Chapter 5
Vex
“We got Church!” Saint yells at the top of his lungs, making me drop the cage I’ve been wrangling with.
“Yo!”
“I heard you!” I yell back at my pain in the ass brother. I mean, shit, Christian has always been annoying, but since he got his patch and his road name it’s like he’s been channeling Rider.
I give him a Jules-worthy stink eye as we mount up on our bikes, making the short ride back to the clubhouse.
I park next to Saint and follow Flack and TumTum inside.
Saint shoves me just before I reach the Church doors so I backhand him in the junk, wiping the smirk off his face before taking my seat across from Chef, noting that the brother has been looking a little dejected.
I raise a brow in concern but he gives me a tight-lipped smile and a subtle head shake.
I want to dig deeper. Shit, as Chaplain it’s my job to dig deeper, but I’ll leave it for now.
We have more pressing things to attend to if Prez has called Church.
“Saint, ask the prospects to join, yeah?”
Saint stands, walking to the door and poking his head out. Justice strides in, full of purpose. He’s always been like this. Give him a job and he takes shit seriously. Which is in glaring opposition to Damian who comes strolling in behind him like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“Thanks for joining us, prospects. Normally you wouldn’t see the inside of Church until you were patched members, but we have a rescue that will need us to all work together.”
I sit up straighter at Dex’s words. I wonder if Loyal has received word of someone? The Keep and what we do here is spread by word of mouth or from various former cult members or abuse victims who have family stuck in bad situations. If someone had made contact then it would be business as usual.
“The DRMC Keep chapter is part of Devil’s Rose MC, out of Rose Grove Texas, for you newbies here,” Dex begins. “Our brothers and sisters in Rose Grove have put time and resources into stopping the skin trade where they can and that includes women and children.”
“Motherfuckers,” Damian growls under his breath.
Huh. I share a look with Sniper before glancing back at Damian. Looks like he may not be all sunshine and roses after all.
“Two of the MC members have been working with the local PD there, and that’s why I’ve called Church,” Prez continues.
“Fox and Nitro got something?” Omen asks.
“Someones,” Prez answers. “Those crooked cops they’re working to put down? One of them has people that need to disappear.”
I nod my head. “What do we need to do?”
“The DRMC are going to use a run here to check in with their newest Chapter as the diversion. So we’ll need accommodation made ready and I guess we should give the prospects a run down on what to expect when the DRMC roll in.” Dex smirks.
We all grin at each other as Flack’s booming laugh echoes through the room. “Buckle up prospects, shit’s about to get crazy up in here.”
* * *
“Wait, so this Chewy woman, she cut off the body parts from one guy, and stuck them in another guy’s anus?” Justice asks, looking a little green.
“Yeah. I’ve seen her do all sorts of shit, but the woman gets results.” I shrug.
“Sounds like she’s a whole mess of fun, cher,” Damian adds, making the bed in the cabin they’re getting ready.
He smooths out the sheet, running his hand over the edge, before karate chopping the end of the sheet under the mattress in an extremely tight looking hospital end.
“What?” he barks, catching me staring. He looks between me, the mattress and then back again.
“Nothing. That’s just a fucking tight looking end there.”
“I bet that’s what you say to all the boys,” he cackles and I roll my eyes. Fucking great, now we got two Rider’s in the Keep Chapter. “With Gramps hiding out in the bayou, Mama now owns a motel in town.”
“Is there anything your mom doesn’t own in Adonner?” Justice asks, fluffing the pillows and throwing them at the head.
Damian stands to his full height, head tilted as he thinks. “She doesn’t own the bakery. Or the 7/11. Or the gas station.”
“But she owns everything else?” Justice asks, clearly intrigued.
“Well, my Pops did. Won a lot of it in underground poker nights with all the grandees. Weren’t so grandee after losin’ their businesses.” He grins.
“You got anywhere that’s hiring?”
Damian looks Justice up and down. “I thought you worked around here, doing Keep business.”
“Not for me. One of our guests here. He’s early forties, used to run a building contracting business before he got sucked into a cult. Now he’s trying to rebuild his life for him and his daughter.”
“Oh yeah, Jason. He’s a good fella. I’ll ask Mama, she’s always got somethin’ tucked away.” He looks thoughtful for a moment. “This is what we do, yeah? Help people get back on their feet?”
“Pretty much.” I tip my head, “The hardest part of rebuilding your life isn’t just having to unlearn the shit you’ve been told.
It’s integrating into society and getting the chance to have a home, a job, a car.
All the shit normal people take for granted.
” I remember those days vividly. If it wasn’t for the terrifyingly grumpy woman at the diner with the heart of gold, the one my sister took her name from, my brothers and I would never have made it.
“Good to know. I need to see a man about a horse.” With that he turns on his heel and leaves.
“As someone who had a weird childhood, I’m right in saying that Damian is even weirder, right?”
I pat Justice on the shoulder, shaking my head. I mean, yeah, Damian is a little odd, but he’s got nothing on what’s about to land on Justice’s doorstep in a couple of days.
Loyal
“So you’ve got people comin’, right? That’s why you’re making me study alone for the next exam?” Joe sulks through the little online camera, but it doesn’t last long before she breaks out into a grin. “It’s cool. Might give me the edge on you, little Miss High Achiever,” she cackles.
“Hey! I am not!” I say indignantly, pointing at her image on my screen.
“No baby, you totally are and you should embrace that. Means you’re gonna be one hell of an EMT. I’d let you work on me. That Britney woman though?” Joe shudders and I can’t help but giggle.
“Do you think we should offer to help her?”
“Loyal, I get you’re a nice person and grew up weird as all get out, but no. That woman is a menace. And mean to boot.”
I try to hide my smile. It feels good knowing that I have a friend, a real friend, that I made all on my own that isn’t from Eden’s Keep.
Someone from the outside real world. She may not know all the horrors I endured, but she knows some.
It helps that she shared some of her past, and lets just say that it’s not too dissimilar to mine.
Just two young girls who were wronged by people who should have protected us.
“She was actually really mean about my jeans that day.” I say, still a little hurt by the comment.
Joe rolls her eyes. “She’s mean about everything because she’s a narcissistic Barbie on a power trip. Chances are she’ll just cry and the tutor will let her pass because you can’t let Barbie doll types fail. Whatever would they do with themselves?
“I hope you know that I have no idea what Barbie is but I get what you’re trying to say. I think?”
Joe laughs so hard that she leans to the side, the only view on my screen are the copious amount of cushions on her bed and her legging-clad legs. Once she calms down she sits back up, flustered and hair a mess.
“OK, listen. History crash course. Barbie is this blonde doll that was invented in like the 60’s or something for little girls to play with.
Like a real woman doll, not a baby doll.
And that real woman doll, who isn’t really that real because she has legs for days, big boobs and no butt, she went on to become all sorts of things.
President, astronaut, doctor, whatever you can think of.
She also had a weird boyfriend named Ken who was an actual accessory.
Anyway, in some ways she’s a great role model.
In other ways her name is used to describe women like Britney. ”
I nod. “Huh. I only ever grew up with baby dolls so the thought that there are grown women ones is a little weird.”
“Oh Loyal, you don’t even know the half of it. Let me tell you about the Real Dolls men use.”
* * *
“Hey, Loyal,” Vex’s warm voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “Are you OK? Look a little freaked out.”
“Have you ever used a Real Doll?” I blurt out, unable to hold it in.
“Huh?”
“A-” My gaze darts around, making sure no one is listening in. “sex doll,” I whisper.
Vex rears back so fast I think he’s going to land on his butt.
His very nice butt. “What the hell, Loyal? No, I haven’t used one!
That’s, it’s, ugh,” He runs a hand down his face as if trying to reset the past thirty seconds before clearing his throat.
“To answer your question, no, I have not, nor will I ever. But I won’t put anyone down for using one if that’s what they feel they need in their lives. ”
“What are we talking about? Sex dolls?”
I jump, a small scream escaping my lips as I stare at the strange, small woman with curly hair standing a little too close.
“Chewy?” Vex says, clearly knowing this woman.
A roar goes up and chaos breaks loose as the brothers start asking each other how they didn’t notice the Originals were here.
“Oh, because it’s only me and Rhodie. The others are ten minutes away. I wanted to test your security. It’s not bad, but it could be better. I made notes.”
As soon as she mentions the name Rhodie, a large man comes barging into the room. “Goddammit baby, what have I told you about waiting for backup? You can’t just waltz into places without me.”
She turns, tilting her head right back to stare up at him, “Babe. They’re our friends and family. I mean, Vex, Saint and Omen have been my brothers since they gave me Chomper.”
“Don’t you mean since our sister became your brother’s Ol Lady?” Omen asks.