Page 11 of Spike

Ropes put hishands down slowly. “When your father got word of your mother’s passing, hereached out to Cutter and asked him to keep an eye on you once you werereleased. Today is that day, so I’m here to pick you up and drive you toPortland so Cutter can make good on his promise.”

“No thanks.”

“What do you mean,no thanks?”

“It’s prettyfucking self-explanatory. I don’t know you, and I’m not just gonna jump intoyour cool car just because you say you know a guy who knows my sperm donor. Youmay as well be driving a panel van that says free candy on it, you fuckingperv.”

Ropes laughed.“Okay kid, since you’ve clearly got better options, I’ll take off and leave youto explore them. But if you change your mind, there’s a shit ton of take-outfood, clean clothes, and your own private room at the Tall Pines Motel, abouttwo miles up the road. Room 117. You can pick up your key at the front desk.I’ll be next door in 119, drinking imported beer, if you need me. I’ll bewheels up by eight o’ clock sharp tomorrow morning.

With that, hehopped back into the Plymouth and peeled off, leaving me once again alone withmy thoughts.

I stood there forabout three minutes before I hoofed in the direction he’d indicated, relievedto find a key waiting for me just as he said.

I couldconfidently eliminate man-whore as one of my options of survival. Now I justhad to figure out what this club wanted, and maybe I could forget aboutslinging coffee or advice.

CHAPTERFOUR

Trixie

“I’m taking astand,” I said to my best friend, Gemma.It was nine o’clock Saturday night, and I had her on speaker as I got ready forbed.

“Really?” shedroned sarcastically.

“Yes, really. I’ma grown woman, I shouldn’t have to go to churcheverySunday.”

“Hmm-mmm.”

“I’m serious thistime, Gem. I’m going to be honest with my mom.” I spread night cream on my faceand stared at myself in the mirror.

“You’re not goingto be honest with your mum and you know it,” she countered. Gemma was Britishbut she’d been living in the States since sixth grade and although she’d kepther accent, she hadn’t held onto her politeness. She was brutally honest and Iloved her for it.

I sighed. “No,you’re right, I probably won’t be completely honest. I mean, how do you tellyour uber religious mother you don’t really believe everything she believesanymore? It will destroy her.”

“It won’t destroyher. Your brother coming out didn’t destroy her, so you saying you don’tbelieve in the magic man in the sky probably won’t even be on her radar.”

She had a point.“You know boys and their mothers. She’s always loved them more.”

“Well, that makesher a bitch,” she said. Gemma hated my parents. I mean, I didn’t blame her,they’d always said she was a bad influence on me, and highly objected to myten-plus year friendship with her.

“Does that makeher a bitch?”

“Yes,” she hissed.“She’s awful to you and you just sit there and take it. You don’t deserve to betreated that way. Plus, you’re the good one. Your brothers went off the railsyears ago… your dad’s words, not mine. I happen to love your brothers.”

“I do too. And heonly said that because Matty brought a boy home for dinner and kissed him infront of everyone. They were shocked.”

This had been hisfirst year of college and it was how he came out to my parents. I was juststarting high school and my parents were convinced my precious, virgin earsshould not have heard any of his declaration, but Jenson and I had always knownMattias was gay, and we didn’t give one shit about it. He was our brother, andlove is love, but my parents were, and still are, concerned he’s damned to hellbecause of his ‘lifestyle.’ That lifestyle being him in a committedrelationship with his partner for the past six years (not the boyfriend he’dbrought home initially, to be clear). There were, like, twelve before Ronniebecause, let’s be honest, both my brothers were, ah, shall we say, verylovable?

“Well, they couldhave kept their opinions to themselves and talked about it alone instead ofkicking your brother and his boyfriend out of their house,” Gemma continued.

“That is verytrue,” I agreed.

“And don’t evenget me started on Jenson. That man is divine.”

Jenson was themiddle kid and worked at a local tattoo shop in Portland.

“You need to putyour labia back in your panties, Gem.”

“I’ll do no suchthing if it means I get to suck your brother’s d—”

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