Part 12 (2/2)
Case held his gaze seriously for as long as he could, then smirked and started laughing. ”I can't hold your hand when you've got a b.o.n.e.r, man. I love you and all, but that's where I draw the line.”
”Aw f.u.c.k you, you're jealous and you know it.”
”Saw you in the shower once. Really f.u.c.king wish I hadn't,” Case grimaced and J. laughed loudly.
”That you Johnson?” Teach's voice floated from the front office.
”Yeah Teach, I'm up.”
”How'd the delivery go?” The old man appeared in the doorway, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. J. could smell the whiskey he'd added and smiled.
”The guy was happy. Tipped me pretty well.”
”And then you had yourself a nice day off I hope?”
”He got punched by a chick and he liked it,” Case interjected. ”J.'s got a new old lady.” He laughed and ducked out of the way of J.'s smack.
Teach's eyebrows shot up. ”You know the drill, J.”
J. nodded. ”The club has to agree. I got it.” He sighed. ”Can you f.u.c.kers at least sweep the place before I bring her by? Spray an air freshener or something? It smells like a wet ball sack in here.”
Teach nodded then called over to the bunks where the sleeping forms of Crash and MacDougal still snored away. ”Listen up! In an hour we hose this place down. Not your girl, J.” he clarified. ”The Storm Riders from down in Richmond are doing a long distance ride up to Maine and they contacted me to get permission to pa.s.s through. I invited them to party here tonight.”
Case looked at J. excitedly. Crash popped up from his bunk like a jack-in-the-box. ”We finally gonna have a proper f.u.c.king party around here? s.h.i.+t! It's about time.” He bounded from his bed, ignoring his stiff, scarred leg, and scurried over to where Teach was standing. ”When're they coming?”
”Tonight, whenever they get here. I want the place in party shape. You know the drill. Sensitive s.h.i.+t on lockdown. Fridges full. Ammo locked up.” He nodded significantly at Case who snapped to attention.
”The Storm Riders, huh? Who're they?” J. ventured. Since he'd joined the Sons of Steel, they had kept pretty well to themselves and he was finding he preferred it that way. The less people in your circle, the less chances there were of them f.u.c.king you over.
”Support club out of Richmond. They support the Storm MC.” Case whistled at the name. The Storm MC was the biggest club on the East Coast and their reputation was one of almost militant precision.
But that wasn't what concerned J. ”They an integrated club?”
Teach nodded at the question. ”They don't go in for that swastika, n.a.z.i s.h.i.+t, if that's what you mean. They have a problem with you, they have a problem with me, they have a problem with all of us, right?”
Case and Crash both nodded, but J. was unconvinced. ”I'm not dealing with any skinhead s.h.i.+t in my territory.” He could feel his fists balling instinctively. ”They're coming to us, make sure they know that.”
Teach nodded, his gray dreads swinging. ”I wouldn't have invited them if I thought there'd be trouble. But I hear you.” He turned to Case and Crash. ”No getting s.h.i.+tfaced tonight. We watch our backs.”
Case nodded. Crash looked crestfallen, but nodded as well. MacDougal grunted in his bunk and raised his fist in understanding, then rolled back over to the wall.
”All right, one hour,” Teach clapped his hands together like an elementary school teacher and the three men made to scatter. But Teach held J. by the arm. ”Johnson. Your sister. She left another message. She was crying into the phone.”
J. felt his blood run cold. ”f.u.c.k,” was his only reply.
Teach nodded. ”I hope you're close to being able to deal with it. Because I'm honestly getting sick of her taking up all my tape.”
”You could get voicemail and join the 21st century like the rest of us,” J. pointed out. But Teach's eyes blazed at him and J. ducked his head at his mentor's fury. ”Fine. Tomorrow. After the party.”
”Good.” The old man turned back to the front of the store. He had heard J. give his word and that meant it was law now. J. sighed and turned to the showers, hoping the hot water hadn't run out. Though a cold shower might help cool the fury that pumped through him like fire in his veins.
Chapter 21.
Emmy The woman behind the bar was ignoring me. ”Excuse me?” I called, louder this time. I waved my hand to her, but she kept wiping the gla.s.ses and hanging them in the rack above her, her expression a million miles away.
Rosie's bar had just opened when the cab dropped me out front. In my panicked state, I had almost thought I was at the wrong place. It looked different in the daylight.
It had taken me longer to leave than I thought it would. I spent most of the morning turning circles in our bedroom, looking at everything for the last time. I had my backpack from my college days stuffed with a few pairs of underwear, my customized T-s.h.i.+rt along with a few more tops, and a pair of jeans. The four hundred and thirty eight dollars was st.i.tched into the lining of my handbag.
That was all I could take. All I felt ent.i.tled to take. All I wanted to take. Everything was tainted with the smell of Robert, the feel of Robert. Everything I saw reflected Robert's eyes in the mirror as he told me to watch while he raped me.
Thinking the word had made the strength go out of my legs and I had collapsed in the middle of the living room. The ceiling fan rotated slowly, high above, providing optimal airflow as it watched me gasp for breath. The ragged place inside my core throbbed.
When I finally found my strength again, I ran for the endtable and yanked the drawer out of its tracks. It clattered to the floor as I stabbed wildly at the b.u.t.tons on the fan remote. The fan sped up, slowed down and the jerked to a halt, reversing its course. I felt a whoosh of air hit my face and smiled grimly. f.u.c.k his airflow. I grabbed my backpack and hit the b.u.t.ton for the elevator with satisfaction.
When I walked through the lobby, I smiled and nodded to Officer Wilkens as if nothing was wrong. He gave a friendly wave back and called something to me. But I was too keyed up to stay and have a conversation.
I needed as much of a head start as I could get.
I hoped when Robert came home tonight, he wouldn't even notice what I had taken. I hoped he would wait angrily for me to get home, furiously clutching the fan remote. I pictured him sitting on the edge of our bed, dreaming of how he would punish me. But I would never come home. Slowly, he would realize he had gone too far.
And then a few days later he would get my letter. I patted my bag to make sure I had remembered it and heard the rea.s.suring crinkle in the outside pocket. I would put it in the mail today. I would tell him I was gone and to leave me alone. I was starting over again and he wasn't part of my life anymore.
I patted the bag over and over again as I raised my arm to summon the taxi that would drive me away from my penthouse prison. I tapped my foot on the pavement and laughed at the complete lack of cabs on the street. Of course. Unable to wait in front of the building, and aware that Officer Wilkens was watching, I turned downtown. I would start walking and find a cab to take me to the only place I knew to find J. Rosie's Cellar.
And now Rosie was ignoring me.
I squared my shoulders and walked directly into her line of sight. ”Hi!” I said brightly, setting my handbag down on the bar and dropping my backpack to my feet. ”Can I ask you a question?”
She looked at me with a neutral expression, until a flicker of recognition pa.s.sed over her face. ”The boys ain't here, honey,” she answered in her broad, flat accent, still wiping and putting away gla.s.ses.
I tamped down my annoyance. ”I can see that. Can you tell me where I'd find them?”
”It's not even noon yet. Doubt they'd even be up.”
I gritted my teeth. I didn't have much time. ”Right, I know. Where do they live?”
”Seems like if they wanted you to know they would have told you, huh?”
I clenched my sore fists in frustration. She was protecting them, this was a good sign. It would make me harder to find. I decided to take another tact. ”Please Rosie. I need their help. I'm in trouble.”
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