Page 86 of Existential
THIRTY-FIVE
Hooch
Don’t get me wrong—I love my northern brothers, but there’s nothing like walking in the door and feeling home. Yeah, the Fort Worth clubhouse has seen it’s fair share of arguments, carnage, and loss of late … but it’s still where my heart lies.
I spent my adolescence here. I fixed up my first pan-head here. I first brought a girl home to meet the family here. And I was first introduced to how shallow others’ opinions of our lifestyle can be, here.
And now?
Now, I look at Dagne as she shares a drink with Crackers, a wide smile on her face, and for the first time I see a future here.
I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face as I remember how that body looked this morning over the top of me, naked. She might be on the shy side day-to-day, but get that woman blinded by lust and she loses all her inhibitions.
Her taste, her smell, the way her hips felt grinding against mine … I need a bucket of ice.
“Can I get a word with you, boy?” Murphy leans in from my left, his gaze drifting to the same spot I’m stuck on as I discretely adjust myself. “If you think she’ll be okay on her own.”
“She’ll be fine. Pretty sure everyone knows if they put a single hand on her, I’ll castrate them.”
Murphy chuckles, raising the drink in his hand in toast.
“You seen Digits this morning?” I ask.
The jackass hauled ass out of Lincoln before the rest of us even rolled out of bed. Either that fucker is as guilty as they come, or he’s got something pressing to attend to that I’m guessing we should know about.
“Nope. He was gone before I got up.”
“Anyone here see him?”
He shakes his head, turning his focus to me. “No. Asked about, but even Heather had no idea he should have rolled in already.”
“Great,” I mutter, jerking my head in the general direction of my office. “Let’s go give you that minute.”
Murphy follows me through the house to my refuge, waiting patiently as I punch in the code on the door. Yeah, that was how bad it got for a while there. Neither my old man, nor myself could trust the members to keep their noses out of things that didn’t concern them. Trust doesn’t come easy in our chapter, and loyalty has only started showing its face again after we almost disbanded.
Ask me a year ago if I thought Fort Worth would have still been here now, and I would have laughed in your face.
“You said you could use my help with something,” Murphy starts as he shuts the door behind us.
“That I did.” I wait until he’s seated opposite me before I continue. “You notice anything odd around here while I was gone?”
“A few things.” He crosses one ankle over the opposite knee. “What in particular are you fishin’ for?”
“Members acting out of sorts.”
He laughs, full and hearty. “Oh, boy-o. Just come out and say it. Everyone knows you’ve got some beef with Digits over that girl.”
“That’s just it,” I say. “I don’t think it’s just about her. I think he’s using that as a smoke screen for somethin’ else.”
“Aye. I’m listenin’.” He places both hands on his shin; his face grows stern.
“Was anyone aware the week before Crackers and him went south, that I asked him to hack the phone we stole off one of the Wingmen? I asked him to strip it of details, find anything that might have been of use.”
“No. Nobody’s said a thing.” His brow creases further.
“He claims he lost it. That he mustn’t have put it in his pocket properly and it fell out while he was ridin’.”
Murphy cocks an eyebrow.