Chapter 25
25
T he next day me, Blood, Ricky, and Bolt headed over to the fight club. Manny stayed behind to keep an eye on Marisol and to begin funneling some of the money into legit accounts. Turned out he had an accounting degree from the University of Miami and the kid loved numbers. A huge asset when diverting large amounts of cash to legit accounts.
When we got to the chop shop, I laid it all out for Mateo who liked the deal I offered. Seems Rico was bleeding him, and when I increased the percentage he’d get for the stripped down cars he was more than happy to come on board. One thing about piles of cash, it usually made the negotiations go smooth as shit.
After making the deal with Mateo, we headed out back. No fights were going on, but Bolt led us to the single-story barracks housing the fighters. The buildings were little more than shacks surrounded by mud and puddles from the last big rainstorm. These living conditions alone should make the guy come on board with the Bastards.
Bolt banged on the splintered door of an end unit. When no one answered, Bolt banged louder and yelled, “Hey, Diesel, pull your dick outta that hot bitch and answer the fuckin’ door. ”
A minute later, the door flew open and a half-dressed woman screamed at us in Spanish. Then she tugged a flimsy tank top over her huge tits and righted the micro-mini skirt bunched around her ample hips. She yelled more Spanish curses and flounced away.
“Hey, babe,” Blood called after her. “If you’re looking for work, hit us up at The Tropics.”
I shoulder-butted Blood. “Shit, and you say I’m a dog.”
“What? She had a bangin’ fuckin’ body.”
Two seconds later, a guy shorter than Bolt but just as wide filled the doorway of the single room wearing a pair of gym shorts and a mean mug.
“What the fuck, Bolt? You know how pissed off Rosalita gets when she don’t get my cock.”
Bolt jerked his thumb at us. “These guys got a deal for you.”
Diesel shot us the stink-eye. “It better be good, or at least better than me standing here with my dick about to bust.” Diesel cupped his junk and growled.
I stepped forward. “You wanna get outta this shit-hole?”
“Doin’ what?”
“We’re starting up an MC in Tijuana and?—”
“What the fuck is an MC?”
“Motorcycle club—outlaw motorcycle club.”
Diesel’s eyes narrowed. “I like the outlaw part, but what I gotta do, cause I ain’t so good at following rules and shit.”
“We’re starting up a chapter of the Royal Bastards here in Tijuana and?—”
“I heard of them in Cali.”
Bolt flanked me. “Shut the fuck up. He’s tryin’ to give you a way better thing than you got here.”
Diesel turned his eyes on Bolt. “You part of this?”
“Yeah, and it’s a good fuckin’ deal if you just listen to the man. ”
“Look, I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it,” I said. “You come on as a prospect.”
“What the fuck is that?”
“It’s whatever I say it is. Like if I tell you to get me a pack of smokes at two a.m., then your ass is out getting me a pack of smokes. If Blood tells you to gas up his bike and wax it, then your ass better be out there with a rag in your hand. Or, if I tell you to clean up the piss and puke in the shitter of our strip club, then you better be in there with a mop. Got it?”
“Did you say, strip club?” Diesel grinned full out which only made him look scarier.
“We own The Tropics on the Boulevard and for now that’s where we’re based, but in the next few weeks we’re adding on rooms for the new members and getting an official room for our weekly meetings. Which we call ‘going to church’ cause if you prospect, then become a full patched member, all your alliance will be to your club and your brothers.”
“And you’ll give me a place to lay my head?” Diesel ran his hand through his shaggy hair. “Cause this place sucks balls. Fuckin’ air-conditioner is usually busted, and the shitter don’t work half the time.”
“For now it’ll be a single room over the club, but after the renovations and if you prove yourself and get a full patch, you’ll get a few rooms of your own. You’ll also do some bouncing at the club on the weekends, but I want to keep you fighting here too. I plan on putting in a regular ring and maybe even some bleachers.”
Diesel scratched at his chest. “Sounds too fuckin’ good to be true.”
Bolt stepped to Diesel. “Since your last residence before this shit-hole was the L.A. County Jail, I’m thinking this is a sweet step up.”
Diesel nailed Bolt with a glare. “You tell him about that?”
“It’s public record asshole, now stop wasting Smoke’s time.” Bolt jerked his head at me. “Give the man an answer. Are you in or are you out?”
“I’m in.” Diesel smirked. “You had me at strip club.”
I shook my head. “You’re gonna fit right in, but about the strippers. No fuckin’ them while their working and if they say no, it’s no. These girls have a good following and I’m not putting up with any bullshit cause you can’t keep your dick in your pants.” I threw Diesel my deadly glare. “Understand?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, and another thing. “You ride?”
“Had a bike back in Cali, but the bitch I was shacked up with sold it when I got locked up.”
“All right, you prove yourself and we’ll see what we can do about getting you a bike.”
I’d made a sweet deal with a Harley dealership I used to do business with just north of Imperial Beach and with the money we confiscated from Rico’s villa we were able to secure four used bikes in top shape.
We wrapped up the particulars with Diesel then headed out. I was anxious to get back to the club and check on Marisol. Thankfully she didn’t get hurt too bad physically but I was worried about the shit floating around in her head. Wasn’t every day your father held you at gunpoint only to have your older brother gun the bastard down in the foyer of your villa.
I’d gone through most of my life thinking I had a fucked up childhood, and of course I was right. Being shipped to one foster home worse than the other. Never having anything to really call my own. Didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why I joined the Bastards, but with Marisol it was way different.
Her parents lulled her into a false sense of security. Even when she found out the truth about Rico’s business, he was able to hide the gruesome part of his life. He passed himself off as a loving father and husband—until it all fell apart and the cold, hard truth smacked her in the face, big time.
The shock, and disbelief had to be fucking with her brain, and I wanted to be there and catch her if she stumbled.
Couldn’t fuckin’ believe I felt that way, but I did.
We pulled into the back lot of The Tropics and the last forty-eight hours was hitting me hard. My shoulder ached mainly because I ditched the sling after the first day. Hitting the throttle with my broken hand wasn’t a good idea either, but fuck me, if I was gonna let a busted bone keep me from riding.
I threw my leg over the saddle and Blood fell into step with me. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks, brother, I can always depend on you for the hard, fuckin’ truth.”
Ricky and Bolt flanked him on the other side. “I think Diesel’s gonna work out. He can be a little rough, but he’s got heart.”
“Time will tell.” I’d seen plenty of prospects come and go and sometimes it was the guys you least expected who were the toughest.
We headed in the back door and I paused by the steps. “I’m gonna head upstairs.”
“Stay with your girl,” Blood said. “We got it covered down here.”
We tapped fists and I headed up the stairs. Each step making me more tired. When I reached the apartment, I fumbled the keys out of my pocket, unlocked the door and Blood’s words hit me. ‘My girl.’ Fuckin’ crazy but he was right. Marisol was my girl. I just had to make sure she felt the same way.
Manny looked up from tapping on his computer and I jerked my chin toward the bedroom. “How’s she doin’?”
“Fine. Mostly slept.”
“She eat anything?”
“Just a little soup. ”
I motioned to the papers covering the coffee table. “Take all that shit down to the office and work there. I’m gonna stay with her for the rest of the night.”
Manny collected his papers, and flipped his laptop shut. “I just wanna thank you for being there for her. With all the confusion I didn’t get a chance to?—”
I put up my good hand. “Not necessary. You’re part of the Bastards now and no matter what we have each other’s backs. It’s what we do.”
Manny stared at me for a minute, then nodded and headed out.
On the way to the bedroom, I eased my t-shirt up and over my head careful not to jar my shoulder or my throbbing hand. All the shit I’d had, I’d never broken a bone and this fuckin’ sucked.
I undid my jeans, stepped out of them, pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and eased myself onto the bed slowly so not to wake Marisol. I burrowed under the covers savoring the warmth of her body and yeah, for the first time in forever I let my body relax. A little busted up, but peaceful.
A chill swept over my body and I tugged at the sheets, my hand blindly searching for the blanket. Smoke liked the air-conditioning blasting, as in arctic air cold. Some time during the night he must’ve come to bed and I shifted closer to his body. His skin radiated a soothing warmth—no wonder the man was always hot.
His arm slid around my waist drawing me closer. “You all right?”
“Mmmmhmm,” I mumbled my eyes barely open.
He propped himself up on his good arm examining me. “You sure? ”
I smiled at his whispered rasp. The unsettled tone in his voice completely out of character for a man who lived life on the edge.
“You know the doctor said I’ll be perfectly fine in a few days.”
“Just making sure, cause that can get infected. All kinds of bad shit can happen and?—”
I pressed my lips to his, then pulled back keeping our faces only inches apart. “I’m sure the doctor took care of it properly.”
“Crazy shit that the same bullet that grazed you was the one that hit my shoulder. In a way we saved each other.”
“True, but I’m sure you’ve seen and probably had much worse than my minor injury.”
“It’s the first time with someone who . . .”
He didn’t finish the sentence and I didn’t push him for two reasons. Fear of not liking the ending or liking it too much.
“You really are amazing, but I got one question. How did you get past those guards in your father’s office?”
“Easy when you’ve studied Jiu-Jitsu and have men who underestimate your abilities.” I ended my sentence with a sly smile.
“Shit, you are unbelievable.” Smoke rubbed at his jaw. “So, I guess I better be careful not to piss you off or you’ll lay me out too.”
“Only in the best of ways.” I yawned. “There’s so many things we need to talk about and find out about each other but . . .”
“We will, but know this, I want you by my side no matter what.” His soft kiss calmed my insecurities. I snuggled into him and sleep slipped over both of us.