Page 130 of Remorseless

“Drink, baby boy,” Joplin purred. “Expand your horizons and your tastebuds.” She struck a straw into the cup and grinned. “I’ve seen you guzzle beer once or twice. Since this is mostly soda, you won’t get a buzz unless you slurp it as fast as you can.”

Indecision tore through CJ. He smoked weed and drank more than just beer, but in his mind, lean was a step further. It entered into the territory of hard drugs.

“Look at him!” Gail chided.

Diana laughed. “He’s afraid of his mommie.”

“He’s her potato-wato,” Joplin added.

“Let him be, Jop,” Fia said. “He’s a sweet guy—”

“Yeah, I agree,” Tennysee added.

“He’s just a kid,” Joplin sneered. “Probably still has a curfew.”

“Probably never had a taste of pussy.” Diana untied the strings on each side of her thong and let itslide down her legs. Like most of the girls, her pussy was hairless. She slid a finger along her slit and gave him a hard look. “We can’t even call him a biker.”

CJ wished he’d stayed the fuck home. “I’mnota biker.” He looked at Diesel a final time.

“One glass won’t hurt you,” Diesel swore and winked at Diana, his pupils already dilating. “To lead, you also have to trust your members and show you can party as hard as they do.”

The door opened and Uncle Digger followed Uncle Mortician in. He waved at CJ before he led Uncle Digger to the bar.

“This is your last chance, CJ,” Joplin whispered, talking fast. “If Mort and Digger come over, they’ll take it away from you like you’re a two-year-old. Hurry and drink it.”

Diesel remained silent, easing CJ’s mind. Despite his stupid drug use, Diesel wouldn’t put CJ in harm’s way. He just wanted CJ to test his limits, spread his wings, and try new things. Much like Dad did.

“It’s fine,” Diesel promised again. “The most you’ll get is a heightened buzz and a fuck that you may or may not remember.”

Mom’s face rose in CJ’s head. She would be so disappointed in him, whether Dad gave her lean that she knew about or not. She expected better of CJ.

“Chalk it up as a new experience,” Narci advised. “Beautiful women has led me down a few paths in my life. Some I regret and some I wish I could relive.”

“Same here,” Diesel said with a laugh.

“You’ll have to run lines at the least when you’re earning your patch,” Narci said.

Dementor smiled. “To stay awake.

“Baby steps,” Exorcist said.

“Yeah, start low level,” Bedhead added, “then work up to coke. By the time you’re earning your patch, you’ll be primedfor anything.”

“Make Outlaw proud,” Dementor said. “You’ll be his mini-me in more than name only.”

CJ picked up the cup, put the straw to his mouth, and slurped the contents as fast as he could. Sitting the empty cup down, he wiped his lips. He tasted zero soda and a trace of candy. Mainly, the cough syrup andvodkaoverwhelmed almost everything else except something that stung his tongue and throat and burned the entire way down. The drink hit his gut and mixed with the beer, stirring the contents of his stomach. His ears rang and his head pounded.

“Hey, little dude,” Uncle Mort greeted.

Fog spread from CJ’s temple over his brain and down the base of his skull. His lips and tongue were numb.

“Meggie let you out of the house, bruh,” Uncle Digger teased. “Diesel did you a solid, huh? Told her he would help you with math or some shit.”

The women laughed, but CJ could only blink.

Heat swept through his body, followed by a rush of cold.

“CJ?” Diesel.