Chapter 32
Lacy
I’d asked Mama Hen about leaving a few minutes early to meet a friend and she was fine with that. Today was also the first day Butch wasn’t there, and it was a relief to not have him looming around. I figured he’d be there more on the weekends, but from what I gathered, he was there nearly everyday and only took off for club business.
Weird that he wasn’t here the same day Eagle said he had stuff going on. If they were working on the same thing, hopefully they didn’t kill each other. Maybe it would do them some good to be stuck with each other. And I wouldn’t mind if Eagle went all caveman and laid claim to me with Butch. Maybe then he’d chill out around me.
Either way, that was their problem for now. I was too excited about seeing Shiv to worry over their pissing contest. Work was much busier than the previous days, and I really considered staying on day shift if this was how well I could earn. Surely the nights were banging, but I just needed enough to pay some bills and have some set aside, just in case. I’d made up my mind that I was going back to the clubhouse, but after the year I’d had, I wasn’t going to find myself in the same position again.
I couldn’t wait to tell Eagle my decision, but I wanted to tell him in person when he wasn’t busy with club stuff. I wanted to give a little cash to Jeannie for the short time I’d stayed, too. Although, I’d probably have to sneak it to her somehow. I’d offered her some after my other shifts and she wouldn’t take it. It may have been only a week, but the time away was important to help get my head clear and get Eagle’s head out of his ass. Maybe my head was in my ass, too, but I didn’t think I’d admit that to him.
Shiv had messaged me that the flight was getting in much later, but it didn’t make sense for me to drive all the way home, then leave again to drive all the way back out here, so I went to Mama Hen again and asked if I could stay longer.
“I don’t mind if you do some lap dances and rooms, but the stage lineup is done.”
“I may just wander around. I don’t want to take from the regulars, either, but it seems silly to go all the way home just to come back this way,” I said.
“Fine with me, honey.”
I didn’t want to take a cut from the ladies on the schedule already, so I decided to hang around a while longer for a few table dances, then I could go grab some dinner between work and the airport to kill some time.
Once my shift was winding down, I snuck off to change into street clothes and tried to get some of the sparkles off me. Shiv knew what I did, but I didn’t know if she’d want to be seen out with someone with stage makeup and stripper shimmer. She was a doctor. Probably all business with fancy pant-suits and stilettos.
Rayne had the music going and I waved as I was walking out, so he pushed a few buttons and bounded down from his stage in my direction. “Hey girl, finally heading out?”
I threaded my arm into his and we walked toward the front. “Yeah, meeting an old friend at the airport, so I hung around a bit longer. It’s been a good day, though.”
“Oh, honey, you should see it later tonight.”
“Do you work all the time?”
He laughed as we walked out, looking around the parking lot. “Oh no. We switch off but the weekends are packed and the cash flows freely. Where’s your boy?”
“Oh, he’s busy but, check it out,” I said as I pulled him over to my car. “This is mine now.” The lights around the parking lot were on and making my new ride glow.
His mouth dropped. “Girl, did you make that much in a few days? Get it!”
I smacked his arm playfully. “No, I wish. Eagle gave it to me.”
Rayne cocked a brow. “Don’t be stupid, girl. Did you get that title?”
My brows shot up in mock surprise, but I opened the door then leaned in and pulled out the paper that had been signed over to me. “I’m no fool,” I said with a wink. “But seriously, I don’t think he’d fuck me over like that.” Rayne pursed his lips, so I rolled my eyes and said, “We had a little breather, but things are better. Perfect, actually.”
“Well, if he signed this over, he can’t hang it over your head, anyway. Maybe you’re right. I hope you are, anyway. Oh, don’t let these idiot customers see you get into your car.”
“Not my first rodeo, but I appreciate you looking out for me,” I said as I climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You bringing your friend around here?” he asked as I pulled the door closed and rolled the window down.
“Doubtful. She’s not a dancer. Not even sure I’ll see much of Eagle while she’s in town.”
Rayne leaned on the door, crossing his arms over the window seal. “Very nice ride. And, hey, don’t be judgy. She may love this kind of place.”
“Maybe. I gotta run. Getting her from the airport.”
He leaned up and smacked the car. “Honey, you need to go. Traffic is going to be a whole bitch, even this time of day. You be safe, girl. I gotta get back in. I only had three songs queued up. Love the new ride”
Once Rayne sprinted back inside, I looked up a restaurant nearby where I could hang out and headed over. After getting hit on numerous times, two drinks sent my way that I didn’t touch, and watching more than half of a Braves game on the TV over the bar, I checked my watch. She said she’d land at eleven and it was right at ten thirty. I left some cash on the bar, hit the restroom quickly, then got back on the road toward the airport.
No shit, I’d lived in a few big cities, but Atlanta traffic was like nothing I’d ever seen. The club was technically in Atlanta, but getting to the airport took me through midtown, downtown, and beyond, and it was stressful as fuck. Between the big trucks who seemed to know they had to drive defensively here and the maniacs who liked to play chicken instead of letting you merge, I was shaking. It was insane how bad traffic was that late at night. I sighed with relief as I saw the exit to the airport, but then got sick all over again when I saw my life flash before my eyes, trying to get into the lane to take me to the correct gate.
When Shiv was ready to go home, either Eagle was driving her back, or she was getting a ride share. I wasn’t even done, and I regretted not having those drinks. After going to the wrong gate, getting yelled at by two different officers directing traffic, and a few unhinged messages to Shiv, I finally figured out where I was supposed to be, but I wasn’t allowed to park and wait, so I had to just keep circling.
After three loops around, I finally saw her standing there with a rolling suitcase and a laptop bag. Her face looked the same, but her brown skin was a touch darker than usual, probably because she’d been in Florida. Her hair was a little longer than I remembered, but still curly and black, blowing around her face. She had on a grey pinstripe pantsuit with a black shirt and black heels–not stilettos, though. She had been taller than mom when we were younger and towered over me, but I think she was only about five foot six. The suit perfectly highlighted her voluptuous figure.
Realizing there were lots of cars like mine, I whipped to the curb and opened my door, waving my arms around. “Shiv! Shiv!”
She looked in my direction and smiled from ear to ear, then jumped when the officer started obnoxiously blowing his whistle. “You can’t park there. Move it.”
“She’s picking me up,” Shiv yelled in his direction as she hurried to my car. I hit the button for the trunk and she tossed her things in, then ran to the passenger side and climbed in. “C’mon before he arrests me for yelling at him or something,” she said as she slammed her door and buckled up.
I clamored to get back in, but then rolled my eyes as I tried to pull away and another car was blocking me. “I’ll be giddy and silly in a minute, but right now my nerves are shot. How do people do this regularly?” I asked as I watched the officer scream at the car that was blocking me. It nearly clipped him as it peeled away, so I took my chance and pulled out, then took off. It was now well past eleven thirty and this place was still packed.
Shiv looked in her mirror. “We’ll hug and stuff when we get somewhere. Holy hell, that airport is insane.” Shiv worked her blazer off as I navigated back onto the busy highway.
“You’re just gonna have to move here because I can’t do this again.” I reached my hand over and grabbed hers. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Please take me to get hammered and see hot men.”
I let out a belly laugh. “What? Are you hungry or something?”
“Hammered and hot men, please. I’ve been at a medical conference for a week with a bunch of stuffy old women and no hot men. Not to mention stuck at an airport all day thanks to a fucking delay. I’m sorry it’s so late, by the way.”
“Medical conference, huh? So what practice did you land on, Shiv?”
“I’m technically a psychiatrist and I also have a PhD, but I wonder if I can go to school for something else?”
“You’re a double doctor? Holy shit!”
“Well, it’s not as cool as it sounds, and I hoped being a psychiatrist meant less blood, but I have to deal with some depressing shit. I got my PhD so maybe I can move into trials or something. Who knows. So anyway, hammered and hot men.”
“Why not do, like, primary care doctor or something? For the record, I think psychology is cool as hell but you don’t seem pumped about it.”
She shrugged and finally let go of my hand. “I don’t like fluids, and blood, and gross stuff, so I didn’t think working as a medical doctor was the right path. But, of course, I was expected to go to medical school.”
Her dad was a doctor and it wasn’t uncommon for the kids where we were from to carry on the family trade. Most of the lawyers had lawyers, engineers had engineers, and so on.
“So, boring conference. Florida sounds fun, though?”
“It was hotter than Trinidad and just as muggy. Plus, I was in so many sessions it didn’t matter if there was fun stuff to do nearby.”
“Don’t people get sloshed and cut loose at those events?” Growing up in a wealthy area, you overheard the dinner chats of the grownups and anytime there was business away, it sounded more like a chance to party than anything.
“Sure, if you want to hang out with all the boring people. Yuck . I know you know where there are hot men and alcoholic beverages. Take me there, please,” she said, dragging out the last word.
“Um, not sure how much you’d enjoy it, but there’s a place with booze and men. Most seem pretty hot to me.”
She smacked both hands on the dash. “Lets fucking go.”
“They’re sort of,” I scratched my head as I thought of the words to say, “motorcycle guys.”
She smacked my arm and I looked over. Her eyes were wide with excitement and she practically vibrated in her seat. “Oh my God, yes. You know biker guys? This is the best! Can I pick one? Maybe you should pick one for me.”
“Oh my God, are you on speed or something?” She was always excitable, but this was a bit much, even for her.
“No. In fact, I may have forgotten my ADHD meds today and had shitty airport coffee all day. But biker boys!”
Laughing, I said, “I don’t know if I’d call any of them boys.”
“Oh my God. Are they all older? I’d like a daddy biker.”
“A what?”
Her hands moved while she spoke. “You know, a hot older man who can really take care of you. You know. Take care of you…”
“You want to bang an older biker guy?”
“That doesn’t sound as cool as getting taken care of by a daddy biker, Lacy.”
“If you say so. There’s quite a few to choose from, then. Most of the officers are in their thirties, except Butch, but no–I won’t let him touch you.” If she was dead set on having some time with one of the more seasoned guys, I’d have to converse with Daisy. Shiv was sheltered and highly educated. It wasn’t my place to cockblock her, but I couldn’t let just any of them have their way with her. As excited as she was, some may be too much for her. And I’d be damned if Butch laid a finger on my oldest friend.
“I wish you hadn’t said that,” she deadpanned.
“What? The Butch thing?”
“Don’t you know anything about psychology? Naturally, now I want to do him.”
“Okay, I’m not sure how I feel about being the responsible one here, but absolutely not. We have plenty to choose from. No-strings-attached, older biker men run rampant at the clubhouse, so it’s like shooting fish in a barrel and you can choose any except Butch, Eagle, or Falcon.”
“Now I want a foursome with them.”
“Shiv! What is wrong with you?”
“I’m so fucking bored I could die, Lacy! Let me have some fun!”
I reached over and grabbed her hand. “Okay, but Butch is off limits because he’s a complete douche. Falcon is married to my best friend, and Eagle is mine.”
“Oh my God, you have your own biker? I love this so much. I need to know everything!” she squealed. “And fine, I won’t have a foursome with them. But you said there’s plenty, right?”
I glanced over with an expression of what I imagined to be a shocked mother looking at her daughter written all over my face, but Shiv just giggled. I squeezed her hand, then glanced at my rearview. Anytime I saw a black work van, I was reminded of what happened to Daisy. But as it got closer, I realized it was just a black SUV, which were plentiful near the city.There were four in our parking lot when I left work.
As my heart slowed back down, I let Shiv’s hand go to adjust the radio and a loud bang sounded, followed by my steering wheel getting wobbly. We both jumped and yelped, but as I got control, I said, “I think we had a blowout. Fuck.”
I was nervous to be on the highway with all the crazy drivers, anyway, so I was in the slow lane already and hit my hazards so I could try to pull off. The cars buzzed past us as I got onto the shoulder down the exit, practically in the grass since I was going to have to get out to take a look.
I figured out how to change a tire on YouTube a few years back. I didn’t have AAA and my loser boyfriend at the time couldn’t be reached. A quick tutorial showed me what to do and most cars had the supplies you needed in the trunk.
Pulling the handle, an arm stopped me. “You can’t go out there. I have AAA,” Shiv said.
Waving her off, I said, “I can have this changed before they’d get here. There’s not as much traffic on the off ramp and it’s slower. I’ll be fine.”
“You can change a tire?” she asked with a cocked brow.
“Yes, and I’ll tell you the story later. Sit here and look pretty.” I didn’t know if I wanted to change the oil or if I could get my engine running again, but I was proud that I knew how to change a tire.
Checking my mirror, I didn’t see any cars coming down the ramp, so I grabbed my phone, popped the trunk, and got out, walking to the back. The back right tire was practically in shreds. At least I had some money to get it replaced. Lifting the trunk, I found the divot and pulled up, exposing my donut. Pulling it out, I located the jack and wrench tucked underneath. Using my phone, I did a quick refresher of the process to get the jack under the car in the right spot.
“Hey,” Shiv said as she got out and walked to the back. “I can’t just let you sit out here doing this alone. Tell me what to do. I still say I should just call AAA.”
“It’s really fine,” I said as I crouched down to find the spot to place the jack. “Actually, I could use some light.” I couldn’t hold my phone properly and work, so I tucked it back into the safe, aka my bra. My pants were too tight to shove anything in those pockets.
Shiv pulled out her phone and shone the flashlight for me as she crouched down next to me. I grunted and breathed heavily as I cranked the jack then started to work the lug nuts off. “Shit, these are on there good.”
“Need some help, miss?” a deep voice asked from the back of the car.
“I got it, thanks,” I said as I stopped working the lug nuts.
“Oh, that tire is shot. I can give you a lift somewhere,” the man said, still from behind the car. I couldn’t see him since we were off the highway and the light was at least a quarter mile down the ramp.
Dealing with pushy men at strip clubs left me with the knowledge that if I seemed scared, they’d take advantage. Standing up, wrench still in hand, I said, “No thanks. The donut can get me to my man’s. Have a good night, though.”
The man, that I could now see was dressed in all black, moved his hand and my gut twisted. My body shook as I scrambled for an idea. Without taking my eyes off the gun pointed at me, I quietly said, “Run.”
Shiv was still low and she shifted closer to the car. “Lacy, I can’t leave you,” she tried to whisper but I’m pretty sure the man heard.
“Don’t be stupid, ladies.”
I remembered some late night show I was watching, at Tony’s compound of all places, that said never let them take you in their vehicle. Risking being shot was actually less likely to get you killed than going with your attacker. Looking around quickly, I didn’t see a vehicle on the ramp, so he must have parked on the highway. Maybe someone would see me if I made it back to the main road.
My chest heaved as I found the courage to take off. I looked down at Shiv, her eyes wide and glistening. My eyes shot to the side and I hoped she understood. We needed to run in opposite directions. I’d run where it would be closer to grab me than her. We had a silent conversation with our eyes that seemed like a lifetime, but was just seconds. When she finally gave in and nodded, I waited for her to get her footing, then I shouted, “Run!” and we both took off.
But instead of him following me, I glanced in her direction and he was following her. “No!” I yelled and my body turned, watching in horror. “Take me, you asshole!”
Before I could move my feet in their direction, arms wrapped around me from behind. I still had the wrench in my hand so I tried to use it to hit my captor, but with my arms trapped by my sides, I probably didn’t do much damage.
I screamed and kicked, still grasping the wrench in case I got a chance to really swing it. My heart sank and I sobbed as I saw Shiv being carried by the man who first approached the car. Squirming and shouting, I looked toward the highway, thinking surely someone saw all of this happening, but nobody stopped.
Shiv looked lifeless as they came closer. My sobs quieted my screams as grief and shame washed over me. Maybe if I’d just let her call AAA, this wouldn’t have happened. Or better yet, if I hadn’t talked her into coming into my fucked up world, she wouldn’t be here with me for this.
A black SUV pulled from the wrong direction on the highway, down the ramp, and the tires squealed as it stopped near us. It was the one I saw before. They must have pulled off ahead of the ramp when we turned off.
Getting a glimpse of his gun as the man carrying Shiv got closer, it hit me–it wasn’t a blowout; they shot my tire. On my new car. Shit . Every time I think something good is happening, the universe swoops in and fucks it up.
I was shoved into the back of the SUV and immediately turned, banging on the back glass, when Shiv’s body fell next to me. Horrified, I stopped and grabbed her.
“Nobody can see out the back, honey. And if you don’t make trouble, we won’t make trouble,” the man said as he climbed in casually next to Shiv like he didn’t just pluck me off the side of the road.
I stifled another sob, but my chin trembled along with my body as I cradled my friend. Feeling breath on my arm, I frantically checked her neck. I wasn’t a nurse or anything, so I wasn’t sure where exactly to press, but I felt around and finally found a pulse.
Relief washed over me. She was alive, at least. But as the SUV took off onto some side roads, I worried how long either of us would be.
My phone buzzed in my bra, and I almost grabbed it, but the inside of the SUV was dark and if I pulled it out, they’d know I had it. I had to wait for the right time before trying to contact Eagle.
Hopefully I got a chance to do that before it was too late.