One Step Too Close - Coffin Nails MC Louisiana (Gay Biker Stepbrother Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 6) (30 page)

Ryder’s gaze shot up at
Wolver. “Maybe you’d know if you weren’t fucked up on booze!” He grabbed Dark’s
hair, raised his head, and punched it against the counter. “What was that? You
want to be a stripper? I can fucking arrange that,” he growled, pulling at
Dark’s pants.

“Fuck off me, man!” Dark
struggled in the hold, but there was no help coming for him. For once, the
other guys agreed with Ryder. The fact that Jo looked tiny and helpless in
Jed’s T-shirt was helping Ryder’s cause.

Wolver sighed. “I wasn’t
looking…”

“Just like before, when
everything went to shit.” Ryder managed to uncover Dark’s ass and pushed him to
the ground, letting him crawl over the cold floor like the bitch he was. The
edges of his vision were so sharp they could cut, and it was time to deliver
some truths. He stepped on a chair and climbed on top of the counter, so high
his head almost poked one of the lamps. “I did not sign up for this. You don’t
care about this club. All of you. You’re just in it for the fun and pussy.”

Tower shook his head
with a pained expression on his face, and Wolver looked at the ground. Bert was
the one to speak though. “This club is much more than that, and you know it.”

Ryder laughed, though
there was hot oil streaming through his veins. “That’s what I thought, but it’s
not what I see anymore. You guys can’t even restrain yourself for one evening?
Really? And Jo? What the actual fuck! She’s here because she needs protection,
and this is what happens? Out in the open and no one reacts? Fuck you, guys!”

At least they seemed to
look actually shamed, even Grease.

Ryder took deep breaths,
which were almost painful now that he had to witness the sorry state of the
club once more. He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t want to be ashamed to be one
of you. You are my brothers, my family, but this needs to stop. We need to
regroup, and it can’t be just words like last time.” He waved at Tower. “Tell
them. Tell them how much money the club has now.”

Tower took a deep
breath, and at least he didn’t seem all that drunk in comparison. He moved
closer to Ryder, and turned around to face the other guys. “We don’t even have
enough to pay all the bills next month. I was thinking of new legit ways to
earn, but I don’t think it’s a chat for now. Basically, the party today was
already on credit.”

Ryder shook his head.
“And what do you do after losing a buyer for our rocket launchers? Party some
more! Because that’s what a real man would do—hide his head in the sand!”

Grease stepped a bit
closer, and for once there was a shadow of fear on his chubby face. He was
actually getting the point. “You mean we could lose the club?”

Ryder snorted bitterly.
“We’ve been losing the club for the last few months. We forgot what we really
are about. We are a brotherhood, and we work together to make this fucked-up
world better for us and our families. Brain,” Ryder caught his gaze, “you
finished college, and you still couldn’t find a good job in this stinking town.
But thanks to the club, you’re saving up so your daughters have more options in
the future, right?”

Brain sighed and nodded.
“There’s not been much to save lately…”

“And that’s just the tip
of the iceberg. Soon enough, instead of gaining from being in this together,
the club will become a burden and break us all up. Sure, it’s not all about
money, but money fucking helps. Whether you wanna buy your wife a new car, get fucked-up
on acid, or show off to the guys in California. This won’t happen at all if we
keep up what we’re doing now. And this isn’t an after-school activity club!
It’s the fucking Coffin Nails. If this club gets wrecked, we might not only be
out of pocket. We can get disbanded, policed by the national president to do
shit jobs we don’t want to do, or even end up six feet under for this utter
shame that we’re bringing to our name. Do you even understand that?”

The men looked around,
and for once Ryder felt like the seeds he sowed might actually bring fruit. His
throat was sore from yelling, but he didn’t regret a word of what he’d told
them. His eyes found Jed, who still hugged Jo protectively. The way Jed’s eyes
spoke of adoration, the way he nodded made Ryder’s heart grow bigger, and the
wounds from earlier today were slowly turning into scars.

Wolver stepped next to
Tower, and Ryder was frustrated that he was the one to have to lecture his own
father, but he’d do the right thing, like he always did. No matter how much
shit he’d get for it, Ryder would always follow what he believed in.

Wolver sighed and rubbed
his face, as if trying to massage the booze out of his system. “Ryder’s right.
I’m taking this moment to apologize to all of you. I should have stopped what
was happening tonight. All the fucking bullshit that went down. The shit with
the Colombian, the strippers, Jo. I expect you all to sober up, take a day to
think of anything you want to bring to the club’s attention, and we will have a
meeting to properly discuss this and our future options. No Jet Skis, no jokes,
real talk.”

Ryder was relieved to
hear not one laugh for once, and he jumped off the counter to stand at his
father’s side. Wolver smiled and smacked him on the back so hard, it pushed
Ryder forward.

“Good job, VP.”

Ryder

They’d succeeded in the
end. The guys didn’t call in prostitutes and didn’t drink any more booze. And
after everyone dispersed—some to their homes, some to the designated rooms in
the clubhouse—Jed and Ryder went downstairs to free Axe, since Jed had locked
him in before he followed Ryder upstairs. The guy was furious, but they
eventually managed to calm him down and made him promise not to talk about the
video.

Having missed the shit
that went down upstairs, Axe was surprised to find Dark in the lounge nursing a
broken tooth. He didn’t feel sorry for him long though, once he heard about
what had happened with Jo. Everyone accepted Ryder’s vigilant reaction as
proper punishment for what happened, and it seemed the violence actually gained
him more respect. Not all that much of a surprise, even though Ryder didn’t
believe in solving everything with his fists.

Most of the following
day Ryder spent in bed with Jed. They enjoyed being naked around the house,
fucking and talking about the future of the club, new ideas for raising money,
and reminiscing about what the club was like years ago. Ryder was over the moon
to see Jed being serious about change for once, not just up for finding new
ways to fuck himself up or break something. Maybe in the future he really would
step up and go higher in the ranks? Ryder sure hoped so. They’d make an amazing
team. It seemed that with Jed on his side, anything was possible.

Ryder smiled, looking at
the empty meeting room. His hand brushed over the cool wood of the tabletop,
tracing the scars and bruises on its lacquered surface. It made him think of
the many years that had passed since the Louisiana chapter had been created,
and this table was there for each major decision. He stood up and leaned over
it, polishing the metal center with his sleeve. He was feeling much more
positive today, and it might have something to do with the blowjob Jed gave him
that morning in the shower.

He remembered being just
twenty years old, a prospect, and so desperately wanting to be a part of the
club, to have a bond with the other guys the way they seemed to have with each
other. Jed was so eager to follow in Ryder’s footsteps that he dropped out of
high school, always more interested in what was going on with the club than in
the classroom. On one hand, it was a shame that Jed didn’t even get his
diploma, but on the other, having him by his side when prospecting was an
experience Ryder wouldn’t have refused. And now, eight years later, Ryder was
the VP, trying to make the club be what he always imagined it should be. A way
for them all to be free of the rules of society, live life how they pleased,
and share it with those closest to them.

Someone knocked on the
door, and when Ryder grunted in invitation, the door opened and Bert slid
inside with a half smile. “Always first in line, aren’t you?”

Ryder smirked and leaned
back in the chair. “I wanted to be here before everyone else. This place gives
me peace, you know.”

Bert shrugged and slowly
sat down in his own place. He played with his fingers a bit, alternating
between watching Ryder and the club symbol in the middle of the table. “This
club wasn’t like this when I joined.”

Ryder looked up,
surprised. “Yeah?”

Bert took out tobacco
and started rolling himself a cigarette. “The guys were much more disciplined
back then. It was more guns and fists than parties all day. There was fun,
there was freedom, even if the club required you to serve time, but I still
wanted to be a part of something bigger than me. I was a bum before I joined.”

Ryder laughed, knowing
what Bert meant, but he protested anyway. “Oh, come on. You had a job.”

“Yeah, but I was just
moving cargo across the States, sometimes with a bit of a bonus on the side
that I could sell for profit,” said Bert, lighting the cigarette. The room
filled with the sharp scent of tobacco, and Ryder felt himself relax even
further.

Bert went on, “I was
restless. I didn’t have any family to speak of, and I belonged nowhere. I don’t
know where I’d be now if it weren’t for the club. Maybe six feet under. So I
became a prospect and bore all the abuse so that I could be one of the Coffin
Nails. I still think it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Ryder smiled,
remembering the satisfaction that came after each day of being a prospect,
despite the tiredness and being treated like a servant by pretty much everyone.
But it had been worth it. As soon as he and Jed had proved their worth, they
got accepted as part of this big family and had no regrets. He only wished he
didn’t have as much weight on his shoulders as he did now, and still be a Nail.
“I know. That’s why I want it to be the way it was when I was prospecting.”

Bert nodded and slowly
let out smoke rings. “Man is a strange animal. He so easily goes off the rails.
Of course we all want a successful club, but fun’s easier, I guess. We all need
to constantly remind ourselves what it means to be a Nail. That it’s not just a
pastime. Your father is proud of you.”

Ryder exhaled and nodded
at Bert, but his chest swelled with warmth. He really had a feeling they were
going back on the right track.

When everyone finally
arrived, surprisingly not even all that late, Ryder looked to his father to
start the meeting. It felt good to have Jed beside him, sober and attentive.
Even Dark was clean-shaven, and the circles under his eyes seemed paler for
once. He avoided looking into Ryder’s eyes though, and Ryder wasn’t sure if it
was anger or shame over what he’d done to Jo. Sexual assault was appalling to
begin with, but with Jo it was even more serious. She was like everyone’s
little sister, and disabled on top of that, not someone to be manhandled as one
pleased. Apparently, Axe had gotten his fist in Dark’s face as well after being
released from the cell that night.

“I’m happy to see all of
you ready for some truths today,” Wolver started. “As you all know, our club is
broke, but I still hope it’s not
broken
. I know a lot of you are young,”
he said as Bert snorted in the background. “Not you, old man. But a lot of you
are. Ripper’s ill, Shooter’s doing time, and all you want to do is party, but
you’ve got to realize that is a privilege that needs to be earned. Many old
deals that we used to rely on are now running thin, or became unavailable. It’s
time to step up, boys, and become men. Men take care of business. I’ve been
thinking all day yesterday how to pick up the pieces of what we have, but I
want to hear your ideas first.”

Ryder was relieved to
see no silly smiles, and hear no jokes thrown around.

Axe leaned his elbows on
the table, and was the first one to speak. “I think we should sell the tank for
starters.” Everyone knew he said it with a heavy heart, but that was exactly
the tone Ryder wanted to set for this meeting, and was proud that Axe stepped
up and put the club’s needs ahead of his own.

The other men around the
table nodded in approval.

“Write that down,
Brain,” Wolver said, and Brain swiftly made a bullet point on the white piece
of paper in front of him. “Anyone else?”

Jed spoke up next.
They’d brainstormed a few ideas yesterday, and Jed’s head was finally more in
the game. “Ryder could do a few charters in the helicopter. I know the town’s
not full of rich guys flying around to meetings, but our cousin’s getting
married next week, and she was asking if it was possible to take her to the
wedding in the chopper. It’s club property, but if we agreed, that would be
some extra cash. And then if word got out, we could do that more often. That
would be a legit business.”

Wolver nodded with a
smile, and Ryder could smell the pride on him. “I like that.”

Brain was next. “I know
two people asked about retail space in the gym building. That business isn’t
bringing enough profit. What do you think about moving things around to vacate
some of the rooms for rent? It is a prime location.”

Ryder nodded. “Part of
it is unused, we could do that.”

“My old lady wanted to
run this new class at the gym,” Mikey said. “And part of the income from it
would go to the club. It’s some new dance workout. All she needs for it is for
us to buy lights and a disco ball.”

Ryder wasn’t so sure
about the necessity of owning disco equipment for a dance class, but he didn’t
want to be too stingy. “I suppose we could check out craigslist for used disco
balls—”

Jed gave him a crooked
smile. “I remember Tom having some in his garage…” He wiggled his eyebrows, and
Ryder could see where this was going.

“We can send Tower on a
hunt then,” said Ryder, in a much better mood. Most of all, as the propositions
came, better or worse, it was impressive to realize just how many assets they
actually had when they worked together. Each of them personally didn’t have
much, but under the umbrella of the club, they could achieve so much more. Even
Dark contributed for once. He actually offered to sell his car and donate all
the profits to the club. Ryder believed his proposal was fueled by guilt over
what he’d done to Jo, and it was his way of trying to make the guys see him in
a more positive light. Sure, that old can was not very impressive, and Dark
never used it much, but it would bring a couple hundred bucks.

Grease was the last to
speak, and Ryder was on pins and needles, waiting for something stupid to come
out of his mouth.

“I…” All eyes were on
him, and it seemed to choke him up. “I’ve got this cat pregnant… I mean, not
me
!
My cat got pregnant, and I could tell grannies that the kittens are pedigree.
They’d believe that, and at the end of the day they’d have a cat, and love it.
It’s win-win.”

Bert straightened.
“That’s a great idea, Grease,” he said with a straight face. “Those
Labradoodles are popular now. We have space. Let’s open a puppy farm.”

Grease groaned. “It’s
not funny. This is some serious stuff here! Kittens can bring hundreds of bucks
a pop. I’ve researched it!”

Mikey shook his head.
“So you want some poor grans to pay big bucks for the bastard offspring of your
slutty pussy?”

Ryder scowled. “Yeah,
I’m not really comfortable with scamming old people for money.”

“That’s not what we’re
about,” Wolver added. “But it’s good that you’re thinking. Keep us posted on
the little bastards.” He snorted.

“Okay, now’s my turn,”
said Ryder, knowing he had much more chance for success now that everyone was
goal-oriented. “You weren’t so keen on it last time, but I still believe small
runs can help. We know people who need to traffic their cargo, and we have the
means to do it. It won’t be as big a buck as bazookas, but it will be filling
our accounts steadily. Guys, do you want me to work out a deal?”

This time it was
actually Dark who was the first to raise his hand. “It’s better than selling
fucking kittens.” He sent a little smile to Ryder, and caught his gaze for the
first time since their fight. The other men raised their hands as well, and
Ryder relaxed into the chair, trying not to exhale too obviously.

Wolver banged the wooden
gavel against the table. “That’s settled then. Work on it, Ryder.”

Ryder swallowed hard and
looked at Jed, feeling his heart going into his throat. They had talked
extensively about it the day before. If Axe got the video, anyone else could
receive it next. Dana was just the kind of bitch to sow chaos seed after seed.
They needed to come clean about the video and present it in a way that would be
favorable to Jed.

“One more thing,” he
said, sitting straight to appear taller.

Jed took a deep breath.
“As you all know, Dana fucked me over, and on top of that went off with Toro.
Not pleasant for any man, right?” He looked around to see a few nods. “So, not
only that, but apparently, the vengeful bitch has been spreading some bullshit
rumors about me as well.” He clenched his fists on the table, and Ryder wished
he could just hold his hand. Poor Jed was so unbearably stressed over this.
“She sent a video to Axe, on which I’m caught…” he took a deep breath, “I’ll
just say it as it is. Asking a fag to suck me off. I was drunk. It was stupid.
Each one of you has done stupid shit. It never went anywhere, I got my phone
stolen. I admit, I made an ass out of myself.”

It was cringeworthy to
listen to Jed talking about the guy in the video with such contempt. Ryder
clenched and unclenched his fists watching Jed fidget in his seat as his eyes
betrayed a burning pain inside that no one could possibly understand. Even
Ryder. By using a derogatory word, Jed was denying what he was as well, only
fueling the disdain other Nails had for gay men. What made this even worse was
the memory of Jed, who looked so happy in the morning suckling on Ryder’s cock
in the shower with his blue eyes so bright.
Jed
was the cocksucker they
hated, and he knew it as he looked in their faces and spoke of the same thing
with such hate.

On the inside, Ryder was
increasingly uncomfortable with what he’d been told all his life. What he
himself had been saying. Now that he’d done it himself, he couldn’t really
understand what was so different about it from eating pussy. There was nothing dirty
or wrong about the way Jed felt in his arms. There was more tenderness and
respect there than in many marriages Ryder knew, and yet if the guys knew about
them, they would no longer want them as a part of their biker family, and it
hurt every time Ryder thought about it.