Page 30 of Beast
“Then make sure nobody leaves the club alone. I want a Prospect escort for everyone.” I patted BK on the shoulder. “It’s going to get messy.”
Inside, I found Donna and Mark playing pool. Skittles stood at the bar drinking tequila. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Skittles said. “That skank of yours now says she’s not going to Cali. She’s going to hang around Pine Bluff and watch her son grow up.” She poured herself another shot. “Not sure I won’t kick her ass, Marcus. I don’t want the little cunt here at the club.”
“She’s not hanging around the club. Can you keep an eye on Mark?”
“Keep her away, Marcus.”
“Mark. Skittles is going to show you around the garage. Some cool mods out there.”
“Cool.” Mark put his cue stick on the pool table and ran over to Skittles. I waited for them to leave and then joined Donna.
“Take your ass in church,” I said. She started to speak, but I wasn’t having any of her shit. “Keep your mouth shut and get the fuck in there.” I closed the door, and Donna opened her mouth. “Don’t.” I pinned her against the wall, and she tried to bring a knee into my crotch. I closed my legs and caught the knee before she found her target.
“You letting that little cunt be Mark’s mother? You piece of shit.”
Donna had always been a fighter. She’d tried to go up against me several times, and I quickly put her in her place. “Listen to me, skank. You’re never going to be an old lady in this club. You’ll never step your nasty ass back in here again. If you do, I’ll let Skittles take your saggy ass out. Do you understand me? She nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. “Did you really think the Messengers would let Mark go without hurting him? You almost got him fucking killed.”
“You don’t deserve him,” she said, and I never wanted to slap a woman so bad in my life.
I shoved Donna toward the door, and she hesitated to leave. “Leave. Walk your used-up ass out of this club and go to Cali. Don’t you show your face in Pine Bluff again.”
“I’m not leaving my son, Marcus.” She put her hands on her hips as if she were challenging me.
“If you don’t leave Pine Bluff, I will let the club decide what to do with you, and that shit won’t go your way. Get the hell out of my sight.”
Donna left the room, and I watched her leave the clubhouse. I didn’t know if she would be back or not. Skittles wasn’t bullshitting about killing Donna. The club was her territory. She would protect it.
“Cool shit, isn’t it?” I said to Mark when I entered the garage.
“Can you teach me how to work in the garage?” he asked.
Skittles shook her head at me while Mark turned his back to her.
“Yeah, but son, you need to be in school.”
Mark nodded to my surprise. “I know. I wanna go to school.”
“After school, come here, and the club will teach you about modding.”
“Mom’s not coming back, is she?” He turned to Skittles. “I know she helped those men kidnap us. She’s not a good mother.”
Kids always seemed to know the difference between good parents and bad. I hoped I could stay on the good side.
“She’s not, Mark. Skittles and me and the club will take good care of you.” I put my hand on his shoulder, and the touch made me feel like a father.
“He has some things at the house he needs. His laptop is there.” Skittles grabbed her purse.
“Stay here. I’ll get the laptop.”
“Take help with you, Marcus.”
“I’ll go through downtown. They won’t fuck with me out in the open.” Skittles made a pouty face. “Damn it. I’ll take Diesel.” Outside, Diesel was finishing off a beer. “You’re with me, cupcake.”
We pulled from the club and went through downtown Pine Bluff. On Main, as we passed Lady Birds, I saw a group of Hell’s Messengers hassling someone inside. I pulled to the curb, and Diesel joined me.
“We need to take care of that shit,” Diesel said. He turned his bike around, and I followed.
