Chapter 15
T he next morning, I quickly took Pepper breakfast and snacks while she was in the shower, then left the house. I didn’t have time to talk to her because I had a meeting with the club members. I wanted to give them an update about Harold, and we had to discuss the upcoming blanket drive.
When I got to the clubhouse, I parked my bike out front, then went inside. There were already a few people there, but I had to wait for more to come to start the meeting.
I heard the door open and looked up to see my brother strolling in with his helmet in his hand. We hadn’t spoken since I saw him at our mom’s house. There were brief text messages, but that was it.
“What’s good?” he asked as he slapped my open palm.
“Shit. The streets seemed to be quiet. Have you heard anything?” I asked.
He sat in one of the chairs and placed his helmet on the table.
“I haven’t heard shit which makes me wonder if he even cares about her. I still don’t agree with you holding her hostage, but maybe she’s better off with you.”
I didn’t like him saying I was holding her hostage, but ultimately, I was. She hadn’t been able to leave the room except to have dinner with me, and I could tell she didn’t even want to do that.
“I’m not sure what his motives are, but she told me they don’t have a great relationship, so maybe he doesn’t care. I just find it weird that he hasn’t come looking for her yet.”
Except for that bullshit message he sent through Cole, it’s been radio silence. It had me on edge a little because his being quiet could mean he was gearing up for some bigger shit. I couldn’t stress too much over it, but I would pay attention to the shit around me.
“Yeah, I don’t understand that either. Either way, you have to figure out something soon.”
“I will.”
The door opened, and a few more members came in. I spoke to them, and when the last two came in, we got down to business.
“I’m not going to hold y’all up for too long, but I wanted to give y’all a couple of updates.”
The clubhouse was closed during meeting hours, so it was only the main members and the couple of prospects we had. Besides Cole, there was Chris and a young dude named Storm. He was only eighteen but came from a rough background and was trying to find his way in life. I wanted him to join so he could stay on the right path. He was very smart in math and had a good career ahead of him in finance or something, if he stuck with it.
“Like I told my brother a few minutes ago, Harold has been silent, but that doesn’t mean anything. Stay alert, but at the same time, don’t stress yourselves about it. For now, let’s focus on this blanket drive we have coming up. My mother is making some for us to donate, and we’ll get some more from the local stores.”
Mouse raised her hand.
“You have the floor, Mouse,” I told her and leaned on the table.
My brother and I, as well as Mouse, Bear, Mac, and Ryder, all sat at the table while the rest of the members were spread out around the room.
“My friend Mahogany , who lives in Pinewood Mountains, knits sometimes, and she told me she has some blankets for us too. She said they should be here within the next week or so.”
“That’s the one with the husband that runs the dispensary, right?”
“Yeah. She said if any of us ever want to shop there, she’d give us a discount. They ship as well.”
“That’s what’s up. Tell her thanks.” I looked around at everyone else. “If anyone is interested in the dispensary, get the information from Mouse.”
The door opened, and a dude and a girl walked in.
“We closed,” Cole said as he walked toward the duo.
Even though the club was closed for the meeting, the door wasn’t locked. Anybody that hung around there knew when not to come. These two clearly didn’t know how shit worked around here.
Cole had his hand against the dude’s chest, holding him back from coming any further.
The guy held his hands up, and the girl looked like she was unsure of what to do.
“We don’t want any trouble. I’m just here to get some information on my niece, Pepper Ann.”
“Let him through, Cole.”
Cole stepped back.
“That’s all I have for now. If anybody needs anything, let me or Axe know.”
Everyone got up as the guy and girl walked closer. The only one that left the room was Mouse because she probably had some work to do in her office; plus, she didn’t hang around the clubhouse too often, but she was very much part of the club. Everyone else hung around but gave me some space to talk.
When they got close, I realized it was Cayenne and I guess her father. I didn’t know too much about him.
“What can I help you with?” I asked the guy as I crossed my arms over my chest. He said he didn’t want any trouble, but shit could go left quickly.
I looked over at my brother and noticed how hard he watched Cayenne. She would look over at him every few seconds, but neither of them said anything.
“Hi, I’m Evan.” He stretched his hand out for me to shake, so I did. “My brother-in-law, Harold, told me you have my niece, Pepper Ann, and I’m just trying to check on her. It’s not like her to not call me or her cousin.” He looked over at his daughter.
“Harold lied to y’all.”
Cayenne sucked his teeth. “Did he? Or are you lying?”
I smirked because she had a smart-ass mouth, just like her cousin. If that were truly the case, Axe would have his work cut out for him if he actually approached her.
“Nah, I’m not lying.” I didn’t want to be rude to them because they genuinely looked concerned, and they didn’t come in on no rah-rah shit. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but if I find out anything, I’ll let y’all know.”
“Please do. I just want to make sure she’s good. I’m really worried about her, but Harold doesn’t seem to care.”
Cayenne looked between Axe and me as her eyes watered.
Axe jumped up from his seat. “Let me walk you guys out.” He put his hand on the small of Cayenne’s back when she lingered a few steps behind her father.
It seemed as though they were a little more familiar with each other than he let on. I would ask him at some point, but for the moment, I needed to get back to the house.
As soon as Evan and Cayenne left, I jumped on my bike and went back home. I told Axe I would call him later.
When I walked into the house, I went to my room and grabbed Pepper’s phone. I knew it died, so I charged it for her but never turned it on. As soon as I did, message after message came through. I didn’t read them until I got to one from Jalen, the nigga she was fucking with.
Jalen:
Pepper, please call me. I need to know that you are okay. I promise I won’t ask about us being together anymore. I miss you. Even if you don’t want to talk to me again, please at least let me know that you are alive.
I didn’t need to read the rest. If I had it my way, she wouldn’t be seeing his ass anymore. I walked down the hall to the room and unlocked the door.
Pepper’s head popped up when I walked in. She sat in the middle of the bed surrounded by coloring books and crayons. I almost smiled at how cute she looked.
She looked at my hand and noticed the phone. Her eyes lit up, but she sat stoic like she didn’t want to seem too eager.
“I need you to call your uncle and cousin to let them know you are good.” I handed her the phone but snatched it back. “I’m trusting you to tell them just that, nothing else. If you tell them anything else, there will be consequences.”
I hadn’t had plans on harming her, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Okay,” she said and pushed a couple of the books to the side.
I passed her the phone and sat down.
A few seconds later, I heard her talking.
“Cayenne.” She paused. “Yes, it’s me. I can’t talk for long, but I’m fine. I promise I will call you again as soon as I can, but trust me, I’m fine.” She looked into my eyes. “Tell Uncle Evan I’m fine, and I love y’all. We’ll talk soon.”
Her eyes were still on me. I could hear Cayenne on the phone asking questions, but I snatched the phone from her and hung up.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. They came to the clubhouse because your father said I had you, and I didn’t want them to get the police involved. They seemed really concerned, so I wanted them to know you were fine.”
“Oh, okay.”
Silence lingered between us. She probably wondered why I hadn’t left. At first, I didn’t know either, but I decided to converse with her.
“What do you want in life?” I asked as I shifted on the bed to get a little more comfortable.
She blinked her eyes rapidly. I was sure my question threw her off.
“One of the main things I’ve wanted since I was a little girl was to be in my father’s motorcycle club, but my father won’t let me. I don’t understand why because there are plenty of women in there, but not me. Motorcycles are the only thing my father and I have bonded over. He was the one that taught me how to ride and everything else I knew about them.”
“Except how to fix them,” I teased.
She sucked her teeth. “There are some things I know how to fix, like basic maintenance. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with it that day. I wish I could have fixed it myself.” She mumbled that last part, but I heard her.
“These clubs can be dangerous sometimes, so maybe he just didn’t want you to get into any trouble.”
That was bullshit, but I didn’t know what else to say. She looked sad, and I didn’t like it.
“I guess.” She pushed her braid behind her hair. “Can I ask you a question? Well, maybe two.” She played with the bottom of her shirt, then scratched her arm. She scratched so softly that I didn’t think she realized it.
“You can, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to answer.”
She rolled her eyes, and I smiled. This damn girl had me smiling more than I cared to admit.
“What’s your real name? And why are you the way you are? I know you said you don’t want to be in love or whatever, but it has to be someone you love.”
I rubbed the hair on my chin. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell her my real name. I liked her, didn’t I? Maybe telling her my real name could help her gain trust in me.
She waited anxiously for my answer. Her hands were in her lap as she sat with her legs crossed. I glanced down at her exposed thighs and had to look away before my dick woke up.
I focused on the wall ahead of me and told her a couple of things.
“I love my mother and my brother, and my real name is Dion. As far as the way I am, I lost someone really close to me.”
With that, I got up and left the room. I didn’t give her a chance to process anything I said. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell her about Darren, but I had to remind myself that I was trying to get her to trust me. I needed to sleep on it before I made that decision.