Chapter Twenty Four #2
He pauses and leans back against a metal balustrade on the ramp for wheelchairs. “Anyone know where you’re going?” he tilts his head to look out at the parking lot.
“Stryker.”
“Good,” he looks back. “Then I’m gonna go to the strip club,” he grins, straightens up and slaps my arm. “But first let me see you to your bike.”
“Fuck off.” I punch him and he laughs.
I’m starting to feel the tiredness as I make my way to the apartment in Canton. Just as I approach the tattoo shop the door opens and my brother steps out taking a cigarette from behind his ear. His head lifts at the sound of the bike and our eyes meet.
I never let him join the MC, but I did teach him how to ride. He’s been ignoring me for weeks now. Might as well deal with this shit too.
He isn’t too surprised when I pull over, stow my helmet and walk toward him.
Phoenix doesn’t look anything like me. He takes after his mother with her dark hair and green eyes.
The fucker is so good looking, he had club whores panting after him before he was even legal.
With all the tattoos and piercings, the cigarette and dark clothes, I’m surprised he doesn’t have an endless stream of women in and out of his bed.
My brother isn’t like that. I’m glad about that.
“Thought you quit,” I indicate the cigarette as he cups his hands around it and lights it, inhaling deeply.
“It didn’t stick.”
Through the window the dark-haired girl covered in tattoos is watching us. I’m pretty sure Phoenix was dating her for a while but they’re not together now. There is no one else in there that I can see.
“Garrett is in Texas,” he says.
I nod. Phoenix huffs a laugh. I don’t say anything in response to his silent suggestion I’m keeping tabs on them.
“What are you doing around here?”
“Some shit went down last night, things got messy.”
“And you’re here to tell me what? To watch out for something?”
“No, you can take yourself Phoenix.” He eyes me, taking a drag on the cigarette. “I have a kid.”
His mouth pops open and for the first time he loses some of that hard built-up composure and bravado he shows around me. “Like, a kid?”
“He’s two, his name is Oscar. I’ve kept him a secret to protect him but I realize now that was a bad idea. He isn’t going to be like me.”
“Why are you telling me this?” he asks, dropping the cigarette and stomping on it to make sure it’s out. Then he bends down and pockets the stub. This is the kind of man my brother is.
“If you want to get to know him.”
“Do you want me to get to know him?”
A car drives by slowing and I watch it, making sure.
“Don’t be cryptic with me, Nero. I’m beyond that shit. And the only reason I’m giving you the time of day is because of what you did for Garrett.”
He doesn’t mean letting him out of his obligations to the club, he’s referring to Garrett’s sister.
“He needs good role models.”
“You think that’s me?” he laughs.
“Yes.”
The laughter stops and he stares at me, trying to figure me out. After a few seconds he blinks out of whatever he went into. “His name’s Oscar? Who’s the mom?”
“Not important.”
“Meaning you’re not with her?”
“Meaning it’s complicated. There is another reason I stopped.”
“You stopped cos you saw me coming out, you didn’t intend to come here.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to do me the favor, but no harm in asking.”
“What favor,” he looks through the window, so I do too, the little dark-haired girl has her arms crossed as she watches us. I’m not touching that problem. He wouldn’t want me to ask.
“A tattoo.”
“For you?”
“A woman.”
His brow lifts. He knows what I’m saying. He grew up around the MC, comes to the parties occasionally, or used to, before shit went sideways with his best friend.
“I want you to meet her.”
“Your son and your woman, must be my birthday.”
He walks past me and heads to the door. There aren’t a lot of people who would dare to walk away from me like that. Phoenix is one of the few who gets away with it. He always has.
I love this kid, whether he likes it or not. I’ve kept him at arm’s length to protect him, to allow him to live this life he loves here at Blackhawk Ink.
“Bring her by Tuesday, around nine. I have free time.” He doesn’t look back as he goes in the shop.
It’s a start.
Might as well get all the shit over and done with before I go back to Taylor. Speedway asks about Oscar, wanting to know his nephew is okay, which I confirm, telling him it’s unlikely he’ll remember it and we don’t need to worry.
“Where the fuck is Sheridan?”
“Fucking Kentucky. Went to visit a friend.”
I’m too tired to care. “When is she coming back?”
“That’s the thing,” he says sounding pissed. “She said she isn’t. Said Oscar is safe with you so you can keep him.”
“What?”
He explains she met a guy, and they’re eloping and she doesn’t want Oscar, sounding defeated.
“I’ll keep trying Prez.”
“Don’t bother. She’s already lost any right to him.”
“She’s his mom.”
“A mother doesn’t say someone can keep him and come back from that, Speedway. I know she’s your sister, but she is dead to me after that.”
“Shit, Nero, come on.”
“I’ve had a long fucking night, I’m tired and I’ve been away from my son too long after what he went through. We’ll talk when you get back but it’s gonna take a lot to change my mind.”
The ride to the apartment is only a few blocks from the tattoo shop, I park round the back and go in that way, texting Stryker to let him know I’m on my way up. He greets me at the door, tells me everything is fine, then leaves.
I round the corner to Taylor sitting on the floor showing Oscar how to tie his shoelace. How can she have known him only a few weeks and look like more of a mother than his own? I’ll wrap my head around that shitshow another day. Right now, I feel like I’m going to pass out.
“Dada,” Oscar gets up and moves like a rocket towards me. I lean down and scoop him up, reveling in the smell of baby shampoo in his hair.
Taylor turns and gets up, watching me silently. I walk over and drop onto the couch, holding Oscar in my lap. He is chattering away but my eyes are on her.
“You need sleep.”
“Not yet. I need to be with you both.”
She eyes my swollen knuckles but doesn’t say anything, just goes to the bathroom and comes back with a first aid kit. It’s a miracle neither of them have even a scratch on them.
With Oscar’s sometimes unhelpful help, Taylor gets me cleaned up and I have bandages wrapped around my whole hand, but I don’t care because Oscar is smiling and laughing. I know kids are resilient but seeing him like this means everything to me.
We watch TV and I somehow fall asleep. Taylor wakes me up when she has put Oscar down for a nap and forces me into the shower, then bed.
“Hey,” I grab her hand before she can leave and tug lightly but enough to knock her off balance so she falls beside me. “Are you okay?”
It’s obvious she is going to give me some platitude so I will get some rest but that won’t fly with me and she sees it written in the way I’m watching her.
“I was scared, for Jesse and Oscar and me,” she adds quietly. “But I knew you were coming.”
“What if I don’t get there next time?”
“There will be a next time?” she asks.
“He got away.” I’m not going to lie to her about that. “We’ll find him and I’ll make sure he can’t hurt you, or anyone else in the club.”
“You’ll take on all of that responsibility?”
“It’s my job.”
Her eyes flick back and forth on mine. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say she still can make a different choice, I won’t stop her.
“You need to sleep,” she leans down and presses her lips to mine, brushing a hand over my hair. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“I don’t deserve you. I’m not going to let you go, Cherry.”
“Good job I don’t intend to go anywhere then. Now go to sleep, you can save the world tomorrow.”
I laugh half-heartedly, and with great effort.
Taylor turns off the lamp, it’s still light in here but my eyelids are drooping. I fall asleep to the sound of her breath and her hand stroking over my hair.