Chapter 3
Hyde
“I think it could be a real good chance for me, and I’ve never traveled much so that’ll be a plus also,” I explain to Jasper, Russian, and Gunner as we sit around Gunner’s living room.
Taking Wrench’s advice, I sit back to read the room before I continue, but damn, even in my thirties now, somedays it’s hard not to still feel like a kid around these men.
There’s an opportunity for me to go, more or less, nomad. I’m basing my plan on what Wrench did years ago, working as a security technology consultant for motorcycle clubs, before he settled here.
The way I have it planned out, each chapter would pay me, and I’d still funnel a part of that back here.
When I was nineteen, I enlisted in the Marines. Besides the opportunity to really learn how to fight, I figured it was a sure-fire way to see more of the world.
Fate had other plans though, and on the way to basic training I had the bad luck to run into a pile-up during a white out. When I woke up a few weeks later, Bree was by my side and stayed there as I slowly came to terms with the severity of my injuries.
The military said, thanks but no thanks, and my rehab started.
I have no tangent memories of my birth mother; they’ve all been replaced by Bree. There were countless days, she comforted me when I broke down, barely able to stand on my own two feet. Then there were the days, where she relentlessly demanded that I take two more steps, and two more after that, as I struggled through the rehab process and learned to walk again.
Although I cried and lashed out at everyone because of the pain I was in, it was the times when I woke up and caught Bree silently crying that ripped my heart out. I knew her well enough to know she’d be mortified at being caught crying.
The first time I saw her tears, I remembered thinking, What does she have to cry about? I’m the one suffering.
Through no one’s fault, I developed sores on my feet, making rehab particularly difficult and one day, at my absolute lowest point, I took it out on her. Gunner witnessed the worst of it and put an end to my rant. The next morning, I woke up to Flint in my room, instead of my adopted mother.
He explained, in excruciating detail, the length that Bree had gone to, to stop the doctor from removing part of my left leg after the accident. I thought I was already as low as I could possibly sink, but from that day forward, I took my lumps as they came.
The way I saw it, every day I woke up faced with a choice: fight or cave into my demons during the bad times. For a while, there were still more painful days than good ones, but I made a conscious decision to be grateful for what I had.
I had parents who loved me, besides a larger, crazy family, made of Northern Grizzlies; as evidenced by the food the Ol’ Ladies would send for me and the pictures some of the kids would draw.
Flint’s little ‘come to Jesus’ talk with me that day, helped to change my attitude, and from there, every baby step seemed like a leap.
Once I got to the point I could at least drive again, I had another choice to make. Becoming a mechanic or shadowing Wrench, with the expectation that I’d enroll in an Information System course. I was still physically exhausted most days, so I chose the latter.
By this stage of my life, a few of my brothers that I had patched in with have started settling down with women they’ve met here and there. Personally, I haven’t found anyone I can tolerate for longer than a few hours. I thought I had once, but that was all a lie.
I figure, I might as well see the country before I’m too old to enjoy it.
“Our plan has always been for you to take over Wrench’s position,” Jasper tells me when I let the silence drag on. This was an issue I was prepared to hear and one I need to tread carefully with. “Or one of ours.”
“I will, I mean, I want that, too. This is my home. One hundred percent. But I don’t want to get to Wrench’s age and never have gone anywhere but on runs to a handful of places. I’ve talked to Silver about his time as a Nomad, and I think that getting out into the world and learning how others think will bring more value to us in the long run.”
“He’s not wrong,” Russian concurs with a faraway look in his eyes.
“What Flint, and every one of you, did for me—taking me in, giving me a place, that isn’t something I’d ever forget or betray.” I repeat what I said earlier.
Gunner’s been silent this past half hour and just as he opens his mouth, the front door is flung open, and Leslee runs in. Seeing us, she races toward her dad—and we can’t help but notice her tear-streaked face.
“I hate it there and I’m never going back, Daddy!”
Gunner stands up so quick, his chair crashes against the wall behind him; as expected, he’s more interested in catching her in his arms than his surroundings. “What is it, angel? You don’t have to. What the hell? Go where?”
“I’ve had it with them!” The anger in Riley’s voice is as tangible as the pain on Leslee’s face. Riley and their son, Xander, have entered in Leslee’s wake. “They suspended Leslee and I got so pissed I yanked Xander out of his school, also.”
Leslee is wrapped in Gunner’s arms, but her tear-filled amber eyes are locked onto my darker eyes, making me realize I’ve risen and fisted my own hands. I’m ready to go to battle at Gunner’s say-so.
“Can we back up a little?” Jasper calmly asks. “What happened, Le-Lee?” If it weren’t for her ragged breath, I’d smile at the nickname that one of his kids bestowed on her.
“Dustin Tapher reached around me and grabbed my boob in pre-cal, so I swung my textbook at him and broke his nose. We have to sit alphabetically in that class so we were surrounded by all of his asshat friends, and no one would admit that I was defending myself.” Leslee’s voice is strained, the red streaks around her neck highlight how pale her face is as she tells us what happened.
“I’ll fucking kill him!” Gunner growls and Xander’s mouth slants into a smile that gives even me the chills. It’s hard to remember he’s ten, considering he’s taller than his mom and sister.
“Let me do it,” I volunteer, shrugging when Gunner and Jasper turn to look at me. “A parting gift.”
“How old is the kid?” Russian asks, thinking about what we can get away with considering he’s got to be a minor if he’s in Leslee’s class.
“Old enough not to touch our daughter.” Riley’s answer mirrors what I’m thinking, and I’m pleased she’s out for blood. I fucking love how this family switches from the Cleavers to the Mansons in a snap.
“He’s a junior,” Leslee responds, and it takes me a second to remember that she tested out of the lower-level math classes. “Wait… Parting gift?”
Leslee looks at me, shaking her head as tears start to flow over her eyelids again. Whatever she sees in my face has her pulling away from her dad and scrambling over the coffee table to me. “You’re not going, Joey! No.”
Throwing her arms around my waist, I grimace and put my hands on her shoulders. “Nothing’s decided yet,” I say, trying to calm her down as I look from Jasper to Russian, and finally, Gunner.
He’s the only one not looking at me and I’m grateful that the thunderous expression on his face is meant for a high school boy and not me. Gunner stays frozen, staring at his daughter’s back with his brows knitted together, until he finally lifts his gaze and gives me a nod.
I grin before looking to Jasper for approval and get a nod from him, also.
They’re not just giving me permission to get out and see the world a bit; no, I just got carte blanche to teach this Dustin fuckwad a lesson.
In the next couple of days, I start putting the word out with other Northern Grizzlies charters and motorcycle clubs we’re friendly with. A handful of them come back with requests that I review what systems they have in place, with the promise of a job if I find holes in their set-ups.
With the constant cycle of new couples and babies being born, I’m able to quickly rent out my small two-bedroom house. That takes care of one order of business before I leave.
The other is Dustin Tapher. I grin to myself, going over my plan for him in my head again. He’s going to think twice before he ever touches another girl.
Flint and Bree offer me the use of their smallest bedroom to store what few things I have that I want to keep. And as my time in Rowansville winds down, dinners with them become brutal. Bree keeps finding a reason to go out to the kitchen to wipe her tears away, not wanting me to see her cry.
“Molly, you gotta come to dinner tomorrow night!” I plead with her, getting my hand slapped when I unconsciously try to stick a finger in the batter she’s working on. “Ma’s calling it The Last Supper, for crying out loud.”
“I swear, you’re as bad as my kids,” she huffs, unable to keep the grin off her face.
“Come on, sis.” I throw that endearment in for good measure, as I try to keep her focused on my request.
Granted I was adopted into the family, but I’ve known Bree and her father longer than she has. That, and from the moment she found out that Flint is her biological father, she did assume the role of sister to me. “Ma practically bursts out crying every time she looks at me. If you, Royce, and your monsters are there, she’ll be distracted.”
“Overlooking the fact that you call your niblings, monsters, Bree does want time with you before you hit the road,” she says as she fills a cake mold, then slides the bowl with some leftover batter down the counter to me.
“Is that a cock?” I ask, tilting my head to get a better look at the mold as I start to swipe my finger through the delicious mixture.
“I know you’ve seen the tits version of this at the clubhouse, why are you surprised I also make dick cakes?” Molly counters, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
“That’s a perfectly valid argument,” I sagely nod my head, imitating Flint. “You don’t happen to make, y’know, um, kitty cakes, do you?”
She lets out a quick laugh before growing thoughtful. “Actually, I bet Riley could make a mold with her 3D printer and including the legs, it would serve more people than the woman’s chest does.”
“I was kidding,” I insist, but the look in her eye doesn’t go away. “Okay, just don’t make it red velvet.”
“You’re disgusting,” she groans, snapping her dish towel at me. “You let Bree know and I’ll round up my monsters for dinner tomorrow.”
“You’re the best! Love you. Gotta be somewhere,” I respond. Putting the bowl in the sink, I fill it with water before giving her a kiss on the cheek and head for the back door. “Oh, will you make your brownies for us?”
Apparently I shut the door just in time, there’s a thunk of something hitting it accompanied by a growl. I don’t even know why she and Flint needed a blood test, just that growl is enough to know who fathered her.
*
On beautiful fall days like today, the football players tend to go from practice down to the river. And coming off of last weekend’s win, they should all be out there. Except for Dustin.
During practice, he received a text from his mother’s number, letting him know that the cable and internet went down and asking him to run home to let the tech in.
Because what teenage boy wants to go without those necessities? Let alone stop to consider that his mom’s number came up without her typical picture.
While I was able to spoof her number, I didn’t want to full out steal her identity. Someone in law enforcement might take it as a challenge if the job looked too good.
No, I just wanted him to head home at a time I knew we’d have some privacy. I get there earlier and disconnect all of the relevant wires, then wait for him to show up.
The kid really made it easy for me, he left practice without showering, so was pulling off his sweat soaked shirt as he walked into the house. Coming up behind him, I get him into a headlock that Royce would be proud of and after a few seconds of him struggling, the kid starts tapping my arm.
Like he thinks we’re just sparring and I’m going to release him?
When his legs buckle under him, I get him into a chair and secure him with zip-ties.
In the moments it takes him to come around, I select a paring knife from a wooden block in the kitchen and stand over him.
I’m dressed in black, head to toe, with a mask over my face and sunglasses covering my eyes. Squatting down in front of him, he starts sputtering all kinds of threats out almost immediately and I realize my mistake.
Looking around, I spot a dishcloth and stuff it in his mouth. I almost grin when I see that his nose is slightly crooked and the tell-tale yellow circle of a bruise remains near his eye. Way to go, Le-Lee, I think.
“I heard you like to grab tits. Is that what gets you off? Humiliating girls?” I ask and his eyes darken with a trace of fear for the first time since he came to. “I’m here to make sure, that for the rest of your life, you think long and hard about touching anything without the owner’s express permission.”
Holding the knife up in front of his face sets him off, and he tries his damnedest to break free as the towel muffles his words.
I had the thought last week that nurses practice giving injections on oranges, so I started practicing how to slice a nipple off by cutting the ends off of oranges. It made today’s task easier than I expected.
Once I’m done and I’m holding his severed flesh in my hand, I almost start to vomit. Confirming what I’ve long known: that I don’t have the stomach for this line of work. Turning, I take deep breaths as I start opening drawers.
Sticking his nipple in a baggie, I grab plastic wrap and another dishcloth—a clean one this time. Placing it against his chest, I secure it by wrapping the plastic tightly around his torso.
“God, that was awful,” I exclaim, still taking deep breaths through my nostrils when I clap him on his shoulder. “Now, look at me Dustin, because this next part is really important.”
Once he looks up, I lean down so my masked face is no more than a foot away from his pale, sweaty countenance.
“I want you to remember this: you have another nipple. Today, at least.” With those words, I straighten up, cut the tie on one of his wrists, grab the baggie from the counter, and head out the way I came in.
The Taphers can sort out their new cable and internet issues on their own.
*
When I pull up to Gunner and Riley’s house, I realize that tomorrow’s dinner will be a cakewalk compared to what tonight will be like.
Leslee has sought me out since she could walk, and I’ve always had a soft spot for her—she was articulate at such a young age, and while her one-liners always cracked me up, she also had the ability to be still at times. Riley would give her coding assignments and she’d come into the security room to work on them, occasionally asking Wrench or me for help.
Knowing I have to steel myself against her emotions tonight, I take an extra moment, putzing around with my bike.
Xander opens the door and walks out to join me.
“Leslee won’t come out of her room,” he says quietly. “She’s been in there since the parents told her this is your going away dinner.”
I grunt, reaching out to rub his mop of hair. “Christ, kid, you’ll be taller than I am by the time I get back.”
“Did you hear? Aunt Emma and Mom are going to home school us, starting next week,” he tells me, his eyes shifting to the door of their house.
“Spit it out.” I laugh, this kid’s always up to something.
“I’ve been talking to the others.” And I know he’s talking about the kids who have all grown up around the MC. “About half of them want to be home schooled with us, we just have to figure out how to work their parents.”
“Forget just being taller than me, you’re going for straight-up world domination, ain’t ya?” I smile and grab him behind the neck, giving him a friendly shake. “I’m sure that’ll keep you busy, but watch out for Leslee, alright?”
“Did you take care of that asshole?” he asks me in a voice that makes it hard to remember he’s still in grammar school.
Without another word, I turn and head inside the house. That ain’t business for kids.
Inside, Riley is noticeably upset even as she finishes up dinner and I hear the undertones of Gunner’s voice coming from the back of the house.
“Oh, Hyde,” Riley says, crossing to me and giving me a quick hug. “We’re just a mess tonight.”
“You do remember we’re nearly the same age, don’t you? I don’t need everything to be perfect, just want to enjoy some family time before I take my trip.”
“Would you try talking to Leslee? She won’t leave her room and I know it’s driving Gunner out of his mind,” she quietly makes the request.
I nod and walk down the hall to where the kids’ rooms are. “Hey, brother.”
“Leslee, honey? Hyde is here, will you come talk to him?” Gunner nods at me but is still trying to coax his girl out of her room.
“I HATE HIM!” Leslee shrieks and I don’t understand why those words feel like a knife is cutting me wide open.
Gunner presses his head against her door, bracing his hands on the top of the door frame and lets out a deep breath.
“Leslee,” I start, only to be cut off.
“Go away!”
“Okay. I wanted to see you before my trip but if that’s what you want…”
She yanks her door open and shoves past her father, right into my arms. “It isn’t a trip. People know when they’re coming back from trips and you… Don’t go, Joey.”
There’s barely room in the hallway but I take a seat with my back against the opposite wall and tug her down in front of me, holding her soft hands in my rough ones. “I’ll be back, Leslee, don’t know when exactly, but I suspect Gunner will call me in for extra security when you find someone you want to date.”
“I love you,” she whispers so softly I can barely make out the words. Looking defiantly at her dad before she turns back to me, she speaks louder. “I love you. You won’t have to worry about that.”
Gunner grunts, but Leslee pulls her hands out of mine and reaches behind her neck, removing her chain.
“Gram gave me this before she died and I’ve never taken it off. I want you to wear it every day. Promise?” she asks me, tears streaming down her face.
“Promise. Until you ask for it back,” I hesitantly say after getting a nod from her father, and I let her fasten it around my neck.
“How will I know where you are?” she asks, pulling her legs up against her chest as she sits across from me. “Dad won’t let me get a cell phone yet.”
“I’ll send you postcards,” I say after a moment, remembering how Bree would always send postcards to her niblings. “Every time I hit a new town. How does that sound?”
She nods before ducking her head down into her knees and sobbing again. “Sure. The cards will stop coming when you’ve forgotten about me.”
“Christ!” Gunner mumbles and I tilt my head just enough to see his hands fisted at his sides.
Getting to one knee, I lean over and kiss the top of her head before standing up.
Back in the main room, Riley looks up at us hopefully and Gunner motions down the hall. She nods before going to where Leslee is still sitting in the hallway and he walks over to pour us a couple of whiskeys before turning and walking to his den.
Drinking in silence, I’m nearly done with the beverage before he speaks.
“When Leslee was six years old, she told us she was going to be your Ol’ Lady. I know it’s been a while, but it happened back when you dated Trinity, long enough that you brought her as a date to Anvil’s wedding?”
“Shit, don’t fucking remind me,” I grunt.
“She cried for days afterwards,” he whispers. “The other night when she came in all upset, and she went from my arms to yours? I was relieved you wanted to hit the road. She needs to get some space from this idea she’s had, because she’s as stubborn as her parents. Nothing can come from it, I know that, but maybe with you gone...”
“The postcards?” I ask, torn between breaking a promise to a kid or acting with respect toward my brother.
“Send them, when you think of it. Let them fade off at some point, and we’ll deal with it. No hard feelings,” Gunner says. “That being said, you’re going to be missed around here. Not just in the MC, I mean.”
“Oh, I handled that other thing,” I say, pulling the baggie out of my pocket and tossing it to him. “That boy and me, we had a little talk about touching things that don’t belong to him.”
“Fuck, you didn’t mess around.” The grin on his face would worry most men, but the light in his eyes shows his appreciation.
Throwing back his drink, we head to join the others around the dining table. And I hate that I was right, tonight’s dinner isn’t like the hundreds I’ve eaten here over the years.
It turns out that the only thing worse than being around Bree when she’s on the edge of tears, is when Leslee is in the same condition.
One of the times she’s looking over her shoulder, trying to wipe her eyes without me noticing, I lean over and drop a spoonful of peas on her plate.
Gunner and Xander exchange a quick glance, but Riley misses it altogether.
I ignore Leslee’s intake of breath when she turns back and notices that I’ve polluted her dinner.
“What in the unholy hell is this?”
I look over at her, keeping my eyes averted from her plate, and raise an eyebrow in question. Riley’s snort gives no doubt where she’s placing the blame.
Leslee’s dislike of peas is as legendary as it is unexplainable. Her mom is hands down the best cook around, and when she serves peas they are perfect. I can understand disliking mushy, overcooked peas, but it’s like Riley only steams them for a moment. They’re always a little crunchy and warm.
“Don’t think I don’t know how these abominations appeared on my plate!” She grounds out each word, picking the little pellets up and throwing them at me, one by one.
She might be making a big ole mess, but at least the fire is back in her bright, amber eyes. I look up at her mom to see that her matching amber eyes are filled with relief, and love.
“Le-Lee, have you ever seen me give up any food? Especially food that your mom cooked?” I ask, scooping up more of my peas to take a mouthful and moaning in contentment.
“Dad, you said you’d kill anyone who hurt me.” Leslee’s eyes take on a gleeful glint, never leaving my face as she tries to call in Gunner for reinforcement.
“Yeah, sweet angel, just not over peas,” he deadpans in between bites of his own meal.
“Especially not today,” Xander mutters and I glare at him. It’s when he reaches up to scratch at his nipple that my eyes cut over to Gunner.
“Xander! Outside. Now.” Gunner abruptly stands and turns to the door, not doubting that his son will follow him.
Damn, they have their hands full with that one, I think as I start stabbing the peas that landed on the table in front of me. I Give Leslee a teasing wink before eating those also.