Rage (5 page)

“So that’s it, then? We just swoop in and take them out? With what army? We’re a small club.  We don’t have that kind of power.” Crow was always the skeptic.

“Got River Serpents on the line.  They want the fuckers out of the area too, want to swallow up their drug trade.”

“So we enlist the help of some big-ass biker gang.  What’s to say they won’t do like Donal and take over?” Thrash spoke up.  He always thought everything through.  Asked the hard questions.

“We’ll have to work out the details, but we’ve got to choose between two devils, and I like my odds with Snake.” Eric shrugged.  The leader of the River Serpents was known to be fair, honorable.

Even if he did deal drugs.

“Joe’s a good man.  Won’t double cross us.” Mick closed the subject.  The two of them were old friends, and everyone knew it.  Must’ve been why they were considering River Serpents to begin with.

It was decided.  I slammed my fist into the club’s table, marking an end to the discussion.

“Motherfuckers want a war, they’ll get one.”

Layla

I woke up, my eyes filled with gummy sleep from crying.  I wasn’t sure when I’d passed out, or for how long, but it must have been a while.  The sun was down and the street was illuminated with failing street lamps, some dim, some blown out.  It was almost completely dark.

It was also past eight-thirty and my stomach was growling.  I got up and padded down stairs, into the living room and through to the kitchen. 

Killer was mewing at me.

“Did he feed you before he left, Killer? I guess not,” I said as I looked around.  Cullen was nowhere in sight.

“What a dick, huh?” I opened the fridge and started the search for something to eat.  The cat seemed to smirk at my efforts, and it only took me a glance to know why.  The fridge was still bare of all but beer and pizza.  I took my chances with the cabinets and faired better.  “Don’t worry, sweetie.  I won’t let you starve.”

The cat wrapped his body around my legs as I bent down and pulled out a small bag of cat food.  There was a little scoop in it, so I measured some out and put it in his plastic dish on the floor.

“There you go, buddy.  But remember that it was me who fed you.  I could use a friend.” I scratched his back as he ate and then turned back to the fridge, pulling out a pizza box and looking inside.

It was still pretty fresh, maybe a day old.  It had onion on it, but it would do.

I went through the motions, but inside I felt dull.  Empty.  There was a nagging ache that I couldn’t escape.

I was never going to see my brother again.  I was never going to go back to Chicago.  As I half-hearted picked onion bits off my overheated slice of man-food, I stewed over my situation.  Safer here? It was bullshit, keeping me here.  I couldn’t figure why anyone would really go after me at this point.  Still, Mick wanted me to stick around.  There must’ve been some kind of threat.

So here I was.  I felt trapped.  Sure, if I had to stick around, staying with Cullen wasn’t so bad, but it was all about choices.  Or my lack of choices.  The only ‘choice’ could see was whether I would make do or whether I was going to hate my stay.

I’d never been good at sulking, so I resigned myself to making do and began rooting around the kitchen in an effort to find a cookie sheet for my sad slice of pizza. 

The boys didn’t even have a microwave.  What kind of world were they living in?

Probably one where they were rarely home.

After my pizza was cooked, I sat down at the table and leafed through what little was sitting on it.  Notebooks.

Beast’s writing.  I knew it the instant I saw it.

Lists upon lists of things.  Goals, daily and long-term.

Beast had always been a planner, the kind of guy who had a step-by-step method for everything.  Even getting up in the morning.  It was what made him so efficient, he said.

He had it all planned out.  First he would complete “the big job,” then he would come to Chicago.  Get me.  Each thing numbered.  Like it was that easy.  Most of it was in code, things that meant something else.  No way they had a “dog” to walk—that might have meant patrols, because it popped up almost every day.

He was so careful.

Except his list didn’t save him from getting shot.

I pushed it away.  Tears were threatening again.  I didn’t want to keep crying.  I was tired of crying.

All cried out.

Rumbling coming down the driveway.  I perked up as soon as I heard it, but it wasn’t a motorcycle.  No.  It was something else.  A truck?

I got up from my seat and tiptoed to the front of the house, poking my head out of the window.

A little red SUV, the kind that was more for show than anything else, rattled on in the driveway.  A beautiful blonde slid out of the driver’s seat.

The house was so hidden amongst the vacant lots and thickets of overgrown brush that what was once a full block of houses was now completely empty, save this one.  If anyone was coming up here, it had to be intentional.

Audrey Canchola.  The one girl I never wanted to lay eyes on again was in the driveway.  There was a casserole in her arms.  A casserole.

What the actual fuck?

This girl tormented me in high school, always trying to push me, antagonize me.  If it wasn’t about sports or academics, it was about the club.  Or about boys.

She’d set out to flirt with Cullen every chance she got, as soon as she saw I was interested.

When I left, I’d hoped she fell into a hole.

Judging by her perfect body and her well-painted face, I hadn’t gotten my wish at all.  She was even more beautiful than in ninth grade.

She was gorgeous and all grown up, and she was bringing Cullen a casserole.

I answered the door on the first knock.

“Can I help you?” I asked.  It came out strangled.

“Uh, hi.  Is Cullen home?”

“I’m sorry, he’s out on business.  Can I take a message?”

“Yes, I brought him a dish.  I heard about Beast and I didn’t want to intrude, but—wait, Layla?”

I blinked, feeling caught in the headlights.  I’d hoped she was just going to leave it and tell me to have a nice day.  The last thing I wanted right now was to go through any of the hell that I’d gone through in high school.  Audrey was the kind of girl who brought a casserole to snoop, not to be nice. 

“Layla McKenna?”

“Yup, that’s me.” I smiled, as sweetly as I possibly could, trying not to let any irritation show.

“Audrey Canchola, from Woodlawn! We were in the same grade.  I am so sorry to hear about your brother.  I knew him pretty well, being, you know, with the club and all.  Here, this is for you.  I made a green bean casserole, thought you might like it.  Well, I thought Cullen might like it.  I didn’t realize—”

“Thank you so much, we really do appreciate it.” I took the dish from her hands and started to close the door, willing her to go away and leave me in peace.

“He didn’t tell me you were staying with him.” No such luck.  “You here short term, or…?”

“Yeah, I just moved in,” I said, unable to avoid the awkward conversation.

“Just moved in? You’re not visiting?” Ah, there it was, the full-on nosy, judgmental tone in her voice that reminded me exactly why I’d hated her in high school.  This was just gossip fodder to her.

“No, the club wants me here.  Cullen wants me here, so I’m here.” I tried to smile, but it came out sad.  “It was what Sean would’ve wanted.”

“Rage never told me.  Eric never said—I mean, I figured—”

“Do you two talk often?” I asked.

“Rage, or Bones? I guess you could say that.  We’re dating.”

Who? I was so confused.

“Oh?”

“I mean, off and on.  I’m a club girl, you know? Guess I’m dating a few guys.  But Bones, he’s special.  Right now we’re off, but I used to date Cullen, too.  Still do, on occasion.”

“He’d never told me about you.  I didn’t know that you used to date.” I got my feet under me just in time to look up and see his motorcycle rumbling down the driveway.  “You want to stay and talk to him? I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

“Yes.  I’m sure he will.” She adjusted herself right in front of me and smiled.  “It’s a shame about your brother.  I’ve seen him around the club.  Got to be a big, strapping young man, if you know what I mean.”

Ew.

“On second thought, it might be best if you leave.  But thanks for visiting.” It was a damn lie, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of telling her the truth.

I slammed the door in her face and leaned against it, still listening.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” He didn’t sound pleased to see her.

“I thought I would surprise you with a casserole.”

A casserole.  I really couldn’t get over that.  Audrey Canchola with a casserole in her grasping hands.  I actually wondered for a moment who had made it for her but Cullen’s response was a hell of a lot more interesting than figuring out what Audrey would do for an excuse to flirt.

“I told you not to come back, Audrey,” he was saying.  “The last time was the last time.” He sounded tired, angry, like he had repeated himself more than once. 

“But you always say that, baby.” I shuddered as I heard her voice trill on that last word.

“Yeah, well, I mean it.  God, do all you women have to be in my shit today?”

The way his voice cracked got my attention.  I tiptoed to the window and peeked out.  I watched Audrey reach for him and I swore he was about to fight her.  He tensed up, his jaw hardening.  Must’ve been enough, because she stopped.

“No you don’t.  You never do.  Besides, you need comfort now more than ever, and I know she can’t give it to you.”

“Quit being nebby, and don’t bring Layla into this.”

“She’ll never love you, Rage.  Not like I can.  I remember how lost you were.  The hurt little puppy dog you turned into after she left.  But she isn’t back here for you.  She doesn’t want you.  I do.  Remember that.  She won’t do the things I do.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“I don’t know why you have her in your home.”

“It’s her home, too.  Her brother left her his half.”

“Are you together?”

“That’s not your business.  Go fuck Bones.  Isn’t that what you’re doing now?”

“She broke your heart once.  She’ll do it again.”

“I told you that wasn’t up for discussion.”

Did he still want me?

I could almost hear her pout.  She hadn’t matured at all since high school.  “Neither is what me and Bones are doin’, Cul.”

Can’t say I was exactly shocked.

“Just leave.  Go.”

Chapter 4

Cullen

“I’m not in the mood to talk about it, Layla.” I said it before I even entered the house.  The last thing I wanted to do was talk to her about Audrey or Brandy or any of the women trying to use me to pull themselves up into the club.

“Got it.”

I doubted she wanted to talk, anyway, but I was too fucking pissed with Audrey to push at that door.

“We need to talk about something a little more serious.” I broached the subject carefully, trying to choose my words.  I was good at negotiating with other gangs.  This would be no different.  Layla was just as tough as any of their leaders.  Always had been.  It was something Sean had been proud of.

“What about?”

“Your involvement with the club, and exactly how it is going to look.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re here now, and to be honest, you’re going to be here for a long while.  Even if you don’t want to be.  I know it isn’t what you want, but it’s the way it is.” It was what was best, and she knew it.

It was as sympathetic as I could pretend to be.  I wanted her here, wanted her close so that I could watch over her.  And because I’d realized that I wanted something from her that I wasn’t ready to define.

Beyond making sure she was safe, I didn’t want to talk about it.

She nodded.  Finally, something she couldn’t argue about.

“I know.  So what do they want?”

“They want you to come work for them.  It’ll give you some money in your pocket.”

“We already talked about this, remember? I won’t do anything illegal.”

“I know, Lala.  Mick insisted you never be involved in that shit.  They want you working for their legit club books and their garage accounts.  Everything is all legal.  I swear, Layla.  I wouldn’t let them if they weren’t going to.”

“Why? Why do you care?” She stared at me, those icy green eyes looking right through me as she spoke.

Looking into her eyes, I knew why I cared.  Why I’d never stopped loving her.  She had been back less than twenty-four hours and she had already turned my world upside down.  I hadn’t seen her in years, and as soon as I looked at her, everything came flooding back. 

She had been my first, the only girl I’d ever loved.  Maybe the only one I ever
could
love.

But I couldn’t tell her that.  I wasn’t that much of a pussy.  I’d let myself fall for her before and she’d stomped on my heart.  Ripped it out and run it over on her way to Chicago.

“Because I made a promise to your brother that I would protect you.  I keep my promises.” I ground out the last sentence.  I meant it to hurt.

I kept my promises.  She didn’t.

She’d walked away without a thought about what she’d promised me.

“I see.  Well, fine.  I’ll take the job.  And I’ll be allowed out of the house?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“When?”

“Do you want out right now?” I asked.

“I think I do.  I spent most of the afternoon sleeping.”

“Then come with me,” I said, standing.  Hell, I didn’t want to be trapped here, either.  It was like a tomb of all of Sean’s things.  His entire life fit in one 10x12 space.  I’d have given anything to have a little distance.

“Where?”

“Does it matter?” I asked.  I knew the answer before she said it.  But I let her, anyways.

“No.”

“Good.  Grab a helmet and let’s go.”