Chapter 2
Chapter Two
MALICE
“Who’s coming to ransack Daily Rise with me?” I announce into the large common room full of bikers. Everyone is mingling around, having cups of coffee, or smoking their cigarettes to wake up. I light one up, pulling a long drag into my lungs.
“Mal, when you say ransack, you make it sound like you’re going to rob the joint.”
I gasp. “I’d never do such a thing! Mrs. Odette would beat my ass, and then she’d come for all of yours!”
“No one is pissing off Mrs. Odette!” Sin declares, his eyes leaving no room for argument, as if any of us would. Daily Rise is our small town of Amberwood, Washington’s bakery and coffee shop, and we all revere it.
“If she bans us again, I’m coming for Mr. Bun-Buns!” I tease, pointing at Sin’s pet bunny in the crook of his arm. His old lady, Bristol, sits next to him and covers her smile with her hand, looking away. She knows my secret—that I’d never actually eat his bunny—but Sin doesn’t need to know that.
“Mr. Bun-Buns is not fuckin’ food, Mal!”
“Well then, who’s coming with me? I need muffins!”
“I’ll go,” Saige says as she moves to stand. Chaos’ hands grip either side of her hips, forcing her into his lap.
“Like hell you will, vixen, you’re keeping your pretty little ass right fucking here where you belong.”
Oh, she’s not going to like that one bit. I take another drag of my cigarette, ready to watch this one play out.
“Fuck you, Camden. You can’t tell me what to do.
” Knew it. Saige has been with Chaos for almost a year now, and she gives our president a run for his money every step of the way.
She came to the clubhouse against her will because she was trying to kill him, and the two of them fell in love.
She fits right in as one of us now, and it’s almost like she’s been here all along.
She and I bonded quickly over our infatuation with blood and slitting throats.
Saige drives her elbow hard into Chaos’ ribs, his arms going limp just long enough for her to stand and get out of his reach. With her eyes on me, she nods to the door.
“Sorry, Prez, the queen has chosen!” I bellow maniacally.
Saige and I walk together into the humid summer heat, the rare Washington sun beating down on us.
It’ll feel good to get on my bike and get the wind on my skin.
I run my fingers across the body of my baby, the pink chrome glistening in the sunlight.
She’s a beauty, and it took me forever to fix her up to what she is today.
Turns out, I love working on motorcycles as much as I love riding them.
The engine purrs to life under me, rumbling and filling the air with the scent of gasoline and exhaust. I revel in it.
I glance over at Saige, who’s already pulled out on her sleek, all-black bike.
She extends her arm upright at the shoulder with her palm facing forward, the signal for me to follow her.
She and I both know Chaos would want me to flank her and not lead, needing to keep my eye on the safety of the president’s queen, even if she can probably handle herself in the face of danger better than I can.
Saige is a force to be reckoned with.
She is not someone I would intentionally fuck with. I visibly shiver at the thought. No thank you.
Together we ride up the gravel driveway, picking up dust in our wake. The ride to Amberwood is slow and peaceful. I love the wind in my hair and on my skin, the world zipping past me in a blur. It’s easy to let myself go while I’m riding.
Our territory stretches the entirety of Amberwood and slightly beyond. It’s a quaint, small town that I didn’t know existed until I was dragged into it. In my defense, with how sheltered I was, I didn’t know much of anything.
I was serving time for breaking and entering.
Granted, the house was fucking abandoned, and I was just looking for someplace to sleep that wasn’t a park bench, when I met Rolo, who I knew as Jesse at the time.
He was serving twelve months for simple assault when he saved my ass from doing twenty to life.
A gnarly fucker with a shaved, tattooed head and rotting teeth took one look at me and thought I was easy prey.
I’m a tall guy at six foot four, but I’m lanky as fuck at one hundred sixty-five pounds, and you can’t see what muscle I do have under the prison party suit.
It started with little verbal jabs, which escalated quickly one day when he physically attacked me.
I quickly outmaneuvered him, lying on top of his body with my thumbs pressing into his eye sockets.
I would have gladly pressed until I gouged them out, but Jesse came out of nowhere and pulled me off.
His large arms bound around my chest, hauling me back.
“No, kid, no! You’ve got six months, and then we’re out.
You are not throwing your life away for this piece of shit. Trust me, he’s not worth it.”
He had my back the rest of the time we were in.
Jesse was released a week before me and promised he’d be there to pick me up.
I chalked it up to talking a big game, that once I was out, I’d be back on the streets at square one with no one in my corner.
Which was fine, I didn’t know any different at the time.
In my head, free shelter, a warm bed, and daily meals while being locked up was a pretty good gig compared to the alternative.
Especially during winter. The thought of having to go back to searching for food and shelter wasn’t really appealing.
Even my cage at the jail was bigger than the cage I grew up in.
To my shock, Rolo was parked outside the jail in a beat-up truck with another man I didn’t recognize.
They were both wearing black leather vests with patches all over them.
Jesse nodded his head at me as I took the stairs from the building.
With my shoulders back, I walked up to them, stopping a few feet away, unsure what was going down.
The stranger in front of me crossed his beefy arms across his broad chest and looked at me from my holey shoes to the top of my wild head.
I remember Jesse looking at the beast like he was waiting for approval.
When he nodded slightly, Jesse reached through the open window of the truck and pulled out some black leather, throwing it at me.
I snatched it out of the air and held it up.
It was similar to the vest they each had on, except this one only had one patch.
PROSPECT.
“Get in. We’ll explain everything.”
Then I was brought to my new home and never left.
Saige and I park our bikes right in front of Daily Rise, the scent of warm bread already hitting my nose over the gasoline.
“Heard you had quite the party last night.”
My head snaps to Saige, her dark black hair framing her face, her bangs hovering right above her eyes. “Heard from who?”
“Rolo.”
“What a big mouth! I didn’t peg him for being a little gossip. I hope you’re happy, you just earned him a dick punch.”
“Well, I’m just glad you’re not hooking up with Seb anymore; he tells me way too many details.”
Seb is Saige’s best friend, whom I’ve hooked up with a few times.
He’s a hotshot lawyer who helped us take down a massive human trafficking ring.
We did all the heavy lifting and legwork, but once it gets to a certain level, we need to hand it over to the Feds.
Seb’s a good plaything and is always down for some kinky fun.
“He’s a good time. You know he really likes food play? I wouldn’t have guessed that from looking at him, but man, he’s really into it. He had me put a—”
“Nope! Shhh! No, no, we don’t need to speak of the extracurricular activities, just know I’m glad you both had fun.”
“Fine,” I groan. Saige pulls open the door to Daily Rise, and we’re greeted by the smell of butter and sugar. Mrs. Odette has been running this place for as long as I can remember, and she makes the best pastries I’ve ever had. She’s truly a marvel at her craft.
While we wait, I count the pastries in the glass case, tapping each number out on my thigh.
When it’s our turn to order, Mrs. Odette’s face lights up, her grey curly hair wispy around her face, eyes crinkling as her lips turn upward in a toothy smile.
She’s always so happy to see any of the Hell’s Heathens.
God knows why. We’re a bunch of hellions, and she’s banned us from her shop more times than I can count.
Which usually starts issues at the club for the guilty party.
None of us wants to be restricted from getting her coffee and pastries.
“Crew, Saige, good morning! I’ve got boxes already! Let me grab them.”
Saige raises a brow at me, and I shrug like it’s no big deal.
“If you haven’t noticed, I come here every Thursday and return with a little bit of everything.”
“Even on lockdowns,” she says, knowing that when Chaos first brought her to the clubhouse—against her will, but that’s a different story—we were under lockdown and I still snuck out to get Daily Rise.
“Even on lockdowns. Been doing it for years at this point.”
“I get it, her stuff is good. I had never had half these things until Camden put them in front of me and had me try them all.” Saige smiles, a rare sight since she’s typically more reserved and resolute in her disposition.
“You look like you’re someplace else,” I say, nudging her with my elbow.
“I was. Just remembering when Camden was trying to figure out all my favorite things.”
“He really loves you. We all thought he was only ever going to love the club,” I tell her honestly. Our president has been dealt a rough hand in life that led him and his brother, Lucas, to Hell’s Heathens. After Lucas was murdered, he just wasn’t the same. Until Saige.