“Hey, that’s one badass beast!” yelled Glock, the Hulk Hogan lookalike sergeant-at-arms of the club. He slapped Red Jack’s back with his huge palm and pulled him in for a brotherly hug. “You and Sam did well on this one.”
Red Jack patted Glock’s back, almost forgetting about Lucy at the acknowledgement. “This baby is gonna turn heads.” He smiled and petted the black leather seat of the bike. He’d made sure it was Italian leather. He was proud to see even Monster, the resident weirdo, standing next to the bike and admiring it. Or at least Red Jack thought the guy was admiring it, as it was hard to say, because Monster’s features rarely expressed anything that didn’t look like boredom. His pale, slim face was framed by the straight blond hair that he usually wore in a ponytail, but his steel-gray eyes were alert and inquisitive as always. It felt as if he was examining the bike by mentally pulling it apart. He eventually nodded, but just as always, it was hard to say what the gesture meant. Red Jack wasn’t sure he wanted to know either.
Red Jack noticed Sam above Monster’s arm, and he was surprised to see an odd, neutral expression on his face. He didn’t have the time to walk over and ask what it was about when a slight, clearly female hand stroked his back. It was a pretty hangaround with heavy makeup that was probably meant for her to appear legal. The girl complimented his bike, they flirted for a moment, but she was too much of a kid, and he could have his pick out of the ladies who knew their stuff anyway, so he was off to the bar, ready to see his cake. Candy wouldn’t tell him what it was exactly, but with her baking skills, he was sure it would taste amazing.
Most of the party guests were already lounging in the leather sofas inside. Red Jack greeted Borg, the club president, who sat in his usual place in the corner. He gave Red Jack the smallest nod as Gina, Borg’s old lady, whispered something into her man’s ear. A smile crossed Borg’s face, and he turned to kiss her. She pulled her fingers over the scar on his right cheek and the oddly blank spot where his ear used to be before a career in the military.
Red Jack went straight for the kitchen. He could hear Sam shout something over the loud music, but the huge sugar paste-covered wheel surrounded by a whole pack of cupcakes took up most of Red Jack’s attention. He smiled widely, ready to delve into the golden-colored cake imitating the rims of his new wheels. It couldn’t top the birthday party when he had three strippers giving him a lap dance at once, but it came pretty close.
All the girls gathered in the kitchen were looking at him, each one eager to see his new ride, all wanting to get a taste of not only the cake but the man it celebrated.
Candy hugged him from the side, looking just as sweet as her baked creations. She wore a baby blue flared dress and a bow in her platinum blonde hair. She even had her property vest short and fitted, to go with the outfits she usually wore.
“Jack, look who’s here!” she said, pulling him toward the table. He turned that way with a wide smile, but his body froze when he looked into the familiar black eyes.
Loki was leaning against the wall, all dolled up in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a red shirt, with a short denim jacket worn over it. His long, shiny hair was combed into a sleek mane that covered the scarred side of his face. He smiled and bit into a cupcake, which left a smudge of yellow cream on the tip of his nose.
Red Jack tried to keep a straight face, but his eyes went wide. He didn’t even care to get a sneaky feel of Candy’s breast when she hugged him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Loki, with his brain in turmoil.
Loki put the cupcake back on the paper plate and shrugged. “Shouldn’t I be invited, considering I’m your boyfriend?”
Red Jack stilled, and the whole kitchen went silent. Everyone was waiting for his reaction, but it wouldn’t be as easy as throwing his fists at Loki. What Red Jack wanted was to make this whole thing go away, not incite any more rumors. If people saw him truly angry about this, they might think that something really was up.
He faked a smile and shook his head. “Motherfucker. You’ve been tellin’ them that?” He laughed and pulled Loki under his arm, squeezing the back of his neck hard, digging fingers into sensitive spots to cause pain. “He’s my cousin, Candy. Has a fucked-up sense of humor,” he said with cold sweat covering his back.
“You have a gay cousin?” asked Sam, who came up to Candy from the back and pulled her against him.
Two dozen eyes stared at them, and Red Jack laughed, patting Loki on the cheek, harder than he should, before pushing him away. “This fucker isn’t gay, he’s just messing with you.”