Chapter Eight
Hope
M Y PARENTS SHOWING up late last night and talking to me about the Becker situation was exactly what I needed. I know my dad is pissed as hell and he wants to shred the damn world apart to get to the asshole and rip him limb from limb. If I tell him not to, he won’t do anything, but I’m done being that girl. I won’t stop my dad from doing anything he wants to the stupid fuck who believes it’s okay to drug women and fuck them without their consent. If Becker wasn’t such an asshole, he’d be able to get any woman he wants. However, because of his attitude and the superiority complex he has, no one is ever going to want to be with him. Especially a woman who knows her worth and won’t accept anything less than what she truly deserves. It still doesn’t excuse him using drugs to get what he wants so my dad can torture him for as long as he wants before ending Becker’s miserable, pathetic life. I’ll happily stand back and watch it happen after getting in a hit or two on the fucker for his attempted attack on me.
Since I slept the day away, Raptor told me not to go into Phantom Auto until after dinner to start inventory. I was supposed to be there late last night before all this shit happened. So, we’re pushing it back a day and I’ll get it done tonight. For now, since no one is cooking dinner for anyone in the clubhouse, I’ve taken it upon myself to cook for everyone so there’s a meal before I head out to the shop to get inventory started. I work on making stuffed shells because it’s quick and easy and I can cook for a ton of people at once. I’ve also got garlic bread prepared to put in the oven and a large salad in the refrigerator waiting to be pulled out.
“Can you believe that Morgan actually did it?” I hear a female ask without turning around to see who’s talking.
“What exactly did she do? I don’t see her doing anything right now. She’s not even working the bar and hasn’t gotten in trouble for staying in her room and doing nothing. If anyone ever sees us not doing something, we get in trouble,” a second woman whines, her voice grating on my nerves.
“She landed the club’s VP. Jinx and her are together and that means everything is gonna change for us. Morgan can ensure we don’t have to do all the stupid cleaning, cooking, and all that other bullshit they think we should be doing just to stay here and fuck a biker or two. When I came here, it wasn’t to be a glorified maid. I came here to fuck bikers and claw my way to the top of the food chain. Vault is very loyal to his wife, but if I have my way, she’ll be history in a matter of weeks as I take her spot,” the first voice says, making anger fill me in ways I haven’t experienced in a very long time.
Annabell is one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life and I won’t sit by and let anyone talk shit about her like this. Vault won’t ever leave her for some fucking skank who wants to fuck a biker and make sure she becomes his ol’ lady. This bitch has no clue what being an ol’ lady means or that it’s for life. It’s the reason I start laughing my ass off as I turn to face the two skanks sitting at a table in the kitchen.
“What the fuck are you laughing at, bitch?” the first girl questions me, her face contorted in anger as she looks me up and down.
“I’m laughing at the absolute bullshit that just came out of your mouth. If you knew anything about club life, you’d know becoming an ol’ lady is for life. It’s not like being married where you can get a divorce if things don’t work out between the couple. In this world, it’s why the guys take a long time to figure out who they want in their life. Annabell and Vault have years of history behind their relationship. They’ve both overcome so much shit and still managed to find a way to be together. When you came into the clubhouse as a Phantom girl, you accepted what that meant in your life. It means you clean, cook, do whatever is asked of you, and at the end of the day, you get to fuck the men here if they choose you. You will never be an ol’ lady to anyone in this club. They won’t make a skank a wife. Because that’s what an ol’ lady is. I suggest you get that ridiculous idea out of your mind now before you end up out on your ass with no way back into another club,” I state, watching as the girl gets out of her seat and makes her way over to me.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you’re nothing in this club. We rank above you and you know it. Instead of eavesdropping on conversations that have nothing to do with you, I suggest you get to work and make our dinner,” the woman says walking over to stand in front of me with a glare on her face that would bury me six feet under if I were truly scared of her or gave a damn about what she thought.
“Actually, you don’t rank above me. I’m the daughter of a member and will always come right after the ol’ ladies. Another thing you should know is there is a hierarchy to the club and these men don’t appreciate anyone who tries to overthrow that shit. I don’t have to clean, cook, or do anything in this clubhouse that I don’t wanna do. I’m doing this because it appears the Phantom girls currently in the clubhouse are lazy fucks who only know how to think about cock. Another tip, the more the guys see you doing nothing to help out here, the less you’ll be fucking them. And Annabell is a badass who will fucking boot your asses for doing nothing. One more thing, this food isn’t for you. It’s for the people who actually work in the clubhouse, are members of the club, and who aren’t raging skanks,” I state, already knowing this bitch is going to try and hit me as she steps up even closer.
“At least we don’t choose men who drug us,” she taunts me, making my entire body go tight with tension and rage.
I snap. Throwing a fist, I punch the bitch right in her nose. She screams out as the sound of crunching fills the kitchen. I watch on as she drops to the floor in front of me with her hand over her nose as blood flows freely.
“What the fuck is your problem?” the second skank screams out, rushing to the first one’s side. “You’re the bitch who wants Jinx, aren’t you? How does it feel to know that he chose Morgan over you? You think you’re better than everyone here and that should show you that you’re nothing. Especially to the VP of the club.”
Pain fills me and my heart breaks a little more with her words. She definitely hit her mark by saying that to me.
“As long as Jinx is happy, it feels great to know that he’s with someone who will love him. And unlike the rest of you, I’m not a fucking homewrecker who doesn’t give a fuck about that shit. If Morgan makes Jinx happy, that’s all that matters. I suggest you get Skank One out of the kitchen and then you can clean up her blood. You know, something that you should be doing around here,” I state as the girls continue to make a ton of noise about nothing at all.
“What the hell is goin’ on in here?” Vault asks as my dad, Fox, and him rush into the kitchen.
“Well, as you can see, I was making dinner because once again no one was doing it. These two came in talking about how Morgan landed Jinx so that means everything will change and they won’t be forced to clean, cook, or anything else that they’re supposed to be doing. Then the one on the ground started talking about how it’s just a matter of time before she makes you leave Annabell and she becomes your new ol’ lady. I was kindly explaining how things work here since they don’t have a fucking clue. She was going to hit me, so I hit her first. I’m done being walked all over. And then the second skank decided to rub it in my face that Jinx has chosen to be with Morgan and that I’m nothing. Apparently that also means that I rank below the skanks in the club’s hierarchy,” I answer Vault as my dad makes his way over to me and wraps me in his arms.
I’m trying hard to be strong and not break down in front of everyone. Right now, all I want to do is cry with the thought of Jinx being with Morgan in a way I’ll never have him. Morgan will have his love, family, and everything else that comes with being with Jinx. I’ll watch from the sidelines as they live their lives and he gets everything he’s ever wanted.
“What are you gonna do about her hitting me, Vault?” the skank on the floor questions, pulling out the fake tears as she looks up at the President of this chapter.
“Nothin’. She told you how things work around here and you were still gonna hit her. Hope has the right to defend herself from anyone in this clubhouse. You actually mean nothin’ and you will never take my wife’s place. I love my ol’ lady and you’re nothin’ more than a skank who spreads her legs for everyone here. Hope grew up in the club and if you truly knew what was good for you, you’d leave her alone. See that man with his arms around her? That’s her dad. He's not the Enforcer of the club for no reason. He will gut you without breakin’ a sweat or thinkin’ about you ever again. That’s just what he’d do for the members of the club. You bein’ a bitch to his daughter, his baby girl, means you get no leniency from him. He’ll fuckin’ torture you for as long as possible until you’re beggin’ for death,” Vault answers her, his voice lethal and full of menace as he looks down on her.
“Vault, that’s not fair!” she screeches as Annabell enters the room.
“No, what’s not fair is the fact that Hope is about to be up all night long to do inventory for the auto store and yet she’s in here cooking dinner for everyone. I’d have been in here before now, but I have children to take care of and a house to worry about. You know, the same house that Vault sleeps in every single night and the children I created with him. Yeah, we all know about your little speech and how you think you’re gonna take my man from me. Skank, I should’ve kicked you out a while ago. Ice, you’re no longer welcome in the Phantom Bastards clubhouse. You can take your little fuckin’ sidekick with you. Killer, get Hope out of here for a while. Savannah and I will finish dinner for everyone. Hope seems to have it almost all done already,” Annabell says, Savannah following her into the kitchen with my mom trailing behind them.
“You can’t kick me out, Annabell. Everything is up for a vote and the guys won’t let you get rid of me. They love how I make them feel,” Ice states with a smirk on her face as she thinks she’s won.
“Actually she can kick your ass out. Annabell is my fuckin’ queen and rules over the Phantom girls. Whatever the fuck she says is law and if she’s sayin’ your kicked out, then get the fuck outta my clubhouse. We don’t want lazy pieces of shit here. You contribute nothin’ and have been plottin’ since you walked in the door to become an ol’ lady. We all know you want Jinx and will do anythin’ to get him. Also know you haven’t lifted a finger to do anythin’ since you got here and manipulate everyone around you. Devil!” Vault states before yelling out for the Enforcer of the club.
“What’s up, Vault?” Devil asks, stepping into the kitchen from the shadows.
“Take out the fuckin’ trash. Annabell kicked these two out. They don’t get to collect anythin’ from the rooms they’ve been in or anythin’. I want them the fuck outta here,” Vault answers him, his voice full of hate as he stares the girls down.
“You can’t do this!” Ice screeches as the second girl starts crying and acting as if her life has ended. Fucking dramatic skanks!
“I can do anythin’ I want. I’m the President of this club and Annabell is the queen of the club. Our word is law here and no one wants you here. You’re lazy pieces of shit who don’t do anythin’ around the clubhouse unless your forced. Even then, you do whatever you can to get others to do the jobs you’ve been assigned,” Vault says as Devil grabs the girls to lead them from the kitchen and then the clubhouse.
The entire time he’s leaving with them, I can hear them shrieking and causing a scene worthy of an award for the acting they’re putting forth to make it seem as if they’re the victims in this scenario.
“Let’s get outta here, Baby Girl,” my dad says, his voice laced with anger as he pulls away and looks down at me.
Nodding my head, I let my dad lead me from the kitchen without saying a word to anyone. I hurt and don’t want to be around anyone right now. My heart is breaking with the knowledge that Jinx is with Morgan and I know it won’t be long until he claims her as his ol’ lady. Once these guys realize who their woman is, they don’t waste any time. I mean, Vault and Valor did with all the shit they went through with their women, but once they’ve found their one, the guys are all in and don’t waste time or energy trying to figure shit out.
My dad leads me from the common room and out to where all the bikes are parked in a line in front of the clubhouse. I stand off to the side knowing the procedure for getting on my dad’s bike. He gets himself ready and moves his bike out of line before he’ll help me put my helmet on. Once I’m ready to go, he’ll help me on the bike and then we’ll leave. My dad has always wanted to give us his full attention when he’s getting us ready to go on a ride with him. He refuses to miss something and risk one of us getting hurt because he didn’t give us his full attention. It’s one of the many ways he takes care of us and I love him for it.
Once my dad is ready to head out, he helps me and then I climb on the bike behind him. As soon as my arms are secure around his waist, he slowly leaves the compound parking lot and heads through town. We have no destination in mind and I simply enjoy the freedom filling me. This is what I need after yesterday and then the confrontation today with Ice and her skanky sidekick. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, everything in my life is forgotten. The only thing I focus on is the wind whipping around us, my dad’s control of his massive bike, and the peace that riding fills me with.
Faith and I don’t really get a chance to ride. Most of the guys in the club believe that no one gets on their bike with them unless it’s their ol’ lady. It’s a belief their dads taught them and they don’t break that for any reason. I can only think of one time when a guy broke that rule and it’s because Slim asked Vault to take a house bunny away from Benton Falls. King doesn’t even take Zoey on his bike when they go out together. He knows they’re only friends and that she’s in love with Savage. So, the only time my sister and I ever get to ride is if our dad takes us out. He firmly believes that his seat is reserved for our mom but takes us out when we absolutely need a ride to get away from the hell we’re going through.
My dad rides around for a while until he slows down and pulls into the parking lot of a book store down the street from the clubhouse. Looking up, I can’t help but smile in response. If I have a weakness, it’s buying books. When I first started working and earning my own money, I spent an entire paycheck on books and nothing but books. When I walked in the house, my dad laughed his ass off at me and shook his head. He knows about my love of reading and wasn’t surprised.
“I know you need some new books, Baby Girl,” he says once he shuts the engine of his bike off and helps me climb down before undoing the strap of my helmet.
“I do. It’s been a long time since I read anything new. I’ve been re-reading books that I brought with me,” I tell him with a smile on my face as he starts laughing.
“And how many times have you read the books again?” he questions me, lifting his eyebrow because everyone knows when I fall in love with a story, I have no problem reading the book more than a few times.
“I refuse to answer that question, Dad,” I tell him as we walk across the parking lot and head for the book store.
As soon as we enter the store, my dad finds a comfortable place to sit. He knows I’ll be in here for as long as he allows me to wander around, grabbing any book that piques my interest. I love finding new authors and will read at least one book by them before deciding if I want to continue on with a series or whatever the author writes. My dad has just given me my dream day of wandering around a bookstore.
After leaving the store with a ton of new books to add to my collection, my dad stores them in his saddle bags before we walk over to an ice cream stand. He buys me a sundae and we sit down to enjoy our treat.
“You know Jinx isn’t with Morgan, yeah?” my dad suddenly asks me, worry filling his voice as I drop my spoon back into my sundae and push it away from me.
“It doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t, Dad. Jinx doesn’t want me and I’ve accepted that fact. It’s why I accepted going out with Becker to begin with. I need to move on with my life. No one will ever call me a homewrecker and there is definitely something going on between the two of them,” I respond to him, finding it hard to breathe with the thought of my dad bringing this up to me.
“I’m gonna tell you a secret, Baby Girl. Jinx stepped up and talked to me late this mornin’. He waited up until I left your room once you fell asleep. That man stayed awake all night long just to talk to me. I know for a fact that he’s not with Morgan and only saw her as a friend. I’m not gonna tell you everythin’ I know, but I want you to make me one promise. When Jinx comes to talk to you, give him a chance. Listen to what he has to say and don’t let what you believe to be the truth cloud your judgment,” my dad says, a smile on his face as he looks at me from across the table.
My heart is racing with the thought of Jinx talking to me about anything. I absentmindedly pick up my spoon and start to eat my sundae once again. It’s so good and I haven’t had one in a long time. Honestly, I believe the last time I had a sundae was with my dad when he knew I needed to get away for a while. He always seems to know exactly what I need and that most everything that hurts me can be cured with an ice cream sundae. If he can’t take me to get one, he’ll buy whatever he needs to make one and we’ll have them at home.
“I promise, Dad. I’m not sure what’s going on, but if he wants to have a talk, I’ll listen to him. I always have,” I tell my dad as he smiles at me like I’m missing what he’s trying to actually tell me.
When we’re done with our ice cream, my dad takes me back to the clubhouse so I can get ready to head to Phantom Auto. I need to get this inventory taken care of so the store can open tomorrow. My dad offers to go with me, but I refuse. He can hang out at the clubhouse with my uncle Fox and the rest of the guys. My aunt Kim didn’t make the trip this time like we thought she would. I guess she’s not feeling the best and didn’t want to slow Fox down in getting here. Plus, she’s got a doctor’s appointment coming up that she can’t miss. I love her and hope she’s okay.
After changing into my most comfortable clothing, I head out of my room and make sure to lock the door behind me. Entering the common room, I find my parents sitting at a table with King, Jinx, and Devil. They all stop talking when I get up to them and tell my parents that I’ll see them when I get back. Jinx asks me if I want him to go with me, but I tell him no. I have a plan in place and if I need any help, Raptor has volunteered to come over and help me. Jinx’ face falls as he remains in his chair and I leave. I don’t have time to worry about what’s going on with him as my dad’s words from earlier come back to remind me that something has changed with Jinx. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I make my way to Phantom Auto where I get to work on inventory with music as my only company.