“Bent”—MatchboxTwenty
“Idon’t feel comfortable with you going down to Texas by yourself,” Venom grumbled at the head of the table.
“This is a personal matter, Prez. I didn’t tell you to involve the club. I just wanted everyone to know what’s going on and why I needed time away. I don’t expect to have one of my brothers go all the way down there with me.” Voodoo had been fidgety since he announced in church that he needed to make a run to Texas. Supposedly, it was a matter his grandmother needed help with. It was evident that there was more to this than he was saying, and Venom knew it.
For a few moments, Venom was silent. He slowly glanced at each of us, and I knew he was trying to decide who he should send, regardless of what Voodoo said.
Blade was a wildcard because his mind was slightly unhinged. It might not be a good idea to send him with Voodoo. Blade was who we sent in to handle situations where close contact was needed. When a client required a certain uh… level of care, we sent in Blade’s crazy ass. He was also extremely good as a cleaner.
The prospects were needed here. Squirrel was—squirrelly. Raptor was VP and needed to be around in case the prez needed him. Fuck knew what Sabre did with his time. He kept to himself. At first, Blade wondered if he was a cop. The kid had been around us long enough and had confided a few things in me over his prospect time. Kid—he was only a year or two younger than me. I didn’t believe for a second that he was a cop—I did, however, think he was a tortured soul.
Several of the guys had relationships that were new. Just because my relationship turned out to be shit, didn’t mean theirs would. Crazy enough, I actually liked all their ol’ ladies. Finally, figuring I had no one waiting on me here, I spoke up.
“If you need me to, I can go with him. Between Blade, Sabre, Ghost, and Squirrel, they can hold things down here with the cleaning business. But it’s up to you.” The biological cleaning business was a sporadic gig. Sometimes we were insanely busy, others we heard nothing but crickets.
That’s why a lot of us had side jobs as well. We were all listed as employees of the hog farm and drew paychecks from it. It wasn’t about the money, but it was hard for us to be idle. Ghost worked on bikes and cars. Blade made custom knives—go figure. Squirrel worked at the hog farm, supervising the breeding program for both the domestic hogs and the wild boars. Chains was a tattoo artist and rarely worked the cleaning business. He, Voodoo, and Angel were better behind the scope of a rifle than cleaning up the mess it left. Angel also worked part-time now as a PA at a small, low-income clinic on the edge of town.
As far as me volunteering, I couldn’t lie to myself. Part of me wanted to get out of town—I needed a change of scenery. A place that didn’t remind me of what a dumb fuck I’d been, thinking I was cut out to have a relationship. Wait. I wasn’t the one who cheated. I was just the stupid fucker who chose to be in a relationship with someone who was a cheater. The fact that my judgment was so skewed was what pissed me off more than anything.
And why hadn’t I listened to my brothers?
Voodoo had tried to warn me about Yvette, but I’d laughed at him. Deep inside, I’d wanted what he had, but now I realized it was easier not bothering to try.
“I can go,” Angel offered. As Voodoo’s best friend, I understood why he would volunteer, but Voodoo’s response wasn’t a surprise.
“No. You have a new family. You need to be here for them.” Voodoo shook his head as he spoke to Angel, who scowled.
“So do you,” Angel argued in exasperation.
“Yes, but this is something my grandmother asked me to do for her. I can’t very well send someone else” was Voodoo’s rebuttal before he turned his pale gaze on me. “Are you sure?” Voodoo asked as he strummed his hands nervously on the table.
“Absolutely,” I confirmed.
“I can go too,” Raptor spoke up. We all turned to him in surprise. Besides sticking around for Venom, he had never offered to take a trip to Texas any time we had a job there. It was almost like he had a severe aversion to the state. The look Venom shot him was a mix of concern and surprise. My gaze bounced from one to the other, trying to figure out what was up.
“You sure?” Venom asked with a furrowed brow.
“Yeah,” Raptor replied as the muscle in his jaw worked.
Venom sighed. “Okay, then it’s settled. Raptor and Phoenix will go with Voodoo to Dallas. You said you think it should only take a week?”
“If everything goes according to plan, yes,” Voodoo calmly explained.
“When do we leave?” I asked with a grin after clapping my hands together and rubbing them excitedly. The thought of getting on my bike and taking to the open road for miles on end was a thrill I looked forward to, despite the current temperature.
“KSU at 0400. I would like to leave immediately, but I know we all need to pack a bag. By the time we got out of here, it would be a two-day trip anyway. Might as well get a good night’s sleep in our own beds, then hit the road early in the morning.” Voodoo ran a hand through his dark hair, leaving it sticking up in places.
Venom called church, and the brothers all dispersed.
Before I did anything, I called my mom to let her know I would be out of the area for a while. She knew I worked as a biological cleaner, but she thought it was all up and up cases. I’d never tell her we worked for some clients that were on the wrong side of the law as well, and I especially wouldn’t tell her that we were hired hit men—or “disposers” as we liked to joke.
My dad hadn’t really been happy when I didn’t follow him into the firefighter career path. He didn’t understand why I would want to do what I did or be a part of an MC. He was happier with my brother, who was a firefighter in the Army. I’d made my choice when I was young. My “gift” was a curse as far as I’d been concerned, and I was pissed at the world. Looking back, I regretted my rash and rebellious behavior, but I wouldn’t trade my brothers or the RBMC for anything.
Having my brother gone halfway across the world most of the time really sucked, though we barely got along these days. It also hurt because we used to be close—inseparable.
Not wanting to deal with the mess that was my house at the moment, I went to the bar for a beer. The prospect was already pulling out my favorite brand as I approached.
“Thanks, Prospect.” He nodded and went to get Kicker his whiskey. As I slowly drank from the bottle, I grew melancholy as I reminisced. I missed my brother. I missed the relationship I used to have with my dad once upon a time too.