“This Skull X group,” he said. “Was Endo involved there?”
“I don’t know. I only saw him with Rocky and Stoney. I’m not even sure the rest of the Red Aces knew Endo. And obviously it was all a secret from your boss. So I don’t know what to think.”
“That’s all family shit,” Tripp said. “Bad family shit. It doesn’t take much for them to kill each other. And depending on what you did depends on if you even get a fucking funeral.”
“Then why are you involved?” I asked. “You’re a good fighter, right? Can’t you do something else? Fight for real?”
“Real? So what I do isn’t real? You and me right now? This isn’t real?”
Tripp moved out of the bed. I grabbed the sheet and tried to go after him, almost spilling coffee on myself.
“Tripp! No. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant like, you know, legal fighting.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “If I tried to leave Aldo, he’d have me killed. Simple as that. Plus, why would I want legit?” Tripp looked back at me. “I like fighting the way I do. Knowing that there’s no rules. Knowing that there’s death waiting. It’s like a drug to me. I told you. I’m no good. I’m street trash. A thug.”
“Stop saying that,” I said. I finally got out of the damn bed. I put my coffee down and walked to Tripp. I let the sheet fall from my body, standing there completely naked. I pressed my breasts to his back and kissed him. “You are nothing bad. You are all good, I swear. I’m sorry I said anything, Tripp. I just want to find an answer out of this.”
Tripp turned and faced me. His hands touched my waist, sending warmth everywhere. “I don’t know if there is an answer, darling. One thing I need to do… I need to talk to Stoney again. I need to get to Skull X and see what they know.”
“They won’t tell you anything. They’ll kill you.”
“They like to fight, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So do I. I’ll fight it out of them.”
“That’s cocky and cute at the same time,” I said. I dug my hands into his back. “I really like you, Tripp. I mean, aside from you throwing me into a wall, beating up my best friend’s boyfriend, twice, and me almost getting blown up, hiding in a motel, and confessing everything to you. It’s been… nice.”
“No it hasn’t,” Tripp said. “This situation is bad. But us together. Yeah, that’s nice.”
We kissed. So soft. So romantic.
“I hate to fucking say this,” Tripp said, “but you need to put on some clothes.”
I backed away from him, grinning. I slipped my hands over my breasts and just stood there. Anytime I had to deal with taking my clothes off, I was numb. I taught myself to be numb. It was easier that way. The thing with Tripp though was that he was far too real to feel numb around. I was standing there, touching myself. I felt sexy. Alive.
Even if we were just messing with expiring time.
~
Harlan jumped from the top of a picnic table. He threw a cigarette to the ground and embers danced along the pavement. He blew his smoke with a curled lip. His face was looking better now, but there were still some yellow fading bruises from where Tripp had gotten him.
“Round three?” Tripp asked as he walked by, holding my hand.
“Fuck you,” Harlan said.
He turned and walked away.
I didn’t know how Tripp could walk the way he did. Without fear, worry, even care. I mean, the Red Aces weren’t exactly the biggest MC in the world, but they were powerful. There were bodies of their enemies buried too close for comfort.
Stoney came walking from the back of the compound, wiping his hands with a towel.
“Didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Stoney said. “Figured you’d be making your calls and…”
The second Stoney got within range, Tripp grabbed him by his leather cut. I screamed and watched in horror as Tripp spun Stoney around and put him against a pole that was part of a canopy off the back of the clubhouse.
Stoney put his hands out.
There were ten guys charging toward Tripp, guns drawn, ready to take him out.
“No!” I yelled.
“You’re not going to have to them shoot me,” Tripp said. “So call them off.”
Stoney grinned. “Mind getting your fucking hands off me first?”
Tripp backed away.
One of Rocky’s friends, Pat, put a gun to the back of Tripp’s skull. “Stupid asshole.”
“Pull the trigger,” Tripp said. “Trust me, brother, do it.”
“Brother?”
“That’s good,” Stoney said. “Everyone stand down.” A few seconds later Stoney bellowed, “I said STAND DOWN!”
All the guys backed away and put their weapons away.
“I want everyone inside. This is personal business.”
“Boss,” Pat said. “If he…”
“Pat, get the hell out of my face,” Stoney said. “Or I will shoot you.”
Everyone cleared out.
Tripp looked at me and nodded.
I had no idea what he was planning on doing.
“Did you call Aldo?” Stoney said.
“No,” Tripp said. “You want to be afraid, be afraid. But I need to know what happened.”
“You know,” Stoney said.
“I know about the baby. What happened with Endo.”