Page 25 of Ruckus

“You have to think of a kick ass one liner to say as you leave.” Alicia looks back at me from the passenger seat she’s in. This must be the perfect distraction from her troubles because the excitement is all over her face as Vike pulls up outside the entrance. “And make sure you strut as you leave.”

“I’m not gonna see him. He was in pretty bad shape when I left and I’m gonna ask his brother to get my stuff out the trailer for me.”

“You know me and the guys could have done this for ya,” Vike points out.

“I know, but I made some good friends here. I allowed Drew to control so much of me, I won’t let him stop me saying goodbye.”

“Well we’ll make sure word gets back to him.” Alicia goes to open her door and Vike immediately leans across her and slams it back shut.

“Where do ya think you're going?” He frowns.

“To help Freya get her stuff.” She stares back at him.

“I don’t think so, the atmosphere beyond those gates is gonna be cold and I ain’t having you in that kinda situation, not in your condition,” he tells her.

“Really?” That dreamy look is right back on Alicia’s face again.

“Hell no. Your brother would kill me.” He crushes that dream with one sentence and when she looks back at me, she subtly rolls her eyes.

“You stay here with the doors locked and you call if anyone approaches you,” Vike instructs before looking back toward me. “And me and you are in and out, we get your stuff. We leave.” He gets out of the car and opens the back door for me, then leans down and peers at Alicia through the window until she presses the automatic lock and gives him a sarcastic smile.

“So this show… it’s all stunt acts, right?” he checks as we step closer to the turnstiles.

“Pretty much.” I nod, feeling a lot less brave. What if I do come face to face with Drew? What if I imagined what Ruckus did to him was worse than it really was…? Suddenly all this seems like a bad idea.

“So there ain’t no clowns?” Vike clears his throat and looks around nervously.

“No clowns,” I assure him, smiling to myself when I realize that everyone, no matter how big and tough they are, fears something.

It’s how we deal with that fear that shapes who we are.

I’ve spent the whole day at the gym, avoiding the club. If I had any sense or self-control I’d be doing the same tonight, but here I am, sitting at the bar pretending to listen to Raze and Wrath, while wondering where she is and what she did all day.

There’s no sign of her here, and all the girls are sitting at their usual table. I expected her to be with ‘em, and I don’t like the idea of her sitting up in her motel room by herself.

Wrath continues to talk about the revenge he wants to take on the Reapers, every day he seems to come up with a new plan, and every day Raze has to tell him to be patient.

I may not have ever had a sister to lose, but I understand his pain. I know more about loss than the people here realize, and I know how it feels to carry vengeance. Still, I agree with our prez, especially now that Freya is here. Reapers have proven they don’t fight fair and we need to be working on our defense before we can look to attack. What my best friend needs to do is focus on what he does have. He’s got a beautiful wife who loves him, Freya is home, and although it doesn’t sound like she plans on sticking around, I know he can change her mind.

And it seems so fucking important that he does.

The back door opens and when Freya steps inside looking all sun-kissed and wearing a huge bright beam of a smile, it’s hardto believe that she was the girl in that ring twenty-four hours ago. She makes her way toward the girls’ table and joins them without noticing that I’m here. I wanna know where she’s been. I wanna know what she’s done in the nine hours we’ve been apart, and when she looks up and catches me staring at her, I quickly look away.

“You okay?” Raze asks like he can sense something wrong.

“Yeah, I’m good, just thinking about all the shit I got to do back at the gym.” I smile back at him, and instantly regret using the place as my excuse when I see the guilty look on Wrath's face. The gym is one of the club’s legit businesses, and Raze put me and Wrath in charge of it. Given everything that's been going on with him lately, he’s had to take a back seat.

“I didn’t mean anythin’ by that. I just… I see a lot of potential in that place.”

“Corey not pulling his weight?” Dev must have overheard me, ‘cause he stands himself up from leaning on the bar and moves closer. His little brother is desperate to be a part of the club, he’s asked Raze if he can prospect more than once, and on Dev’s request, each time he’s been denied. Dev did agree to let him help out at the gym some evenings and weekends, since it’s a legit business and will look good on his college applications.

“Corey’s great, the clients love him. Especially Burlusconi’s sister,” I point out, swallowing the last of my glass. “I just think we could be offering more. Maybe some self-defense for women.” I look back over to the table where Freya is and think about all the times she would have been beaten on by that asshole who hurt her. Maybe things would have been different if she knew how to defend herself. That first time he hurt her might have been his last.

“Sign me up.” I spin my head when I hear the female voice come from behind me and when I see Quinn, my face drops.

“Relax, no one died.” She rolls her eyes and perches herself on a barstool in the middle of us. “I just finished a shift and thought it might be nice to be among the living for a while.” She shrugs, placing a brightly colored purse on the table and looking for some service.

All four of us stare at her, but she doesn’t seem fazed as she orders a rum and coke from Polly.

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