Chapter 4
It was five o’clock in the morning and I laid in a bed that didn’t belong to me. After Prez came in and made his demands, I opted for the bedroom downstairs instead of any upstairs because that was where Junebug slept. When I agreed to be Junebug’s bodyguard, I didn’t sign up to live with her. I tossed and turned all night because I couldn’t sleep in unknown territory. The more I tossed and turned, the more I visualized Junebug tied up and almost murdered. She didn’t let them see her sweat, though, but I couldn’t help but notice the fear in her.
Junie’s chest rose rapidly, and her eyes shifted all over the room. No one else in the room would’ve realized that because I was sure they couldn’t spot fear. However, I noticed it as soon as I laid eyes on her. To have Prez question us after all she had been through didn’t sit right with me. This man showed his true colors to me in different scenarios repeatedly. The people around him feared him because they allowed him to get away with the dirty shit he would do.
My phone pinged, letting me know I had a text. I read the message before letting out an irritated sigh. I stood from the bed and made my way out onto the front porch. I made sure I was quiet while making my way outside. I didn’t want to alert Junebug. Finally outside, I dialed the number. A few seconds later, he picked up the phone.
“C, what’s up?”
“Not shit, Unc. What’s up with you?”
I sat in the chair on the porch. The sun slowly rose, and the birds chirped loudly. Some would think this was peaceful, but for me, it wasn’t. I knew what this phone call was about to be about, and it had nothing to do with peace.
“You good?” my uncle Jap asked.
I nodded as if he could see me. “I’m straight. Just a little tired. I ain’t get much sleep last night.”
My Uncle Jap, or Unc, was my daddy’s older brother. He was a no-nonsense type of person, who ruled everything in his life with an iron fist. He didn’t believe in second chances. Once a person fucked up with him, they were dead to him—literally.
He chuckled. I rubbed my temple because I knew that laugh. It wasn’t a laugh because he thought what I said was funny. It was a laugh letting anyone know he didn’t find shit amusing. Unc was always on demon time.
“What happened last night?”
I sighed then gave him the rundown. I began from the meeting to me now sitting on the porch. He was quiet for a few seconds after I wrapped up the details.
“This too much for you?” he asked.
“What?”
“This job. Is this job too much for you?”
“Nah, shit went left last night. I was on the scene though. It wasn’t anything. She ain’t salty about shit. I’m staying in her house twenty-four seven now. If they ain’t trust me or were suspicious of me, I don’t think her father would’ve demanded I stay here.”
“The same father that got his daughter wrapped up in this lifestyle?”
Unc had a point, but I didn’t see any signs of them not trusting me. I made sure that Junebug was safe last night. Hell, I even killed someone to let her know I had her back. If she hadn’t called Junior, I would’ve done what he did in a matter of seconds.
“Everything cool. I just got to keep my head on a better swivel.”
He sighed. “Agreed. Your father would’ve had a fit knowing some shit went down like that.”
My jaw tightened at the mention of my father. My father was a mini version of Unc. The only difference was that my father had a heart. When it came to his family, he kept us away from anything violent or criminal. It was like night and day with him. He was a family man by day and a monster by night. I didn’t find that out until he died. The devastation of thinking my father was one way and then finding out he was another way when he died did a number on me and my mother.
Never in a million years did we think he was wrapped up in some of the shit that he was in. My father was a sensitive topic. It annoyed me when people would throw his name into the conversation. Everyone didn’t know the Kumar that I knew. My father was home every day for dinner. He never missed a game, nor an award ceremony. He loved my mother out loud. Any time he returned home, he had flowers for her and kisses. He kept her iced out in the finest jewelry and clothes. There was nothing he didn’t do for us.
“My father wouldn’t even have me in this shit if he was still here,” I said through gritted teeth.
Unc laughed. “Just like your father, you mouthy, and think you know it all. I told him not to keep you sheltered from this lifestyle, but nah, he wanted to coddle you. Now look at the mess you’re in. I knew eventually you would find your way. Just didn’t know it took my brother dying for you to end up here.”
I sighed. “Anything else, Unc?”
I had a love-hate relationship with Uncle Jap. He thought his tough love was successful. At times, it was beneficial, but there were days I wanted distance from him. I grew up knowing him but not spending time together. Now that my father died, he felt the need to act as a father figure for me, even though I was a grown ass man.
“There you go, in your feelings, but Imma let it slide… tonight. Tighten the fuck up before I have to make you tighten up.”
“Yeah, aight.”
Everyone else feared him, but I didn’t. Any emotions that a normal person would feel no longer existed inside of me. I was alive on the surface but dead on the inside.
He laughed. “Just like Kumar.” He cleared his voice. “Still alone?”
I looked around. “Yeah.”
“We ride,” he said.
“We fall,” I said.
“But Iron Knights.”
I sighed. “Stand tall.”
The call ended.
Iron Knights was my bloodline. My great-grandfather was a founder. Everyone on my father’s side of the family was affiliated with the Iron Knights, but when I was born, my father moved us to another city and kept me away from it. When I was younger, I thought the Iron Knights only rode motorcycles and wore cool leather jackets. The older I got the more I begged my father to let me learn to ride. I wanted to honor his name and be a part of the family legacy.
Any time I would mention it to him, he would turn stern and warn me it wasn’t my future to be an Iron Knight. My future was brighter and bigger than being an Iron Knight. He would preach about how dangerous motorcycles were. Instead, he taught me how to ride all shapes and sizes of bikes. We bonded deeply over our love for motorcycles, and that was a memory I held deep in my heart.
When my father was murdered, it was the first time I was exposed to all the members of the Iron Knights. Everyone affiliated with the Iron Knights wore their leather jackets and rode their bikes. Everything looked thrilling. Everybody looked like family. I felt that the Iron Knights were the closest thing to my father and family after losing him.
A few days after the funeral, Uncle Jap appeared at the house. He went over how my father left my mother and me set financially. Once the two wrapped up, I approached him to join the Iron Knights. In the beginning, he was hesitant. He debated on letting me become a member for a month. After much pleading, he decided to let me in.
A part of me wished I wasn’t so eager to join the club. Since joining I turned cold. Uncle Jap trained me up to be vicious. For the past eight years, he removed the light that I saw in anything. His motto was that we are all here to die, so what was the point? There was nothing that fazed me. I’d stared death in the face so many times it was second nature. Uncle Jap had me out on a mission to avenge what happened to my father. My father was innocently killed by the Savage Saints.
When Prez’s wife got murdered it began an all-out war between the two clubs. There was always an underlying beef, but that was all it was because one group thought they were better than the other. Once his wife died, all blame pointed at the Iron Knights. My uncle swore they had nothing to do with it, but Prez swore they did. Both of them were egotistical and only cared for themselves so I didn’t know who to believe. All I knew was that the Savage Saints were responsible for my father’s death.
They murdered him in broad daylight. He was pumping gas and headed on his way home to take my mother out for her birthday. I had never seen my mother so devastated. Since that day, she never celebrated a birthday. She would go visit his grave and spend all day there. It burned me seeing my family go from smiling and happy to being broken. That was why when Unc came to me with the proposition of going undercover I couldn’t help but say yes.
The plan was to go in and become a member. I would learn their trade and about all their undercover stuff. Once I learned everything, I’d take it back to the Iron Knights so we could come up with a plan to wipe out the Savage Saints. It was unexpected when they asked me to be Junebug’s bodyguard, though. My uncle and I went back and forth about it. I wasn’t trying to take over the situation, but with much pushing and bitching from him, I agreed. Now here I was, bodyguarding Junebug.
I stayed outside until the sun fully rose and went back inside. By the time I turned the corner, Junebug was coming down the stairs. She wore a white silk baby doll nightgown with a matching robe. She had her hair pulled to the top of her head in a bun. She didn’t have on an ounce of makeup, showing off her flawless skin. She rubbed at her eye, showing off her long white nails that matched her perfectly painted toes. As soon as she touched the bottom step, we made eye contact. She stared at me, and I stared at her. Neither of us said anything. I’d been around a lot of women, but none as innocent and beautiful as Junebug. It baffled me that someone like her was even associated with the Savage Saints.
She cleared her voice. “Good morning,” she said.
“Morning.”
“Sleep okay?” I nodded. “Not a man of many words, I see.”
I wasn’t a person who liked small talk. I’d always been a straight to the point type of guy. Plus, I was only here for one job, which was protecting Junebug and getting as much information for the Iron Knights as I could.
“I’m hungry. I’m going to grab breakfast and then head to the gym. You can go home,” she said.
I shook my head. “Give me a second. Let me grab the keys and I can go.”
She huffed and stomped her feet. “Listen, my father was just talking out his ass last night. He doesn’t mean for you to watch my every move. As long as we check in together and as long as he sees us together it should be fine.”
“No disrespect, but I’m here, and I wouldn’t dare go against Prez’s words. He asked me to do a job, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
She folded her arms across her chest, causing her breasts to push up. I tried to keep my composure and not stare at how perky they were. Her nipples were damn near bursting through the gown.
“You’re scared of my daddy?”
Internally, I screamed, ain’t body scared of her weak ass daddy , but I remained quiet. I had a job to do and couldn’t blow my cover.
“Not scared. I respect him.”
Vile sat at the bottom of my throat. There wasn’t anything in my body that respected Prez. He wasn’t shit.
“Hmm that’s what everybody says. Well, I’m going out, so get ready.”
She spun on her heels and headed up the stairs. I watched as her ass wiggled as she went up each step, her gown innocently going in and out of her cheeks. I looked down at my attire. I needed to change. I was in yesterday’s clothes and there was no way I was going out like that. Before she got to the top of the stairs, I called out to her.
“Junebug, let me head to my crib to get a change of clothes. I’ll be back.”
She turned and looked at me. “Junie.”
“Huh?” I asked, raising my brow.
“My name is Junie. Don’t call me Junebug.”
She walked away, shutting her bedroom door. I grabbed the keys off the counter and sprinted out the door. On the ride to my house, for some reason, Junebug—Junie, made her way into my mind. She was different than a lot of the women I’d come across. Fragile and could barely change a tire or the oil in their car. Junie, on the other hand, was vicious and beautiful. There was more to her than the Savage Saints, and a part of me was curious to know. There was no way a woman as educated and beautiful as her would be a vicious motorcycle club leader. She was next in line to be president, and who would want that job?
I opened the door for her after returning to her house in forty-five minutes. She came out in a tan two-piece short set. Her ass sat up fat and the shirt was cropped. She wore a pair of white sneakers, and her hair was pinned up on top of her head. As soon as she walked past me, her sweet perfume hit my nose. I shook off the way it made me feel. It was hypnotizing. On top of her looking innocent and smelling sweet, a stranger would never know that just last night she was bare and almost met God. Yet, she acted as if nothing even happened.
We headed in the direction of the gym. I could feel her looking at me. She would stare at times. There was no reason for me to ask why she was staring because I knew eventually what was brewing in her mind would come to the surface. A few minutes later, just as I predicted, she said whatever it was that was on her mind.
“What’s your real name?” I glanced over at her then back at the road. “I told you mine. What is yours?”
“Kairo.”
“That’s a nice name.” I could hear the smile in her voice as I continued to look at the road. “Why did the Savage Saints give you the name Conqueror? I understand mine because everyone has always called me Junebug since I was born. What’s the reason for yours?”
“The original way to spell my name is with a C, but my mama wanted to be different, so she added a K. The Arabic meaning is the Conqueror, or the Victorious. I guess the niggas in the Savage Saints were smart enough to put that together and gave me the name.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you low-key throw in a sly comment about the intelligence of the Saints. The club is filled with highly intelligent people.”
Internally, I scoffed. She was clearly biased because this was her family’s club but saying that the club was filled with people with brains was a lie. Instead of speaking my truth I diverted the conversation. I didn’t need to blow my cover.
“Nah, wasn’t no sly shit. I just been there and seen people do dumb shit. Jumping off tables, playing Russian roulette with their guns and chicken on their bikes. Don’t sound like intelligence to me.”
She giggled, and my heart leaped. It was airy and full. This was the first time I heard her laugh and it was probably one of the best tunes I heard in a while.
“You’re right, they do dumb shit. One day I was there because my father left his notebook or something at home. Just so happened I was in town, and he asked me to bring it by. I knew that was his way of trying to get me to come down there. I had sworn that place off since my mother was killed, but he begged and pleaded.
“When I got there, there were women washing the bikes in nothing but bikinis. Some were topless and some were nude. It was the dumbest shit I ever witnessed. Hell, some of the girls didn’t even look to be over eighteen. When I asked my father what was going on, all he mentioned was they wanted to make some money.” She shook her head. “I tossed the book at my dad, went home, packed my bag, and left. I told him nothing. I knew if my mother was alive none of that shit would’ve happened.”
She was speaking on what she saw on the surface. I was there for the aftermath, and she was lucky she left. Threesomes, orgies, and sometimes spouses switching in front of everybody. The motherfuckers there were sick. If Junie was to find out that her father would sometimes dabble in those actives she would lose her mind.
“And those poor girls, they probably only saw a man on a motorcycle with a leather jacket and got excited. It’s such a disappointment,” she said while shaking her head.
She had a disgusted look on her face. She had gotten herself worked up over the memory. I was shocked. Most of the women in the Iron Knights didn’t bat an eye at the stuff other women went through. Most of them were thrilled to even experience it themselves. Junie was disgusted and disappointed by it all. The curiosity in me that I buried many years ago made its way back to the surface. None of this made sense. Why would she take on this role in the motorcycle club? Instead of asking, I focused back on the road. She didn’t seem bothered by me not responding as she scrolled on her phone.
We finally pulled up to the gym. It wasn’t crowded but a few cars were there. She looked at me after removing her seat belt.
“You coming in?”
“You need me to come in?”
She shrugged. “I could use a spot.”
She got out of the car and stood by the door. My plan was to sit here and follow up on some more notes that Unc had sent over. Again, here she was making me look at her differently than what I expected her to be.
After almost two hours, we headed back to the car. In the midst of me helping Junie, I was able to get me a workout in too. The entire time in the gym when I wasn’t spotting Junie, I kept my eye on her. Everybody who walked by took in her beauty. Men of all races and ethnicities would stop and stare, and Junie acted as if she didn’t notice it. She kept working out, lifting, and pressing weights. By the time we made it to the car, we were both drenched in sweat.
“Damn I worked up an appetite,” she said after sipping her water. “Breakfast is over. You cool with brunch?”
I nodded.
“Such a man of many words,” she mocked. “Let’s go to Ruz.”
After thirty minutes of driving to the restaurant, we pulled up at Ruz, and just like expected, it was packed. Ruz was a twenty-four-hour restaurant that served options based on the time of day. There was never a time when I rode by and didn’t see the parking lot packed. Whoever owned this place made good money.
“Why are we still sitting here? I already scanned the parking lot. We good,” she expressed, looking at me confused.
“We eating in?”
“Duh. I don’t want my eggs to get cold. We good.” She hopped out of the car and stood by the door, waiting for me to exit.
I didn’t agree to going out on dinner dates when I agreed to be her bodyguard. I contemplated on whether I was going to get out of the car, but when she tapped on the window with her manicured nails, I knew I had no choice. I exhaled and exited the car. She walked in front of me with her purse on her shoulder and her black shades covering her eyes. She walked with a confidence that wasn’t taught. She had to be born with it.
Her head was high and her strut was powerful. Junie knew she was bad and couldn’t no one tell her any different. Junie didn’t remove her shades once we made it inside. She walked up to the hostess station requesting a table. I stood behind her, checking the walls of the restaurant. There were too many people to not have my head on a swivel. The hostess grabbed two menus and escorted us to the table. She placed us in the back to where we could see the entire restaurant. We were also near the exit door.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Your server will be right with you,” the host said.
The host looked at me. She licked her lips and batted her eyes. I paid her no attention. Her reactions was nothing new to me. Each time I had the same reaction—not interested. Granted, the host was pretty. She had chocolate skin and a fit figure. She had long braids that went past her ass. She wore bright red lipstick and skin-tight clothes, but I wasn’t interested. Women were a distraction. While on this mission for Unc, I had no reason to pursue women.
“How you doing?” she asked.
I didn’t answer. I kept my attention on the menu. She sucked her teeth and stomped away. No matter the tantrum she threw, I didn’t give a damn. Junie chuckled while shaking her head. I looked up at her. She made eye contact with me.
“Damn, what if we would’ve been on a date or something? It could’ve ended very bad for her.”
I smirked but returned my attention to the menu. We sat in the commotion of the restaurant until our server came and took our order. Just as she said, she ordered her eggs with French toast and bacon. I opted for the patty melt with a side of fries. She ordered a mimosa, and I decided on water. After the server took our orders, Junie and I sat in silence for a few minutes before either one of us spoke up.
“Why are you so quiet?” she asked. I raised my brow. She scoffed. “Don’t act surprised. I’m talking to you. You’re the only one at this table. Why don’t you talk? If we are going to be in each other’s personal space, the least we can do is stop making this awkward.”
“What you want me to say?”
“You don’t know how to hold a conversation?”
I stared at her, and even though she still had her shades on, I knew she was looking at me. She wanted a conversation. A conversation was what I would give her.
“Why do you still have your shades on?” I asked.
“It’s my way of keeping my eyes moving when I’m out. I’m not green to this nonsense. I know being affiliated with the Savage Saints put a target on my back. I let myself get slack the other night, all behind love and dick. That was my first and last mistake. No one can be trusted.”
“Tell me what you see?”
She adjusted herself in her seat. She cleared her voice and smirked. “The man in the booth with his family to the left of us is texting another person that’s not his wife. I’m sure it’s the host ’cause every time he texts, she picks up her phone. He watches her reaction every time.”
I turned behind me to see what she was talking about and to watch the interaction go down.
“The man and woman that just walked through the door are slanging more than just drugs. Pay attention to her attire and the way he handles her. He is her pimp, and she is his ho. Oh, and the two gentlemen at the bar keep staring at us, but one of them is gay, and I’m sure he’s looking at you.” She laughed. I smirked to stop myself from laughing. “You have a nice smile. You should wear it more.” I nodded. “Tell me about yourself. You’re staying in my house, and I know nothing about you.”
I shrugged. “What’s to know? I’m in the Savage Saints. I’m your bodyguard and that’s it.”
She sucked her teeth and twisted her lips. “You’re an asshole too! You know what I’m asking. What is some of your hobbies? What’s your favorite food? Color? Do you have a wife or girlfriend? Kids? I’m sure you know everything about me because I know my father and he probably gave you a file about me.”
I chuckled, remembering the intensive file Prez handed over to me about Junie. I thought it was over the top for a father to have a file of facts on his child but anything Prez did didn’t surprise me. I knew Junie’s favorite food, movie, color, TV show, and everything else. There was nothing I didn’t know about her because it was all in the file.
“See, I knew it.” She shook her head. “Crazy thing is, he uses that file for himself sometimes too.”
I didn’t miss the sadness that filled her voice. The server returned, placing the drinks in front of us. She reached for her mimosa and chugged it in one sip. She hiccupped and flagged down the server by waving her hand. She tapped her glass, and the server made her way to the computer. She smiled and diverted her attention back to me.
“You ride?” My eyebrow raised. She laughed. “Bikes, do you ride?”
I thought back to my father. I would sit on the steps and watch how he would zoom up and down the neighborhood. He taught me the basics at a young age. He even let me drive his before I got my drivers permit. The thrill of riding was the one thing that kept me close to my father. We bonded over many things but the love of riding and our love for bikes was at the top of the list.
“Yeah, I ride.”
She smiled big. “Really?”
I looked at her confused. “Why are you shocked? I’m in a biker’s club. Why wouldn’t I know how to ride?”
She sucked her teeth. “You say that like it’s a requirement. Biker clubs have lost their true origin. Most of these clubs are filled with drugs, crime, sex, and killing. People don’t ride like they used to.”
Junie was right. I’d heard my father say on numerous occasions that the culture of biker clubs had changed, but no one did anything to stop the culture that continued to get worse.
“That’s true. But yeah, I ride. My dad taught me when I was younger.”
“Does your dad still ride?”
I shook my head.
“No? Why not? Our dads would probably be the same age. My dad rides still. Not as often as he used to, but he still rides.”
A part of me was hesitant to tell Junie about my father. I felt she would dig dipper into trying to find out who my father was, which could possibly blow my case. Instead, I changed the subject.
“You ride?”
I didn’t think her smile could get brighter, but it did. She nodded quickly. “Hell yeah, I ride. I love the thrill. The speed, the dips and turns. Some may say I ride better than my brother and father.”
I couldn’t hide my smirk. “Bragging big, ain’t it?”
“It’s never bragging when you stating facts.”
Her cockiness mixed with her beauty caused a stir inside of me. A woman that was confident was one thing but to be cocky was different. It was a rare find and it turned me on. There was something about a woman that carried herself with cockiness.
“You sure? Let me guess, you ride a Honda Rebel?” I teased. A rebel was a beginner friendly bike in my eyes. Anybody could ride that.
She lifted her brow. “You are so funny, Kairo.”
Her saying my name caused a familiar stir that had been happening since I met her.
“But nah, I ride, ride. I’m not in no damn spider, no four-wheel bikes, or no goddamn sling shit.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said.
Before she could rebuttal, the server returned with our food. We both dug in, neither of us saying anything until our plates were empty.
“Ready to go?” she asked as she chugged the rest of her third mimosa.
I nodded.
She flagged down the server, requesting the tab. She reached for her wallet as I reached for mine. I felt slightly insulted.
“What you doing?”
“Um… paying?”
“You think I ain’t got no money?”
“I ain’t saying that, but you are bodyguarding me twenty-four seven. My father never mentioned whether or not he was paying you. Plus, my father tends to have motherfuckers doing shit for free.”
Internally, I scoffed. Junie had to be out her mind to think I was going to be watching over her ass for free. Prez came to me with a small fee, but after a couple of weeks of negotiation, the fee was increased from small to hefty. Granted, I didn’t need the money because of the amount my father left behind for my mother and I, but it was still nice to have play money.
“You have the tendency to assume,” I said, slapping my platinum card on the table. The sound of the titanium hitting the table made her yelp. “Heavy ain’t it?”