ZODIAC
With the LM Jokers suffering from severe butthurt toward the Black Rainbow, I was forced to stay with one of the Crimson Guard members for “my safety.” In reality, I suspected Clint worried I’d kill one of the Jokers and cause issues with his buddy, Tricky Curran.
I ought to refuse a babysitter. I’d been in and out of Little Memphis plenty over the last few months. Now, with Elle carrying my critter, I planned to visit the city more often to make sure she obeyed my rules.
Normally, I bunked at Rowdy Reed’s condo.
Clint’s cousin would feed me decent pizza and shitty sandwiches.
We played shooter games and watched Kung Fu movies.
Occasionally, he’d share a family story that made me understand Elle better.
Rowdy also liked to lie about random shit, so I never fully trusted anything he said.
With Rowdy out of town, I got stuck with Boone Chester who I didn’t know as well.
He rode up to the pizza place and said to follow him back to the condos.
I shot Exile a dirty look, so he wouldn’t feel secure in himself after months of lying right to my fucking face.
Once my VP was properly shamed, I climbed on my specialized motorcycle.
Boone guided me to the Five Points Lofts.
We arrived at the underground garage just as Tricky and his club VP Jagger left the elevator.
The men were the sons of the old Little Memphis Motorcycle Club’s leadership, Joker and Madden.
Neither of them reacted to me, but I noticed Jagger give Boone a head nod of acknowledgement.
Once we stepped inside the elevator on our way to Boone’s third-floor condo, he said, “Tricky’s still mad about Rowdy kicking his ass months ago. He claims Rowdy cheated.”
“Tricky is a bitch.”
“You’ll get no argument from me. Tricky stopped being fun when his dad got wrecked.”
The condo building was split into six units per floor. Clint, Rowdy, and Rock were in corner units on the top floor. Boone’s place was below Clint’s. Apparently, he only lived in Little Memphis part-time.
When Boone opened his front door, I expected a Chihuahua to appear like when I visited other condos. Instead, the corner cage was empty.
“Where’s your dog?” I asked while Boone looked through his phone messages.
“While I was locked up, Beef Jerky got used to staying with my parents. He’s pissy when he sees me now. Once he gets over his bad attitude, I’ll start having him with me full time,” Boone explained before asking, “Do you have a pet?”
“No.”
“Not even a disinterested cat?”
Frowning at him, I couldn’t tell if Boone was fucking with me. With Rowdy, he had an air of fuckery no matter what was happening. Clint always played shit cool. Rock exuded hostility.
Boone had a rough exterior. He was big and burly like a bear. He didn’t smile easily, yet he rarely challenged anyone like Rowdy and Rock were prone to do.
“No,” I finally replied when he watched me. “I’m not home enough to want something crawling on me.”
“If you ever change your mind, cats are a good pet for dudes. They’re self-contained and don’t take it personally if you’re busy. On the other hand, Beef Jerky is an emotional little bitch.”
Boone opened his fridge. “I don’t keep booze at my place. I only have Liquid Death and Diet Coke.”
“Either one is fine. I’m not on vacation. I just need to hang around long enough to prove what’s obvious.”
“Yeah,” Boone said and handed me a Liquid Death can. “Elle never puts out. I’m surprised you got a shot.”
“Did you ever attempt to separate her from her panties?” I asked, and Boone chuckled.
“Clint and I have been tight since we were young. Elle feels like my sister, and I don’t separate my relatives from their panties.”
“Makes no sense to me, to be honest,” I said as we settled in tawny leather chairs in the living room. “You’re around all these fine-looking women, but you never once fooled around with them.”
“I didn’t say that. There have been close calls, but I tend to keep my dick in my pants. Besides, what if I fuck one of the foxes and she thinks we’re together while I think we just had fun? I’m not looking to deal with that kind of drama.”
“I admit I don’t understand how your club functions. Not once have I considered fucking one of my club mates.”
“Not even Ojai with his pretty blond hair?” Boone asked, chuckling at his question. “The foxes noticed him right away.”
“Even your sister?”
Boone shook his head. “No.”
“Is she into girls?”
“No. I think she might have her eye on someone else in your club. She’s gotten cagey on the subject.”
I considered the members of my club and couldn’t imagine who Goldie Chester might find interesting.
“Later, if you’re willing to walk, there’s a local Thai place that I’d like to hit up for dinner.”
“That’s fine. Will we have an issue if we’re seen by the LM Jokers?”
“Tricky won’t mess with me,” Boone said immediately.
“Why is that?”
“He’s scared of my mom.”
Boone’s mother was a member of the Everything Nice Crew. I didn’t know much about Yarrow Jones. Her husband, Blackjack Chester was the Rawlins Heretics Motorcycle Club’s VP. I hadn’t given the smaller club as much attention when I was plotting an alliance with the Crimson Guard.
“What’s scary about your mom?”
“She’s crazy,” Boone said and shrugged. “Tricky has trouble with weird women. That’s why I knew he wouldn’t work with Cher. She’s a kooky broad like her mom.”
Studying Boone, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What’s it like to have a crazy mother?”
“It was fun. Yarrow believed in monsters and said whatever she wanted. I knew she didn’t like most people, so the fact that she liked me so much made me feel special,” Boone said and then asked, “What’s your mom like?”
“I don’t really know. She died when I was a kid. From everything I’ve heard, though, she was a useless dipshit.”
“A whole lot of people didn’t like my mom, but I felt lucky to have her. It’s too bad you can’t say the same about your mom.”
“No loss.”
Boone cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Do you really believe that?”
“I’m not someone who cries over spilt milk. I come from shitty people. I outgrew them. I’m here. They aren’t. No reason to grab the tissues.”
“Well, maybe don’t tell that shit to Elle. Wait, have you told her that already?”
“What part?”
“That you come from shitty people. She got super weird when she was pregnant with Sutter and didn’t know about his dad.
She kept worrying he would be gross in some way,” Boone said and then chuckled.
“One time, she had a nightmare about her baby being super orange and hairy like an orangutan. She kept crying and studying the ultrasound pictures.”
“Well, she knows I’m not an orangutan.”
“But she might still worry. If your whole family is garbage, what are the odds this kid won’t be garbage, too?”
“Isn’t her family filled with scum?”
“Not really. The ones I know are all cool.”
I sensed Boone was fucking with me. Falling silent, I considered what he might tell Elle about my reaction to his poking. I assumed everything we said and did tonight was a test.
“What’s Nova’s deal?” Boone asked as he checked his phone.
“Define what you mean by ‘deal.’”
“Is she shy or weird or into chicks?”
“She was married to a man.”
“That means nothing. Joker’s first wife is hooked up with a lady now. Some people swing both ways depending on their mood.”
“Nova doesn’t swing at all. I doubt she was into her husband. She seems frigid.”
Boone flashed his dark eyes at me. “I heard her ex-husband was a piece of shit.”
“Wait, are you interested in her?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only seen her in passing, but she’s a looker.”
Confused now about Boone’s demeanor, I eyed him until he stopped fucking with his phone.
“Exile won’t like you sniffing around his sister.”
Boone cocked an eyebrow. “Because she got shot?”
“No, because she’s his sister.”
“Weird. I don’t stake a claim on my sister.”
“Your sister is older.”
“They’re both grown women.”
“Maybe, but Exile is overly attached to his sister. He won’t appreciate anyone looking to enjoy her pussy.”
“Cool your jets,” he said, flashing me a dirty look. “I’m just curious. There aren’t many interesting women in Little Memphis. Every cool chick seems to be in the club. Then, I get back to town, and here’s a sweet little thing in my circle. Only a fool wouldn’t consider the option.”
“True, and maybe I shouldn’t be giving lectures about smart choices. Fucking Elle certainly wasn’t the best way to make nice with her brother.”
“But you like her, right? On a personal level, I mean. It’s not just her great body and sly grin.”
Frowning at Boone, I didn’t like how he noticed those qualities about the woman carrying my critter.
“I thought you viewed her as a sister.”
“Yeah, but I’m not blind. I can tell my sister is attractive, too. I assume you don’t have a sister.”
“The ones I know of are dead, but my father stuck his dick in anything he could catch. It’s possible I have plenty of live sisters in the world.”
“Let me ask you something,” Boone said, eyeing me in a wary way. “I get the sense you and Elle haven’t spent much time together. So, why did you chase her and not another fox, like Goldie?”
“No offense to your sister, but Elle’s got a quality that I can’t quite put my finger on. She’s the only one to catch my eye.”
“Well, you couldn’t have knocked up a better fox. Elle’s great at motherhood.”
I considered my kid inside Elle. She was a fine woman, even if she couldn’t handle her liquor and fought like a child. When we battled the LM Jokers at the Fire Hooch, she mostly ran around throwing things.
Boone’s sister had proven herself a better fighter during that brawl. She exuded the same hostile vibe when she showed up at the condo. Goldie glared at me as if I were the devil himself.
Since I enjoyed poking at people, I smiled at her annoyance. “Boone claimed your panties are soaking wet over someone in my club. I wouldn’t blame you if you had a thing for me.”
Narrowing her dark eyes, she sneered, “I thought you were into Elle.”
“Don’t misunderstand me. Your feelings for me would never be reciprocated. I like my blondes natural.”
Goldie’s shoulder-length hair was brown like her brother’s. I knew that because she had perpetual dark roots. The rest was bleached golden blonde.
Her dark eyes narrowed, and I sensed she wanted to punch me.
“I have zero interest in you.”
“Well, that’s good because you’d be disappointed by my lack of a boner for you.”
Goldie shook her head and mumbled, “Poor Elle.”
Chuckling, I loved how pissed Goldie got. But her rage might have been only for show because she instantly turned to Boone and smiled.
“I need a hug,” she said and squeezed him. “Dealing with dipshit cops earlier made me angry over you getting locked up.”
Boone stroked her head and asked, “Is there anything I need to know regarding those dipshit cops?”
“No, they had a warrant for someone who looked like one of the women at the apartment safehouse. Elle was busy with Sutter, so I drove over to keep the cops from accessing the complex.”
“What does Elle have to do with this situation?” I demanded, immediately sticking my nose into this issue.
Boone kept hugging his sister while explaining, “Elle’s in charge of the safehouses where we keep vulnerable people under the club’s protection. One of the locations is an apartment complex.”
“Don’t tell him shit,” Goldie scolded her brother. “He knocked up a drunk Elle.”
“I almost did that once,” Boone said, making her roll her eyes. “Elle was doing the chicken dance, and it was so damn sexy.”
Goldie started laughing and imitated Elle’s chicken dance. While they had a good laugh at my baby mama’s lackluster dance abilities, I considered whether I should ban Elle from her job. Putting her in a box felt like a smart move.
“If you’re not creaming your panties over me, who’s got you hot and bothered?” I asked Goldie. “I can give you the inside info on him.”
“Boone read the situation wrong,” Goldie said, shutting down her earlier amusement.
“There’s no way I could be attracted to any of the grody Louisiana ding dongs that ride with your rude ass.
In fact, I am never, ever hooking up with anyone.
I plan to stay single until I die of an old person's disease. Diabetes, maybe. I do like my sugar.”
Boone stroked his sister’s head and looked at her with great affection. Exile often showed off with similar obnoxious displays with Nova.
“Do you like Elle?” Goldie asked me. “Or did you only show her interest as a way to get close to Clint?”
“Both.”
Goldie glanced up at me and twisted her lips into a disdainful snarl. I grinned at her anger. Boone watched us and revealed nothing.
“Did you know your brother is sniffing around Nova?” I asked, wanting to stir up trouble.
“That’s a big train wreck,” Goldie said and glanced at her brother. “I hope he keeps his ass far from Nova.”
“Hey,” Boone grumbled.
“Nova is delicate,” Goldie insisted. “Her daughters are clingy. You can’t handle all that drama after you grew up with our mom.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” Boone insisted and squirmed out of her hug. “I’m not saying I want to do anything with Nova. She’s just hot.”
“Yes, she is, and I like her. That’s why I don’t want you to let her down, and I don’t want her to drag you down.”
Boone and Goldie stared at each other while I thanked the universe for never giving me any siblings worth loving.
“I’m hugging you now,” Goldie said and wrapped her arms around him. “One day, you’ll find a nice, happy, drama-free lady and make giant babies with her.”
Boone exhaled deeply, breathing hard on his sister’s upturned face. She snickered at his irritated response before letting him go and walking to the door.
“I’m off to Farley’s place for pizza and video games.”
Boone watched her go before shaking his head. “She’s overly protective of me, like Clint is with Elle. Good luck with that.”
As Boone returned to fucking around on his phone, I no longer had any drama to distract me from my thoughts of a pregnant Elle.
I imagined her at home with her boy. Sutter was a handsome little nerd. She babied him too much, and he gave her too much guff. But they were nice together.
Every time I saw Elle over the summer, I had imagined enjoying another taste. The entire time, she must have known she was carrying my kid. But she had played cold as if I were no one to her.