Page 5

AJAX

That night I rode Lou back to her house and fucked her senseless again. I liked the woman, and that said a lot, since I didn't want to be around females. But Lou wasn't like clubwhores, all jacked up on coke or sloppy drunk on booze. She felt so good the first time I fucked her, so I returned for more.

It was late the following morning when I climbed out of Lou's bed and found her in the kitchen, wearing a pink robe. She stood by the counter, arms folded, waiting on the coffeemaker. Grabbing my rags from the back of a kitchen chair, I shrugged them on. Lou looked uneasy as the silence between us lingered. I knew she hoped I'd stay for a while and chat, but talking to a female after fucking her was not my thing.

I had things to do she didn't need to be part of, and I planned to ride back to talk privately with Diezel.

Before she could say anything, I snatched her around the waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

I left her house, climbed on my bike, twisted the throttle, and rode toward the Moonlight Motel. I checked into the shitty motel when I got to Richmond. It was a dump, but it was cheap. Just a place to stay until I figured out my next move. I took a quick shower and dressed in clean clothes. Before I put on my rags, I rubbed my thumb over the bare spot where the VP patch had been.

The patch Stryker made me tear off.

Flipping the rags, I looked at the Nomad patch. I thought the Maryland chapter was where I belonged, but in hindsight, I never had a family, a tribe. A place I could call home. The Nomad patch was a better fit. Taking up Diezel's offer to ride to Richmond and prove myself to his chapter was a fresh start.

The Berzerkers clubhouse parking lot still had a few of the brothers' bikes from the hell-raising party of booze and drugs last night. Inside, Mongoose sat at the bar, slumped over with his forehead planted on his folded arms. The tall, lanky dude with beady eyes snickered a lot, and it was no wonder the club gave him the name.

Mongoose groaned when I sat on a barstool beside him, snatching the pack of cigarettes and lighter off the bar.

He raised his head and looked at me with bloodshot eyes. "I feel like shit."

"Tell me something I don't know," I said lighting a cigarette, before looking around to see who else was still here.

Diezel appeared from the hallway, his eyes just as bloodshot as Mongoose, with a clubwhore attached to his hip. A petite brunette with her arms wrapped around his waist wearing only a pair of black lace panties. “Pinky, go put some clothes on and help the other girls clean this place up.”

He stretched and yawned as I asked how everything went last night after I left early with Lou.

"Well, nobody got killed," Diezel said, meaning it went well.

The club party was for the newly patched-over Petersburg Chapter, which used to be Hellion MC. When members in a smaller club patch over to a more prominent club like the Berzerkers MC tensions and hostilities can rise. So Diezel hosted parties every few months to ease tensions and keep the peace.

"Follow me, Ajax, let's talk," Diezel said, leading me down the hall to the room where he held church.

It was a small room, barely fitting the large oak table and chairs for club members.

“Have a seat,” he said, shutting the door. He sat in his chair at the head of the table. "Stryker told me about what happened in Baltimore. Now I want to hear your side."

I dragged an ashtray over and crushed out my cigarette. "Rubik was the VP a few years back. When Kage, Stryker's brother and our Prez, and Rubik's sister, Sadie, were killed. Rubik couldn't deal with the guilt over his sister's death and went Nomad."

"Rubik spent some time here with the Richmond Chapter," Diezel said. "I remember a few times when the brothers had to convince Rubik not to put a gun to his head."

That’s news to me.

"He must've been fighting some real bad demons.”

I never thought it got so bad for Rubik that he’d try to off himself.

“So Stryker took over as Prez and gave me the VP patch.” I slammed my fist on the table. “I've been a loyal Berzerker and deserved that VP patch! But when Rubik returned to Baltimore and hooked up with Stryker's Ole Lady's sister, Marie, he wanted the VP patch back. But I wouldn't give it back without a fight!"

"Bear told me all about that fight." Diezel folded his arms over his chest. "Brother fighting brother is not good for the club, Ajax. It tears a club apart. You know this."

True, but I wasn't thinking about the club then, only myself.

"I realized that the hard way after Rubik knocked me the fuck out," I chuckled. "Stryker held a club vote the next day, stripped the VP patch from me, and gave it back to Rubik. And now I’m the lowest-ranking member of the Maryland chapter." Which was a deep cut to my pride.

There was a long silence while Diezel rubbed his bearded chin and stared off. No doubt contemplating whether having me in Richmond was a good or bad idea and if I would stir up shit here too.

"I'm the Prez of this chapter," Diezel barked, slamming his fists on the table. "I'm the mother-fuckin Alpha! Every brother here knows his place and rank like a pack of savage wolves! I planned on killing Bear with my bare hands for pulling my sister into the club life! Even when Hellion patched in with us." He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then he grinned like a fucking psychopath. "But that’s settled and done. Bear took Holly with him to the Maryland chapter. So I agreed to take you in."

"I'm in your debt, Diezel." I looked at him square in the eyes. "I'll prove myself and earn the respect of the club, even if I have to prospect all over again."

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear," he said, grabbing my shoulder. "I leave it up to my officers on who gets to prospect or not, but I’ve told them you don't need to. Stryker did tell me some good things about you too.” He smirked. “That you're a psycho killer in the fight pit. You'll be a good addition to the Virginia chapter. I want you to train my brothers to fight like you because there's lots of money in the fighting and gambling business."

I had to thank Stryker for saying a good word about me to Diezel.

We stood from our chairs, and after I thanked him, he pulled me in for a brotherly hug. Then he grabbed my shoulders. "All I expect from you is loyalty, as with every club member. The Berzerkers MC is a brotherhood, and we kill our enemies. But if a brother rats, he becomes our enemy, too.”

I spent a few weeks at the clubhouse working out logistics for training the brothers Diezel chose to fight. The club used some cash earnings from their drug trade to purchase a small vacant warehouse only a few blocks from the clubhouse on the Port of Richmond along the bank of the James River. It was transformed into a training gym outfitted with weights, barbells, benches, and heavy-duty punching bags.

Diezel threw another party at the clubhouse one late afternoon, and the clubwhore wearing the black lace panties coming out of Diezel’s room, found her way onto my lap as I sat on a worn-out leather couch.

I couldn't remember the girl's name, but she had a nice pair of perky tits that looked delicious in her neon pink bikini top. Her cut-off jean shorts were so tight they rode up the slit between her thighs with half her ass cheeks hanging out.

"We haven't had a chance to meet. My name is Pinky,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck while I took a swig off my warm beer bottle, whispering in my ear.

Pinky was pretty, but I only thought about Lou and how I missed looking at her.

Lou’s smile was fucking gorgeous as it lit up with excitement when I took her for a ride on my bike. I wanted to see her again, but had been too busy the past few weeks and couldn’t swing by the diner or her house.

I cared enough about Lou not to drag her into my dangerous world. She was better off and, more importantly, safe without a fucked-up-psycho-outlaw in her life.

"Diezel told me your name is Ajax,” Pinky said, licking her lips and bringing me back to the present. “And that maybe we could have fun together."

I snaked my hand down her back and grabbed her ass cheek. "Well, Pinky, what kind of fun do you have in mind?"

"I can think of a few things," she said, working her seductive voice.

I crooked a finger at her. "Tell me, 'cause dirty talk from a little sexy slut like you gets my dick hard."

Just as Pinky whispered about how she wanted to choke on my dick, Mace hollered my name, standing by the clubhouse door.

I picked Pinky up by the waist, removed her from my lap, and stood. "Hold that thought."

I walked over to the Sgt. At Arms his back turned, making me curious about what caught his attention outside. He nodded toward who or whatever it was. "The girl asked for you, but she's too young to come inside."

A teenage girl with long, wavy, dark brown hair stood alone. She wore jeans torn at the knees and a Motley Crue t-shirt with scuffed Reebok sneakers. A backpack was slung on her shoulder, and she smoked a cigarette.

"Are you Ajax?" she asked me, then took a drag off the cigarette.

"Yeah, and who the fuck are you?"

"My name is Mick. I'm your daughter."

Fuck no.

"Good luck, brother," Mace said with a chuckle. Then shook his head and walked away.

"Who gave you that idea?" I couldn’t help but notice how similar we looked, especially when I was her age. "How old are you?"

Mick dropped her cigarette butt on the asphalt and crushed it with her Reebok sneakers. "My mother told me. Her name is Trudy, and I'm sixteen."

She took a few steps toward me, pulled a photo from her back pocket, and handed it to me. "This is the only picture I could find of my mom and you,” she said, handing me the photo. “Do you remember her?"

It was a Polaroid taken long ago before I joined the Berzerkers MC. I stood in front of my old shovelhead, my arm wrapped over Trudy's shoulders. She was pretty back then, with long blond hair and a curvy body.

"Yeah, I remember her," I said, putting the photo back in Mick's hand. "You think I'm your dad just because you found that photo?"

"My worthless-piece-of-shit mother told me a long time ago during her binge drinking, pill-popping, and whoring escapades that AJAX was my real father. Is that your real name?"

"No."

"Well, she didn't know your real name either. She's hated you as long as I've been alive and told me you were always sleeping with other women, getting into fights, and in trouble with the law. I went through the bitch's things and found that picture," Mick said matter-of-factly, with a tone of loathing or pity, I couldn't tell.

"We weren't together that long, maybe only a few months," I said.

"Yeah, she told me, and you used to hit her."

I arched a brow and chuckled. "Of course, she told you that, but I don't hit females. Though I recall Trudy liked to hit, bite, and scream just to get a rise out of me."

"I believe you."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as we stared at each other.

"How did you find me?" I asked, letting things sink in.

"Me and my mom don't live too far from the Berzerkers clubhouse in Baltimore. I was able to get in and ask around."

"No way in hell Stryker or my Baltimore brothers would've let a teenager walk into the clubhouse!"

"Well, with a little make-up and trashy clothes, I didn't look like a teenager."

My hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm. "What do you want from me, Mick? 'Cause you don't belong here."

She tried to free her arm from my tight grip, wincing in pain. "Ouch! Let go!"

I released her, and she stumbled back. "My mom is dead. She ODed on heroine a few days ago. I don’t have any family or friends. You’re all I got!”