1. Smitty
SMITTY
Pulling into the Vault always felt like I was heading into work.
I’d stand guard with the others, always sitting on go in case one of the brothers called on me, and if I managed to get out of there without a black eye or a bloody nose, I considered myself lucky.
That was the life of a prospect, but that time for me had come and gone.
I was a brother now. I knew things would be different, but I hadn’t expected it to be obvious the second I walked through the damn door. Before, the girls barely gave me a second glance, not unless they needed something or wanted to shoot the shit. I was just a buddy. I was just Smitty.
Nothing more.
Now, every pair of eyes seemed to track me as I crossed the room, and the girls weren’t looking at me like I was good ol’ Smitty.
They were looking at me like I was someone they wanted to sink their nails into, and they didn’t hold back.
Their hands brushed against my arm when I passed, and a few of them whispered offerings of a good time later tonight.
There was a time when I would’ve soaked up that kind of attention, and no one would blame me.
These women were undeniably beautiful with looks that would bring any man to his knees, and they were throwing their attention at me.
Any man would’ve felt ten feet tall, and a piece of me did.
But another part of me knew it wasn’t real.
They weren’t seeing me.
They were seeing the patch. The protection. The money.
If they managed to tie up with a brother, it could be their way out.
I couldn’t blame them. They worked their asses off and just wanted a chance to turn their lives around.
But I wasn’t that chance. I’d gotten it in my head months ago that I didn’t want somebody hanging around because of what I had to offer.
I wanted what I had and lost. I wanted something honest, something real, something that made the rest of the world go quiet when she looked at me.
I wasn’t going to find that at the Vault.
I continued over to my spot next to Goose. The second he spotted me, his mouth twitched. “Well, well, well. You survived the night.”
“Barely,” I scoffed. “That second fifth about took me out.”
“Yeah, you’re gonna feel that for a day or two, but you’re young. You’ll bounce back.”
“Tell that to my pounding head.” I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease my aching back. “Took a handful of ibuprofens, and the motherfucker still feels like it’s about to crack open. But I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.”
“Yeah, I remember the feeling. Nothing like it.”
There was something about the way he said it that settled deep in my chest. He wasn’t joking around. He knew what last night had meant to me. It meant the same to him. Like so many of us, we were both looking for somewhere to belong, and we’d found it with Fury.
“What about you?” I leaned against the bar, feeling the music vibrate against my chest. “You and Pres have a good night?”
“Yeah, but we had to call it pretty early. She had to work this morning.”
“That’s no fun.”
“What can I say?” Goose shrugged. “Responsibilities will bite you in the ass every damn time.”
“You ain’t lying.”
“You got plans for tomorrow?”
“That depends.” I cocked my brow. “Why you asking?”
“I’ve gotta pick up a new regulator for my bike. Found it at a garage across town. Thought you might be up for riding over with me.”
It was a simple invitation, but it hit me square in the gut.
It wasn’t an order. It wasn’t some stupid task for a prospect. This was something more, and while it probably didn’t mean a whole lot to him, it certainly did to me. I tried to hide the emotion from my face as I nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m in.”
“Good deal. We’ll head out about ten?”
“Sounds good.”
The rest of the night rolled by fairly easy.
There were no drunken brawls, no drunk assholes putting their hands where they didn’t belong, and no brothers disappearing into the office with fierce expressions that always seemed to signal that something bad was about to go down.
It was just music, pretty girls dancing, and folks trying to forget whatever waited for them on the other side of those front doors.
I stayed at my post with Goose for the better part of the night, helping wherever I was needed and talking shit when things slowed down. Every once in a while, a brother would stop to congratulate me again with a clap on the shoulder or a drink I didn’t need.
An hour in, Memphis wandered over, looking tired as hell, and Seven was right behind him.
Both of them had that worn-down, weight-of-the-world-on-their-shoulders expression, like they’d spent the whole day dealing with one problem or another.
Memphis grabbed a beer from behind the bar before announcing, “Quiet night.”
“Damn. Don’t jinx us.” Goose gave him a concerned look as he asked, “Everything good over at Preacher’s place?”
That caught my attention. It caught Seven’s, too. We both homed in on Memphis as he nodded and answered, “Yeah, the fire department cleared out a couple of hours ago.”
“Fire department?” Seven scowled. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nobody told you?”
“Wouldn’t be asking if they did.”
There wasn’t real anger in Seven’s voice, but there was a definite edge of concern. And I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed it. Memphis caught it, too, and he was quick to answer, “There was a fire out at the barn. Sergei and Nikolai handled most of it before the fire department even got there.”
“And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”
“Because it was handled.” Memphis shrugged. “Dad said these kinds of things happen, and it wasn’t the main house.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I wasn’t surprised by the irritation in Seven’s eyes. If something happened to one of the Fury men, they took it personally, no matter how trivial it might seem. “Where was Prez when the fire broke out?”
“Cleaning stalls with the handlers.”
“So, he was right there in the thick of it.” Seven stared at Memphis for a second before shaking his head. “He should’ve called us. Hell, you should’ve, too.”
“He had his hands full.”
“We need to get more security out there.”
“Sergei is already on it. Hell, he’s even posted a damn guard out there. But he wouldn’t have been much help today. The fire department said it looked like the hay got too hot and ignited. Said it happens when it’s hot like this, and the hay hadn’t had time to cure.”
“Got no idea what any of that means, but whatever. I’m just glad they got it handled.”
Goose took the moment to ask, “Any of the horses hurt?”
“Nah, they got it out before anybody got hurt. Barn’s good, too.”
I hadn’t spent much time out at Preacher’s new place, but we all knew what that barn and all those horses meant to him and Tabitha.
She’d put a lot of heart into saving broken-down horses that most would’ve never given a second look.
She spent a butt-load of money and time bringing them back to good health, and they both cared a great deal about each and every one of them. It would’ve hit them hard to lose one.
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, they got lucky.” Memphis took a pull from his beer. “It could’ve gone bad fast.”
The conversation drifted after that, moving on to other things as conversations usually did with the brothers, and I stood there, soaking it all in. I’d only been a brother for a few hours, and I was already realizing that this club was becoming a hell of a lot more than just a patch on my back.
Eventually, the crowd at the Vault started to thin out, and the girls took that as their cue to begin cashing out. Once the remaining drunks filed out, we shut the bar down, and by the time I made it out to my bike, it was after two in the morning. I was wiped, so I drove straight home.
My place wasn’t much to look at. It was just a small two-bedroom rental with worn carpet, second-hand furniture, and a refrigerator that hummed louder than my television. But it beat living on the streets.
I’d been there.
Done that.
And I can tell you, there’s no cold like the kind that comes when you’re hiding out in some dark alley, alone, wet and freezing, and you have no one to turn to. But I’d been one of the lucky ones. I found someone who was willing to take a chance on me, and I’d made the most of it.
I worked hard, and it paid off.
Now, things were changing. I was going to be making money, good money, and as soon as I had enough saved, I’d find a new place.
I locked the door behind me, and exhaustion hit me hard.
I kicked off my boots, hung my cut on the back of the chair, and I barely made it to the bed before I fell face-first onto the mattress.
It felt like I’d only had my eyes closed for a few minutes when the alarm on my phone started blaring beside the bed.
Groaning, I reached over and slammed my hand against the screen until it finally shut off.
The room was still dark, and when I squinted at the clock, it wasn’t even six yet.
My alarms were still set on prospect time, and I didn’t have to do that shit anymore.
I let my head fall back and closed my eyes with a satisfied sigh.
I managed another couple of hours before the sun came creeping through my blinds, making it difficult to stay asleep.
I finally gave up and pulled myself out of bed.
I went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before heading to the bathroom for a hot shower.
I threw on some clean clothes, drank a cup of coffee, and by the time I pulled on my cut, I felt almost human again.
I made my way out to the parking lot and climbed on my bike. Seconds later, I was on my way to the clubhouse, feeling the heat of the sun on my back as it crept higher in the sky. It was going to be a hot one today. I didn’t mind. I’d take a hot day over one that was freezing cold any day.
When I pulled through the gate, I found Goose waiting for me in his truck with one arm hanging out the open window while he took a drink from his gas station coffee cup that was three times the size of his hand and looked like it was just waiting for the chance to spill all over him.
I parked beside him and climbed into the passenger seat.
The second I closed the door, Goose reached down, picked up a second cup of gas station coffee that was just as big as his, and offered it to me. “Damn, brother. You’re looking a little rough this morning.”
“Morning to you, too.”
“You sleep, or did you have company last night?” He made a face. “Oh, hell. What am I saying? We all know you’re flying solo these days.”
“That I am.” I took a long sip of the bitter coffee he’d given me, trying my best not to let him bait me. “Regardless, I slept fine.”
“The bags under your eyes say something different.”
“Appreciate the concern.”
“Well then, while I’m at it, you might wanna think about getting yourself a haircut.”
“You trying to drum up some business for Pres?”
“Gotta help out where I can,” he chuckled. “But seriously. You’re looking a bit homely over there.”
“Did you ask me to go with you just so you could ride my ass the whole way?”
“Just stating the obvious.”
“Says the guy whose beard looks like it’s hiding a bear’s ass?”
Goose barked out a laugh so loud it echoed through the cab of the truck. “There he is.”
“Who?”
“You. The real you.” Goose smirked. “The one with a little bite to him. Keep him around. Much better than the polite prospect bullshit you’ve been dishing out.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Always.”
The drive across town went pretty quick.
Goose had some old country tunes playing on the radio, and he kept talking shit anytime the opportunity presented itself.
Half an hour later, we’d pulled up at a small garage tucked between an auto shop and a tire place.
Goose killed the engine, and as he got out, he turned to me and said, “Be back in five.”
“I won’t hold my breath.”
“Better watch it or I’ll leave your ass here.”
“But then who would you have to entertain ya?”
“I’m all the entertainment I need.”
“That’s not something to brag about, brother.”
He shrugged, then shut the door and made his way inside.
The cab went quiet, and I sat there for a minute, soaking it all in. And I mean all of it: the sleeping late, the bad coffee, and the pain-in-the-ass company. I couldn’t imagine it getting any better than this.