Damaged and the Cobra (17 page)

Walking into the roller derby practice rink, I
wondered if I would ever get another chance to be on the team. In my mind,
motherhood meant strollers, colicky babies, and a life homebound. Of course,
Lori was on the team and had two kids, so there was hope I might join Raven in
the battle again.

“Look what the cat coughed up then shit on a
little,” Sarah said, grinning at Raven who waved like a beauty queen. “We
thought you’d be hooking in LA by now.”

“We prefer the term escorting,” Raven announced
then high fived all of the girls who skated over. “Heard you guys never win
without me around. Way to suck, ladies.”

The team glared at me in unison and Sarah snorted.
“Heard that, did you?”

“I never said that,” I muttered in mock terror.
“She lies.”

“Yeah, we know. So what happened to Dexter?”
Chantal asked.

Raven rolled her eyes and the girls laughed.

Sarah crossed her arms and smirked. “Did he cheat? Steal
your money? Hit you? Answer truthfully because we have money riding on the
answers.”

“Yes. Yes. And he tried, but I knocked one of his
teeth loose. Who won the cash?”

“Mainly me,” Chantal announced, “but a lot of us
bet he would cheat on you.”

“I say this with all the love in my heart, but fuck
off,” Raven told them then glanced around. “So when’s our next practice?”

“What makes you think we want you back?” Sarah
asked.

“You want to win.”

Chantal shrugged. “We’re not really that addicted
to winning.”

“Whatever. I’m back and someone is getting my amazing
talents. Either you lame storm chicks or that team of dumpy chicks who beats
you all the time. Who’s getting lucky?”

“Is Thunder Kitten coming back too?” Sarah asked.
When we shook our heads, she grinned. “Preggers, huh?”

“How could you know?” I asked, looking down at my
chest and stomach as if I had some obvious signs.

“Only reason you wouldn’t follow Raven around like
a little bitch was if you got knocked up. Hey, no worries, that guy you brought
was hot.”

“Yeah, he’s a winner,” Raven said, rolling her
eyes. “He treats her well and respects her. It’s disgusting. Personally, I have
no use for that behavior in men.”

“Oh, we know.

Raven acted offended, but was clearly happy to be
back in her old life. Ellsberg was comfortable again without dealing with Mom
or Larry. Seeing her so happy eased any fears I had of her running off again.
Aunt Raven might be unhinged at times and would likely feed the baby Coke and
gummy bears for dinner, but she needed me as much as I needed her. Thanks to
meeting Aaron, everything was falling into place.

I was still thinking about how perfect life felt
when Aaron wrapped an arm around me while we entered Whiskey Kirk’s. Smiling up
at him, I loved when he played macho man. Once we were inside though, I felt
like a kid surrounded by scary giants and was relieved to have Aaron’s
possessive vibe.

Cooper was radiating the same energy while Judd
looked bored. I sensed he was faking the boredom. Only because Tawny was
dancing around with Farah and I doubted he found that boring.

In a booth, Bailey sat next to Vaughn while
frowning at her drink.

“I need a man!” she declared when she saw me.

Vaughn glanced at her and sighed. “I’ll do you, but
no names.”

Bailey didn’t get it, but I laughed while Cooper
acted irritated. Aaron kissed the top of my head then walked over to get us
drinks.

“Why can’t I trap a man into a relationship like
you bitches?” she asked with complete seriousness.

“Your subtly turns men off,” Vaughn answered when I
just smiled. “Bailey, maybe you could try being more obvious in your need to
trap a man. Like where a shirt with lots of exclamation marks.”

“Shut up, fuckhead. You don’t have anyone either.”

“I have plenty of anyones.”

“Whores aren’t attractive.”

Vaughn grinned. “You make it too easy sometimes,
B.”

Cooper frowned. “Don’t even think of saying what
you’re thinking.”

“What we’re all thinking.”

Bailey frowned at me. “What the fuck are they
talking about?”

“It’s one of those things that only makes sense
when you have ball toxins.”

Bailey smiled and nodded. “That happens a lot
around me. Want to dance?”

“Not really.”

“Because you might puke?”

“Why would she puke?” Vaughn asked, shoving a
pretzel in Bailey’s mouth.

Cooper rolled his eyes. “Aaron can’t use a condom
properly.”

Returning just in time for his friend’s comment,
Aaron sighed dramatically. “I just have powerful sperm.”

“I was on the pill too,” I said, sticking my tongue
at Cooper who grinned. “His mighty sperm didn’t care though.”

“You idiots don’t get how the pill works,” Vaughn
said before realizing he sounded like a chick about to discuss her period.
“Well, congrats, Aaron. You are now officially whipped like a bitch. How does
it feel?”

Aaron answered by kissing me like we might fuck
right there. I was ready to climb on him and give it a try, but I noticed Judd
shift as if a predator was approaching.

“What?” Judd growled and I had to admit Tawny was
right about him sounding like a dog when he did that.

Turning around, I noticed two of Cooper’s club guys
standing behind us.

“What’s your deal, O’Keefe?” one guy asked while
the other avoided Judd’s hateful gaze.

When no one responded, the big bald guy looked me
up and down.

“She’s tiny. How does fucking even work?”

Aaron shifted next to me, now looking as hostile as
Judd. “Back off, Mac.”

“Just curious. I’ve never fucked a tiny chick.”

“You shouldn’t talk about a man’s girl that way
especially when she’s carrying his kid,” Cooper warned, clearly wanting to jump
in, but holding back so not to emasculate Aaron.

Farah said guys in the club were testing Cooper
lately because they sensed weakness in his leadership. I couldn’t imagine
anyone looking at Cooper without fearing his wrath. Even if they didn’t fear
Cooper, they ought to fear his enforcers. After all, Judd was glaring at Mac
like waiting for any reason to attack. Sensing a back story to this pissing
match, I knew Mac was about to say something nasty even before he opened his
mouth.

“I hear chicks get big tits when they’re knocked
up. Certainly can’t hurt with this one.”

Why Mac was starting shit didn’t matter. Aaron
threw the punch and the bar immediately exploded into violence. Judd was
waiting for a reason to attack while Cooper and Vaughn were always up for a
fight.

Aaron hit Mac again as the bigger guy stumbled
back. I thought of grabbing a chair and helping my man, but Tawny pulled me
away. Soon, we were hiding under a table where Farah crouched with wide eyes.

“Aaron needs to stake his claim and protect his
woman,” Tawny said, cuddled next to Farah. “If you help him, it’s like you’re
cutting off his balls and tossing them in your purse. Immature or not, these
guys need to be men or they get insecure. Can’t have that.”

Farah looked freaked out until Tawny hugged her and
the tension faded from her face. A minute later, the table cloth lifted and
Bailey appeared with beer bottles in her hands.

“I figured you’d need booze to deal with the
boredom of hiding.”

“I can’t drink,” Farah said. “I’m off the pill and
trying to get knocked up.”

“I am knocked up. I also don’t like that brand of
beer.”

Handing the beers to Tawny, Bailey nodded. “Be back
in a sec.” A minute later, Bailey returned with two cans of Coke for Farah and
me.

“So what are we talking about?” Bailey asked.

“Men needing to protect their women,” I explained.

“Lame. Talk about something I can join in on.
What’s your sister like? Is she hotter than me?”

“Yes.”

“I hate her and you should tell her to watch out.
If I see her, that pretty face is dead meat.”

Grinning, I cuddled up with her as the table shook
from fighting bodies knocking against it.

“You’re having a baby?” she asked, wrapping her
arms around me. “Everyone is getting married or having babies.”

“Raven isn’t,” I said as Farah peeked out from
under the table cloth to check on Cooper.

She smiled and returned to her spot. “Judd and
Aaron have stripped Mac down and are shoving him out the door.”

Tawny laughed. “Judd finally got to punish Mac for
letting me touch his arm months ago. Good for him.”

Laughing, I leaned my head against Bailey. “Raven
has bad taste in men. Going out with her will be great for you. If Raven likes
someone, you’ll know he’s a loser. So she’ll distract all the shitty guys from
you.”

“Huh. And she’s hot, so she’ll draw guys to us. I
think she might be my new best friend,” Bailey said, taking a swig. ‘Don’t be
jealous. I just need a man because all of the kissing and fucking and marrying
and baby making you guys keep doing. I can’t be the only one alone and Vaughn
doesn’t count because he’ll be dead in a few months and shouldn’t be dating
anyway.”

We all frowned at Bailey who shrugged. “Those
Devils fuck are going to kill him or he’ll try to kill them and get killed. Why
do you think they call him Dead Man Walking?”

“You’re bumming me out,” I told her while finishing
my soda. “I wish Aaron was here.”

“As you wish,” Aaron said, leaning down. “Look at
you pretty girls hiding under here.”

“We’re not hiding,” I said, crawling out. “We’re
planning our attack. You know, just in case you couldn’t handle things.”

When Aaron grinned, I noticed blood on his lip. “You’re
hurt.”

“You should see the other guys.”

Glancing around, I noticed Mac’s friend was propped
up on the pool table and the other guys were throwing pretzels and peanuts at
him. In the corner, Kirk and Jodi sat as if on their porch drinking lemonade
and admiring the sunset.

“My hero,” I said, caressing the cobra.

“Are you talking to me or the tattoo?”

“Both, baby. Always both.”

Aaron lifted me up onto his hips and I knew we
weren’t staying.

“We just got here,” I murmured against his cheek.

“Don’t you think Judd and Coop will take their
women home to celebrate?”

Glancing around, I noticed Tawny high fiving Judd
who looked pretty proud about his revenge on Mac. Nearby, Farah was squeezing
Cooper’s flexed muscles. None of them were planning to stay at the bar.

“Are you okay, Bailey?” I asked as Aaron started
for the door.

“Sure, I’ll just hang out and pretend Vaughn is
charming. It’ll be good practice for the next loser I date.”

A grinning Vaughn patted the spot next to him in a
booth. As the blonds got comfy, Aaron carried me to the Harley and sat me on
the seat.

“You saved me from mean words,” I teased as he felt
me up in the spot Mac thought I needed help.

“No one messes with my girl.”

“Mighty sperm and powerful fists. Plus, you can
cook and paint and write poems and a million other qualities. I’ve hit pay
dirt.”

“I need to get you home,” he said and I sensed the
ride would be uncomfortable for him.

As I wrapped my arms around his waist, he started
the Harley. “Raven bought headphones, so we can fuck really loud and she won’t
be bothered.”

“The best houseguest ever,” Aaron said over his
shoulder.

As we sped away, I noticed Judd chasing a laughing
Tawny to the parking lot. Cooper strutted out with Farah clinging to him.
Everyone was happy except for a naked Mac tied to a tree in what I assumed was
the club’s version of a time out.

Lark soaked in the claw foot tub with the dogs
sleeping nearby. I knew she was tired and pretending otherwise. Eventually, the
day would come when she would look at me and admit the pregnancy hormones were
a pain in the ass. When she did so, I would baby the hell out of her and make
her feel like a princess. Until then, she wanted to put on a brave face without
admitting she took mini-naps through out the day.

Leaving her to rest, I found Raven on the front porch.
Glancing at me, she looked ready to toss her cigarette then thought better of
it.

“Not good to smoke near Lark,” she said, staring at
the dark neighborhood.

Handing her an ashtray, I sat on the other end of
the porch swing. “My uncle is a smoker and he comes over occasionally.”

“Thanks,” she said in her rough voice. “You’re a
good guy. Sorry I tried to pound your face in.”

Smiling, I stretched out my legs. “You wanted to
protect your sister.”

“She deserves protecting. Lark was always behaved.
She never got a fucking ounce of credit though. They just ignored her or dumped
shit on her. I did too. She’s too good a listener and people tell her their
problems and never make sure she’s okay.”

“You’re back and I know that makes her more than
okay.”

“I shouldn’t have left. I just got this idea in my
head that life sucked because of my zip code. If I were smarter, I’d have
thought about how Lark lived in the same zip code and she didn’t make such
dumbass choices,” Raven said then added, “Not that she’s a genius. Like when we
were kids, she loved this baby doll she got for Christmas. Took care of it like
a real baby and wanted to be a mom. Always told me that’s what she wanted. To
be married and have a nice husband who didn’t smack her around. It was her
dream then Phoenix died and she never touched the doll again. That wasn’t
really the stupid part though. She got it into her head that she wanted to be a
paralegal and work in an office and never get married. She was going to be
different by living alone. I tried to tell her a few times how fucking stupid
her plan was. I mean, Lark loves people and kids and family. It’s in her blood
to be a giver and living alone was never going to make her happy.”

“Now, she can admit what she really wants.”

Finishing her cigarette, Raven put it out in the
ashtray then sighed. “I never really bought into the God thing. Religion felt
like a lie men told to make people listen to them. Mostly, it seemed dumb to
think a magic man in the sky cared about us. Like if I was a magic man and
could make the earth or whatever, I wouldn’t waste time on helping out losers.”

Raven set the ashtray on the ground and crossed her
arms as if cold. “I see what Lark has now with you, this house, the ugly dogs,
her friends, and now the baby. It makes me think God might exist. While losers
run in our family, Lark could be more if she let herself. Now she has more and
I think God might have helped her out. I prayed someone would. Even not
believing, I prayed and told God if He was real and wanted me to believe that
He needed to help Lark. I guess He heard me because she’s happy like I’ve never
seen her happy before. Not even when Phoenix was alive and we were the best we ever
were as a family.”

“I’m glad you’re here and you’re welcome to stay as
long as you want, but, Raven, my dogs aren’t ugly.”

She laughed and tapped her foot against mine.
“You’re a good guy. I know I said that before, but I didn’t think you would be.
I’ve been around and good guys are rare.”

“They exist though.”

Raven nodded. “I need to quit men the way I need to
quit smoking. Just go cold turkey. If I try to be rational about it, I’ll fool
myself into falling for another creep. No, just say enough is enough all that
shit. Focus on other stuff like a job and roller derby and family.”

“If you ever get sick of living here, the
Johanssons have an apartment that Cooper used to live in.”

“There are plenty of apartments in Ellsberg.”

“Yeah, but if you want to avoid loser men, those
apartments won’t help. They’re full of assholes. College shitheads and lowlife
fuckers. If you stay out there with the Johanssons, no man will bother you. You
might even like Bailey. She’s an acquired taste, but a good friend if you can
deal with her mouth.”

“Bossy bitches are my favorite,” Raven said,
pulling her knees up to her chest.

“No hurry moving out though. Lark is feeling unsure
about stuff and having you here makes her feel more centered. Like she’s
combining her old life with her new one and it fits.”

“I just have one question, bud,” Raven said,
standing up and ready to leave the cold evening. “Are you planning to fix her
damn worm?”

“I don’t normally tattoo pregnant women.”

“You really going to have your kid born to a chick
with a worm tattoo?”

Smiling at Raven, I nodded. “I don’t want to do
anything to jinx the pregnancy. Since we’ve been together, Lark was hurt by
Larry, got into a fight with my ex, and had to hide under the table during a
bar brawl. I want the rest of her pregnancy to be as pain free as possible.”

“Sissy,” she said, grinning. “I’m really glad you
aren’t an asshole. It was a pleasant surprise.”

“Glad you approve, but don’t mock my dogs again and
stop barking at Pollack.”

“Fuck off,” she said over her shoulder while
walking inside.

Following her, I thought about the little worm on
Lark’s back. How it looked up at me when she wiggled her butt for my approval.
Needing to see the worm and that butt, I was relieved to find Lark drying off.
She caught my gaze and just smiled. My girl knew me too well.