I walked out a free man at nine eleven the next morning carrying nothing but my knife and old flip phone, which is dead.
My clothes are too small, but fuck if I care. With each step I take, everything smells cleaner. As they open the last gate, I look back and smile. New fucking day, new me. The old one died almost sixteen months ago. I’m reborn like a snake shedding its skin.
“Look at you! Fuck, man, we’re gonna have to get you a bigger vest.” Jason snickers and comes in for a bro hug.
Axel tosses his cigarette out and grins. “Come to papa.” He waves me over and I shake my head at how happy I am to see him and his 1965 Pontiac GTO.
He was working on getting parts before I went in. Obviously, he got it done.
“Fuck off,” I say, but I hug him anyway. Axel is like the brother I love to hate but can’t because he’s loyal to a fault. When push comes to shove, he’s got you.
“Why are both of you here?”
Axel motions with his hand to get in the back. “We wanted to have a little welcome home chat with our favorite prospect.”
“Christ,” I mumble as I duck low to get in the back, having to turn sideways to fit. Instantly my mind goes to Dolly. Goddamn it, if I could have some peace already: one day of not thinking of her, seeing her, wanting her.
Axel gets in on the driver’s side and starts up the GTO letting it purr as Jason lights up a cigarette and tosses me the pack.
“Get me the fuck out of here.” I light up and rest my head back as Axel peels out. Closing my eyes, I let the open window blow away all the bad memories.
Except again, I can’t seem to rid myself of those thoughts as a pair of bourbon eyes appear and blink up at me. For a second, I give in and let her sink into me.
“So, what do you want to do first? Get pussy or food?” Axel grins as he looks back at me.
“Both. And I need a place to crash. I’m not staying at my dad’s shithole.”
Jason looks over his shoulder. “We got an open room for you at the clubhouse.”
“Thank fuck.” Axel swerves around a corner and I reach to hold on. “Come on, man, I just got out. The last thing I need is for you to get pulled over.”
“I’m fucking starving. Let’s get some beers and food, then Edge can fuck.” I look out the window. Even the gray freeway looks fresh… different.
I always took all this—my surroundings, friends, food—for granted. Even as a kid when I lived on peanut butter and stale bread, I could still get out and go see Dolly and the boys.
Prison strips you of all that. It takes away your dignity. You become a number not a person, a way for the state to make money. Being treated like an animal makes you start to behave like one. I went into prison thinking I was tough. I’ve come out knowing two things. First, I’m not tough; I’m a survivor, and second, I’m going to be a Disciple until the day I die. Gone are the days of trying to keep a part of myself for Dolly. Gone is the fantasy that good things can happen.
Things happen that are good and bad. That’s life.
“Edge?” Jason’s voice draws my focus to him. “You okay, man?”
I frown. “Yeah.”
Climbing out, I notice both Jason and Axel exchange glances and I don’t give a fuck. They didn’t spend a year and a half locked up, fed to the fucking wolves, having to participate in things that the mind never wants to witness.
The big wooden door to the Dirty D, one of our Disciples bars, swings open. Two girls spill out laughing, both in stripper heels but neither sporting the body for the pole.
One’s tall and the other is shorter, both brunettes. My cock gets hard as I stay back and Jason and Axel enter the bar.
“Hey.” They smile at me as they smoke and try to stand straight in their five-inch heels.
“Hey.” I take a drag and toss it to the pavement. “Which one of you is going to suck my cock?”
Both blink, but the taller one starts to blush so I grab the other one’s hand. “On your knees and don’t forget to swallow.” She looks unsteady as she starts to follow me around the back of the club to the alley. She kneels but mumbles how she’s not really that type of girl. I grab the back of her thin dark hair.
“I got out of prison today, so if you’re not that kind of girl, stand up and don’t come back to a Disciples bar.”
“Holy shit,” the friend whispers. “I’ll take care of you.” Her small breasts go up and down in excitement.