“She wants fifty thousand, says she needs to start over, and she wants to see Star.”
“No.”
“To which part?” Candi asked.
“To all of it. No money, and no, you’re not going to see Star. In fact, I’m going to give you an ultimatum. You need to contact your probation officer and find another town to do your probation. You need to leave town as soon as possible.”
“What if I don’t?”
“I’m not a crackhead anymore, waiting for you to deal out small amounts. I know who you used to sell to. Remember? I waited on my bike when you went inside to make the buys, and then drove you to whoever had you purchase them. The beauty of living in Jamestown is that pretty much everyone lives in the same place. I recognized some of those dealers and buyers at the penitentiary. I don’t think you had a better lawyer than I did, and I don’t think that it was a coincidence that we all got busted at the same time. You were an informant, and if I let that be known around town, your life won’t be worth the cardboard box to bury you in. You should get in touch with your parole officer, and talk to whoever you gave that information to, telling them that your life is in danger, because it is.”
“You wouldn’t do that.” Frightened, she gave him a beseeching look.
“Try me, Candi. Please, try me.” He ruthlessly jerked away when she tried to touch him, opening the door. “Get out.”
Candi ran out of the office, her high heels clicking the concrete as she left.
Calder didn’t watch which direction she went, closing the door and turning back to Stud.
“Bro, I’m sorry. I was going to talk to you when you came in this morning. I should have known that bitch wouldn’t wait to cause trouble. I made us an appointment to see Diamond. I’ve been saving for a place to stay. We can use my money to make sure you and Sex Piston don’t have to give her visitation—”
“Slow down, Calder. I already knew you knew about Star.”
“How?”
“When you and Crazy Bitch came to the house for pizza. Sex Piston and I overheard you two talking about Star.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Why didn’t you?” Stud countered.
Calder rubbed his neck. “I didn’t know how. I still don’t know what to say to you. How do I say thank you for watching out for my kid, and then tell you that we should tell her? I didn’t want to hurt Sex Piston. I know how she is about Star—how you both are. I wanted to make sure I was strong enough not to relapse again. Every day I made through without using, I would tell myself that, if I make it another week without using, then I will talk to you about Star. Then another week would go by, and then another.”
“Is that what you want to tell her?”
“Yes. Crazy Bitch said it would hurt worse if she finds out for herself, and that we’ve been lying to her. I don’t want her any more hurt than she has to be. You and Sex….” Calder thought back to last night and realized Crazy Bitch was right. “We should all sit down and discuss the best way to do it and when.”
“I agree. I’ll call Sex Piston, and then all three of us can go to Diamond’s office to talk to her about the best way to handle Candi. You’re not going to oust her as an informant, so we need to find the best legal way to stop her from causing trouble.”
“And if there isn’t?”
Grimly, Stud didn’t hesitate. “Then I’ll oust her. This time, I won’t have to worry about you leaving town, and I don’t have to worry about her being pregnant with your child. She comes at me, trying to hurt those I love again… God help her. I will destroy her.”
“Stud…” Calder still couldn’t find the words to tell his brother how much he appreciated what he had done for him. Not only for Star, but the other past mistakes he had made and didn’t know how to atone for. “You deserve a better brother than I have been to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, but it’ll never equal what you’ve done for me. I’m sorry about Dad. I’m sorry about Reese—”
“Dad’s death wasn’t your fault. He started a fight with me before our race, trying to distract me and put me off my game. You tried to tell him you wanted to double-check that tire and he wouldn’t listen. He wanted that purse, but more importantly to him, he wanted to beat me. You were smarter than me. I wanted to race badly enough to put up with him; you gave up what you loved instead of letting him destroy the love of it like I did. That’s why I gave up racing. Not because of you, but because I didn’t love it anymore. And I didn’t love Reese. That’s why she found someone who could.
“You loved Star, so when you realized she was yours, you didn’t make waves by acknowledging it. You’ve sacrificed your love for her to make me and Sex Piston happy. Calder… I’m not the one who needs repaying. It’s us who owes you gratitude. You gave life to my daughter, that beautiful little girl who I have held in my arms and has given me such joy that I will never be able to repay your gift.”
Calder broke, his regrets shattered, raining down on him and cleansing his soul.
Stud jerked him to him when he couldn’t hold back his own tears any longer, seeing the tears in Calder’s eyes. Tears that had been held back too long. Tears for their mother’s death, for their father’s, for the years he had used drugs as an escape, the years they had been apart. The last ones they shared were of laughter that they were standing in his office, crying like babies, before breaking apart and slapping each other on their shoulders.
“It’s a little late, but congratulations on being a father,” Stud said, using the sleeve of his T-shirt to wipe his cheeks.
Calder used a rag on the desk to wipe his own, keeping his face impassive. “Thanks. But talking about our girl, we have a problem to solve.”
Stud became serious.
Calder’s eyes twinkled with laughter, knowing his brother thought he was talking about Star’s living arrangement. “We have any work that needs to be done today?”
Stud glanced through his window, toward the empty garage. “No. It looks like you took care of it yesterday. Why?”
“We have four little fuckers—as Crazy Bitch likes to call them—to take care of.”
Stud’s expression lightened. “Who?”
“Sam, Steven, and Brandon. We should have enough time to take care of them before meeting Diamond.”
“What about the fourth one?”
“We have to wait until Monday to take care of that little fucker.”
“Why do we have to wait until Monday?”
“Because Ricky is in school now, and our meeting with Diamond gives him a chance to get home.”
“Star told you about Ricky?”
“Technically—by the way, that’s another favorite word of Crazy Bitch’s—Star told Harley.”
“Technically, I like that word, too. By the way, I need to use it more often with Sex Piston. Technically.” Stud savored the word, letting it roll off his tongue. “We should let Harley deal with little Ricky. Don’t you agree?”
“I agree, brother, I agree.” Calder reached into his pocket for his bike keys as Stud reach for his and the key to lock the garage.
“You ready?”
Stud locked the office as Calder backed his motorcycle out of the garage bay, where he had stored it while he had been driving Stud’s van.
Once both of them were seated on their bikes, Calder looked at Stud. “Do we need to go by the clubhouse to get backup?”
Stud shook his head. “We got this. Let’s ride.”
The brothers pulled out of the parking lot in unison, neither taking the lead. They were going to defend their girl as one, and as one, they would triumph.
31
“Why are Stud and Calder looking so happy?” Killyama asked, pouring another glass of tequila for the crew as they sat at their usual table at the clubhouse.
“Who knows? Who cares?” Crazy Bitch shot Killyama a dirty look for not topping her glass off like she had the others. “Why you being stingy to me?”
“A
couple of reasons. First, you don’t handle tequila the way we do, and you’re in enough trouble with the law.”
“What’s the second reason?” Taking the shot and sucking on a lemon, she waited for her answer.
“You’re the reason Train isn’t sitting here. Did you have to ask him how sore his dick was loud enough for everyone in the club to hear?”
“Inquiring minds want to know.” She laughed, pouring herself another shot, despite Killyama trying to take it away.
“No one wants to know.” Killyama snatched the bottle back, holding it in a firm grip.
“I do.” Fat Louise held her shot glass out for a refill with pathetic eyes.
Seeing Killyama refill the glass, Crazy Bitch made a mental note to remember that particular expression. It could be useful.
“The only thing you bitches need to know is to throw that potato masher away.”
The bitches at the table cracked up, pounding their glass on the table for Killyama to refill their glasses.
“Who’s the hottie with Skulls and Sizzle?” Crazy Bitch reached for another lemon, biting down on the tart flesh.
Sex Piston rolled her eyes. “You know Devon Carpenter. His mother is sitting at the table with them.”
Crazy Bitch squinted her eyes. “Well, he looks hot from here.”
“You don’t need any more tequila if you think a seventy-year-old man looks hot when you’re fucking Calder.” Sex Piston moved her glass away.
“I’m not fucking him right this minute,” Crazy Bitch griped, trying to get her glass back. Next time, she would make a pit stop at the liquor store and buy her own tequila before hanging out at the club with her friends.
She was about to fight for her glass back when Calder leaned over her shoulder, prying her hands away from Sex Piston’s. “Dance with me.”
She willingly released the glass. Standing up, she pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at Sex Piston, before moving away with her boy toy.
Crazy Bitch mentally cracked up at her pun.
The music was loud and obnoxious, just the way she liked it. She fucking loved to dance when she was drunk and horny.
Calder slid his hand to her hip, letting her dance suggestively while keeping her within arm’s reach. The fucker was good enough to match her movements, intensifying her hormones.
When the music switched to “Way Down We Go,” she smirked, turning around and sliding down his hard body seductively. Bouncing on her feet when she was crouching to raise slowly back up, she then repeated the movement. She went down again and shook her breasts so they jiggled under her slinky midriff top that ended just below her matching red bra.
Each song melded into another. Crazy Bitch pushed her ass harder back into Calder as they danced to one blaring song.
Smiling, she couldn’t help feeling like life was good for once. She had a hot-ass man at her back, and she was surrounded by her bitches, who, by the looks of it, were also planning on fucking their men tonight. All of them were on the dance floor, getting their groove on, when she saw T.A.’s face start to drop when Ginger came up behind her and Bear dancing, trying to garner his attention.
It was obvious Bear had already downed a few too many drinks when he began trying to dance with both women. When his hand landed on Ginger’s ass and he began giving more attention to Ginger, a hurt T.A. backed up.
“That bitch!” Crazy Bitch muttered to herself. That was when she saw red, and she could feel everyone in this room was about to be reminded exactly how she had gotten this nickname of hers.
It was like the music had stopped as she moved away from Calder and snatched a bottle of beer out of a brother’s hand. She had grabbed it by the neck, flipping it over and making the contents spill onto the floor and shoes of the people dancing nearby. She held it, ready to use it as a lethal weapon.
“Shit.” Calder realized too late what she was about to do. Before he could do anything to stop her, Killyama had shoved him back, and the rest of the bitches started backing her up.
Gripping the bottle, she swung it at the head of her target, hoping she just might get lucky and nail the two-timing fucker with one blow.
“Ow! What the fuck?” Bear grabbed the back of his bleeding head, turning to see his attacker. It was clear he was puffed up and ready to fight until he saw her backed up by Sex Piston, Fat Louise, and Killyama. The fight in his eyes was slowly replaced by fright.
The clubhouse went silent, until Ginger was the first one dumb enough to speak when she went to check on Bear’s wound. “Why the hell would you do that to him? You poor bab—”
Crazy Bitch grasped the neck of the bottle tighter. The broken bottle was now thankfully fully capable of killing someone.
Reaching out, she grabbed a handful of Ginger’s hair, yanking it to expose her throat and placing the jagged edge of the bottle there.
“You ginger-ass, hoeing bitch, give me one good reason not to kill your ass, other than the brothers for your mediocre dick-sucking skills, or so help me God, I’ll shove this bottle right into your throat.”
Calder had somehow made it up close to her. “Remember the flashing thing on your ankle? I’d say that’s one hell of a good fucking reason.”
“He’s right; let me shove it down that bitch’s throat.” Sex Piston stepped forward.
“No, you got kids.” Killyama glared at a terrified Ginger. “Let me.”
“I would offer, but I think one of you has this.” Fat Louise didn’t step forward.
Bear put his hands up. “Okay, let’s all calm down. I didn’t do nothin—”
“Shut up, you little fucker!” Crazy Bitch snapped at him, not knowing if the “little” or the “fucker” part was what hurt his feelings when he cowered back.
Putting the bottle closer to Ginger’s stretched-out neck as she pulled her hair even harder, she looked at a now happy T.A. “You want her? I’ll give her to you.”
“All right. Enough.” Calder motioned for the bitches’ men to start grabbing up their women while he grabbed the bottle out of Crazy Bitch’s hand and started to place it in T.A.’s hand, but then gave it to Dozer instead.
Crazy Bitch then saw Calder grab a wooden bowl of nuts from a nearby table. Spilling them out, he handed the bowl to T.A. “Go fucking crazy.”
The men were still struggling to grab their women, while Calder unsuccessfully tried to un-pry Crazy Bitch’s fingernails from Ginger’s hair. She snapped at him with her flashing pearly whites. It was only when he smacked her on the ass did she finally release the skank’s hair.
The asshole swung her over his shoulder. Thankfully, the tequila she had earlier was finally starting to get to her, slowing her crazy-ass down. Otherwise, she would have taken the fucker out for spanking her.
“I wasn’t done with her!” She smacked at the big man for taking her away from the fun.
Sex Piston had cold-cocked Bear for trying to pull T.A. off Ginger.
“Why can’t they be normal bitches when they get drunk? Most bitches strip, and put on shows or fuck you to death. Ours turn into bloodthirsty psycho’s that would make Dexter run for his life,” Looney complained, dodging a fist Crazy Bitch aimed at him as he stood innocently watching the commotion. “Who in the hell taught you to fight? I’m going to fuck him up.”
“I’m self-taught,” she bragged, raining her fists down on Calder’s back. “You deaf? I told you I wasn’t done with that two-bit excuse for a woman!”
Calder ignored her struggles. “You wouldn’t have been done with her till she left in a body bag and your ass was back in jail.”
“Like I said, I wasn’t done! Where are you taking me?” Staring down at the floor was fucking with her equilibrium. Either that or the tequila was fucking with her.
“Well, I was gonna take you to a room so I could fuck your crazy brains out.” He stopped walking down the hallway to open a door. At a “Get out!” he slammed the door, going farther down the hall.
“Oh… you were?” Her body started getting wa
rm, not knowing if it was from the alcohol or his words, but her tongue finally started to sweeten up.
“Yes, and I still am, if you’re wondering.” Calder kicked in another door then kicked it closed, tossing her down on the bed as he started to strip.
Her mouth watered when she saw how hard he was. “What did it for you? The dancing, or me almost killing Ginger?”
“When you nearly made Bear piss himself.”
Calder grabbed a condom then kicked his jeans out of his way.
She shimmied out of her tight black skirt then spread her legs. “Is hot thang ready?”
“Fuck yes. You’re not wearing panties.”
She wiggled on the bed. “They get in the way.”
“Yes, they do.” Giving a loud groan, he pulled her to the edge of the bed.
“I thought you deserved a little something-something for taking care of those little fuckers from Eastern.”
“Stud and I would have taken care of Sam, too, if we had found him.”
“Forget about Sam. You have bigger fish to fry.”
“Like what?”
“Like putting that big dick where it can do the most good.”
She screamed out in pleasure when he drove into her over and over again. It was hard to get her words out through the hard fucking, but she finally managed.
“I thought I might have turned you off back there with my craziness.”
Leaning down, he took her mouth for a hard kiss while he continued what she hoped would be an endless night of fucking. “You might be a crazy bitch, but you’re my crazy bitch.”
32
Crazy Bitch pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Are you feeling okay?”
She gave Nettie a wane smile. “I’m fine. I must have eaten something bad last night.”
Or drank too much, she thought to herself. Every bone in her body was sore, and her stomach was queasy. She and Calder had gone hard. God knew she wasn’t complaining about her two-day fuck-fest, but she was still paying the price for the tequila on Saturday night.