The Winter of Regrets (8 page)

R
ebecca was bored out of her mind. Listening to Nailz’ slurred speech was driving her crazy, and she wasn’t happy being stuck in the back room with this asshole. He passed her the bottle and she took a long chug, letting the liquor burn down her throat; maybe
that’d
help make this bearable.

“Want your cock sucked, or do you wanna fuck me?” she asked, her voice hoarse from the whiskey. The sooner she got this over with, the better.

He stared at her, then let his legs fall open. “Yep. Unzip and pull it out,” he said, letting his head loll back on top of the couch.

Rebecca knelt between his legs and fumbled with his heavy belt buckle for a few minutes. Finally opening it and unzipping his jeans, she found his cock. He didn’t move as she pulled it free from his pants and held on to it. It wasn’t getting bigger as she stroked. She tried harder, jerking him with mounting strength until the sound of his snore made her jump back.

The bastard passed out on her.

With a sigh, she grabbed the bottle and curled up on the far end of the ratty old couch. Looking at him passed out with his dick hanging out made her laugh quietly.
Good, let him sleep,
she thought. She wasn’t in the mood to suck the drunken biker off or hear his war stories, anyway. She’d stay where she was and let him think she’d given him the best blow job he’d ever gotten. Resting her head on the arm of the couch and watching him snore noisily, she closed her eyes and let the sound of his snores be the last thing she heard before she, too, fell asleep.

A
n abrupt kick to the couch jarred both Nailz and Rebecca awake.

Nailz looked over in horror at the girl on the other end of the couch and her smeared makeup. With a start, he realized his pants were open and his dick hung out. He stuffed his junk back into his jeans and zipped them up.

Holy shit. He cheated on Jo with this ugly bitch. He looked up to see Bullet and Snake staring down at him hard. He tried to figure out what the hell he was doing up in Central Jersey’s clubhouse anyway. His head ached like a motherfucker and he felt sick. He tried to shut his eyes against the light, but the couch shook again, this time even harder.

“We got a meeting,” said Bullet, “so say goodbye to Rebecca and get yourself up. Tramp ain’t in the mood to wait for your ass much longer.”

“Rebecca.” Snake folded his arms. “Recall what I told you last night? I meant every word of it. If I hear that you told anyone you were with Nailz, I’ll cut that tongue out.” Snake pointed to the door. “Get the hell out of here. Club’s closed to sluts, now. Don’t try to lurk around.”

“I promised you Snake,” she finally responded, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Nobody will ever know about … what Nailz and I did last night.” She looked at Nailz, whose eyes reflected only horror. “I … had a great time, and I know you did too,” she said quietly. “Next time you come back up here, we can party again. I’m always happy to make a bro feel good. Thanks sweetie.” She gave Nailz a wink, then smiled widely as she left.

The second she’d gone, Nailz roared, “What the fuck?? There’s no fucking way I touched that chick! I don’t even know why I’m up here. I must’ve drank a few bottles of Jack.”

Snake grinned. “You were so hot for Rebecca, that’s for sure. Couldn’t wait to get her back here. I’d say you had a good ol’ time last night. She won’t say shit,” he added. “I told her what would happen if she did. Get the fuck up, you’ll be lucky to have time to take a piss. Tramp’s waiting.”

Nailz tried to recall the night before, but it was a total blur. “I fucked up real bad, didn’t I?” he said, a touch of sadness in his voice. Jo was going to flip out because he hadn’t come home. By the look on Snake’s and Bullet’s faces, he knew he’d made a serious error in judgment.

Bullet just stood there with arms crossed. “You gonna tell me you got no memory of last night? At all?”

Nailz tried to shake his head, but he felt the bile creeping up his throat and bolted to the bathroom. He was praying he didn’t puke in the hallway. He made it to the toilet where he heaved until there was nothing left to toss up. Shit, how was he going to explain this to Jo? He rinsed his mouth out and splashed water on his face. His eyes were bloodshot. His every movement slow and aching, he tried to fix his ponytail. Staring at his reflection, he felt like shit, but it was time to face the music.

T
he Sea Woods chapter were all there, as well as the Central Jersey chapter, when Nailz entered the bar. The jukebox cut off and Nailz looked around. Fuck! He saw the tables pushed together at the end of the room where Tramp sat, Veiko to one side and Bullet to the other. Thrash sat a few chairs away, glaring at him. Back toward the door, Hyway and Slick seemed to be guarding it.

He must have raised some havoc last night, but he honestly had blacked out. This was embarrassing, Nailz called men out; he was never in this position himself.
Fucking karma,
he thought. He made his way toward the table thinking a Bloody Mary might have helped, but everyone had moved away from the bar. The feeling of so many eyes on him wasn’t a comfortable feeling at all. Fuck this, he may as well find out what the hell he’d done and get it over with.

Standing in front of the table of bikers, he quirked an eyebrow at Veiko, but his bro glared at him. Somebody kicked a chair his way and he kicked it back. He wasn’t sitting there listening to a bunch of bullshit. He noticed a large bruise on V’s face and his gut churned again.

Looking straight at Tramp with his massive arms crossed over his huge chest, Nailz growled, “Get it over with. I fucked up. I blacked out and got no excuses. What now?”

Tramp looked at Nailz with steel in his eyes. “‘I blacked out’ is the excuse for hitting brothers, and for hitting Elena? We lost Thorn over your temper, motherfucker. You, of all the brothers in this club, knew better. Whatever personal shit you got going on, you don’t bring it to the club. You know every fucking rule this club has. You were a national VP, a national SAA too. If you think I can let this slide, you’re dead wrong, Nailz.” Tramp sighed, then said, “Colors off. Hand them over.”

Nailz was stunned and furious in the space of two seconds. “Fuck this! You ain’t taking my colors! Who the hell did I hit?” Nailz didn’t believe any of this shit. “I’d never hit Elena, either. I don’t hit women, never did.”

Veiko stood up. The bruises on his face were enough to make Nailz step back. He had done that to Veiko? Fuck!

“Oh man, Veiko … I’m sorry, I was drunk. I don’t … remember
any
of it.” He felt like shit. “How bad did I hit Elena?”

Thrash moved forward so fast Nailz never saw him coming. His fist slammed into Nailz’ face, and his foot came up and caught him in his stomach. Blow after blow rained down on Nailz and he took them, not even trying to deflect one of them. Falling to the floor, boots slammed into his ribs and he kept his face devoid of all emotion. He’d done this to men before and he wasn’t going to be a pussy.

Finally, Tramp stood over him and pulled Thrash back.

“Get up, Nailz. I need your colors. You’ll get ‘em back when I decide you deserve ‘em. Thorn is no longer a member. He went over to Nefarious. Stay the hell away from him and your daughter. Fix your issues with your wife. You’re fucking lucky I let Thrash handle this and you didn’t get stomped by all of the nomads. You’ll take yourself off Hunter’s will, too. Hunter didn’t want his son to lose the Lodge and you were added as an afterthought. Elena thinks that Hunter was drugged up on painkillers when he added you. Thorn plans to break the will.” He looked down at Nailz with fury in his eyes. “That leaves us in a bad spot with the lease he gave us. You fucked up, and if you don’t get your name off the will, you’re out of the club. O – U – T. You forced our hands, motherfucker. None of us want to lose you, and we didn’t want to lose Thorn as a brother. Don’t make me have your colors ripped off of you, bro.” Tramp reached his hand out to Nailz, who grabbed it and pulled himself up.

Reluctantly, Nailz shrugged the colors off his leather jacket, looking at them remorsefully for a moment before handing them to Tramp.

He looked in his president’s eyes. “I fucked up. I admit that. I never wanted to be part of Hunter’s plans, either. I got no problem removing myself from that damn will. Thorn leaving … fuck, I never meant for that either. This club’s my life, so you take care of my patch. I do have personal issues to fix. I know the rules, Tramp, so you don’t need to say them. I’m going home now. I’d like a word with Veiko before I go. That cool?”

Tramp cocked his head toward V. “If he wants to talk to you, it’s fine with me. Thrash is the one who’s more pissed at you. Now, Elena doesn’t want to be around the club, so your big issue is Thrash.”

Nailz spit blood from his mouth onto the floor and shook Tramp’s hand. “Bro, I’d have done worse to me than what you did, so thank you.”

Veiko got up and walked toward him. He shook his head at Nailz as he reached him. Both men hugged.

“Damn, V. I messed your pretty-boy looks up. You want a shot at me?”

“I got you last night,” he returned with a sneer. “You’ll feel it later. You need to pull Jo back. You realize last night, you were hammered before you came into the club? My ol’ lady heard Jo’s been backstabbing her. I don’t want Jo in my business, either. Hitting Elena was stupid; you fucked up Thrash’s love life.” Veiko gave Nailz a crooked grin. “Watch your back for a few days. My brother’s a sneaky fucker and he wants Elena.”

“I’d say I was sorry, but it ain’t gonna matter to him. I’d be pissed at me too if I were him. I gotta go home and tell Jo I cheated on her. He’ll be happy to hear I got kicked out of my house. I’m sorry about Thorn. Hell, I lost Tears too. I guess saying sorry to Elena isn’t a good idea?” Nailz’ voice softened when he said Tears’ and Elena’s names.

“Nope, let Jersey handle it, bro. Just fix your own issues and get back to the Nailz we all love. This ain’t you, bro. I know Jo didn’t plan on having another kid so soon, but that’s no excuse for her jealousy and her backstabbing.” V’s voice was serious when he added, “You’d better watch my little sister living with you, too. Katri is no day at the beach.”

“Katri’s living at my house?” Nailz sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. “Oh, fuck me … Jo kept saying she needed help, but I never thought it was going to be
Katri
. No disrespect, but I don’t like your sister.”

“I don’t like her much myself lately,” admitted V, “but Jo needs help and Elena tossed Katri out. At least she isn’t a stranger, and Jo does need the help. Put Katri in her place fast; she’s a pain in the ass. If she backstabs my wife, I will let Kima beat her ass. Joy already wants to do it and only Jersey is stopping her. So you got double the trouble at home with Jo and my sister. We’re good. You know Tramp won’t hold your colors for long.” He slapped Nailz on the back. “Now go home before Thrash wants to kick your ass again. I’ll call you. You’re welcome at my house, but Jo isn’t.”

Veiko bumped fists with Nailz, then walked with him to the door. Nailz turned to look at the clubhouse one last time. His eyes met Thrash’s. He grimaced at the look the angry biker gave him. For the first time he could remember, he left a Bound for Hell clubhouse without his colors on his back, and he felt naked. It fucking sucked and he thought about how long it would take to get them back. He had some thinking to do on the drive home. Jo was not going to be happy with him.

N
ailz pulled his truck into the driveway of his house. His head ached badly and he was sure he had cracked or broken ribs. V was right; he found a huge lump on his head. Veiko liked punching people in the head. He smoked a cigarette in the truck since Jo refused to let him smoke in the house. Though he grew tired of her rules, it was really more for the boys’ sake. Slowly and painfully, he made his way out of the truck, crushing his smoke under his boot before reaching the porch.

The door was unlocked, which struck him as odd. He walked into the living room to find Jo seated on the couch reading a magazine. She glared at him, then went back to reading. Nailz reached the couch and ripped the magazine from her hands.

“Where are the boys and Katri?” he demanded to know.

Jo looked shocked, leaning back into the couch cushions. “I sent them to the store with Katri,” she answered. “We needed food for dinner. Where have
you
been, Nailz?”

Nailz reached his recliner and sat down carefully. “I didn’t come home, as you damn well know. I let your bullshit get to me and I drank so much that I … I blacked out, and I got into some fights … lost my colors for a while and … and I may have fooled around with some slut up in Ocean Cove.” It was said so matter-of-factly that Jo didn’t quite hear what he said, it seemed.

She said nothing. The room grew thick with silence.

“Jo, I said I might have let some chick suck me off,” he repeated. “I was so drunk, I don’t know what happened. I don’t remember a fucking thing. I blacked out.”

“You cheated on me?” She pushed off the couch and stood in front of Nailz, the anger bursting out of her. “You son of a bitch! You bastard! You don’t know?? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Get up and drop your jeans, you asshole. I’m checking.”

Nailz looked at her as if she was nuts. “Sit down. You’re not checking shit.” He put his hands up as if to push her away, thought of Elena, then dropped them to his sides.

“I’ll see if there’s lipstick,” she said. “You blacked out? You don’t remember a thing? I’ll smell perfume or pussy, but I’ll know. Just do it or get the hell out, Nailz.”

Finally, Nailz gave in, loosened his belt, and dropped his jeans as Jo knelt down in front of him. She roughly grabbed his cock and inspected it, bringing her nose forward to sniff it. Sighing, she let it go and got to her feet. “You didn’t do a damn thing, you big fool. However, the intent was there, so you may as well have cheated on me.” With a sigh, her eyes began to fill with tears as she walked back to the couch.

“Jo, you’re pushing every button I’ve got. I know you don’t want to be pregnant. I get that, but you are. Backstabbing Kima? What the fuck are you thinking? Putting your nose into Veiko’s business … are you nuts? That’s why I hit him last night.
I lost my fucking colors!
Do you understand that?? I’m done with the nonstop tears, the moaning, the jealousy and the feeling-sorry-for-yourself bullshit. It stops today! If it doesn’t, I’m leaving your ass!” Nailz’ voice was hard as nails. “I lost my daughter because I listened to your bullshit, always trying to make
you
happy. It isn’t about just you. I don’t want to lose another family, but I’ll be damned if I live with a shrew. You’ve made enemies. So’s Katri. You’re not even allowed at Kima’s. It ends today and you behave yourself. Get the old Jo back before we don’t have a marriage. I’m taking a shower and I’m going to lie down. I expect dinner, and keep the twins quiet.” He looked hard at his wife. “You understand me, Jo?”

She looked stricken. “I understand, Nailz, but—”

“No fucking ‘but’ about it. I’ll pack my shit right now and leave. Your bullshit caused me enough problems. Either agree or I’m out of here. Don’t think my parents will side with you either after they hear all the crap you’ve pulled. I’m not having another Dianna in my life. You knew what kinda man I am, so don’t try that crap either. You need to stop making waves and stop being jealous of what Kima gets. This is your last chance to tell me you understand.” Nailz’ voice was making his head ache more and more. He hated to make her feel this way but he didn’t see any other way to get through to her.

“I understand. I won’t call anyone. I’ll keep the boys quiet so you can rest.” Jo spoke softly despite her heart pounding wildly.

“Good. Next time, ask me before you hire somebody like Katri. I don’t like her, and if she causes any problems, she’s gone.” Nailz turned away and missed the glare Jo sent his way. He headed to the bathroom and left her sitting there.