Chapter 6 Creature
“ W hat else do we need?” I asked, leaving my phone on speaker as I walked into the grocery.
“Food,” Maddog answered. “No booze. We have enough liquor to stock a whole damn bar.”
Yeah, I saw that earlier before I left the clubhouse.
“Well, I can grab shit for sandwiches, chips, fruit. Frozen pizzas. That work?”
“Yeah, and some cases of water. There’s none here.”
Maddog had bought an old white van, and now I understand why he wanted me to bring it to the store. This shit would never fit in my saddlebags.
“Should I pick up some cases of soda? Sweets? I don’t know what the fuck everyone eats.”
Maddog snorted. “Yeah, man. Whatever sounds good. You got enough cash?”
He handed me a thousand fucking dollars before I left. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Oh, get me some fuckin’ brownies.”
Brownies? “You need chocolate?”
“Lark wants them. No nuts.” He covered the phone, and I heard a muffled conversation. “Add unsalted peanuts, cheddar cheese cubes, a couple of bags of salad mix, Ranch dressing, and Snickers. One of those big bags with the full bars.”
I had to hold in a laugh. “You got it, Pres.”
His voice lowered. “I want Oreos and milk.”
I snickered. “That for you?”
“Yeah.”
I thought so. He fucking loved Oreos.
“Alright. Give me some time to hunt this all down.”
We ended the call, and I walked the aisles with a cart, spending ten times longer than anyone else shopping in that store to find what I needed.
The signs weren’t always specific enough, and the candy was in the specialty foods aisle.
Why? I grumbled as I placed the last item inside and headed toward the check-out.
Every fucking one of them had a line.
Jesus. How did people do this every week?
I ate out too damn much, but I didn’t have to deal with this shit. A lady behind me complained about the wait. A snotty kid cried as his mother ignored him. Then, a couple argued over the price of something one of them had placed in their cart.
If we didn’t need this shit, I would have left and ordered it all online. I rarely stepped inside an actual store unless it was a liquor or a smoke shop. This proved why I avoided it.
By the time I exited, it was three fucking hours since I walked inside. I couldn’t get those lost hours of my life back.
Agitated, I unloaded the cart and filled the back of the van, returning the cart since I wasn’t a total asshole. The whole way home, I complained to the empty interior. Never again.
After I parked the van, Manic approached and opened the back doors. He whistled. “That’s a lot of food and water.”
“Pres said to stock up.”
“You sure did. Get any pretzels and French onion dip?”
“No,” I growled.
Manic chuckled. “Damn. You’re cranky.”
“You go to the store next time.”
He shook his head, amused. “We better have a couple of prospects by then.”
“No shit,” I agreed.
I paid my dues. This was the first and last time I went grocery shopping inside a store for the club.
We unloaded the van and put away all the cold items. I left the rest stacked on the counters and floor inside the kitchen.
We’d have to gut the interior, but the appliances worked until the new shit Maddog purchased was delivered.
The space was fucking huge. The women would love it.
When an ol’ lady wanted to cook, or we decided to have a cookout, there would be plenty of counters and space to work.
Hell, even if we heated a bunch of pizzas and set them out, people had room to eat and socialize.
“How did it go?” Maddog asked as I walked outdoors, pulling a pack of smokes from my cut.
“Don’t ever ask me to go again,” I growled.
“That fucking bad?”
“We order online and do curbside from now on. I’m not fucking joking,” I spat as I lit the end of a cigarette and inhaled. The nicotine hit just right, and adrenaline surged, creating a buzz of energy and pleasure I needed.
“Fine. We order online until we get a couple of prospects to help out.”
“Thank fuck,” I mumbled.
“I’m gonna call church tomorrow. I’m expecting Skel soon.”
Hell yeah. “I haven’t seen him in fucking forever.”
“Me either, brother. It’s gonna be fucking epic to have us all together again.”
I took a long drag and exhaled, flicking ash from my cigarette. “I’ll have to let my pops know. He’ll want to see him.”
“You know it. We’ll organize this place soon so Tinman can join us. We’ll have a big barbecue to celebrate.”
My father’s road name was Tinman, and almost everyone knew him by that name. They never called him anything else.
“Sounds good to me. My old man would love it.”
I finished the smoke and tossed it, crushing the butt with my boot. “I need some air, Pres.”
He nodded. “I can see it. You get that crazy fucking look in your eyes.”
He meant it as a joke, but we both remembered how things changed during the summer when we turned thirteen.
“I’m gonna go for a ride.”
He ticked his chin toward the road. “Go, but don’t be out late. I got my ol’ lady comin’, and I want you to meet her.”
“I’ll be here,” I promised, taking a seat on my bike.
I rolled out of the lot and hooked a left, riding past the shady part of town and heading toward the Strip.
The loud, flashy appeal of Las Vegas never got me hot and bothered.
I’d seen naked women and porn since I was a kid.
With a father in an MC, I got introduced to shit way too young, but it wasn’t any different than Maddog or most of the biker brats we knew.
At the next intersection, I hit a red light and idled, waiting for the light to turn green. Even with the high bells and bubbly sounds of slot machines, I caught something that sounded off. Maybe it was my new instincts that Lucifer mentioned.
We need to go.
Check it out.
I swerved my bike to the right and took the road, cutting off a car in my haste.
The driver slammed on the brakes and screamed at me through their window, but I smiled and waved, lifting my finger to give them the bird as I hauled ass toward a parking lot.
Most of the cars were owned by employees of various shops and casinos, so the paid lot had a closed gate.
The great thing about a bike? You could ride a Harley almost anywhere. Not much hindered you.
I squeezed through the opening and rode through the rows of cars, speeding up when I heard a woman scream. The kind of cry that rustled the back of my neck because it meant she was being hurt in the worst way.
A snarl curled my lip as I turned down the next row, finding the three assholes holding down a lady in scrubs.
They were tearing at her clothes in broad daylight, right in the middle of the fucking afternoon.
She fought them, but they were bigger and stronger.
One lifted his fist and punched her in the face.
Fuck!
I slammed on the brakes, kicked down the stand, and rushed toward them. “Hey!”
I whipped my gun out of my cut, aiming for the first guy as he tried to get his hand down her pants. A bullet hit his thigh, and he howled in pain, rolling off her. The second one ran toward me while the first tore at the woman’s clothes.
They were like wild fucking animals.
My gaze slid over the cuts they wore, and I grinned. Son of a bitch.
Drake wanted a piece of him.
The guy reached me and swung his fist, but I caught it, rearing back before I jutted forward and rammed my head into his skull. There was a loud crack, and he collapsed, holding his nose. I fucking broke it.
My boot lifted, and I kicked him in the ribs. Twice.
The woman in the scrubs screamed, and I turned, catching the exposed flesh on her lower half. No!
I reached the guy so fast I wasn’t sure how it happened.
He had his dick out, ready to penetrate her, when I grabbed him from behind.
My hands wrapped around his skull, and I yanked, throwing him into the nearest vehicle.
His body hit with a crash and busted the headlights before he fell, bending his leg at an awkward angle.
I heard the bone snap as he cried out. Blood dripped from his face where the glass had sliced his skin.
None of the three would-be rapists moved as I turned to the woman. She was pushing her legs through her scrub bottoms, crying hysterically, and shaking as a sob escaped her mouth. I tried not to look at her until she was dressed, turning back to glance at her face. When I did, I froze.
Phyllis.
Jesus. Fuck.
She blinked, staring at me as tears spilled over her cheeks. Black track marks stained her skin as her mascara bled.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I told her, “I promise.”
Turning around, I stared at the three members of the MC my father had left. I glanced over their cuts, noting the absence of road names or rank. Prospects. Whoever sent these assholes to rape a woman for initiation would regret it.
“Get the fuck out of here and tell your pres I’ll be visiting.”
They scrambled away from me, helping one another across the lot. I waited until they were gone before turning to Phyllis.
“You okay?”
“I am because of you.” She sniffled, brushing the tears from her face. “You saved my life.”
Probably. I didn’t admit that since it would freak her out.
“Why don’t I follow you to the police station or home? I want to make sure you’re safe before I leave you.”
She nodded, walking to her car. It was only five spaces down. She’d been so close to escaping those assholes.
“Do you want to file a report?”
Phyllis shook her head. “No. I was attacked last year a few blocks away, and the police never did anything about it.” She sighed as her gaze bounced over my cut and the patches. “I used to hate bikers. I thought they were all scum. Until you.” Her voice wavered. “Thank you.”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. “Let’s get you home. Is it okay if I follow you? Or do you want to call someone?”
She shook her head. “No one to call.”
Fuck. That hit me right in the stomach like a sucker punch.
I followed her to her house, idling as I parked on her driveway.
“Thanks for following me home.”
I nodded. “You know that old casino on Blackjack Drive? The one that shut down?”
She gave me a funny look. “Yes.”
“My president bought it. We’re fixing it up and making it our new clubhouse. If you ever need anything, you come and ask for me.” I pointed to my cut. “Tell them you want to see Creature. They’ll make sure I know.”
She hesitated. “I, uh, thanks for the offer.”
“I know it’s not your scene, but I’d feel better if you came to me if you run into any more trouble. Alright?”
Fear flickered across her features. “I will.”
“Not all clubs are cocksuckers like that. I’m telling you like it is, so you know. Watch out for them. Look at the leather. You see their symbol again with the snake and sword, drive to my club. We can protect you.”
She bobbed her head. “Oh, God. Okay.”
“I gotta go. Take care of yourself. If you get the shakes, take a hot shower and drink some hot tea. It helps.”
“You’ve experienced trauma.”
A grim smile settled across my lips. “Yeah.”
“I’ll remember. Thank you, Creature.”
I rolled out of her drive and headed back to the clubhouse. Maddog took one look at me as I parked my bike and swore.
“Fuck. What happened?”
“Bladed Serpents,” I spat.
“Sonofabitch.”
“They attacked a nurse and tried to rape her right in the middle of the day in a fucking parking lot, Pres.”
His jaw clenched. “You get to her in time?”
“Yeah. Fucked them up for it too.”
“Good. We take this to church.”
“I hear you.”
“Lark and Bianca are here. I don’t want to spook them.”
“You got it.”
Lark, Maddog’s ol’ lady, and Bianca, Manic’s ol’ lady, were sweethearts. Beautiful too.
They ushered me into the kitchen and put a heaping plate of food in front of me, insisting I ate. It was nice to have a woman care for me. It hadn’t happened since my mother’s death.
My thoughts strayed to Phyllis and the young woman I helped outside Toxic Tonic. I never intended to become a hero. Hell, it made me uncomfortable. But I didn’t regret it.
I hoped both women were okay and planned to follow up with Phyllis and the redhead as soon as possible.