You took the time to dress up and clean up before leaving Dom's place in the morning. He wasn't there when you woke, so you assumed you'd meet him some time in the club later. You rode out with your Harley and contemplated whether or not you should go pick up some breakfast. Your hair smelled like Dom's shampoo and you were mesmerized by the scent inside your helmet as you rode.
You were almost never this early to the club house, but of course, there would always be someone beating you there. Lukas owned the place, and so he lived on the top floor. You sneaked past the kennel and entered the place via the garage. In the center there was an unfinished paintjob on a motorcycle, which you assumed to be one of Lukas'. The bastard never got tired of doing work on his precious babes, unless he was taking a cocaine break. At the thought of coke, you wondered if you should check up on the Panthers to see if they needed you for a deal.
Well, not you, really, it was your father that they needed. The Panthers figured out soon enough into the business that you were the key to cutting good deals with your father, oblivious to the fact that you hated your father to the bone.
Even if they knew, you doubted it would make a difference. You were merely a medium, a pawn, and they all wanted to use you.
"Don't think I didn't see you come in." You turned towards the voice of Lukas as he walked into the garage with his arms crossed. There were specks of white under his chin. Good, at least he wouldn't hit you when he's busy being high.
"Where the fuck were you last night?" He pressed.
"None of your business." You replied, "I'm here to pick up some packs for the Panthers."
"I don't recall them asking for a shipment."
"That's because they contacted me, not you." You kept your voice iron, "You do realize that I'm the one handling all the transactions?"
He had a mocking grin on his face, "Oh, so you are running the club now, hmm? Taking care of our business and cash, right?" He moved closer to you and you instinctively backed up slowly. You could smell trouble coming your way. Lukas always behaved like this before he got aggressive.
"I am the one who built this thing. I brought this club to existence!"He shouted and you looked away from his face. He was spitting saliva like a barking dog and it was disgusting.
"Fuck off, Lukas." You said and swiftly walked away. You remember there were spare packs in the lounge, you hid them under the couch. All you needed do was grab them and get out.
"I'm not finished talking to you, bitch." He bellowed, but you were done. You moved through the club and got what you needed then hopped onto your bike again. You didn't want to fight him because you weren't in the mood to, it was pointless anyway, and you had better things to do.
You rode straight to the Panthers with packs of cocaine hidden inside your jacket, taking great care on the road that you weren't being tailed by cops. They liked picking on the Reiters, and you knew they'd stick onto you like metallic powder to magnet if they caught sight of you.
Thankfully it wasn't a long way and before you knew it you arrived at the Panthers' sanctuary. It was an insignificant house amidst condos that all looked exactly the same. The front was decorated with only a simple IKEA welcome mat and a couple of wind chimes. The names below the doorbell weren't real, at least you thought they weren't. You rang the bell and waited.
A man opened the door for you and met you with a smiling face. You greeted him before walking inside, into the heart of their world, and the smell of hookah and undone laundry invaded your nostrils. You raised your arms so the man could run a rough security check on you; yeah, as if you'd wander alone into their nest with a firearm. You knew they hadn't the balls to harm you in any way, so there was no need for you to bring a weapon. Blood was bad for business, and the Panthers were smart enough to know that.
You felt his hands linger on your body for longer than what was necessary and you shot him a suggestive smirk, half-teasing half-mocking him, and he quickly withdrew his hands. Inside the living room was a table with money and glasses and guns, and a few Panther members were chatting. They all wore black bandanas that covered their nose and mouth, for the sake of secrecy, you guessed, you never understood why though.
"She brought some." The one who searched you said behind you.
"Show us what you have." The Panther sitting in the middle of the couch said.
You unzipped your jacket and took out the nice little packs of cocaine and laid it on the table for them to see. The men were interested and turned their gaze to you.
"What's with this surprise shipment?"
"I need cash." You said simply. You were running short on euros and you desperately needed to bank up again, without having to steal from the club vault, although it had been very tempting.
"We all do. Let's check the goods then, shall we?" The man grabbed a pack and prepared it for his enjoyment while the others looked forward to join in.
You watched them take the hit and felt the itch to have some yourself, but for the sake of being professional, you suppressed your desires as best as you could. You could wait till you get out of here.
"Ahh fuck, that's some good shit." The guy threw his head back and sighed in satisfaction as the others had more or less the same reaction. You took out the pack of cigarette in your pocket and lit one up for yourself.
"We'll give you regular for these." He spoke again after a while.
You shook your head and took the cig out of your mouth to hold it between your fingers. "No deal. I need more for smuggling out club supplies."
"How much more?"
You scratched the underside of your chin. "Give me forty more and we'll shake hands."
"Twenty."
"Thirty." You followed up.
He chuckled and signaled the other guy to get the money, "Alright, thirty it is."
You remained calm and smoked as the fellow went back to snorting his happy drug. The money was neatly rolled up for you and you opened it to flip through the notes, making sure the numbers matched, before wrapping it back together with a rubber band.
"Pleasure doing business with you as always." You said and snuffed out the cigarette in a crystal ashtray they had on the table and made your way out their door. The money roll felt good and secure in your jacket.
You went back to the club house and found Dominic parking at the front door. When you took off your helmet, the two of you exchanged a short look before Dom went into the bar. You dropped the keys into your pocket and followed him.
There were already a few guests, mostly girls, sitting in the bar watching a movie playing on the wall by the projector overhead. You took no interest and went to the bar to grab some liquor for yourself, thinking about how to spend the fresh cash that you just got. Perhaps some new shoes, and a new sweater. Maybe save up a little, bit by bit. One day, you wanted to get out of this shithole, to America, perhaps. Somewhere nice.
"Lookin' good." Henrich said to you as he poured your drink. Strange that he was the bartend, but you guessed he did so because he had his girl sitting over there. A man's gotta please the ladies.
"Thanks." You took the glass and gulped it down from how thirsty you were. "Where is Lukas?" You asked as you kept your eye on Dominic, who went up to chat to the girls.
"Probably upstairs. I told him we'd be expecting guests."
You didn't give a damn about what Lukas was doing, you only asked because you wanted to be as far away from that asshole as possible.
"How are things between you and Kat?" You asked. Henrich and his girlfriend Katherine had been dating for a while and he'd always bring her over for gatherings. They looked cute together, seemingly stable, too.
"Don't tell her. I'm planning on proposing tonight." He eyed his girlfriend then back at you nervously, "Keep it a secret, yeah?"
You laughed and winked at him, "My lips are sealed. I didn't think you'd make a move on her so fast."
"She's worth it, she's the one. I know." He explained and filled your glass. "I shouldn't be nosy, but…"
His question was lost and interrupted by a loud greeting as you felt an arm around you immediately. The familiar cologne made you frown.
"My love, I've missed you." Lukas attempted to kiss you but you moved out of the way just in time. Henrich shut his mouth and pretended to be busy and left you two to talk.
"Go away, I don't want to talk." You hissed. Why did he always have to show up and ruin your mood?
That drew the last straw, though. Lukas' face turned red as he pushed your glass off the bar stand. It shattered upon impact and you stared at him with disbelief as everyone else looked this way.
"What the fuck is your problem?" You got off the stool and stood in front of him, challenging him bravely even though he was a head taller than you.
"You're my fucking problem." He pointed his finger at you and you glanced at the guests, feeling sorry that they had to witness this.
You looked back at him and told him, "Fine, if you want to talk, we'll talk somewhere else. You don't need to ruin their fun."
You began walking towards the other end of the bar, towards the hallway that lead to the VIP strip club, and stopped just around the corner so you could deal with Lukas in private. The big man came around the corner and stared you dead in the eye before slapping you across the face, catching you off guard. You bit your lip and held a hand against your cheek. It stung and your hatred for him deepened.
"Where were you last night?" He went straight to the point, and you weren't scared to answer. Frankly, you were getting tired of his pathetic behavior like some over-attached yappy dog.
"I was with Dominic. We fucked and it was great, happy?" You spat back at him with a cruel smile, knowing that it would wound him.
"You little slut." He growled and grabbed you by your neck, his hand closing in on your windpipe dangerously and you fought back with your arms and legs. You kicked him hard in the shin and he limped and let go of you. You backed away from him while coughing and found the switch blade in your pocket and had it at the ready.
Lukas laughed seeing your gesture. "Bitch, I could take away your patch."
"You are welcome to fucking try, asshole. See how many Reiters agree with you." You scoffed. He might be president, but he could not take away your status as a member of the club alone. "Stop pestering me, I'm done with you."
But Lukas was like a berserker in the sense that the more challenged he was, the more eager he wanted to fight. He charged towards you and you managed to slash his arm with your blade, leaving quite a nasty gash, but not enough to discourage him. He grabbed your arm and twisted it behind your back and forced you onto the wall as you cried in pain, your palm opening to drop the blade. He was incredibly strong, which was not surprising given his size, and you felt as if your arm was going to crush under all that pressure.
With his free hand he reached into the pocket of your jacket, both outside and inside ones and pulled out your belongings one by one. A pack of cigarette, lighter, keys, an empty wallet, and finally your fresh roll of cash.
"No!" You shouted, desperate. You didn't want him to take away your money.
"So this is what you stole from me, huh? Oh you're getting punished for this." He tucked the money in his own pocket and grinned. "You stealing bitch."
"Give it back!" You tried to struggle against his hold, but God it hurt too much and you were afraid to move more.
"It about time someone teaches you some manners." You heard him say as you felt him grab a fistful of your hair, pulling your head back, and smashed your head hard against the wall. The first blow left you dazzled and deaf, you felt an enormous amount of pain but a second wave came immediately after and you felt hot blood rushing down your forehead. Lukas didn't stop.
He hurt you mercilessly and every part of your body was on red alert, all you wanted was for the pain to be gone.
"Stop." You said weakly, the survival instinct made you beg. You thought he was going to kill you.
"Lukas, enough!" You heard voices, and the force behind you disappeared. You fell to the ground and held yourself against the wall, seeing sparks in front of your eyes. You felt a pair of arms trying to help you up and you took it.
"Come on." It was Henrich. The others probably pulled Lukas away. You wanted to cry, but your pride forbid you to. You said nothing and bit your lip as Henrich escorted you to the opposite direction, to the strip club. He placed you on one of the couches and went into the locker room for some first aid supplies.
You rested there and reached your hand up and felt blood, cursing Lukas and still shivering from shock. He could have killed you, maybe he would next time. You couldn't imagine what would have happened if you weren't alone, and this was only the beginning; the motherfucker won't stop until he defeats you completely.
"Hold still. Oh goddammit, he really went too far this time." You heard Henrich comment as he cleansed your wound with alcohol wipes. It hurt and you winced. You saw the pure white wipes turn red with his move and knew you were hurt bad. Your head felt worse than a hangover and it was surprising how you still managed to stay conscious and somewhat able to make sense of everything.
"I'm gonna kill him." You said darkly and you meant it.
Henrich paused for a moment, "Don't do that. The last thing we need is a civil war."
You said nothing until he finished patching you up and you thanked him before going away. Henrich offered you refuge at his place, but you declined. You had other plans. He was still concerned about your condition until you convinced him that you would be fine on your own.
You came across Dom again as you wandered around in the club kitchen for some snacks and drinks, trying to distract yourself from the pain through eating, and being very careful as you didn't want to run into Lukas again. Dom looked at you and examined your condition without showing too much emotion. You figured you must have looked ridiculous with a big bandaged head but you didn't give a fuck, being busy brooding your anger for Lukas.
"We confined him in his room, he shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the day." He said calmly. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling fucking amazing." You said sarcastically and took a bite out of the apple you'd been snacking on. Fuck, even chewing on food hurt your head. Everything sucked. Lukas took your money, and now you have nothing, nowhere to go. Desperate tears rushed to your eyes but you kept them in check. Not in front of Dom.
"You can stay at my place, if you wish."
"Thanks, Dom." You said quietly. It was nice of the guys, but tonight you weren't going anywhere.
He brushed his hand against your cheek and you looked at him, not expecting him to do that.
"You look great."
You couldn't help letting out a small smile at his gesture, even though you were unsure of what it meant, "I know, right?"
That night, when the noise inside the clubhouse began to die down and you made sure no one other than Lukas was left in the house, you went into the dark garage and found the gasoline canisters. You opened one and began splashing gasoline around the place, the garage floors, and then the lounge, the bar (that extra firepower from the liquor would do nicely). You made sure to not miss the stairs, so that bastard couldn't make it down. You wanted him to suffocate and die in agony. Tonight, you're taking him to hell.
When you returned to the garage again for a fresh canister, you found Dominic standing there watching you and your heart skipped a beat. He was supposed to be gone already.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"You are not supposed to be here." You said and dropped the empty container. The entire place smelled of gas. "Leave."
"I'm not going to let you burn down this place." He took a few steps towards you. "Enough is enough."
"It's none of your fucking business." You glared at him, "Get out."
"If you hate him so much, take a gun and shoot him in the head."
You laughed, "Oh no, that would be too easy for him."
"You're acting like a child."
Why can't he just drop this? You sighed and held your ground stubbornly, "What do you care? You're just like everyone else."
He had a complicated look on his face when you said that. Maybe he was different, but you wouldn't know.
"If you truly want revenge, bide your time and strike when it hurts. If you do this, you'd only become an arsonist, probably arrested, and have your patch removed with a unanimous vote. Is that what you want?"
You wavered at his words. The club meant everything to you, it was your home, but you couldn't stand this home with Lukas in it. You would have to leave, like how you left your father, but you didn't want to. It was either you or Lukas and there was no other way as you saw it.
"I don't fucking know." You said, feeling defeated and finally doubting your choices. You hated admitting it but perhaps Dom was right. "I want him out of my life."
He was silent for a while before he spoke again, "Then stay with me."
You stared at him with a soft frown, unsure of what he meant by that.
"I don't care what you do. You want a place other than this club to stay in, you can have my keys." His voice was still, "Now help me clean up this mess before the others find out."
He went away to get absorbents and you stood there quietly for a moment to reflect on your actions. Soon enough you joined him, and you spent all night soaking up gasoline and working to correct your mistakes. There was a strange feeling of your spirit being lifted a little as you cleaned the club house floor by floor. The two of you were a good team, and you were secretly thankful for him showing up at the right time and talking you out of madness. This was a side of Dominic that you never knew about.
That night you followed him home, tired and still in pain, so you spoke little. He fed you and was checking his phone as you ate, you took a glance at him from time to time to see what was happening, but his expression gave nothing away.
"Hey." You called him gently and he looked at you.
"Thank you."
It wasn't like you to appreciate someone else, but you thought he had earned it tonight.
"Let's hope Lukas chills tomorrow." Dominic put his phone away and watched you finish up your food.
You smiled back, "Yeah. Maybe. Not like I want to be too much of a trouble to you."
You thought this was a temporary thing, and soon you'd find ways to make cash again and hopefully get a place of your own, but never in your wildest dream did you imagine that you'd be staying with Dom for the next two years, getting to know him and discover yourself on the way, and realizing for the first time that you didn't have to be such a hardass and so difficult all the time.
(next part will be the last of this story :) )