Page 7

AJAX

There was no doubt Mick was my daughter. She looked just like me when I was her age. Hideous images of a Berzerker touching her or worse flashed through my mind when she said she walked into the Baltimore clubhouse dressed like a clubwhore, and I lost it. Then I felt like an asshole for grabbing her arm when I saw the look of fear and shock in her eyes.

The only person I could think of at that moment was Lou. After I dropped Mick at the diner with Lou, I rode back to my motel room, picked up the phone on the nightstand, and dialed the number to the Baltimore chapter's clubhouse.

Squatch answered.

"Did you see any new females come around the clubhouse recently?" I asked.

"None that I can think of, only the usual clubwhores.” The Sgt. At Arms paused. “No, wait. I remember seeing this new chick, but she looked too young for my taste. Barely legal, come to think of it. Fresh, like she hadn't been ridden hard and put away wet like some clubwhores we got here."

"Fuck!"

"You know her?" Squatch asked.

"Her name is Michelle. Mick. She just stepped off a bus here in Richmond, showed up at the clubhouse, and told me she's my daughter."

"Holy shit!" Do you think she's telling the truth?"

"I'll need to dig around and get more info from her. I don't remember much about Mick's mother, only that we fought more than we fucked — The girl looks a lot like me," I confessed.

"That's a huge mind fuck, brother. I’ll gather anything I can for you here."

"I'd appreciate that, Squatch. Tell those Baltimore Berzerkers Ajax is still fightin' and fuckin."

"Have you found a nice piece of ass to keep your dick wet?"

I chuckled. "There's this one chick, but she's not a clubwhore."

"Well, she must be one fine female to catch your attention longer than a few minutes."

"Her name is Lou. She's doing me a favor and taking Mick to her place until I figure things out."

“Hmm. Sounds like you got your hands full down in Virginia, brother.”

“Sure do. Gotta go. Later.”

“Later, Ajax.”

Once I hung up, I rode back to the clubhouse for a stiff drink and weed to knock the edge off. I had no time for a kid, especially a teenage girl.

Pinky was still sitting on the couch where I left her. She rushed behind the bar when I approached and sat on a stool beside Mace.

"You look like you need a stiff drink like I need a stiff dick, Ajax," she said, grabbing a half-full bottle of Jim Beam from a liquor shelf crowded with other bottles.

"Just give me the whole bottle, darlin."

She handed it to me, and I unscrewed the cap and used my t-shirt to wipe around the opening, then tilted the bottle and swallowed a good long shot.

"Where did you take the girl? Back to the bus station?" Mace asked.

"Nah. Mick will stay with Lou at her place for a few days.” I took another drink. “It wouldn't be right to put her back on a bus to Baltimore. There's nothing for her there. At least I know she's safe with Lou," I said, then took another swig from the bottle.

Mace must've read my mind when he pulled out a bag of weed and rolling papers. "I'll roll one for you, brother. Looks like you need it."

Pinky came around the bar and sat on the stool on my other side. "Who are they, this Mick and Lou?"

"None of your fuckin business Pinky!" Mace barked. "Go stick your nose up someone else's ass and go away."

Pinky huffed, rolled her eyes, and left.

I chuckled and shook my head. "That bitch is foaming at the mouth to suck me off."

"Yeah. Well, Diezel pawned Pinky off to you next. She's made her rounds with all the brothers, trying to latch on to one of us."

It wasn't too long ago that I would've banged Pinky in a heartbeat, then the other clubwhores the first week I smelled new pussy. But ever since Lou, fucking clubwhores was the furthest thing from my mind.

Mace handed me a thick joint and a Zippo lighter. "Here you go, brother. One hit of this shit and everything moves in slow-motion."

"Wake up, Ajax!"

I peeked open one eye, and everything was blurry. My head throbbed, and my mouth was dry.

"Ajax!"

I groaned at the female voice shouting and sat up. "What the fuck!"

I opened my eyes to find myself on one of the old dusty couches in the clubhouse. I rubbed my temples and saw Lou standing over me, her hands anchored at her hips.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, the pounding in my head getting worse.

"I asked Mace if I could come inside," she said, then reached down and pulled on my arms. "Get up, dammit! Mick is gone!"

"What?" I was on my feet, even as a jackhammer pounded inside my head.

Lou's eyes were wide with frenzy. "We chatted for a while at the diner, and I fed her some dinner and worked a few more hours," she said, pacing back and forth. "Then, when I punched out on the time clock, I took her home. I let her sleep in the spare bedroom, but she was gone when I woke up this morning!"

"Fuck!" I rubbed my hands up and down my face. "She's walking and couldn't have gone far."

Lou's eyes welled and tears fell down her cheeks. "She could be hitchhiking and picked up by God knows who! She's going to get hurt or worse!"

I pulled Lou to me and held her. "She's a tough girl. We will find her."