It Ain't Me, Babe

Shaking my head, I signed, Back off. Give her to me. NOW.

Ky looking confused as all hell, put her in my arms, and raising up his hands, backed away. Pit gaped at me like goddamned fish.

“What the hell, man? I’m back, I’m back. Okay. Calm the f**k down!”

I cradled the bitch to my chest, some possessive voodoo shit taking over my mind, body… my f**kin’ soul.

I headed for the door, ignoring everyone but the bitch in my arms—pasty dying skin… white dying lips… bleeding, dying body.

Shit!

“Where’re you taking her? What the f**k’s got into you?” Ky stayed behind me, his roll of questions pulling in the attention of the whole damn club drinking and whoring in the lounge.

I pointed to my private apartment above the garage, clutching the bitch to my chest.

“Your apartment?” Lois caught up to my fast stride, trying to catch my eye. “Your bedroom in your apartment? You’re taking her to your apartment, above the garage? No one goes there but you. Said so yourself.”

Stopping short, I faced her and jerked my chin, telling her to get the f**k outta my face.

“Are you serious?” she whispered, all hurt and upset, before seeing my pissed expression and walked off slowly back into the bar.

Ky flanked me as I ran up the stairs and kicked open the door to my place. Laying the bitch on my king-size bed, I leaned over, shoving back the clumps of dirty hair from her face. Mud and blood instantly stained my black sheets.

“Styx. What the hell? You gotta start explaining, brother,” Ky said, running his hand through his hair. We were alone, Pit and Rider outta sight.

Clenching my hand into a fist, I tried to calm and stuttered, “R-R-Rid… R-R-R…” I took a quick, deep breath, eyes squeezed shut, and tried again. “R… R… R—Argh!” I hissed, too frustrated at losing control of my f**kin’ words, again.

Ky grabbed my arms and kicked my bedroom door shut, immediately blocking out the noise from the brothers who were gathering downstairs, and growled, “Calm the f**k down. Look at you! You’re too wound up to speak. Brothers’ll hear you and I know you’ll regret this shit later.”

I stopped fighting him off. Getting my breathing under control, I felt the tightness in my throat loosen up. Ky, seeing me simmer down, relaxed his hold. “Rider’s on his way. Had to get his med kit.” He nodded to the bitch on my bed. “She’s in a bad way.”

I nodded and he released my arms. I walked into the bathroom and wet a towel, then set to clean up her face. Pale skin, black hair… just like that young bitch behind the fence. My VP watched me as though I’d lost my damn mind.

Maybe I had.

“Seriously, man. What the f**k’s happening?” He stood at the other side of the bed as I mopped up her blood. Ky just gaped at me. I was distracted by her leg—long, slim, porcelain, per-fuckin’-fection.

Hearing Ky cough, I sighed, then pressed the rag down to apply pressure to her wound. “R-r-remember th-th-that story I t-t-told you w-when I was a k-k-kid?”

Ky’s face straightened, expression disbelieving. “Not this shit again, Styx. The girl behind the metal fence? The ‘wolf-eyed’ bitch you obsessed over for years until your old man forced you to finally shut the f**k up? If it’s that story, then, yeah, I remember!”

Dragging my bottom lip ring between my teeth, I talked myself back from punching my best friend’s nose through his goddamn brain. “Y-yeah, that girl.”

“So? You were like, eleven? Personally, I always thought you f**kin’ dreamed it.” All the brothers back then thought I made it up or imagined it. So did I after a while. Thought maybe I’d had a fever or some shit. I don’t know, maybe I’d talked to a f**kin’ ghost.

I pointed at the bitch and stared at my VP.

Ky walked over to where I sat and leaned against the wooden wall, arms folded. “You think this dying bitch is her?” He started laughing, head thrown back. Fuckin’ hysterical laughter spouted from his mouth. “You have lost your mind. Too much stress with the f**ked drop tonight. The chances of this piece of pu**y being her are not good. I’ll never understand why you still remember that bitch anyway. If your old man was here, he’d beat the shit outta you… again.”

Too wound up to speak, I met my VP’s stare head on and signed, I’ll give you exactly five seconds to shut your f**kin’ mouth before I shut it for you and ruin your goddam pretty-boy looks.

Ky cleared his throat and wiped the grin off his face. Good choice. No one messes with me and walks away. He knew it. My brothers knew it. Hell, every damn MC in the US knew it. If my old man was still alive and tried to knock some sense into me, I’d shove his teeth down his f**kin’ throat too.