Shadowing Me
Page 13
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Sniper says nothing while he inhales his nicotine and then blows it out in Prez’s face.
“Pushing it, Sniper. You’re fuckin’ pushing it!”
Prez looks around the table for any more fuckers about to get lippy with him, but we all sit quietly. Sniper must be real hungover if he is disrespecting not only his patch, position, and Prez, but also his blood brother. I don’t even want to ask what happened between him and Piper. I honestly never wanted to before, but this proves I really don’t want to know. It must have been as bad as my night was.
“Anyfuckinwho, this shit with the Chinese happens tomorrow afternoon. I’ve called a sitdown. Believe it or not, the leader or whatever the fuck he is, sounded more American over the phone than he did Chinese. That means I won’t require a translator, so we can rule out that cost. Mr. Wong seemed very interested in our wanting to meet with him. Everyone in this club better respect him. Respect his position like you’d respect mine. You are to address him as Mr. Wong, and nothing fuckin’ else. Is that clear?”
Grumbles erupt around the table. We hate bowing down or showing respect to those we don’t know, and especially to those who haven’t earned it.
“All right, Sniper, your ass better lose this attitude you got goin’ on by tomorrow. You’re goin’. Pyro, Shadow, and Smokey, as well. Max, ZZ, Rob, and Hammer, I want your asses around the block with your ladies roaring in case this doesn’t roll smoothly. The rest of you are staying here with the family on lockdown. Not a fucking soul who doesn’t have a club patch leaves this compound without my say so. Understood?”
Acknowledgment passes through the room and the gavel slams down.
***
Chapter Seven
Tatiana
When I wake up, I feel like a semi has run over me. The pounding in my skull makes me think my brain is going to fly out of my head at any moment and kill me. My feet hit the carpet as I lower them from the bed and the softness of the plush floor feels like a heaven-sent cushion to my sore body.
Never again, and that’s that.
The night replays in my head, and I all but scream over what I can remember. I made a complete ass of myself. How am I supposed to face Shadow now? Oh, please wake up from this nightmare, Tatiana.
Jesus, my only hope is that he was drunk enough not to remember my behavior. It’s no wonder he looks at me as if I’m a kid. It is because I act like one. I know better than to do that stuff.
Why, oh, why did I do this to myself?
On top of being miserable, I feel like the world’s most childish woman. And, do I remember my dad carrying me to bed?
Oh, shit. I’m dead. Yep. No way is he going to allow me to get away with something as dumb as trying Ecstasy. My dad has only one rule. No drugs, and I broke that last night. Shit!
When I see my phone on the side table, I’m certain my dad put me to bed. This keeps getting worse. I grab it and send a text to Storm, asking how much trouble I am in.
Me: 2:23 pm – How much trouble???
Is it really after two in the afternoon? Holy crap, I lost half the day.
Storm: 2:24 pm – Not much, prob lecture
Probably? That doesn’t ease my nerves in the least.
I need to take a shower and then get things settled with my dad. I don’t want to hide from him. I’d rather get it over and done with.
***
I watch my dad clean his bike with a rag, chewing my lip as I build the courage to walk over and talk with him. I’m about to turn around and run away, when he spots me.
“Get over here, baby girl.”
My feet seem to weigh a hundred pounds. With each step closer to him, it feels like I’m using every ounce of strength I have to take the next one.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I am. It was so stupid, and I regret it.” My words rush out of my mouth.
Dad throws the rag into the bucket and pulls me into a hug, squeezing me so tight that I almost have to gasp for my next breath.
“Don’t ever do that shit again, T. I’m serious. What if something would have happened to you?” he mumbles into my hair.
Oh, god. Now I feel even worse. He’s worried, not angry.
“I swear on everything, I won’t do that ever again,” I say as I squeeze him back.
When he pulls back from me, he grasps my cheeks in his large hands, studies my face, and lets me see the pain laced in his eyes.
“You can drink, T, but no drugs, okay?”
I bring my hands up to my dad’s arms and rub them, trying to comfort him. I’ve never seen him like this. It guts me.
“I got it. I’m pretty sure I made an ass out of myself, and the way I feel right now? This is not something I want to go through again. Lesson learned the hard way.”
He seems satisfied with my answer and drops his hands from my cheeks.
“Winter was looking for you. She’s in the clubhouse.”
“I love you, Dad.”
His face lights up. “I love you, too, kiddo, but don’t fuckin’ scare your old man like that again, okay?”
I cross my heart before walking towards the old building. I make a mental note to bake my dad some chocolate chip cookies, or at least go buy some. It has been our thing for as long as I can remember. When we’re upset or mad at one another, chocolate chip cookies are our medium.
The oppressive heat outside only makes my awful hangover worse. As I open the door, and the chilled air from inside the building hits me, I feel a million times better.
I spot Winter at the bar wiping the counter down.
“Pushing it, Sniper. You’re fuckin’ pushing it!”
Prez looks around the table for any more fuckers about to get lippy with him, but we all sit quietly. Sniper must be real hungover if he is disrespecting not only his patch, position, and Prez, but also his blood brother. I don’t even want to ask what happened between him and Piper. I honestly never wanted to before, but this proves I really don’t want to know. It must have been as bad as my night was.
“Anyfuckinwho, this shit with the Chinese happens tomorrow afternoon. I’ve called a sitdown. Believe it or not, the leader or whatever the fuck he is, sounded more American over the phone than he did Chinese. That means I won’t require a translator, so we can rule out that cost. Mr. Wong seemed very interested in our wanting to meet with him. Everyone in this club better respect him. Respect his position like you’d respect mine. You are to address him as Mr. Wong, and nothing fuckin’ else. Is that clear?”
Grumbles erupt around the table. We hate bowing down or showing respect to those we don’t know, and especially to those who haven’t earned it.
“All right, Sniper, your ass better lose this attitude you got goin’ on by tomorrow. You’re goin’. Pyro, Shadow, and Smokey, as well. Max, ZZ, Rob, and Hammer, I want your asses around the block with your ladies roaring in case this doesn’t roll smoothly. The rest of you are staying here with the family on lockdown. Not a fucking soul who doesn’t have a club patch leaves this compound without my say so. Understood?”
Acknowledgment passes through the room and the gavel slams down.
***
Chapter Seven
Tatiana
When I wake up, I feel like a semi has run over me. The pounding in my skull makes me think my brain is going to fly out of my head at any moment and kill me. My feet hit the carpet as I lower them from the bed and the softness of the plush floor feels like a heaven-sent cushion to my sore body.
Never again, and that’s that.
The night replays in my head, and I all but scream over what I can remember. I made a complete ass of myself. How am I supposed to face Shadow now? Oh, please wake up from this nightmare, Tatiana.
Jesus, my only hope is that he was drunk enough not to remember my behavior. It’s no wonder he looks at me as if I’m a kid. It is because I act like one. I know better than to do that stuff.
Why, oh, why did I do this to myself?
On top of being miserable, I feel like the world’s most childish woman. And, do I remember my dad carrying me to bed?
Oh, shit. I’m dead. Yep. No way is he going to allow me to get away with something as dumb as trying Ecstasy. My dad has only one rule. No drugs, and I broke that last night. Shit!
When I see my phone on the side table, I’m certain my dad put me to bed. This keeps getting worse. I grab it and send a text to Storm, asking how much trouble I am in.
Me: 2:23 pm – How much trouble???
Is it really after two in the afternoon? Holy crap, I lost half the day.
Storm: 2:24 pm – Not much, prob lecture
Probably? That doesn’t ease my nerves in the least.
I need to take a shower and then get things settled with my dad. I don’t want to hide from him. I’d rather get it over and done with.
***
I watch my dad clean his bike with a rag, chewing my lip as I build the courage to walk over and talk with him. I’m about to turn around and run away, when he spots me.
“Get over here, baby girl.”
My feet seem to weigh a hundred pounds. With each step closer to him, it feels like I’m using every ounce of strength I have to take the next one.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I am. It was so stupid, and I regret it.” My words rush out of my mouth.
Dad throws the rag into the bucket and pulls me into a hug, squeezing me so tight that I almost have to gasp for my next breath.
“Don’t ever do that shit again, T. I’m serious. What if something would have happened to you?” he mumbles into my hair.
Oh, god. Now I feel even worse. He’s worried, not angry.
“I swear on everything, I won’t do that ever again,” I say as I squeeze him back.
When he pulls back from me, he grasps my cheeks in his large hands, studies my face, and lets me see the pain laced in his eyes.
“You can drink, T, but no drugs, okay?”
I bring my hands up to my dad’s arms and rub them, trying to comfort him. I’ve never seen him like this. It guts me.
“I got it. I’m pretty sure I made an ass out of myself, and the way I feel right now? This is not something I want to go through again. Lesson learned the hard way.”
He seems satisfied with my answer and drops his hands from my cheeks.
“Winter was looking for you. She’s in the clubhouse.”
“I love you, Dad.”
His face lights up. “I love you, too, kiddo, but don’t fuckin’ scare your old man like that again, okay?”
I cross my heart before walking towards the old building. I make a mental note to bake my dad some chocolate chip cookies, or at least go buy some. It has been our thing for as long as I can remember. When we’re upset or mad at one another, chocolate chip cookies are our medium.
The oppressive heat outside only makes my awful hangover worse. As I open the door, and the chilled air from inside the building hits me, I feel a million times better.
I spot Winter at the bar wiping the counter down.
