Three
I was dressed, and staring apprehensively at my cut. Was I ready for this? Putting it on meant taking my VP role back on, and being a part of the club again, but I hadn’t returned whole, so I wasn’t sure exactly what returning even meant at this point. How much of me had even returned?
“Brother, we’re all behind you.” Elise had popped out to run errands, so it was just Reacher with me in my room, so at least only one person was there to witness my weakness.
“Jesus… why am I here, Reacher? I’m not me anymore.” I dropped down on my bed, with my head in my hands. I felt out of my depth, and so far he was the only one of our club I’d even seen. I felt him sit beside me on the bed, one hand landing heavily on my shoulder.
“Brother, I have no idea what you’re going through, but you have nothing to fear here. We’re family. We’re all here to help you stay strong, whatever happens next.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, desperate to not break down in front of him. I already looked like a pathetic loser, and I couldn’t bear to demean myself even further right now.
“I feel like there’s an axe hanging over me, Reacher. My days are numbered, and I don’t know what to do with the ones I have left.”
He cursed, and tightened his hand on my shoulder.
“God dammit, don’t talk like that. You’re not fucking dying on me, let’s get that straight. We’ll fight this to the bitter end.”
Don’t fucking cry like a pussy.
“I appreciate that, man, but you’re not the one who’ll actually be doing the fighting, and I don’t know that I have the strength for it anymore. Maybe it’s just my time.”
“Have you been saying that shit to Elise this whole time? You’re all she has, Stitch, and she needs you to stick around. Who else is gonna scare off every potential boyfriend and guard her fucking ‘virtue’?”
I almost smiled, like I felt the urge, but it disappeared fast.
“I’ll name you in my will as my successor. You can take over for me.”
“Asshole. Don’t make me punch you. Now get your cut on. Church in…” He checked his watch. “One hour, ish.” Hell, straight in at the deep end.
“You only told them what I said, right?”
He nodded as I watched him head for the door.
“It’s up to you when they know. Only Ice knows more, and you know he won’t tell.”
“And Ice has an old lady now?”
He nodded again. “Thanks for voting via proxy. I know it was a bit of a rush, but he’s all in, and she’s the one I told you about, setting up a little place just offsite. She’s good to talk to, man. Even I’ve opened up to her. It helps. It’d help you.”
Yeah, because talking about my shit was so easy.
“Maybe. Uh the stuff you emailed to me? I’m in agreement. You go for it, and I’m signing it off. Shit has to change, and it needs to happen now.”
It looked like tension dropped from his shoulders with my words, like he’d been dreading my answer, but he shouldn’t have.
“Brother, I’ll always back you on club decisions, you know that. For as long as I’m around, we’re a united front.”
“You’re not going anywhere, asshole. Now get your cut on, and come downstairs. I’m not doing this without you.”
Cammy
I spent the day helping Lissa remove the rest of that white scrubby paint from the last few windows, and we stocked the small kitchen with the necessary bits and pieces, and the small bathroom. All we needed was a sign outside now, and we’d be good to go.
A big guy wearing a club cut poked his head in the door.
“Lissa, we’re about to get going on the sign. You wanna come and approve it?”
She gasped and clapped her hands together.
“You’re going to love this, babe. Come and see!”
I followed her, and nodded at the two bikers now standing outside. The one who’d popped in was huge, burly, and hairy. The tag on his cut said ‘Rocket’, and I vaguely wondered what the hell caused a name like that. The other was cute; babyfaced, with blonde dreadlocks, and a cut that said ‘Has-Been’, and I knew I’d seen him before.
He’d come into the old office to collect Lissa’s things when she was fired, and he handed the bitchqueen her ass at the time, which I loved. Again, he had such a strange name, but I just wasn’t sure if I was supposed to ask what these things meant. What was the protocol in this situation?
He hugged Lissa tightly and then turned to say hi to me.
“We met before, right? I’m Has-Been, and this is Rocket. We’re gonna make this look fucking awesome.” He pointed to the large signpost across the clinic front. They’d mapped it out, so we could see the design they were going to create.
“I’m Cammy. Wow, that’s beautiful. You guys are artists?”
They grinned at each other.
“Mostly we’re tattooists, but we also do bike spray jobs and other custom work. This’ll be the easiest canvas we’d ever worked with.”
“Yeah… doesn’t wriggle too much.” Has-Been smirked at Lissa as he spoke, and she swatted his arm .
“It hurts, dammit.”
I turned to stare at her. “Wait… You got ink?”
The two bikers started laughing, and got the go ahead from Lissa to get started.
“We’ll make you some coffee.” She wandered back inside, while I stared at the cute one in shock.
“She got ink? Seriously? Her? She’s like the most reserved and sensible person I know!”
He winked. “Perks of being an old lady, love. Get her to show you. It’s some of my best work.”
I winked back, because a cute guy winks and that’s what you do, and then I hurried back inside.
“You. Got. Ink?” Lissa burst out laughing, stepping away from the counter where she’d been making coffee.
“When you become an old lady, you get one of these.” She hitched up her skirt, showing me the gorgeous tattoo on her upper thigh. Property of Ice . Wow, did I secretly yearn to wear something like that too? I didn’t expect the answer to be yes, but it was a sign that you mattered to a person, and that really appealed to me.
“Has-Been did that? It’s stunning.”
Lissa lowered her skirt again.
“Hurt like a bitch though.”
“You don’t even sound like you anymore. This Ice guy has changed you so much, babe.”
“She’s changed me too, darlin’.” We both turned to see her biker guy in the doorway. He was dressed much like the others, but with buzzcut hair, and the biggest, proudest grin on his face.
“Ice,” she practically breathed his name as she squeezed past me, and into his arms.
“Hey, gorgeous. Are they behaving out there? I’m itching to kick someone’s ass, and Has is always asking for it.”
She swatted his chest.
“You guys don’t do that anymore, remember?”
“I’m Cammy,” I butted in, because it was starting to get embarrassing, not being introduced, while they pawed each other like I wasn’t even there.
“Hi Cammy. I’m Ice, but you probably guessed that. She doesn’t do this with everyone who walks in, I hope.”
Lissa giggled, and I bit back another sigh. Why did I suddenly feel so terminally single that I wanted to cry?