Page 13 of Biker's Conquest: Property of Rage

Ruger would be an idiot to follow any of Owen’s financial advice. But I hold my tongue.

“My parlay hit. Winnipeg Jets are on a fourteen game winning streak just like I predicted, then I reinvested the money on a white-bellied goldfish in Chinese fish roulette.”

“What the fuck is Chinese fish roulette?” I just have to ask. Owen finds a way of gambling on the most obscure shit you’ve ever heard of in your life. He got Ethan addicted to German pretzel cutting for five months.

“You watch these livestreams,” Owen explains. “And these Chinese women have all these colored cards in a tank. They drop the fish in and you guess where he’s gonna swim. Foolproof way to grow your money.”

“That sounds a bit difficult,” Ruger asks with genuine confusion. He might not be educated, but he still has more sense than Owen Shaw.

“I’m intuitive about that kind of thing,” Owen says. “Remember how many summer fishing records I broke during camping season when we were kids?”

“Not particularly,” Ruger says. “I don’t know how you could say where a fish is gonna go. That’s all.”

“It’s a lot easier than gerbil roulette.”

“I think I’d better stick with Deacon when it comes to business,” Ruger answers.

I doubtanything but the worst news could drag Owen down from his high right now. But at least we’re back to the business talk. With a little effort, Owen can convince you that he has magical gambling abilities which only rarely ever pan out.

“Running this business is not as hard as you think,” I tell them. “You just need to make sure you count the money andget it to the right places so we can put it through the distillery, the laundromat, and all the other businesses”

Their payment will be whatever they can carry. We make too much from black market gambling for me to care about how much money they take. I can always lure Owen back to my card tables if he gets unfair.

“Where the fuck are you going anyway?” Owen asks, glancing down at his phone as a loud ESPN notification pings.

“Chasing a woman,” I answer him, mostly because I’m tired of the club members giving me shit for my lifestyle because I choose to have frequent meaningless sex and keep everything about it private.

“Not a man?” Ruger asks. “Been a long time since I’ve seen you with a girlfriend. I thought you changed over.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“What woman? A biker chick?” Owen asks.

“No. I don’t know anything about her except… She’s a friend of Oske’s.”

Owen laughs.“Then somehow, brother. You’re falling for a scam.”

I haveto try not to let him get under my skin, but I can’t lie, the comment pushes at the edges of my irritation. What does he mean by that? There was no scam with Keyshawn. She was perfect. Her ass was perfect. I enjoyed every minute of our time together from the time I walked in the door to the way I bathed her after spanking bruises all over her ass.

Even with the guys, that kind of talk is far too much. It’sbetter to bite my tongue. Ruger doesn’t share Owen’s distaste. He shrugs.

“Oske isn’t as smart as she thinks,” Ruger says. “If there’s a scam, you’ll find out soon enough. Either way you end up with a woman so it’s a win win.”

“You think I want a scammer in my bed?”

“If you dick her down right, you can change her.”

“I’mready to call it a night…” I mutter.

Ruger givingme relationship advice makes me feel screwed. I need to call Tamiya for the intel and then hit the road… East to wherever the fuck she might be. She doesn’t seem like she has any Detroit in her, so I doubt she went all the way up to Michigan. Maybe she has family in Chicago. Lots of folks do…

I don’t wantto wait. I want to find this woman and bring her back to my house. I have never wanted a woman back in my playroom this badly. This need feels more urgent than I expected and without release, I feel my anger building up.

Women are so heartless when they leave, yet acting on that storm of emotions they force you to feel is so taboo. There’s nothing for you to do with your feelings as a man. You can’t cry… you can’t hurt things… you just have to go numb.

Chapter Eight

Keyshawn

---