Page 60 of Three Beasts

Chapter 36

Zeva

I sigh softly to myself. It’s been three days since Tammi left. I wish the guys would just quit, but…I understand too. It’s family. That club is all they’ve had for a long time, at the end of the day, and they’ve built it up so well. But they have me now too. Doesn’t that matter? Maybe I’m being selfish, but I couldn’t stand to lose any of them. I’ve lost so much already to this life, and I’m getting so tired of it. Was Tammi right? Should I have left?

I scratch both my dogs idly as I sit on my couch. I look around and am flooded with memories, both of my time growing up and more recent, with them. I smile softly to myself and sigh again. No, it was right to stay. It will take some time, but we’ll figure things out. Maybe we can bring the Honeypot out of the biker scene? It’d be really hard to just change who shows up though and if we did that they’d resent us and we’d lose all business, I guess.

I jump hard, startled by my phone ring. I look over and see Jason’s name on the screen. I hesitate for a moment. I don’t know if I’m ready to speak with any of them. It keeps ringing, and I just stare. The phone goes dark, unanswered. I sigh, cursing myself for my own cowardice.

I jump again as the phone lights back up, Jason’s name once again on the screen. I smile a little. He’s persistent, at least. I slowly reach out, then grab hold of my phone and click the answer button.

“Hey Jason…” I say. “How’s everything?”

“Umm…good. Things are going okay. Honeypot is almost fully repaired finally, everyone still standing is, well, still standing at least,” he says. I can tell there’s a lot he wants to say, but won’t.

“I’m glad to hear it. I think … I think I’ll be ready to come back to work once everything is fixed.”

“Good. You know, we miss you,” he says, more quietly.

“I miss you guys too. I just…needed some space is all,” I say. My dogs slowly get up and stretch, and then they both walk over to the window to stare outside.

“I get it, it’s alright. Things are rough around here still, I guess. We’ve been distracted, and some of the guys are starting to talk. They think we’re quitting the club.”

“Well, obviously that’s not true,” I say, a slightly bitter tone in my voice, and immediately regret it. There was only nervous silence in response.

A pair of sharp, angry barks roar up to cut into the quiet. I glance over at the two dogs at the window, their attention caught by something. I walk over and suddenly hear it myself; a louder than normal motorcycle heading toward my house.

“Wade and Alex are with you right, Jason?”

“Yeah why? Wait, who’s that in the background?”

“I don’t know…” I say as I watch them pull up to the road and dismount their bike. I can’t quite make out what they’re fiddling with at this distance. The figure takes off their jacket, and I see a bright white undershirt beneath. They pull at their jacket, seeming to be tearing at it. I see a light click, then something in their hand flare up in flames. They chuck it at my house and I realize too late what it is: a Molotov cocktail. It crashes through the second floor window, immediately flaring up my entire bedroom.

I scream. “Jason! He just threw a cocktail!”

“What? Who? ZEVA?!”

I’ve already dropped my phone, and I run outside with Seras and Walter. I scream at the shadowed figure, but they’ve already mounted their bike and are driving off. I hear a strange sputtering from the bike, and my ears are pounding from the volume it puts out, even at this distance. I stare after the rider as they round a corner.

I turn around, dejected, and stare at my house. The entire second floor is ablaze, and the flames are quickly working down to the lower level. Every memory of my life is held within those crumbling walls. Growing up, playing with my parents, everything they made for me and for us as a family.

All I can do is stare and cry.

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