I woke up with a groan. I hadn't even opened my eyes but I could feel the skull pounding headache of a hangover. I forced my eyes open to find myself in Val's room at the club. The last thing I remembered from last night was the sound of gunshots. With a lot of effort, I managed to force myself out of the bed and to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and brushing my teeth before rushing downstairs to find Val. Everything seemed normal, as if the club hadn't been attacked and it was a regular day.
"You look like shit." Chuck was a retired member and the bartender, and therefore my best friend. We worked together most nights and had become pretty close over the last year. At least I knew he would always be honest with me.
"Well good morning to you too. Anybody want to tell me what the fuck happened last night and why the last thing I remember was hearing gunshots. Did I miss something?"
"If you hadn't drank a whole bottle of Jack you'd know that it was just a little friendly fire baby girl. All a misunderstanding." I gave him a look. Â I knew there was more to the story. Despite being the daughter of one the club's founders, I was a still a woman which, to the guys, meant I didn't need to involve myself in 'club business'.
"And Val?"
"Church." Chuck was a man of few words and I think that's why I liked him so much. He didn't question the club and he didn't question me. We had a silent agreement. Chuck gave me a cup of coffee while I waited for Val and I gave him a grateful smile. My head felt like it was being repeatedly crushed with a sledgehammer.
"You feeling alright?" Despite Chuck's somewhat cold exterior I knew he was a big softy on the inside. You wouldn't guess it considering he was your typical biker, his long dark hair had become streaked with grey, along with his beard. His eyes were dark. You could tell he had seen some shit, but I knew his heart was still good. After what happened with my brother I decided to distance myself from most of the guys, despite how close I had been with all of them. It was too easy to lose them to this life and I didn't think I could make it through losing another brother, but Chuck had managed to worm his way into my heart.
"Yeah I'm good." We both knew it was a lie, but like usual he didn't say anything more, just nodded. There was something in his eyes that told me he wanted to say more. I was grateful that he didn't. I heard the slamming of the gavel on wood behind closed doors and got up, waiting for Val to come out. He had the same harsh look on his face as he usually did. It was hard to believe that this was the same guy who played pranks on everyone and was known as the class clown in high school. I guess that's what tragedy does to a person.
"Val."
"Scarlett. You look pretty good considering you were on the verge of needing your stomach pumped last night. Again." The cold smirk on his face made me think he was joking, but the anger in his voice told me otherwise. I just rolled my eyes.
"You wanna tell me what's going on? Maybe you can start with what the fuck happened last night?"
"Club business sweetheart. You don't need to worry your pretty little head about it." I slammed my fist down on the bar.
"Don't bullshit me Valentino. I'm not some random club girl who doesn't need to know shit."
"Well you sure as hell like to act like one. I'm sick of you pulling this shit. You wanna be treated like more than a club whore than start acting like it." I cringed at the word. Â My whole life was spent around the club girls and I had become close friends with most of them, and I hated when they were treated like nothing more than a sex doll. Â Val knew this. Â He was trying to get to me.
"Damn it Val just tell me what's going on so I can get the fuck out of here." I could see the anger flare in his golden eyes.
"You watch who the fuck you're talking to. Maybe all the booze made you forget who runs this club."
"Fuck you, Val." I shouldered by him, going upstairs to grab my shit. I know he's right. I hadn't taken my role as part of this club seriously since that goddamn night, but that didn't mean he could treat me like I have no right to know what's going on.
"This is getting old Scarlett. Every time you don't agree with something you can't just leave. Â That's one of the reasons I don't tell you shit anymore."
"Whatever." I heard him sigh angrily from behind me. He grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. The look in his eyes replaced my anger with guilt.
"That's the fucking problem. If you cared about this club, and if you cared about me or any of the guys, you would quit running away and face shit like the rest of us. I can't sit back and watch you tick like a goddamn timebomb anymore." I didn't say anything. He was right, like usual.
"You taking your meds?"
"Yeah I'm taking my meds."
"You need to see the shrink again?"
"No."
"Then prove it. Next time I see you the way you were last night I'm sending you back. I don't care how much you fight me on it. Nate wouldn't want-"
"Enough. I got it."
"Do you? You could've gotten yourself killed last night, running into gunfire like that. You think that's ok?" Well fuck. Guess that's what happened last night.
"I didn't mean- I didn't even know I did that, alright?" he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Quit burying your sadness in a fucking bottle. You're goddamn lucky that Jax caught you."
"Who? Did we get a new prospect or something?"
"Yeah something like that." Knowing there was more to that story, I finally turned around to face him. He looked exhausted and I knew it was my fault. I was only adding to the stress of being forced into running a club. I walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his middle. He was always so much bigger than me. I felt him relax a little before wrapping his arms around my shoulder and resting his chin on top of my head.
"I know how hard this is for you Scar, but I can't lose you too. I already lost a brother, I can't lose my baby sister too. I need you to try, if not for yourself then I need you to do it for me." I had tried to distance myself from Val especially because he was like a second brother to me. He had been in my life since I was born. He was there for me for my entire life and I pushed him away when we both needed each other most, all because I was fucking terrified to lose him too. I felt my chest tighten at his words. This wasn't the first time we had this conversation, but I wanted it to be the last. I couldn't form the right words, so I just nodded against his chest. It felt like for the first time I actually meant it.
"You're still going to have to tell me what's going on, you know that right?"
"You're not going to like it."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that. Spill."
"You should sit."
"Val."
"Alright, alright. You know the Diablos killed Nate and were responsible for a shit load of other attacks on our warehouses and land" I could feel rage flying through my every part of my body at the mention of them "well, we've had a rivalry with them since our parents were running this club. Without Nate, they know we're weak. I know Nate didn't want to, but I had to call in backup. We're fighting a losing battle. We need an ally."
"And where are we supposed to find one?"
"Couple towns over. They're small but I've heard some shit about their president. He's a whack job, that's for sure, but we could use them and their resources. Â They call one of the guys the Crow because he's a goddamn omen for death."
"Because that's really what we need right now. More death."
"At least with him on our side it won't be on us. It'll be them. We can end this once and for all and move on. All of us." I knew that last part meant me.
"So a patch over?"
"Maybe. They're small in numbers and looking to expand so I figured we could come to some sort of agreement, maybe make them a charter."
"Ok. I don't want to fight with you anymore so whatever you think is best for the club, I'll have to be ok with it."
"Good. Now you better get to the shop considering you're like 5 hours late." He pushed me off with a smile. I got ready, feeling a little bit better than I had in the past couple months. I knew I needed closure, and maybe this was how I could get it.