“Hey, Tiny Tina, what’s shakin’?” Crank asks. I didn’t see Corey when I walked into the open area, so I’m assuming he’s doing something with the guys, either in the garage tinkering on a bike or a car. Who knows?
“Tired. The early mornings are rough,” I respond as walk to his side and hug Crank. He’s got a slight paunch in the midsection, long snowy white hair held together with a leather band at the back of his neck, and a long beard that tickles when you hug him.
“Maybe you should cut down on the hours.” Besides Corey, Crank is the one I’ve gotten closest to out of the brothers. The Ol’ Ladies, I couldn’t pick just one if I tried. They’re all badass and have even taught me a lot of the biker ways.
“You sound like Corey.” I roll my eyes and give him another squeeze before pulling away. If I could have picked my father, it would have been Crank. Sure, he has his ways about him, but there’s never been a nasty remark made yet. He treats you like you’re his family, and he’s full of wisdom.
“How was your day? Chase any young girls around?” I tease him.
“By young girls you mean all the kids that run around here?” He tries to complain, but we all know he lives for these days.
“Sure, that’s what I mean.” I wink. He lets out a laugh straight from his belly, causing his whole body to shake.
“I’m going to Corey’s room. A shower and a nap are calling my name,” I tell him.
“You do that, then after dinner, I’ll teach you how to play Rummy.” He’s referring to one of the card games he and the brothers play.
“I’d love that.” I give him another hug, grab my bag that I plopped on the barstool next to the one he’s usually at, and head towards the back of the clubhouse. My only thoughts are getting out of the clothes I’ve been wearing for ten hours, getting in the hot shower, and climbing into bed wrapped in Corey’s scent.
“You gonna tell her that we’ve had surveillance set up for months now, on her and Brian?” I can’t decipher who is saying the words. All I know is that my heart is racing, there’s a thickness coating my throat, sweat is dripping from my body, and I’m glued to the spot right outside the door that’s cracked open, which it never is when the guys are in church. Today it is, though, and I really wish it weren’t.
“Fuck, no. Brian has his dick in the dirty, campin’ like the little bitch he is. We don’t know what he’s capable of. I’m lucky she’s still breathin’ with the demented shit he’s been spreadin’ near and far. Are you tryin’ to tell me if you were in my shoes, you’d tell your woman that?” This comes from Corey. I’ve never, in my whole life, felt so betrayed by someone I loved. Not even my father has hurt me to this degree. It’s like a stab wound right to the chest. It fucking hurts to breathe.
“I fuckin’ wouldn’t, but I gotta tell you, brother, this shit comes out, not sure you’ll be able to recover from this.” I’ve heard enough. The bag on my shoulder drops to the ground with a resounding thud, and I’m running out the door, ignoring Crank screaming, “Tiny Tina!” Little did I know I’d be running out of the frying pan and into the fire.
14
BULLET
“What the fuck,” I breathe out when I hear Valentina’s name being screamed and then the popping of a gun going off. It’s a mad dash between all of us, rushing to get out the door. My eyes glance at the floor, almost tripping over a bag and realizing it’s Valentina’s.
“Bullet, you best get your ass out here!” Crank hollers as he pushes open the door. I’m already two steps behind him.
I take in the scene in front of us. It’s a fuckin’ disaster. My eyes don’t know where to look first. The recruit on the ground, a gunshot between his eyes, or the four guys standing alongside, guns aimed at all of us. It’s Brian who has Valentina in a chokehold with one arm, her fingers digging into it in an attempt to get some relief. That’s not what bothers me the most. It’s that he has a gun pointed to her fuckin’ head.
We all raise our guns, pointing them at the others, me with both hands now occupied, holding the two I always keep holstered on me.
“Oh, goodie, the cavalry has arrived. I wonder, Valentina, do you know everything there is to know about your boyfriend?” Brian tightens his hold on her.
“Corey.” There’s a defeated sound to her voice as she closes those green eyes, almost a calmness in her soul that she thinks this is her last breath. Every thought rolls through my mind—the fact that I’ve had two weeks with her, the memories I want to keep making with her, the fact that this all started on a lie, and how if it’s the last thing on this earth I do, it’s got to be fixed. I shake my head, telling her not to give up, not on herself, not on me, and not on us.