_ Chapter Four _
Sam had been fast asleep when a knock on his door woke him up. The door shortly opened and Henry made his way into the room. He was dressed in faded blue jeans, a sleeveless denim shirt, and black sneakers. Making his way into the room, he reached a large hand out to nudge at his son's shoulder that stuck out from beneath the blankets.
"Hey, get up." The man said as he began to nudge at the shoulder once more.
"Whaaaat?" Sam groans out as he lifted his head up from beneath his pillow and turned to face his father.
Sam's brown hair was a complete mess, sticking out in different directions. He was shirtless and the tattoos on his upper body were visible to the green eyes of his father. Sam was only wearing long flannel pants and they peeked out from beneath the black bedsheets.
"Your mom and I are headed out to get some last minute details settled. I need you to watch Lucas while we're gone." Henry explained as he crossed both arms over his chest.
"So why'd you wake me up?" Sam questions as he rubs his blue eyes.
"Lucas wants to head out to catch some waves." Henry explains as he begins to retreat towards the doorway. "So get dressed."
Closing the door behind him, Henry began to head back downstairs. Sam let out a loud groan before mumbling under his breath about annoying little brothers and surfer tendencies. Slowly, he climbed out of bed and flicked the sheets aside.
Making his way into the bathroom, he flicked the lights on before starting the water in the bathtub, pulling a plug so that the water could begin to pour from the shower head. He dropped his flannel pants to the tiled floor before stepping into the tub and standing underneath the warm water. He stood under the water for several minutes before beginning to wash his body with soap and then scrub his hair with shampoo. He then washed it all off before shutting the water off and making his way out of the tub.
Grabbing a towel, he dried his wet body then his hair before tossing it into the hamper. Grabbing his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth quickly before pouring a ton of gel into his hand and running it through his hair. Once his hair was now properly made, he exited the bathroom and entered his bedroom.
Back in his bedroom, he pulled a clean pair of underwear out of a drawer and tugged it on. He then began to rummage around for clothes to wear. Finding a clean pair of jeans, he slipped them on before pulling socks and boots onto both feet. Sam then slid his belt on before sliding on a tight black sleeveless shirt. Afterwards, he grabbed a sleeveless denim vest and tugged it on before slipping his sunglasses on.
Exiting his room, he began to make his way downstairs when he heard the sound of his brother in the kitchen. Lucas was sitting on the kitchen counter, eating from a bowl of cereal rather happily. He was dressed in typical blue swim shorts, black sandals, and a Hawaiian shirt which was left unbuttoned. His blonde hair was in its usual messy form as he turned to face his older brother.
"You're out! Finally!" He shouts as he hops off the counter, quickly placing his bowl into the kitchen sink.
"You owe me! I was planning on sleeping in." Sam complained as he shook his head.
"Yeah, yeah! Now let's go!" Lucas ran for the door and was soon outside where he grabbed his surfboard and tucked it under his arm.
Sam followed at a much slower pace and locked the front door behind him as he began to swing his keys around his index finger. Lucas was practically bouncing as he waited for his brother by the Harley.
Sam mounted his bike and started it before sliding forward to make room for his brother. Lucas climbed onto it behind him, wrapping an arm around his brother's waist and carefully holding his board with the other arm. Sam shook his head as he slowly maneuvered the bike off the lawn and down the road. He wanted to drive at a much faster pace but couldn't due to the fact he didn't wish for his brother to fall off. His mother and father had warned him plenty of times to be careful with his younger brother. They were quite protective of him. But Sam knew that Lucas could care less about falling off a Harley and getting injured. All he cared about was that damn surfboard of his.
The pair arrived at the beach in no time and Sam parked his Harley in the parking lot of Big Momma's. He had just shut the bike off when Lucas leapt off it and darted out onto the sand.
"Thanks! See you!" He screamed over his shoulder as he kicked his sandals off to the side. He then slid his shirt off and took off into the blue water.
Sam shook his head as he climbed off the bike and pushed the kickstand out. Pocketing the keys into his jeans, he slipped both hands into the pockets of his denim vest and looked around. Blue eyes were completely hidden behind dark sunglasses as he surveyed the area. A few surfers could be seen out on the water, catching the early morning waves. A few other people could be seen on the sand, building sandcastles or simply enjoying the warmth from the sun.
Sam decided that he didn't feel like watching his brother surf so he turned and headed into Big Momma's. Upon entering the small diner, he noticed how empty it was. A few surfers were seated at the tables closest to the stage and glanced his way when he entered. There was a family of three seated at a small table by the door and they smiled politely at him.
Sam smiled back kindly before heading towards the counter and settling onto a stool. Slipping his sunglasses upwards, he let them rest on his gelled hair as he rose a hand to catch a waitress' attention.
She was a thin thing with blonde hair that curled around her shoulders and bright blue eyes. Making her way over, she batted her eyelashes and pulled a small booklet out.
"What can I get ya, sugar?" She cooed as she began to bat her eyelashes even more, making it seem like had something stuck in her eye.
"A cold glass of Coke, otta do it!" Sam replied as he sent a wink her way.
The waitress giggled as she closed her booklet and slid it into the pocket of her apron. She retreated to the kitchen before returning with a glass of ice cubes and a warm Coke bottle. Placing the glass in front of him, she popped the bottle open and began to pour the warm liquid into the glass. It swirled around for several seconds before settling. After she filled the glass, she placed the almost empty Coke bottle next to the glass and smiled.
"If you need anything, just give me a call. I'm Rhonda." She whispers in quite a seductive tone as she lifts a frail hand and swings a curl of blonde hair around. With a wink, she turns away and heads off to tend to another table.
Sam chuckled to himself as he watched the retreating form of Rhonda. Her hips swung with much more effort making it obvious that she knew he was watching her.
"That broad ain't worth it." A thick accented male voice suddenly said besides Sam.
Sam jumped as he had been startled by the voice but quickly recovered, putting on a calm facade. Turning his head, his bright blue eyes met chocolate brown eyes. Leaning back, he allowed his gaze to travel down the handsome man's face. He suddenly realized that it was the lead biker from the other night. What was his name again...?
"Oh really? Why's that?" Sam asked, referring to the man's earlier statement.
The man settled down onto the stool next to his and placed both muscular arms onto the counter. "Rhonda...she's been around way too much. If you catch my drift..."
"Ah..." Sam replies with a nod as he wrapped a hand around the glass of soda. Lifting it to his lips, he took a long drink and watched the other male from the corner of his eye.
Sam felt quite self-conscious as the other man kept watching him. He didn't like the way the other man's jaw tightened and the way the vein in his neck twitched. Lowering the glass to the counter, he swiped his tongue across his lower lip.
"You're new, aren't ya?" The other asked him as he snapped his fingers together.
"Yeah...Sam Thompson." Sam replied as he offered his right hand to shake.
"Butchy." The other responded as he grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.
That's his name! Sam thought to himself as they each pulled their hands away and let them fall to the counter top. Silence set in as the pair awkwardly sat there.
"So...uh..why'd you tell me that about Rhonda?" Sam asked as he rose both brows.
"I've been on the wrong end of a relationship with Rhonda. Wouldn't want someone else to go through that." Butchy explained with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Well that's...real nice of you." Sam replies as he takes another drink of soda and nods once.
Butchy simply shrugged his shoulders. "Us bikers gotta look out for one another."
For some reason, Butchy's words caused Sam's face to warm and his body to tense up. It seemed to remind him of how safe he had felt amongst his old club, Sons Of Liberty. And how safe he had felt around the leader, Aidan.
No one understood Sam more than Aidan. Aidan had been there for him since day one. Aidan and Sam's friendship was something everyone envied and wanted. But what no one knew was the pair weren't just friends. They were something more. It happened one day at the shop. Both were working alone after everyone had left on their lunch break. Sam had dropped a wrench and had moved to grab it around the same time Aidan had. It was like a cliche movie scene. Their hands met, bodies shuddered and gazes locked intensely. Next thing they knew, Sam's back was pressed up against the car they were working on and Aidan's mouth was on his.
After it had happened, they both acted like it was nothing and moved on with their lives. But the pair couldn't deny the feelings that were there. Shortly after, they began their secret relationship. The only people who knew about this relationship was Aidan's younger brother, Clint, and Sam's younger brother Lucas. Ironically enough, Clint and Lucas themselves had been hiding their relationships for months. The four were able to find comfort knowing they weren't the only ones like this.
Clint and Lucas' relationship ended due to the violent nature of Aidan and Sam's relationship. Months into the relationship, Aidan grew overly protective. It got to the point where Sam became afraid of him. Sam had attempted to the end the relationship but it only caused bruises and pain. Eventually, Sam knew he had to stand up for himself. So he did. This led to one of the worst moments of his life.
Sam and Aidan had driven up to a cliff where they could overlook their small town. It was peaceful at first but Sam knew he had to end the relationship while he still had the chance. After telling Aidan that it was over, the other male became enraged and tried to pin Sam down. He began to yell obscenities his way and soon enough threw a few punches. Sam dodged them the best he could but one managed to slip through. A huge bruise on his left cheek would soon form as Sam began to yell at Aidan, begging him to calm down. Aidan never listened and tackled Sam down to the dirt floor. He was not going to give up. Fighting back, Sam managed to bruise and cut up Aidan badly before knocking him off his form.
Sam had then managed to rise to his feet, staggering away, muttering how he never wanted to see Aidan again. Aidan had then risen to his feet and launched himself at the other. Darting aside, Sam was now clear from Aidan's path. But this proved disastrous. Sam had been standing near the cliff when Aidan had charged him. Since Sam had moved away, this gave a clear path over the rocky ledge. Aidan flew over the cliff and fell hundreds of feet, yelling as he fell. Sam watched in complete horror before dropping to his knees and screaming.
After the initial shock wore off, he jumped into Aidan's car and drove back into town. He drove straight to the auto shop where the rest of the gang was at. Upon seeing his battered form, they all surrounded Sam asking him what had happened and where Aidan was. Sam began to cry and told them what happened. He didn't tell them the whole truth though. He simply said that Aidan had grown enraged when he had said a few choice words about how Socs weren't always bad. He lied and said Aidan wanted to show him what Socs could do and that was why he was bruised and cut up. They believed him because they all knew how Aidan was.
Aidan's death was ruled an accident, a tragedy. The gang set off to find Aidan's body but they could not find it. They believed the river must have carried his form away. They held a small funeral in which they buried an empty casket.
As time passed, Sam couldn't shake the feeling of pure and utter guilt. Lucas had questioned him once about that night. Sam eventually broke and told him the whole truth. Lucas did not judge his brother. He understood the kind of person Aidan was and was just glad that Sam hadn't been the one to have fallen off the cliff. This moment of truth only further strengthened the bond that Sam and Lucas had as brothers.
Sam must have been so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Butchy had been trying to get his attention for several minutes now.
"Hey, you alright?" Butchy asked in the curious accent of his.
Sam blinked and shook his head as if trying to clear his muddled mind. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Eyebrows furrowing, he reached over to grab his glass, taking a long drink of soda.
Butchy's gaze never once left his form as he watched the way the cold liquid made its way down the other's throat. Chocolate brown eyes never once moved away causing Sam's body to tense up. Placing the glass back down, he wiped his hands on his jeans and cleared his throat.
Sensing the other's awkwardness, Butchy looked away and cleared his throat as well. They sat in silence for several minutes which really felt like hours. The diner had quieted down considerably so Sam turned to see what was happening. Most of the surfers had vanished and Sam could only guess they all had left to catch the waves. The family that had been seated by the door had also left. The only sounds were of the cooks and Big Mama talking and the soft hum of the ocean waves that could be heard from outside.
Clearing his throat once more, Butchy slowly rose from the stool as Rhonda returned from the kitchen. She shot him a dirty glare as he sent a wink her way. Turning to face Sam, he bows his head forward. "See you around, Sam." He waved a gloved hand then headed straight for the door, leaving the diner.
"Bye Butchy..." Sam whispered once the man was out of earshot. He then rose a hand and ran it through his hair, eyebrows furrowing together.
What was this strange feeling he felt? And why did it scare him? With a loud gulp, he grabs his glass and downs the last of the soda before slowly rising from his seat and heading for the door.