Baby (Black Rebel Riders' MC) (7 page)

"You're drunk, go home Rebel."  I go into the kitchen and get him a glass of water.

"I hope you had a good time. I just wanted to tell you that."

"Okay, you told me now go home." He rises from the couch nearly falling back down. Well he clearly isn't walking anywhere on his own. "Need me to call one of your brothers to come get you home?" There is no way I am letting him spend the night here.

"I can get home." His phone starts ringing and I can hear Romeo clearly on the other end. Something is wrong with the still and he needs him to get over there now to fix it. "I'll be right there man."

"Come on Rebel, I'll drive you." I just hope Baby does not get the wrong idea when I drop him off.

Baby

The kids passed out on me halfway through the movie. After getting them to bed and cleaning up the mess we made having a popcorn fight, I kick back on the couch to wait for Romeo and LL to get here so I can go home. My phone chimes with a text.

Lucky: you made up your mind princess.

Baby: nope.

Lucky: nope you won't or nope you haven't decided.

Baby: Haven't decided.

Lucky: say yes, you know you want to.

Baby: Answer my question, How do YOU know TROUBLE?

Lucky: We grew up together and just because we ride for different clubs don't mean we can't be friends.

Lucky: Satisfied?

Baby: For now, gotta go babysitting duty calls.

Now that is interesting, bet my father wouldn't take too kindly to Trouble being buddy buddy with a Reject. I'll have to file this information away for a rainy day.  Jamie, Romeo's little mini me has woken up with a bellyache, guess all that candy wasn't one of my better ideas. I get him some tummy medicine and send him back to bed.

Trouble stopped by to collect that moonshine I owed him, he wanted to hang around to give me a ride home, but I do not want LL and Romeo to think I sneak boys over.

The still in the basement starts making weird noise after Trouble leaves and it seems to be smoking. I put a call into Romeo that there is a problem and he may want to get home and fix it, I hope he doesn't think I am just trying to ruin their date, or that I am trying to get him here with me. About thirty minutes later, I go to the door expecting to find Romeo and LL but instead it's Rebel and Rumor. Great why are they here and together.

I step back from the door and allow them to step inside of the cabin. "Keep quiet the kids are sleeping. Why are you guys here, is something wrong?"

"Rebel needed a ride, says he has to fix the still. You take him down to the basement and help him I'll listen for the kids."  Rumor smiles at me, I guess trying to reassure me that she hasn't spent the night with Rebel.

After taking a good look at Rebel I see why Rumor had to drive him over, I haven't seen him this drunk since his dad died. I hope he can do what needs to be done.  I have to practically carry him down the stairs. He spends a few minutes messing with things I know nothing about. He says it's fixed just got overheated, says that the batch isn't a complete loss. Romeo and LL are hung up in traffic on the interstate that there was a bad wreck that is why he is here.

"Baby, I'm sorry for the way I have treated you. You deserve better." He is slurring his words, they say people are their most honest when they are drunk, depending on the type of drunk they are. I slide down on the cold cement floor next to him against the wall near the stairs.

He wipes his hair from his eyes, giving me a sly smile, "you know I love you, I'd bleed for ya...take a bullet for ya...I'd kill for ya. I was going to slit that punk Lucky's throat for saying your name."
He grabs my hair and forces me to look at him. "I love you, but I'm not in love with you." Guess he has forgotten the conversation we had where I told him I no longer want him.

"I want you to date; you might find someone who turns your world upside down. And stop fucking around with every guy who pays you attention. You are worth more than that—you are worth more than I can give you. I don't want us to end up like my old man and Foxie. I know you don't want that either."

"Is that what you want, you want me to find someone else? Want me to, because I will do anything for you—you know that. I love you more than anything or anyone, I always have, I always will. But you are wrong there is only one guy I have done anything with. You. I might mess around kissing guys, but I am no man's whore, especially not yours. I told you I would never touch you again Rebel and I meant it. We already had this conversation and I am so done having these talks with you."  I am crying now, unable to hold back the tears. Rebel thinks I am just another whore, well fuck that, fuck him. I know I just lied to him, but how can I ever tell anyone about Romeo. He has a wife and kids and if my dad knew he'd kill him and where would that leave LL and their children. I'm a bitch but I am not cold hearted.

"I didn't know, Baby, look at me," He makes me face him. I can see the shame on his face even if he is drunk, even if he doesn't remember any of this tomorrow I will. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." A part of me feels like I lost what was left of my friendship with Rebel. Rebel slumps over passing out on my shoulder. I ease out from under him leaving him leaned against the wall. I'll never be able to get him up the stairs, he'll just have to sleep it off. I go upstairs and fetch him a pillow and a blanket, even though the jerk does not deserve it.

Back upstairs I join Rumor on the couch and for the first time I have a real conversation with my sister. She tells me about her date with Tread. I think she might like him. Rumor truly isn't bad to talk to. Neither of us mentions Rebel, I don't think either of us are ready to go there right now.

"Rumor can I tell you something?" I am dying to talk to someone about Lucky. Normally I would go to Foxie, but I need someone close to my own age to gossip about boys with.

"Baby, I am your sister, I wish you'd give me the chance to be." I tell her everything about Lucky, leaving out his name and the fact that he is a Reject. A part of me wants to tell her about
Rush, she might recall him from when she was a kid, but I am not sure if I can trust her yet. When LL and Romeo make it home, I leave with Rumor.

Rumor opens up to me a little more on the drive home, telling me how she  is scared to date because of her past. I feel horrible for all of the things I have said to her and about her. I guess I never really stopped to think about what she must have gone through. All I cared about was Rebel and that she was in my way. The wall I have had up between us is not her fault it's Rebel's, he and I both are to blame. If I wasn't so busy chasing after him I might not have missed what was in front of me, a sister and a friend. I have failed to consider her feelings since she came into my life, but that changes now.

I don't expect things to magically change overnight between Rumor and me, but from here on out I am going to try to be her sister. "Tread is really a good brother, you should pursue him."

"I don't know if I am ready for that, but thank you." She stares blankly at the road, like her mind is lost somewhere else entirely. Perhaps she is thinking of Rebel.

"And Rumor."

"Yeah," she blinks glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry; I have been such a shitty sister." I really do mean it when I say it, I feel like a total bitch.

"I know," she smiles slightly.

"Hey," I laugh at her.  She laughs breaking out of the funk she was in.

"What do you have against dating a motorcycle man?"

"Growing up all I wanted was to escape the life I was given. That meant getting out of the lifestyle, leaving everything I ever knew behind, but your dad saved me and showed me that not all men who are patched and ride a Harley are bad. He showed me that there are good men in the world, but sometimes they do bad things, because even if they are wrong, it's the right choice to make. I know you harbor a lot of hate for Grim. I know you feel like he deserted you to be there for me. I'm sorry that you missed out on your dad growing up, but I'm not sorry he never gave up on finding me."

"I don't hate you Rumor and despite how I come off I don't hate Grim either."

"I know." She says as she parks Sunshine's car. We go into the house not needing to say anything more tonight.  Tonight we go to sleep as sister's maybe tomorrow we can become friends...

When I wake up Grim and Sunshine have made it home. I can hear Rumor and Sunshine in the kitchen. My father is already gone. Guess he has called choir to order by the quiet that fills the air outside of my window. The guys are usually already banging and making a ruckus over at the garage by now. The silence only means that business is being taken care of at this hour.

I join my sister and stepmother in the kitchen they are already having breakfast. I take a cup of coffee and a seat next to Rumor at the table. I spy Sunshine smiling at the two of us sitting next to each other. "So how was your trip?" I ask trying to make polite conversation. I am nice on occasion.

"Well if spending eighty percent of a vacation hugging the toilet is what you would consider a good time, then it was great."

"Wait, are you pregnant?" Rumor asks excitedly.

Sunshine tries to hide the smile threatening at the corners of her mouth, but she is doing a shitty job of it. "Well I was supposed to wait for your father, before spilling the beans, but yes we are pregnant, you girls are going to be big sisters. Now when I tell you again tonight over dinner with Grim you better act shocked."  Rumor rushes over to give Sunshine a hug and immediately swamps her with questions. I leave them to celebrate and slink into the shower. Another kid is all my father needs. I am happy for them but the timing is horrible.

Rebel

Sleeping in the basement at Romeo's isn't the worst place to pass out, I just wish I remember how in the hell I got there. I awoke to him shaking me this morning telling me it was time for choir.  I don't know how Grim is going to take to the Devils Rejects popping back up so quickly in our area. I don't if I should bring up Lucky being in contact with Baby, I think I have it handled. At the thought of her name, my mind flashes to a conversation with Baby and I tell her she is a whore. Damn it, how many times am I going to hurt her? She'd be better off staying away from me all together. My heart is pulling me in two different directions. A part of me knows I could wait for Baby to turn eighteen and claim her. I know it would solidify me one day being VP even if I don't love her in that way. Then there is apart of me that wants Rumor, but I also know if I want her it could mean giving up this life all together and I don't think I can give up all that I have ever known—what I was raised to be—a leader in this club all because I find her attractive. This club is my life and up until two years ago when Rumor came into my life, I thought Baby and the club was all I would ever need.

I catch a ride to choir with Romeo, he says Rumor was with Baby when they got home last night and he found me in the basement when he checked on the still. Hope I didn't do anything too out of line last night.

"Romeo, if I tell you something, I need you to swear to me that you will keep tight lipped. I know you and Grim are tight but this concerns Baby and the good of the club."

"Alright son, let's have it." He pulls in at a filling station to talk to me before we go to choir and to fill up his truck.

"There is this punk, Lucky, he is a Devils Reject, and he made some comments to me that insinuated that he knows Baby. I told him I'd slit his throat, I gave him warning. He seemed to take it under consideration and I haven't gotten a chance to ask Baby about him yet."

"Christ. Leave it under the table for now, no need to get Grim riled up best to know there is a fire, before you go blowing smoke. Play your cards right and you'll move up fast, ya hear me."

"Yeah, I here ya." Romeo gets out pumping his gas and I send a text to Baby, telling her I am sorry if I said anything out of the way last night.

She doesn't reply, not that I really expected her to. Romeo gets back in the truck. "And another thing, keep your dick out of Baby, there has been talk. I don't think it's reached Grim's ear, but you better wait until she hits eighteen. And even then I'd be scared if I were you."

**

I empty my phone and all of my pockets out into the bin outside of the door where choir is held. Grim just returned from his honeymoon with Sunshine, and he is geared up to get down to business.

"First things first, Romeo, how's things shaping up in
Chicago?"

"It's going, they have a new Prez, guy by the name of Kilmore, wants to have a sit-down with us soon. He'd like to visit and check out the still, but he is even more eager for us to send up a guy or two and set up something up there. Tread just left out this morning with a truck full for them." Romeo answers him, giving the rundown on how much we've made this month in sales with
Chicago.

"Alright, Striker, how's things with the garage, anything I need to know about?" Grim continues asking each brother for updates on what's going on in their area. "Floor is open to new business."

I wait my turn and give Grim the news that the Devils Rejects are starting back up and looking to reach an agreement, leaving out the part about Baby and Lucky. To say Grim isn't happy would be the understatement of a lifetime. But being that he hasn't been President long and that he is looking to keep us all in the loop, he puts it to a vote.