Heathens Page 6

  “Let’s move out, boys. Say goodbye to our new friends.”

  13

  The cries of a newborn baby filled the air in the tiny, one-bedroom apartment. Dean to cringe as he hurried into the living room that was currently also serving as a makeshift nursery for Oliver.

  “C’mon little man, give it a rest.” He picked up the chubby, dark-haired baby from the crib, cradling him in the crook of one arm as he headed back to the bedroom. “You’re killin’ my ears.” Dean bounced the baby distractedly as he grabbed his small duffle bag from the closet and tossed it on the bed.

  “Going somewhere?” Jackie asked as she emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. “And why isn’t he asleep?” She walked over to the biker to take the crying baby from him. “It’s way past your bedtime, buddy.” Holding Oliver to her chest, she made little noises at him as he quieted slightly. She turned her attention back to Dean as the baby settled, eyeing him suspiciously. “Where are you off to so late?”

  “Another car run to Lakeside,” he replied gruffly, shaking the hair out of his face.

  Jackie rocked the sniffling baby in her arms as he wrapped his tiny fingers into her long, mahogany-toned tresses. “You’ve only been home for a week. Can’t someone else go this time?”

  He continued to pack, not looking up from the clothes in his hand as he stuffed them into his bag haphazardly. “They need the muscle in case things go sideways. Gotta protect the merchandise.”

  “And Mack can’t do that? Nash? Any of the other guys without a newborn?” she asked impatiently, knowing he was probably volunteering for the trips as an excuse to get away. The nights had been sleepless as Oliver refused to find a consistent schedule to take his naps, leaving the two parents up at all hours.

  Dean sighed, finally turning to look at her. “What do you want me to say? They need me to go, so I’m going.”

  “And I need you here.”

  Both she and the baby stared at him with their big, brown eyes, giving him an almost pitiful look. He hated to leave her to struggle on her own, but between the baby and all of the issues the Kings were currently facing, he needed to get a break somewhere.

  He sighed, reluctantly trying to offer a compromise. “Look, next time I’ll ask Luke if I can skip out, okay?” Dean kissed her forehead, then Oliver’s. “But I gotta go right now. I’ll have Nash come give you a hand tomorrow.”

  Dean was out the door before she could make any response, not that it came as any surprise to her. He was trying to help, but his patience, or lack thereof, was usually his downfall when it came to dealing with a baby. And when he didn’t know what to do, he always managed to find a way to escape the situation. Jackie wasn’t as lucky since somebody had to keep things under control, or else they’d all be in trouble.

  She sighed and looked down at their baby, who simply stared back at her with eyes just like his father. “What are you looking at?” Jackie asked sarcastically, heading back to the living room to sit by the crib. “Looks like it’s just you and me tonight. Again.” She turned on the television, stifling a yawn as she grabbed the remote. “Let’s find some trashy tv to watch until we fall asleep.” Making herself comfortable in Dean’s oversized chair, she flipped through the channels until she found something that interested her. “Real Housewives?” She glanced down at the baby, who seemed content with the selection as he snuggled into her chest. “Good choice, big guy.” Twenty minutes into the show, both occupants of the soft, beat-up recliner were fast asleep.

  14

  Dean gave a tired sigh as he stood in the hall bathroom at the Lakeside clubhouse the next morning. Splashing water on his face, he tried to rid himself of the exhaustion that dealing with a newborn brought him. Oliver had yet to sleep through an entire night, and it was seriously starting to affect both mother and father. Their relationship had been tense, to say the least, after the initial cute factor of having a baby had worn off. It didn't help that Dean had also taken to spending the night at the clubhouse occasionally in favor of going home. That fact was a constant ignition point for an argument, and Dean was left wondering what he had gotten himself into.

  He exited the bathroom finally and approached the bar, immediately being offered a drink by a grinning Jagger. “Fatherhood isn’t all that it's cracked up to be, huh?”

  “I'm so fucking tired, still couldn’t sleep last night,” Dean replied, laying his head down on his arms on top of the bar. “The stupid kid won't sleep more than an hour or two before he starts screaming his damn head off again. Sounds just like his mother sometimes.”

  Mack and Benz both gave a chuckle from their positions on the couch as Jagger sat down next to his friend at the bar with a smirk. “I see you two are getting along nicely.”

  “Man, we're just both so out of our element. We don't know shit about taking care of a baby. Seems like we're doing everything wrong, then we just blame each other.”

  “But the sex is still good, though, right?”

  “What sex?” Dean cut his eyes at the Hispanic man, his expression grim. “Haven't touched her in a month.”

  Jagger choked on his beer, coughing as he patted his friend on the shoulder. “Tough break, man. I’m sure I could find you-”

  “No.”

  “But I-”

  “No.”

  Jagger stared hopefully at his dear friend, wanting to help him out any way he could. “C’mon man. One little tryst never hurt anybody.”

  Raising his eyebrows, Dean leaned against the bar with a knowing smirk. “Have you met Jackie? She’d slit my throat in my sleep if she found out.”

  Laughter filled the clubhouse, courtesy of the guys on the couch. Pondering the thought for a moment, Jagger nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, no. You’re right. Best not to tempt her.”

  Dean grunted and stood from the barstool, beer in hand. “I’m gonna go check on Elijah.”

  He headed outside, enjoying the overcast weather that accompanied the eleven o’clock hour. The garage loomed ahead, a much quieter and professional vibe emanating from it than the shop at home. The business in Macon was definitely a bit more shoddy since nobody cared to give excellent customer service or keep up with the paperwork.

  Entering the nearest garage bay, he tried to ignore the pounding headache growing behind his eyes as he looked for his prospect. He found nobody except Johnny, one of the Lakeside bikers, who greeted him upon sight.

  “You look like shit, man,” Johnny said jokingly as he stood from his crouched position by a car he was working on. Cigarette dangling from his mouth, he took in the appearance of the man in front of him with a critical eye.

  Dean snorted but nodded in agreement. “Yeah, thanks. Feel like shit too.”

  “Dad life got you down?”

  “Dad life, club life. Too much shit going on.”

  Johnny nodded his head, knowing how easily life could overwhelm a person. “That’s rough, I feel ya. You look like you could use a vacation.” He paused briefly, glancing around at the empty garage bays. “Or at least a little pick me.”

  Instantly knowing what the man was referring to, Dean looked at him wearily. “Nah, I kicked that habit a long time ago.”

  The Lakeside biker shrugged, holding out his hands. “Hey, that’s cool. Wish I could say the same. Sometimes I just need to take the edge off, though.”

  Dean nodded, contemplating this new information as he stared at his beat-up work boots. “You got something with you?” he asked quietly, immediately regretting the question.

  Reaching into the pocket of his blue jeans, Johnny pulled out a small bag of white powder. “Always keep a little something nearby. But hey, you sure you want this?” He now stared at Dean with furrowed brows, not wanting to push someone into a past vice.

  The small, clear package looked innocent enough, but Dean was all too aware of the damage it could cause.

  But he was also aware of the relief it provided, from stress, from life, from problems far beyond one’s control.
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br />   Johnny moved to put the bag back in its original place, but Dean stopped him. “No, I’ll take it. Just in case, ya know?”

  With a knowing look, the older biker handed the item over, watching as Dean quickly shoved it into his pocket.

  “Right.”

  15

  “Where do you need me?”

  A barely-awake Nash stood in the door to the apartment, his broad shoulders blocking out most of the available space. He hadn’t even taken the time to throw on proper clothes, sporting a ragged pair of basketball shorts and an Atlanta Falcons t-shirt despite the cool temperatures of the January morning.

  “Nowhere,” Jackie replied with a soft smile, knowing Dean had called in the favor last night to have Nash check up on her.

  “Well, Dean said you needed help, so here I am.”

  She huffed in response, moving out of the way to allow the biker to enter the apartment. “Yeah, I need help from a supportive partner in raising our child. But I appreciate you coming over anyways.”

  Nash shrugged off her thanks and took in the sight of the cluttered living room. “Looks like a tornado blew through here,” he grunted, moving a few baby toys off the side with his foot as he tried to make himself a path to the crib.

  “It’s the maid’s day off,” Jackie replied with a mock glare. “But feel free to tidy up if you’d like.”

  Leaning over the edge of the enclosure, he found Oliver laying happily with a stuffed zebra. Grinning up at his favorite biker, Oliver reached out his chubby baby arms to allow Nash to pick him up out of the crib and hold him to his chest. “What’s up, little man?” he asked quietly, his gravelly voice barely audible to anyone except the baby as he continued talking to him.

  “Well, since you’ve got that under control, I’ll just be over here,” Jackie said sarcastically, knowing she was talking to herself as the two boys bonded. She headed to the washer and dryer, tucked neatly into a closet off the main hall. Dumping the dry clothes into a basket, she transferred the wet clothes into the dryer and started it up.

  Walking into the living room, she laughed as she saw Nash lying on the floor with Oliver high above his head, giggling. Jackie sat down on the couch with the basket full of clean laundry and pulled out a shirt to fold.

  “I’ve been thinking about going back to work.” At his questioning look, she continued with a shrug. “I mean, I can tell how stressed Dean is, and if I could at least help out financially, it might take some of the weight off his shoulders.”

  “Do it if you want,” he grunted quietly, raising the baby up and down, much to Oliver’s delight. “But don’t do it cause you feel like you owe him. He’s a big boy. He can figure it out.”

  She stacked several of Dean’s plain black t-shirts off to the side, next to a pile of colorful onesies. “I know, but we need a bigger place, and Ollie is only going to get more expensive as he grows out of his clothes every two weeks. I want to help out.”

  Nash laid the baby on his chest and looked up at the woman. “Have you done any more paintings?”

  Jackie snorted, raising a brow in his direction. “With what time? This baby doesn’t give me an ounce of peace. Besides, they’re not exactly flying off the shelves at the gallery. Don’t think she’ll want me taking up space there much longer. I was going to go hit up the diner, see if I could get my old job back. At least being on my feet all day would help shed the last of this baby weight.”

  “And what are you gonna do with Ollie while you’re at work?”

  She paused, not really having thought that far ahead. “Well… maybe I can alternate my schedule with Dean’s so he can watch him a few nights.” Nash barked a laugh at Dean getting stuck alone with the baby for long periods of time. “Or-” she glared, knowing what he was thinking, “maybe I can take him with me to the diner. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

  “Talk to Charlotte, the new prospect’s wife. She stays home with their little one most days. Maybe she could watch Ollie for cheap.”

  "Yeah, that’s a good idea. I might have to call her if I can’t work something out.”

  “Just don’t stress yourself out. I’m worried about you.” He sat up gently, the baby cradled to his chest with a tenderness that did not match his hard exterior, as she continued to fold the laundry. “You’re stretching yourself too thin. You need to focus on you for a bit, do something for you for once.”

  Jackie smiled at him warmly as she finished folding a pair of jeans. “Going back to work is doing something for me. I can’t just sit around the house all day and live off of Dean’s income. If he bails or gets arrested, I’d be screwed. I need to make my own money, support myself.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” he replied, watching her carefully as he stood up with the baby. “Now, put me to work since I’m here.”

  “You just entertain the baby, I’ll do the rest of it.”

  He rocked the baby with one arm as he waved his other. “I don’t need both hands for that, what do you want me to do with this one?”

  Jackie laughed but was glad that Nash was so willing to help out. “I guess if you really feel like doing something, you can clean up in here.”

  Glancing around, he scrunched up his face. “Is this supposed to be the living room or the Ollie’s room?” he asked skeptically, tossing some stuffed animals into a basket off to the side of the room.

  She snorted, putting the baby’s newly folded clothes into a small dresser behind the couch. “Both. The joys of Dean’s one-bedroom bachelor pad.”

  Nash grunted, bouncing the happy baby resting on his shoulder. “Well, not like he had any need for a second bedroom up until two months ago.”

  “I keep telling him we need a bigger place. This is ridiculous, the baby needs his own room, especially since he has more stuff than I do. But Dean keeps brushing off the subject. I’m sure because he doesn’t even want to think about paying for anything more expensive.”

  “Could always move into the clubhouse,” he replied with a grin, knowing full well she would never do such a thing unless absolutely necessary.

  “Might as well, would probably see more of Dean if I did. I swear he spends twice as much time there as he does at home.” Nash kept quiet, contemplating her words as she continued. “I don’t blame him for wanting to get away, but at the same time, it leaves me with all the work, ya know?”

  He rolled his eyes, not exactly surprised that things were getting off to a rough start. He had hoped that Dean would put a bit more effort into fatherhood. “There’s some shit going on with the club. I think it has him a little rattled and more stressed out than usual.” When Jackie looked at him with a curious expression, Nash took a second to choose his words cautiously. “There’s another crew trying to move in on our territory. Nothing serious to worry about at the moment, but it could become an issue.”

  She mulled over his words for a minute, hoping he wasn’t hiding anything from her just so she wouldn’t freak out. “Dean gonna have to do his thing?” she asked softly, still not comfortable with the idea.

  Nash shrugged, knowing he had to be honest with her to keep her trust. “Maybe, but we’re hoping it doesn’t come to that. He and a few of the boys raided one of their drug houses the other day. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll take the hint, and that’ll be the end of it.”

  “Do you think they’ll actually back off?” she asked bluntly, taking advantage of Nash’s willingness to be straight with her.

  “Probably not.”

  16

  Music blared out of the busy garage bays at Eastside Mechanics as the guys worked steadily on the continuous flow of cars moving in and out of the shop. Dean and the new prospect Elijah had spent the better part of the morning completely dismantling the engine of a beat-up Honda Civic. Murphy and Ian were in separate bays with their own projects, getting basic oil changes and tire rotations in and out as fast as possible.

  Business had been good lately, thanks mostly to Luke’s management of customer relations
. Dean was more than pleased to be making some extra cash, despite going home spent after a long day only to get up and do the same the next. The money helped alleviate some of the financial strain of having a newborn. Still, the added hours at the garage made for an exhausted and uninvolved father. Things at home had been tense as of late, leading Dean to actually enjoy being at work instead.

  “Yo, Dean,” Ian shouted, causing the man to stop his work and look up. “We got company.” He gestured to the car that had just pulled into the lot.

  Two smartly dressed men stepped out of the black sedan, gold badges shining brightly on their belts. The car and the demeanor screamed that these weren't just some local detectives, which meant real trouble.

  “Eli, go find Luke,” Dean said lowly, and the prospect nodded sharply, taking off towards the clubhouse as Dean exited the garage. Ian and Murphy were two steps behind him, just in case shit went down.

  “Morning, fellas,” Ian said with an extra layer of fake charm in his voice and his usual dazzling smile. “If y'all are looking for an oil change, it'll be about an hour wait.”

  “No, thank you,” the dark-haired man offered politely, a stark contrast to his equally dark eyes that were assessing each biker individually. He had a very intense presence about him, making two of the three men quite uneasy. Dean, on the other hand, simply crossed his massive, tattooed arms over his chest, a steely expression on his face as the newcomers pulled out their identification. “I'm Agent Diaz, and this is my partner Agent Malloy.” Diaz gestured to the tall, blonde man beside him, who remained silent as he stared at the bikers, seemingly unimpressed. “We're with the FBI.”

  Dean was equally unimpressed, but his sarcastic response was cut off as Elijah exited the clubhouse with Luke. The pair approached quickly, Luke smiling at the agents warmly. “How can we help you, gentlemen?” he asked, his average white-collar persona shining through his equally average white-collar appearance.