Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (17 page)

Those succulent
lips were begging for a kiss, but that would be too much. “It might
be tough sometimes, but don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. My
dad’s been a part of the club since before I was even born, I know
what to expect.”

Luca brushed
his fingers over Ghost’s and finally let go, looking toward the
clubhouse. “Everyone’s leaving. We should go.”

Ghost nodded
and let Luca lead the way, so he could keep his eyes on Luca’s ass.
Those skinny jeans were a good choice. They hugged Luca’s legs in a
way Ghost wanted to. And what nice legs those were: lean and firm,
with well-defined calves and thighs. Luca caught him staring but
only grinned and ran over to Ghost’s bike, already climbing into
the sidecar.

They set out
within the next few minutes, with Ghost closing the column of
bikes. Breathing in everybody else’s fumes was yet another part of
being a prospect that Ghost found uncomfortable. But there was
something strangely nice about wearing his cut for the first time.
Sure, it had no center patch, no top rocker, but anyone looking at
the stream of bikes would know he was a part of the Coffin Nails, a
part of something bigger. The problem was that he wasn’t sure he
wanted to be a part of this ‘bigger thing’. Brotherhood? Sure, he
was an only child and got along great with most of the guys at the
club, especially now that he’d proved himself to be reliable, but
he’d be happy to be a hangaround for life.

Guilt was
eating Ghost up for even dwelling on it all as they rode to the
other clubhouse. The people whose backs he saw ahead trusted him,
had come up with the money to pull Luca out of living hell, had
given Ghost what they considered to be an honor―the prospect cut.
He had to get over himself and adjust.

It was already
dark when they arrived at the compound on the outskirts of a small
town fifty miles from Detroit. Someone opened the tall metal gate,
and they drove in like a swarm of black hornets.

Tooth and
Priest greeted the senior members of the Rabid Hogs, and they all
walked into the loud common space of the clubhouse, which was
already swarming with hangarounds, many of whom were scantily clad
women. Ghost knew this kind of atmosphere from the Coffin Nails
parties, but considering that the Rabid Hogs were a much smaller
local club, the man-to-woman ratio was off the charts.

Ghost didn’t
care much for smiling anymore, too focused on the unfamiliar
surroundings, the other bikers, but most of all, he cared whether
Luca was fine at all times. He couldn’t help being afraid Luca
would hate the biker lifestyle and end up leaving him because of
it. Right now it was almost as if Luca had fled from the arms of
one monster into the jaws of another. Sure, he wasn’t abused
anymore, but would he really want to see Ghost engaged in all the
illegal activities of the Nails?

With the loud
music coming from two giant speakers taking up a lot of space in
one of the small rooms that constituted the clubhouse, Ghost hardly
heard half of the introductions he was going through with the
members of the other club. Someone wanted to know who Luca was, but
Tooth quickly introduced him as their associate, and the mistrust
was gone despite Luca’s boyish face. Computer geeks frequently
seemed younger than they were, especially in comparison to men who
spent half their lives on motorbikes and didn’t always follow the
letter of the law.

Ghost hated
being called on for stupid minor chores and having to leave Luca on
his own because of it, but that’s what it was like for a
prospect.

Prospect, bring
me a beer.

Prospect, get
me some smokes.

Prospect this.
Prospect that.

He was pretty
sure that later he’d be spending time watching people’s bikes, or
making sure they didn’t puke all over their shoes. But all those
thoughts evaporated from his mind when across the room, he spotted
a topless woman in Luca’s lap.

Even looking at
her breasts wasn’t an exciting idea right now. But what the hell
was he to do? He’d look like an idiot if he went there and pulled
her away. With another girl dancing all too close to Tooth, the
party was turning sour for some of Ghost’s friends.

“Hey,
Prospect,” said someone, patting him on the shoulder. He gave an
inner groan, but when he looked at the person speaking to him, it
was one of the Rabid Hogs. Finally, no one to order him around. The
guy gave him a broad smile, showing off the golden tooth at the
front of his upper jaw. “Beer?”

“No, thanks, I
might be driving later,” Ghost said, trying not to glance toward
Luca.

The guy nodded
and shook Ghost’s hand, pulling him toward a vacant sofa. “I’m
Ray.”

It felt odd
that he’d be getting so much attention when there were actual
patched members around. “Ghost.”

They sat down,
and Ray took a big swig of beer before leaning closer to talk over
the music. “You’ve been with the Nails long?”

“Nah, just got
my prospect patch today, but my dad’s been a Nail for over forty
years.”

Ray was the
first Rabid Hogs member to actually talk to him since they’d
arrived two hours ago. He’d already noticed that there wasn’t much
integration between the two clubs, with just the female hangarounds
tending to everyone without discrimination. Even now, the Coffin
Nails were all gathered around the pool table, while the Rabid Hogs
sat in their own company. It was almost like a freaking high school
party, with cliques careful not to interact. Weren’t they here
because both clubs had declared they wanted to join forces in the
first place?

Ray shrugged.
“What’s your father saying about the club now? The operations are
still as lucrative as they used to be?”

Now this kind
of question was out of line, and it put Ghost on the spot. All he
could do to gain some time to think was give the guy a stern look.
He knew how he should react. He knew what his father would do. Tell
the guy to fuck off and warn him that if he asked any more
questions, he’d be losing his gold teeth. That’s what Ghost the
Prospect should do. But was that who he actually was now? Just
because he’d worn the vest for the last few hours?

“None of your
business,” he grumbled. Maybe with time, that could become his
thing. Being ‘the silent type’; he could live with that.

Ray laughed and
gave him a slap on the shoulder. “Just messin’ with you. You get
along all right with all the brothers?”

Ghost brushed
off Ray’s hand, but he didn’t want any more trouble, so he got up
and walked off without a word. Bullshit. Fucking bullshit. The
party was as lively as a wake. This wasn’t what he wanted Luca to
see. And what he wanted Luca to see even less were bare,
silicone-infused breasts. Luca was clearly putting up a brave face,
but his body language didn’t lie. Ghost should have just followed
Tooth’s example and left Luca home.

Unable to stand
the discomfort that Luca could hardly hide when the girl tossed her
blonde mane and slapped him in the face with it, he awkwardly
walked over. He leaned in and patted Luca on the shoulder, shouting
through the music, “Wanna play some pool?”

The girl looked
up, and her eyes went aflame. Her pupils were tiny. “Want me to
climb the pool table?”

Luca stared at
Ghost like he’d just seen the Loch Ness monster. Or a pair of boobs
all too close to his face. “Yeah, haven’t played in a while.”

The girl pouted
at him. “Are you kidding? Can’t you just join the fun like a
fucking man?”

Ghost opened
his mouth, but nothing came out.

Luca cleared
his throat and put her hand against his lips as if she were some
noble lady. “You can come with us. The night’s only starting, isn’t
it?”

Ghost let out a
groan, and stomped off to the pool table. Yep, he’d be the silent
type. Maybe with time he’d get a new nickname―Mute, or a sarcastic
one: Talker.

Tooth greeted
him with a level stare. “Not having fun?” he asked flatly.

Ghost crossed
his arms on his chest. “Something’s off.”

“No shit,”
uttered Priest, playing with a half-empty bottle of beer. The deep
lines on his face created shadows that made him seem even more
grim. “I say we leave soon. I don’t want those idiots wearing our
colors,” he said after making sure there was no Rabid Hogs in
listening distance.

Tooth frowned
and had a discreet look around. “Who’s in favor? Don’t raise your
hands.”

Ghost swallowed
when he felt fingers brush his palm as the silent vote went on
around the pool table. All the brothers agreed. He didn’t turn
around to Luca, but his presence so close had his heart racing.

Ghost was happy
to have Tooth around. The guy was all muscle and looked menacing
enough to often not even have to use the unique skills that had
earned him his nickname.

As if sensing
something was up, the Rabid Hogs club president, Head, made his way
toward them with a smile as fake as that lapdancing girl’s boobs.
“What’s with the sour moods? The party’s only starting! We have a
special surprise for you, guys.” He gestured at one of his men at
the back.

Tooth frowned.
“Yeah? You guys are staying by the walls, like it’s a school
dance.”

In the back,
two naked girls were being quickly ushered away from the twin poles
on a small stage, as if making way for the act of the evening.

“Yeah, you’ve
got better pussy to dance for us?” asked Milk with a wide grin.

“Oh, hell yes.
And refreshments to go with it!” Head smiled back, but Ghost found
nothing pleasant about his yellowing teeth.

To go with his
words, two girls came in with trays full of bubbly drinks. The
glasses had strawberry slices on the side, and little pink paper
umbrellas. Even Milk was too stunned to utter a word.

Luca leaned
against Ghost. “What’s up?” he asked, just as all the Coffin Nails
stiffened as if they were turning into wood. The rock music died
down, suddenly replaced by a techno song Ghost vaguely recognized.
The Rabid Hogs were laughing, all sound drowned by the harsh
beat.

Before anyone
could utter a word, an oiled-up guy in tight golden pants entered
the scene, moving to the beat. Milk broke the spell first, and
yanked the tray of champagne out of the girl’s hands, sending it to
the floor.

“The fuck is
this, huh?” he yelled, and went straight for Head, but Tooth held
him back by the cut.

Head snorted,
and Ghost’s stomach tightened when all the Rabid Hogs got up,
slowly approaching the pool table. The women fled the room without
questions, and only the male stripper stopped where he was, clearly
confused by the scene.

“We figured
this was more your scene,” said Ray, showing off his gold
tooth.

“Who the fuck
came up with this fucking idea, huh?” Don darted forward as well,
and Ghost instantly tensed up, trying to create a wall between Luca
and… everyone else.

Ray laughed,
throwing back his head. “That’s rich. You’re the ones with a fag
VP.”

All of a
sudden, everyone’s eyes zeroed in on Tooth, whose broad chest
expanded as he stood there, motionless, with his hand tightening on
Milk’s shoulder. If anyone had opened their stupid mouth to
outsiders, it had definitely been Milk.

“So what?”
growled Tooth.

“So what kind
of bullshit faggy club are you? We got a tip that even your new
prospect’s a fag. I bet all you do all day is yell, ‘Prospect, suck
my cock!’” Ray snorted. Only after a second Ghost realized this
slur was aimed at him, and he completely stilled. Never in his life
had anyone even joked about him being gay. And he knew he shouldn’t
mind, but having it shoved in his face for such a vicious purpose
had him gagging.

“The fuck you
saying about my son?” Don yelled, and before Ghost knew it, his
father pulled out a gun.

Steel shone in
the light above the pool table, but Ghost was pulled back. Three
men pushed the pool table and knocked it to the floor to create a
makeshift barrier. The Rabid Hogs all rushed back to find cover,
but bullets already flew through the air, slashing Ghost’s world
into pieces.

His heart went
into a frenzy and he ducked behind the pool table. His muscles were
stiff, and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He
covered his head, barely able to breathe, each shot’s sound
exploding in his head with a thousand cries of anguish. He didn’t
want to be here. Someone pushed past him, someone else yelled above
his head. Ghost’s body refused to move, and the phantom wound in
his shoulder pulsed with imaginary pain. He could smell the yute
bag over his head. His tongue was dry from not having had anything
to drink all day.

Ghost’s body
stiffened when someone reached under his cut, but when the gun slid
out of the holster, his body felt ten pounds lighter. He opened his
eyes, suddenly remembering he wasn’t alone, that he had an innocent
boy at his side, someone he needed to protect despite the crippling
pain.

Luca lay on the
floor next to him, his serene face completely focused as he fired
the Glock that looked too big for his hands. There was no
hesitation in his movements, just the efficiency of someone who
knew very well what they were doing. The scream of pain that
followed told Ghost just how accurate a shot Luca was.

Ghost slowly
unglued his hands from his head. He needed to get Luca out of here
no matter how well he was doing. He couldn’t believe his father
would start a gunfight over such a stupid thing. Sure, what the
Rabid Hogs did was disrespectful at best, but guns? Someone could
die over this bullshit, over the suggestion that the club was
‘gay’. He wanted to get closer to Luca, but his muscles felt like
stone, and his knees were so soft he already knew he’d have
problems standing up. From the corner of his eye he could see Milk
crawling underneath a cloth-covered table, unseen by the enemy.