Behind Blue Eyes (5 page)

He liked the way her jeans fit each curve of her body as did her plain grey jersey shirt, which clung to her full breasts. Even the brown biker boots she wore had the right amount of scuff to them. They seemed fashionable on her, not like worn out boots.

She walked toward the table. He was eager to find out her story, but the hard look in her eyes caused him to pause.

“Hello, Jasmine!” Zoe called over to her. Then she cut her eyes over to Holden with a slight nod.

“Hello! You’re… married to my brother?” He attempted to stand up and greet her but the pain forced him to sit back down. “It’s nice to meet you.” Holden gripped his side as he studied the woman in front of him.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Jasmine said, trying to be pleasant even though everything she knew about Holden was racing through her mind. “I’m not what you were expecting, huh? I get that a lot.”

“No, you’re not. Did you marry him on purpose or did he force you to marry him?” Holden laughed.

“On purpose,” Jasmine replied not amused by his comment.

“I’m just joking!” Holden gave her his best smile. However, Zoe seemed to be the only woman in the room who found it appealing. “I pictured someone more like his first wife. Did you know her?”

Jasmine shook her head.

He didn’t like the look that jetted across Jasmine’s face. She definitely wasn’t feeling him at all. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, too, Jasmine.” Holden attempted to stand up again and this time he made it. He stuck out his hand. “I’d give you a hug, but Nuke would probably kill me if I did.”

“Probably,” Jasmine replied while shaking his hand. She turned away from him, walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door.

“You’re much prettier than her by the way. How long have you and Nuke been married?” Holden asked as he sat back down at the table. “Nuke didn’t give me any details.”

“Two years this Halloween.” She grabbed a bottle of water and a container filled with fried rice. She didn’t even bother with a fork; instead, she stuck two fingers in and scooped out some of the rice. Holden was amused and he immediately saw why Nuke had fallen for her other than the obvious. She was down-to-earth. He watched her stuff her face, then take a drink of the water from the bottle. He liked the way a few droplets of water dribbled down her chin. She was messy but it was cute.

She grabbed a napkin and dabbed her chin.

“I think you missed a spot,” Holden said, pointing to an area on her right cheek.

“Thanks,” Jasmine replied.

“How did you and Nuke meet?”

“He had shoulder surgery. His shoulder really bothered him afterwards. He asked me if there was anything I could do to help him.”

“So romantic,” Zoe swooned dramatically, throwing her hand across her head like a silent film star.

As Jasmine leaned against the kitchen counter, she finally reached into a drawer for a fork. She then continued to eat, ignoring Zoe and her antics.

“Were you his nurse?” Holden was inquisitive. They just didn’t seem to fit as a couple. There had to be more to the story than that.

Before Jasmine could answer Zoe began to talk. “No, it actually took a biker war and a rat to bring them together,” Zoe blurted out in a bid for Holden’s attention.

Jasmine looked over at Zoe and shook her head. “This woman I used to know was dating Kevin, and she introduced Nuke and I. We instantly hit it off.”

“Cindy – that was the woman. She was a rat,” Zoe started up again. “She caused trouble between the Hells Vipers and the Grave Walkers. It was Jasmine that found out that it was Cindy that had leaked personal information about the club. Jasmine was nearly killed by one of the Grave Walkers,” Zoe explained as she reached over and touched Holden on the hand.

“Damn! You were nearly killed? What on earth happened?” Holden slid his hand away from Zoe to adjust himself in the kitchen chair.

“I didn’t die. That’s why you’re not with anyone, you talk too much!” Jasmine sharply told Zoe as she walked over and tossed the empty fried rice container into the trash.

Zoe started to stay something but stopped.

“So what happened to the rat, the woman you knew? Cindy.” Holden probed.

“Don’t know, don’t care!” Jasmine replied.

Holden smiled. “Yep, you’re Nuke’s wife alright.”

Zoe made a sound as she looked over at Jasmine. “One hundred percent she is. So Holden,” Zoe said as she focused her attention away from Jasmine, “you and Nuke kind of look alike but not really.”

“Same mother, not the same father,” Holden declared as he watched Jasmine walk over and peek out of the kitchen window. Something outside had captured her attention. “Do you have kids? Are there nieces and nephews I need to meet?” he asked Jasmine.

She shook her head.

“I can’t imagine Nuke being a daddy,” Zoe cackled. “You two do fuck all of the time, why aren’t you knocked up yet? Your pipes not working or is Nuke firing blanks? ” Zoe giggled like a teenager.

Jasmine smirked and flipped her off.

Images of Nuke and Jasmine having sex flashed through his mind and Holden became semi-hard. He’d seen Nuke having sex with a girl once; he had tied her up. That image had never left his mind. Though he couldn’t imagine Jasmine being into that sort of thing, he did notice a lot of bruising on her neck that looked like fingerprints. He had no doubt in his mind that Nuke was abusive to her. The poor woman was probably too scared to leave him.

“You don’t seem like the biker chick type. Doesn’t being with an outlaw frighten you?”

“No, I feel safe when I’m with Nuke. Tell me, what exactly is a biker chick supposed to look like?”

Holden smiled. “Apparently they look like you,” he replied, trying to stay on her good side. Which he wasn’t so sure he’d ever be on. Nuke and all of the Hells Vipers had a way of intimidating people into loyalty. Jasmine was no different; that he could easily see.

“Hmmm,” Jasmine said as she continued to look out of the window. Mitch and the others had returned and Nuke was in a deep conversation with the club president.

“Do you ride, too?” Trying to have a conversation with Jasmine was nearly as hard as having a conversation with Nuke. She was deeply focused on whatever was going on outside.

“Yes,” she said when she finally looked back in his direction. “Nuke taught me.”

“Really? I didn’t know he had that kind of patience or that he’d allow his woman to ride.”

“I think there’s a lot of things about your brother you don’t know.”

Holden smiled as best as he could considering the pain he was in. “I suspect you’re right. But then, that can be said about all of us. We all have secrets.”

Jasmine squinted her coffee-brown eyes. “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 12:2-3”

“Religious woman, huh?”

“I’m a woman of reality and consequences.”

“I am, too!” Zoe spoke up.

“You are too, what?” Holden looked at her in confusion. He also noticed Jasmine roll her eyes and turn back toward the window.

“A woman of reality and consequences.”

“Ah, alright, that’s, that’s really nice to know,” Holden responded. “It’s a good thing to be.”

Zoe beamed at the insincere compliment from Holden.

“Jasmine, maybe when things straighten out for me, you and Nuke can come down for dinner. Meet the rest of the family.”

“Now we both know the odds of that happening are slim to none.”

“You never know. People change.”

Jasmine stared at him for several seconds. “Have you changed?”

Holden nodded. “I’m sure Nuke has told you everything that’s gone down between us. I really am a different person now.”

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

“I’m curious: how did he propose? I can’t imagine Nuke popping the question over a romantic dinner. The Hells Vipers aren’t really the romantic type.”

“Take a look at that custom ring she’s wearing,” Zoe said, not even trying to hide her envy. “He can be romantic when he wants to be. I bet he spent a small fortune on the ring.”

Jasmine glanced down at her hand. “He has his moments,” she said and looked back up with a huge smile on her face.

“It takes the right woman to inspire that in a man like Nuke,” Holden continued the conversation.

“We inspire each other,” Jasmine quickly replied.

“The proposal, how did that happen?” Holden asked again. “Did he wine and dine you then pop the question?”

“Zombies,” Jasmine calmly replied.

“What?” Holden laughed.

Jasmine nodded yes with a big smile. “You heard me right. He had the hang arounds and prospects dress up like zombies. We were all outside by the fire pit. It’s after midnight, and they attack. The full patch members were in on it, too. They had guns, which were firing blanks. The prospects and hang arounds had on blood patches. It was scary as hell, very realistic. Everyone was in on it.”

“You have got to be shitting me,” Holden said and forced himself to sit up straight, giving her his full attention.

He noticed that Jasmine was practically beaming as she continued with the story. Obviously she was remembering a better time with Nuke. Not the man that had given her the bruises on her neck.

“People were being eaten, or so I thought. The patch members and almost everyone there had on these pieces of fake skin. So when they were bitten, it looked like the flesh was being ripped off of people. When they first attacked, I started laughing, then for a minute, I honestly thought this shit was real!

“The first thing that popped in my head was that guy in Florida who ate that man’s face. I’m not thinking everyone is a Zombie as in ‘The Walking Dead’ but more like people took some kind of drug that’s fucking them up in the head. I mean, who knows what crap people are taking nowadays. Plus I’m seeing guys who are always calm and in control freaking out. Like Mitch, he doesn’t panic and that night he fooled me.

“They all should be up for an Oscar after that performance. Anyway, Nuke grabs my hand and tells me that we need to try and make it to his bike. He’s got a gun in his hand and he’s shooting toward these things. We get to his bike and he can’t start it. By this point I’m honestly about to have a heart attack.

“I’m shrieking my head off. He gets off the bike and looks at me all serious and says ‘I don’t think we’re going to make it. Before we die, will you marry me?’ and he gets down on one knee and takes out the ring. I found out that it took over two months for them to plan everything out.

“Anyway, common sense came to me and I started crying because he popped the question. Everyone started clapping. Then we had the biggest party ever. It lasted four days. The party is pretty much a blur,” she laughed softly.

“Wow, now that shit should be on the Internet,” Holden said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Tech recorded it all. They watch it all the time, laughing at stuff in the video. It is pretty funny, though. I was screaming like a little bitch!”

“I hid behind the bar,” Zoe added. “I figured that would be the realistic thing to do.”

“I guess you and Nuke are made for each other,” Holden said, paying no attention to Zoe. “Most women would have wanted something more romantic.”

“I thought it was romantic. He went into great detail to plan it out. Getting everyone to keep quiet and participate. Romantic is how you look at it.” Jasmine paused as she held Holden’s gaze. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Nuke and I know he feels the same way about me. I’m not going to let him get hurt either. You understand what I’m saying to you?” Jasmine walked over and placed her hands firmly on the kitchen table. Her posture brought the conversation back to being serious. “Don’t fuck him over because it’s going to be me you need to worry about not him, not the club! No one,” she said and shot a glance at Zoe, “is going fuck things up for us. You got me?”

“You’re loyal. That’s good.” Holden nervously chuckled as he realized that he was going to have to play it safe around Jasmine if things were going to go as he had planned. She had the fear of Nuke in her and his intimidation was making her loyal to the core. He winked at Zoe and she squirmed in her seat. It would have been much easier if Nuke had been hooked up with her; she was easier to fool. “I got you, Jasmine, loud and clear!”

***

Zoe helped Holden over to the chair in the corner of the main room. He plopped down into the seat as the chosen ones, aka the officers of the club, walked into the meeting room. He could see an immediate bond between Nuke and Jasmine as she leaned against the kitchen door and their eyes locked when Nuke flung his phone into the box on the bar. He wondered how much of it was based in fear. For a moment, he almost felt guilty. Then he reminded himself that he was close to being a rich man.

Toy Soldiers

Just like Nuke thought, Mitch was pissed off about what had taken place. Nuke felt even worse because it was his brother. They didn’t need a dead body anywhere near the clubhouse.

The officers of the club followed Mitch into the clubhouse. They tossed their phones into the box on the bar and headed directly into the meeting room. Nuke glanced over at Jasmine, who was leaning against the door in the kitchen. She sent him a smile but the worried look in her eyes said everything.

Toby closed the door behind them as everyone took their seat. Mitch had nearly recovered from being shot by the Grave Walkers MC. The only thing that gave away his near death experience was the slight limp and the occasional seizures he still had. The new medication they put him on had kept the seizures under control for the past three months.

“What’s up?” Nuke asked as he tugged at his cut.

“Disciples of Ares!” Mitch stated.

“Who in the hell are the Disciples of Ares?” Pipe was the first to ask.

“The World of War Craft thing?” Nuke immediately followed. Everyone but Mitch looked at him with an odd stare.

Mitch chuckled, “No, Nuke.”

“Like I’m the only one here at this table that’s a gamer?” Nuke laughed.

“It’s also the name of a motorcycle club that decided to steal our colors and set up shop on the south side of town,” Mitch said.

“How the hell didn’t we know about this before now?” Pipe asked.

“They’ve been quiet. Their mistake was trying to sell to some coke to the ESGs. We ran into a club friendly on our way back. Filled us in on what’s going down.”

Nuke took a deep breath as he looked around the table. “Are the ESGs still loyal?”

Mitch shrugged. “We knew that Levan got caught up in some mess and now he’s MIA. We thought that Andre was in charge, which was cool with us. However, it appears he might be branching out to other markets but I can’t confirm that. That’s why I need Nuke and Pipe to get with Ricky, see what he knows. The Disciples of Ares are behaving like a bunch of cocky, stupid motherfuckers going after what’s ours,” Mitch stated.

“And you don’t steal colors,” Toby added.

“No shit!” Nuke muttered.

“We doing an intervention?” Kevin asked.

“Yep, it’s always the first line of defense. Who’s up?” Mitch asked.

“Brock maybe,” Kevin was the first to answer.

“Good kid,” Mitch added. “I was also thinking about Ice. Do all of you agree that he’s ready to step up? After all, he would have been patched in with Medic if he hadn’t taken that setback by landing in county for eight months.”

Nuke nodded. “He’s good, decent and reliable.”

“What about that hang around Rocket? It would be good to see what he’s made of,” Toby commented.

“No!” Nuke’s voice sounded angrier than he intended. “He’s always standing around. That annoys the fuck out of me. Then when he does do something on his own, he comes and tells you, like he wants a gold fucking star. ‘
I swept the garage.
You want to look at it and tell me if I did it right? I wiped my ass, did I do it right?
’ He mimicked Rocket’s voice. “Nobody got time for that shit! I can’t baby that little bitch. He needs to man the fuck up and just do what he needs to do to earn our respect. I’m not his woman; I’m not his daddy. I’m not a fucking life coach for his low self-esteem issues!”

“Go ahead, Nuke, tell us how you really feel,” Vince said and everyone chuckled.

“I agree with Nuke,” Kevin said, nodding. “He irritates me, too.”

“Maybe I should fuck him. If it’s good, we can make him a Honey!” Pipe laughed from his gut.

Everyone turned and stared at Pipe.

“Why does everyone think I’m the freaky one? Did you hear what he just said?” Nuke tapped Vince on the arm.

“He’s twisted; you’re demented!” Vince tittered.

“Am I the only one here going to admit to pitching at least once?” Pipe looked up and down the table at each member and laughed.

Jamie slowly raised his hand after several seconds.

“Jamie, what the fuck?” Mitch asked as he sat back in his chair.

“My wife used a strap-on a few times. I’m not a catcher on a regular basis, but I liked the way it felt. That doesn’t count, does it, Nuke?” Jamie asked.

“How the fuck would I know? The only thing I like up my ass is a tongue.”

“Because you do all kinds of unusual shit. Jasmine doesn’t strap one on and make you scream like a bitch?” Pipe stood up and made a pumping motion with his hips. He loved poking fun at Nuke. Though it could be as dangerous as nudging a bear.

“No, she doesn’t!” Nuke screwed up his mouth in annoyance as he shook his head.

“Jamie, you want a real dick or you want the illusion of a dick?” Vince asked.

“Neither, I just like the way it feels,” Jamie answered. “I guess it’s like having a tongue in the ass except it goes in deeper.”

“That makes sense,” Toby mumbled with a nod. “Don’t think I’d go for that, though, but I get your point.”

“Can we get back to the topic at hand and not what everyone is sticking up their ass?” Nuke impatiently tapped his fingers on the table.  “What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

“He’s grumpy. Are you not getting any lately?” Toby teased.

Nuke let out a long sigh and grabbed his face with his hand.

“That happens when you get married,” Jamie added. “The sex slows down. You might want to try adding the strap-on. It can add spice to the sex life,” he said and broke into laughter.

“We have sex. We have great SEX! Now can we PLEASE get back to the meeting?”

“We’re just messing with you, Nuke. We all know Jasmine is a freak just like you!  I’ve seen her swallowing your dick. It’s like she’s suck-starting a Harley, you lucky bastard!” Vince chuckled.

“They for real fuck, too. It’s none of that let’s-fuck-because-we’re-bored sex. That’s some good pussy when you do that!” Toby added.

“What I don’t get is all that violent sex. What’s up with that belt, strap, whatever you use? I mean, you pissed off or you both just getting off on it?” Vince questioned.

Nuke sighed. “I don’t hit her in anger.”

“So you’re getting off, then?” Toby stared at him. “I guess I could see that, too. I mean, it’s the squirming, the screaming and the tears. I could probably get into to that. I’ve spanked the ass while I’m fucking some bitch doggy-style. Jasmine likes it, too, even though she don’t look the type.”

“She does look innocent. Hey, remember when Nuke had her tied to that chair on the roof?” Tech laughed.

“Yeah!” They all laughed.

“Can we not talk about how good my wife’s pussy is?” Nuke used both hands this time to grab his face in exasperation.

Everyone continued to laugh at the much-needed tension break. “We love you, bro!” Kevin winked at him.

“Fuck all of you two times over and up the ass since you like it so much!” Nuke flipped them off with both hands as he smiled.

“Gentlemen, we’ll call in the first line of defense for the Disciples of Ares and depending on the info Ricky gives us, possibly the ESGs also. It will include Ice, along with Toby and Vince. Rocket will also go on the intervention.” Mitch shot a look at Nuke, who was none too thrilled. “If he doesn’t have the balls, then we’re wasting our time. Better to eliminate him now if he can’t handle it than to wait until we’ve invested more time in him.”

“Ugghhhh,” Nuke groaned.

“You make that noise when you fuck?” Mitch laughed.

Everyone burst out in laughter again. “You know he does!” Toby cracked up laughing.

Nuke flipped everyone off again. “My finger is going to get tired giving you bastards the one-finger salute!” Nuke laughed and so did everyone else.

Pipe reluctantly spoke up when the laughter died down. “The ESGs have been club friendlies for years. I don’t think they would buy from someone else.”

“Which is why you and Nuke are going to go get confirmation. Either way, the Disciples of Ares are going to be dealt with. You don’t come into our city and set up shop with our fucking colors!” Mitch quickly replied. “Now what’s going on with your brother and the dead woman?” Mitch gave Nuke a stern look.

“He claims he doesn’t know who shot at them. He said a man that goes by the name of Nick Kordell thinks he stole money from him. The dead woman was also Kordell’s wife, and Holden did admit to banging her.”

“Holden is a lot of things; an innocent bystander isn’t one of them,” Mitch replied.

“I’m checking into Kordell,” Tech spoke up. “So far, I got nothing interesting. He’s just your average middle-aged man. Gracie – that’s the dead woman – is his second wife. He’s been married to her for ten years.  He’s got a stepdaughter named Tori who just turned eighteen. He owns a kiosk at the mall, where they sell jewelry and purses. The kiosk, he apparently really set it up for his stepdaughter. She wants to be an accessory designer. He also owns a car lot. That’s where he spends most of his time.”

“Does he have money or is he in debt?” Nuke asked.

“He’s not a millionaire, but he’s not hurting for cash either,” Tech replied. “Most of his debt from what I can see is coming from the deceased wife and step-daughter. They like to shop. His first wife, she’s loaded. The car lot was part of the divorce settlement.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Medic said he noticed how expensive her clothes were,” Nuke added.

“I don’t trust your brother, and I know you don’t, either,” Mitch said. “He’s a snake, always has been.”

“We also think he drugged the dogs,” Nuke continued. “They were acting odd. Brock told me they didn’t get back to normal until about ten this morning.”

Mitch nodded. “Watch that motherfucker. I don’t give a damn if he is blood. Holden is not to be trusted. That goes for all of you. Make sure he doesn’t see anything, hear anything or go anyplace unescorted.”

Nuke and everyone sitting at the table nodded in agreement.

“We got your back, bro, on whatever drama he’s bringing. We’re family; he’s not,” Toby said as he looked over at Nuke with a nod.

“Thanks everybody!” Nuke replied.

“Anyone have anything else?” Mitch asked.

They all looked around the table, silent.

“Meeting adjourned.” Mitch cracked the gavel.

***

Kevin tagged along with Nuke and Pipe when they went to Club Mirror. Ricky was a man who never varied from his routine. One day that would surely get him killed. He was in the VIP section, like the king of the club, as usual. They stepped up to the small-framed Asian man working security.  He had to be in his mid-fifties, and he looked even more out of place than Nuke, Kevin and Pipe.

As Nuke stared down at him he wondered for a second where Sergio was at. “You know what I’ve learned in life,” Nuke said as he glanced back at Kevin.

“Nope what have you learned?” Kevin asked as he looked around, inspecting the club.

“I’ve seen enough martial arts movies to know that if a small Asian man is working security, don’t try to be a bad-ass; shoot his ass because he can probably beat the fuck out of you,” Nuke said, laughing.

The man working security cracked a smile. He glanced back at Ricky, who nodded. He then let them walk past the velvet rope. They took a seat on the purple leather sofa.

“I hate this song,” Kevin complained.

“But have you seen the video? I replay it like porn,” Pipe said and he started to bump and grind on the sofa to “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj as it blasted through the speakers. Pipe’s concentration suddenly switched to the waitress who entered the VIP section to take their orders. He stopped couch-dancing as he watched her every move.

The little cutie had shoulder-length, curly blonde hair and big brown eyes and she was slim but also curvy in all of the right places. She was five foot five inches of attitude, and Pipe wanted to be balls deep in every inch of it.

He knew that she waitressed there three nights a week after working the day shift as a bank teller. She had two kids, a boy who was five and a three-year-old girl, and she had made it clear on every occasion when he was in Club Mirror that she wasn’t interested.

“Hey Ella, are you ready to marry me yet?” Pipe said the minute she stepped close to him.

“I don’t date, so therefore I don’t marry!” Ella sharply replied with a slight smile. Part of her did like Pipe and his goofiness. However, if she ever got interested in dating again, it still wouldn’t be with him. The Hells Vipers were the real deal. So much so, a recent Gangland documentary had aired about them. That was not the kind of man she wanted to be involved with. Even though she thought Pipe was slightly cute and appealing, no way would she hook up with him.

“You don’t date or you don’t date men?” Kevin probed.

“She’s taking a break since she ended it with her ex six months ago. I know all of this because I go to her Facebook page. It’s amazing the things people put online. Ella’s not into chicks but she did make out with one of her female friends at a bachelorette party two months ago,” Pipe said proudly.