The Last Riders - First Four Votes (17 page)

“You will sit, Beth. Lily will take the punishment for letting you influence her and then I will punish you for your part in it. It is time that Lily learned not to let you force her from the path of righteousness.”

The strange part was that Lily didn’t look frightened. A look of peace had come over her as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her silky, black hair fell forward as she repented in a strong voice. When the leather struck her, she didn’t flinch or move; her voice remained the same monotone as before.

“I am going to throw up,” Natasha warned.

Shade walked forward and jerked the tape out of the VCR before then throwing it at the television, which burst with sparks flying and not one member chastised him for doing so.

“Did that shit continue until the bastard got killed?” Razer asked Cash.

“No, by then the new sheriff was in town and, from what my grandmother wrote me, he had heard of what was going on, but no one would talk. Beth and Lily were home schooled, so he couldn’t get the girls alone to talk to them, either. It wasn’t long after he was appointed that Beth disappeared for an afternoon. When her parents searched for her, they found her at the restaurant across from the Sheriff where she was sitting, eating a sundae. Granny wrote she was frightened for Beth that following Sunday until the new Sherriff showed up before church and had a talk with Pastor Saul. After that, the Sheriff was there every church meeting, rain or shine. The girls both entered school the next school year, too.”

“The sheriff probably threatened them with social services,” Bliss guessed.

Cash gave an evil grin. “Bet he threatened to kill him if he touched them again.”

“She won’t forgive me, not after what I did. I humiliated her in front of everyone, just like he did. She was hurt and I ignored her just as those people stood around and didn’t do a damn thing.” His hands clenched into fists. “She begged me to talk to her in private…” Razer couldn’t continue.

The women’s smothered sobs could be heard in the silence of the room while the men moved to stand by their brother who sat staring sightlessly at a broken television with no hope in his heart that he would get the girl. They did what they always did, though, and supported their brother as they also came up with a plan of action. Because this mission was a rescue long over-do.

T
he week ended
up becoming a nightmare for Beth. Her clients seemed to be abnormally demanding and, by the weekend, she was worn out. As she drove home, she refused to let herself think of Razer and the customary Friday night gathering at his house.

When she got home, she showered, but found herself antsy and couldn’t settle down. Determined to get Razer and his activities out of her mind, she texted the girls she had met at the gas station on the way to visit Lily.

She’d been surprised when they’d first texted her and the conversation had been stilted. Several times she had wondered if they were trying to get information out of her about The Last Riders, but when she hadn’t responded to their questions, the conservations had turned to girl talk. The women were as bored with their lives as she was with hers.

They had met up a couple of times, going to the movies or out to dinner. Both times Beth had driven to their town. Tonight they were coming to Treepoint and they were going to meet up at the Pink Slipper, a nightclub on the outskirts of town. It was the direct opposite of Mick’s, with regular guys wanting to hook up. Beth had never been there before, however her new friends had wanted to celebrate Sex Piston opening her own beauty salon, so she’d given in.

Beth dressed in a black dress with a plunging neckline that complemented her full breasts. The dress came to below her knees, but the silky feel made her feel seductive. She slipped on her black heels, some jewelry, and was almost out the door when she turned back to change her shoes to dark purple high heels. Now, feeling as if she was going out to have fun instead of a funeral, Beth left to meet her friends.

She waited at the door for the girls to show up, and after about fifteen minutes, a bright green, four-door Chevrolet parked and out they came, dressed like biker bitches. With the leather skirts or pants cupping their asses and black t-shirts showing pert breasts, they made Beth feel old and ready to retire.

“Hey, girl. Been waiting long? We would have been here sooner, but T.A. had to stop for a piss.”

“Don’t blame me, you drive like my grandma.” With that start, the good-hearted ribbing continued until long after they were seated at a large table.

“Okay, let’s order some drinks and get the party started.” Killyama ordered the waitress to bring drinks then sat back, proceeding to flirt shamelessly with a good-looking blond man at the bar.

“We plan on getting shit-faced and crashing at your place. You cool with that?” Crazy Bitch asked.

Beth smiled. “Yes, it’ll be fun. We can have a girl’s night.”

Crazy Bitch just stared at her. “Girl, I didn’t sneak away from my old man for a girl’s night. I plan to find a man who can give me an actual orgasm.”

Beth deflated. She didn’t know how she felt about her house being used as a place for the women’s hook-ups. “My house isn’t very large.”

“Got a spare bedroom?”

“My sister’s room.”

“She there?”

“No.”

“Then it’s all good. We can take turns using the room,” Crazy Bitch announced.

Beth took a sip of the drink the waitress sat before her and decided to hope for the best. Maybe the women would strike out, but if they didn’t, she would redo Lily’s room and buy her a new mattress. Beth was beginning to see that the night wasn’t going to be as worry-free as she had hoped.

This thought was further proven a few minutes later when she was casually studying the other patrons of the bar and her eyes met Winter Simmons’s. Her mother was one of her former clients, who’d had breast cancer and, after a long, fierce battle, she had passed away the year before. Winter was as prim and proper as the Sunday school teacher she was; she also was the principal at the local high school. Her table was filled with two members of the PTA and Beth was curious as to why they would be in a nightclub at this time of night.

Crazy Bitch interrupted her train of thought, though, as she let out a whoop, whoop when a good-looking man asked Killyama to dance. Beth wanted to slide to the floor, yet brazened it out, smiling at Winter before turning her attention back to the women at her own table.

“So when is the big opening?”

“Monday. You going to come down and let me do your hair?”

“What’s wrong with my hair?”

“Nothing.” Her tone belied her words. “I just can make it better. You know, sexier, like ours.” Beth stared at their teased and tortured hair which looked much different than the first time she had met them.

“I’m busy next week. I haven’t hired anyone yet to replace Evie. I’ve set up several interviews that I’ll have to fit in also. Hopefully one of them will work out and will be able to start immediately.”

Sex Piston shrugged. “You got scissors at your house?”

Beth knew where this was going and tried to nip it in the bud. “No.”

Sex Piston took a large sip of her drink. “That’s okay. I’ll stop at a convenience store and buy a pair.”

Beth knew when she was beat. “I’ll call Monday and make an appointment.” A sober Sex Piston working on her hair was better than a drunk Sex Piston.

“That’s my girl.”

Beth watched as one by one, the women were asked to dance. Even Beth was surprised to be asked and was just returning from a rigorous two step when she looked at the doorway and experienced déjà vu. The difference this time was that it wasn’t Razer’s motorcycle club that had crashed the party, but the Destructors.

Beth heard Crazy Bitch, who was sitting next to her, mutter, “This is not going to be good.”

Beth swallowed a large sip of her own drink while, for the first time, getting a good look at the rough bikers and agreed wholeheartedly.

R
azer was going
up to his room alone, the night was early, but he was in no mood to party. Not that the others were in much of a mood, either. The members were mainly playing pool or watching a new release on the television Shade had brought home that afternoon.

His cell phone ringing stopped him mid-step.

“Razer.”

“Razer, this is Mick. You home?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Thought you would want to know we got a couple guys in here that were in The Pink Slipper. They left because some bikers came in and started arguing with their bitches.”

“Why would I care? We don’t want a turf war over The Pink Slipper. They can have that pussy bar.”

“I didn’t think you would be concerned over turf. I thought you might be concerned that your woman was sitting in the middle of it.”

“I don’t…” Razer started to say he didn’t have a woman before realization dawned on him. “Beth is there?”

“That’s what I’m saying. She was there with the bitches and the men rolled in an hour later. Sound familiar?”

“It’s a fucking set-up.”

“Yeah.”

Razer hung up on Mick, going back down the steps. The members in the room watched curiously as he went to the closet and pulled on the club’s leather jacket.

“Going somewhere?” Shade asked

“Going to The Pink Slipper.”

“What the fuck for?”

“To get something that belongs to me,” he answered grimly, putting on his leather gloves. The other members stood and started getting ready as well. They weren’t sure exactly what was going on, but they never let a brother go into what obviously was going to be some kind of battle alone.

Razer took the lead with thirty club members at his back when he turned into the bar to find just as many bikes already parked. When he and his brothers walked in, it didn’t take long for him to locate Beth. She was sitting at a large table with four biker chicks sitting close to her while the rest of the table and chairs were filled with bikers; others stood blocking the table. Beth couldn’t hide her frightened expression as the other women were arguing with the men.

Razer, with Viper, Shade, Cash, Knox and Rider at his side moved to the table. The rest of The Last Riders followed behind. Half of the patrons at the bar started motioning the waitress for their bills, the other half were raking cash out of purses and wallets, throwing it down on the table without waiting for their tickets. The menace coming from both groups of bikers was giving lethal vibes to the entire bar.

Beth’s eyes widened when she saw the approaching menace-filled Razer. “Beth.”

“Razer?”

“Let’s go.”

“Bitch isn’t going nowhere with you or your men. Y’all need to get back on your machines and leave us to our fun,” a bitch with her hair teased and crazy eyes answered for Beth.

“Beth, let’s go. I’m not telling you again.”

Beth’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You don’t have the right to tell me shit. Crazy Bitch is right, you guys need to leave us alone. We were minding our own business until everyone interfered.”

“Minding what was in the pants of those pussies you bitches were dancing with when we showed up is more like it.” Razer didn’t recognize the man speaking from the gas station, but he figured that, from the way the guy talked and acted, he was the leader.

“Yeah, I don’t care what you think, Ace. We came to celebrate my shop opening Monday. The same one you, or any of you assholes, didn’t want to help paint or do shit to help with. I don’t want you guys here tonight; you don’t deserve to be part of our party.”

“I didn’t see that douche bag whose throat you had your tongue down doing any hammering there, either.”

“Yeah, well, he was going to do plenty later tonight,” Sex Piston taunted.

“Was he, or were they?” He jerked his head towards Razer’s club. “Did you plan on hitting their clubhouse next?” Ace asked in a menace-laden voice.

“You kidding me? We were going to fuck around, not betray the club. If we were going to do that, we would have picked one worth the punishment of breaking a rule.”

“Did she just put us down?” Knox asked.

“Yes, she did, dumbass,” Sex Piston mocked.

Evie, Dawn, Jewell and Natasha pushed to the front of the men, standing by their club members.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Viper questioned.

“Loker James?” Beth questioned, not sure the man standing beside Razer was indeed Ton’s son. He bore no resemblance, even his facial features, which were the same, had changed. His already hardened features were an expressionless mask. He wasn’t wearing a suit; instead he was clad in tight, leather pants, boots and a t-shirt with a leather vest.

A gasp from a nearby table had everyone turning to Winter Simmons’s table where she was sitting with the PTA, avidly listening to every word being spoken.

“He’s Viper,” Evie explained. Now that Vincent Bedford had been arrested and Memphis dealt with, there was no longer any need to hide his identity.

Beth sat without knowing what to think while also remaining completely oblivious to the menace radiating back and forth between the two motorcycle groups.

“Well, that’s none of my business, is it?” Beth said, picking up her drink with a trembling hand.

“To answer your question, if Beth was in trouble, we were going to be here to help,” Evie answered Viper’s question and ignored Beth’s.

“Who the fuck are you?” Killyama asked.

“Evie,” she answered in her toughest voice.

“You’re the bitch who left Beth high and dry! Damn, girl, you got balls to stand there after you fucked her man then watched her man fuck these other bitches.”

The other club was beginning to look at The Last Rider’s members with dawning respect.

“How d’you manage that, man? My bitch would cut my balls off in my sleep if I touched another bitch.”

“We did it to protect her. We had a brother who was a crazy fuck and the only way we could protect her was to put space between us,” Razer answered.

“Yeah, was the hand that was playing with that girl’s titty imaginary? Any one of these fucks do that to one of my bitches, I’m gonna cut his hand off.” Killyama believed in giving fair warning. She leaned back in her seat when the Destructors lost their admiring expressions.

Evie tried to make up some lost ground. She was losing to these biker bitches and she was getting more and more pissed off.

“No, it wasn’t imaginary. Razer had to prove she meant nothing to him. Memphis had already tried to kill her twice. We had to make him believe he was in the clear after Bedford was arrested or he would never have made a clear move against us. We had to have proof he betrayed the club. We couldn’t take someone outside the club’s word as proof without evidence,” Evie explained in front of everyone. Talking club business in front of others was breaking a rule, but they owed Beth an explanation and she wouldn’t give them the opportunity. Truthfully, Evie didn’t really blame her, though.

“So instead, you betrayed Beth. She’s not club, so she didn’t matter,” Killyama threw the explanation back in Evie’s face.

“She matters.” This time it was Razer who spoke.

“Not enough,” Crazy Bitch answered. “But I have a question I need answered.” Turning to Beth, she asked, “The one with all the tats, he do anything to hurt you? Because my fingers are dying to see how far down those tats go.”

Shade just stood there, ignoring the woman while keeping his expression bland. Beth could have sworn she saw a trace of fleeting worry in his eyes, however.

Beth was unable to stop herself. “No, he is the best of the bunch. Never saw him laying a hand on the women. Never drunk, didn’t see him at the parties. I have no problem with Shade.” Beth gave him a saccharine smile. She had told him she would pay him back for stopping her from leaving the house that day. It had taken a while, but she had gotten her revenge.

The Last Riders’ mouths dropped open to a man and woman. Even though they knew she was throwing Shade under the bus, they could tell she believed what she’d said.

Natasha couldn’t prevent the laughter bubbling from her throat and the other women from the club started laughing, too. “Are you serious? He’s the wor—” Her voice was cut of immediately.

“Shut-up,” Shade said, promising retribution if one woman spoke another word.

“Damn, you had to go and blow it, telling her to shut-up. Don’t let him talk to you that way, bitch. Still, if you fuck as good as you look, I could always tape your mouth shut.”

“You aren’t going to be touching nothing of his, bitch. Get on the back of my bike; we are leaving,” a biker behind Ace yelled.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Joker. We’re going to Beth’s house after we get done here. Sex Piston is going to cut her hair.”

“No, she’s not,” Razer and Beth spoke at the same time.

Throwing a dirty look at Razer, she reminded her friends. “I was going to make an appointment next week, remember?”

“I’m going to save you the trip,” Sex Piston said, slamming her drink down on the table, which caused what little was left to slosh over the side of the glass.

“She’s going home with me. You’re not touching her hair,” Razer warned.

“I’m not going home with you,” Beth argued.

“Yes, you are,” Razer said between gritted teeth.

“No, I am not.”

“Beth is not going anywhere with you.” Crazy Bitch put her arm across the back of Beth’s chair while the rest of the biker bitches also scooted their chairs closer to Beth.

“Back off,” Evie cautioned.

“Listen to the bitch,” Crazy Bitch taunted the men.

“I was talking to you,” Evie said, stepping closer to the woman who was practically sitting on Beth’s lap.

“Evie.” Natasha tried to pull Evie back.

“Who are you?” Sex Piston asked.

“Natasha.”

“What kind of name is that?”

“I haven’t really been given a nickname yet.”

“You the new member Viper fucked a couple of weeks ago and you let Beth think it was Razer?”

Natasha flushed, letting Evie’s arm go.

“Viper didn’t want anyone to know he was in town.”

“Instead, it was easier to stick a knife in Beth’s back. I can think of several names for you, but first there is something I wanna know, been wondering ever since they walked in the door. He fuck as good as he looks?” She pointed to Viper.

Natasha laughed. “Better.”

“Damn.”

“It don’t matter how he fucks; none of you bitches are going to find out. Hell, he’s keeping his own clubhouse of pussy warm, he’s not getting mine. Now get on the fucking bikes!” Ace’s face turned a mottled red.

It was The Last Riders looking at the other club in sympathy as the women just sat at the table ignoring the men that finally pushed Ace over the edge. “That’s it.” Ace moved forward to grab Sex Piston, who threw her glass at him. When he dodged it, he accidently shoved Knox who shoved back. Taking it as an aggressive move, one of Ace’s men punched Knox. From there, complete and utter pandemonium ensued. Beth sat at the table in astonishment as the two clubs began fighting, taking their frustration with the women out on each other. Beth was almost thrown out of her chair when Evie ripped Crazy Bitch’s arm off of her and the two women began fighting. Beth jumped up from the table when Sex Piston grabbed Natasha by the hair and slammed her face on the table.

“Which of these bitches is Bliss? I’m going to take care of her tonight, too,” Sex Piston asked.

“Uh. I don’t think she’s here,” Beth answered, searching through the crowd.

“Lucky bitch. I’ll have to deal with her later then.” Beth watched helplessly as she lifted Natasha by her hair and face slammed her again.

“Sex Piston, I think you’re hurting her.” Beth finally made an attempt to stop her.

“Leave her alone, Beth. Let us deal with this,” T.A. said with Jewell in a stranglehold.

“Stop. I don’t want them hurt.” The bar was now engulfed in fighting between both sexes. Bodies were flying, furniture was being broken, and the screams were as loud as the blaring music.

“Shit, we ain’t going to hurt them much. We’re just gonna teach them not to mess with you or they’re gonna deal with us,” T.A. replied, shaking a stunned Jewell. “What did she do?”

“Uh… nothing?” Beth couldn’t think with all the bodies flying around the bar.

Before Beth could say another word, Razer had her by the waist and was throwing her over his shoulder as the Last Riders made a path for him to the door by simply throwing the Destructors out of the way.

“Put me down.”

“Bring her back,” Killyama screamed over the loud brawling.

Beth was barely able to lift herself up, though when she finally managed to get one more glimpse, the last thing she saw was the bar completely destroyed. Evie had gained the upper hand over Crazy Bitch and had her down on the floor on her stomach while sitting on her back, pulling the woman’s arms backward. At the same time, Natasha lifted a vase that was on the table and used it to bash Sex Piston into releasing her.

Outside, Razer saw the car where Evie had parked it in a hurry. It was blocking the bikes. He was aware that she knew never to do that, so she must have been worried about Beth to make such a stupid mistake, however it was also rather fortuitous because Beth’s small hands beating on his back had brought him the understanding that he wasn’t going to be able to ride on his bike with her struggling. Opening the driver’s door, he shoved her across the seat and got in behind the driver’s wheel. Seeing that Evie had been smart enough to leave the keys in the ignition, he started the car and began to pull out of the lot just as the sheriff’s and two deputy’s cars were pulling in.

“Let me out!” Beth yelled.

“Sit back. I’m taking you home.”

Beth sat back in a huff. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sat there in disdainful silence right up to the point where Razer passed her turnoff and was obviously headed to his house.

“Obviously you passed my house. Stop and let me out. I can walk home.”

“You are not going to your house. That crazy bitch is not going near your hair.”

“Crazy Bitch wasn’t going to cut my hair. Sex Piston was; she’s a hair stylist.”