Rider (Defenders M.C. Book 3) (3 page)

He picked up his beer and drained it and motioned for another.  Alcohol no longer gave him a buzz, but it was something to do to pass the time.  He needed more.  He needed something stronger to blot out the pain, not just the physical, but the mental too.

Ginny had done a number on him and he was lucky to be alive.  He had some nasty scars from the knife she had used to carve him up, but he was healed for the most part.  A couple of the bones still ached where they had been broken, but he could still ride and he could still fuck and those seemed to be the only things he was good at anymore.

Rider looked up when a lanky man sat down with him.  He thought his name was Shaker, but he couldn’t remember.  The man was a druggie.  Rider could tell by his placid skin and red rimmed eyes.  He had no respect for the type.  The man looked like he wasn’t quite sure of Rider.  That was something else he liked about the place.  They didn’t look at him as the pretty boy.  He wasn’t as pretty as he’d once been and the scars gave him a look that many respected.

“You look like shit.”  Shaker put in.

“Fuck off.”  Rider didn’t care for the man, but he thought Shaker was dangerous so he didn’t want to insult the man.  He didn’t want to look weak either though so he continued to show indifference.

Shaker just leaned back in his chair and grinned reminding Rider of a less reputable Lawless.  That thought also gave him pause.  Lawless was bloodthirsty and it didn’t take long to see it.  He told himself to stay far away from Shaker.

“Bet I have a cure for what ails you.”  He raised a brow over his light blue eyes.  “Interested?”

“I doubt it.”

Shaker nodded and took a deep drag off the joint he always seemed to have.  He raised a brow at Rider and offered the joint.  Rider wasn’t much of a drug user, but several of the brothers smoked pot and it didn’t seem to bother them much.  He reached out and took the joint hoping it would offer him a respite from the shit spinning around i bling aron his head.  He sucked deep and held it for a few seconds before releasing it into the air.  It was bitter, but he refrained from commenting on it to Shaker.  Shaker looked pleased when he took the joint back.

“Just a few minutes and you’ll feel all better.  Next time you’ll have to pay for it though.”

Rider just shrugged.  Shaker got up and went to the bar for a beer and was replaced by another of the Georgia brothers, Tank looked Rider over.

“That shit will fuck you up, but it’s too late now ain’t it?”  He grinned as if he was enjoying the show.  Tank was the number two in the Rakers’ club.  Rider didn’t like the way Tank was looking at him.

Rider frowned.  “What’s that mean?”

“Means that ain’t just weed man, there’s something a lil extra in there and it will fuck you up.  You better get ready for a trip, but it’s a good one.  I imagine you’ll be looking for a way to make money soon enough.  That shit ain’t free.  When you start looking, I’ll be around.  I have a few things you might be good at.”

Tank stood up and walked away.  Rider felt uneasy.  These boys liked their drugs and they liked them hard.  He had steered clear of them, but he felt that he may have just fucked up, but who really gave a shit anyway?  He would ride out tomorrow or by the end of the week.  This place looked less like a haven all the sudden.  He wasn’t about to get in with this bunch of junkie assholes.

A tall blonde caught his eye and for a second he thought it was Lizzie, but her face was all wrong.  Her nose was too wide and her chin was too blunt.  His Lizzie had the face of a pixie.  Her ears were even a little pointy and she hated it.  This girl had blue eyes…Lizzie had green ones… 

He was beginning to feel strange, but not in a bad way.  The woman gave him a sly smile and walked his way.  He smiled as his mind grew fuzzy.  He felt amazing.  The woman said something and he threw his head back and laughed.  Damn he felt so good.  When the woman dropped to her knees and started working his belt he didn’t protest.  He doubted he would protest if she cut his dick off completely.  He was home!  Finally life was fucking fantastic and he couldn’t remember why he had felt like shit earlier. He couldn’t remember why he had ever felt like shit.  Hell, he couldn’t even remember who the fuck he was.  He felt like he was flying.  It was almost orgasmic.

He heard voices and laughed at the garbles sounds.  Fuck them all.  He wasn’t moving from this spot.  He had found his happy place and it was right the fuck here in this chair.

“That’s so good Lizzie, fuck.”

“My name’s Mindi.”

“Not when you have my dick in your mouth.  Your name’s Lizzie or you can get the fuck away from feck away me.  Only Lizzie…”

It took Rider almost three weeks to run out of money.  He had robbed a gas station, but hadn’t gotten caught so he robbed another.  He knew he was in deep and he needed out.  The boys were on him to help them run their product, but even in his confused state he knew that was a bad idea.  He refused.  Rider needed help and the only person he could think of that might help him was Lizzie.  He picked up his phone and tried to dial, but it had been cut off for lack of payment.  He’d just ride home then. He could clear his head on the road.  He would feel better after a long ride.

He gathered his shit and walked out of the clubhouse.  He was tired of these fuckers getting up in his shit.  It was time to go home.  Shaker stopped him as he climbed on his bike.  The man had been like a fucking flea, always on his back.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’?”

“I’ve got shit to do.  I’m goin’ home.”

“Like fuck you are.  We agreed that you’d run the next shipment up to Tennessee.  You ain’t skippin’ out on it either.”  Shaker stepped forward. 

Rider smashed his fist into the prick’s face.  He’d been wanting to do that for weeks.

“Fuck you Shaker.  I’m tired of your shit.  I’m heading home and I don’t give a shit how you feel about it.  We’re square so you have no right to try to stop me.  Try it again and I’ll put you in the fucking ground.  You don’t fuck with a Defender.  I am an officer of the Defenders founding chapter.  I don’t take shit from anybody, especially not a low life snake like you.”

His cut felt like it fit again for the first time since he’d been hurt.  He was a Defender and if they didn’t want him then they could say so.  He was tired of running.  Tired of drifting.  Tired of not knowing where home was.

“You don’t walk away from us Rider.  That’s a lesson you need to be taught.”  Shaker shouted.

“Bring it on, you son of a bitch.  I’m not afraid of your junkie ass.”

“I guess we will see about that.”  Shaker laughed.  “You’re calling me a junkie?  Have you looked in the mirror lately you stupid fucker?  You look like shit.  Anybody that has eyes can see you’re high.”

Rider didn’t respond.  He just climbed on his bike and rode away.  He left the prick lying on the ground bleeding.

Four

Preacherman cursed a blue streak after slamming the phone down on his desk.  He threw open his office door and stalked into the clubhouse.

“Where the fuck is Lacey?”

The brothers all turned at his shouted question, but no one spoke.  Preach had a temper that gave him the reputation of shooting first and asking questions later.  No one wanted to be in his line of fire.

“I said where the fuck is Lacey?  I need a goddamned lawyer right this fucking second and I don’t have time to play games.”

“Lace is at home.”  Shadow said calmly.  He was one of the few people who seemed to fear nothing.  Not even his father.  He took another pull from his beer as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Get her the fuck here now.”

“I’m gonna ask you why before I make that call.  I’m sure you understand why.”

“Fuck you for that Shad.”  Preach shook his fist at his son.  “Fuck you.  She was mine before she was yours and you still don’t trust me?”  Preach was furious.  “How dare you think she needs protecting from me.  I need her here and I need her here right the fuck now.  You don’t question me.  You do what the fuck I say.”

“She became mine the same instant she became yours so don’t give me that shit.  She is mine to protect from everybody.  What the fuck is going on?”  Shad’s cool demeanor rattled most and to the others it was downright scary.  It even seemed to rattle Preach at times.  “When it comes to my family…I do whatever the fuck I think is best.”

Preach crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his son who remained silent.

“May as well tell him Preach.  You know what a stubborn pain in the ass he is when it comes to Queenie.”  Lawless said from where he leaned against the bar sipping a beer.  He seemed like nothing was amiss in the room when the fact was Preach was about to combust.

“We have a problem down in Georgia.  Rider’s been arrested for rape.  Is that enough for you to pick up the fucking phone?  Is your brother worth a fucking phone call?”

Shadow met his father’s eyes and nodded.  This wasn’t good.  It would spread the brothers thin and put Lacey out in the open.  None of them liked it, but Rider was a brother and that came first.  Shadow pulled his phone from his pocket and made the call.  He also started planning in his head how he would keep her safe.

Lizzie felt her world shift.  She heard her father’s words, but somehow they couldn’t seem to land in any order in her mind.  She was still wearing her scrubs.  She had just gotten off work and stopped by the >

She looked down expecting to see her heart in pieces at her feet, but she only saw her sneakers and the scarred planks of the floor.  She felt a strong hand on her arm and knew who it was without looking.

“Get me out of here Spec.  I can’t think about that right now.  Make me forget please.”

She looked up and met her brother’s eyes.  Shadow had his normal expressionless mask on but she knew that he felt her pain.  He knew her.  His eyes cut to Spec and he nodded slightly, giving his blessing.

Spec didn’t say a word.  He just led her to his bike and helped her climb on.  Then he took her away.

Five

Rider sat in the tiny room at the jail where he was being held.  He chewed on his thumb until it hurt, but he couldn’t stop.  He bounced his foot and repositioned himself in his chair until Lacey snapped at him.  He couldn’t listen to her though.  He couldn’t think.  What was going on?  Why was he here?  Nothing made sense.  He was so thirsty and he was sweating.  It was a cold sticky feeling on his skin and he wanted to take a shower, but he couldn’t think.  He needed a hit.  Then he would be able to think.  Just one hit…

“Damn it Rider, listen to me!”

He looked up into her big blue eyes and remembered when they looked at him with love.  It was gone now.  Now they were angry and maybe disappointed.  He hated that.  He looked away.  He needed a hit.  He was thirsty.  Why was he sweating?  He was cold…

“Rider!  What the hell happened?  They are saying you raped this girl.  You have been charged with rape!”

“What girl?  Did I rape a girl?  Doesn’t sound like me.”  He shook his head to try to clear it, but it didn’t help.  His mind was a fog and he couldn’t make any sense of it.  Could he have raped a girl?

Lacey sighed.  “No, it doesn’t sound like you.  Tell me what is going on.  Rider, please try to focus for just a few more minutes.  Is there anything you need… other than whatever you’ve been taking?”

“I’m so thirsty Lace.”

“Ok.  I can help with that.”  She opened a bottle of water and slid it in front of him.

Rider drank the whole bottle, but it didn’t help.  He started to shiver and that made his bones hurt.  He wanted to curl up and cry, but Lacey needed him to focus now.  She handed him a cold can of soda and he drank it too.  It tasted so good.

She pulled a picture of a woman with long blonde hair from her file.  She looked familiar, but he didn’t know why.

“Do you know this woman?”

“She’s blonde.  Like Lizzie, but she’s not Lizzie.  They never are.”  Rider slumped in his chair.

“No she’s not Lizzie.  She claims you raped her.  Do you remember seeing her two nights ago Rider?”

Rider shook his head.  He couldn’t remember.  Two nights ago he had been at the club house with Shaker.  Had it only been two nights?

“It doesn’t sound like me does it Lace?  Do you think I could have done that?  I don’t think I could have done that.  I’ve never needed to do that.”  Rider closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

She reached out and took his cold, shaking hand.  “No Rider.  I don’t believe it for a second.”  She squeezed and Rider felt something he hadn’t in a long time, hope.

“How long have you been like this?”  She asked quietly.

“Strung out or fighting it?”

“Both.”

“I don’t know.  Few months maybe.  I didn’t mean to, just happened and then I didn’t mind so much.”  He looked up and he knew what she saw.  Pale, pasty skin, sunken cheeks, ragged hair, red rimmed glassy eyes.  He didn’t even know himself anymore.  “I decided to stop so I left.  Only had enough to be able to keep going.  Had to make it back home.  Did I make it home?  Where am I?”