Page 106 of Jagged Little Pieces

As the others enter the restaurant, Coco lingers at the door. She stares at me with the affection I’ve been rewarded with since we were kids.

“That bitch hurt my feelings,” she tells me. “Then, you hurt her face. Thank you.”

I hug her to me, relieved my new life offers her so many smiles. Without Coco, I wouldn’t have been strong enough to claim what my heart needed.

Now, we have a chance to expand our friend group and start a new chapter amongst the wild beauty of McMurdo Valley.

MARTIN

Austen frequently texts me during her spa day. I like knowing she’ll be wrapped into Wynonna’s girl group. Xenia seemed to warm up a lot after she started chatting with the other women. During the attack on the club, she couldn’t really rely on anyone outside our circle. Hobo was in the thick of the violence, and she would have felt isolated without her new friends.

Nothing so dire is happening today, yet I’m glad Austen and Coco will have a local support system. Based on Suzanne’s last call, she’s planning to travel to McMurdo Valley as soon as Urick is gone. I think she knows her daughter will need extra attention as she grieves.

My thoughts are on my future mother-in-law as I ride with Hobo, Tomcat, and Goose. We pass Ruin’s place, where many of the kids are located during their moms’ spa day.

Ruin, Armor, Eagle, and even Nomad join our group as we pass our president’s place. The eight of us swallow up the road as we circle McMurdo Valley.

My thoughts return to my first motorcycle. When I was barely legal, I left home and took up living in a tent on public land. We were doing work for the local hot-shot assholes. I was making enough money to get a trailer, yet I spent my first real income on a used Harley.

Riding that motherfucker up and down the street where my parents lived, I revved the engine and acted like a fool. My parents claimed I was embarrassing myself, yet I never felt as free.

Though I’m long past my youthful stupidity, I lead my group past my parents’ house today. They chuckle at how I never let grudges die.

Afterward, we head to our original destination, a large slice of undeveloped land on the south end of town.

Once off our hogs, we stand in the quiet, rural area. Nomad grumbles behind me, annoyed by his injured foot. I was surprised he wanted to ride while injured. Maybe he’s just restless after remaining trapped at home for the last two weeks.

“I’ve been in negotiations with Todd Rogers,” Ruin explains as he hides his blue eyes behind mirrored glasses. “Right now, he’s got his armed guards living on his estate. But when he brings in extra people like after the attack, there’s nowhere convenient to stick them. They’ve been at the nearby Holiday Inn.”

Ruin looks around and exhales deeply. “This here will be where we keep our own security team.”

Armor waits until our president stops speaking to take over. “Increasing our club size isn’t an option. No one around here is worth recruiting. The club is family, and strangers won’t fit within our group.”

Nodding, Ruin slides back into the lead. “We’ll recruit security specialists who will live in McMurdo Valley. They’ll be part of our organization but not the club. I don’t figure we’ll have new members until our kids get old enough to join.”

“So, Joie will be next, then?” Tomcat asks, smirking at how Ruin’s fourteen-year-old daughter is set on becoming a member of the Steel Berserkers.

“Sure, if that’s what she wants,” mutters our president. “Look, I know hiring a security crew isn’t how things work in other places. But the club is ours. We killed and bled to build the Steel Berserkers. I can’t imagine someone new showing up and feeling like family. It was difficult enough welcoming guys like Yagger, Smokey, and Dice, even though we’d known them since they were snot-nosed punks.”

Armor looks around us. “Todd Rogers will pitch in half the cost to build up housing for the security teams. The idea is we’ll have people to send out to deal with trouble and do patrols. This community will be a mix of townhomes and single-family homes. For most people, it’ll look like a normal subdivision, but it’ll belong to the club and Rogers.”

“Why link up with him at all?” Goose asks as she stands next to her brother.

“He’s got deep pockets,” Ruin explains. “Besides, he had our back during the attack. When we got holed up at the hospital with our injured people, his security teams patrolled the town. He didn’t have to do that shit. But I think he worries about his own safety if the club goes down. Plus, he might be setting things up for Fiona to run one day. I don’t know exactly his play, but he wants a closer relationship with the club.”

“And the Halvorson family?” Nomad asks and glances at me. “Erik might be in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hire someone to cause us trouble. And Peter’s always been a dickhead.”

“Urick doesn’t have much time,” I say and think of how Austen’s heart will soon suffer. “According to Urick’s top guy, Peter and Erik won’t get a dime from Urick’s estate. It’s all going to Austen and Mack.”

“Think we can trust his word?” Ruin asks, paranoid as always.

“There’s no reason for him to lie, and he knows Urick better than anyone,” I say and think of the man who will share power with Austen. “Mack’s focus is on making the ranch what it once was. He doesn’t want a power struggle with the club. Obviously, Austen won’t be screwing with us.”

Ruin considers my words. “I worried about Peter’s boys. They’re young but not like our kids. They’ll have a foothold around here before our next generation is ready to take control.”

“Doubt Peter will stick around once he needs to pay his own way,” I reply, imagining the shitstorm waiting for Austen after her dad dies. “Mack won’t want either of them at the ranch.”

“What if Peter starts trouble with Austen?” Armor asks.

---