out in that discussion.
“Some things not so much, other things a lot,” I responded, leaning against my bike. She was right; some things like the rivalry and the club hadn’t changed much. But one big thing had changed, and that was Lexi. I’ve only had a few conversations with her since she’d been back but I could tell how much she had closed herself off. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and I noticed the dark circles under her blue eyes, showing how tired she was.
“How are you, Lex?”
Her face dropped at my question. I wondered if she thought I didn't care. It would’ve been easier if I didn’t. I tried for five years to convince myself I wouldn’t care if I never saw her again, but I also never let myself fully believe she was gone for good. “I’m not too bad. I’m exhausted but I’m fine.” She tried to smile but I’d seen her real smile many times and that wasn’t it.
“How’s things at the house going? Have you decided what you’re going to do?”
She started to fiddle with the lid of her coffee, her anxious habit that hasn’t gone away. “Honestly, I haven’t done any more. I don't even know where to start, it’s just all a mess and I can’t bring myself to pack anything away. I was going to start with the yard tomorrow, it needs a lot of work but I’ll need to hire all of the equipment because none of dad’s stuff seems to be working anymore.”
I stood from my bike and walked closer to her. I reached out my hand and touched her elbow softly. “I’m here for you, Lex. If you need anything and I mean anything, just call me. You don’t have to do this alone.” She didn’t say anything in return, but as she looked into my eyes, I saw one tear fall down her cheek. She stepped closer to me and stood up on her toes to quickly kiss my cheek.
“Thank you, Ry, that means a lot to me. I’ll see you boys around.” She smiled up at me and this one almost looked real. “Haz, keep this one out of trouble.”
He gave her a little salute in return. “Anything for you, baby Davis.”
She let out a soft laugh and turned to walk back towards her car.