Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
CRASH
Stepping out of my bathroom, I run a towel over my head, drying my hair.
I needed to wash off the day after baking in the Phoenix heat while fixing a stubborn car. The man will not get a new one, so he keeps having us to fix any issues it has. I would scrap the piece of junk, but the gentleman loves it.
Slipping into my underwear, I sit on the edge of my bed and pull up my socials, to check out friends online.
An image of Stevie pops into my head, making me smile. Hitting the search bar, I type in her name and wait for her profile to pop up.
I find her, seeing that her profile image is of her and her aunt. I click on it and see what she has posted, surprised that her account is not private.
Her folks were killed in a car crash when she was younger and her aunt took her in. I believe that she’s had a great life. Hell, she must have since she still lives with Cassandra.
Seeing her the other day was like a punch to the gut I was not expecting. Yeah, we hung around in high school and I always thought she had this cute, dorky vibe going on; underneath I saw she was beautiful, but Valarie held all of my attention.
I used to catch Stevie looking at me and she would look away when I caught her, her cheeks flushed red, but I did not think too much into it. Hell, I caught a few girls looking at me back then, but it didn’t seem to be a thing for me to push.
Scrolling through her photos, I grin seeing her with friends and her aunt.
Stopping on one photo, she is wearing a red bikini, and her breasts look fucking good encased in the scrap of material, against her sun-kissed skin.
Her hair is wavy, showing she has been in and out of the water that is behind her in the photo.
My gaze traces over her body, taking in the large tattoo she has on her thigh; it looks badass. I have to admit, I never thought she would be the type to have tattoos. She also has flowers on her wrist.
People change.
I did. I had to because the way I was living was going to land me in jail or in a body bag.
A strange emotion comes over me seeing the guy she is smiling at in the photo.
Some guy with a buzz cut, and only wearing shorts, their smiles are wide and full of life. She looks stunning, happy, and carefree. I fucking hate that she is smiling at him, yet she was guarded with me until I brought up why I came back.
I know that my explanation was the reason she bolted and was kind of hoping she would give it to me straight but she played it off, kissed my cheek, and ran out of there like her ass was on fire.
That was three days ago and fuck, I cannot get her out of my head.
Over the years I have thought about her, wondering what she is up to, but I never reached out.
It settled in me that she was still close to Val and I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into that again.
Yet, after seeing her, she is now in my head for a whole other reason.
That reason was just finished off in the shower.
I adjust my dick seeing her practically naked; she is a hot woman. Stunning actually. Even though I have thought about her over the years, thinking of her in a sexual way is something new.
A bang on my door pulls me from my dirty thoughts.
“Church. Maverick has some info for us,” Guardian calls through the door.
“Be right there.” Sending a friend request I lock my phone, then get dressed.
Slipping into my usual jeans, T-shirt, my cut, and boots, the scent of leather hits me every time I pull it on. It is a reminder of what I have in my life, and what I could lose if I fuck up.
Grabbing what I need, I leave my room. I nod to Guardian as we step into church together. He got his patch at the same time as me, because he did what needed to be done. Emmie and Rex are always under his protection, and I think they will be until the day he takes his last breath.
We all take our seats and Racer hits the power button for the plasma TV in the room, so we can video call Maverick.
“Brothers and Savage,” Mav greets once we connect.
Savage flips him off and we laugh. They always like to banter back and forth, talking about who has fucked the most men in their lifetime; we all know that now that Maverick has settled down, Savage is winning the race.
“Okay, enough with the childish antics. What have you found out?” Racer asks, his voice stern and his face like stone, showing no emotion.
“Fine.” Maverick sighs, but his lips twitch.
“Vinnie was sentenced to six years for the amount of drugs he had on him, but he also assaulted an officer while getting arrested. He was in deep with the MC as well as the street crew, owing both money. He thought he was some kind of Fast and the Furious driver but people kept beating him. So, he turned to dealing for both the MC and crew, but he also decided to sample what he was dealing. When he got caught, Valarie was in the car waiting for him, so she ran when she saw her brother in cuffs. Went straight to the MC and not the crew. Stupid mistake by her. Sorry, brother.” I know he is acknowledging me, so I nod.
“Using her appeal and street smarts, Valarie convinced the club to take her on as a new dealer, but targeting the college students and people at the races, since she had some pull with them. Not long after, she got claimed by their SAA, and we all know how that turned out. Now she is with the street crew, dealing for them, but also from my sources, she is fucking the main guy and his right-hand man. All while working off her brother’s debts, but making a name for herself. ”
“Valarie became obsessed with power and money after she got a taste for it from my racing,” I add, the men in the room looking to me. “I am good at what I do— it is how she got used to the good life. But her brother was her soulmate; they did everything together.”
“Did they fuck?” This comes from Savage, and I send him a glare.
Only he could ask something like that, with the way his mind works.
“No, she was fucking me. You dick.”
He shrugs, his knife twisting between his fingers. “Hey, that does not mean they were not fucking behind your back, handsome. We are all into all kinds of different kinks.” He winks.
Before I can refute his argument, Target cuts me off.
“We need to pay her a visit and see exactly what her role is in the crew,” Target says.
“I agree.” Pres nods. “Thanks, brother. If you find anything else, let us know.” Maverick salutes us and the screen goes black.
“Okay, this is how it will play out. We take a ride over to her known address and see what she has to say. Crash, you keep your emotions locked the fuck down; you let me handle shit, okay?” I nod.
I am not going to piss off my Pres, when I am newly patched in. Being here means so much to me that I am not going to go and fuck it up just to save someone who might not want to be saved.
The way that Valarie looked at me, the hate and rage aimed toward me, showed me that she is not the same girl I left years ago. The venom in her tone made my gut knot, along with the thought that there was no saving her.
She made her bed, but that does not mean that I will turn my back on her if she needs me. Stevie’s words float around my head: her telling me how bad Valarie was when I left, how deep she got, but also how she treated people.
We leave the room where we hold church, and I watch as Target walks over to Madalyn and kisses her.
Fuck, I miss having someone to hold and to kiss whenever I want.
Valarie was my last steady girl, but after shit went down I would fuck women if and when I needed but I am not like the other single guys in the club; I do not need constant sex.
I walk to my bike, sling my leg over before pulling on my helmet. Firing up my baby, the rest of the brothers come out and mount up, ready to ride.
We are all going because we do not know what to expect when we arrive at Val’s house. She could have the street crew with her, or some customers ready to defend their dealer. Believe me, I have seen that before.
We ride, and the prospect on the gate salutes as we ride through out onto the road.
Scanning the area as we ride, my gaze shifts to the coffee shop where I met Stevie. Images of her smiling at me pop into my head, the way she licks her lips, and I want to know what that tongue feels like licking my dick.
My balls tingle in my pants at the thought of being with her.
This is not the first time I have thought this since our little coffee date.
She has been on my mind ever since and fuck, even in my dreams which has left me hard as nails when I wake up, causing me to finish in the shower with her name on my lips.
Racer turns onto the street where I know Valarie lives, in a house where I spent plenty of my time.
As we get closer, I see movement— fuck, is that two women fighting?
Coming to a stop, I shut my bike down when I see that it is Valarie fighting with someone. I am off my bike like a shot, dropping my helmet on the grass. As I rush closer, I see that Valarie is fighting with Stevie.
“What the fuck?” Racer calls from behind me, but I keep moving.
Both women are rolling around, throwing punches and shit they are both giving as good as each other. Hair is flying everywhere, they both cry out and screech as they scrap.
“I got this one,” Savage calls to me, while I reach for Valarie.
Hooking my arm around her waist, I yank her back, her legs kicking out and her fingers bent like she is clawing at Stevie.
“You fucking bitch. Always thinking you are better than me,” Val screams.
Stevie is fighting to get out of Savage’s hold to get to Val, but he has a good grip on her. Her hair is a mess, some has been pulled from the hair tie, blood drips down her chin, and I want to go to her, but fuck I need to keep Val away.
“I am fucking better than you, you bitch,” Stevie screams. I arch a brow at the swearing, because Stevie does not cuss. “I earn my money the good way, not the way that could kill someone. I do not know who you are anymore.”
“Cool it, baby,” slips free like it used to, earning me a huff from Valarie.
Stevie stills at my words, then looks from Val to me, her eyes dropping to my arm around her ex-friend’s waist. Hurt flashes in her eyes, and the sight makes my gut tense.
“Oh, fuck off, Logan.” Val tries to elbow me to let her go but I hold firm.
“Are you going to attack her again?” Her scent hits my senses and I flinch back a little.
She smells of weed and sweat. Not the floral scent I am used to with her. I guess so much has changed.
“Let me go.”
I look back to Stevie, with Savage still holding her, but now it is more in comfort, and I hate it. I hate seeing his arm around her shoulders while she leans into him, yet looking at me with sad defeated eyes.
“Someone had better tell me what the fuck is going on here?” Racer speaks up, making Stevie jump, and Valarie scoff.
“I do not answer to you. You can all leave my property and take this cunt with you.” She waves her hand at Stevie, making her flinch.
I know that Racer told me to let him handle it, but I want to know why Stevie was here, and technically she was not included in the order.
“Why were you here, Stevie? You said you and Val were done. Or was that just a lie?”
I don’t know what possessed me to ask that question but by the look on Stevie’s face, it was the wrong fucking one. Shit.
As I think those words, I know that she wouldn’t do that. Her eyes widen, lips part in shock and I know I fucked up. The hurt on her face makes my gut tighten and instant regret fills my veins.
Valarie laughs, with a snarky tone. “Ohh, this is good. Is my ex-bestie trying to get my sloppy seconds? You do know that she pined after you like a bitch-in-heat in high school, right? She hated that I got to have you first.”
“Shut up,” Stevie snaps, going to lunge again but Savage reacts, keeping her close.
I grit my teeth from him having his hands on her and not me.
Savage winks and I want to kick his ass but right now, I need to keep my head.