Spike (Aces MC Series Book 3) (12 page)

"I know that look Louise."
I turned to see Maggie's face show an array of mixed emotions. What was it
concern, sympathy I couldn't make it all out.
I shrugged, "I don't know what you mean Maggie." I walked over to the
flowerbed to take off my t-shirt and quickly wrapped a towel around myself to
hide my scars. I wrung the water from my top and clipped it to Maggie's washing
line hopeful that it may dry before we went home.
"Ink is Diesel's old lady and considering Spike and Diesel are cousins,
makes her family."
I visibly relaxed and walked over to the seating area, sitting comfortably
albeit still soaking wet.
"He likes you Louise, you know that right?" I looked at her almost
embarrassed.
"Don't act all coy with me, I see the way you look at him."
I glanced over at the children still playing happily in the hot tub, "I
shouldn't be feeling the way I do, I only left my husband a week ago." I
said quietly making sure the children didn't hear me.
"The Lord works in mysterious ways. We can't help who we fall for Louise
and it usually happens when we're not looking for it."
"Ain't that the truth!"

Hound

The dew glistened in the morning light and I slowly breathed
in the crisp fresh air as I strolled through the park. These morning strolls
allowed me time to think, away from the normal hustle and bustle of life. I had
been visiting the park on a regular basis lately as I was getting increasingly
worried about Paige. She wasn't right, call it intuition if you will but I knew
I needed to get her some help, what form that help came in I was still a little
unsure of. She'd been drinking heavily lately which came with the lifestyle but
I was just hoping that she wasn't using. If I found that she was, I would pull
her out of the club and make sure that I killed every fucking dealer in a ten
mile radius.

Today was an emotional day and that's why I was here. Jimmy
had been taken from us, in circumstances that were horrific. He was in the
wrong place at the wrong time and by trying to protect Ink from harm, paid the
ultimate price, death. This had affected me more than I thought it would but I'd
put it down to the fact that he was of a similar age to my own children,
especially Tyler who was also involved in the club.
We were burying Jimmy today but I needed to clear my head before I met with the
other guys, otherwise I'd be no use to anyone. 

My usual bench was occupied by a young homeless man trying
to keep warm on this cold morning by blowing and rubbing his hands together. I
strolled at my usual pace and smiled when I realised it was Cade sitting on the
bench.
"Good morning!" I said approaching him slowly.
He looked up shocked clenching his fists before visibly relaxing when he
realised it was me.
He smiled, "Hi old man!" He was clearly referencing to our earlier
conversation.
"Can I sit down?" I asked gesturing to the space available next to
him on the park bench.
He simply nodded and moved his small rucksack onto the ground so that I had
more room.
"What brings you to the park so early?" He asked, still rubbing his
hands together to generate some warmth.
I rested my arms along the length of the back of the wooden bench and sighed as
I looked across the field in front of us, "This is my thinking place. I've
got a lot going on at the moment and this place allows me to chew things
over."
"Wanna talk about it?" Cade asked looking generally interested.
"You look like you have enough going on without hearing about my
problems." I looked at his clothes and down at his small bag which I
assumed contained his only belongings.
Cade nodded before hugging his body to try and keep in the warmth.
"What was so bad to make a young man sleep rough rather than stay at
home?" I asked generally interested about the young man's circumstances. I
wasn't under any illusions, I knew it would've been serious possibly drugs,
crime or abuse of some description but I genuinely wanted to know.
I could see his internal struggle and his hard exterior slowly fall,
"Don't feel obliged, I just thought that a problem shared is a problem
halved."
There was a long silence and I was about to say something as it was becoming a
little uncomfortable. "I was put into care at thirteen." Cade sat
perfectly still and focussed on a spot directly in front of him. "The care
system is supposed to look after children like me but there were more
paedophiles at the children home then there were on the outside, so it was
better to leave."
I was shocked by his words but I didn't say anything, if he was willing to talk
I'd let him.
"I was fourteen when I left, sick of the fascination everyone had with my
arsehole. I've been living on the streets ever since."
We sat in silence for a long time and I found myself mulling over what he'd
just told me. It made me sick to my fucking stomach, especially knowing that
someone in a position of trust would take advantage of a minor.
Where did
the conversation go from here?
I could see that he was clearly
uncomfortable so I decided to change the subject.
"How do you know how to fix cars?"
He smiled, "Needed to do whatever to earn money. A bloke at a garage took
pity on me, took me in taught me how to fix up cars."
"So if someone took you in, why are you still sleeping rough?" I
asked keen to understand the boy's logic if he was being looked after and
learning a trade.
"His wife couldn't have children so they wanted to take me in and smother
me with love." Cade laughed, "I was already fucked up at sixteen, so
they couldn't save me. She tried to shape me into something I wasn't, even
tried to take me to church." He shook his head and lowered his voice to
nearly a whisper, "The only place I'm going is hell, for the things I've
done."

And this is obviously what he wanted. He'd been drawn to the
club for whatever reason, possibly looking for a family like so many of us had
over the years. He wanted to talk although some subjects were more difficult
than others and I was prepared to listen to him. One thing I was good at was
listening.

I looked at my watch noticing that I needed to make a move
as I didn't want to be late. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet,
and flicked through the notes, "Here take this." I placed the notes
into Cades hand as I stood ready to leave.
"I can't take this, take it back." Cade stood and made his way over
to me with his hand held out.
"It's not a fucking hand out, it's for fixing the car. I couldn't have
done it without your help, we were all stumped."
Cade looked pleased with himself and now that I'd explained what the money was
for he accepted it and placed the notes into his pocket.
"Make sure you get some food down you and go to a hostel to get warm for
fucks sake."
I turned and strolled towards the car park before turning to see Cade collecting
his bag from the ground, "Cade!" I shouted.
He looked up confused, "What's up?"
"Come by the club next Tuesday, I'll see if I can sort out some work for
you, if you're interested? I promise not to take you to church!" I said
humorously referring to the comment he made earlier about the mechanics wife.
He smiled as he nodded his head before walking off in the opposite direction. I
hoped he turned up, I'd fucking hate for something terrible to happen to him,
if it hadn't already!

Spike

I was fucking shattered, it had been a busy day at the shop.
I loved my job but things had been bloody hectic over the past two weeks, what
with the death of Jimmy and Ink now out of action for the foreseeable future, I
was up against it. My mind wasn't one hundred percent on the job either. Angel as
I was now starting to call her, was consuming my thoughts more and more these
days and I was finding it difficult to concentrate. I knew I had the desire to
protect, this had happened since the death of Helen but now I was questioning
my motives of wanting to spend time with her and the twins. I'd grown attached to
them over the past ten days but I was trying my best to not be too over bearing
as I didn't want to scare her off.
I wanted to see her, I needed to see her and decided to go to the cafe again
this evening for my dinner. Amy had grown suspicious of my sudden love for her
cooking but I ignored her sly comments and knowing looks every time I went to
the cafe.

"Hi Connor, fancy seeing you here this evening!"
Amy said smugly clearly mocking me.
I nodded my head but narrowed my eyes earning myself a huge grin as she wiped
down another table. I casually made my way over to the twins sitting at what
had now become their table at the back of the cafe.
"Hi Spike sit next to me," Tommy stuck out his tongue towards Devon
as he had asked me first.
I sat comfortably next to Tommy and rested my arms along the bench style seat
as he held up his latest designs.
"Wow Tommy they're great." I ruffled his hair slightly as I leaned
over to see Devon's designs also, as to not leave her out. "These are
great too are you gonna add some colour?"
"Mum's just popped to the shop on the corner to get some more
crayons." She said before leaning over to suck from the purple straw that
was in her orange squash.
I nodded my head letting her know that I understood. I had wondered where Angel
was but I didn't want to ask.
I smelt the subtle aroma of freesia and jasmine as Angel rushed into the shop.
She was a sight to behold in a tightly fitted emerald green dress that sat just
above her knee. I watched in ore as she quickly tended the twins, her nurturing
instinct so natural before her eyes met mine. A slight blush fell on her cheeks
as she smiled sweetly, tucking a tendril behind her ear.
"Hi Spike, what can I get you? She asked almost breathlessly.
A fucking bucket of cold water would be nice!
"Whatever Amy has
left, I know she closes in an hour." I waited for her to leave before I
readjusted my cock as the fabric had begun to stretch tightly around my
arousal.
"You like mummy, don't you." Devon stated as she continued to draw
her picture.
Tommy looked up at me, his eyes wide with excitement waiting for me to answer.
What was I to say?
Children were so unpredictable that I was often taken
by surprise especially by Devon. Sometimes she seemed older than her five
years.
"I like your mum very much, and you and Tommy." I smiled at her and
got comfortable on the seat as Amy placed a large glass of iced water on the
table.
I turned to the sound of a group of rowdy blokes entering the cafe as they
shared a joke. They sat at one of the tables near the window and continued
their conversations but I noticed how Tommy had shuffled closer towards me
almost hugging my side. I gently placed my arm around his shoulders and pulled him
closer as I could feel his little body physically shake.
"Shhh, it's alright little man." I said quietly as I lifted my hand
to rub his arm.
Angel looked at me concerned as she placed my dinner on the table, "I'm
just gonna help Amy with these customers and then I'm going to take them
home."
I smiled and picked up my fork with my left hand to try and eat my dinner. This
would prove difficult but I didn't want to remove my arm from Tommy as he
obviously needed the comfort.

"Hey beautiful, I haven't seen you here before."
One of the rowdy customers said to Angel as she tried to take their orders.
I didn't hear her response as she was so quiet but the rest of the group
chuckled. I looked over quickly to see the guy that had originally spoken to
her, take her by the arm and pull her onto his lap. Angel let out a high
pitched scream as he tightened his hold to the jeering from the other men as
they egged him on.
I quickly jumped from the chair and ran over to her side, yanking her off his
lap. She would probably have a bruise from the force but my need to protect her
overpowered anything else. I swung my arm and caught the guy directly on the
chin knocking him off his chair, turning the table on its side in the process. 
I repeatedly punched him in the face as I held him by the scruff of the neck
and wasn't happy until I saw the claret cover his face. I heard shuffling and
glanced at his three mates who had now gone quiet as they stood watching their
friend being assaulted, fucking pussies!
I stood and assessed the situation quickly by looking around the cafe with my
fists still clenched. The three other guys' stood nervously, assessing me. They
could have easily taken me if they all jumped in but their demeanours showed
that they were scared.
I bent down and grabbed the stirring man again by the scruff of his neck and
pulled him to his feet. "If you ever come in here again, I'll fucking kill
you. Do you understand?" I let go of his shirt and pushed him in the
direction of his friends as he stumbled out of the doorway, taking his mates
with him.

My anger started to dissipate but I was pulled from my
thoughts as I could hear screaming behind me. As I turned I saw Devon standing
on her chair with tears pouring down her little face as she wept uncontrollably.
I briefly saw Tommy's expression which ripped my heart wide open, the boy was
petrified, fear clearly visible and as I looked closer I could see a wet patch in
the groin area of his joggers.
Fucking hell what had I done?
I reacted in the only way I knew how, I
wanted to protect her so badly but now I had to face the fallout from my actions.
I took a deep breath and walked slowly to the back of the cafe. I reached out
to touch Angel's face but she recoiled, her shocked face looking at me as if I
were a stranger. I knew that the relationship I had tried to build had been
ripped apart in minutes as she had witnessed another side to me.
I backed away slightly and went over to comfort Devon as she was now just
whimpering. She held out her arms for me to comfort her.
"Leave her alone," Angel spat in a harsh tone. "She's my chid
and I'll comfort her, just leave us all alone."
Angel pushed past me and grabbed Devon taking her from the chair into her
embrace. She quickly grabbed Tommy's hand and headed for the back room.
"Noooooo! Spike, I want Spike!" Devon shouted as she stretched out
her hand for me to take. I held it briefly but had to let go as Angel moved
quickly trying to get the children away from me.
I picked up the nearest chair and launched it to the other side of the cafe,
fucking annoyed by my earlier actions. I had to get out of here, it was
stifling. I left the building with no regard to Amy and jumped on my motorcycle
looking to ease my increasing fury. I needed to vent my anger, I needed to find
Diesel.

"Fuck!"
Diesel poured me another drink."Stop beating yourself up Spike, what's
done is done you can't change what's happened."
I rubbed my forehead, going over the events again in my head for the umpteenth
time. "I was only trying to protect her, why can't she see that?" I
omitted to tell Diesel everything, I'd only told him that I punched the guy.
"You know why Spike. Look you need to sleep on it man and contact her in
the morning when she's had time to assess the situation. She's not
unreasonable, she'll come round."
We both turned to the giggles coming from the girls that were trying to dry
hump Duke on the seat in front of us.
"Stop your bitching Spike, there's plenty to go around." Duke said
laughing at my discomfort.
I stood abruptly, "You're such a cock Duke. You have a perfectly good
woman already and you wanna fuck about with these skanks!" I gestured with
my hand to the girls sitting around him. "I need some fresh air." I
stalked through the club ignoring everyone who tried to talk to me as I made my
way outside, I wanted to be alone.

I breathed in the cool night air trying to gain some
perspective from tonight's events, when I noticed Taylor pull up in her MX5. I
liked Taylor, she had fire in her belly and I enjoyed watching her pull Duke up
on his shit although he was acting like a cock by resisting his feelings
towards her. We all knew how much he liked her but he was trying to play it
cool.

Taylor was struggling to lift a suitcase out of the boot of
her car, “Do you need a hand?” I asked as I approached her car.
She smiled sweetly as she stepped aside, “Ever the gentleman, thank you.”
It shouldn't be me out here assisting Taylor, it should've been Duke and I was
fucking annoyed with him. I carried the suitcase across the car park walking
slowly so that Taylor could keep up with me in her indecent heels.
“Whilst I have you alone, I just wanted to apologise for my sharpness the other
day at the salon.”
I didn't know what the fuck she was talking about at first, then remembered
that I had asked her regarding Duke.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you about your relationship with Duke. I
know it’s none of my business.” I needed to tell her about him, I felt that I
needed to warn her before we went into the club, “Duke’s drunk tonight. It’s
probably best to stay away from him this evening.”
She straightened and pushed her shoulders back, “I’m here to work Spike,
nothing else.”
I had already clocked her attire and knew that she was looking hot, I chuckled
as I checked her out again, “Obviously!”

I needed to get Taylor to the back room as quickly as
possible so that she didn't have to deal with the fallout from Duke's day of
heavy drinking. She stopped at the sound of laughter to see him at his usual
table. He had the same two girls sitting either side of him, hanging on his
every word. Fucking hell that man was stupid!
 “Come on Taylor, you don’t want to see the car crash.” I quickly directed her
to the back room seeing the hurt clearly visible on her face although she tried
to hide it.

Placing the suitcase down in the corner of the room, I
turned to gently rest my hands on Taylor's shoulders, “Don’t beat yourself up
about it, he’s got a lot going on at the moment.”
I didn't want her jumping to conclusions like Angel had this evening about me.
I wanted her to understand that Duke was dealing with things that she may not be
aware of. It didn't totally justify his actions but it may help her rationalise
in the cold light of day.
The door opened and we both turned looking at Savannah as she sauntered into
the room.
“If I’m disturbing something, I can always come back!” She said with a wink.
I was surprised by the way Taylor reacted as she quickly stepped back so that my
hands fell from her shoulders but this also told me that she was into Duke more
than I knew as she didn't want people to think that she was cavorting with me.
That pleased me as there was hope that these two could stop fucking around and
give into their urges.

I got the hint and knew that it was time to go but as I eased
the door open slightly I saw Duke on his way up the corridor and decided to
push his buttons for acting like a fucking arse.
"I forgot to say, how hot you look tonight Taylor.” I stated giving her a
wink before closing the door. I hoped that she didn't think I was coming onto
her but I wanted Duke to realise that he needed to act fast or he may just lose
the one woman that was perfect for him.

Duke grabbed me around the neck and pinned me against the
wall, "What the fucking hell you playing at Spike? You can't get your own
bird so you have to sniff around everyone else's!"
That fucking stung but I knew it was the drink talking. I didn't want to fight
him but I wasn't letting him get up in my face. I pushed him with both hands
and he stumbled slightly but gained his composure to come at me.
I swung my arm and directed it at his face as he charged towards me. I caught
him directly on his cheek bone and the feeling of making contact relieved some
of my pent up frustration from today's events. He bent over and I noticed him
touch the area gently with his hand, "Duke, this is gonna get out of hand
if you carry this on." I bent down to see if he was okay and saw the
aggression on his face as he lifted his head to make contact with my face
catching me unaware.
I fucking lost it and punched him several times in the body and face, catching
his lip and splitting it. A small group had now congregated watching us grapple
but no one would dare to intervene. I noticed Diesel standing in the crowd
smirking as he watched us exchange blows. Fucking prick!
I didn't want to fight Duke but I was sick of people seeing my kindness and
taken it for weakness.
"Right that's enough you two." Diesel stood between us holding out
his hands to keep us apart.
Duke wiped his mouth and glared at me as he saw the blood on his hand.
"Fucking lucky punch!" He stumbled towards the back room before
turning towards me, "You need to sort your fucking shit out."
I pointed my thumb down the corridor to where Duke had just stumbled, "And
I need to sort
my
shit out?"
Diesel laughed, "Come on, I'll get you a drink and you can explain what
that was all about."

We sat in one of the quieter booths at the back of the club
so we wouldn't be disturbed, "So let me get this straight, you beat the
shit out of this bloke in front of Louise and the kids?"
I nodded my head, "That's about right and yes, I know I'm a dick but I was
trying to protect her."
Diesel sniggered, "You said earlier that you just hit him, not beat the
crap out of him! You have some major sucking up to do."
I nodded my head still frustrated with myself for acting like an arse, "She
was annoyed and I appreciate why but it hurt more that Devon wanted me to
comfort her and Angel wouldn't allow it."
Diesel raised his eyebrows. "Angel?"
"Yeah, Angel!"
"You've grown fond of those kids." Diesel stated picking up his glass
to take a sip.
"Tommy was so scared that he fucking wet himself and I can't get over the
fact that I caused that to happen." I rubbed my forehead still picturing
his little face but was pulled from my thoughts by shouting coming from the
bar.