18. Paige
18
PAIGE
Poe leaves to go do some digital snooping, leaving me with Crank and Savage who give me a quick tour. The main part of the compound is laid out in a bit of a ‘U’ shape around a central courtyard that still shows signs of its old life in the paved paths between the buildings and the green areas that were probably gardens at one point but are mostly worn down under motorcycle wheels and heavy foot traffic now.
In addition to the church and school, there are two decent sized houses. One Savage points out as where he has an apartment, and the other is where Hellfire and someone named Bonnie live, Hellfire downstairs and Bonnie upstairs. The garage is much busier during the day, though most of the bikers are just hanging out watching the few people who are actually working on their bikes. Music and the smell of someone grilling is coming from the other side of the church.
“Hungry?” Savage asks.
“Starving.”
They lead me around to a grassy field with rickety soccer goals pulled off to the far end. The bikers have set up an open sided tent next to some charcoal barrel grills, and there’s rock music blasting out of a tall speaker. There are a few women around, but it’s mostly ripped, inked-up, shirtless bikers. I could probably make a small fortune selling tickets to the show, but there's no fighting or shooting or orgies happening on the lawn. Compared to my experiences so far, it seems pretty tame, almost homey.
There’s a huge guy with a short mohawk manning the grills that are packed with pretty much every kind of meat you could imagine. Several coolers are stocked with beer and the occasional soda. The sweet scent of barbecue sauce blends with the char of grilling to form a thick scent that has my stomach rumbling.
I get a hot dog while the guys both get burgers. Nobody asks for money or seems to pay much attention to what we take from the coolers.
“How does this place work?” I ask. “Do you pay monthly fees or something?”
Savage laughs, almost spitting out his hamburger. “Nah. All active members work for the club. We get a cut of the profits for ourselves, but most of it goes into keeping this place up and running.”
“So if at the end of all this, I pay you half a million dollars,” something that is feeling increasingly unlikely. “You don’t get to keep it? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“We know exactly what we’re getting into when we join,” Crank says. “The three of us would probably get bonuses, but who goes on what job can be a bit of a crapshoot. It would be serious bullshit if a guy who shows up and puts in his all like everyone else ends up with nothing because he had shitty luck.”
My entire understanding of their lifestyle shifts. My introduction to biker life was bloody and shocking, but for as rough and violent as the Outlaw Sons might be, these men have created their own small world that allows them to live their lives by their own rules. It’s like a sixties commune, but instead of peace and love, it’s sex, drugs and rock and roll. And guns.
“Why are you smiling?” Savage asks suspiciously.
I shrug, doubting that he’d appreciate the comparison. “No reason. It just seems like a nice setup if you can make it work.”
“Girls against guys!” A brunette shouts as she jogs across the lawn. Her hair is tied back in a bouncy ponytail and she’s wearing thick, black glasses. She stops right in front of us. “Hey! I’m Jessica. You’re Paige, right?”
Taken back, I nod. “Uh, hi.”
“Sorry, I’m not stalking you or anything. I’m Ghost’s old lady. He mentioned Savage was bringing someone back and I know how overwhelming this place can be at first so I was hoping to run into you. Wanna play cornhole? Two of us and two of them, right?”
I look at Crank and Savage.
“Up to you,” Savage says.
“Sure, but I have to warn you, I’ve only played a couple times.”
“You'll do fine.” She leads me into the field and picks up four red beanbags. “We’re going to play from the same side so we can gossip.”
Crank’s already grabbed the blue ones. “Those aren’t the rules.”
“Don’t care! So… How are you holding up? Ghost didn’t know much about your situation.”
“I’m still standing. Does that count? I don’t think anyone knows what’s going to happen to me, though.”
She nods and hands me two bags. “I know what you mean. When I first came here, it was seriously overwhelming. Savage, Crank and Poe will take care of you, though. I don’t know Crank and Poe that well, but Ghost and Savage work together a lot and I don’t think Savage would team up with anyone who you couldn’t depend on.”
Crank yells from the other end of the lawn. “You girls gonna throw or just yap all day?”
Jessica rolls her eyes and throws her first bean bag. It doesn't even hit the frame, just drops straight through the hole. Then she gives Crank the finger.
I step up to take a toss. “So you’re with Ghost? You’re not one of the…” Ugh. I don’t want to say it.
“Sluts? No.” She laughs softly. “I just call them club girls usually. They don’t seem to care but it still feels weird. And no, old ladies are official. I have my own patch and everything,” she says proudly. “Property of Ghost, Tex and Riot.”
“Three guys? I thought you just said Ghost!” My bag goes wild, not even hitting the board.
“Well, I mean… I am Ghost’s old lady. That’s why I heard about you, but I’m also Tex’s old lady, and Riot’s. I know it’s not exactly normal, but it works for us.” Jessica looks over, a little shy for the first time since she ran up. “And that’s what counts, right?”
All three guys? Is that why Savage and the others don’t seem to get jealous even though there’s been a lot of flirting with all of them? “How does it even work?”
“Well, sometimes I get on my hands and knees in the middle and then—Ha! If you could see your face.” Jessica bursts out laughing. “Sorry, too soon? I grew up kinda sheltered and now I spend most of my time around bikers. Pretty soon I’m not going to be fit for decent company.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll never finish this game so you won’t need to go anywhere,” Savage yells.
I look down to find all four of their bean bags on our side already. I hadn’t even noticed they’d gotten bored and taken their turns. “Fine!”
After the first round, we leave it for someone else to take a turn while we get more food. I take a beer, and sit down on the grass next to Savage and Crank as they talk about bikes. I tell Jessica the condensed version of how I ended up at the club, and she opens up a little bit about herself. It turns out she wasn’t caught like me, but actually kidnapped! I mean, it all worked out for the best, but it sounds like she came very close to not getting her happily ever after. A while later, Jessica's guys show up, and after a brief hello, they whisk her away in the direction of the building where Savage and Ghost live.
I take a second beer, and get coaxed into joining a game where me and Crank play against Savage and a guy named Sinner. By the time I’m on my third—or is it my fourth?—beer, my cornhole game has got up and gone. “I think I’m done.”
“One more shot.” Crank wraps his hand around mine and we throw together.
The shot is not only perfect, it knocks my other bean bag in with it, scoring me double. “Yes!” I turn to Crank with a massive grin and stretch up on my toes. Our lips meet in a sudden kiss that makes every neuron in my brain fire at once. He captures the back of my head with his big hand before I can disengage and holds me there, teasing my mouth open. His thick beard tickles my face, but when his tongue slips into my mouth, I tighten my grip around him, pressing my whole body against his. Wow.
I pull away before I do anything stupid. “Whoops.”
His blue eyes are bright with excitement, obviously eager to continue what I started, but everything spins for a second and I have to grab his arm to steady myself. God, too much beer. Either that, or he's just kissed me dizzy. Maybe both. I laugh. “I guess you weren’t lying when you told Georgia that two can fit in the same hole.”
For once, I’m pretty sure I managed to shock Crank instead of the other way around. He chuckles as he steadies me. “I wasn’t, and it’s good to know you were interested enough to pay close attention.”
“Not interested! It was just very m—memorable,” I correct, my tongue stumbling over the words.
“How about you tell me that again when you're fucking sober.” He captures my chin and tilts my head up so he can place a softer kiss on my lips before pulling back. “I think Paige might be ready for a break.”
“Hey!” I might not be a big drinker, but I’m not a total lightweight, either.
Savage jogs over. “Enough fun and games? It’s getting late, anyway. You and Poe slept most of the day away.”
I squeak in surprise when he sweeps me into his arms and carries me off like I don't weigh a thing. “Where are we going?”
“Taking you back to my quarters. You can sleep it off there.” He nods to Crank. “Check with Poe, see if he’s gotten anywhere.”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring him dinner.”
“I can walk on my own,” I insist, but Savage's broad chest is pretty comfortable.
Okay, maybe I could use a nap.
He carries me to the house that Jessica went into with her men. It looks like it’s been split into multiple units, but I’m not focused enough to know who might be where. Savage opens a door on the ground floor and carries me inside.
“Seriously, my legs work.”
“I know.”
His quarters are bigger than Poe's by a good amount. A small apartment compared to a studio. There’s even a proper kitchen connected to a living room and a separate door that I can see a bed beyond. He carries me through and puts me down on it. I look up at him, meeting his eyes and feeling a little sizzle of possibility stretch between us. The tingle that tells a girl that if she just tugged a little on the line, something might happen. But I don’t know what I want, and I’m not quite sober enough to trust myself.
Why does it feel different with Savage, when Crank kissed me, too? Maybe because I’m pretty sure Crank would kiss anything with boobs and not mean a thing. I’m navigating waters that I don’t quite understand here, and I don’t want to end up in a bloody heap on the rocks.
“I think I have something going on with Poe,” I blurt out, even though Savage hasn’t asked or even made a move.
He coughs. “Good to know.”
“Jessica is with three guys.”
“Yeah, I’m aware.” He looks amused.
Of course he is. “Is that another biker tradition? Like the kiss for luck before battle?”
“Before battle? God you’re adorable when you’re drunk,” he mutters. “Do you want it to be?”
My eyes drop to the bulge in his jeans. “Maybe?”
“Jesus fuck,” he grumbles. “Sleep it off.”
“ ‘K” I kick off my shoes and unhook my bra, not bothering with anything else before putting my head on his pillow. It’s not even that late, but last night was the first time in over a week that I could actually sleep more than a couple hours at a time.
“I’ll get you some water and check on you later. You’re safe here, Paige,” he says softly.
“I know.”