Page 8 of Royce

“I have that upstairs,” I say, nervously. Feeling a ‘but’ coming.

“You got off to a shit start today. I get that. Royce, however, immediately called our people in and started to make it right. And yeah, getting puked on sucks ass, but what you need to beveryclear about is that a patched member of the Northern Grizzlies gave you his fucking word everything would be taken care of, yet you turned around and threatened me. AndmyMC.

“My wife likes you, as do many of her friends, but you need to understand that words are important, so listen closely, little girl.” He takes a deep breath before standing up. “I’ve owned this building for longer than you’ve been on this Earth and as of twenty minutes ago, I pulled in a favor and bought your business loan.”

Flint’s face is completely neutral and while my jaw drops open, I can’t form any words. I can see he understands that, as he stops directly across the counter from me. “Never make a threat you can’t back up. Same terms on the loan, but I’ll be collecting it in cash, the first of every month.”

He circles the counter, and I’m frozen in place as I hear him cross the kitchen, leaving via the backdoor. When the door closes, my legs crumple, as though no longer able to hold my weight.

The words I’ve heard so many times since moving to Rowansville, echo through my head.The Northern Grizzlies own this town.And now, it would seem, they own me too.

Royce

Later that day, after some sleep, a greasy meal, and a long-ass shower, I make my way down to spar with Shade. He’s been teaching me the finer points of knife fighting.

Thankfully, we use wood blocks that Gunner carved, that we dip in red paint as proof of wounds inflicted during our training sessions. It’s been slow going for me, even after I managed to shed some of the excess weight that I had carried for so long.

There’s a huge difference between being a big guy who can throw a punch or two to end a fight, to the techniques I have had to learn to avoid the thrusts of the blade while waiting for an opening to strike out at my opponent.

Shade makes it look like a dance, and while he’s always been smooth on the dance floor, I’ve long been the guy who jumps up and down to whatever metal song comes on.

More and more, I find myself trying to emulate his easy gait and I smile thinking about how my mom wouldn’t let my sister outof the house in high heels until she learned to walk in them. ‘Are you wearing the shoes or are they wearing you?’ was a phrase heard for a solid year, in our small two-bedroom home.

In my mind, the same rules apply to knife fights. I have to make the weapon an extension of myself and not something that I’m barely holding onto.

While I gave Charlie a shit-ton of grief for all the accidents that occurred when she started at the garage, I know they were partially my fault. Grace is not something that comes naturally to either my sister or myself, it’s only now that I understand how hard she worked to walk confidently in those heels of hers.

We didn’t have as much as the other kids in our neighborhood, but we were the house that everyone always flocked to when we’d be stuck inside on crappy days and Mom was very proud of that. I let out a sigh, knowing I need to get back soon for a visit.

“Royce.” I look up to see Flint has entered the gym, tilting his head to indicate I should join him.

“Hey, I’m just waiting on Shade,” I tell him, knowing that he’s probably going to tear into me about the debacle at the bakery earlier.

“I told him to give us a minute,” he says and leans against the wall. “Here’s the short version of the talk I usually dole out. My interest here is in our MC and the building that houses the bakery. The look in Molly’s eyes earlier when she said she’d burn our club to the ground? I’ve seen enoughcrazyin my lifetime to recognize it when it is staring me down. Walk away.”

“No. She isn’t like that…” I start, wanting to defend her, sitting on a bench near him.

“I’m old and I have zero interest in getting into a conversation with your dick. I’ve given you my two cents. We pull togetherto clean up messes, just don’t go looking for trouble or you will have to live with the fallout,” Flint says, his knees creaking as he stands up and glares down at me.

That day is the first time I truly had the upper hand when sparring with Shade. He grinned and slapped me on the back as we were heading upstairs. I didn’t have the heart to tell him, my win was more about channeling my frustrations than his teachings.

*

“Hey, Charlie,” I call over to her from the lane I’m working in. “If I buy, will you go pick up lunch for us?”

“I thought I saw your lunch in the fridge,” she answers, and I frown at the underside of the beat-up Volkswagen I’m working on. It’s been days since I’ve had anything from Molly’s Bakery and my mouth waters every time I drive by the shop. Which I’ve been doing more than necessary.

“Well yeah, but I wanted a fresh coffee and…” I stop when I hear her snort.

“I’m not getting dragged into your drama, llama,” she replies, and I hear her slide out from under Old Man Miller’s truck. Typically, I could have used my seniority to get that job, but she’s totally charmed the old grouch, so he doesn’t want anyone else touching his family’s vehicles. “Just go apologize to her.”

“I did.” I stop myself from yelling that, but just barely.

“Before or after you puked all over her?” Charlie asks, and I close my eyes. Like everyone else, she’s heard some version of the story.

“I didnotpuke all over her. Just a little on her shoulder,” I bite out the words, then slowly exhale, my nostrils flared in annoyance.

“Considering she turns green when she sees Danny or Gemma spit up,” Charlie retorts, invoking not only her daughter, but the son that Shade, accidently, fathered with Jessa. “I’m not sure how much she differentiates that.”

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