DaxIncluding six women and one prospect, there are twenty-two of us. Two members didn’t show. A side room off the main area has a table where the club officers usually meet. It won’t hold everyone we have here tonight, so we’re set up in the main room. The men are restless and the women appear their normal strung-out mess if you don’t count Red. The women start at around twenty years old. There have been younger ones, but it was bringing heat to the club, so Fox started sneaking the young ones in for gangbangs. They were anywhere from sixteen and up and he’d hand them drugs and send them on their way when the brothers were through with them. That’s never been my scene. I like fucking women, grown women. But, I stood by knowing it was happening and that makes me just as guilty.Fuck, this needs to work. I can no longer travel the path of the man I was.We’ve pulled the tables into a loose circle on the main floor of the clubhouse. The only cool air we have comes from an old evap-coole
Dax“What the fuck are we supposed to do?” All heads turn to Pauline. The guys refer to her as Powder because she’ll do anything for a hit of meth. She may have been pretty at one time, but drugs have turned her into a skeletal caricature of a woman. The sores covering her arms and face kept me away from what’s between her legs and I never understood why any of the men took what she offered. If it wasn’t for her treatment of Kiley, I might feel sorry for her.I push back from the table a bit and turn my full attention to the women. “Most of you are addicts.” That’s an understatement because I’d bet my ass, except for Red, they all are. “That won’t work here anymore. You get clean or get out.” The next part is rough but the truth. “Club whores are a dime a dozen. If you clean up and want to keep spreading your legs, that’s fine, you have a place to do it within this club.”When I finish laying out these rules, Pauline explodes. Red tries to grab her as she runs toward me with fists fly
SofiaI stay the night in a small Las Cruces hotel. It’s clean, comfortable, and meets my needs.I call Lorene, the only phone number in my new phone. She answers in a whisper. “Hey, can’t talk right now, girlie. I’ll call you back tomorrow.” The call ends.Lorene has no idea I’m coming for Frank. She’s been part of the Desert Crows since Frank got my mother addicted to drugs. She also helped my mom escape. She’s a strange one and the closest person I have as a friend. We’ve never met in person, but I know she would try to stop me if she knew my plans. I stare at the phone in my hand before resting it on the nightstand. I need sleep. I close my eyes and think of revenge. The statue of the Virgin Mary and the peace of the mission creep into my mind.I’m tired. Tired of being angry. Tired of living a half-life and tired of hatred. I fall asleep cradled in the serenity from the church.I sleep better than I expected and wake up easily. Today’s the day. I should go for a run, but I decide
Dax“What the fucking hell?” I yell. I run at the woman, but Coke and Loki beat me to her. They take her down hard and she cracks her head against the motor of an old bike.She doesn’t struggle as Loki forces her hands behind her back. She doesn’t move at all. Coke jerks her head up and there’s a nice gash at the hairline. Coke has her gun. He gives it over when I place my hand out. It’s a small .38 revolver. I release the cylinder and spin it to see that one bullet is missing. What the fuck? I’ve never seen the bitch. For a second, because of her darker skin, I wonder if she’s one of Moon’s. I don’t see Moon sending a woman to kill me, though. He’d send his right-hand man, Gomez, and chances are good I would never see him coming.“Is she alive?” I ask Loki. He checks her pulse while blood runs down the side of her face and drips into the dirt.“She’s still breathing,” he replies.I’m trying to process what just happened. She asked for me then pointed the gun directly at me. I should
SofiaI pull back a little from Dagger’s hand against my back trying to put some distance between us. I touch my fingers to my forehead. It hurts, and my fingertips come away sticky with blood. There’s a dull throb in my head and the light hurts my eyes.Dagger watches me like I’m an insect he wants to dissect. His blue eyes are ice cold. The smell of dirt and sweat dripping from this man overpowers the room. There’s something wrong with my female wiring because I want to rub my nose along his skin. I want to lick the salt crystals that outline the trails of sweat. And I still want to bite that damn bottom lip of his.He’s a Desert Crow. A skinhead. One of the reasons my mother feared for her life. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve dreamed of killing my father for so long. This man took it away.I’m rocked by the knowledge that I have nothing to live for. My world is upside-down and hurt swells inside my soul. The last person I want to see me come apart is this man. I blink back te
Sofia“While I clean your face, you’ll answer my questions,” Dagger says.I have my own question and it centers on the tattoo. I shake off the empathy the artwork invokes. The tone of Dagger’s voice helps. Harsh and demanding has never worked in anyone’s favor when dealing with me. Mr. Boss Man is about to find out that pushing my buttons is not going to work. “And if I don’t?” It would have sounded tough if I hadn’t winced when the cloth touched the edge of the cut on my forehead.The cloth goes still. “You have no idea the fucking trouble you’re in, princess.” He leans in closer so his hot breath hits my cheek. “I don’t think you really want to find out.”My hands form fists and it takes everything I have not to leap up and deck him. “I’m sure I won’t be the first Latina you’ve killed, nor will I be the last,” I say instead, keeping my voice as steady as possible.The fingers of his injured wrist grasp my chin and he raises my head higher. “You actually think the worst thing I could
DaxThe kickass look in her eyes makes my dick hard. The burn of desire is gone and now she burns with hatred. And all that hatred centers on me. I know exactly where she gets her temper. Fox was like that too. Hot and cold. Warm never worked into the equation for him. I guess I’m convinced she’s who she says she is. Why the hell would a Hispanic woman show up at this club? There’s not exactly a welcome mat out front for anyone with dark skin. Claiming to be his daughter is too crazy not to be true.Red enters the room with Skull following closely behind. She doesn’t show fear, which could work out very badly for her. I stand and move the chair several feet away from Sofia. I look at Red and gesture for her to sit. I roughly jerk her hands behind the back of the chair. She doesn’t resist. Skull moves in and takes over with the rope, securing her tightly. His face is grim.“You need to make noise,” I whisper in Red’s ear. I hope she understands what I’m telling her. This won’t be prett
DaxI finally pull my pants up and secure my belt. When I turn away from the grimy toilet, I slam my fist through the wall by the door. I need the pain. One fucking day as president and this is what I get. A hand job, a pissed off Latina woman, and an ex-junky who needs a lesson in keeping her fucking trap shut.I leave the bedroom and find Skull standing in the hallway with his arms crossed. He glares at me and shakes his head. Yeah, he knows exactly what I was doing. Fuck, I’m a sicko. I brush past him and enter the small room. Sofia’s fury greets me. I stop a foot away from her and move the wild hair covering her face behind her ears so she can clearly see what’s about to happen. Her glare burns brighter, and I’m surprised I don’t combust on the spot. Shit, my dick is already hardening again.I drop my hand to the sheath at my waist, unsnap the top strap, and slide the knife free. Her eyes follow the knife as I walk over to the other chair. Red surprises me when she makes a high-pi