CODY: Southside Skulls Motorcycle Club (Southside Skulls MC Romance Book 2) Page 4

  “I don’t even have the words, Tool. She’s gorgeous. If she was a woman I’d fuck her right now.”

  Tool cracked up at that. “Well, now, what we have to do first is pop that cherry so you can fuck her right. Dax said you’ve only ridden a time or two and that was when you were just a kid.”

  Cody nodded. “Some of the guys used to take us out to the field out back and let us tear it up on their old hogs. But as you know, it’s been eight years since I’ve ridden anything. Can I take her out back…?”

  Tool laughed again. “Boy, you don’t pop your cherry on Angelina Jolie. You start with the ugly girl in high school that nobody wants to take to the prom and work your way up from there.” He walked over to a beat-up sportster that probably had a hundred thousand hard miles or more on it. “Meet your ugly girl. This is the girl Dax said you could take to the prom and fuck in the back seat. Angelina will be waiting when you’re ready.”

  Cody was aching to sit on the back of Keller’s bike…his bike now…and feel it vibrate between his legs. But he knew Tool…or Dax…was right. He needed to take it slow. He had to get good enough on the bike to pass his DMV test or Dax wasn’t going to let him ride, much less become a prospect. He nodded at Tool. “Alright then, is she ready now?”

  Tool handed him a key and said, “Dax said just don’t run into any of the buildings and when you get back, if you’re still alive and in one piece, I’m supposed to give you the website to study for your DMV test.”

  Cody took the key out of Tool’s hand. “Can I ask you a question, Tool?”

  “Sure, kid.”

  “You were here when Doc was in charge. What do you think about Dax and all the changes he’s made? Are you worried about how ‘soft’ things seem around here?”

  Tool raised an eyebrow and said, “Come over here and let me show you something.” Cody followed the older man into the little office of the shop. One wall was covered in photographs. They weren’t your average photos; these were all mug shots, and Cody recognized a lot of the men in the photos. “You know what all these guys have in common?”

  Cody shrugged. “They’re all hard-core bikers?”

  “Wrong. They were all hard-core bikers. Now they’re all dead. Every one of these guys died either fighting some fucking stupid street war or in prison after they got arrested for hauling drugs or guns or beating the shit out of a prostitute who wasn’t bringing in enough cash. What Dax is doing for this club is what Doc was trying to do way back when. It got him labeled as ‘soft’ and people even wondered if he was right in the head. Dax has made a lot of changes, but let me promise you, son…there ain’t a thing soft about that boy, and if he’d been born anything but a biker in small-town Massachusetts U.S.A., that kid could have been a college professor. He’s a fucking genius, and those of us who realize that and let him lead are the ones who are reaping the rewards. Them that want to insist he’s as soft as his old man supposedly was…well, let’s just say when they finally figure out that’s not true, they don’t stick around long enough to tell anyone.”

  Cody thought about that. He thought about his father. The old man had been missing for a years. Nobody gave a shit, Cody the least of all. But the last thing that the old man had done was piss off Dax Marshall and like Tool said, he hadn’t stuck around long enough to tell anyone about it.

  5

  Cody’s body hurt. He’d spent five hours out on the back forty of the ranch riding, wrecking, and getting thrown off the bike. He knew he could ride it at a normal speed, but he didn’t want to be normal. He wanted to be a badass. He wanted to look like Dax did when he slid onto his bike, like he was a part of it, like he’d grown there.

  He parked the bike in the shop and limped over to the clubhouse. He was dying of thirst and all he could think about was an ice-cold beer. The first person he saw when he opened the door was Lucy. She was sitting up at the bar with a few of the club girls around her. They were all talking and Lucy was gazing toward the stairs. Shit. She was probably looking for him. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. He honestly had no idea how to deal with her. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to expect or do. He didn’t really want to fuck her again, but judging by the way she hadn’t wanted to leave the night before, she didn’t feel the same way. He didn’t want a scene and he was pretty sure that he didn’t have the skills to let her down gently. He closed the door and walked back over to the shop. He was headed into the office to see if Tool had any beer in the little refrigerator he’d seen when he was there earlier that morning, when he passed his bike. He stopped and looked at it. It was his bike. He’d trade that one and a million more to have his brother back, but since Keller wasn’t coming back, he was damned proud to have the bike.

  He looked around the shop and didn’t see Tool anywhere. The office was a glass fishbowl, so he could see the older man wasn’t in there. That old impulse control problem suddenly resurfaced. He could take the bike, go to Spirits and have a beer or two, and be back at the ranch before anyone knew he was gone. It was up the road, a ten-minute drive at most. He could do that without killing himself, or getting stopped by the cops. With the smile of an adolescent up to no good on his face, he slid onto the back of the bike and started it up. He’d stay gone an hour. Nobody had to know, and if they did, he was an adult now so fuck ’em.

  Cody gave the man at the front gate a casual wave as he drove by. He didn’t know who it was, but the guy didn’t look too interested in him anyways. They were concerned about who came into the compound, not who went out. Once he was on the road he drove the speed limit, enjoying the way the cool evening breeze felt on his face and in his short hair. A couple of the tight curves made him a little nervous, but he thought he took them like a champ and by the time he pulled up in front of Spirits, he was mentally patting himself on the back.

  He got off the bike and pulled the blue-and-white do-rag out of his pocket and slipped it on his head. Dusting himself off because he was coated with dirt from his earlier rides and crashes, he pushed open the door of the bar. It was dark inside and it took his eyes a second to adjust. When they did, he saw it was crowded both with bikers and locals, and with women looking to hook up with a biker or a local. That was perfect. He could be anonymous if he wanted to be. One thing about being in prison for all those years, it made him appreciate solitude.

  He saw an empty booth in the back and started walking over to it. He was halfway there when a group of guys that were screwing around near the pool table literally pushed one of the bunch into his path. Cody caught the guy’s back and he jerked away and spun around, and Cody’s first instinct was to put up his fists. The guy threw up his hands when he saw Cody and said, “Man, I don’t want any trouble. I’m sorry I bumped into you.”

  Cody lowered his hands and looked at the guy’s face. “Parker?”

  The guy raised an eyebrow and without any recognition in his green eyes he said, “Yeah…?”

  “Cody Miller.”

  “Fuck me! Little Cody Miller!”

  “I’m hardly little anymore but yeah, it’s me.”

  “Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch!” The guy grabbed him up in a big hug. Cody didn’t like to be touched, but he tolerated it for a few seconds before pulling back and forcing a smile.

  “If I remember right, you always were a son of a bitch. How the hell have you been, Parker?”

  “How about you buy me a beer, little brother, and I’ll tell you all about it?”

  When Cody was young, all of Keller’s friends called him “little brother.” He hadn’t heard that in years. Parker had been Keller’s best friend since middle school. Cody always found him slightly annoying, but Parker had been there for him as much as he was capable of at the time. “Sure, but call me ‘little brother’ one more time and I’ll show you how much I’ve grown up.”

  Parker laughed. He said something to one of his friends near the pool table and then, much to Cody’s chagrin, put his arm around Cody and led him over to the empty booth. They s
at down and the cute little red-headed cocktail waitress took their orders. Once she was gone, Parker sobered slightly and said, “Sorry I didn’t make it out to see you while you were locked up, man.”

  Cody shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like we would have had a hell of a lot to say to each other.”

  “How was it?” Of all the questions people asked, that was one of the stupidest, he thought. How was it? It was fucking prison, what do you think?

  “I survived,” he said. The waitress set their beers down, and he dug out what little cash Dax had given him the day before and put a twenty on her tray while Parker attempted to flirt with her. Parker never had much luck with the ladies. He was tall and what Dax would call “stringy.” He had skinny arms that were about three feet long, super skinny legs and a prominent nose that was the focal point of his face. His dark green eyes were the only thing about him that could be considered anything more than above average about the poor guy, and any girl that was with him when Keller was alive was usually looking for a way to Keller through him. Cody asked, “What are you doing these days?” He didn’t want to talk about prison, or Keller. He wanted to forget all that at least for a minute.

  “I work for my uncle at the car dealership in town. I do detailing and custom body work.”

  “That’s cool,” Cody said. “You make pretty good money doing that?”

  Parker shrugged. “Decent,” he said. “So what are you planning to do once you get back on your feet?”

  Cody took a sip of his beer and shook his head. “I haven’t figured any of that out yet. I’ve only been out a day.”

  “Well, if you’re looking for a job come and see me. My uncle’s always hiring. Where are you staying?”

  “I’m at the ranch.”

  “Oh.” Parker took a big gulp of his beer. His attitude suddenly changed and the humor that had been dancing in his eyes was gone.

  “Oh?” Cody knew he should just leave it alone, but he couldn’t. “Oh, like that’s a bad thing?”

  “No…it’s just…I just know Keller would have wanted more for you than to be a part of that motorcycle gang.”

  “It’s not a gang, it’s a club.”

  “Right. You’re on parole, though, right? Aren’t you worried that you’ll end up back in prison, riding with those guys?”

  “I’m not going back to prison,” Cody said. “Not ever.” He downed the rest of his beer and looked around the bar. He was about to signal the waitress for another when his eyes landed on a figure near the jukebox. He had his back to him, but Cody knew who it was right away. It was Jimmy, and he had his hand on the ass of the woman standing next to him. Macy. Fuck.

  “What’s wrong, man? What are you looking at over there?”

  He kept his eyes on Jimmy and that hand as he said, “Nothing. I’m not looking at anything. So, what’s going on in this town that’s fun? I’ve been back twenty-four hours and I’m already bored out of my fucking mind.”

  “Same old, around here. Your ‘club’ and that other one finally stopped killing each other, at least out in public. Since then it’s been a little boring around here though.”

  “They were killing each other?”

  “Yeah. You didn’t hear about it at the ranch? They were in a war with the Sinners and it got bloody.”

  “Nah, I haven’t had much time to catch up. What was the war over?”

  “I don’t know—territory, I guess. It was bad there for a while. Everyone was afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. The cops formed this task force and they sent one in undercover…”

  “Dax’s old lady, Angel.”

  Parker nodded. “That’s what I heard. I’m not so sure my information is all up to date. You can probably Google it and it’ll bring up the old news articles.”

  Cody didn’t have a phone or a computer. He was sure there was one at the ranch he could use if he asked, but it was going to get old, asking for every little thing like he was still a kid, or worse yet, still in prison. “I’ll do that” was all he said to Parker. He looked back over where Macy and Jimmy were standing. They’d put a slow song on the jukebox and now they were dancing. Jimmy had her pulled up tightly against him and one of his hands was running up and down her back, every so often stopping to pat her on that luscious, round ass. Cody felt that rush of anger that he’d gotten the day before. He had one hand on the handle of his beer mug and the other tightened at his side. He couldn’t afford to get into another fight. Dax would skin him alive. Besides, they were in a public place. He could get his ass thrown back in jail if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t realize that he’d phased out until Parker said:

  “I was wondering if you knew about them. I know you had it pretty good for that girl and I remember you and that kid were tight back in the day. That’s kind of fucked up.”

  It seemed to Cody that Parker had become the king of stating the obvious. “Yeah, it is fucked up.”

  Parker chuckled. “Want me to help you kick his ass?”

  Cody looked at him and rolled his eyes. “Do I look like I’d need help if that’s what I wanted to do?”

  Parker laughed again. “Hell, no. If it was me, I’d just hand over the girl.”

  Cody had to smile at that. He looked back over at Macy. Her back was to him now and Jimmy had his eyes closed. Cody didn’t think either of them had seen him. He told himself that he should just go. He should just get up and leave before they saw him. He didn’t need any more trouble… “Hey, Park, do me a favor man?”

  “Sure, anything for you, little brother.” Cody rolled his eyes again, but then he smiled and said:

  “Good. I’m going to need a distraction…”

  6

  Jimmy was being so sweet. He’d taken Macy out to dinner and they’d had a really nice time. She was hoping he’d be ready to go home right after. She didn’t want to stop at the clubhouse and take a chance on running into Cody again. When he stopped the bike at Spirits, she was even less enthusiastic. She hated the run-down old bar. For one thing, it was full of the same people they hung out with on the ranch and a handful of locals that looked down on them for being from the ranch. She wished that he’d just once want to do something different. Even a drive up to the hills and maybe lying in the grass looking up at the stars like she and Cody did when they were kids would be nice. Shit. She had to stop thinking about Cody. Jimmy was trying hard to be sweet. She had to try hard herself. There was no going back to when they were kids and Cody and Jimmy were BFFs and she was the love of Cody’s life. She’d ruined all that and this was her life now. She had to accept that.

  The song ended, and she and Jimmy started to walk back over to their table when one of the local guys came up to them. Macy had seen him before. He used to be friends with Cody’s brother, Keller. But, she couldn’t remember his name. She had her hand on Jimmy’s arm and she felt him tense up when the guy approached them. He was always ready for a fight…well, almost always. She didn’t think he’d even seen the punch coming that Cody threw the day before. “Hey, man,” the tall, homely guy put out his right hand. “I’m Parker Davis. I’ve seen you around a lot.” Jimmy still looked leery, but he shook the guy’s hand. “Jimmy Santos.”

  “Good to meet you, man. I hate to ask you this, but I got a call just now that my sister is up at the ER in town. I caught a ride with my buddies here and now they’re too drunk to drive me anywhere, and you know it takes forty-five minutes at least to get a cab up here…”

  “What do you need, man?” Jimmy wasn’t trying to hide his annoyance. Dax had been encouraging them all to do their best to get along with the locals and even make friends with them if possible. It would mean fewer problems for them at the ranch if the people in town trusted them more. Macy gave Jimmy’s arm a little squeeze as a gentle reminder before Parker said:

  “Never mind, man, I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll just wait for a cab.”

  Jimmy sighed and looked at Macy. She gave him a little nod. “You looking for a ride?�
�� Jimmy asked him.

  “I hate to ask, man, but my sister had this seizure disorder and they say she came in really bad off. Our parents are out of town and she’s all alone…”

  “It’s fine,” Jimmy said. He looked at Macy. “You mind if I run him in to town, baby? I’ll be gone less than an hour.”

  “No, I don’t mind,” she said. The truth was, she didn’t want to be left alone at the bar. But at least they all knew she was from the ranch, and that meant she might get stared at, but none of them would bother her. The Southside Skulls patch on Jimmy’s jacket struck fear into the average citizen. It was what Dax was trying to change, but it hadn’t happened yet.

  Jimmy leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Order another beer and don’t talk to anyone. If anybody bothers you, Tug and Greer are in the back playing poker; let them know. They’ll handle it.”

  “I’ll be fine. Be safe.” She watched Jimmy and Parker leave and then instead of sitting down, she headed to the bathroom. She knocked on the door and when no one answered, she pushed it open. She was suddenly grabbed from behind and a strong hand covered her mouth. She was picked up off her feet and propelled into the small room and the door was slammed closed behind them. She began to kick her legs and to try and bite the hand that was covering her mouth.

  “Macy, calm down! It’s me! Shit! You bit me!” Cody let go of her and she turned around to face him, ready to fight.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “I just wanted to talk to you. You bit me!”

  “I thought you were a rapist or something—shit! Why didn’t you just come over and talk to me like a normal person? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What the hell is wrong with me? Well, for starters, watching my ex-best friend with his hands all over your ass wasn’t fun, and I’d probably have to knock the son of a bitch on his ass again before he’d let me walk up and talk to you.”