Biker Bully Page 6

  Throwing the half-finished cigarette to the floor, he ignored the woman’s cry at him wasting valuable nicotine and walked in.

  What he saw, well, Chloe shouldn’t ever have to see anything like this.

  Kurt, for Eagle’s pleasure, was dressed in a maid’s outfit while a naked woman, he didn’t know who, spanked him, and kept on hitting him as he cleaned the floor with a toothbrush.

  “Geez,” Ian said, pulling out his cell phone.

  “Are you fucking serious right now? Don’t ever show club shit outside. You fucking asshole.”

  This was going to be forever burned on his retinas. He didn’t need to see this.

  As he entered the clubhouse, his father was sitting back in his own private booth, smoking. He took a long pull on his cigarette, tilted his head back, and blew out rings of smoke.

  “Hey, Eagle,” Alfie said, taking a seat. “What’s going on?”

  “I needed some entertainment, and Kurt, he was happy to provide it.”

  There was a sudden cry of pain, and Alfie looked to see another woman with a whip.

  “Do all the guys get this for stepping out on their woman?” Alfie asked.

  “Are you questioning me again, boy?” Eagle asked.

  “No, but I think a couple of the guys will be wondering what all this is about.” Alfie didn’t know if he was speaking the truth or not. He knew he’d be wanting to know if this would be the punishment now for all.

  “Well, it’s up to them and their dick what they do. It’s my job to do this and to serve justice.”

  “Is it because it’s Lily?” Alfie asked.

  Eagle glared at him. “Why are you in my club? You’re not a prospect yet nor a patched in member. You’re ruining my buzz.”

  “I came for food.”

  Eagle reached into his pocket. “Here, take some money. Get the fuck out, now.”

  There was at least three hundred dollars, and Alfie had every intention of keeping it all.

  Leaving the clubhouse, he thought about his father’s little obsession with Lily. It hadn’t just started up but had been growing for some time. For all Alfie knew, it could have started years ago, before Kurt even joined the club.

  “So, are we going to do some planning of what is to happen next?” Ian asked.

  “He’s already the talk of the high school. People are wanting to know what’s going to happen. They don’t for a second believe you’ve got the hots for Chloe.”

  “Of course I haven’t. That would be fucking crazy. I’ve got plans, but no one, not even you guys, are going to hear about them. She doesn’t believe me. I’ve got to break away from the short path,” Alfie said.

  They made their way to the diner, and while his buddies picked a seat, he ordered them a couple of pizzas and fries. Taking a seat, he saw Ian and Riley waiting.

  “You’ve given this some thought?”

  “Why not? I’m sick and tired of people believing she’s this sweet little girl, and I don’t care what she says. She thinks she’s better than us. Well, let’s see the little princess fall. You’re going to have to follow my lead and not question my methods.”

  “As if we’d do that,” Ian said.

  “You do it all the time.”

  The pizza arrived. Alfie took a large slice and bit into it, moaning as the flavors exploded on his tongue. He was fucking starving.

  “This may mean I won’t be hanging out with you guys so much either.”

  “Suits me. I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes. It’s going to be fucking epic.”

  Chapter Five

  “I’m sorry about the spa day,” Lily said.

  “Mom, this is just as awesome.” Chloe slipped her finger across the spoon. It was covered in melted chocolate. Rather than have a spa day, as they couldn’t afford it because her mother no longer wanted to rely on Kurt, her mother had taken her for new boots, and they’d decided to stay in and make cupcakes.

  Lily rarely baked anymore, but when she did it was a treat.

  “Stop stealing all the chocolate,” Lily said. “There won’t be enough for the frosting.”

  Chloe stepped away from the counter and held her hands up. “I need to stop eating it. It tastes so good.”

  “How is school? You haven’t said anything recently.”

  For the past two weeks, Alfie had stayed by her side nonstop, at least when he could. They didn’t share all the same classes. It was nice to have someone near, but at the same time, she knew something was up.

  “It was okay, you know.”

  “I know that sound. What’s bugging you, sweetie?” Lily asked.

  She didn’t want to get Alfie into trouble, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.

  “Alfie.”

  “Do I need to go and kick his father’s ass?” Lily asked.

  “No. No.” The memory of Alfie taking a spanking was all too much for her to bear. She didn’t want to get anyone else into trouble and Alfie may not like her, but she had nothing against him. “It’s fine. Really. For the most part I mean. It’s just, he’s being nice to me.”

  “And this is a problem?”

  “Kind of. Don’t you think it’s a little strange that the guy who likes to bully me suddenly wants to be friends?” Chloe asked.

  “You don’t think he’s just listened to his father this time?”

  Chloe shrugged. “I don’t know. What if it’s not though? What if he’s planning something horrible?”

  “Have I turned you into this nervous person who believes the bad in everyone?” Lily said, approaching her. She pushed some hair off her shoulders.

  “No. No. I know Alfie and his little clique, and I know me. I don’t know. Maybe I’m obsessing a little too much, do you think?”

  “I personally think it’s good to obsess, but so long as that brat is not spoiling my daughter, I don’t care.” Lily hugged her as the doorbell rang. “You go and answer that while I finish up the cupcakes.”

  Lily ruffled her hair, and Chloe was smiling as she answered the door.

  Alfie was standing there, arms folded, looking a little nervous.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He’d never been around her house.

  “What does it look like? I decided to call on you.”

  “Now, I don’t get this. It’s kind of creepy. You don’t just call around for someone you don’t like,” she said. The words were having absolutely no filter, and she was just blurting them out without a care in the world.

  She did care. A lot.

  Alfie gripped the edges of the doorway.

  She could slam the door closed and poof, fingers gone. Regardless of what happened the other day, she didn’t believe in violence.

  “Who said I didn’t like you?”

  “Years and years of hatred.”

  “Ah, but in all those years did I ever say the words, ‘I hate you, Chloe’?”

  “You just did.”

  “Doesn’t count.”

  “What do you want, Alfie?” she asked.

  “How about we hang out? Spend some time together.”

  “Not going to happen,” she said.

  “Who is it?” Lily asked, coming up behind her. “Oh, Alfie, honey, you’re here.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Decker. I’m sorry to just arrive like this, but I was hoping to take Chloe out for a little bit.”

  “I’ve told him no,” Chloe said.

  “Why would you do that?” Lily asked.

  “I don’t want to go, and no one can make me.” She looked toward Alfie. “I already made plans.”

  “Well, how about he joins us?” Lily said.

  “Mom!”

  “I’d love that, Mrs. Decker.”

  “Come on in then, Alfie, wash your hands. We’re in the kitchen.”

  Chloe’s mouth dropped open. She was pissed off, angry. “What the hell?” she asked, closing the door.

  “Keep your voice down,” Lily said.

  �
�I don’t want him here, Mom.”

  “Look, you don’t think he’s changed and something is up. I trust my daughter, and this is my way of seeing if it’s true and helping you. I don’t like how you’re pushing everyone away in your life.”

  “This is insane. You know that, right? He’s Eagle’s kid?”

  “Eagle’s a good man.”

  “Please.” She hadn’t told anyone about the beating Alfie had gotten.

  “I’m going to be here the entire time, Chloe. Trust me, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you. I love you.” Lily leaned in close and kissed the corner of her mouth.

  “Fine. Fine. If he irritates me once, he’s gone.”

  “It’s your home, honey. I’m just here to make sure you don’t do anything naughty.”

  “Mom, that’s not ever going to happen. Trust me.”

  “I do. Always.”

  They entered the kitchen, and Alfie was in fact standing at the sink, doing the dishes.

  “Isn’t that nice of him? Thank you, Alfie. We were going to go to the spa today, but we settled on baking anyway. We’ve been using up the last of my supplies.” Lily went to the small pantry she had, opening it up.

  “Smells good.” He finished washing up a dish and dried his hands on a cloth.

  “Why don’t you try one? I rarely bake for anyone but Chloe.”

  Chloe grabbed a towel and began to dry the dishes.

  Her gaze stayed on him because even if her mother trusted him, she didn’t.

  Eighteen years they’d known each other, since birth. According to her father, they’d once shared a crib, but that was it. She had no good memories with this guy.

  Alfie bit into a cupcake and moaned. “Fuck.”

  “Language,” Lily said.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Decker. They’re so good.” He took another bite.

  “Please, call me Lily. I don’t like the whole Mrs. Decker thing. Not anymore. Excuse me.”

  Chloe watched as her mother left the kitchen, her heart breaking for her mother.

  “I’m sorry,” Alfie said.

  “It’s fine.”

  “She’s taking the breakup really hard?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Didn’t she instigate it?” Alfie asked.

  “Doesn’t mean she stopped loving him. She does, but it’s hard for her now because there’s no coming back from it.” She sighed. “Why are you here?”

  “I knew you didn’t trust me.”

  “Alfie, it’s going to take a lot more than classroom buddies, and scrubbing off insults from my locker for me to believe you’re not up to something.”

  “And you think I’m the bad person.”

  “What do you want? You’ve never called here before, and yet here you are. What gives?”

  “Nothing gives. I figured you didn’t believe me, so I’m here to clear a few things up.”

  “Those things being?” she asked.

  “I want us to be friends. I want us to start over. Clean slate. From the beginning. We weren’t always enemies.”

  Again, she thought back to the time of his spanking.

  They’d never talked about what they’d seen or what he’d been through.

  She ran fingers through her hair, glancing around the kitchen. This was supposed to be a day with her and her mother.

  “I think you should go.”

  “I won’t upset her okay. I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

  Chloe frowned. “Don’t you have an entire clubhouse full of people?”

  “Yeah, and you think they want an eighteen-year-old kid hanging around?”

  “Shouldn’t you be jumping through all of their bullshit hoops for them?”

  He chuckled. “I only get the pleasure of doing that when I graduate high school.”

  She wanted to kick him out, but if she did that, her mother would question her, and then she’d have to go through an entire explanation of why she’d done it.

  “Fine. But don’t hurt her again. Call her Lily.”

  “Will do.” He put his fingers to his head and saluted her.

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She left Alfie alone with the cupcakes in the kitchen to find her mother in the bathroom.

  “You okay?” Chloe asked.

  Lily looked up, swiping away her tears. “Yes and no. I love him so much.”

  “Then go and fix this.”

  “No. It’s completely over now.”

  “It can’t be. Not with the way this is all making you feel.” She knelt down on the floor, putting her hands on her mother’s knees. “Talk to me, Mom.”

  “I don’t want you to hate him. Your father and I, we’re through. We’re so through. I don’t want to affect your relationship with him. I will be fine one day. I don’t know if I’m getting all emotional because it’s your father, or because I know I failed.”

  “You didn’t fail.”

  “I did. I should have seen the moment he ran, the instant they branded him a coward, that it was never going to be the same.” Her mother sniffled. “It hasn’t been the same, you know. Something is missing. It will always be missing.”

  She moved up and hugged her. “You’ll always have me.”

  “The best part about any friendship.” Lily stroked her hair. “Now, you go downstairs and make sure that boy doesn’t eat all the cupcakes. Ask him if he’s staying for dinner.”

  Chloe groaned. “Do I have to?”

  “Yes. It’s only fair you do.” Lily cupped her cheeks. “This is a chance for you to have a fresh start.”

  She wished she had her mother’s kind of enthusiasm. She didn’t.

  Getting to her feet, she found Alfie eating another cupcake in the kitchen. Gathering her hair up into a bun, she secured it with a clip.

  “You’re liking the food?” she asked.

  “They’re the best.”

  “How many have you eaten?”

  Alfie looked a little guilty, and it was the cutest sight she’d ever seen.

  “Erm, I don’t know. I lost count. Should I not have?”

  “No, it’s fine.” Chloe opened the pantry door to find the flour had dropped off the top shelf and spilled to the floor. “Shoot.”

  “What is it?” Lily asked, entering the kitchen.

  “We lost our last bag of flour.”

  “Here, go and get some more,” Lily said, grabbing her purse.

  “Mom, we were only supposed to be using up.”

  “I know, and we’ve got a couple of other things to use up before they go out of date. Please, head to the store. I’ll clean up the mess, and finish those dishes. Alfie, will you go with her?”

  “Of course.”

  Chloe wanted to curse a little more, but instead, forced a smile to her lips and grabbed her jacket. It was cold out.

  Leaving her home with Alfie was weird. Stepping out onto the street, she could imagine all the curtains twitching and the topic of conversation being Alfie and her, alone together.

  When she glanced toward him, he seemed calm. His hands were in his jeans, his jacket like a neon sign.

  It wasn’t a proper leather cut, but it was what most of the Satan’s Crew MC kids wore. Anyone who saw it knew he belonged to the club, and if anyone messed with him, they messed with the whole club.

  “So, crazy week at school, huh?”

  “Every single day you had something else scribbled on your locker,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you?” he asked.

  “It used to. Words hurt a whole lot.” She shrugged. “I guess I got used to the same old insults. Besides, it’s not like I can change people’s minds. They all needed a punching bag, and I guess I was the one that got the highest score.”

  “Some people would have left the school by now,” he said.

  “Was that your hope? Getting me to leave?” She stopped walking to turn to him. “You do realize all of what happens is because of you and your little club,
right?”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Yeah, it is. You, Ian, Riley, and a couple of the others were the very first to write on my locker. Things like fat ass, fatty, whale, slut, whore, coward. Everyone else, being the sheep they are, followed in your direction. They find it funny to trip me, push me, hurt me. It all started because of you. It’s why I’m surprised you’re even helping me right now.” She held her hands up in surrender. “What is it you want?”

  “To make amends. I had no idea I’d been the cause of all that.”

  She laughed. “You knew. You know that regardless if you play football or not, you and the biker brats’ clique in the school is the most popular. People are led by your example.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about this.” She began to walk away.

  “Wait, you can’t just throw that kind of shit at me and walk away.”

  “I can. Years of being the butt of the joke gives me that right, Alfie. Look, I don’t know what this is, but I’m not stupid. Whatever it is, leave me out of it. What did I ever do to you? Huh? What did I ever do to hurt you? I’ve been nice all the time to you guys. I’ve tried to stay out of your way, and yet, I’m your first enemy, and I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “I know.”

  “Then tell me what the fuck is your problem?” she asked.

  She had stopped once again, but she didn’t want to just stand around talking. They needed to get to the store before it closed.

  “Look, I was a dick, okay? I didn’t like your place in the club. No one likes Kurt. They use and humiliate him at every single turn. I didn’t get why you were there.”

  “I never got any special treatment, Alfie. I was the coward’s kid. It’s why I tried to leave as quickly as possible. To a young girl, some of the stuff they said, it was horrible. I didn’t have to listen to it. I’m not a horrible person, and I would never run away like that.” She pressed her lips together. “I think you should go.”

  “I go now, your mom is going to start asking you a whole lot of questions.”

  She growled. “Stop it. Okay. Just stop with the whole bullshit that you care.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. You can keep shouting at me, but I’m sticking around. You’re stuck with me, and I’m going to prove you wrong.”

  “To what end?”

  “For you to know, people can change and it doesn’t take some miracle to happen.” He winked at her, grabbing her arm. “Now, let’s go shopping. You’re getting a brand-new bestie.”