JAX: MC Biker Romance (New Adult Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) (26 page)

Being locked up for armed robbery had ruined his life and taken away everything he had loved, but at least, it hadn’t broken his outlaw spirit. It wouldn’t be long until he was out, and he’d been counting down the days, keeping notes on the calendar next to his bedside.

His mother had been writing to him every week for months, and he knew he had to reply, had to tell her he was sorry for all the trouble he’d caused the family. But, he couldn’t do it. It wasn’t because he didn’t deep down feel remorse, but rather, in his entire life, he hadn’t apologized for any of his actions.

“I don’t say sorry for shit,” he’d told his friends and family, time and time again. “Rex Allen does what he wants, when he wants, no regrets.”

Yet now, with the bars by his head and the toilet at the bottom of the bed, it would seem as though he was maybe feeling an ounce of sorrow for holding up the poor gas station attendant at gunpoint.

Maybe…..

There had been good sides to being in prison of course. One thing he loved was being with other gang members; ones he hadn’t been able to see in years. He loved the camaraderie, the sense of belonging, and the way they all felt as though they owned the place.

He’d also acquired some new tattoos inside; large symbols across his knuckles and chest that proved his loyalty to the gang. Yet, the one he was the proudest of was the tear drop that lingered beneath his right eye; a sign to others that he had killed for his prison family and earned the privilege of being in their highest ranks.

“What you up to, buddy?” his new cellmate, Anthony, called from the bunk above. “You ain’t talkin’ much.”

“Just thinkin’,” Rex replied, as he sat up on the edge of his bed.

“Oh yeah? What about?”

Rex was silent for a few moments, as he thought through what he wanted to say.

“You’ve been in and out a few times, ain’t ya?” Rex asked.

“Sure. This is my third stretch in as many years.”

“Hmm,” Rex scratched at his chin. “Ain’t it weird being in, then out, then in again? Don’t it fuck up your mind?”

“Nope,” Anthony laughed. “The way I see it is… I kinda likein it in here. Got my special inside friends. We all look after each other.”

“You don’t miss women?” Rex fired another question at his cellmate.

Women were the thing he missed the most; maybe even more than his freedom.

“Well, yeah man,” Anthony leaned over and poked his head down over the side of the bunk. “I miss my woman more than anything, but I got this, ain’t I?” He showed Rex his hand and wiggled his fingers. “And, I got this,” he tapped at the side of his head.

Rex rolled his eyes and lied back. Staring up at the underside of Anthony’s dirty mattress, he wondered how he’d adjust to life on the outside.

“Your hand may make you happy now, but I got a real girl waiting for me on the outside,” he smiled to himself.

“Is that so?”

“Yep. A real, sweet and spunky, young thing. She had my baby too.”

“You don’t say,” Anthony shook his head. “Well, how come she ain’t been in to visit you?”

Rex went silent. She hadn’t been to see him in months. Of course, just like his mother, she’d written to him, but after the first year, the letters had started to arrive less often. Eventually, they dried up altogether. He wondered where she was these days. Meanwhile, Anthony looked back over the side of his bed again.

“You’re in a motorcycle gang, ain’t ya?”

“Of course.”

“Is it true you have old ladies by your side?”

“Yup,” Rex nodded. “They stay by us no matter what, and don’t ever leave us, not unless they have a death wish”

“Oh,” Anthony lay back on his bed. “I wish I had someone like that; a real nice girl I could depend on.”

“Yeah…. She’ll be waiting for me when I get out. I’m sure of it,” Rex said to convince himself more than anything.

As the moonlight filtered in through the bars in the window, he closed his eyes and readied himself for another sleepless night. He’d not heard from Brandy in so long that he was starting to think something had happened to her. But, if she had any sense in her, she’d be waiting at the gate when he was released with a crate of beer under one arm and the baby under the other.

It was then, as he tried to quiet his mind from the constant stream of thoughts, he heard the clang of the door at the end of the hall, the shout of the guards, and the jeering from the other prisoners. There was an unexpected visitor.

He craned his neck to see who it was; expecting the mysterious nighttime caller to walk past the cell. Rex was then surprised when he saw them stop in front of his door, the shape of his head eclipsing the light that streamed in through the tiny window in the door.

“Quit jerkin it, Allen!” the guard called from outside. “You got a guest.”

The keys jangled in the lock and the door creaked as it opened. A short, but well-dressed man was standing carrying a briefcase with a nervous look on his face.

“Mr. Allen?” he stretched out his hand.

“Yeah,” Rex stood up and towered down over the little man. “Who are you?”

“I’m Nick Rosen, your new lawyer,” he announced and winced when Rex crushed his hand.

“New lawyer?” the biker raised his eyebrows.

“Yes…” Nick glanced about to see who was listening. “The MC on the outside hired me to take your case. I once represented your boss, Hitchins, so I know how it works.”

It felt as though the little lawyer was speaking in riddles, but Rex knew what was going on. His gang on the outside had obviously got him the best attorney money had to offer, which meant they needed him. It also meant the man in front of him was crooked as hell, which didn’t bother him; it meant he got results. When the gang boss, Hitchins, was charged with attempted murder, it was expected he’d serve time, but Mr. Rosen here got him a suspended sentence.

“I know who you are,” Rex nodded. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

“Well… This is a fleeting visit I’m afraid because I got you out on appeal.”

“Whut?” For a moment, the biker thought it was a joke. “I’ve got six months left on my sentence.

“Not anymore. You’ll be out in the morning.”

Then he was gone, his Italian loafers squeaking on the floor as he left. The guard watched in shock for a second before taking a step inside the cell.

“Well then… Looks like I better get the paperwork done,” and he slammed the door shut with a bang.

*****

Brandy was exhausted and, despite the fact she’d just woken up, she felt as though she could sleep for another twelve hours. Making her way downstairs, she yawned and turned on the TV before switching on the coffee machine.

She pulled out her cigarettes from the not so secret hiding place in the top drawer of the kitchen. Knowing full well it was a bad habit, she smoked regardless, thinking of it as one of her guilty pleasures. After Ricky was born, she had little pleasure in life, having to spend all her time looking after him on a tight budget. She’d given up drinking and barely ate. Yet, the one thing she had left was her morning ritual of a cigarette and a steaming mug of black coffee.

The baby monitor was by her side, and she could still hear her little boy upstairs as he snored away the morning. She often loved just listening to him as he slept, knowing that he was safe and nearby.

As she sat on the steps to her back door with the sounds of the television washing over her, she sipped at her coffee and took long drags on her cigarette, savoring every breath that she drew into her lungs.

Upstairs, she could hear the bed creak. Her boyfriend, Neil, was waking up. She heard each step creak beneath his weight as he made his way down.

“Morning honey!” he joined her on the steps and gave her a kiss.

“Sleep well?” she asked, as she leaned in for another kiss.

“Are you kidding me? After last night’s action, I thought I’d never move again,” he laughed and wrapped an arm around her, his head resting on her shoulder.

“Yeah… I was convinced I’d never be able to get out of bed this morning,” she giggled.

They shared a cheeky look; one that brought back all the naughty memories from the night before. Neil always felt his heart beat faster when he looked into Brandy’s eyes, always loved the way they gazed up at him so adoringly.

“You get more beautiful every day I see you,” he squeezed her hand. “Don’t ever change.”

She blushed and looked away, not able to get used to how sweet he was. Her ex was a brute and was less than gentle. It took her a long while to get used to men again, and realize they weren’t all out to get whatever they wanted. But, she knew deep down that Rex would have to be in her life once again; he was, after all, Ricky’s father. As much as she pretended she was done with the gang, she knew she could never truly be free from them, not when she was the mother to one of their children. She sighed at the thought, and then looked up to Neil, happy that he was a nice and normal guy with a clean record and a job.

“What’s on your mind,” he bopped her on the nose. “You look worried.”

“Yeah…,” she tossed her cigarette end into the back yard. “It’s not long until Rex is out and well…. He’s gonna want to see Ricky.”

Neil felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. He hated how that violent thug was never far away from Brandy’s thoughts, and he hated that he was Ricky’s father. There were times when he lay awake at night and dreamed that he himself was his real dad.

“That’s not for a while though, ain’t it?”

“Six months,” Brandy pursed her lips and nodded her head in thought. “Six months and I bet he’ll be wanting to take Ricky away from me.”

Tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes.

“Don’t say that,” Neil grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “You don’t know that! And, there’s no court in the land that would take Ricky away from you.”

“Rex doesn’t pay attention to what the courts say… The gang don’t care about the law. I thought you’d know that.”

Neil gulped down his anxiety and pulled away. He’d often wondered how a nice girl like Brandy could get involved with a criminal like Rex Allen, but then again, he knew how far bad boy credentials went, knew that girls couldn’t say no to an alpha male.

“Six months,” he looked to the floor. “It’s enough time that I could save up some money and we could get outta here, make a fresh start.”

“Really?” she perked up and looked at him with her eyes wide and her hands clutching at his arms.

“Sure, I mean it. I wanna give you and the boy the best life I can, and if that means breaking away and getting as far away as possible from that bunch of psycho bikers, then I’ll do whatever I can.”

Brandy was overcome with emotion, and she let her tears spill out down her cheeks.

“You’re the best,” she kissed him hard. “We’ll make it work. It’ll be wonderful, I just know it.”

“I know it too,” he kissed her back. “We’ve just gotta stick together.”

They both nodded at one another in agreement.

“But right now, I gotta go to work,” Neil sighed as he stood. “I’ll try not to be home too late.”

“Aw, I wish you could just stay home with me all day.”

“Yeah… I wish that too,” he playfully ruffled her hair, as he walked away. “But I’ll be back soon, promise.”

He left with a heavy heart, gazing back over his shoulder.

“I’ll bring back treats for Ricky,” he smiled before gathering his things and making his way to his pickup truck outside.

Brandy listened to the sound of the stuttering engine as he left. She heard as the metallic whirring of the loose hubcap sounded as though the wheel could take off at any moment. When she heard the sound fade into the distance, she lit herself another cigarette, knowing that she shouldn’t, and rested her head against the wall.

With the sun on her face, she felt as though new beginnings were right around the corner. She couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t stop the singing that was in her heart as she thought about the future.

She believed every word Neil said. He was, after all, nothing like Rex and anything he promised, he’d make sure to fulfill. With his words still floating around her head, she was certain it was only a matter of time until they were long gone from this part of town. She was counting down the weeks in her head, wondering how she should get things organized before they moved.

With a flash of ideas in her mind, she hurried to the kitchen where the calendar was stuck to the fridge. Grabbing a red pen, she began making notes and ticking off dates. If she could get the finances in check, then that would shave off a month, if she could get Ricky set up in a preschool somewhere, that would mean they could go even sooner, and if she got a job not long after that, it would mean things would be set up real quick. When she was finished, she rested back against the wall and studied the x marks and doodles. Feeling rather proud of herself, she took the last drag of her cigarette before throwing it in the sink. She listened to the sound of it sizzling in the leftover dishwater before she left to check on Ricky.

She was halfway across the living room, just a few steps away from the front door, when she heard a cheerful knock. Assuming Ricky had forgotten something and rushed home, she swung it open with a big smile on her face.