Renegade Lady (8 page)

Being away from Jenna has been a good thing. I haven’t been thinking been about her every minute of every fucking day.  She still crosses my mind more than she should, but I’ve been too busy to dwell on what that means.  I’m just hoping my time here breaks whatever hold she has on me. 

“Whatcha thinking about, babe?” Sarah says as she walks to me and wraps her arms around my waist. 

“Nothing important.” I lower my mouth to hers, trying to wash away my thoughts of Jenna.  Sarah’s a good woman; one of the best I’ve ever met.  I didn’t think I’d ever find someone like her, especially here. Even as great as she is, she still can’t take away my fantasies of Jenna.  I hate what Rig did to her, but here I am thinking along the same line.  There’s no fucking way I would ever rape or beat her, but I have to wonder if wanting a seventeen year old in my bed is any better. 

“Whatcha got planned today?” She asks.

I shake my head.  “Club business. Nothing I can tell you about.”

“Got time to join me back in bed before you go?”

I’m just about to agree when my phone rings.  I stick a finger up.  “Hold that thought.”

I look down to the phone and see Jenna’s name flash across the screen. This is the first time she’s ever called me, so I know something’s wrong.   I immediately take a step back from Sarah and place the phone to my ear.  “What’s up, baby girl?”

“She’s dying,” Jenna says, between sobs.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Mindy’s going to die.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, doing my best to hold my pain in.  “Again Jenna, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you, but I’m scared.”

Anger courses through me.  “What the fuck do you mean, you’re not supposed to tell me?”

“Gun doesn’t want you to know.  He says you got shit to do, and there’s nothing you can do to help Mindy.”

Motherfucker!  My Pop is a damn bastard.  “Tell me what’s going on. I thought Mindy was doing okay.”

Her crying becomes louder before she says.  “I don’t know everything.  I just heard her talking to someone at the funeral home yesterday.  She was planning her own funeral.  Who plans their own funeral?”

Bile starts to make its way up my throat as I say.  “I don’t know, baby girl.  Knowing Mindy, she’s probably trying to make things easier for you and Chipper.”

“It doesn’t matter what she does. Nothing’s going to be easy about losing her. I love her so much. I can’t lose her,” she finishes on a whisper. 

“I know, baby girl.”

“I’ve been so scared, so afraid, and I needed you really bad, but you never called.  Why didn’t you call, Kidd?”

I close my eyes again, trying to block out the pain of my own betrayal.  I was so caught up in trying to avoid my feelings for her that I left her alone when she needed me the most.  “I’m sorry, Jenna.  I’ve been busy, but I should’ve made time.”

I hear murmured voices before she whispers.  “I gotta go. Your Pop’s here.  If he finds out I’m talking to you, he’ll be pissed.”

She doesn’t even take the time to say goodbye before hanging up.  When I hear the line go dead, I toss the phone on the bed and shout, “Fuck!”

“Was that Jenna, babe?” Sarah asks quietly. She knows about Jenna.  I couldn’t help talking about my girl.  Most of the time, it’s just me relaying silly shit she’s been doing, but sometimes it’s me telling Sarah how much I miss my baby girl.  I always make sure to tell her that Jenna is like a little sister, but Sarah’s not an ignorant bitch.  She has to know it’s more than that. 

She hasn’t really said much about Jenna.  In fact, this is the first time she’s ever even said her name, but she knows how Jenna came to the club.  She heard about that shit going down before I even got here.  She also knows how important Jenna is to me and my family. Every time I’ve brought my baby girl up, Sarah just smiles and listens.  But there is something in her eyes, a spark of jealousy that I don’t like. 

“Yeah, I need to try and finish shit here and get home as soon as I can.” I say, getting up and walking to the door.

“When it’s time for you to leave, do you think I could come with you?” she asks quietly.

After hearing Jenna just now, I don’t know if I should bring Sarah home.  There’s just too much shit going on.   If Mindy’s dying, it should be just the family, not some stow away. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Please, Kidd.  I don’t want to be thrown back to these boys here.  You know they won’t go gentle on me.”

She’s right.  Some of the brothers were pissed that I chose Sarah. They were even madder when I told them I didn’t share.  They’ve been chomping at the bit to get to her, so gentle will be the last thing they’d give her.  “You can come, but you got to know that I’m not sure this thing we got going on will last long after I get home.”

She shrugs.  “We can just see what happens when we get there.”

“Yeah, babe,” I say walking out.

CHAPTER Seven

Kidd

After nearly a year away, I’m finally home, but not because the shit is fixed in Mateland; not even fucking close. That’s a dream that may never come true.  Those fuckers are so screwed up, I’m not sure anyone can fix it.  My only hope is Brew, the current VP, will continue where I left off and get everyone’s ass in line. 

The reason I’m heading home is because of Mindy.  She’s dying.  Fucking cancer.  I swear even the thought of that word makes me want to throw up.  She’s been going through treatment for nearly a year, but nothing has helped.  If anything, it’s just made her sicker. Last week, the doctor finally laid it out for her and Chipper.  She can continue chemo and she might have two more months, but she would be sicker than hell for every day of those two months, or stop treatment and maybe live a couple more weeks.  If she’s lucky, she’ll still be weak, but nothing like when she’s taking treatment. 

Mindy chose the no treatment route, and Chipper had a shit hemorrhage.  He didn’t give a shit what it took. He wanted every day he could with her.  Mindy stood her ground though, and stopped the chemo.  Can’t say that I blame her.  Needless to say, Chipper’s not taking it well, and neither is Jenna.  She puts on a brave face for Chipper and Mindy, but she spends every night crying on the phone with me. 

If it wasn’t for the kid, I may not even know how bad it had gotten.  I knew she had cancer, but the last time I had talked to Chipper, he said she was on the mend.  As soon as Jenna told me the truth about Mindy’s condition, I called an end to my time in Mateland.  My Pop was pissed as hell when I told him my decision, but he can be pissed all he wants to be, because I sure the fuck am over this shit.  I still can’t believe he hid this shit from me.  I know he wanted me to stay on a little longer, but I don’t give a damn.   Pop may put the club first, and in most situations I do too, but not when my sister-in-law is dying.  Fuck no!

When I pull into Chipper and Mindy’s driveway, a young woman runs out the door.   I can’t figure out who she is.  I know I’ve seen her before, but I’m not sure where.  One thing I do know is that she’s a fucking knock out.  Just watching her walk towards me has my dick going hard. 

As soon as I slide off my bike, she jumps onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Instinctively, my hands go to her ass and my dick turns to stone. 

She looks into my eyes and smiles. “I’m so glad you’re home!”

The sound of her voice sends shock waves through my system.  No way. No fucking way is this the kid.  I pull my head back and look into her face, and my cock starts to ache.  “What the fuck happened to you?”

A confused and hurt look crosses her face, and she slides her body down mine.  I can only hope she didn’t feel how hard my cock is.  “I asked you a damn question. What the fuck happened to you?”

“What do you mean?” she whispers, taking a step back. 

I start to answer, but the words get stuck in my throat.  How in the hell do you ask someone how they went from being a cute kid to the most fuckable woman you’ve ever seen in less than a year?  I mean really, it’s not something she could miss.  Her once shoulder length black hair now hangs down to the middle of her back.  I swear the shit looks as soft as silk, and I would give my left nut just to run my fingers through it.  The eyes that seemed too big for her face last time I saw her now tilt seductively and fit perfectly into the most beautiful face God ever made.  The coltish body she once had is filled with womanly curves that many women would pay out the ass to have.  Hell, I’d pay out the ass to just touch them.  No!  There’s no damn way she missed this.  So instead of explaining, I just motion towards her.  “You. What the hell happened to you?”

She starts to open her mouth, but shuts it when a weak voice answers for her.  “She grew up.”

I look towards the house and see my sister-in-law standing on the porch.  My body seems to turn to concrete and the heat that Jenna sent my way is instantly gone, replaced by a cold fear that I haven’t felt since my mom died.  Mindy, the sweetest woman in the whole damn world, is now just a shadow of her former self.  Her once robust body is now merely flesh and bones.  The beautiful red hair that my brother loved so much is gone, and her big green eyes are hollow.  Fuck!  I should’ve come home sooner. 

“You gonna keep staring me, or are you gonna come give me a hug?” she says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. 

With those words, I come unstuck and rush towards her.  I take her in my arms and hug her, doing my best not to cause her any pain.  “How’s my girl?”

“D
ying,” she says matter of fact. 

“Don’t say shit like that,” I say, stepping away from her.  

She reaches for my arm and gives it a squeeze.  “No reason to beat around the bush.  We all know that it’s coming, so no need to pretend.”

“Chipper should be here soon,” Jenna says, stepping onto the porch.  “Let’s get you inside.”

She takes Mindy’s hand and leads her inside, then looks back to me.  “You guys go on to the living room, and I’ll grab us something to drink.”

I watch Jenna’s ass as she walks towards the kitchen and join Mindy on the couch.  “When the hell did she grow up?”

Mindy laughs before she replies.  “I’m not sure.  I swear she went to bed one night and woke up looking like that.”

“It sure in the hell shocked the shit out of me.”

“I’m sure it did more than just shock you,” she says with a smile, motioning towards my lap. 

“Shut the fuck up.”

She laughs again.  “You should have been here the first time Chipper saw her in a bikini.  I swear I’ve never seen him move so fast.  One minute he was sitting beside me, and the next he was running across the room with a towel.”

I nod.  “Can’t say I blame him.”

“That was nothing.  He completely freaked out when she went out on her first date.”

“Date?” I bark out. “Who the hell’s she dating?”

Mindy shrugs.  “No one right now, but she was seeing some guy from school.  They broke up a few weeks ago. “

“Good,” slips out before I can stop it. 

Mindy’s eyes jerk to mine and a stern look crosses her face.  “She’s nearly eighteen.  You got a little while before you can go there.  When you do, it better be for more than just a quick ride.  I won’t be here then, but I can guarantee that I will come back and haunt your ass if you hurt my girl.”

I shake my head and do my best to deny her words. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She leans towards me and speaks in a voice that’s barely above a whisper.  “That girl has been hung up on you since she first got here. You may have thought of her as kid, but you were every bit as hung up on her.   I always knew that once she grew up, you would claim her.  She’s yours, and you’re hers.  Just make sure that you do it the right way.”

I start to respond, but am cut short by a knock on the door.  Jenna rushes into the room and swings the door open.  When I see who walks through, my gut clenches and I grab Mindy’s hand.  Giving it a squeeze, I hope that she’ll understand. 

“Hey, baby,” Sarah says, walking towards me with a smile on her face. 

I stand up and look towards Jenna just in time to see the color drain from her face.  She looks towards me and the pain reflected back to me in her eyes lends truth to everything Mindy has just told me about Jenna’s feelings.  It also makes me realize that Mindy was right about mine.  Jenna is mine, and I’m hers.

I feel Sarah paste herself to my side and know there’s no way I can avoid this.  It’s not her fault that my life changed as soon as I pulled into my brother’s driveway.  Sarah’s a nice woman and she’s been good to me.  I can’t just kick her to the curb the same day she uprooted her whole life to move across the state with me. 

I stare at Jenna for a moment more before making a decision and placing my hand onto Sarah’s back.  I look back towards Mindy and force a smile.  “This is Sarah. She’s going to be staying with me for a while.”