Pyro looks at me. “Let me tell you what’s not okay, brother,” Pyro growls. “What’s not okay is your woman askin me if I’m okay. That shits not okay! My fuckin business is my goddamn own! Not your fuckin girlfriend’s.”
What the hell is going on here? I pull Angel closer to me and look into her gold eyes.
“What happened?” I say quietly, my anger subsiding.
“I just asked if he was okay. I heard him talking with ZZ about Storm and something he said worried me. I swear, I only asked if he was okay.”
“My business is my own goddamned business, Braxxon. She has no right fuckin asking me personal shit. Get your fuckin woman under control!”
Angel and I have been working on this breathing technique shit. You know, to try and rein in our anger issues. So… I do just that. I breathe in a few fuckin times before replying.
“I see. So I’m sure Lana would love the way you’re talkin to her best friend like this?”
Low blow? Maybe. Do I give a flyin fuck? No.
“Braxxon,” Winter gasps out.
“It’s the fuckin truth Angel. Lana would not approve of him talkin to you like that and I sure as fuck don’t approve of my brother talkin to you like that.”
***
Pyro
FUCK!
He has a fuckin point as always. But I’m still fuckin pissed. What the fuck is happenin to this club? Since when did women get to just go up to us, and ask us if we’re doin okay?
I’m not fuckin apologizing. Fuck that. They still have one another. Do I still have my Flower? FUCK NO!
She’s gone. She ain’t comin back. When I look down at my hands, I don’t see clean hands. I see bloodied up fuckin hands. Bloody from my Flower dying in my arms. Her lasts words to me keep playin over and over in my fuckin head. No matter what, it doesn’t go away. Drinking is the only time her voice doesn’t ring loud in my ears. The only time it muffles out so I can barely hear them. My brother still has his Angel. He still gets to hold her, make love to her, grow old with her. I don’t wish this pain on anybody. Not even my worst enemy. Lana and I didn’t get much time together. We didn’t get to learn everything about one another.
Braxxon’s voice wakes me from my thoughts.
“Don’t fuckin’ talk to her like that again, brother. I don’t give a fuck if you’re my best friend or not. I’ll lay your ass out,” Braxxon growls.
Jesus!
“I don’t need this shit,” I murmur and walk away.
Fuck everyone. Fuck them all!
***
Storm
I’m making my way through the parking lot to my car when Pyro storms past me. I watch as he straddles his bike and throttles it to start. The idiot has a fifth in his hands as he drives outta the compound.
This is my life now. I’ve chosen to stay here with my best friend, the one who helped save me. I need to remind myself that this is the crazy shit I’ll see on a daily basis. Nothing should shock me.
What would make this choice a lot more bearable is if ZZ would just give it up already. Just hand me his heart. I would take care of it. I would guard it with everything that I am. Winter has paired him and me as a couple in the wedding. How she plans to gather them bikers up for a rehearsal is beyond me. I can’t wait to see how that plays out. I’m about to open my car door when Tatiana hollers my name.
“Hey T. What’s up,” I ask.
“Nothing. Just came to see dad. Ya know… so he knows I’m alive and all,” she grins.
“Well he’s in there…,” I trail off.
“His mood,” she asks.
“Shit,” I reply honestly.
She laughs. “Always.”
I nod.
“Well I gotta get goin. Winter signed me up for those night classes to finish getting my degree.” I tell her reaching for my door handle again.
“Yeah, have fun with that. My classes don’t start till next semester.”
“I plan too,” I shake my head with a smile. I don’t mind school. I like learning. School was my escape from my tragically drunk ass mother. That bitch is toxic.
“Later Storm,” Tatiana says walking away.
“Bye T.”
***
Tatiana
As I walk away from Storm, I immediately get sad for her. My father is such a stubborn fool. I may only be eighteen, but I can tell she’s head over heels in love with him. I lied to Storm just now. I didn’t come to let dad know I’m still alive. I like him to worry about me. Yeah it’s a spoiled brat thing to do, but he causes me worry all the damn time. Like worrying about him being alone for the rest of his life. It’s good for him to worry. It reminds him that he’s not invincible. That just because he’s the damn road captain of this club, doesn’t make him invincible. Bad shit happens no matter who or what you are. I spot the reason I came to the compound at the bar with his shades on, twirling a shot glass around as he watches the monitors. Shadow.