Page 32 of Denial

“If we’re all gonna stay away from her, she lives on the other side of the tracks on the edge of town. She has a trailer over there that’s in her name. I don’t know who the fuck she’s workin’ for, but the money she gets goes to shit like these bugs and cameras along with drugs. Turns out she’s a heavy drug user. So, we’re all gonna avoid that section of the city at all costs?” King informs us and gives us an area she lives in while letting us know she fooled us in a lot of ways.

“Stay away from that side of the city until I figure out how we’re gonna get her here. I mean, we could always call and say we had a change of heart, but I’m not about to put that into the bitch’s head. King, I want you to go through the entire clubhouse with your dad to make sure no one missed anythin’. Use that equipment you both have. I know Fox has already been through the place, but I’m not willin’ to risk it,” Vault orders as he looks at me for confirmation that I’ll stay away from her.

I don’t plan on going anywhere near Ice. She’s a vengeful bitch and I have no desire to be near her for any reason. Ice came after me from the second she was brought into the clubhouse and it didn’t change until the second she was kicked out. None of us really liked Ice when she was here, but we had to have a reason to kick her ass to the curb. When she went after Hope in the kitchen the day she was kicked out, she gave us the perfect reason to finally get rid of her ass. Ice is only out for herself and no one else will ever matter as long as she’s doing whatever the hell she wants to and gets what she’s after.

“Jinx, I want you as far away from that bitch as you can get,” my dad says because he knows all the shit she’s said and done when it comes to me.

“I don’t plan on goin’ anywhere near her. Ice is a manipulative bitch and she’ll make up some reason in her head if I get close to her. I’m sure she’ll be sayin’ we’re in a relationship or some shit if I were to even look in her direction,” I state, my voice monotone because I don’t even want to think of her and what she’ll do if I were to get close. “If any of you were to get close to her, you’d suffer the same shit as long as you’re an officer. She’s got high aspirations and will do anythin’ she can to dig her claws into you.”

King continues working on going through each of the bugs and cameras. Vault dismisses us from any kind of meeting but I remain with my best friend. He’s going to go through each piece of equipment in front of him to make sure that Ice is the only one who put this shit in the clubhouse. We don’t talk as he works and I nurse a bottle of beer. I’m not really a big drinker, but today calls for one as I realize that the girls will be back soon and I can finally put eyes on Hope after the hours we’ve been apart.

Chapter Twenty

Hope

OVERHEARING THE GUYS talk about Ice has my blood boiling. I knew she was a bitch and didn’t want to do anything in the clubhouse except for digging her claws into one of the guys so she could be spoiled and spew her vile filth for the rest of her life. Her manipulation knows no bounds and she’ll do whatever it takes to gain access to the club. That much has been made perfectly clear by her actions so far. Knowing that none of the guys can go get her based on Vault’s orders, there’s only one thing that can happen now. Ice needs to be stopped and if it means I get my hands dirty, then that’s what I’ll do. I didn’t grow up as a pampered princess and was taught everything my dad knows. Faith and I can handle ourselves in almost any situation and I’m sure his training will only get worse after the incident with the hitman. He’ll ensure that no one gets close enough to bring us down or get a shot off against us ever again.

Slinking back into the shadows so no one sees or hears me, I formulate a plan in my mind to get to Ice. King has no clue I came back down here, so he has no clue that I’ve been eavesdropping on their conversation. I used to get in trouble for that when I was younger, now I don’t know what my dad, Vault, or Slim will do if they find out what the hell I’m about to do. And I’m gonna do it alone. I’m not bringing any of the girls in with me to get through this shit.

Leaving the clubhouse, I make sure I have my keys in my pocket. Walking around the exterior of the building, I head straight for my car as quickly as I can. I’m still in pain and ready to be off of my feet, but the guys won’t get Ice so it’s up to me. Yeah, I could make one call and have someone else grab her, but I’m not about to wait so Ice can get to someone else here in the clubhouse. I’m sure she’s still talking to the Phantom girls and I know that she’s going to lose her mind when she finally realizes that her cameras and bugs are no longer working. I’m not going to put anything past the bitch.

Finally in my car, I make my way out of the compound. Heading across the city, I know where the trailer park King was talking about is. There’s only one park like that in Pine View and it’s one of the worst places I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve driven by it and saw the kids playing while covered in dirt and grime with no shoes on their feet and holes in their clothing. My heart broke for each of them because it’s not anything I’ve ever had to go through. I’m sure some of the parents are doing the best they can, but it’s not good enough. Eventually, I’m going to help those kids get away from the trailer park and make them see there’s more to life than what they’ve seen so far.

I keep my eyes switching on and off between the road in front of me and the rearview mirror to make sure no one from the club is following me. My heart is racing while my hands shake for the duration of the trip. I keep trying to calm myself down, but it’s not exactly working because at any second someone is going to realize I’m not on the compound any longer. The ol’ ladies will show back up to the clubhouse and Jinx and my dad will be looking for me with my mom and sister. When they realize that I’ve disappeared, I know my dad and Jinx will lose their minds. They’re gonna be pissed as fuck that I did this, but eventually they’ll see it was the quickest way to get rid of Ice.

As the sun starts to set, I pull up to the trailer park and make my way slowly down the dirt driveway filled with potholes large enough to swallow my small car. Each trailer gets worse than the one before. There aren’t any kids outside running around today and I wonder where they’ve all disappeared to. I might not know which trailer belongs to Ice, but as I get toward the back of the park, I realize she’s at the very end. Looking up, I see her standing out front as a guy gets in his car and disappears like his ass is on fire. She spots my car and plasters a fake smile on her face because she can’t truly see who’s in the driver’s seat right this second.

It doesn’t take Ice long to realize I’m not a guy pulling up to her piece of shit trailer that’s falling down around her. When she notices me, Ice sneers and starts to walk toward the rickety porch as if that will stop me. I quickly park and open my door as Ice freezes before turning to face me.

“I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing here, but you can leave,” she states, her voice harder and colder than it was at the clubhouse. “You’re the reason I’m back in this shithole to begin with.”

“Actually I’m not. Your words and actions are the reason you were kicked out of the club. You have no clue what it means to be a club girl there and no one will ever take you in again. Ice, you fucked yourself and got the other girl kicked out at the same time because she followed your lead. You’re never gonna become an ol’ lady to one of those guys and we both know that. Now, I also believe you had another reason to be in the clubhouse to begin with. See, we found the cameras and bugs you had hidden all over the place. It took King a matter of seconds to figure out you’re the one who activated them,” I inform her as Ice pales and realizes how much shit she’s truly in.

“And you’re here to give me a way out?” she questions me, anger in her tone as she steps even closer to me which is exactly what I need.

I need her to be as close to the car as possible and within arm’s length of me. Once she’s close enough, I can take her out with my cane and it will be easier to load her in the car. It’s going to be hard enough to get her in the backseat all by myself, but I’ll make it happen. Ice keeps stepping up closer to me and I let her walk until she’s right in front of me.

“No, I’m not here to give you a way out of anything. See, the first thing you should’ve realized is that you don’t fucking cross the club and get away with it. None of the guys are allowed to come near you because we all know it’s going to go one of two ways. The first way is you play the victim and make up lies about what really happened to try and get one of them in trouble. Or, the second one is you continue to make up relationships in your head that aren’t fucking there. They want you at the clubhouse and are currently working on figuring out a way to get you there. So, I’m gonna save them the trouble and take you in myself,” I state as a cruel smile forms on her face because she sees the cane I’m currently walking with.

Before Ice can say a word to me, I grab the cane and nail her upside the head with it. No, I’d rather not use that to subdue her, but after today, it might be the only way I’m able to get her knocked the fuck out. It’s just one of the lessons my dad taught us when we were growing up. If you can’t use your fists to get an advantage in a fight, use whatever you have within reach. The reality is he was talking about if we were up against someone larger than ourselves. Not a skank with no clue how I was raised.

The first hit doesn’t knock Ice out like I was hoping. However, she’s lowered her head which will give me an advantage to knock her out with a second hit. Putting everything I have in the swinging motion, I hit Ice in the same exact place I landed the first one. This time, the skank goes down and doesn’t move. For a split second I worry that I’ve killed her, but I can see her chest rising and falling with her breaths. Turning long enough to open the back door of my car, I move out of the way so I can drag her across the rocks and uneven dirt so she’s closer to the back.

“Thank God someone is taking out the trash,” a female’s voice behind me startles me and I turn to see a woman about my age walking closer to me and Ice.

“Um, is there any way I can get you to keep quiet about what you’ve seen here today?” I ask her, not sure what it’s going to take to make this girl remain quiet.

“You know who Deegan is?” she asks me, confusing the hell out of me.

“I do. He was just with me on protection detail. He’s a good guy,” I tell her honestly.

“He’s my brother. My name is Destiny. I might not know much about the club, but I know enough to keep my mouth shut if I ever hear anything. So, you don’t have to worry about me snitching you out to anyone. If anything, I’d like to help you. Ice is a piece of shit and none of us want her here. She brings assholes here on a daily basis. If they aren’t selling her drugs, then she’s fucking them to get the money for her drugs. I’ve caught more than one guy looking a little too long at the kids here. I do what I can to protect them, but there’s only so much I can do. Let’s get this bitch loaded up and I’ll tell anyone who might possibly ask that I haven’t seen you,” Destiny says, a smile on her face as she moves around me to get Ice’s upper body leaving me to pick up her legs.

Together we get her tossed into the back of my car and engage the child locks so she can’t escape. Now I just need to worry about her remaining knocked out while we make our way to the clubhouse so I can get her unloaded and into one of the cells. That part might take the help of the guys or some of the ol’ ladies. I’m not sure who to ask yet.

“Thank you, Destiny. You didn’t have to help me. If you ever wanna come to the compound, let me know and I’ll let the guard on duty know to pick you up,” I tell her, writing down my cell phone number and handing it over to her.

“Deegan doesn’t want me there. If you’re up for it, maybe we could get lunch or something one of these days,” she says, a smile on her face as I slowly sit down in the driver’s seat but leave the door open.

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