Sonny's Surrender: Devil's Wind - Book Three Read online

  “We should kick you the fuck out for taking so long to accept the damn patch, Murph,” Breech said from his chair at the table.

  He smiled like a kid at Christmas. “You’re fucking right I’m accepting this patch. I can’t imagine not having all of you in my life.”

  I pulled him into a man-hug, slapping his back before passing him on to Fighter, who did the same before handing him off to Breech. Once everyone had a turn, Dukes banged the gavel on the desk. “Meeting adjourned. Let’s get a drink.”

  Leaving church, we walked up to the bar, where Gears began pulling beers. Murph was grinning from ear to ear, and then turned so Gears could see the prospect rocker was gone.

  “You fuckin’ earned that patch, man. I can’t imagine prospecting with anyone else, and I’m happier than a pig in shit that you got yours.” They fist-bumped, and Gears handed him a beer.

  “Keep on doing what you’re doing, Gears, and you should be next to earn that rocker.”

  “Fuckin’ A!” he said with a fist pump.

  Dukes sat down on an empty barstool. “We want to keep the membership small, just a bunch of guys that love to ride, have each other’s back and keep watch for the ladies. We want men who can keep club business to themselves and who are loyal to us. You’re that type of guy, Gears. We’ve been watching, keeping track—remember that.”

  He picked up his beer and swallowed a few sips. Fighter spoke from the stool on the other side of Dukes. “I agree that membership should stay small. But both Murph and Gears should be members of the Devil’s Wind. Murph, Breech says you got a girl in town. When are you gonna bring her around?”

  “We are taking the girls to the fair tomorrow; why don’t you ride with us and bring your lady?” I suggested.

  He took out his phone. Swiping up, his fingers flew over the screen as he texted someone. “She’s working, so I sent her a text.” In a few seconds, his phone pinged, and a smile lit up his face. “She wants to know if that’s the fair where Pigcasso is going to be?” He looked confused, and I bust out laughing,

  “That fucking pig sure gets a lot of play. Jiji is all hyped up to see it too, so tell her yes.” He went back to his phone, texting her the answer. Again his phone pinged. “She wants to know what time she needs to be ready?”

  “This girl is on point! Tell her we are meeting here at the clubhouse at nine am. Be ready to ride. “

  “She said thank you for the invitation, and she’s looking forward to meeting you all.”

  Breech had been quiet for a while as he looked at his phone. “The pig actually paints with a brush in its snout. I am not letting her get a pig, not fucking happening.”

  Fighter started laughing. “If it gets too big we can always host a luau.”

  Breech looked horrified. “I love bacon, I crave bacon; I’m never going to be able to eat bacon with Jiji around.”

  Gears piped up, “I guess that means no ham at Thanksgiving or Christmas either.”

  Breech shot him a dirty look. Dukes gave Gears the two fingers to his eyes like he’s watching and Gears shut up. A couple guys got up to play pool and music started playing. Friday night was heating up.

  Eight

  I was driving the loaner car to McCann’s to return it, and I could see Tish and Jiji following in the rearview mirror. I had the radio on, singing along with Luke Combs. I felt my phone vibrate, alerting me that a text was coming in. “Read text,” I instructed the loaner, thankful I actually synced the Bluetooth up.

  The robotic voice replied, “From Lani - Gia, we have to plan a party for tomorrow night at the clubhouse. I already texted Tish and Jiji to meet at the 3rd Street house when you’re done with the car.”

  Pulling into the parking lot of McCann’s, I shut the car off and texted her back.

  We just got here. I’m going to turn in the keys, and we should be back on the road in about 10 minutes.

  My phone pinged again; looking at the display, I saw the message was from Jiji this time.

  We have the booze at home, gonna stop and pick up the other stuff so Gia can mix up some of that yummy goodness we had before.

  Smiling, I texted the group back.

  You guys can explain the need for a party when we get home. I’m going in to return the rental. See you later.

  Getting out of the car, I went into the shop and found the lower half of Rich, the mechanic, sticking out from under a car, a steady stream of curses and banging echoing from beneath.

  “Rich, Sonny sent me to return the rental!” I shouted, jiggling the keys in my hand.

  He didn’t move from under the car. “Leave the keys on the desk.” A few more curses, then, “Yours will be ready tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Rich. We are going out tomorrow, so if we can’t make it, Gears will come and pick it up.”

  “No problem; tell Sonny thanks for all the work he’s been sending my way.”

  I left him cursing, depositing the keys on the desk before heading to the girls waiting in the car outside.

  Jiji was arguing with Tish when I opened the back door and slid onto the seat. “I don’t care, Tish, I told Breech we needed to have our own bikes, and he just huffs at me. We are so close to getting our licenses, I refuse to stop now. I keep telling him it isn’t because I don’t like riding behind him, because I do, but there are times when I’d like to ride with you guys without the constant male attention. You know what I mean?”

  “Whoa? What’s this about your own bikes?” I asked.

  Tish was driving, and she answered, looking at me in the rearview mirror, “Lani has been coaching me, Jiji, and Sandra so we can get our motorcycle licenses.”

  Jiji piped up, “I don’t mind riding bitch—I love being on the back of Breech’s bike—but there are times when I just want to ride by myself, clear my head, or just be with my girls. Breech will just have to get over himself.”

  I held my hand up. “Hey, I’m with you. I got my license a couple years ago only because I couldn’t afford a car. The bike was a lot cheaper all the way around, and it got me from point A to point B every single time. It sucked if it rained, but that’s usually the worst of it.”

  “What the fuck!” Jiji screeched. “You have your license already? Holy shit, girl, what else are you holding out on us? We are your posse; you gotta tell us this stuff.”

  I laughed, rolling back on the seat. “How the hell am I supposed to know that you ladies were looking into getting your own bikes? Wait, let me pull out my mind-reading crystal ball.”

  “Woohoo, we have another smartass in the group, and I thought Jiji was the only one.” Tish deadpanned.

  “Bitch,” Jiji said.

  “Hussy,” Tish responded.

  “Nuts, you’re all cray-cray,” I said.

  “Yup, and we don’t ever want to change. My mom loved one man her entire life, when he passed, leaving her alone, she became a shadow of herself. She loved me, but she could never show me love. As much as I want to emulate her, that’s one area where I refuse to be like her. I want to show those I love and those I want in my life that I’m here in the present. If that makes me crazy then so be it,” Tish said.

  “She’s right,” Jiji said. “Before my mom died, she had just started living again. She told me, right before Aden killed her, that she didn’t regret coming back to life. She regretted picking the wrong person to do it for. She told me, ‘Don’t do it for anybody else, Jiji, do it for yourself.’ I’ll be that eighty-year-old lady with blue hair and wrinkly tattoos because that’s who I am. I’m big and bold, and no one will ever take that away from me.”

  Sitting up in the seat, I looked at both of them thoughtfully. “I don’t remember my mother much. She died when I was four, leaving me with a workaholic father and a nanny. I do have one memory that stands out. I was about three, and she had been a
way overnight. When she came home that next day, my dad met her at the door, holding me in his arms. As she came up the driveway and saw us standing there, her face lit up like she’d just been given the greatest gift. She ran to us, hugging us both so hard, kissing me then my dad like she hadn’t seen us in ages instead of overnight. It might be a little thing to you girls, but it was profound to me. If I ever have children, I want them to know that I love them with every fiber of my being because there is no guarantee of a tomorrow, there is only today.”

  Both Tish and Jiji were silent while I told that story. Jiji reached up and brushed away a tear. “I’m sorry for your loss, Gia. The three of us have lost our mothers, but we have each other to lean on when we need it. I haven’t known you long, but the debt I owe you for not leaving Breech to die on the side of the road can never be repaid. The fact that you had only met him once but still wouldn’t leave him says tons about your character. Put that together with the fact that animals are drawn to you makes you a person whom I will value as a friend for life.”

  “Damn, Jiji, how am I supposed to top that?” Tish said. I laughed, breaking the tension. “Listen, Gia, we have a great group of girls here, and we are happy to open the circle and include you in it. We have enough drama in our lives, so it’s nice to have each other to bitch to, or cry or laugh with. Now enough with the serious stuff. Let’s let our hair down and have a good time tonight, shall we?”

  “Ok by me, but tell me about these classes, because I never took any, I just practiced ‘til I didn’t fall over or off, then scheduled the test and passed it.”

  I sat back in the seat while the two of them regaled me with stories about them learning to ride a bike. After stopping at the liquor store, we were home before I knew it, turning into the driveway and getting out of the car. Lani’s car was parked to the side, and what must have been Sandra’s car was on the street. Inside, Lani and Sandra were watching some reality show on TV while they waited for us.

  “Gia, fire up that blender while I fill you girls in on the reason for this party. Dukes and the boys have patched Murph into the Devil’s Wind.”

  “Wow, he must be freaking out, over the moon,” Jiji said.

  “I like him so much,” Tish threw in.

  “Holy crap, I’m so happy for him,” Sandra responded. “I’ve known him longer than all you guys, and I know how much he wanted this.”

  “I can swing over to the grocery store and pick up the makings for hot wings and slaw,” Lani said. “That’s his favorite.”

  “Oh, oh, I can make brownies. He loves them with walnuts and caramel,” Jiji said. “Maybe I’ll make a batch infused with cannabis,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Tish laughed. “He’s high enough getting his patch, Jiji, pot isn’t gonna touch how he’s feeling right now.”

  Jiji clapped her hands to regain attention. “Ladies, I have it on good authority that Gia has been bumping uglies, doing the horizontal mambo, buggering all night long with Sonny.”

  The room got quiet, and everyone turned to look at me. I was blushing, I knew I was, but I couldn’t stop the reaction.

  Then everyone tried to talk at once. “Oh my God! Is it as big as everyone says it is? Like manaconda size?” Sandra asked.

  Tish was just taking a sip of her drink, and she tried to keep it in her mouth but couldn’t, and it sprayed out like a fine mist. Jiji started thumping her on the back as she choked down the rest.

  She started to wheeze but repeated, “Manaconda?”

  “Yeah, you know, like, huge-a-saurus giganticock?” Sandra asked us.

  “Come on, give it up,” Jiji declared.

  “Jesus, you girls are like a bunch of gossipy old hens. You can’t tell me that any of your men don’t have, umm,” I searched for the right words, finally settling on, “great equipment.” I deflected the answer for about two seconds.

  “We never said they weren’t well-endowed, babe,” Lani spoke up. “But, we have heard that Sonny is exceptional. You can’t blame a girl for being curious, Gia.”

  I sighed. “I don’t kiss and tell, ladies, but I will say this: He can make a smart girl stupid very easily.”

  Lani busted out laughing. “Tactful, I like that. Let’s leave her alone, ladies. We can pump her for information another time,” she lectured the group.

  Relieved I’d been given a reprieve, I turned to Sandra. “What can I do for Murph?”

  Sandra looked thoughtful. “Why don’t you and I keep an eye open while the guys are at the swap meet and maybe we can find something unique to buy for Murph?”

  “There’s a swap meet too?” I asked.

  “They have a variety of things, Gia. Craft shows, pie baking contests, livestock, the midway, tractor pulls, you name it, it’s there,” Lani said.

  We continued to make plans for the party and for the outing. I listened and made drinks, laughing along with this lively group of ladies. When they finally left for the night, I stripped off my clothes, grabbed a quick shower, and fell into bed, tired but really looking forward to the ride and being with the club tomorrow.

  Nine

  The next morning, I pulled into the driveway of the 3rd Street house a little early. We’d celebrated Murph’s patching-in with a few drinks, some pool, and lots of stories about prospecting back in the day, but the real party was going to be tonight. The ladies were really good at putting things together on short notice for us, and they always rocked it.

  Taking off my helmet, I started for the porch when I noticed Gia sitting in one of the rockers. Her knees were bent, and she had one arm wrapped around them, dressed in a bulky sweater so long the sleeves hung off her hands. She was sipping from a mug with the other; I could see steam curling up from inside. She indicated the matching rocker next to her and the second mug sitting on the little table between them.

  I smiled and dipped down for a kiss; she obliged me by lifting her chin so her lips met mine. She tasted like coffee and cream. Her silky hair was sitting on her shoulder in a tight braid, and I rubbed the end pieces between my fingers as I lingered over her face once our lips separated.

  “Good morning, love,” I said. “Thanks for the coffee.” Since she worked in the office, she knew I liked it with a little milk, no sugar.

  “Sonny, I have a question.” She ducked her head, hiding her face.

  “What’s up, Gia? Why are you hiding from me?” She looked up; her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes sparkled. Her lips were red and swollen from my kiss, and she smelled fresh and clean like she’d just stepped from a shower. Her skin was so soft; I loved touching her.

  “The girls were teasing me about your, umm, obvious endowment,” she said delicately. “I know I have no right to ask, but I’m wondering how many others in the group you’ve shared your, umm, magnificence with?”

  Smiling wide, I scratched my chin as I took my time answering her. I could see that she really wanted to know, but she was trying to act nonchalant. “So what you’re really asking me for is my number, Gia?”

  Her head came up, and she looked shocked. Her arm dropped from her knees, and her feet hit the floor with a soft thud. “No, Sonny, that’s not what I’m asking. What I want to know is who I need to worry might want to put a knife in my back. I’ve heard that a club girl was selling information to some psycho, and that he kidnapped Tish.”

  The smile fell off my face, and I turned towards her so our knees were touching. “I’ve had more than my fair share of women. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I fucked my way through the club girls and, on occasion, with more than one at a time. When I came home from combat, I was screwed up. I lost a lot of brothers over there, especially during my last tour, and I made up for living when they died by drinking and whoring as often as I could. That was many moons ago, babe. Dukes sat my ass down one day and told me if I didn’t get my head on straight, he was goi
ng to find me dead on the side of the road somewhere. Did I listen to him? Fuck no; I thought I could handle anything life threw at me. I’d lived through that clusterfuck of a war while so many didn’t. I was home in the good ol’ US-of-A—nothing could touch me here.”

  She had been listening intently while I spilled my guts; she’d taken my hand and was running her thumb over the back while I talked. “Go on, Sonny, finish the story,” she coaxed.

  “It’s not a pretty story, Gia. I’m ashamed to say I was out of control and didn’t give a fuck what happened to me. The only thing I cared about was not bringing shame to my brothers. I kept the club away from the real me. They knew I was screwing some chick just about every night, and at times we even shared women, but aside from that, the only ones who knew how fucked up I really was were Dukes and Fighter. They kept me from self-destructing.”

  I paused and took a deep breath, then said, “When I finally pulled my head out of my ass, they got someone to help me realize I had a problem and gave me the tools to handle it. I was twenty-two when I left the service. Twenty-seven when I got my shit together. I will be thirty-two this year, Gia. I haven’t been bed-hopping for many years. I’m as discreet as I can be living the life I do, but I’m also not a prude. Most of the club has seen me naked at one time or another.

  “So, in this long, drawn-out answer, you have no one to worry about as far as the club girls go. None of them have a hold on me, and they know it. I’ve never given any of them a reason to think it could be anything more than just an itch I was scratching. Does that answer your question, or is there anything else you want to know, babe?”

  She looked at me with bright eyes, and her thumb stopped moving on my hand. She grasped it tightly, took a deep breath, and then stunned me. “What about your boy, Sonny?”