Strays (Red Kings #1) (4 page)

4

February 18th

Jackie stood outside of the diner with her cellphone to her ear as she tried to get in touch with Tyler. He had asked to borrow her truck this morning, promising he would come pick her up as soon as she called. The problem was that she had tried to ring him four times now and he wasn't answering. She let out a frustrated sigh as it went to voicemail again. Rolling her eyes, she turned and began walking towards their apartment.

She arrived at the small living space forty-five minutes later, finding no signs that showed Tyler had been there since they left together that morning. Jackie sighed and decided to give him a few minutes to show up, setting to the task of cleaning the kitchen while she waited. Half an hour later, she looked at the clock, noting that it was almost five. It wasn't like him to not let her know where he was; Tyler knew she would be worried. She cursed and stood up quickly, grabbing her purse from the table and heading out the door to the only other place she could think of to look for Tyler.

She got on a bus that dropped her off a few blocks from the Red Kings’ clubhouse, then walked the rest of the way there. She didn't know where else to look except for the biker hangout, a place where Tyler had become very comfortable. Walking through the gates surrounding the property, she headed towards the first person who might know her best friend's whereabouts. She spotted her old truck sitting in the parking lot and rolled her eyes. Typical Tyler, he was probably sitting at the bar inside, drinking and hitting on the scantily-clad girls that usually hung out around the clubhouse.

“Hey, Nash,” Jackie said with a smile as she walked towards a man that was in the garage they used to service both customers to make a living and their own automotive needs. Mark Edwards, affectionately named Nash after his birthplace in Tennessee, was just under six feet tall with dozens of tattoos, dark hair, and bright, piercing eyes. He only spoke when he had something worth saying, which made him seem a bit cold. Jackie tried to avoid being alone with him, if only to prevent awkward silences, but she found that he was rather accepting of her. He was the only guy there to not give her any shit about her relationship with Tyler or her sporadic presence around the clubhouse. Nash shifted his eyes from the engine in front of him to her approaching figure and nodded silently in greeting. She leaned on the car he was working on, being careful to keep her distance from him just to be on the safe side. “Have you seen Tyler today?”

He shook his head, going back to his work. Jackie nodded and scratched the back of her head nervously as she began to walk away.

“Ask TJ.”

The mumble was so deep that it was almost a whisper, but it managed to make her jump nonetheless. TJ, the charter's treasurer, was a pleasant guy with a loud voice and a rather obnoxious personality. He was blonde, short, and, apart from his broad shoulders, was nowhere near as muscled as the other members were. He was the polar opposite of Nash, his mouth always running a mile a minute. TJ never stopped talking; he could discuss anything and everything and always had an opinion, which was, according to him, the one that mattered most.

Jackie turned back to Nash to find that he hadn't moved from his original position under the hood, but she was sure he had spoken. “TJ? Right. Is he in the clubhouse?” Nash nodded microscopically, but it was enough for Jackie. “Thanks.”

She spun on her heel and headed across the space towards the motorcycle club's hangout, hoping nobody would yell at her for being here. Her day had been pretty crappy so far and the brunette really looked forward to finding her best friend so she could chew him out. Arriving in front of the main door, she stood there uncertainly for a second, then knocked softly. When she received no answer, she knocked harder, grimacing as the metal door brushed roughly against her knuckles.

“It's open!” she heard someone call from inside the building.

She tentatively turned the knob and pushed the door open just enough to stick her head inside. Glancing around, she spotted TJ and Taco, the club's newest prospect, playing a game of pool. Taco was a tall, lanky man with shaggy brown hair and was a few years younger than Jackie. He was awkward and clumsy, but he seemed to have a kind heart, which made him an odd addition to a crew like this.

“Tag-along!” TJ's booming voice hit her ears, causing her to wince slightly, both at the volume and the newly acquired nickname. “C'mon in. What brings you here?”

Jackie slowly moved into the main room, grateful that there were only two club members present. “Hey, have you seen Tyler? He's not answering his phone and I can't find him anywhere.”

“Yeah, he was here earlier. The guys thought it would be a good time to break him into some of the club business.”

She froze and stared at him, not liking the potential meanings of what he had just said. “Wh-what does that mean?”

“Don't worry about it, sweetcheeks. Your boyfriend will be just fine.” TJ turned back to his game of pool, lining up a shot and sinking two balls into the corner pocket.

“Where are they? I mean, is he okay? What are they doing? Could he get hurt?” Jackie was starting to feel the beginning stages of panic set in.

The blonde treasurer rolled his eyes at the woman while Taco stood quietly to the side. “He's perfectly safe,” TJ said, trying to reassure Jackie. “Dean will make sure nothing happens to the kid. Relax.”

She stared at him incredulously with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. “You cannot tell me that he's with Dean and honestly expect that to help me relax. Dean is a lunatic! He's probably burying Tyler's body right now!” TJ laughed loudly, the sound almost shaking the windows. Even the prospect cracked a smile at Jackie's words, knowing the man in question wasn't exactly the friendliest of people. “TJ!” she whined, looking at him in exasperation. “This isn't funny. I'm really worried about Tyler. He's new to this stuff and so am I.”

She pouted as best as she could, watching TJ's face melt. “Fine. Fine! Stop doing that.” Jackie smiled triumphantly and hurried over to him as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. “I'll call Dean and make sure Tyler is still breathing. But that's it. Understand?” She nodded fiercely, watching as he dialed a number. “I can't believe I'm doing this,” he muttered to himself, waiting for an answer. “Hey. The kid's girlfriend is here and she's worried. Is he in one piece?” There was a pause, then a raucous laugh. “That's what I told her, but I think it only made her panic more.” More silence, then TJ shoved the phone in her face with a smirk. “It's for you.”

She snatched the phone and put it to her ear without a second thought. “Tyler?” she asked quickly.

“Look, girlie.” She gasped as a raspy voice met her ears, instead of the sweet sound of her friend that she was expecting to hear. “You can't freak out every time Tyler disappears. He's got a new job with the club. He'll disappear a lot. And if you can't accept that with no questions asked, then I'm not sure you're cut out to be his woman.”

“I-I just don't want him to get hurt.”

He laughed dryly, then replied, “You should have thought about that before you let him get involved with us.” Before she could say anything else, a click signaled that the man had hung up on her. She mutely handed the phone back to its owner with a shaky hand.

“They should be back around seven,” TJ said with a grin, probably knowing exactly what had been said through the phone. "You can hang around until then if you want."

She smiled softly at him with a nod. “Thanks. I'm not usually this clingy, I promise. It's just... we haven't been separated for any period of time in I don't know how long.”

He wrapped a bulky arm around her small frame and directed her to the pool table, where the forgotten game laid waiting. “C'mon, I'll teach you how to play pool.”

Elsewhere, Dean hung up his phone and shook his head, shoving the device into the pocket of his jeans. “You've got one determined girl, Tyler.”

The smaller man shifted in his seat to face Dean. “I told you she'd manage to figure out where I was. She's gonna be so pissed when we get back.”

Dean, Tyler, and two other club members were currently sitting at a bar in Atlanta, grabbing a drink after finishing with their secretive club business. Earlier that day, Tyler had been at the garage for no more than three minutes when Dean had dragged him to the row of bikes and told him that he was about to go on his first official assignment. Sure, Tyler had done some minor hacking for the club, but this would be the first field operation he got to experience. His excitement easily outweighed his nerves and he hopped on his bike, which was now permanently stored at the clubhouse, and followed the Kings all the way to Atlanta. He had been kept in the dark most of the afternoon, only getting information that was necessary for him to know in order to complete his tasks. Overall, it had been a pretty successful day.

Except every time Jackie called him, Dean told him not to answer it. “No pleasure when you're doing business,” he had said, but Tyler was sure it was just a test. He had totally forgotten that he was supposed to pick Jackie up from work, and he could only hope she wouldn't be too angry with him.

“So what's the deal with you and her anyways?” Dean asked gruffly as he leaned back in his seat, taking a large gulp from his beer bottle. “You two fucking or what?”

Tyler shifted uncomfortably in his seat as three pairs of eyes landed on him in curiosity. People had always been questioning their relationship, wondering if they had ever gotten together or if they were a romantic item. “It's not like that, man. We're just friends.”

“You're just friends with that piece of ass?” Ian asked, causing Tyler to glare across the table at him. “I'm just calling it like I see it. You got more willpower than me if you can resist that girl.”

Ian wasn't the most tactful of people, especially when it came to the ladies. He was a pretty boy with a charming smile and he knew just how to use it.

Said charming smile was having little effect on Tyler though, who gritted his teeth and once again replied, “We're just friends.”

“Fine, fine newbie. Relax.” Ian paused momentarily, then shot him another grin. “Does that mean I can hook up with her?”

***

“Sit down, would ya?” Nash asked grumpily, lifting his head from the paperwork he was filling out. “You're drivin' me nuts.”

Jackie swiveled to face him, an exasperated look adorning her face. After a few rounds of pool with TJ and Taco, they had wandered off to do some work, so she had ventured back out to the garage to wait for her friend's return, seating herself near a still-working Nash. That had been an hour ago and now she was starting to panic. “They should have been back awhile ago! Where are they?” She threw up her hands and turned back to the gate as if they would magically appear when she said this. She began her pacing once again and he growled.

“Sit down or I will shoot you.”

Jackie froze and looked at him, determining immediately that he was very serious. She tiptoed quickly over to the shabby wooden chair she had been sitting in previously. As soon as her butt hit the seat, the roar of bikes could faintly be heard in the distance. She jumped back up and resumed her pacing, causing Nash to roll his eyes and go back to his work. What seemed like hours later, the motorcycles made their way gracefully through the gate and into the lot.

Jackie sighed, relief flooding her as she spotted Tyler at the back of the group, seemingly unharmed and happy. Before he had a chance to turn his bike off, Jackie had him wrapped in a tight hug, effectively cutting off his air supply. “I'm fine, Jack.” He carefully maneuvered himself off the bike while placing his arms around the woman.

Tyler opened his mouth to continue consoling her when she pulled back and smacked his shoulder. “How could you do that to me?” She hit him again with more force, causing him to wince. The club members in attendance outside laughed as Jackie continued to wail on him angrily. “Did you forget how to use a phone? I was worried sick! I thought you were dead or something!”