Chapter 23
Pike
Time. That seems like all I have anymore is time. Time to think.
Time to reflect.
Time to remember.
I hate it. I hate it all. The pills don’t touch it anymore. The more I take, the more I need. The more I need, the more I can feel myself falling further into the dark. I want revenge. I want to hurt someone the way they hurt me. I want Blake, too. I haven’t forgotten about him either. He just got sent to the back burner for a little while.
“We have intel on RRMC. They’re runnin’ a shipment a little south of here. We can intercept it halfway,” Mask informs us as we sit around the table.
“When?”
“Tomorrow. I want you sittin’ this out, Pike.”
“Fuck that, Mask! I need this shit,” I roar as I slam my fists on the table in front of me.
“You’re in no shape to do this,” he argues.
“You don’t fuckin’ think so? Leave me here and see what I do.” It’s a threat. I’ll find out on my own and go rogue. There’s no way they’re leaving me out of this. Not after what I’ve been through.
“Are you threatin’ me?”
“You’re goddamn right I am. You didn’t see what I saw, Mask.” He curses under his breath before looking around the table and dragging his gaze back to mine.
“Where’s your head at, Pike?”
“On killin’ every one of them.”
“I don’t like this. The pills fuck with your head, brother.”
“I haven’t been takin’ that many lately. I’ll be fine.” Mask seems to think it over for a long second before finally nodding his head.
“Fine. You can ride, but if you start fuckin’ up, I’m pullin’ you, Pike.”
“I said I’m fine. I got this,” I say as he nods his head once more. The others stay silent. I don’t know if they agree with him or not. Maybe they all think I’ve gone crazy, and they may be right. Seeing what I saw really took a toll on me. It’s fucked me in ways I never thought were possible.
“We keep the clubhouse locked down while we’re out. I don’t want any drama here,” Mask adds.
“Or anyone assholes,” I add.
“That too. Feather’s ex is still out there somewhere, and I don’t trust the motherfucker.”
“I don’t either. He’s next on my list,” I tell the room. The guys grunt their agreement before Mask ends church. Everyone stands and walks out of the room except me because Mask waves me back. I drop back down into my chair, knowing what this is all about. Once the others leave the room, he speaks.
“You sure about this?”
“I’m sure, Prez. I need to know this is over, and his death wasn’t for nothin’.” Mask nods his head, running his hand through his hair.
“I don’t like the pills, Pike. I want them stopped.”
“I can do that. They just help me sleep at night.”
“Well, then you get no fuckin’ sleep until your body is ready. The pills gotta go.” I nod my head and pull the bottle from my pocket, tossing it to him. He takes it in his hands and sighs.
“I was you once. Saw some shit I shouldn’t have. I don’t make it a known fact, but it was bad. It takes time and strength to heal from this kind of thing, Pike. It’s been a bit now, but that isn’t enough. Time is your friend here.”
“Thanks, Prez. I’m workin’ on it. The fuckin’ nightmares are all the same, though. Seein’ him go down,” I shake my head. “It won’t stop.”
“I know, brother, and we’re here for you. We’re not big on talkin’ shit out, but if you need it, we’ll do it.”
“Appreciate that, Mask. I think I’m good though. Feather lets me talk when I need to,” I tell him.
“That’s good. You got a good girl there. She hangin’ in there?”
“I think she misses work, but she won’t let on. She’s adamant about bein’ here for me.”
“Then you hold onto that one. Not many would stick around with the way you’ve been actin’,” he informs me. I know that much already. Not many women would deal with the amount of shit I’ve thrown at Feather and still stick around.
“I know. I don’t plan on lettin’ her go,” I tell him. He nods his head and then motions for me to go. I shove out of my chair and head for the door, pulling it open to see her not far from it. She turns her head, her long hair falling over her shoulder as she smiles in my direction. She’s young, but she’s an old spirit. She knows what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go for it. She knows who she is and who she wants to be. I think that’s what draws me to her.
“You gonna stare at her all day?” I turn my head and look over at Free.
“You care?”
“Nope. Just askin’.”
“I didn’t mean shit the other day, Free. I know it wasn’t like that.”
“I know, brother. You’re head’s in a different place right now. I didn’t take that shit personally,” he says, offering me his hand. I fist-bump him before I turn and look for her.
Then, I find myself stalking through the room to get to her. I pull her into my arms and kiss her roughly.
“What was that for?”
“I needed you.”
“You always seem to need me,” she teases with a smile on her face.
“I do always need you. We need to talk.” She nods her head as I slide my hand around hers and pull her down the hall. Once we’re in the room, I close the door, walk her over to the bed, and sit us both down.
“What’s going on?”
“We’re goin’ after them.”
“Who?”
“RRMC. We know where they’re runnin’ shit, and we’re gonna intercept it,” I tell her. It’s not really my place to tell her club business, but I need her to know what’s about to happen.
“Is that a good idea?”
“It’s the best shot at them we have. They’ll all be out, easy targets.”
“You’re going to kill them? What about the cops?”
“As long as we can get them in a certain area, the cops won’t be an issue.”
“What does that mean?”
“We have cops, baby. Nothin’ to worry about there.” This is all new to her. She doesn’t know about any of this, and I’d like to keep it that way. She nods her head before laying her head on my shoulder.
“I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m not done yet, Feather. I’ll get my hands on Blake soon enough.”
“I know.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Should it?” she asks, looking up at me.
“You were with him for a while. I would think you still feel somethin’ for him.”
“I don’t. I feel nothing after what he did to me. Looking back, I see all the mistakes I made. I should have left him sooner. I should have lived on the streets,” she says.
“You’re good now, baby. Never have to go back to that shit again.”
“And all because of you.”
“No, it was us. I couldn’t force you to stick around. You did that.”
“And I’m glad I did,” she tells me. I’m damn glad she did too. I don’t know where I’d be without her right now. I lean down and press a kiss to her lips before I sit back, ready to explain things. I tell her what’s going to happen, what to expect. I can’t give her too many details, but I can prepare her a little.
“That sounds dangerous,” she says when I finish talking.
“It is dangerous, but it’s also somethin’ we have to do.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, baby. We need to finish this so we can lay Rooster to rest.” We haven’t had a funeral yet. It’s planned for a few days from now. Just the thought of having to put him into the ground sends a chill over my body. He didn’t deserve that.
Feather squeezes my hand in hers, letting me know I’m not alone, and I appreciate that. I squeeze back so she knows the same.
“Okay. What do you need me to do to get you ready?” she asks. I laugh this time, pull her down on the bed with me and then on top of me.
“You’re already doin’ it, darlin’. Just be here,” I tell her. She nods her head and kisses my cheek.
“I can do that.”
“You miss work, don’t you?”
“I do, but I know I’m needed here.”
“You are needed here. But I don’t want to hold you back either. If you wanna go back to work, you can.”
“They’ll live without me for another week,” she tells me with a smile plastered to her face. “Besides, I like being here with you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. The girls have been really nice to me. The guys are great. I kinda like it here,” she says, and my heart swells. Not many girls would say the same. It takes a special kind of woman to know where she belongs in the grand scheme of things, and Feather knows exactly where that is: by my side.
“Glad you like it, darlin’. I don’t plan on lettin’ you leave any time soon.”
“I think I might like that.” Now, I kiss her once more, savoring every second of her.