Chapter 5
Chapter Five
VIPER
“Pipe, grab me a beer,” I yell as I come through the clubhouse doors and head straight for the bar. I may need something stronger, but I’ll start with this.
“Your girl and the kid leave?” he asks as he hands me the frosty mug filled with ice-cold Bud.
“They just left. I forgot how fucking hyper little kids can be,” I remark, drinking half the glass in one go. Fuck that’s good.
Kierra came home with me last night but not before pissing me off by stopping for tacos at Sombreros.
She’s such a fucking shit sometimes. She knew I wanted to get home and deliberately disobeyed me.
Tacos were pretty good though, even with her bitching about having to share her food.
We got nowhere near enough sleep since I kept her up most of the night while G kept the kid.
No, while G kept Nash. He spent all morning telling me his name is Nash, and to stop calling him kid.
G was knocking on the door at 7:30 this morning, claiming she had to give the kid back since she had to come and cook breakfast for the club, but she’s full of shit, he was driving her crazy.
Kierra didn’t seem to think that was the case, claiming she saw the two together before they left her apartment yesterday, and G was even more hyper than the kid.
Regardless, I’ve been in a shitty mood ever since she dropped him off because I didn’t get the morning I had planned on, which Kierra thought was funny.
She and Nash spent the morning making a mess in my kitchen since the kid wanted pancakes and wouldn’t settle on just watching Kierra make them.
Had to get in there and help her like they always do, according to him.
Thankfully, she cleaned that shit up before they left.
“Church!” I bellow as I finish my beer and motion for another.
Once I have a fresh one in hand, I stroll back to the meeting room, getting my thoughts in order for what needs to be covered today.
“Storm, get us started,” I direct as I stroll into the room and take my seat at the head of the table.
Storm is the club’s treasurer, and we always start our meetings going over club finances, as Dexter transfers funds into everyone’s accounts.
“Everything is still well in the black, and everyone will see a supplement for the additional funds the businesses pulled in this month. Those that did a run were also compensated with an added bonus courtesy of Riddick for a job well done.” Riddick is the president of our mother charter in Rochester, and I feel a sense of pride that he acknowledged my guys for doing a good job.
“Now that we have that out of the way, we have another run to go over. This one is bigger than the last, which means a longer sentence if you’re pinched so you better be paying attention, boys.
This run is going straight up the 95. With it being tourist season, there will be far too many motorists on the road to single out one truck and its escorts.
If you’re running security and see flashing lights, your job is to be a distraction and make it fucking big.
If you get picked up, I’ll send the lawyer for you.
You know the drill. Rock, you’re in the truck this time.
Sparrow, Pipe, and Storm are running escort for you.
Any questions?” I ask, and when nobody has anything to add, I move on to my personal issue.
“Dexter, you got anything else for me on Kierra’s sister, Sierra? ”
“Not one thing, Prez. The girl’s gone ghost. She was hanging with the Cuban Kings, but it seems they’re looking for her too. The word in the corners of the dark web is that she stole a lot of fucking money from them. They’ve put a price on her head. I’ll keep looking though,” he vows.
“Fucking great. This just gets better and better. This bitch not only put her own kid in jeopardy but also her sister who’s trying to take care of him since she fucked over the wrong people. Yeah, keep looking. If we find her, we’ll turn her over ourselves if it’s something that can’t be fixed.”
“Anyone have anything else?” When nobody speaks up, I bang the gavel, and everyone slowly makes their way out to do what they need to do.
I don’t know why, but I knew this nosey fucker was going to stick around so he could pry into my personal business. The man is my best friend, but he’s worse than the club girls when it comes to meddling in people’s private affairs.
“What do you want, Sparrow? I’m working here.” I scowl as I look over the papers Dexter handed me before he left.
“You ever going to tell me what’s going on between you and the stripper?” He leans over to see what I’m looking at. It’s the last confirmed whereabouts of my girl’s sister.
“Fuck. What do you want to know?”
“You serious about this girl? I thought you were just fucking her, seeing as you were floundering when Sadie left. I didn’t think you were going to keep the first whore who caught your eye around for the long haul.”
“She ain’t a fucking whore, so don’t call her that,” I snarl, lunging from my chair and pinning him to the table.
Best friend or not, I refuse to let him talk shit about Kierra.
Taking a deep breath, I let him go and make it real fucking clear.
“Don’t ever call her a whore again, Sparrow.
She was a virgin when we met, and I’m the only man that’s ever been there. You understand?”
“Ok, ok. Fuck. Calm the hell down. I hear you. How long have you been in love with the girl, ‘cause I’d have thought with how you’re acting she’d have been hanging around here more.”
“Ain’t in love with her. I just… I don’t fucking know, ok,” I bark at him.
At my denial, he bursts out laughing. When he finally calms down, he gives it to me straight like he always does, “This is going to be fun to watch. Hate to break it to you, Draven, but you love the girl. I’ve been your best friend for over twenty years, and you’ve never come at me like you’re going to end me before.
She matters to you. Accept it.” Shit. After quickly thinking it over, I realize he’s right. I do fucking love her.
“I see the lightbulb just came on. Better lock that girl down before she gets tired of your shit and finds some citizen to give her the 2.5 kids and the house with the white picket fence. Bitches want that kind of shit, ya know.” He laughs all the way out the door and leaves me reeling when I don’t know what to do with this new development.
Kids? Fence? I don’t think Kierra is into that shit. Is she? Rubbing my eyes, I try to alleviate the migraine Sparrow has induced with his words of wisdom and decide I need a long ride and some greasy food.
“Sparrow! Come on. We’re going for a ride and to eat!
And you’re buying,” I yell across the common room, and like I knew he would, he jumps up, ready to ride wherever, whenever.
As we’re climbing on our bikes, I look over my shoulder and see we have an entourage in our wake. Fuck it. The more the merrier.
An hour later, seven of us are walking into Saints Bar and Grill, the little burger beach joint we own, ready for a cold beer and some hot food.
Sitting down in the back of the room, we place our orders and discuss the new charter that’s about to open up in Kingston, New York.
I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Trojan to head up his own club.
He’s a hard-ass but as loyal as they come.
Feeling my phone vibrate, I pull it out of my back pocket and chuckle when I read the text.
Sadie: I’m starving. Will you bring me some food?
Viper: Just sat down at the B&G. What you want and I’ll bring it over soon.
Sadie: You’re the best daddy. My usual please.
Fuck, I love this kid. When the waitress comes by, I place Sadie’s to-go order and fill Sparrow in on our next stop. He loves my girl almost as much as I do, so I know he’ll want to go by and see her too.
“Legend. Pay for mine when she brings the bill, and I’ll get you when I get back to the clubhouse.
Just got a call from the daycare. Mila’s mom didn’t show to pick her up.
Fucking bitch,” Thorn grinds out before he quickly exits the restaurant to go and pick up his little girl.
He’s had full custody of his daughter since she was born.
Her mother was a party girl and couldn’t seem to step up to the responsibility of taking care of anyone other than herself.
Once a month she gets to pick up Mila from her daycare and spend a couple of hours with her before dropping her back off at the clubhouse.
She usually lets Thorn know when she isn’t going to make it, so something must be up.
Once everyone has eaten their food and we’ve paid the bill, I grab Sadie’s dinner.
Sparrow and I drive over to her apartment to feed her so she doesn’t wither away from all her studying.
Yeah right, the kid is a drama queen, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.
Parking in front of her duplex, I hop off my bike and grab her shit from my saddlebag, before heading to her door.
Before I can even knock, my girl opens the door and snatches her food from my hands, going straight to her table to dig in.
“What the hell, Sadie? Did you even look to see who was at the door?” I scold her.
“I heard your bikes,” she replies, already shoving a huge bite of her burger into her mouth.
“What if we’d been someone else?” Sparrow asks, shutting the door behind him after following me inside.
“My daddy would shoot them,” she sasses at him.
“True.” He chuckles.
“What are y’all out doing? And why didn’t you call me before you went to the Grill? I would have met you there,” she asks accusingly.
“We’d been out riding and didn’t know where we were going until we got there, kid,” I tell her, sitting down on her couch and looking around, spotting a pack of cigarettes sticking out from under her loveseat.
“Who’s cigarettes, Sadie?” I ask her, turning around to look at her when she answers.