Page 16 of Spice's Halloween

“Oh, I’m out. There’s been a terrible outbreak of some virus, and they needed the beds. There was nothing else they could do.”

“Let’s get you inside, sweetheart. No need to fill their mouths up with shit,” I said, nodding at the neighbours. I could see the curtains twitching.

“Yeah, I’m sure there’re a lot of people down here gloating that I got a beatdown,” Lindy drawled dryly.

Glowering, I grabbed her bag and walked her up the path.

“Let them say it in front of me,” I snarled, took the keys from Lindy’s hand, and opened the door.

Lindy sent me a bemused glance but entered her home.

“Wow, it’s stifling in here. And there is a rank smell, Spice. Would you mind opening the living room windows and the kitchen ones, too? I want to avoid stretching. Hell, I’ve only been gone four days.”

“Yeah, but nobody took your bins out,” I called from the kitchen, finding the culprit. I quickly emptied the bin, took it out, and the stench cleared a lot.

“And, of course, my washing up wasn’t done either,” Lindy said, wrinkling her nose as I walked back in.

“Sit your ass down. I’ll tidy up. I bet you need fresh food, too,” I guessed, opening the fridge and peering inside.

“Most should be okay. I did shopping the day before the attack,” Lindy replied.

“Yeah, it all looks pretty good, but you’ve got some shit that needs using up. Fancy a stir-fry?” I asked, dragging out noodles and other ingredients.

“Are you going to cook?” Lindy looked surprised.

“Yup, I can cook. Don’t tell the others, though. They’re lazy and never learnt. But I didn’t want to eat crap, so I taught myself. Butif they’re aware I can rustle up meals, they’ll either be at mine every night, or they’ll expect me to fix food at the clubhouse. That ain’t happening,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because I love those fuckers, but I ain’t their damn maid. If they’re coming for dinner, they’ll arrive early for beer. Then they’ll start bringing washing over to put on while they wait. I got one washer and dryer. I have a ton of brothers. So, being lazy asses, they won’t take their laundry home if someone has a load on. They’ll leave it for me to do. Next thing, I got them over for breakfast, too. Lindy, I earn good money, but not enough to feed that fuckin’ horde,” I replied.

Lindy broke into giggles and winced as she clutched her side.

“How are you healing?”

“It’s painful, Spice, and I can’t say I’ve had worse.”

“Damn, glad you can state a man never beat on you before this, Lindy. No woman should suffer that.”

“Spice, can I ask? You mentioned a lot of brothers. Do you mean the gang you ride with?” Lindy asked tentatively.

“First, sweetness, we’re a club, not a gang. We ain’t a bunch of yahoo thugs running around beating old ladies and creating weird ass initiation rites.”

“Okay.” Lindy laughed and winced again, and I basked in her laughter.

“Stop laughing, woman,” I said with a mock growl.

“Then quit being funny. So, you’re a club, not a gang.”

“Yup. We have a hierarchy. I’m the vice president, and Berserker is president. As a club, we own our own businesses. The profits from them are put into a pot. Once taxes are taken out, ten per cent is kept back as a rainy-day fund, and the rest is split between us. Each manager of the business gets a slightly higher cut because they’re running it and making it profitable,” I explained.

As I spoke, I chopped the chicken into small chunks and threw it into a wok. Lindy had a pretty well-stocked kitchen. I began preparing a sweet and sour sauce.

“Yeah… although I’ve overheard gossip that you’re involved in more illegal stuff,” Lindy said seriously.

“Lots of rumours around here, Lindy. The question is, when have you heard of my club hurting an innocent person? Do we force extortion or hire out for murders and beatdowns? Nope. Do we dabble in some illegal shit? Yup. Our fingers might be dirty, but we ain’t the scum of the earth the cops make us out to be. And they aren’t exactly clean, either. They’ll take a bribe and look the other way,” I replied calmly.

It was important that Lindy understood what I was. I wanted her. I’d come to terms with that after two days on the road and wondering how she was. Lindy had wriggled her way under my skin with her attitude and personality. I loved a feisty woman, and Lindy was also kind and caring. She’d be mine, no matter what.

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