Chapter Twenty-One
Mindy
My nerves get the better of me as I stand outside their clubhouse, holding my best pies in my hand like a shaky peace offering. It has only been a few weeks since I met these people, but they were already feeling like the family I didn’t know I needed.
Even though Krampus goes through violent mood swings of being sweet and angry, I still can’t help but feel drawn to him. If his grumpy sunshine was any brighter, I’d burn myself to a crisp.
There’s a lot of noise coming from inside one of the buildings, and a familiar man steps out, a plume of smoke wafting above him as he nervously puffs on a cigarette.
“Oh look, it’s the cookie chick,” Jigsaw says, his voice a little harsher than it should be.
His dark gaze rakes down me again, stopping on the seven pies in my hand.
“Whatcha got there, sugar peach?” Like most of these bikers, Jigsaw towers over me, standing at least six four with a lean mass of muscle that’s spattered with tattoos.
His long reddish-brown hair is tied back in a ponytail, and I notice there’s a perfectly etched scar above his left eye, like he purposely placed it on his eyebrow.
At least he looks cleaner than the last time I saw him.
“P—Pies,” I stutter, unsure of what else to say.
He takes another long drag, eyeing me curiously. “What kind?”
Nervous jitters jolt through me. He makes me uncomfortable, and I’m not sure why.
“Two p—pumpkin, two p—pecan, apple, peach, and chocolate.”
He smirks. “I love me a good peach pie. I hope yours is worth it.”
I try to paint on my best smile but fail. “Everyone usually gushes about my peach pies.”
That smirk spreads wickedly across his face, more smoke curling around him like an ominous cloud of rejection. “I bet your peach tastes divine when it gushes.” He licks his lips, obviously not referring to my pies.
“Back the fuck off, Jigsaw,” Krampus exclaims, appearing out of nowhere.
The other biker straightens, but doesn’t leave. “I can see why you’re so into baked goods lately, VP. I’d be getting a sweet tooth too if my dealer looked like this.” Jigsaw’s eyes dart to me, and he grabs his crotch. “I bet your mouth taste as sweet as your pies, sweetheart.”
Krampus grabs him by the shirt and throws him up against the wall. “I said stand the fuck down! That’s a fucking order.”
Jigsaw holds up his hands and smirks. “I haven’t seen you like this before, Krampus. She must be something pretty special if you’re ready to throw down with your brother over her… pie.” That smirk only widens further.
“If you so much as even look at her again, Jigsaw, I’ll cut off your dick.”
My eyes widen.
Jigsaw immediately takes notice. “Careful, VP, you’re going to scare the poor girl off before you even have a chance to taste her.” His gaze turns to me. “If you ever decide not to be into charity cases give me a call. Unlike him, I’m not some disfigured freak.”
That’s all it took to break him. Krampus’ fist flies without warning, a punch so strong it sends the guy to his knees, blood pouring from his nose in rivers.
The scuffle almost makes the pies go flying, but Gremlin suddenly appears, taking the pies from my hand. “I’m here to save the pies,” he announces, before disappearing inside.
Amber appears a few seconds later, and quickly grabs my arm. “Come on, Mindy, before you get hurt.”
“But what about Rich?”
“He’s fine. Trust me, I’ve known the guy for years. Rich can handle himself. Let the guys duke this out. It’ll be good for them.”
She drags me unwillingly inside as Krampus and Jigsaw continue their grapple. “Jigsaw’s a bit of a hot head,” she murmurs as she pulls me toward the kitchen, the instant smells of a massive Thanksgiving feast hitting me like a cloud of smoke.
“Oh goodness, everything smells so amazing!”
There’s a few girls loitering in the kitchen, preparing different side dishes for the meal. Amber stops in front of one of the girls and taps her shoulder.
“Hey, Autumn, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
The girl whips around all smiles and holiday cheer.
She’s got that earthy vibe to her, that always cool and collected in touch with nature type of vibe.
Her hair reminds me of chestnuts and fireplaces, but it’s the spattering of freckles lining her nose, and a smile that could light up a room that makes me less afraid of meeting her.
She sticks out her hand, fingers slightly dusted with seasoning, and grins.
“So, you must be the infamous pastry girl.”
Amber only smiles in response. “This is Mindy.”
Autumn looks me over, her smile only widening. “Figures it would take a glorious beauty to tame the beast.”
“Beast?”
“Yeah, Krampus. The girls here call him the beast.”
“Why?” I question, not liking how they’re talking about Rich.
“Because of his scars. That’s why he’s always hiding them. He’s self-conscious.”
“That’s kinda mean, don’t you think?”
“Sure it is. But the Annies here don’t care about being nice. If you want to make it around here, Mindy, you’ll end up getting in touch with your inner mean streak too.”
Taking a step back, I drop her hand, wiping the seasoning dust off on my pants. “I don’t think I have one of those. I’m not a mean person,” I whisper shout, unable to hear myself over the noise going on in the background.
Autumn only smiles. “I wasn’t one either until I started dating Phantom. If you’re not careful, a bitch will slide in and try to take your man. They think they own the guys, but none of the Annies have been able to convince the men here to make them their Ol’ Lady. Not like me and Amber.”
“Ol’ Lady?”
Amber proudly shows off her ring. “It’s basically the biker term for wife, though it doesn’t always have to mean marriage.” She shoots Autumn a look of pity, which Autumn immediately brushes off.
“Hey now, Phantom and I haven’t been together very long. I’m not ready to be anyone’s wife. I’m perfectly happy with just being his Ol’ Lady for now.”
Amber giggles. “Girl, I think one day soon you’ll be changing your mind. I see the way you and phantom are with each other. That’s real love there. Anyway, enough about us. Tell us about you, Mindy. What’s going on between you and Krampus?”
Nervously, I push a piece of hair behind my ear, wondering if they already know. “I like him. Like a lot, but sometimes he can be…”
“Cranky?” Amber questions.
“Cantankerous?” Autumn adds.
Another girl walks by and laughs. “If you guys are talking about Krampus, he’s definitely crotchety for someone so young.
It’s a pity. He’d be kind of handsome if his face wasn’t so fucked up.
” She giggles again, but this time no one is laughing, they’re too focused on the man standing in the doorway with raging eyes.
Before anyone can say anything, he abruptly turns and leaves the room.
“Jesus, Tiffany, could you be any more of a bitch? Rich is one of the nicest guys I know. I know he can be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but he’d do anything for someone he cares about,” Amber scolds her.
“Like I care what you think, Amber.” Tiffany’s eyes roll wildly before turning to me. “So, you must be the baker?” She says it like it’s the most awful thing in the world, glaring at me like I just became her mortal enemy for no reason.
“Um, yeah, I guess so.”
“So, why are you here?”
Autumn jumps in. “She was invited, Tiffany. Back the fuck off.”
Tiffany just sneers. “I was just trying to figure out how a semi-pretty girl could possibly be interested in someone like him?”
Before Amber or Autumn can jump to his defense, I pipe in.
“Look, lady, I don’t know who you are, but how dare you come in here and try to analyze and judge me for who I enjoy being around.
Unlike you, I judge people for who they are, not what they look like.
And to me, Rich is pretty fudging amazing.
So, do me a favor and take your nasty attitude somewhere else.
It’s Thanksgiving and you can take that hatefulness elsewhere. ”
“Fudging? Gross. Please tell me you aren’t one of those girls. The kind that doesn’t cuss and thinks she’s better than everyone else.”
“From where I’m standing, honey,” I say sweetly, holding my head up high. “It doesn’t take much to be better than you, and besides, I hope you know that cussing doesn’t make you tough, it just makes you loud and ugly.”
A few of the girls snort, as Tiffany loses her smile, her mouth opening like she wants to snap back, but before she can, Amber claps her hands loudly.
“Alright,” she says, her voice commanding the room. “That’s enough. It’s Thanksgiving, not an episode of Girls Gone Wild. If you’re hungry, grab a plate. If you’re not, grab an attitude adjustment, especially you, Tiffany.”
Tiffany flips her blonde locks before obnoxiously stomping away.
Autumn grins, clearly enjoying the show.
“And this, Mindy, is why I love Amber so damn much.”
Tiffany’s departure reawakens everyone.
Someone turns the music up just as a man yells from the other side of the room that the turkey is resting and better not be rushed like a damn prospect! Laughter ripples through the kitchen.
Amber loops her arm through mine. “Come on, Mindy, let’s get you a drink before someone else picks a fight with you.”
“Are they always so hateful?”
Amber nods. “Almost always. Some are better than others. Mostly they’re just hateful and jealous.”
She guides me to one of the long tables set up in the common room.
They’re mismatched and heavily damaged, clearly dragged together over the years for moments just like this.
Folding chairs line the sides, some already claimed by men laughing too loud, others saved with jackets slung over the backs.
But the food…
Wow does the food look amazing!