Diesel (Aces MC Series Book 1) (5 page)

Harlow

I woke with a startle trying to gather my thoughts from the
past evenings events. My neck was hurting and I was still in my clothes. I stretched
to try and relieve some of the tightness in my body. I slowly got up from my
bed and used what strength I had to move the chest of drawers away from the
door. I peered into the corridor and quietly stalked into the living room with
my gun at arm’s length. After assessing my surroundings, I realised that
nothing was out of the ordinary and thankfully no one had tried to break in.

I decided to put the gun back into the metal tin under the
sink as I didn’t like carrying it around with me. The Skulls had obviously
intended to scare and not harm me, which they succeeded in doing but I didn’t
want to now become a victim. They now knew where I lived, would I really be in
danger and have to move? I let out a loud sigh looking around my apartment that
had now become my home. I liked it here. I had started to rebuild my life and
was now happy. I decided to have a long shower to try and wash away some of my
worries and tension.

Half an hour later, I’d recharged my batteries and started
to make the salad and rice dishes I intended to take to the party. Being around
the old ladies at the Skulls MC had given me a good insight into what would be
expected today. I couldn’t turn up empty handed and expect to drink their beer
and eat their food all day.

It was a lovely sunny day but as I was going to ride my
Harley, I decided to wear jeans and a vest top rather than a summer dress. My
tight fitted skinny jeans enhanced my curves and my red vest top showed just enough
cleavage to not be indecent. I topped it off with my black leather jacket to
keep me warm and safe on the journey over. I packed the food containers into a
rucksack and left my apartment making sure that I locked it securely.

I arrived at the Aces club house with the party in full
swing. I parked my bike next to a line of Harleys and unfastened my jacket. I
assessed my surroundings, looking at the compound. There were similarities
between the two clubs but the Aces were on a grander scale with a garage and
four other brick buildings on the sizable plot.

It was nearly 1.00pm and the sun was beating down on me so I
removed my jacket placing it over my seat along with my now empty rucksack and
carried the food into the heart of the party. “Harlow!” Amy shouted, waving at
me from the back of the courtyard. I weaved through the throngs of people
making my way over to a group of ladies who were serving food, cooking and
generally fussing around people. I held out the containers to Amy, “I’ve
brought a salad and some rice dishes.” Taking the containers with a smile, Amy
announced, “Hey everyone, this is Harlow. She’s Ethan’s new girlfriend.” Amy
beamed brightly looking at the other ladies, who had all stopped what they were
doing and were now looking at me.

I nervously started to protest when a set of big strong arms
wrapped around my waist pulling me into their embrace. I let out a squeak and
turned to see Diesel smiling. He bent down and started to kiss me. At first I
was taken aback by his brashness but I couldn’t help but join in. He placed his
hand in my hair at the top of my neck, which was becoming a common theme so
that he could control the kiss. I could feel myself getting carried away and
then I felt Diesel’s excitement digging into my stomach. I remembered that we
were among his friends but it was too late, the cheers and clapping surrounded
us as I tried to get out of his embrace. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Diesel whispered in my ear. He started to kiss my cheek softly moving slowly
towards my neck. I could feel the heat rising through my body and didn’t know
if it was Diesel making me hot or the shear embarrassment of being ravished
with an audience.

“Diesel put her down, we have business to discuss.” Duke’s
words were like a bucket of cold water being thrown over me. “Harlow.” Duke
said in a clipped voice with a nod of his head. I smiled and looked at the
floor, swinging my leg back and forth. “See you later babe.” Diesel whispered,
giving me another quick kiss on the lips. “Ladies look after Ink, whilst I’m
away.” He gave me a wink and I watched him walk into the club house, not able
to take my eyes off of him.

“That was hot!” Maggie screamed clapping her hands in
excitement. “I need to go and find Hound before I combust.” With that, the ladies
started laughing in unison. “Well, let’s get ‘Ink’ a drink and she can let us
know all of the gritty details.” Courtney said with a huge smile.

We were all having a good time and enjoying the party. “What’s
that skank doing here?” Amy shouted with venom in her voice. I turned to see a
woman a little worse for wear, stumbling around the courtyard. She was in her late
twenties with mid length mousy hair that looked like it needed a good wash. She
wasn’t that close but I could see the small round bruises on her arms and legs
and I knew immediately what those marks were as my mother was a junky whore.

“Who’s that?” I asked afraid of what the answer would be. “She’s
nobody of interest but she’s about to go home.” Amy stormed towards the woman,
grabbing her by the arm and marching her towards the gates. “Jimmy, remove this
skank before I break her neck. She’s not invited to family parties anymore.”
Amy shouted shoving the woman at the Prospect. “Sorry Amy, I don’t know how she
got in here.” Jimmy quickly grabbed the woman and carried her out of the
courtyard.

Amy came back to the group a little flustered but didn’t let
the confrontation ruin her mood. We danced, ate and chatted for around an hour
and I was generally enjoying myself. Amy had introduced me to various members
and associates of the club and some of them had booked appointments for tattoos.
During this time the ladies had asked me numerous questions and I had explained
how I got my job and the altercation I had with Jimmy, much to the ladies
amusement. Our date at Spirit Point had the ladies reaching for tissues and
they were shocked about my association with the Skulls. I was careful as to how
much I told them but they all understood my reasons for wanting a new start and
as I told my story, I’m sure I saw a little more understanding from some as
they had dealt with their own turmoil over the years. “I’ve run out of drink,
come on Harlow let’s go and get one and find your man.”

Amy and I linked arms and started to walk through the crowd
towards the drinks area. Amy was now a little worse for wear from the amount of
alcohol she’d consumed so I held her steady. “Hi Locke, have you seen Diesel?”
Amy asked a huge hunk of a man. He had a trendy short hair style and as I
looked closer I could see a scar that ran from his right ear to the corner of
his mouth. I must have been looking intently and was pulled from my
observation, “Do you want to come and take a closer look babe?” Locke said
looking me up and down, lingering on my breasts. Amy started to giggle, “Locke,
this is ‘Ink’.” This statement seemed to register with him. He smiled politely
and turned, giving his full attention to Amy. “Erm… I think I saw him go into
his office a little while ago.” Locke grabbed his drink and took off quickly
going in the opposite direction. Before Locke left he had an uneasy look on his
face, I started to have a bad feeling about this.

“Come on Harlow, let’s go and find him.” Amy said pulling me
towards the door but stopped at my reluctance. “I’m not sure Amy, did you see
that look on Locke’s face? He’s obviously busy. Maybe we should just leave him?”
I started to walk away. “Don’t be silly Harlow, he’ll be pleased to see you.”
Amy knocked on the office door and opened it before there was any response.

Amy let out a high pitched scream and put her hands on her
hips. I looked over her shoulder to see a naked woman on her knees in front of
Diesel. He looked up and locked eyes with me. “Don’t do this Ink, this isn’t
what it fucking looks like babe.” Diesel started to walk towards me but Amy
stood firm not letting him past. I backed away slowly shaking my head from side
to side and bumped against a solid body. I turned quickly. Seeing Spike
reassured me a little and I gave him a hug pressing my face hard against his
chest to suppress the tears. “Spike, can you show me the way out please?” He
looked over my shoulder to see the carnage taking place. “You fucking idiot!” He
shouted before putting his arm around me and directing me out of the building.

Spike tried to comfort me, “You don’t have to go home Harlow.
Please stay.” I started to put on my jacket and looked up into his caring eyes.
“I’m fine Spike, please stop worrying about me.” I had now tightened my helmet
and was sitting on my bike ready to go. “Diesel and I aren’t together so he can
do whatever and whoever he likes. I’ve had a lovely time despite the obvious
but I just want to go home now.” Spike moved closer and kissed me softly on the
cheek, “I’ll see you Monday.” I gave him a small smile before driving out of
the compound.

I can’t remember how I got home. I replayed the scene the
whole journey and couldn’t see how I may have gotten it wrong. He couldn’t even
wait for me to go home before he got sucked off by a club whore. I can’t believe
I opened myself up to getting hurt.

I’d felt my phone vibrate several times on the journey home
but I didn’t care. I got my phone out of my pocket and saw several messages
from Spike, Amy and Diesel. I wasn’t interested in what any of them had to say
so I deleted the messages. I put my phone and keys on the coffee table in the
middle of the living room and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
I let out a loud sigh, rubbing the back of my neck to take away some of the tension.
Sitting at the kitchen table, I played the scene out one last time in my head. Diesel
was fully clothed which was something but it was the woman who was playing on
my mind. I recognised her and was trying to rack my brains to figure out who
she was. Had she come into the shop for a tattoo? That’s when I realised that
the woman I saw Diesel with, was the woman that Amy had escorted off of the
premises earlier in the day. Alarm bells started ringing. I picked up my phone
to text Amy.

Was that woman with Diesel, Amber?

Yes but don’t worry about that skank. She pulls stunts
like that all the time. Please speak to Diesel. Amy x

That’s all I needed to know. That bitch was responsible for
the death of his child and he was prepared to risk what could have developed
between us for a quickie with his ex. My phone vibrated again.

Please let me know you’re ok! Spike

Fucking marvellous! Gonna lay low this weekend. Speak
to you Monday x

I turned off my phone and put it into my bag. I didn’t want
to talk to anyone, I was too upset. I took a quick shower and towel dried my
hair, relieving some of the tension that had built up this afternoon. I put on
my most comfortable pyjamas and dressing gown and settled on the sofa with a
cup of tea when there was a knock on the door.

“Ink, are you in there? Open the fucking door we need to
talk.” It was Diesel banging on my door. I initially sat still not wanting him
to know that I was in. It eventually went quiet so I crawled along the living
room, peering out of the window. I noticed that he was sporting a bruise on his
left cheek but this still didn’t ruin his natural beauty.

“It’s not what you think. She just started to take her
clothes off. She’s a crazy bitch.” After 5 minutes of banging he finally walked
down the path and drove off on his bike, clearly annoyed. I sat back on the
sofa, turning the television on but muting the sound so that I could ponder
over today’s events, when there was a gentle knock on the door. I got up from
my seat and decided that I didn’t want to sit around feeling sorry for myself. I
hadn’t done anything wrong and he had some major sucking up to do. I flung the
door open, “Hello Princess, long time no see!”

Spike

Sorry Spike won’t be in today feeling ill. Please
reschedule my appointments for later on in the week. Harlow x

I hadn’t heard from Harlow all weekend. She hadn’t returned
my calls and I was hoping she just had a cold and wasn’t hiding from Diesel.

That’s fine. Do U need anything?

No! x

Harlow’s response surprised me. I had a busy day myself with
customers and now had to rearrange her appointments. I planned on going around
to see her after work. I was still reeling from my altercation with Diesel. I
was so annoyed with him on Saturday that we came to blows. I know it was a
misunderstanding and he hadn’t done anything with Amber but that crazy arse
bitch could potentially ruin the best thing that has ever happened to him.
Amber was told by Duke to never return to the club and has made it clear that if
any Brother helps her, they will answer to him. Hopefully that will stop her
from turning up again, if she knows what’s best for her.

I closed the shop at 5.00pm and went to the pharmacy to buy
some cold and flu products for Harlow as I needed her back in the shop as soon
as possible. I pulled up outside Harlow’s apartment and thought I saw the
living room curtain twitch. Was I imagining it? I knocked on the door and
waited for her to answer. After a couple of minutes I knocked again. “Harlow
its Spike, answer the door.”

I went to the window and tried to look through but the
curtains were pulled making it impossible to see anything. I knocked on the
door again, “If you don’t open this fucking door, I’m gonna kick it in.” I
heard the lock and then the white painted door opened slightly. Harlow poked
her head through the small gap, “Spike, you didn’t have to come over. I told
you I was fine.” The harshness of her voice fucking annoyed me. I’ve always
been respectful to her. “I’ve brought you medicines to make you better, now let
me in.” I held up the bag from the pharmacy to show her but I was getting
angrier by the minute at her reluctance.

She reminded me so much of Helen. Stubborn, pig headed and
strong, the list was endless. “I don’t want you catching it Spike.” She said
trying to close the door but I stuck my foot in the gap, “Open the fucking door
now, stop being so fucking stubborn and let me look after you.” I pushed the
door open with force and was shocked by what I saw.

“What the fuck has happened to your face?” I dropped the medicines
on the floor as I grabbed her arms to hold her still so that I could inspect her.
She grimaced at my touch. Looking down at her arms, I could see bruising
everywhere. I let go and started to run my fingers through my hair not knowing
what to do. “Get on the sofa, I need to take a look at you.” As she walked over
to the sofa she held her ribs and the pain on her face pulled on my heart
strings. She was in a lot of pain and I was going to find out who did this to
her and fucking kill them. I took my phone out of my pocket and called Doc. I
shouted down the phone, “I need you at Harlow’s place now!” I doubted he knew
where she lived but he would figure it out.

“Harlow, you need to tell me exactly what happened.” I sat
on the coffee table directly in front of her. It was hard not to touch her as I
didn’t know where she was hurting so I tried to keep my distance. “It’s
nothing. I came off my bike on the way home on Saturday. I told you I had a
cold because I didn’t want you to worry.” She wasn’t making eye contact and I
could tell that she was lying but I didn’t want to push her. She started
coughing and holding her side, her ribs were either bruised or broken. 

I stormed into the kitchen to get her a drink. Taking a
clean glass from the draining board, I filled it with cold water from the jug
in the fridge. As I walked past the kitchen table I noticed her leather jacket hanging
on the back of the chair. I picked it up and inspected it thoroughly. There
were no marks or scrapes on the leather and this confirmed what I already
thought.

I took the glass of water into the living room and placed it
on the coffee table. Harlow was taking her asthma pump because she was
struggling to breath. I had obviously upset her by asking too many questions
but I needed to get to the truth. I knelt between her legs on the wooden floor,
resting my hands lightly on her knees. “Harlow, you need to calm down babe.
Slow breaths come on.” I lifted the water to her lips and she slowly took a sip
but pulled away as it hurt her cut lip.

“I know you’re not telling me the truth. I’ve seen your
leather and there aren’t any marks on it. I need to know who your protecting babe
and why?” I sat back and waited for her to answer. Her eyes started to fill
with tears. She was staring at the floor and still couldn’t make eye contact
with me. “I’ve gotta ask you one more question, then I will give you some
space. Was it Diesel who assaulted you?” She looked at me with horror on her
face. “Why would you think it was Diesel who attacked me?” There was a knock on
the door which made her jump, “It’s okay Harlow.” I reassured her patting her knee
lightly as I got to my feet. I pulled out my gun, making my way around the sofa
towards the door. Peering through the peep hole, I saw Doc and Duke.

I opened the door, allowing them enough space to enter the
living room. Harlow’s apartment was a reasonable size but felt small with the
four of us in the same room. Doc walked over to Harlow and I hung back with
Duke trying to give them some space. Doc asked if they could go into her
bedroom so that she could be examined properly. I was waiting for her response
because I would then know if we were dealing with a sexual assault. She slowly
got up from the sofa making her way into the bedroom, still holding her side from
the pain. She looked over at me and gave a small smile.

“What are we dealing with Spike?” Duke asked sitting on the brown
leather chair in the corner of the room. “Not sure man. She told me that she
was ill and that’s why she couldn’t work today. I came here to give her some medicines
to make her better.” Duke looked at me inquisitively.  “Obviously I want her
back at work quickly.” Duke raised his eyebrows so I continued quickly, “When
she wouldn’t let me in, I kinda barged through the door and found her in that
state.”

I took a long breath, “I asked her if it was Diesel.” I saw
the shock on his face. “Did you really think that Diesel would smack the shit
out of her? He’s fallen for her hard.” Duke was raising his voice and I simply
took it. I knew I was acting like a cock. “What’s really going on Spike? Is
this about Helen? You know you can’t save everyone.” I wanted to smack the shit
out of him for mentioning Helen. This situation had nothing to do with her. I leapt
off the sofa and stalked into the kitchen to find something to drink. I flung
open several cupboard doors pushing the contents from one side to the other and
found a metal container that caught my attention. I shouldn’t have but I opened
it to find that it contained a gun. Why the fuck did she have a gun? Who was
she afraid of? I put the lid on securely and continued to search for something
alcoholic. In the back of the cupboard by the fridge I found a bottle of
unopened Jack. I suppose her time spent with the Skulls had some influence on
her taste in Whiskey. I knew Harlow wouldn’t mind so I pulled out two glasses
and filled them. I knocked one back and filled it again, taking the two glasses
into the living room.  I gave a glass to Duke and we sat there in silence
waiting for the verdict of her injuries.

“Should we call Diesel?” I looked at Duke waiting for his
response. He swirled the brown liquid around in his glass before downing it in
one. “He’ll be back in two hours. There’s no point in calling him if he’s on
the road. He will only speed and end up killing himself.” We sat in silence,
just waiting to hear some news.

Doc finally entered the room and sat down on the sofa next
to me with a loud sigh. “What we looking at Doc?” I asked wanting to go into
her bedroom and take good care of her. “She’s been viciously assaulted by more
than one man.” I could feel myself filling with rage. I sat forward resting my
chin on my hands, wanting to kill the bastards for hurting her.

“She hasn’t been sexually assaulted but she has heavy
bruising and I think a couple of her ribs are broken from being kicked multiple
times. She’s lucky she hasn’t suffered concussion from the bruising around her
head.” We all sat there in silence not knowing what to say or do. “Can you give
her any medication for the pain?” Duke spoke quietly trying to prevent Harlow
from hearing what we were discussing. “I’ve given her some pain relief and a
sleeping tablet to knock her out. It will take her anything from three to six
weeks to recover properly.” Doc stood and collected his bag, “I’ll leave you
with the medication but make sure she takes them regularly.” Doc looked at Duke,
“I’ll be off then if that’s okay?” Duke stood with his hand held out, “Thanks
for your help Doc.” They shook hands then he left the apartment closing the door
quietly behind him.

“What happens now?” I asked looking over at Duke. “We wait. Wait
until she can tell us exactly what happened.” I couldn’t just sit there
waiting. I went into the kitchen to get the bottle of Jack and noticed her
phone on the side. Picking it up, I took it into the living room along with the
bottle. I poured two drinks and started to look through her phone. I noticed
that she had a few unread texts from myself, Amy and Diesel and that another
number had text her recently but wasn’t saved under a name. I read the messages
which didn’t reveal much. Nothing bad, just a few messages about her being
missed.

“What is it Spike, you have that look on your face.” Duke
leaned forward resting his chin on his steepled fingers. “She has texts sent to
her but addressing her as Princess. Diesel named her ‘Ink’ so it’s nothing to
do with our MC. Maybe Diesel will know something when he arrives.” We sat there
for what felt like ages. The silence was broken by Dukes phone. “Diesel…That’s
great, thanks for your help with that, look where are you?…okay, make your way
to Harlow’s…Just make your way here and I’ll explain when you arrive.” Duke
turned his phone off and returned it to his pocket. “Diesel’s on his way. We’re
gonna need another drink.”

Diesel

I drove like a fucking lunatic trying to get to Ink’s
apartment. She’d been the only thing on my mind since Saturday, well tell a
lie, she’d been the only thing on my mind since the day I met her at the shop.
The girl meant everything to me and I wasn’t wasting any more time. The next time
I saw her, I was going to tell her that she was mine.

I arrived at her apartment and went rushing in to find Duke
and Spike sitting in the living room. “Where is she?” I said looking around the
room franticly. “Sleeping. Look there’s no easy way of explaining this man,
she’s been assaulted.” Duke stood as he told me holding my gaze. I stomped to
her bedroom and found her asleep on the bed. She looked so peaceful, like she
did the night I took her to Spirits Point. I sat next to her noticing the
bruising and scratches on her beautiful face. I moved the cover slightly,
trying to see if she had any other injuries. She had bruising on her arms like
she had been grabbed with force. Even in her sleep she was holding her side and
I wondered if there was any further damage. I covered her back over and kissed
her softly on her head, leaving her peacefully.

“Does someone want to fucking tell me what’s been going on?
I’ve only been out of town for a day!” I was shouting at the President of our
club and I didn’t give a shit. “We probably know as much as you at the moment.
Spike came round here a couple of hours ago because Harlow had called in sick.”
Duke tried to explain but I was looking directly at Spike. “So you thought you
would just pop round to see if she was okay? Trying to save the day again were
you Spike.” I said with venom in my voice. “Easy VP, he was looking out for
your girl and a good job too.” Duke stood between us trying to prevent another
fist fight.

“Do you know who calls her Princess?” Spike asked not
listening to my last spiteful comment. Princess! I tried to think of a time
when she’d been called Princess. The altercation in the cafe sprang to mind.
That rancid Patch called her Princess and so did Flex. “Skulls! The Skulls call
her Princess. Must have been her dad that gave her the name, sort of see why.” Spike
and Duke glanced at each other. “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked
anxiously. Duke placed his hand on my shoulder, “She had texts on her phone
addressing her as Princess. I think the Skulls paid her a visit.”

We needed to call church to discuss our next move. We
decided to do this tomorrow morning so that I could stay the night here with
Ink. Duke and Spike got ready to leave. “If you need anything, just give me a
call.” Duke patted me on the back and they left closing the door quietly behind
them. I stripped down to my boxers, folding my clothes neatly and hanging them
over the back of the sofa. I took my knife and gun into the bedroom, once I had
secured the apartment. Ink was in the same position as I’d left her earlier. I pulled
back the duvet slowly and got into the cold bed behind her. I gently stroked
her head, taking all of her hair away from her face. God this girl was beautiful.

I must have disturbed her because she rolled over slowly
with a slight grimace on her face. Harlow opened her eyes and I saw something
deep inside. I couldn’t make out if it was fear, anger or desire. “Diesel, why
are you here?” She said in a whisper. “I’ve come to look after you babe and I’m
never leaving your side again. You have to learn to trust me. I will never let
anyone hurt you again.” She didn’t say a word, she just snuggled into me which
made me feel whole. We laid there in comfortable silence when she looked at me
and said “Thank you” before she fell back to sleep. I lay there listening to
her heavy breathing and could feel the swell of my heart.