TSE, page 15
part #25 of Southside Skulls MC Series
He did, or he thought he did, but he wasn’t admitting to anything tonight. He was pissed at her for not trusting him. “No, Ajei, tell me, because I can’t fucking figure it out.” The waiter was back with their drinks. He set the tequila down in front of Rock, and he picked it up and downed it before the man asked if they were ready to order. Ajei gave him another dirty look as he drained his glass. Rock ignored it and told the waiter what they wanted. She was right about that, they both always ate the same thing. They spent a lot of time in border towns but still neither of them was overly fond of the spicy food. Once the waiter left again with their order Rock looked back at his old lady and said, “You were saying?”
“I was saying that we wouldn’t always be fighting if you’d just listen to me when I try to talk to you.”
“I listen...until you start talking nonsense. I’m not even sure what you want me to do, and I’m sick of you accusing me of something I’m not doing. I haven’t touched another woman in fourteen years, Ajei. I haven’t wanted to, yet all I hear from you is Celine this or that. Maybe you’re the one obsessed with her.”
He knew he’d gone too far when Ajei narrowed her eyes at him. “I never accused you of anything. But maybe your guilty conscience is talking.”
Rock slammed his hand down on the table and immediately regretted it. Every eye in the place was on him and there was a pair of blue eyes looking in his direction that he recognized right away. “I’ll be a son of a bitch,” he said, forgetting they were in the middle of an argument. “That’s Doc Marshall.” Over the years, thanks to his and Ajei’s dealings with the Headhunters in Texas, Rock had come into contact with Doc Marshall again a few times. Despite Ajei’s suspicions about Doc’s “cold soul,” Rock still had a lot of respect for the man, creating what he had at such a young age. He had to be as smart as everyone said he was...but Rock had heard other stories too, and he had even been present one night about two years before when Doc left the Headhunters clubhouse and everyone immediately began to gossip about his “Puerto Rican” girlfriend. Rock lost some respect for him then since everyone knew he had an old lady back in Boston, and by that time, a toddler. Rock hadn’t met Dallas before they left the Skulls and went to Arizona, but he did meet her once when the Skulls put him up for a night. She seemed like a nice lady, and she was beautiful. He wondered what more Doc could want. Of course Rock was surrounded by men with little to no respect for women and it seemed no matter what they had at home, they still wanted more. It gnawed at him sometimes, especially now that his old lady whom he had nothing but respect for was insinuating he was like the rest of them.
Ajei turned and looked over her shoulder to where Doc Marshall and the beautiful blonde woman sat. Doc picked up his drink and tipped it in their direction; Rock did the same. When Ajei turned back she said, “Is that Dallas?” Ajei had never met Doc’s old lady. The one time Rock met her, Ajei had been in Arizona, visiting her Aunt Lena.
“Yes.”
“She’s gorgeous.”
“If you like blondes,” Rock said.
Ajei smiled. “Nice kissing up. I don’t think you’re fucking her.”
There she went again with the “F” word. “Dallas?” he asked, sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes. “No. You know who I’m talking about.”
Celine. Ajei could hardly say her name any longer. Rock supposed he didn’t blame her. Ajei had been her biggest advocate at first, but Celine had turned out to be an expert at burning bridges.
It was almost 1977 when Red Dog left the Tarantulas to go bring his woman back. He kept in touch with Rock when he could and that was how Rock knew that by the time Red Dog got to San Antonio, Celine was gone. It was two years before Rock heard from his old friend again, and that time he was calling because he had found her. Unfortunately she was now working as a hooker on the streets of Houston. Rico had kicked her out with nothing because she’d become addicted to heroin. She was strung out by the time Red Dog found her, in really bad shape. He wanted to help her, but he had only been working here and there and didn’t have money to send her to rehab.
Rock immediately went to help them, with his old lady’s blessing. They got Celine checked into a rehab facility and when she got out, she finally told Red Dog the whole story. Celine had a child. The kid was almost ten years old by that time and he lived in California with her sister. Celine was a teenager and using drugs when he was born. Child Protective Services had taken him away and her sister adopted him. She didn’t get to see him, but her sister did send her pictures and let her know how he was doing. Celine made the mistake of leaving one of those letters out where Rico could find it. Suddenly he had another way to control her and he took full advantage of it.
Rico pimped Celine out, to rich, important men. When she was clean and sober, she was gorgeous and young enough that the old men were willing to pay top dollar for time with her. What the men were unaware of at first was that the encounters were videotaped. Rico held onto those videos and used them as he needed to in order to get what he wanted or needed from men that would do anything to keep their wives or the public from finding out what they were doing in their spare time, and sometimes with their constituents’ money. When Red Dog heard the stories of what Celine had to do for some of these men...and then go home and do for Rico as well…he did exactly what Becker had been worried about. He rode right up to Rico’s front door and called him out and it all ended badly.
Red Dog was dead...probably before he even laid eyes on Rico. The man who shot him was one of Rico’s security officers. Charges were filed, but the guy got off since Red Dog had shown up armed and was trespassing. It was a mess, and Celine started using heroin again. At that point, Rock felt almost obligated to help her, and Ajei was still on board. That was, until Celine began reaching out to him for everything, and then suddenly tried to make it sexual. Rock had turned her down flat even though she had “dropped” a towel she was wearing in front of him and given him full view of her still incredibly hot body. He loved his old lady and he respected her and he would never touch another woman, no matter how the opportunity presented itself. Where he made his biggest mistake however, was not telling Ajei about the towel incident. When Celine told her, mentioning it in passing with a chuckle, Ajei had decided if Rock was keeping that from her that there must be more. Meanwhile, Celine kept calling him for stupid things. Luckily since they were on the road so much, he wasn’t always easy to reach. But somehow Celine found out they were in Mexico and she’d called the motel where they were staying the night before. Now Ajei thought he’d been the one to tell Celine where they would be and she was acting like he was having a torrid affair. It was pissing him off.
“Well, good,” he said, finally. “Because I’m not fucking her, and I never would.” He knew his best course of action would be to cut Celine out of his life altogether, but he just hadn’t been able to do it. He had so much guilt for not bringing her home in the first place when they’d found her in San Antonio, and he carried around both grief and guilt over Red Dog’s death. Ajei seemed to realize at first that taking care of her until she found a man who would treat her right was the least he could do, but not any longer, and now she was acting like she thought Rock might actually fuck Celine.
“I know that,” Ajei was saying, “but you don’t understand...she thinks you will. She thinks she’ll be able to seduce you into it. I can see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. She thinks you want her, and I can’t help how badly that pisses me off.”
“It doesn’t matter what she thinks, baby, as long as we both know that you’re the only woman I ever want to touch, or to touch me.”
“No,” Ajei said. “I want her to know too.” Rock chuckled, but in frustration. Ajei had never been violent, with anyone. She scooped spiders up and put them outside to keep him from stepping on them. She once shooed a snake out of a cabin they stayed in. But the look in her eyes when she talked about Celine lately worried him a little. She looked like she wanted to scratch the other woman’s eyes out and he worried that she just might try.
“I’ve told her...” He stopped when he saw Doc out of the corner of his eye. Before he reached the table, Rock stood up. “Doc, how are you?”
Doc smiled at Ajei and then turned back to Rock. “I’m damned good,” he said. “Surprised to see you two here. What are you doing in Ensenada?” Rock had to suppress his smile. He was surprised the president of the Skulls didn’t require every club in the States to clear their movements with him before they made them.
“We had a meeting,” he said, vaguely.
Doc looked at Ajei again. “We?” he said. “Don’t let my old lady hear you talking like that, she’ll expect the same treatment.” He winked at Ajei and Rock almost cringed. He knew exactly what she was going to think of that remark. But Rock also knew the fact that Becker let her ride with him was not only unusual, but frowned upon by a lot of men, not only in their own club but others. Women were not supposed to be privy to club business. Ajei was not only privy to almost everything Rock was, she was as complicit as he was in everything he did for the club. It was the way she wanted it and on days when she wasn’t harping on him about Celine, how he wanted it too.
“What brings you down here?” Rock asked, trying to change the subject.
“Taking the old lady on a much-needed vacation,” Doc said. “Between the club and the kid, we hardly ever get a minute alone.”
“That’s great,” Rock said. “It’s good seeing you. Please tell Dallas we said hello.” Doc was looking at Ajei again. Finally he said:
“Ajei...is it?” The man had a memory like an elephant. It had been years since Ajei and Doc had seen each other, but everyone knew that Doc never forgot a name and it was just one of the many things that made the man who and what he was.
“Yes,” she said with a smile that made Rock proud of her. It had to hurt. She already didn’t like Doc much because of her suspicions that he’d had Mad Dog killed and rumors about him cheating on his old lady. His crack about her tonight probably hadn’t helped, but Ajei was good, and it was another reason Rock adored her. “Thank you for remembering.”
Doc smiled that cocky grin that was as famous as he was. “I could never forget such a beautiful face. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed your old man for a minute?”
Ajei’s smile was still plastered on her beautiful face. “Of course not. I’ll order for us.”
“Thanks, baby,” Rock said. He had no idea what Doc Marshall could possibly want with him, but he followed him and Doc led him outside the restaurant.
“So,” Doc said once they were outside. “I hear Becker’s doing business with the Sinaloa Cartel.” Rock cocked an eyebrow and Doc laughed. “Okay, I can appreciate your loyalty to your club. I’m honestly not looking to infringe on anyone’s territory. We got out of the drug business a while ago. I need a favor, though.”
Rock was careful to control the look on his face. Why was the president of the biggest MC in the US asking for a favor from a nobody nomad from an MC halfway across the country? He took a breath and said, “Okay...” What happened if Doc Marshall asked for a favor and a man said no? Rock was sure they weren’t still around to tell the story.
“Do you read and write in your language? You’re Navajo, right?”
“Yeah...and I don’t read or write it and I speak it...poorly. Ajei was raised more in the culture than I was.”
“So, she is fluent?”
“Yes.”
Doc chuckled and said, “I guess I’m asking the wrong member of your club for the favor then.”
“Can I ask why you need someone who speaks Navajo?”
“I’m thinking about going into the treasure-hunting business.”
21
Ajei liked Dallas right away. She could tell the other woman was slightly put off at her old man for doing “business” on their vacation, but she still treated Ajei and Rock warmly and when the coffee was brought up from room service, she served it with cookies like the perfect hostess. While Dax was on the phone she asked Ajei about herself and acted genuinely interested in the answers.
“So, you ride with your old man, all the time?”
Ajei thought about what Doc told her earlier, about not letting his old lady know she helped Rock with his business. She smiled sweetly and said, “Yes, we ride together, but he handles all the business. We’re enjoying all the traveling, though, as much as we can.”
Dallas smiled. “Yes, you should enjoy it now before you decide to have a family. I adore our son, but he does put a damper on things like travel. This is the first vacation Doc and I have had alone since he was born.”
Ajei always got uncomfortable when women just assumed she wanted to have a family. She never knew what to say, so she just smiled and said nothing. There was an uncomfortable silence so she said, “Do you have a picture of your boy?”
Dallas’s entire being lit up as she reached for her bag. Taking out a small, leather wallet, she opened it up and took out a photograph. She beamed as she handed it to Ajei. “This is our Dax.”
Ajei looked at the photograph of the beautiful blond-haired boy with his father’s eyes. He was smiling at the camera and his cheeks looked so sweet and plump that Ajei almost wanted to kiss them. She smiled and sincerely said, “I think he might be the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen.”
Dallas was still glowing as she took the picture back. When she looked down at it, however, her eyes looked sad. “I miss him,” she said. “Leaving him, even for a week, was hard.”
“Oh Lord, baby, are you going to cry again?” Doc asked with a smile as he came back into the room.
“No, but I think if you’ll all excuse me, I’ll go in the bedroom and call him.” Doc’s and Dallas’s room was a suite with a kitchenette, a tiny formal dining room, a big living room, and a bedroom. The pool was only a few steps from their window. It was surrounded by lush, green foliage and there was a waterfall that fed into it. In the background you could see white sand and ocean.
Ajei thought about the contrast between their room at the motel and the one she was sitting in, and she wondered why a man who seemed to have everything was still seeking “treasure” in other places. Rock stood up while Dallas left the room and waited for Doc to sit before he did. He’d been quiet since they got there and Ajei wished she knew what he was thinking, before she agreed to do any “favor” for Doc.
“So, Ajei, Rock tells me that you’re fluent in the Navajo language, both speech and written?”
“It’s Dine,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not called ‘Navajo language.’ Our culture and our language is actually referred to as ‘Dine.’”
“Dine,” he said, like he was committing it to memory. “Okay then, I’ll remember that.”
“Mr. Marshall,” she said.
“Doc.”
“Doc. I don’t mind looking at this for you, at all. But, I do feel like I need to tell you that there are experts out there who might be able to do a better job...”
“Experts I don’t trust,” he said. “You I do.” Doc didn’t know Ajei, but she supposed she looked less like an outsider than a college professor. “I need whatever is in that document to be kept confidential. No matter what you read, you can’t talk to anyone about it other than me,” he said.
“Of course.” Doc looked at Rock and her old man nodded. Another tickle of irritation passed through her. She wasn’t upset with Rock, but Doc’s clearing what she said through him was typical, and annoying.
“Excuse me for a second.” He got up and Rock waited for him to leave the room and then he said:
“Are you sure about this, baby? It sounds a little...”
He was looking for a word and she said, “Classic Doc Marshall?”
Rock smiled. “Yeah, I guess that’s how it sounds.”
She shrugged. “It’s reading, how bad could it be?”
Doc came back in the room with a folder in his hand. It was thick and when he sat down Ajei expected him to open it and hand her a piece of paper. Instead he gave her the entire folder. “I’m not sure how quickly you read. We’ll be here for a few more days.”
Ajei was the one to look at her husband then, with wide eyes. They were supposed to head out that night. They had finished their business for now and wouldn’t have to be back to pick up the package they would deliver to Becker in Arizona for another two weeks. They had plans to visit Louisiana. Ajei had always wanted to see New Orleans and this was the first chance they would have to do that.
“We were actually planning on leaving tonight,” Rock said.
“I’ve already spoken to the front desk. Your room should be ready by now. It’s yours until Tuesday.”
Again, Ajei looked at Rock. “That’s really nice of you,” Rock said...
Doc chuckled. “I don’t really do anything just to be nice. Look, I know I’m not your boss and I can’t tell you to do this. I’m just asking for a favor, and I never forget people that do me a favor.”
Rock opened his mouth again and Ajei could tell he was going to say no. She knew he was only doing it for her and she couldn’t be responsible for his being on Doc Marshall’s bad side. She put her hand on her old man’s arm and to Doc she said, “It’s very generous of you to pay for our stay here. I’ll have a look at this right away and do what I can with it as soon as possible. Thank you.” She knew she was acting like he was the one doing her a favor instead of stepping in and changing all of their plans...but she’d been in the business long enough to know how to play the game.
“Thank you,” Doc said, standing up. Ajei and Rock recognized that they were about to be dismissed and they stood up too. “The porter is waiting in the hallway to show you to your room. Call the front desk for anything you need, everything is included in your stay. Let me know if you have any problems. Now...I’d better get back to my old lady and this vacation. I’m not good at taking time off, if you haven’t noticed,” he said with a grin. “Unfortunately Dallas has noticed, so I have some making up to do.”
