Chapter 3
Alice
W alking to the grocery store after work, I run through what I need in my mind. Apples, sugar, all-purpose flour, potato chips. I’m so busy thinking I am not looking where I’m going and bump into someone, bouncing off a hard body before I can veer out of the way.
A pair of hands grip my arms gently, stopping me from falling. Looking up to say thank you, I scowl instead when one of the club brothers is standing, giving me a crooked smile. “Be careful where you’re walking,” Tank says while still holding onto my arms.
I yank myself away from him. Keeping the scowl in place, I snap, “Thank you,” before quickly walking past and into the store.
“Alice!” I hear, but keep walking, grabbing a cart and pushing it quickly away from Tank, who is standing watching me.
Blowing out the breath I had been holding, I calm myself and think, ‘Get what you need, girl, and get out of here.’
My cart is a quarter full and I’m thinking it’s going to be too much to carry home if I get more. That has me deciding I’ll get this through the checkout and get myself home before I’m tempted to put more into the darn thing.
“Alice, how are you?”
Turning I see Belle, Jeanette, Sarah, and Bonnie. All old ladies of the club, and so-called family.
Ignoring them all, I turn back, staying my course with my cart to the checkout.
“Come on, Alice, speak to us.” I recognize Sarah’s voice, but ignore her and give the checkout clerk a smile that has to look like I’m gritting my teeth.
Noticing Bonnie getting closer, I half turn, giving her a lethal look as her hand stretches toward me to grab my wrist. “Touch me and see what happens. You all forgot I was supposed to be family. Now we are not, so don’t speak to me in the future. I'm not interested in what you have to say, or what excuse you have to give.”
Belle sniffles and I roll my eyes, letting her see I’ve done it, before paying the cashier and carrying my purchases out of the store and home.
The club truck is outside with Stone and Tank standing alongside. Lifting my shoulders back, chin up, I march past the best I can with my hands full and ignore the offer to drop me home.
Seems they all want to be friendly now they’ve been caught out, showing they are not really family, or if you think about it, not even good friends. I can live without them, that’s a certainty.
Home at last, I put away the groceries, grab a bottle of water, and throw myself onto the couch in the living room.
Knocking on the door has me sighing and heaving myself off the couch. Looking through the peep hole I smile when I see it is Mom.
Opening the door, I give Mom a beaming smile, but she pushes past and into the living room, turning and folding her arms across her chest.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, feeling more than a little worried as to what has rattled her cage.
“Did you steal Sacks from Melody? She was going out with him before you. Is that true?” Mom snaps.
“Is that her excuse? She is saying I stole Sacks from her? You know me better than to even ask me that question, and if you think that I am capable of being a man-stealing-whore as she is, then you need to leave.” My temper is rising, and I’m more than a little pissed that my mother would come here and ask me these questions.
“Melody told her mother that you stole Sacks from her, not the other way around. I need to know what the truth is.”
“The truth is, you need to leave. I am not explaining anything to you. You, as my mother, know me better than anyone, and if you have to ask me that question, then you value your friendship more than your daughter. Get gone. I’m done with everyone right now. Maybe I’ll speak with you soon, but for now, you need to leave.”
I storm over to the front door, throw it open, and when I see who is standing on the other side, I bunch my fist and throw my arm as hard as I can. It connects with Sacks’ chin, sending him back a few steps. I screech and hold my fist because that hurts.
Mom flies to the door, and seeing Sacks holding his chin, she whirls around, opening her mouth to spit insults toward me for being violent. I know my mother well enough to know she’ll not like the fact I punched him. I don’t even wait to hear it. She’s outside the apartment at this point, so I slam the door, lock it fast, and ignore the knocking and shouting.
Grabbing a bag of chips, cookies, and a glass of milk, I climb the stairs and climb onto the bed. Once I’ve placed everything on the bedside table, I pick up the remote and put the TV on, so I can block out the knocking and shouting. Yes, this will do it, a murder mystery. Yeah, maybe I can get an idea if I need to get rid of two bodies.
At some stage it quietens downstairs. I lean back on the headboard munching and drinking. I had already switched off my phone because of the incessant text messages and calls from Sacks, Bolt, Mom, and even Gunner. Now why Gunner would want to speak to me, I don’t know. Don’t care either.
Shower done, pjs on, and bed, sheer bliss. I am not at work over the weekends, so I’m going to take the cut back to the clubhouse. I was going to do it yesterday but was too busy at work and by the time I got home, I was tired and couldn’t be bothered. If Sacks wants the cut that badly for Melody, he can whistle for it.
The next morning, breakfast over, dishes washed and away, I have no more excuses to not face what I have to do. If the prospect on the gate won’t let me inside the compound that suits me fine, I’ll drop the cut on the ground and drive away. Sacrilege, I know, but I don’t care at this point either. I just want rid of it.
Pulling up to the gate, the prospect slides it open and walks over to the window. Seeing it is me, he gives me a tip of the head to continue into the compound.
“Dang,” I mumble to myself because I had hoped he wouldn’t let me inside.
Parking at the side of the front door of the clubhouse, I switch off the engine and climb out, dragging the cut from the passenger seat as I do.
Walking into the clubhouse, I ignore everyone who happens to be sitting or standing around. The club whores give me a look, and I give Daisy a hard look because she’s the one that gave me a hard time, regaling me with all the information about her time with Sacks.
She must sense something in my attitude or body language, as she turns and saunters over to the bar where two other whores are standing in what you can only describe as underwear.
Reaching the office, I knock on the door and wait for a response. Once Bolt shouts, “Come in.” I quickly head inside.
“Alice?” Bolts asks, and it’s more a question than a statement. “Have you decided to give me the opportunity to tell you more?”
“Nope…” I respond, popping the P as I do. “I’m here to return this, so Sacks, you know the cheating asshole, you can give it to his Baby Momma, ” I say with more than a little attitude. I throw the cut onto his desk and turn to the door, ignoring him trying to speak with me.
Walking through the common room to the main door, I stop when Daisy has gotten her bravery from somewhere to confront me.
“Well, seems you are not that good of an old lady. Getting turned over for another bitch who has gotten herself pregnant. Said bitch being your friend, too.” Daisy is giving me a satisfied smile, but I lift an eyebrow and wait, showing I don’t give a shit for her comments.
“Daisy, move away from Alice.” I hear and don’t react when I realize it’s Jax.
Jax is Jackson. He’s the bastard son of the National President. Jax is not always here at the clubhouse, as he travels between the chapters, learning the trade, so to speak, before he takes over the position from his father.
“But, Jax…” Daisy whines, obviously trying to get him to allow this confrontation to continue.
“I said move away from Alice, and move away now before I remove you. By that, I mean I will remove you from the clubhouse and the club, and I don’t give a fuck if you have to live on the street,” Jax snarls.
I give Jax a small nod of the head and walk around Daisy and out of the clubhouse. Climbing into the Camry and firing her up before hightailing it out of the compound like my ass was on fire.
Unknown to me, Jax is watching me leave with a grim look on his face.