Heathens Read online

  “Well, it'll come back to you once things settle down. I'm sure the boys could put you to work at the garage in the meantime, though,” he suggested, trying to be helpful.

  “Oh yay,” she replied sarcastically. “I just love the garage so much.”

  Dean re-entered the room, a large coffee cup in his hand and an annoyed look on his face. Tyler turned to look at him with a huge grin.

  “Morning, big guy. Ready to get to work?” Tyler asked, knowing full well he would drive the man crazy today.

  Throwing himself heavily onto the couch next to the young biker, Dean shot him a look. “So excited.”

  “You boys have fun. I'm headed to the store to pick up a few more things for the little man, so I'll see you two later.” She placed a kiss on each of their heads before grabbing her purse and exiting the apartment.

  Tyler immediately slid to the floor and pulled the first box down with him, ripping it open excitedly. “This is so cool. Who would have thought we'd be putting baby furniture together?” Dean grunted and leaned his head against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling and trying to gather some patience for the day. The other man continued to ramble, ignoring his friend's sulky nature. “Jeeze, this thing looks expensive,” he said, pulling wooden pieces of the crib out of the box.

  “It was. Ridiculously expensive. Think I paid more for that than my own bed.”

  Tyler stared in confusion at the instruction pamphlet in his hands, turning it over to double-check what he was seeing. “Uh, I don't think these directions are in English.” He furrowed his brows and looked up at the dark-haired man. “Where'd you get this stuff?”

  “Where does anybody buy anything? The internet. Lemme see.” Dean snatched the paper from the younger biker and looked it over, coming to the same conclusion he had as he looked over both French and Chinese instructions. “Well, this is gonna be interesting.”

  Two hours later, they had successfully put together nothing, much to the frustration of both men.

  “Fuck it. I'm getting a beer.” Dean got up off the floor, angrily stomping around the pieces of the crib scattered across the floor.

  “But it's like eleven in the morning.”

  “Don't care!”

  The man came back a minute later with a beer bottle in hand, settling on the couch with a sigh. He took a long sip of his drink and leaned back against the cushions tiredly. Tyler observed him from his position on the floor a few feet away, seeing the worn-out look on his face.

  “How you feeling?” he asked gently, knowing the biker would hate it if he tried to pry too much.

  Running a hand through his scruffy beard, Dean stayed silent for a moment as he contemplated his words. “Overwhelmed,” he said finally. “I already feel like I'm failing at this, and the baby isn't even here yet.”

  Tyler was surprised by his honesty and the fact that he hadn't received some sarcastic response. He leaned back against his hands and chose his own words carefully. “You're not alone, ya know? You've got Jack and you've got the club. It'll be a team effort.”

  Dean smiled slightly at the idea of a motorcycle club raising a baby together. “Yeah, the boys will be a big help, I'm sure,” he replied sarcastically, imagining some of them changing diapers. “I can tell Jackie is nervous, but she's figuring everything out just fine, and she's so excited. I'm excited too, but I just don't know that I can handle this along with all the club bullshit we've got going on right now.”

  “Don't worry, man. It'll all work out. One step at a time.”

  The pair sat in silence for a minute, both in their own heads about the future. Things were heating up for both the Macon and the Lakeside charters as the Dead Saints MC started pushing territory lines thanks to their new heroin business. Now was a terrible time to be dealing with an upcoming newborn baby.

  Sighing deeply, Dean carefully slid his way back to the floor, noting that he wasn't as young as he used to be as his joints creaked painfully. “Okay, this shit isn't gonna put itself together. Let's at least get one piece done before Jack gets home and makes fun of us.”

  3

  “I don't see why you're the one that has to keep going to Lakeside, especially since this baby could pop out at any second.”

  Dean sighed and laid his hands on Jackie's shoulders comfortingly. “Babe, I have to go because I'm very good at my job. They need the extra muscle to secure the cargo.” She cut her eyes at his weak attempt to hide their illegal activities. “And besides, the baby isn't due for another month. We've got time.” He kissed her forehead gently, knowing his travel schedule was starting to frustrate her. In reality, he enjoyed the escape from the world of babies, so he took every chance he could to volunteer his services on runs to Lakeside. The sight of baby clothes and toys strung throughout his apartment was getting him worked up. “I promise once it gets closer to the kid's arrival, I'll be here.”

  Jackie huffed but gave him a soft smile nonetheless. “I'll hold you to that promise, jerk. Be safe down there.” They kissed briefly, and then he moved off to find Nash. It wasn't long before TJ exited the clubhouse and made his way over to her.

  “I'd say you could come with us, but not sure how that baby bump would fit on the back of a bike.”

  Rolling her eyes, she smiled slightly at the man as he stopped next to her. “Thanks for calling me fat yet again, TJ.”

  “No problem, doll. Why the long face?” Ever observant, he cocked his head at her disheartened expression.

  Jackie shrugged, trying to play off her feelings of worry and doubt. “It's nothing, just getting harder to watch him ride off to do who knows what. Not knowing if he'll end up dead or arrested, or if he'll get cold feet about everything and disappear. Even if he does come back, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to handle the constant waiting and not knowing every time he leaves the house.”

  “Did you know I'm married with a kid?” Jackie's eyes grew wide at the new information, and she waited for him to elaborate. “Yeah, everyone is surprised when I tell them. We've been married for five years, met her at a bar one night and couldn't take my eyes off of her. Sarah, she's never been into the whole biker thing. Asked me to leave the club once, and when I tried to scale it back for her, she realized what a big part of me it is. Never asked again but she chooses not to get involved. For her sake and our daughter's.” Jackie was shocked once again, having never heard even a rumor about any of this. How could she not know after two years of being around him? “She's four, Lily. Real smart little thing. Gets that from her mom.”

  The pair stood for a few moments as Jackie took in the new information. TJ continued on after a moment of collecting his thoughts.

  “The whole point of me telling you this is so you know that it's doable. I spend a lot of time with the club and yeah, sometimes I have to leave town for a few days. But I always come home to her and the kid. We're a family, and we're happy. So even if you decide that the club life isn't for you, that’s okay. It's still possible to work it out.” He turned to look at her, the usual glimmer of boyish charm gone from his eyes momentarily to be replaced by complete seriousness. “I hope that you choose to stick around with us. I know it would mean a lot to Dean to have both halves together. But don't feel like that's your only option. And don't feel like he can't be in the club and have a family. He'll learn, it'll just take time.”

  Jackie smiled at him, finding a whole new level of respect for the man as they had their first-ever serious conversation together. “I really appreciate you sharing that with me, TJ. It means a lot, thank you.” She hugged him and felt his arms wrap around her in return, gripping tight.

  “Anything for you, cupcake.”

  On the other side of the lot, Dean had managed to get Nash alone for just a few seconds. “I know I don't have to ask you this, but will you look after her while I'm gone?”

  Nash smiled at the larger man, nodding his head. “You're right. You don't have to ask.”

  “I appreciate that, brother. I really do.” Dean c
lapped the man on the shoulder, ever grateful that he was surrounded by such a good group of guys. “Oh, and Fish and Murphy have been offering to help her with literally everything. Please don't leave her with them. It's not that I don't trust them, but...” he trailed off, not sure how to phrase his words without insulting his fellow bikers.

  “But they're complete morons,” Nash added with an eye roll, having no trouble speaking his mind despite his friendship with the pair.

  “Right. I know they're just trying to help, but those two fuck up everything.”

  The conversation came to a halt as Mack, Luke, and Ian exited the clubhouse with duffle bags in hand. “Time to suit up, fellas,” Ian shouted, tossing a bag to Dean before heading towards the eighteen-wheeler truck he'd be driving to Florida. “Wouldn't want to keep the ladies of Lakeside waiting.”

  Dean made his way to Jackie for the final time, placing one last kiss on her forehead. “Stick with Nash. He'll look after you.”

  “I don't need a babysitter. I'm an adult,” she grumbled in reply as the four guys mounted their bikes and Nash came to stand next to her. “But at least it's you and not Murph. I might kill myself if I was stuck with him.”

  “Yeah, he’s an acquired taste.”

  4

  The four-hour drive to Lakeside, Florida, was nothing if not dull. Especially for Ian, who usually got stuck driving the truck full of stolen cars they were carrying to the salvage yard down south. It was a very profitable business venture of theirs – steal cars in Macon, wipe them clean to make them untraceable, then deliver them to charters in neighboring states. Some vehicles were specifically picked for parts to be dismantled and then used in the garages to fix cars for profit. Others were stolen to sell outright to unsuspecting patrons.

  Other charters used this practice to make money, but none did it as well as the Macon boys. They had been doing it for years and had perfected the science of not getting caught. It was all about timing – get it in, clean it quick, and get it out. The longer it sat in the city it was stolen in, the more likely it was to be found.

  The large red and blue tractor-trailer pulled into the dirt lot behind Vic’s Automotive just after midnight, followed closely by three motorcycles. The truck came to a stuttering halt, and Ian jumped out in excitement, shaking his head clear of the cobwebs.

  “Man, that was the worst! How do people ride around in these things all day? You can’t see shit!”

  Dean rolled his eyes at the chatterbox, but couldn’t disagree with the sentiments. He had driven the truck on many occasions and, compared to a leisurely ride on his bike, the eighteen-wheeler was definitely not a walk in the park.

  Mack came to stand alongside the young biker, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “You’ll feel better once we get you a beer or four.”

  “Work first, fellas,” Vic said as he sauntered into view, flanked by a few of his guys, and approached the Macon bikers. “Then y’all are welcome to drink yourselves into a stupor for all I care.”

  The guys took a brief moment to exchange greetings, Luke and Vic then heading to the garage as the rest of the group moved towards the tractor-trailer.

  “What’d you guys bring us this time?” Finn asked, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair despite the cigarette perched between his fingers.

  Dean opened the back of the truck, revealing three covered vehicles. “F150, convertible, and a minivan just for you Jagger.” Dean smirked as the man in question rolled his eyes.

  “How do you expect me to sell a minivan, asshole? Soccer moms don’t exactly buy cars from the likes of our kind.”

  The pair hopped into the back of the truck together, pulling back the cover on the first car as Finn and Ian climbed up to join them. “I believe in you,” Dean said, tossing the plastic tarp to the side. “Hell, if this place is anything like Macon, I’m sure you can find some pretty below-board Stepford wives to take it off your hands. Besides, it’s brand new. Even has butt warmers.”

  “Butt warmers?” Mack called from where he remained outside the truck. “What kind of uppity bullshit is that?”

  “The kind of uppity bullshit that Jackie thoroughly enjoys,” Dean replied with a sigh.

  The group laughed as they set about getting the convertible unloaded. The two bikers on the ground pulled the ramp down from the back of the truck as the others set to unstrapping the car.

  “This would be a lot more efficient if we used a car trailer,” Ian said as he worked on a strap around the front. “We could get nine down here in one trip instead of three.”

  “Too visible,” Dean replied as he worked on the opposite strap. “It’s easy to match a stolen car’s description to a police report when they’re all sitting together. But there’s nothing suspicious about a standard eighteen-wheeler, so long as everything is above board with the paperwork. And stealing nine at a time would bring some very unwanted heat to the area. So this isn't as efficient, but it also keeps us from getting caught.”

  “Besides,” Finn added as he popped the strap off the back and leaned against the trunk to take a pull from his cigarette. “We don’t have the resources for more than this at once. Takes a while to move them unless you have a buyer already set up, and it’s better not to have them just sitting around looking suspicious.”

  Jagger pulled open the driver’s side door and planted himself in the front seat, grabbing the freshly made key from the dash console and starting the car up. The group in the truck moved a safe distance away before Jagger slowly drove the car down the ramp and into a nearby open garage bay. They then made quick work of both the minivan and truck, storing the cars in unused sections of the garage.

  Tyler joined them in the garage, a stack of papers in his hands. “I’ve got fake titles, fake registrations, fake transfer papers, even some fake previous owner reports. Can never be too thorough.”

  “And they’re all set to go with the DMV?” Vic asked as he approached, already knowing that Tyler would be way ahead of them.

  “Got in this morning and changed all the info, so these cars now appear entirely legit.”

  “Good, I want these out by the end of the week.” Vic made his way towards the open garage door and waved a hand in farewell. “I gotta get home, Bianca chews me out when I disappear for too long in the middle of the night.”

  The rest of the bikers howled with laughter at the married man’s sufferings, knowing full well the wrath Bianca could unleash when angry. When the charter president was gone, they headed towards the clubhouse jovially, anxious to grab a beer and chill out after the long night.

  “Please tell me you’re coming back with us tomorrow,” Dean said, looking at the young blonde man next to him. “Jackie is driving me nuts with all her weird cravings and the cleaning sprees. And she keeps asking me when you’ll be back.”

  Tyler laughed and nodded, imagining his heavily-pregnant best friend scrubbing every inch of Dean’s bachelor pad. “Yeah, she called me earlier and demanded I visit for a few days. Vic is fine with the back and forth, not like there aren’t things for me to do in both places.”

  “I could talk to Luke about getting you transferred back up to Macon if you want.”

  Shaking his head, Tyler shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans. “Nah, I like the split time. Makes me feel needed, ya know?”

  Dean grunted as they entered the clubhouse, partially wishing the man was more keen to return to his home charter. Tyler’s presence was hugely beneficial to Jackie, and therefore also beneficial to Dean. But Tyler’s happiness was much more important to Jackie than her own, and she would never ask him to give up something he wanted for her sake. For now, Dean was stuck dealing with his little family on his own.

  5

  “A little to the left... bit more... perfect!” Jackie clapped her hands together excitedly as Nash stepped back from the painting, now hanging expertly on the wall. “Honestly, you keep this up, and I'm kicking Dean out and letting you move in. He couldn't hang a picture strai
ght to save his life.”

  Nash smiled and picked up the tools from the floor. “Glad I could help. Anything else to hang up while I'm at it?”

  She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers as she tried to remember where she had stashed another framed picture. “Closet, right.” Waddling to the hall closet, she slid out a beach painting and began searching for a place to put it. In the weeks leading up to the baby's arrival, Jackie had pretty much been stuck at the apartment due to her inability to do anything at all. She had taken to decorating Dean's bachelor pad, much to his dismay. The place was now adorned with candles, pictures, and throw pillows, making it look more like a home and less like a hotel room.

  “This one would look nice in the guest bathroom.”

  Raising an eyebrow at the input, Jackie nodded briefly and followed Nash down the hall. “I have to threaten Dean to get him to do anything around here. And asking for his opinion on decorations is like asking an accountant to fix your car.”

  “Yeah, interior design isn't really his thing.”

  “But it is yours?”

  He grinned mischievously as he began marking the spots for the nails on the walls. “Don't tell anyone,” he said with a quick wink over his shoulder.

  Jackie giggled and leaned against the door frame as she watched the man work. This was basically how the last three days had been going. Dean was still in Lakeside with some of the boys, leaving her in the capable hands of Nash. She'd find menial projects or chores that Dean had never gotten around to doing, and Nash did them without complaint. She wasn't sure if it was because he just enjoyed the domestic tasks or because he was afraid she'd stand on a table to hang the pictures herself, eight-month baby bump and all.

  The relationship she had with Nash was as strong as ever. He was her rock in this crazy biker world, which sounded terrible, considering it was Dean's baby she was having. But Dean had never been much of a talker and had a minimal number of emotions he was willing to show. Thus she turned to Nash any time she needed to have a 'feelings talk,' as Dean called it. Nash was more than willing to sit quietly and listen to her ramble, for reasons she wasn't sure.