Black Sheep (Rawkfist MC Book 1) (19 page)

Court

W
hile driving out to the Rose Bend Trailers
where Allen Mackey works, I still feel Justice on my cock. I taste her on my
lips too. She’s more than a girlfriend now. She’s an obsession I can’t live
without. She’s also someone I refuse to share.

While Allen
isn’t a monster, he ain’t a saint either. I can think of a few people who’d
have good reason to pay this man a visit, but I’m not sure I’m one of them. I
only know I need to make clear to Allen where he falls in the big scheme of
things.

Hiding in the
lot, I wait until the next door neighbor’s barking dog draws Allen to me. Once
he turns a corner, I shove his face against the side of a trailer. He gasps,
begins babbling about how he doesn’t keep money at the shop, and says he won’t
call the cops. I roll my eyes at the last part since everyone in Tumbling Rock
suffers amnesia with the Sheriff’s Department’s phone number.

“Do you know
how a man can live without his eyes?” I whisper in his ear while showing him my
blade. “I can scoop them out and stomp on them, and you’d go on to live a long
and happy life. Sure, it would take some getting used to, but I bet you’re
smart enough to rebound real quick. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Not really.”

“Well it’s
either scooping out your eyes or you choosing never to look at Justice Sheerer
again. I don’t know how much I can trust you to keep your word with the second
option.”

“I’ll stay away
from her.”

“See, I want to
believe you, but she’s a good looking woman, and you’re a single guy. You can’t
help wanting to look,” I say, pressing the blade’s tip against his cheek.

“I won’t go
anywhere she’s at. If I find out she’s where I am, I’ll leave.”

“Sounds like a
lot of effort on your part. Wouldn’t it be easier for me to scoop out your eyes
and save you all that hassle?”

“No, I’ll stay
away from her,” he begs and then whimpers, “I promise.”

“Is your word
good for anything? You’ve been married a few times, and I once heard you
cheated customers at your store. Doesn’t seem like your word is worth much.”

“I won’t look
again. I promise.”

Sighing, I lean
my head against his back. “You sound real apologetic, and I want to believe
you, but I don’t think I can trust you. Not where my woman’s involved.”

“I’ll never
look at her again. I won’t talk to her or about her. I won’t go anywhere near
her family. I swear on my mama’s life.”

“How much do
you love your mama, though?”

“She’s a saint.
I’m not lying.”

Trying not to
laugh, I tap his cheek with the blade. “Well all right then. I could let you
prove you’re an honest follow, but I suspect we both know I’ll eventually have
to hunt you down and scoop out your eyes.”

“No, I’ll stay
away. I’m sorry for looking at her. I didn’t know.”

“Now you do.”

When I allow
him to turn around, Allen looks ready to cry. I’ve heard he yells at his
girlfriends a lot. He doesn’t do anything physical, but he’s got a temper. I
wonder if someone will pay for his current situation. Will he change his pants
and find a woman to scream at? Now I consider if he’d be better off eyeless in
the long run.

“I promise I
won’t look at her again,” he says when I hold him by the throat for too long.

“I don’t want
to hear about you yelling at women either.”

Allen opens his
mouth to defend himself. I bet he’s heard this accusation plenty of times, and
he’s got his speech down pat. Before he bullshits me, I smile at my knife, and
he remembers how we aren’t buddies shooting the shit.

“I won’t. I
promise.”

“On your mama’s
life, right? I don’t want to have to go after some poor old woman if you don’t
keep your word.”

“I’ll be good,”
he says, sounding like a little kid.

“You do that.
Now go change your pants and find a way to control your temper and wandering
eye, Allen.”

He inches away
slowly, and I watch him go. Our gazes remain locked until he disappears into
his office. I wonder if he’s crying. Hell, just the thought of him sobbing and
pissing himself again makes me smile. I didn’t even hurt the fucker, but he
knows where he stands in the Tumbling Rock food chain.

Driving away, I
imagine marrying Justice and spending the rest of my life threatening men who
check out her assets. Sounds like heaven.

Justice

L
ike many evenings, I find Christine in the
porch‘s rocking chair. Hal sits nearby, snoring loudly. Journey left early to
join Jared for dinner. I chose to stay home and wait for Court to arrive. Poppy
says I’m officially whipped when I’ll give up a chance for a free meal. When I
point out how Court also pays for my meals, she bows to my correction.

“How come we
still haven’t seen Grandpa Zeb?” I ask, sitting in the chair next to hers.

“He doesn’t
come into town often.”

“Does he know
you’re back?”

“Probably.”

“Does it upset
you that he hasn’t visited?”

“Not really,”
she says. “He’s moodier than Coretta. I don’t need the stress.”

Rocking my
chair, I hear Poppy flipping through channels inside the house. She’s been in a
decent mood the last few days. I know she wants Felix to move into the house,
so he isn’t around his queefing mother.

“Are you still
happy we moved here?” I ask Christine.

“Yes. Of
course.”

“Are you sure
because you seem nervous a lot?”

“New things
make me nervous. You don’t remember how I was when we moved to Indy, but I was
tense all the time then too.”

“I guess. I
worry about you.”

Christine
smiles at me and reaches for my hand. “You’re sweet, Justice. I’m happy you’ve
settled in here.”

As the failing
sunlight shines on her face, my mother looks a little sad. “I’m sorry I ragged
on you about Jared. I guess I could have handled that more maturely, but it
never occurred to me at the time.”

“No, I’m sure
it didn’t.”

“I love Dad,” I
say, sounding stupid.

“I know you do.
I love him too, but some people don’t click the way you and Court have.”

“Does it bother
you to have Court and Felix here all the time?”

“Of course not.
One of the problems in Indy was how alone we felt. It was us four, and not many
other people stuck around in our lives. Here in Tumbling Rock, we have more
people to love.”

“Court is more
than I expected. Like when I first saw him, I just thought he was gorgeous. I
never believed I’d fall so hard for him.”

“I know. You
were silly in the beginning, but I see how you look at him now. Your father
sees it too, and it scares the hell out of him. He wants you to have a better
life than he thinks you’ll have with Court.”

“I don’t care
what he thinks.”

“That’s not
true.”

“It’s a little true.”

Christine and I
share a smile. “Jared’s problem isn’t Court. It’s just how this town works and
what he worries it’ll cost you. If he separates the club from you and Court, I
know he’s happy about you two. He’s got a real soft spot for that boy.”

“I want you and
Dad to be able to hang out like normal people do.”

“I know, but I
can’t stop thinking of him as the husband I left behind. Even after all these
years and being married to someone else. I just see Jared, and I’m right back
to our life together. It’s my problem, and I’m working on it.”

“I’m not good at
advice.”

“That’s okay. I
don’t need any. I know what I need to do. I’m just having trouble pulling the
trigger.”

Nodding, I hear
a Harley and wait to see if it’s Court. When the bike rolls past our property,
I sigh.

“I don’t know
how I should handle the Becca thing.”

“You just stay
away from her.”

“I’m worried
Felix won’t like me because his mom doesn’t.”

“If that
happens, you’ll deal with it.”

“I’m worried
that I’m not used to being worried, so I’m not doing it correctly.”

Christine
grins. “Everything you’ve done with Court has worked out, right? Then why worry
at all.”

“Thank you,” I
say, standing up and kissing her on the head. “I wanted not to worry but felt
like I was supposed to worry. Like that’s what a parent type of person does. So
thank you for giving me permission to blow off those feelings.”

“You’re
welcome,” Christine says and glances at the road. “I think this Harley belongs
to Court.”

“How can you
tell?”

“Once you hear
enough of them, you’ll start to tell them apart.”

“I’m sorry you
had crappy parents. I’d give you mine if I could.”

Christine
laughs. “I clearly did an excellent job with you and your sisters.”

“So true. So
very, very true.”

While my mother
rolls her eyes, I wave at approaching Court. I can’t tell if Felix is with him
until he parks. I see a set of smaller legs climb off the bike.

“Premature or
not, they’re my family now,” I say, and Christine smiles full of motherly
pride.

Court struts
toward me with Felix shuffling close behind. The gawky kid and his hunky dad
are such contrasts in these moments. I love them both and already have gumdrop
dreams in my head about how we’ll live happily ever after together.

Justice

A
fternoons are slow at the Mart. Usually, my
favorite employee, Ali, stands next to me, snapping her gum and talking about
her kid’s latest antics. Apparently, two-year-old boys are a handful. I don’t
know if I want to find out myself after hearing her latest story.
What kind
of kid bites a snake?

The store is
quiet as usual while school is in session. We finished our busywork earlier, so
we stand behind the counter and talk about her kid’s need to bite everything.

“He bites
himself. Is that normal?”

“I don’t know.
Have you asked a doctor? Aren’t they supposed to know stuff about kids?”

“I asked my
mom, and she said all kids are weird and stupid. She says it’s my job to make
him normal and smart. How do I convince him to stop biting everything?”

“Have you tried
searching online for tips? The internet is a beautiful thing.”

Ali immediately
takes out her phone, having assumed I was giving her permission to surf online
at work. I decide to let her break our “no cells” rule since the Mart is empty.
Besides, her kid needs help. He’s no doubt weird, though he doesn’t sound
stupid at all. After all, he’s outwitted more than one adult in their attempt
to make him stop biting.

I think about
having a baby with Court.
Would it be cute and obedient like Felix or an
evil hellion like Poppy?
At least, my sister was a wildly beautiful child.
Her baby pictures make me look like a troll in comparison.

My thoughts
switch to naming my un-created child. I don’t think it’ll be fair to give my
kid a great name when Felix and his siblings have atrocious ones. No, I’ll need
to torture my baby too. Of course, my child will be super cool so it’ll handle
whatever moniker I choose.

“Isn’t that the
bitch that beat you up?” Ali asks while I daydream.

I nearly miss
her question because her gum-popping makes my brain numb. When I finally follow
her pointing finger, I spot Becca heading for the front door. Exhaling roughly,
I feel my shoulders sag.

What does the
bitch want now? Why does she hassle me when I avoid her? I didn’t even get a
single punch in during our fight. She won, and I lost, but she won’t stay the
fuck away from me.

“Is she still
into your man?” Ali asks before Becca enters.

“No, she’s just
a troublemaker. If she freaks, I want you to run to the stockroom.”

“I can fight. I
beat up my last boyfriend a lot.”

Frowning at
Ali, I realize her kid’s weirdness might be genetic. I keep my mouth shut and
put on a professional air while Becca enters.

“Hello, cunt,”
Becca announces and then notices Ali. “My apologies. Hello, cunts.”

“Can I help
you?” I calmly ask because I’m the fucking boss, and nothing fazes me.

Becca smiles at
me and then walks to the revolving hot dogs. She opens the door, fishes out one
frank after another, and throws them on the ground.

“Oops.”

Sighing, I step
around the counter and walk to where she’s making a mess with the coffee.

“I’d like you
to leave.”

“Or what, cunt?”
Becca asks, laughing as she drops the coffee pot.

The shattering
glass startles Ali, who says my name. I gesture for her to hurry to the
stockroom.

“Your sister
ain’t here to protect you,” Becca says, now throwing sandwiches across the
store. “I guess you’re plum the fuck out of luck.”

“Your
destruction is being recorded,” I say, pointing to one of the store’s camera.
“I think you should leave.”

“Recorded for
what? It’s not like you’ll call the cops. Idiot Court wouldn’t like that. Your
shithole father wouldn’t either. No, I guess, you’ll have to deal with the
reality of your crappy life, whore.”

I roll my eyes
and follow her around the store while she dumps food and drinks. When I reach
for a broom to clean up the chips strewn on the floor, Becca grabs for it.

“I’m going to
beat the shit out of you with that, and you’re going to let me.”

A tugging match
ensues with the broom. I’m almost certain I can win. Then her foot moves from
its spot on the floor to nailing me in the gut. Those kind of fast moves look
very cool in the movies, but I’m not a fan of them in real life.

Falling on my
ass, I look up to find Becca holding the broom over me. I think to scramble to
the stockroom, but I can’t leave her alone in the store. She’s a menace, and
I’m the manager. I can’t flee. I can’t fight. What in the queef other options
do I have?

Then she hits
me over the head with the flat end of the broom, and I remember something
important.

I grew up in
Indianapolis where we called the police when assholes attacked us. That’s how I
was raised. Not like this bizarre crap in Tumbling Rock. Fuck Becca, the club,
and this town’s rules. I’m calling the damn cops.

Grabbing a can
of peanuts, I throw them at Becca and miss badly. She’s still startled when I
do anything besides cower. While she hesitates, I hurry behind the counter and
hit the 911 button no one has used in five years.

I also pull out
my cell phone and dial the police. Becca throws a 2 liter Mountain Dew bottle
at me, and her aim is better than mine. I barely duck before the drink slams
into the wall behind me, shattering and sending sticky soda on my head.

“What’s your
emergency?” asks a bored operator.

“Becca Wilmore
is trashing the Rite-Rock Mart in Tumbling Rock, and she’s assaulting the
manager, me, Justice Sheerer. I’d like police assistance.”

“You cunt!”
Becca hollers.

“Ma’am, we have
police response on their way.”

I hear the
operator’s words, but I’m too busy dodging Becca’s violent onslaught to
response. By the time she hurls Twinkies at me; I hear sirens and wonder how
the cops arrived so quickly. Their station is miles away in Rockport, but I
guess it doesn’t matter. Becca hears the sirens and bolts for the door. If she
had run earlier, she might have evaded the sheriff deputies rather than running
directly out to them.

I’ll hand it to
Becca. Unlike a lot of bullies, she’s willing to fight people twice her size. I
watch from the trashed store while she kicks the cops and tries to steal their
batons.

Ali creeps out
of the stockroom and joins me at the window.

“What a bitch,”
she says, glancing around the store and then back at a still struggling Becca.
“Who called the cops?”

“I did, and I’m
pressing charges.”

I don’t need to
see Ali’s expression to know she thinks I’m nuts. Sighing, I can’t get over how
bizarre the citizens of Tumbling Rock behave toward the police. The two
uniformed gentlemen in the parking lot are doing a professional job against an
obviously deranged woman. Becca’s lucky Journey isn’t around to beat the shit
out of her. The cops, though, let her wear herself out for the most part before
cuffing her. They eventually shove her into the backseat of a patrol car.

Once she’s
under control, the deputies turn their attentions to me. Unwilling to relent to
the town’s no-cops rule, I give a full statement, hand over security tapes, and
even go to the hospital to have the lump on my head checked out.

If the only way
for Becca to go away is for me to put her in prison myself, then she’ll rue the
day she met Justice Sheerer.