Chapter Three
Nikki was pissed off.
Well, she wasn’t overly pissed off, but she wasn’t in a good mood, and right now, Diana was her enemy. Not that she had many friends to begin with, but she was pissed. She hadn’t wanted to go to that party last night. Diana had called her up and asked her to go, but she refused. It was up to Diana to find someone else to drive her to the clubhouse and wait around for her.
She’d been enjoying a pampering session. It was rare for her to get many of those, but she valued her skin care routine, ever since she had seen something on social media about prematurely aging, and well, she was kind of obsessed with beauty. Even if her mother and most of her boyfriends had told her she was wasting her time, because she was neither pretty enough nor good enough to offer anyone beauty advice. Her mother had often referred to her as a dull mouse. Some of her mother’s boyfriends had told her she reminded them of a fat cow or whale.
Over the years, Nikki had gotten used to the insults. She knew she wasn’t a beauty, or anything special. It was one of the many reasons she dropped out of beauty school. The main reason being that she had been robbed, bailed out Diana, and her mother had made one of her rare appearances.
As much as she ignored her mother, there was still a part of her that believed every single word she said, and that hurt. Yes, her mother liked to remind her how little she was like her own mother. She was no great beauty. No man would want her.
And so, with no funds, she didn’t see the point in putting herself into debt for a course she didn’t need. She had phoned, apologized, and quit before she could be made a fool. From that day forward, she did her beauty routine inside her own trailer. She never left with makeup on. She would practice behind closed doors, applying makeup and taking it off. She always had a clean face. There was no point in giving anyone the chance to mock her.
Now, as she made her way toward Diana’s house, paid for by her absent father, she slammed her palm against the door and waited. She saw the bike outside of Diana’s house. She felt so angry.
Diana didn’t come to the door after the first bang, so she kept slamming her open palm against the door. She was not going to give up. If Diana was her friend, she wouldn’t have given out her address, and if she had no choice, then she should have warned her. There was a damn friend code.
“All right, all right, I’m coming. I’m coming. You better have a good fucking reason for waking me up early.”
This is why Diana wanted to be an old lady of the club. She hated to work. She wanted an easy life and was willing to do whatever necessary to get it.
The door opened and Diana was there with her night makeup smudged. Her hair seemed to stand up in different directions. She looked a mess. She wore a t-shirt that had more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.
“Uh, it’s you. Why did you have to bang so loud?”
Diana asked.
Nikki shoved her friend, stepped inside the house, and closed the door. “What the hell did you do?”
Diana rubbed her head and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Seriously? You go and give out my address and all you have to say is whatever? What the hell, Diana?”
Her friend walked into her kitchen.
Nikki hated coming to her friend’s home. While she spent an entire weekend getting her home clean and in tip-top shape. Diana hadn’t lifted a duster cloth or washed the dishes in months. There were flies above the dishes at the top of the sink. Her home looked like a death trap. This is why she also didn’t like Diana coming to her place. Her friend was a complete slob.
“I take it Hawk found you?”
Diana asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had given him my address?”
“Because I didn’t give a fuck. A guy asked where you lived and for your name. That’s not a crime.”
Nikki couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You really don’t care, do you?”
“Look, if you were my friend, you wouldn’t either. The club like their women a certain way and you don’t exactly match up to it. I figured he wanted to make sure you were not a problem for the club. Stop getting your panties in a twist, and did you bring me coffee?”
She always knew her friend was the selfish kind, and sure, she could be cruel and manipulative, but she did think Diana had her back. This was a horrible way to get her eyes opened. They had been friends for a long time, but the truth was, while she considered Diana a true friend, she thought Diana considered her a pity friend.
“You know what, fuck you,”
Nikki said.
Diana opened her eyes wide and Nikki turned on her heel about to leave, only she came face to face with one of the club men. It wasn’t a guy she had met before.
“What the fuck did you say to me?”
Diana asked.
Nikki spun around and looked toward Diana. She had put the kettle down, which she had been struggling to fill.
“You heard. You and I are done. You need anything, you better hope you haven’t upset even more friends.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t need a frigid bitch like you. Get the fuck out of my house.”
She must have been putting on a show for the leather cut behind her, as she stepped forward, palm outstretched, and slapped her, hard.
Nikki was shocked. Diana had never hit her. She had been hit plenty of times, from her mother, her mother’s boyfriends, and clients—but never by her friend.
Anger rushed through her, and she looked at Diana, then shook her head, turned on her heel, and left. This was not the time and place to get into a fight. She had to get to work.
Turning over the ignition in her car, she heard the loud bang and prayed it would start and at least get her to work. It was due in the shop very soon, but she was holding off as long as possible. She knew this was bad, because it would only guarantee she would end up paying more.
She drove to work without a hitch.
Her cheek hurt. Diana hadn’t held back. She had taken a full swing, and Nikki couldn’t believe she had let her.
****
Hawk was not in a good mood. He was very pissed off. Hearing from Ropes that Diana had slapped her friend, and the argument they had, put him in a very bad mood.
Banging his hand on the door of Diana’s house, he and Melanie waited.
There were kids playing up and down the street. At first, they’d been curious about his bike. The moment they saw his leather cut, they kept a wide berth. Diana didn’t live in a good neighborhood. The club already knew she was after an easy life.
He had to hand it to Ropes. The few men who made it to Diana’s home tended not to stick around. Nor did they fuck her, but clearly Ropes wanted to get his dick wet.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,”
Diana said.
He heard her through the thin door, and it opened.
The angry glare soon turned into one of deep surprise. She looked a mess. He wasn’t surprised. The men had told him she was a slob, and the best way she looked was when she was at the club. First thing in the morning, they remarked she reminded them of a coyote. An ugly-assed coyote at that.
“Hawk,”
she said, turning her frown into a smile. She glanced at the woman with him but didn’t recognize her. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,”
he said, pushing his way into her house. Melanie followed.
There was a stench there, a moldy and desperate kind of smell that sickened him to his core. He didn’t like it.
“If I knew I was going to have company, I’d have cleaned up a little.”
The place was strewn with empty food cartons, beer bottles, and clothes, and he was pretty sure there might even be rats living amongst them. It would be better to have a bomb go off.
He spun around, and she was attempting to fix her hair. She hadn’t washed. The shirt she wore had so many holes and the stench was just too … cloying.
“Is there anything I can do for you? Anything you want?”
“Nikki stopped by today,” he said.
“Yes, that she did. Don’t worry, I put her in her place and you won’t have to worry about a thing.”
“That is where I have a problem.”
He glanced around her home and then turned to look at Diana.
Sandy in the club was considered a delicate soul, even though she was high up the food chain of the women. There was also Melanie, another loyal member to the club, and had been for a long time. Nearly as long as Sandy. The only difference was that Melanie didn’t take any shit.
Sandy couldn’t quite keep the women in line, but Melanie had a mean streak. She wasn’t cruel, she was more than happy to share, but she also knew there was a time and place for everything. She had no problem dealing with women who stepped out of line. Melanie stepped toward him. She wore a miniskirt, six-inch stiletto heels, and a leather jacket, proclaiming her to be one of the club. Her hair was thick with curls, and her curves went on for miles. There were times he was sure she was more woman than the men could handle.
“I’d like you to meet Melanie,”
Hawk said.
“This is her?”
Melanie asked.
Diana was no problem for Melanie. Melanie simply didn’t like her attitude, and well, now it was time to put her in her place.
“No one touches Nikki and gets away with it.”
He nodded at Melanie.
Her sleeves were already folded back, her nails looked pristine, and he watched as Melanie drew back her hand and slapped Diana, hard enough to send her to the floor.
If he had gotten his hands on Diana, he’d have killed her. What he didn’t know yet was if Nikki still cared for her friend. If she did, then Diana would stay alive. He was not going to allow this slut to cause him any trouble.
Another slap. Diana tried to block the blows, but she was no match for Melanie. He should have also mentioned to Diana that Melanie liked to work out. She knew her place in the club, and keeping the women in line was her forte. There was another slap, and now Diana was begging. Hawk told Melanie she was to keep slapping until he decided Diana had gotten the message.
Glancing down at his watch, he saw this went on for five minutes, and then he told Melanie to halt. She did so immediately, but he saw she had taken a great deal of pleasure in the beating she had just given.
He moved closer to Diana and saw her nose was bleeding as well as her lip. She hadn’t gotten any hits in at all.
Crouching down, he stared at her. “I want you to understand that all of that happened because you touched Nikki.”
Diana was sobbing. “Nikki?”
“Yes, you touched her, you hurt her, and now you pay the price. You’re not welcome at the club, and if you think of running to Nikki and telling her what happened tonight, you will pay the ultimate price.”
He got to his feet, and without another word, left the house. Melanie followed him out.
****
“That was so freaking gross. How can anyone live like that? I think bugs are crawling all over me.”
“I don’t know.”
“She is a total and complete slob,”
Melanie said. “I think I may have to wash the men that have fucked her in bleach.”
He looked at her and knew she was only joking.
“You good to get home?”
he asked, glancing toward her car.
“Yeah, it’s all good.”
She winked at him. “It was a pleasure to help any way I can, you know that.”
She didn’t wait for a response and made her way toward her car. He waited for her to get in her car and drive off.
Once she was gone, he straddled his bike and made his way toward the trailer park where Nikki was. He already knew her hours had changed and she was no longer on the night shift.
Arriving at the trailer park, he rode toward her trailer and saw the light was on. Parking his bike, he went and knocked on the door.
“Nikki, come on, it’s me. Open up.”
She still hesitated and he waited until she finally opened the door. This time, she was dressed in a large shirt and sweatpants.
“Evening,”
she said, arms folded.
“You’re not going to let me inside?”
“What do you want, Hawk?”
she asked.
“To be let inside.”
She stared at him for several moments, and then it was like she knew he was going to get his own way, and she stepped back.
He climbed into the trailer and captured her around the waist, putting a finger beneath her chin and tilting her head back. Her face had a partial mark. It was not a full-on bruise. In the next day or so, it would show if it was going to bruise or not.
“It’s fine,”
Nikki said, trying to pull out of his arms.
“It’s not okay. No one has the right to hit you.”
Nikki frowned. “You already knew?”
“Yeah, Ropes told me.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Ropes?”
“Yeah, he’s one of my guys.”
“The one that was with Diana this morning?”
she asked.
“Did he do or say anything to you?”
He’d deal with Ropes if that fucker had said anything.
“No, no, no, he didn’t say anything. He just … he didn’t do anything.”
Ropes knew to report to him.
“Have you put some ice on it?” he asked.
“It’s just a little slap.”
“Go sit down,” he said.
He was not being nice about this. She had to do as he ordered.
Nikki looked ready to complain, but he gave her a look that told her not to argue with him. She pressed her lips together, made her way back to the sofa, and stayed silent.
He went to the kitchen, opened her small fridge that had a built-in freezer. It seemed everyone had a bag of frozen peas. Admittedly, Nikki’s were half full, but he pulled them out and sealed them up a little better so it wasn’t a squashed bag, then he made his way toward her.
She was sitting and she held her hands up.
“You don’t need to be afraid,” he said.
“I’m not afraid.”
He smiled at her, and then slowly placed the peas on her face. She let out a little wince.
“Is it cold?” he asked.
“Just a little.”
“But it feels okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. You really don’t have to do this.”
He wanted to do this. Actually, he wanted to slap Diana a little more, but she had gotten the message clearly today. His father had said there was a time and place to take matters into his own hands. For anything else, women handled women. This was a situation for Melanie, not for him. Although he would have gladly slapped her himself, if he started, he probably would have killed her. He didn’t like that she had hit Nikki.
“Do you want to tell me what you were arguing about?” he asked.
Although he did know, or whatever Ropes had told him, if the club brother had even been listening.
“You visiting my house.”
“Was that a problem?” he asked.
“I didn’t know you knew my address. I would have liked a heads-up.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”
“But it does matter to you,” he said.
“Diana didn’t see it as a big deal. I did, and I guess I acted … a little stupidly.”
“No, you didn’t. She was your friend and I imagine you’ve been there for her whenever she needed it.”
She sighed. “Pretty much. I guess I better go and see her.”
“No, you don’t have to. You don’t need to apologize to her. It’s done.”
Nikki looked at him and sighed. “I think the peas are helping.”
He was more than happy with the excuse to be closer to her.
She offered him that sweet smile but he didn’t back down, even for a second. What was it about this young woman that he couldn’t get out of his mind?