Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
We stepped inside Maddox’s. The wall of sound surrounding me, music pounding, men whistling, and the laughs of strippers all around. The air was thick with sweat, booze, and the kind of perfume that made your nose burn. Girls worked the room, leaning in close to whisper promises they would never keep. One thing about Maddox’s he kept the room full of women. On slow nights as a patron you could have two draped on you while watching a third give you the show of a lifetime in front of you.
I couldn’t shake the thoughts of Tiny. Him having a woman wasn’t the issue. It was the distraction. Women made some men better and other men fall off their game. In our world, distractions made you sloppy. And sloppy got you or a brother killed.
We found a spot near the bar, leaning back against the wood, I watched the chaos unfold. Grown men tossing bills on stage, girls crawling for a damn dollar, with a handful ready to brawl in a back corner over a damn dancer.
It was a typical night at Maddox’s.
DK circled back to Tiny. “You ever notice, Thrasher, how a man can go years just running through pussy. No name, no connection, no entanglement. Then one shows up and suddenly the fucker gets twisted up inside. Like she somehow makes everything make sense?”
“Sounds to me like you want to get twisted up around someone. That kind of shit can make a man better or destroy a damn brotherhood. Tread carefully.”
He gave me a nod before taking a pull of his beer.
I was happy for any of my brothers who found a partner. That shit simply wasn’t for me.
8
MELODY – THE PARTY
There was a rhythm around here. It wasn’t necessarily my own, but if I stood still long enough I could almost blend in.
I had never experienced a party before. Lexi and Lyric pushed hard practically begging me to come out tonight. This wasn’t common in the culture we grew up in. Being in this place, the whole building had this pulse like a living, breathing organism. And somehow I had been dropped into its bloodstream.
The bass thumped through the floors rattling the old bottles that line the shelves behind the bar. They clinked together almost in time with the music. Smoke wrapped around everything, almost suffocating. All of it was intoxicating, this tangled blend of cigars, cigarettes, weed, perfume, sweat, leather, and beer invaded my nostrils on every inhale.
The Kings of Anarchy didn’t merely fill a room. They claimed it. Voices that carried over the music, laughter that cracked like gunfire, and when someone clapped a hand on another brother’s back it was hard enough to come across like a punch.
The women were every shape, size, and race. Each of them appearing in a different level of undress or dress depending on the lady. They all wore confidence like armor even with the tight skirts and impossible heels. Some danced like this was center stage while others curled into the sides of men who looked like they could take on the world or a gladiator pit and win without spilling a drop of beer.
And in the midst of all of this was where I landed.
My black dress was modest compared to everyone else here. My neckline high, the hem brushing just above my knees. My hair was twisted back into a neat knot that I had thought looked nice earlier. Now, though, it made me feel like I had shown up to the wrong event. Maybe it would have been fitting for a church social or a funeral. What it didn’t do was working at a biker party. It was maybe a good outfit for a teacher, or an afternoon social.
Pretty much anywhere but here.
I hugged the wall, telling myself I was here for Lyric, to keep her safe. She had begun a recent romance with none other than our boss, Tiny. Apparently this was their night out and it was important to her. That was it, I was here for her.
It was impossible not to notice the flags on the walls, the way everyone moved together in unison, and I was the odd man out. I couldn’t help but notice the way people interacted with me, they either glanced at me with curiosity or dismissal.
Almost all of them that was.
There was one man who didn’t look away when his stare locked on me.
He leaned against a thick beam near the center of the room like he owned the place. His arms crossed over a chest that filled his leather vest perfectly. Broad shoulders with a strong jaw line shadowed in stubble. His hair just messy enough to make me think someone had been running their hands through it. Why that seemed to hit me differently I couldn’t understand.