Reckless: The Legacy Begins, page 7
“I know a color that’ll look good on you,” Rebel said with an innocent smile.
“Depends on the shade,” Molly protested. “Or the name. Good lip gloss also has cool names.”
“The color has a really cool name,” Rebel promised.
“What?” Molly asked with suspicion.
“Color is Bleeding Lip,” Rebel said with a glower. “Designer is Beat a Bitch to the Ground.”
“Isn’t it Fuck a Bitch Up?” Mattie put in, studying her manicured nails. “By the way, doofus, the name of the color is usually the name of the gloss, unless you’re talking about who puts out the line.”
“Ladies!” Coach barreled down one of the concrete staircases and blew her whistle. “Practice is over. You’re dismissed.”
“Coach, we barely warmed up,” Harley blurted. “We haven’t gone through one routine.”
Coach smiled. “Sorry, Harley. You’re welcome to practice on your own. I know you miss Coach Ericks. Her maternity leave ends in July, so she’ll be back in time for your August cheer camp.” She turned back in the direction she’d come. “See you ladies tomorrow evening,” she said over her shoulder as if future practices under her direction would be any better than today’s.
Chapter Five
In the wake of CJ’s revelations, no one looked down on his feelings for Harley forever. Not even Uncle Mort, despite the death stares he gave CJ.
As for the inconsequential and unimportant Lumbly, ‘Law didn’t need to know about the fuckhead. CJ would find a way to handle him.
His uncles and father engaged in a deep conversation with Dez and Derby, so CJ doubted they noticed as Cole stood from his seat and headed to the bar. No one tracked his movements or saw him taking out his cellphone.
But, then, ‘Law stiffened and glanced at Cole, who was laughing and busily texting. From that point on, Outlaw kept one eye on the motherfucker at the bar and another on Derby.
An odd feeling settled into CJ. An expectation the bogeyman would jump out.
Cole grinned and nodded, still texting. A glance in his father’s direction showed him once again fully engaged in the discussion.
Cole slid off the bar stool and headed toward the back door. Opening it, he peeped around it.
“…put it to the fuckin’ vote, Derby…” Outlaw’s voice trailed off. “Ain’t promisin’…”
Once more, the conversation slipped from CJ as Cole looked over his shoulder. Throwing CJ a taunting look, he fashioned a finger gun, raised it to his head, and pumped his thumb.
Without warning, his dad jumped to his feet, his .9mm drawn and aimed at the asshole at the door so fast it took a moment for anyone to register the actions. When they did, the Dwellers got to their feet and drew their own weapons.
“Hands the fuck up,” Outlaw ordered. “One of you motherfuckers make a fuckin’ move and you fucked. Ain’t takin’ no fuckin’ chances with my boy and my nephews here.”
“It’s nothing bad, Outlaw.” Dez stood and raised his hands. “We want to entertain you and your boys. Tell him, Derby.”
“Told the stupid motherfuckers don’t do this, Outlaw,” Derby said instead, glaring at Dez.
“Fuck you, motherfucker,” Outlaw snapped. “You knew what the fuck motherfuckers was doin’ cuz you fuckin’ mentioned entertainment.”
Derby paled. “Outlaw—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Outlaw commanded.
“D-don’t shoot,” Cole wheedled, still next to the half-open door. “I promise it isn’t bad—”
“According to you,” Derby said on a snort, then nodded toward Outlaw. “This motherfucker will see it differently. I guarantee.”
“You say that now!” Cole said with irritation.
“Shut the fuck up,” Derby ordered, anger and unease in his face. “If you don’t want a fucking bullet in your piehole, remember your fucking place.”
“My ass outta fuckin’ patience.” Unafraid standing head and shoulders above everyone and a perfect target, Outlaw stalked to Cole and shoved the gun against his temple.
“Don’t shoot,” Derby pleaded. “The Dwellers not bitch killers.”
“Cole look like a fuckin’ bitch to you?” Outlaw asked.
“And bitches fuck up motherfuckers, too,” Uncle Digger grouched.
“I swear—” Derby started.
“You workin’ my last goddamn nerve, Derby,” Outlaw snarled, then addressed Cole. “If I ain’t likin’ what the fuck on the other fuckin’ side of this fuckin’ door, you the first motherfucker missin’ a fuckin’ brain.”
“Get behind me, son,” Uncle Johnnie instructed Rory.
“CJ, I got a spare piece on my holster on the other side of me,” Uncle Mort told him. “Get it and train it the same way we got ours.”
“Okay.” CJ cleared his throat, surprised at shaky tone. He’d been handling guns for years. Except he’d never aimed with the potential to fire at a person.
“Rory, take my second weapon from my side.”
Uncle Johnnie’s amended instructions reached CJ through a fog. Fearing the possibility of shooting someone stole his focus.
“Ryan, fella, I have another gun inside my cut,” Uncle Val said.
“Open the motherfucker,” Outlaw instructed once CJ, Ryan, and Rory held guns.
CJ buzzed with both anticipation and dread at the slow opening door. Who was on the other side?
Another inch.
His stomach twisted. Any minute he’d vomit.
If he wasn’t fast enough, his father, cousins, or uncles could be wounded or killed. Fuck, he could be, too. His hand trembled.
“Steady, lil’ dude,” Uncle Digger said. “Steady.”
“You got this, CJ,” Uncle Mort said.
“Focus, nephew,” Uncle Johnnie soothed. “Keep calm.”
Sweat dripped down CJ’s back and neck. The gun felt enormous. In his imagination, it weighed a ton. His hand wavered. Goddamn, he hadn’t signed up for this shit.
Finally, the door opened fully and…
And…
He blinked, his arm falling to his side, his mouth damn near dropping to the floor.
A line of girls, wearing only stiletto sandals, strutted in. Each girl headed to one of them. His chick had the biggest breasts he’d ever seen and a narrow waist. Her pussy hair was dyed neon orange and sprinkled with glitter.
“I’m Peaches,” she said in a soft, throaty voice.
At the gun jerking from his hand, CJ couldn’t bother to see who took it.
His father’s woman was tall and voluptuous with dirty blonde hair and a mole on her cheek. Outlaw allowing her to whisper in his ear shocked CJ.
The partition opened to a stage running the width of the room. Four girls dressed in glittery costumes sashayed out. Honkytonk Badonkadunk suddenly blasted through unseen speakers. Two of the girls amongst the bikers wrapped themselves around one another, crashing their lips together. On stage, the girls moved their bodies in time to the beat of the music, their clothes flying away piece by piece.
Peaches grabbed CJ’s cock and he jerked. Nervous and uncertain, he glanced toward his father. Both him and the girl were gone.
Harley and his mother flitted through CJ’s mind. Then Peaches unbuckled his belt and he bit his lip, torn between anticipation and despair. Harley was anxious to know about club meetings; Mom was MegAnn, ‘Law’s sweet angel and the backbone of their family.
She trusted Dad.
Anger and betrayal surged into CJ, yet Peaches didn’t notice. She stuck her hand in his boxer briefs and wrapped it around his dick. He gasped, his brain clouding…
The sound of a gunshot cut through the noise. Everything screeched to a halt.
Peaches squealed in terror and jumped back. His uncles, Rory, and Ryan sat at their table alone, watching the goings-on with clenched jaws. However, his father…stormed back through the door, dragging the woman with him by the collar on the shirt she now wore.
Cole’s shirt. She must’ve put it on while outside with his dad after…
When Outlaw arrived at the table, the other men got to their feet. Derby and Dez set their women aside before rising too.
“Take this cunt before I fuckin’ kill her,” Outlaw snarled, shoving her away with bloody hands.
She stumbled and swiped at blood-stained cheek. “You killed Cole,” she screamed around pitiful sobs. “I begged you not to kill my little brother! You don’t even care that his blood is on my face and your hand. You killed him!”
“Ima kill you if you ain’t gettin’ the fuck outta my fuckin’ face.”
Derby rushed to her. “Serina, listen to the man.”
“Why?” she snapped. “I followed him outside to explain you keep your stupid cunt and still fuck me.”
Narrowing his eyes, Outlaw stared at Serina. “You callin’ my woman a stupid cunt?”
“If the shoe—”
Derby clapped his hand over her mouth. “Outlaw, don’t kill her. She might be expecting my kid. Or my grandkid. Or…she’s expecting, okay?”
Rory and CJ glanced at each other. They seemed to be the only motherfuckers shocked a girl wouldn’t know whose baby she carried.
“I ain’t givin’ a good fuck if she expecting Daffy Duck fuckin’ kid,” Outlaw roared, red-faced. “Clue that cunt in. I walked my fuckin’ ass away from her octofuckinpussy hands to fuck up Cole. She followed my ass. I gave her a fuckin’ pass, blew Cole the fuck away and let that bitch wear his shirt. And she still fuckin’ with me? Fuckin’ with my woman? Not only disrespectin’ my girl by tryna gimme pussy but callin’ her a fuckin’ cunt?”
Peaches squeaked and sidled closer, wrapping her arms around CJ.
Dad turned his furious gaze to them. If CJ’s guilt at believing his father betrayed MegAnn hadn’t wilted his cock, Outlaw’s mad-dog look would’ve. He’d never been afraid of his father, but he’d never seen him so livid either.
“Get the fuck away from my kid.”
Every woman except Serina ran to the stage and crowded there.
Outlaw glowered at CJ. “Zip your fuckin’ pants, boy.”
Shame swept through CJ. Outlaw didn’t have to fucking bellow the order and humiliate him. Worse, Uncle Mort’s dirty glare ratcheted up CJ’s embarrassment.
“You wouldn’t know what to do with your fucking cock anyway,” Ryan taunted.
“Shut your fucking mouth, Ryan,” Uncle Val ordered.
“You know what to do with your cock, Ryan?” Rory asked, his eyes wide.
Gritting his teeth, CJ put himself to rights, wanting to beat Ryan to the fucking ground and cursing Outlaw for disgracing him. If club meetings were like this, he never wanted to attend another one of these motherfuckers. When he became Prez, he’d see shit done differently.
Outlaw’s unexpected whistle startled CJ and he frowned.
“Listen up, motherfuckers and bitches.” Outlaw made a three hundred sixty degree turn. “Battin’ your fuckin’ cunt from the fuckin’ Eiffel Tower up to you. I ain’t got a motherfuckin’ thing to say. Your pussy. Your decision.” He held up his hand and wiggled the finger with his wedding band. “Fuck with this, fuck with your life. Disrespect my fuckin’ woman, you endin’ up in fuckin’ pieces all the fuck round this motherfucker. Ain’t nothin’ more fuckin’ important to me than my wife.” He walked closer to Derby, who’d wrapped his arm around Serina. “You got motherfuckin’ jokes, huh, motherfucker? Ain’t no fuckin’ reason Dez and his motherfuckers shoulda brought these bitches out. You vouchin’ for them so that mean you clue them the fuck in.”
Swallowing, Derby nodded. “It was all—”
“I adfuckinvise you keep your fuckin’ mouth shut,” Outlaw warned. “Hearin’ your fuckin’ voice might tip me the fuck over the edge. Hear me?”
“Yeah, Outlaw.”
“Bitches wanna strip,” Outlaw continued as if Derby hadn’t spoken, “my ass can fuckin’ look the other fuckin’ way. Naked bitches hangin’ the fuck on my fuckin’ ass on a different fuckin’ level.”
“Son, you the fucking reason Meggie girl can’t stand your dumb ass,” Uncle Mort pointed out, addressing Derby, looking less than pleased. “Always fucking over Gypsy. No matter how many times she leave you, you always get her back. You got Roaming Cock Syndrome. We don’t.”
“You been pulling this bullshit for years, Derby,” Uncle Val scoffed. “Trying to get us to fuck over our bitches—”
Outlaw lifted a brow and CJ stifled a laugh at Uncle Val’s panic.
“And Meggie,” he added.
“This fucking sneak attack was uncalled for,” Uncle Digger said with disgust. “And with some of our lil’ dudes here too. Bruhhhhhhhhh.”
“Fuck, fine.” Derby scowled. “Gypsy fucking left me again when I told her this cunt might be carrying my kid,” he said, nodding to Serina. “I figured why the fuck should I be miserable on my own. I love my bitch but she keeps walking out. All Meggie do is hate me and tell my bitch to leave me because I know what to do with my cock. Watching you stick your cock in another bitch would vindicate me.”
“You’d fuck up my parents’ marriage?” CJ asked in disbelief, sounding more like a disappointed kid than an angry man. “You’ve known Mom for years.”
“I wouldn’t tell Meggie,” Derby snapped. “But I could look at her, knowing Outlaw was no better than me.”
“Now, Prez,” Uncle Mort started.
“Dad?” CJ called, his father’s concerning trembling removing CJ’s annoyance and humiliation.
“Fuck, Outlaw! I didn’t mean anything,” Derby blurted, sweat beading his brow.
“Think about our wives, Christopher,” Uncle Johnnie said slowly. “Our lives. How good things have been for us. We prefer peaceful negotiations than bloody wars that might risk our families.”
“Digger, Mort, roll the fuck out,” Outlaw said. “You got fuckin’ disposal duties.”
Rory’s eyes lit up with an anticipation lacking when the naked girls had been roaming. “Can I help?”
“No!” Uncle Johnnie barked, a guilty flush creeping up his neck.
Outlaw studied Derby again. The motherfucker looked ready to piss himself.
“Please, don’t hurt Derby,” Serina begged. “Cole started calling your wife names but…” She blinked away the tears filling her eyes.
Unmoved, Outlaw captured Derby’s gaze and held it. Just as he lifted his weapon to fire, his phone rang. Hearing When A Man Loves A Woman stopped Dad.
Derby closed his eyes. “Fuck, thank you, Meggie.”
That wildness swept over Dad’s features, somehow making the ringtone more urgent and insistent. Dad wanted to pull the trigger and yet killing Derby would upset Mom, despite what the stupid motherfucker did.
The ringing stopped. Dad twitched, aimed the gun. Derby raised his hands, opened his mouth. To beg. To apologize.
Serina sobbed.
Ryan didn’t shrug away Uncle Val’s hand on his shoulder, when, normally, he would’ve.
Mom’s ringtone blared again.
Growling in frustration, Dad lowered his weapon, yanked his cellphone from his cut, and answered, walking out the front door and into the parking lot where the bikes were.
Derby dropped heavily into a chair.
Uncle Digger blew out a noisy breath and rubbed his brow. “Mort, you was right to advise me to keep my kid home.”
Sitting across from Derby, Uncle Mort folded his arms and stared at the motherfucker.
“What, Mort?” he finally asked.
“What the fuck you mean what, son? What? You a stupid motherfucker? What? You a deathwishy motherfucker?”
“What? You a hypocritical motherfucker?” Uncle Digger added. “Wanting Outlaw to fuck over Meggie then thanking her for interrupting your rightful fucking up?”
“Derby, fuckhead, you a lucky fuckhead,” Uncle Val acknowledged. “Make no mistake Outlaw would’ve blown you the fuck away and found a way not to let Meggie know he buried you.”
“That’s what I mean!” he said, grabbing onto Uncle Val’s words. “He lies to her about other shit. He could lie to her about getting pussy from other bitches.”
“Wrong, bruh,” Uncle Digger said in exasperation. “His fucking trigger finger and mad dog fury the only part of Outlaw not belonging to Meggie.”
“If you not knowing Outlaw a fucking wild psycho over Meggie after all these fucking years, you deserve any fucking thing he do you,” Uncle Val scoffed. “This shit was unnecessary. I feel like telling Puff so she could kick your fucking nuts in.”
Derby stiffened. “I wish that bitch, any bitch, would.”
“If your cunt lay a hand on my man, I’ll fuck her up,” Serina spat.
“First, bitch, you shut the fuck up. My woman’ll drain your fucking blood without blinking an eye.”
“She sure would,” Uncle Johnnie said proudly. “She’s my cousin and Christopher’s sister.”
“Second,” Uncle Val continued coldly, his full attention on Derby, “you ever touch my woman, that’ll be the last motherfucking thing you fucking do.”
“Well, Bailey…”
Uncle Mort lifted a brow and Derby snapped his mouth shut.
“I’m a little annoyed, Derby brother,” Uncle Johnnie remarked, seating himself and lighting a cigarette. He nodded to Dez. “With you, too.”
“Me?” Dez asked, swallowing. He sat in his earlier spot, while his club members took everything in from their tables. “Wh-what I do, Johnnie?”
“It’s what the fuck you didn’t do,” Uncle Mort responded with disgust.
Uncle Val took up the conversation, as if they shared a brain. “Give us a solid reason for today’s urgency.”
Uncle Johnnie pointed to Derby. “You’re the motherfucker who called for this meeting, fuckhead.”
“We got offtrack,” Derby said quickly.
“I don’t think so.” Uncle Johnnie bared his teeth. “You called this meeting to fuck with Megan.”
Derby jumped to his feet. “I didn’t! I swear! I wanted to fuck with her, but the meeting wasn’t only for that. Outlaw isn’t fucking me up over that fucking lie.”
“You got another fucking lie he need to fuck you up over?” Uncle Mort asked.
