Chapter NineReese
My father had been a huge football fan. I’d entered Chiefs Kingdom as a tyke and never left. Whenever I visited Chiefs Nation, it reminded me of the person I’d once been, the oldest son in a family of five with a school janitor mom and a truck driver dad.
We hadn’t had a lot, but we’d always had clean clothes, hot food, and a lot of love. Until it was stolen from me by smoke and fire. I’d slept over at my best friend’s house and escaped the wrath of flames. Bolt and Ma Siller took in my traumatized thirteen-year-old self and added me to their brood of six. All three of his daughters were married. One of his sons was killed four years ago in a motorcycle accident and the other two remained in the club.
I’d gotten the Siller family into football and it was a tradition that continued to this day. Arriving back at the club fresh off a Chiefs win left me stoked. I’d spent the weekend at the house with Ma, Bolt, Knight, and Baron because I didn’t want to be at the club, thinking about Ainsley and how she’d looked when she opened the door to us.
Letting Roman Mac live had been the right call no matter how much it galled me. So many times, I’d thought about going to check on her. Then, I remembered Trinity and how I allowed her murderer to walk free because of a girl I’d fucked once.
I’d pull out Trinity’s picture, study her face, and wish I could’ve gotten over my hesitancy. My guilt was the hardest part. Trinity died because of me. I’d kept her at arms’ length and Roman was my enemy. Then Ainsley would intrude again on my complicated feelings for Trinity, until it was a never-ending loop.
If I could only fuck Ainsley again, I’d get her out of my system. Whenever I took an old lady, I didn’t have my eyes turned toward marriage or children. I didn’t want a wife and I sure as hell didn’t want kids. My little sister was three when she died. With ten years separating us, I felt like an adult over her. As much as I mourned my parents and my eight-year-old brother, losing that mischievous brat was what almost drove me over the edge.
Perhaps, that was why I always held Trinity at bay. Maybe, she could’ve gotten past the wedding vows. Kids? No. Every time I fucked her, I made sure to put on my own condom and didn’t let her near them even after we finished.
Or, maybe, I couldn’t take her as my old lady because she’d fucked so many of my brothers, and I wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have declined anyone if they offered her enough money.
Ainsley and I hadn’t discussed much. Her mission had been to fuck. My expectation was to fuck her, so it fucking escaped me why the fuck I walked into the clubhouse after the game and wanted to talk to her.
I wondered if I threw a word out and told her to talk about it for ten minutes, could she? I wondered how she was holding up or whether she knew I made Louisiana call Nova so he could return Ainsley and Roman’s phones that same night. We’d let him go. If she decided to talk, not having a phone wouldn’t stop her. She’d gone to the fucking hospital where I’m certain questions flew at her from all directions.
Jinx sidled up to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Hey, babe,” she said in a loud voice over the din rising around us. “What’s up?”
Usually, she kept her currently blue hair in a long braid. Tonight, it was loose and free, framing her face. She was thirty-one. Same age as me. Our birthdays were two days apart. We’d dated before Louisiana took her. I couldn’t give her what she wanted, so when he told me he wanted to take her out, I stepped out of the way.
“Heard the boys won.”
“You’re so full of shit. You know you watched that game.”
“Possibly,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Anyway, guess who stopped by?”
My first thought was Ainsley, which I immediately dismissed. Razor would’ve handed me my ass and possibly thrown her into the fucking pit. Then I would’ve gotten killed trying to protect her.
“Who, babe?”
“Delilah. She’s down to fuck.” Beaming a smile as if she’d done me a great favor, she dug in the valley of her tits and produced a slip of paper. “Call her tonight .”
Pocketing the number, I grunted. “Last time we fucked, she accidentally bit my cock. That shit hurt for fucking days.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, easy enough for you to be so dismissive. Wasn’t your cock in the vise of her chompers.”
“True, given that I have a pussy. However, the Novocain hadn’t worn off.”
“I beg your fucking pardon?” I didn’t mean to sound so fucking outraged, but who sucked cock with a numb mouth? Especially my cock. “Strikes one, two, and three.” I snatched the number from my pocket and handed it back to her. “If she can’t properly protect Monster, then fuck her.”
“I can’t with the dick names.”
“Better than Bear. According to Louisiana, you gave his cock that name.”
“I didn’t think he’d actually use it!”
“Your mistake, babe.” I tugged out of the arm she still had around me and pulled out my billfold. “Bring me a beer. I’ll be at the pool tables.” I handed her a twenty. “Keep the change.”
“Such a big tipper.”
“You flirting with my wife, Reese?” Louisiana asked, stepping between us, the severity on his face shocking me. He put his arm around us and drew us closer. “Can’t leave you alone for ten minutes.”
Sniffing, she rolled her eyes. “A digital watch where you can actually tell the time properly will be your next gift from me. You’ve been gone for hours. As usual.”
“Sure haven’t. My bike’s outside and I haven’t been on it today, babe.”
Skepticism crossed her face.
Bending, he brushed his lips over hers. “Do you see how crowded it is tonight? You lost track of me. I’ve been here. Mainly outside.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, babe. I—” She gulped, glanced at me, and shoved her way behind the bar.
“The way you gaslight her is fucked up,” I shouted over the noise to make sure that motherfucker heard me.
“She bought it, so it worked.” He nodded toward the door. “I need to talk to you.”
“Jinx is bringing my beer.”
“This is about Ainsley,” Louisiana gritted.
“What about her?”
He indicated his ears, then arced his hand toward the crowd of bikers and chicks. Holding up a hand, he walked away, returning a few minutes later with two beers and nodding his head toward the door.
Outside, I drank deeply, enjoying the fresh air after the press of bodies inside.
“What about Ainsley and how do you know?”
Louisiana flicked his lighter until the reefer caught and then inhaled before passing it to me so I could hit it.
“I went to their place,” he started.
I snatched the joint and inhaled again. “You did what?” I asked on an exhale of smoke. “You could’ve gotten fucking killed, asshole.”
“Please.” He reclaimed the joint and relit it after several flicks of his lighter. “My intellect outweighs a Bloody Scorpion’s any fucking day of the week.”
“What about Ainsley?” I demanded. The fuckhead hadn’t gotten killed, so I wouldn’t argue and point out why it had been such a bad idea.
“I went there to tell Roman he should kiss your ass every day for sparing him.”
“You offered my ass to that motherfucker? Next time don’t be so generous.”
Snickering, he held out the bud to me.
“What about Ainsley, fuckhead?”
He studied me, then smiled. “Nothing too urgent. I took a little memento for you.” Smiling, he pulled out a photo of Ainsley and handed it to me. “It was in a frame that said ‘Best Little Sister’. Sweet, huh? Twinsies. Well, not really since hers said ‘brother.’”
I didn’t care about the frame. Louisiana had stolen her picture for me.
“I’ll put it in my desk as a memento of our date.”
Eyeing me, he sipped his beer. “I thought maybe it would be a souvenir from the time you got the easiest pussy ever.”
“Ainsley isn’t easy and if you say that again, I’ll rip your fucking tongue out.”
“I’m just kidding, Reese. I did you a solid. Enjoy it.”
He grabbed the joint from my hand and walked away. I knew in my fucking bones something was up.