The Fear That Divides Us (The Devil's Dust #3)(7)

I look around the room and notice an abundance of pink. The curtains frilly and pink, the walls covered in pink shit, and shelves full of useless f*cking pink crap. It looks like a Barbie threw up in here. I slowly push my way off the bed trying to be quiet, praying not to wake…. Trina, Sara, hell , I have no clue what her name is. I grab my clothes off the floor and head to the door, making sure to open and close it as quietly as possible.

I step into a hall and immediately feel thick blue carpet squish between my toes. I look up and down the hall and find doors lined on both sides, girly shit hanging from them. I pull my jeans on, and dress myself quickly. I have no clue where I am. I really have to take it easy on the drugs and booze. I take a chance and go left, coming to a flight of white marble stairs. Looking over the banister, I notice a grand piano sitting below with glass windows lined along the wall. I hurry downstairs, taking two at a time as I shrug my cut on. Nearly tripping on the last step, I stop to tie my boot.

“Hi.”

I slowly take my gaze from my old boot to the voice. My heart slowly increasing its beat as my gaze rakes over a bunch of half-naked girls sitting around a breakfast bar and kitchen table. Catching a couple of the shirts they are wearing, displaying a weird A and O on it, I realize where I am. I’m at a sorority. Shit. There are blondes, brunettes, and redheads. A buffet of beautiful, young women. I let the breath I was holding out, my shoulders sagging with relief. I was not sure what I was going to see when I looked over, a pissed-off dad holding a shotgun maybe? Wouldn’t be the first time.

I wave my hand and give a light smirk. “Hey, ladies,” I respond, standing up.

I pull my phone out looking at the time. Damn, I have to get to the club, no time to play. I’m the road captain of the Devil’s Dust MC, but even with the freedom of living by our own laws inside the club, my president, Bull, will not hesitate to kick my ass if I’m late for our meetings, also known as Church. I grin at the sexy girls and head toward the double doors directly in front of me, hoping it leads outside.

I see my bike parked right out front, and a pink heel laying in the gravel right next to it. I climb on and can’t help but laugh as I kick the heel away from the tire.

I take the back way toward the club, wanting to avoid the freeway as much as possible at this hour. Even though I can weave through vehicles on my bike, rush-hour traffic in the morning is a nightmare.

When I arrive at the clubhouse, I park my bike next to Shadow’s. Shadow and I go way back. He was my first real friend when I was a kid, and I’m pretty sure I was his. Growing up, I didn’t make friends easily, at least not true friends. According to the guys beating the shit out of me, I was a nerd. That’s what they called me. That alone resulted in me being bullied a lot; add in the glasses and being smart, it’s easy to see why I was targeted. I thought I f*cking rocked though, still do actually. I was just fascinated by how things worked, how pieces were put together to make a bigger picture. That was why I was intrigued by Shadow when I first met him. He was different from other kids. He didn’t want to make friends; couldn’t care less about what everyone was into, and he f*cking sucked at anything educational. When I talked to him for the first time, I realized we did have one thing in common: getting into trouble. He was a puzzle I wanted to put together. In doing so, he showed me loyalty and became my family. He was all I had after my mother and father passed away, killed by a drunk driver. I would put my life on the line for Shadow, have actually, and he would do the same for me. Over the years, he has showed me the depths of true friendship. There is only one other person in this world who has thrown me for a loop. The bigger picture I can’t seem to piece together. That is Jessica, Doc, as she is known around the club. I gave her my number shortly after she arrived back at the club years back, helping us out as repayment for her protection. She ended up feeding me the same line I fed girls I have no intention of calling back.

“Yeah, okay,” she said hesitantly, avoiding eye contact and stuffed the paper containing my number in her back pocket.

I have slept with her off and on through the years; which isn’t a lot. After the times we slept together, I would wake up to try and slip away, not wanting to complicate things, to find she beat me to it. Gone.

She comes around the club for a couple of parties here and there, and then she’ll split for weeks at a time, distancing herself. I’ve tried to crack what goes on in that beautiful mind of hers, but it just makes her push herself away from me more. Which is probably a good thing. I like the way things are going for me. I’m carefree, and without limitations. Knowing Jessica more will throw me over the line of freedom and into something complicated. I have seen firsthand what that does to a man. Look at Shadow and Dani. They became careless after they got too close, and it cost me two bullets!

I enter the clubhouse and walk right past everyone at the bar, going into the kitchen needing something to wet my dry mouth. I must have smoked a lot of pot last night. Shit always gives me cottonmouth something bad.

Grabbing the orange juice from the fridge, I drink directly from the jug. Replacing the container back where I found it, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and then close the refrigerator before heading out of the kitchen.

It’s quiet, too quiet. I stride back into the common area and notice everyone huddled over the bar looking at the flat screen TV hanging on the wall.

“What’s everyone—“