I changed into a black, barely there, strapless bikini and wrapped a beach towel around my waist. I grabbed some flip flops from the closet and headed out to the pool. The October air was thick and humid and at noon, the temperature was already in the eighties. The weather here was so unpredictable. We could have a frost by the end of the week. I decided to take the small hike down to the gate and re-program it.
As luck would have it, Red showed up at the exact same time, and I was able to try it out on her. Of course, I shielded it from her view-or so I thought. I jumped in the sleek, black Mustang that Red drove and rode with her back to the house. She hadn’t said anything other than, “Get in and I’ll give you a ride.” Red looked stunning, as always, in a pair of cut-off shorts and an orange tank top. I could see the strings of her bikini peeking out the top of her shirt and I smiled to myself. Red was planning to make herself at home and I liked it. I studied her profile as she drove us down the winding driveway to the house. Her long black lashes were curled perfectly around her large brown eyes. Her red hair was piled high on her head in a messy bun and her flawless, tanned skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. Beautiful.
“What?” she asked, making me jump. I was so engrossed in her looks that I didn’t even think about what an idiot I looked like for gawking at her. “I mean, I know I look good and all, but damn,” she said turning to smirk at me. She had been around Luke too long.
“Thanks for coming,” I said looking at my hands.
“Hey, no problem. I like being in the middle of shit. Especially, when it’s Luke’s shit,” she said winking. I smiled and shook my head. It would probably be best if I didn’t ask her to elaborate.
She pulled the car under the porch and it was then I realized that she didn’t have Neo.
“Where’s my dog?” I asked looking in the backseat like he might be there.
“You think that I would put that thing in my car?” she asked, looking at me like I was covered in warts. “Besides, he’s taken a liking to the club house. The guys want to nickname him, Devil.” Shit. Well, there goes my damn dog. Just like a man.
I led Red into the house, stopping in the kitchen to grab a drink. “You might as well mix us up something with some alcohol,” Red said, throwing herself onto one of the bar stools and thumbing through the box that Luke left. “The more I drink, the better I remember shit and the more you drink, the better you will handle it. I suggest vodka.”
I just stared at her with my practiced impassive face. Fuck. This was going to suck. I pulled out the bottle of vodka from the freezer, then located a couple of cans of Red Bull and made us drinks.
“You wanna lay out?” I asked, gesturing with my hand to her bikini straps peeking out the top of her tank.
Red looked to her shoulder, to see what I was referring to and smiled, “I was hoping to.”
I smiled back and then walked out the back door with her on my heels. For some reason this was slightly awkward, yet Red seemed completely at ease. I guess she should, considering it wasn’t her world that was about to come crashing down.
The long, covered patio that ran the length of the house was covered in potted plants, some hanging, some on the floor in pots and some on tables that were scattered throughout the porch. The concrete area around the pool was littered with lawn chairs to suit anyone’s desire. Red chose a set of Balencia chaise lounges with a side table in the middle of them. I took off my towel and laid down, grabbing a pair of shades off the table and placing them over my eyes. Not only would they shield the light, but also help hide my feelings when she dropped the bomb.
“So, where do you want me to start?” I looked at her, completely relaxed, lounging in a chair in a skimpy bikini like she didn’t have a care in the world. That was the easiest question that I had answered all day.
“From the beginning.”
Chapter 2
RED
I about shit my pants when Luke called me a few hours ago and told me I was up. I knew this day would come. The day that I would have to tell Dallas Knox the truth. I secretly hoped that Luke would do it, but deep down I knew that Dallas couldn’t handle the truth from him, nor would he be able to handle her when she lost her shit. Now, here I sit, at her house, by her pool, in my Victoria’s Secret bikini that Regg had yet to see me in. On the outside, I knew I looked like I had it together. Dallas was probably wondering why I was so at ease. Little did she know, I was as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. This was not unusual though. I had managed to perfect this over the years. Being an ol’ Lady in an MC taught you how to deal with shit. No one ever knew what I was truly feeling. I didn’t want anyone mistaking my nervousness for weakness and in the life I lived, weakness could get your ass beat, or worse, take your pride. MC’s had a way of making you a better person. I was lost before I met Regg and with help from him and my MC family, I was better than I had ever been. I loved this life, but at times like this-it fucking sucked. I looked over at Dallas and I smiled to myself as I watched her try, and fail, to be nonchalant about the situation. She was the epitome of female perfection. Considering Luke was the epitome of male perfection, they were perfect together. She was broken. I knew it when I first saw her, but on the outside, she had her shit together-that’s how I knew she could handle the truth and this life. Her long brown hair was piled high on her head, much like mine. Her skin was a golden tan-the color you get from sunning and tanning beds, yet it was flawless without the slightest hint of it ever being exposed to the sun. My skin was tan, but I had to work hard to get it this way and use a bottle a week of moisturizer just to keep from looking like leather. Lucky bitch. I would have to get her secret. Everything about her was perfect. From her perfectly shaped nose to her perfectly pedicured toes-she was gorgeous. I hated her. Not really, but in a sense, it felt good to think. Dallas had just informed me that she wanted me to start from the beginning. Great. I drained my glass of vodka and Red Bull, which was no easy task, and watched as Dallas followed suit, then stood grabbing our glasses and headed inside. I didn’t need to ask. I knew she was going for refills. I looked around the yard and over to the area where the barn once stood. Luke chewed my ass for letting her out of my sights, but I thought her burning it down was good therapy. But, then again, I loved to burn shit myself. It gave you a sense of power.