| |
Benji
I’m jolted awake when my head bounces off the window. Opening one eye and then the other, I straighten my sunglasses and turn to glare at Timber. “Drive much?”
“Fuck up,” he replies without the heat I expected. I regard him with curiosity, one eyebrow arching as I watch a bead of sweat run down the side of his face and disappear into his T-shirt. Sometime between when I fell asleep after we left the prison and now, he’s worked himself into a ball of stress. The muscle in his jaw works overtime as he grinds his teeth.
“You okay?”
Ignoring me as he pulls the van into the underground carpark, I keep an eye on him while I stretch my aching body as well as I can in the confined space. I’m exhausted; my energy spent. I’m barely twenty-three-years old, yet I feel like I’m trapped in the body of a fifty-year-old man. My reconstructed knee is aching, my broken arm itching like crazy, and my head’s full of worry.
I’d kill someone for a fucking beer. And a joint.
Who am I fucking kidding? I want a hit more than I want my next breath. The little voice in my head—the one that’s responsible for most of my dumb decisions—is yelling at me, telling me that the only thing that’ll make me feel better is getting high. Just once, though. I can handle one last high. The voice lies. I know this, yet its promises hold me captive. Every fibre in my body yearns to take it at face value and give in.
“I need your help.” Timber’s grouchy voice breaks through my gnawing need, snapping me out of my trance-like state.
“Huh?”
“You know what women want. I need you to make sure I don’t fuck this up.”
Exiting the van, he waits with his hands on his hips until I make a move to join him. It takes a long moment to get my shit back together; deep breaths and a huge effort needed to return my racing pulse to some semblance of normality. I’m still shaking as I get out of the van to follow him.
Lost in my head, I don’t realize I’ve followed him into a posh looking jewelry store until the buzzer at the door lets out a shrill “ding-dong” that makes me jump out of my skin like a teenage girl getting her first slap on the ass from a dirty old man. Timber hits me with a hairy eyeball, unimpressed at my reaction, before he strides toward the cash register.
The prissy-looking fucker with bleach-blond hair behind the counter looks the pair of us up and down and purses his lips. He dismisses Timber and his dirty jeans, long hair, and scruffy beard, with a flick of his eyes, instead keeping his gaze on me. His appreciation of my physique in my Guess jeans and tight T-shirt is evident as he runs his gaze up and down me a couple times, lingering on the bulge of my cock each time.
I grunt when I see Timber’s lips curl into a smirk as he watches me shuffle on the spot from discomfort. Once he appears satisfied that I’m embarrassed enough, he clears his throat to bring the salesperson’s attention back to him.
“How can I help you, sir?” His nasally tone makes it clear that he believes he can’t help Timber in any way. I keep my eyes narrowed, making my displeasure at his rudeness known when he chances another glance my way. His cheeks turn red and he ducks his head.
“I’ll handle this, Casper.”
A petite hottie with bright purple hair sashays her way behind the counter. Fuck knows where she came from because there’s no way I’d have missed getting an eye full of her if she was anywhere in the store when we entered. My cock comes to life for the first time in weeks, relieving the shit out of me. I was beginning to wonder if my OD had broken him.
“Um, okay then, Andi,” Casper answers as he makes his way out of the showroom through a door to his left. I can’t get my head around his name. Seriously, who’d dye their hair bleach fucking blond when they’re already pale and named Casper? He’s just begging for the “Casper the Friendly Ghost” jokes that are rolling around in my head. Clamping my tongue between my teeth, I try not to laugh, instead distracting myself with the gorgeous vision in front of me.
For a tiny chick, she certainly commands the attention of everyone in the shop. The male half of the lovey-dovey looking couple being served by another salesperson can’t stop himself from checking her out every time his other half is gushing over something shiny. If I’m honest, this Andi chick reminds me of Lacey—all innocent looking until you get a load of the resting bitch face and the take-no-shit attitude that’s simmering just below the surface. Although, I can’t imagine Lacey sporting bright purple hair and sky-scraper heels quite as well as this woman.
“How can I help you?” she purrs. Her sexy voice hits me straight in the dick, sending him from half-mast to full before she’s finished her inquiry.
Timber closes his gaping mouth—looks like I’m not the only man caught in her vortex of sultriness—and reaches into the inside pocket of his cut. He pulls out a crumpled catalog and smooths it down on the counter.
“I wanna buy this—” He trails off, sounding unsure of himself. He jabs the page with a monstrous finger. Stepping forward, I peer at what he’s circled on the page. Holy fuck, it’s a bloody engagement ring. A huge ring with a motherfucking purple diamond surrounded by rows and rows of little diamonds. Visions of a garish, blinged out, bright purple phone case flash before my eyes and I chuckle to myself. The ring is JJ to a T.
“Fuck me, Timber. You sure about this?”
I have to question him over this. I might’ve been a teenager when it happened, but I can remember his meltdown over his ex-girlfriend Amy and the loss of their baby. The last thing he needs is for history to repeat itself because he’s jumped in feet first again.
“I’m sure,” he replies. “She’s it for me.”
His previous hesitation disappears, and he meets my eyes with a fierce look that’s full of resolution. “I’m not giving it to her until after the baby comes, though. I watched her and Princess gushing over it yesterday and knew it was perfect. One thing at a time is all I can fucking cope with at the moment.”
Shaking my head at him, I join in his laughter. He’s right. There’s no way that the Club can muster the appropriate happiness to celebrate a wedding and a baby right now. Not with Mad Dog being locked up and war on the horizon with the Police Commissioner and possibly the Mavericks.
“Sir, this ring is thirty thousand dollars. The purple diamond is four carats and extremely rare to Australia. It’s surrounded by two carats of diamonds but—” Andi speaks up. She’s watched our exchange with a cheeky grin on her face, understandably entertained by the two big bikers having a heart-to-heart in front of her.
“I know all that.” Timber cuts her off, anger and determination colouring his voice. “This is what my Old Lady wants so it’s what I’m getting for her.”
He pulls an envelope full of cash from his back pocket and slaps it on the counter, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop.
Shit. Poor Andi is about to meet Timber’s asshole side.
“The price is not a problem so how about you trot your cute little ass over to the correct display case and grab it for me, so I can buy it and get out of this fucking shop full of snobs.”
And here we go ... Blake the Butcher has come out to play.
“Timber, settle petal.” I grab his arm and pull him back from the poor girl he’s menacing. “I don’t think Andi meant it like that.”
She shoots me a grateful smile that takes her attractiveness up another notch and reminds my cock that he hasn’t had any action for nearly a month. He also makes it known that the gorgeous woman in front of me would be the perfect way to get back on the horse. I file that thought away for later, and concentrate calming the ticking time-bomb in front of me.
Timber drags in a deep breath, holds it, and then lets it out his mouth. His shoulders sink back to a more natural position, so I let go of his arm.
“Sir,” Andi says in a firm voice. “I’m not a snob. As far as I’m concerned, your money is as good as everyone else’s. However, that ring contains a diamond that’s not often seen in Australia, so it was sold first thing this morning to an interstate customer. That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
“You’re shitting me?” Timber’s voice rises and the other couple in the store turn to look at us again. Casper pokes his head back through the doorway he left by, retracting it like a turtle seeking refuge in his shell when Timber snarls at him.
“I’m sorry but it’s gone.”
I don’t know who I feel sorrier for—Timber or Andi. His disappointment is palpable and she’s freaking out that the giant in her store is about to lose his temper. If I’m honest, I feel the sorriest for myself, because this is the second time today I’ve been gripped by actual fucking emotions over shit that affects others, and I’m not liking it at all. The constant drama is reminding me why I enjoy the numbness of meth so much.
“Is it gone as in left the store? Or has it just been sold pending pickup?” I question her. Turning on the charm, I make my eyes soft and give her the please-help-me, I’m-too-cute-to-say-no-to face that works on every living creature with a vagina and a pulse. She liquefies into a puddle of desire.
As they all do.
“It’s still in the store but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s sold.”
If it’s still on the premise, then it’s not sold as far as I’m concerned. Shooting Timber a glance that warns him to shut the fuck up and let me handle this, I lean down and give Andi the full force of my baby blues. I even throw in my panty-melting grin for good measure.
“Say someone offered you thirty-two thousand right now, would it be possible for a mix-up to have occurred?”
I hold my breath while I watch Andi think over my proposition. To her credit, she makes her mind up quickly.
“It’s possible that for thirty-five thousand cash, I might have received an earlier phone call from a customer and neglected to pass this information on to my manager. My manager isn’t back in until tomorrow morning so there’s also a chance that I can assist you with this unfortunate error right now.”
She grins once she’s laid down her terms. This woman has a bit of devil in her; I can see it in her eyes.
Looking at Timber, who to my surprise has heeded my earlier request to stay silent, I lift my eyebrows at him. He doesn’t seem too keen about the arrangements.
“Timber?”
“It’s fucking daylight robbery, but I’ll do it.”
He grabs his envelope and stalks toward the door, throwing a terse order over his shoulder as he leaves.
“Wait here. I need to get more money.”
Anyone who heard his comment would assume that he’s heading to the bank to withdraw extra money like a normal person. I know that he’s really heading back to the van to grab some of the cash stashed in it. The Shamrocks run what could be termed a “cash economy”.
“So, Andi, what’s a woman who looks like you doin’ in a place like this?”
I’m on auto pilot as I begin with my usual plays. Put a hot woman in front of me and I’m off—flirting without any actual intent, except to see if I can get in her pants. It’s a game to me, always has been. Today, it doesn’t feel as satisfying, and the need that typically pulls at me is missing.
Lacey. Her name floats around my mind. Clanging like a bell, it haunts me, calling to me, reminding me that I need to make amends with her. My soul’s dirty, stained with the blood and tears of my family, yet the yearning I have to seek redemption from her is unmatched in its potency.
“Are you really going to try it on with me?” Andi pulls me from my jumbled thoughts. She hits me full-force, right in the face with a sympathetic smile. “What’s your name, handsome man?”
“Benji.”
“Well, Benji, I’m a perceptive woman. I can see in those big, blue eyes of yours that you’re pretty fucked up right now and your heart’s not in this. Now, you might laugh at this after I’ve just scalped your friend for five thousand dollars, but I care about people. If I didn’t have a sick kid and medical expenses coming out of my ass, I would’ve found a way to get him the ring or one similar for no extra cost. I’m a sucker for love and a blind person can see that he’s head over heels for his girlfriend.”
I’m shocked as all hell at her speech. Looking at her, with her rocking body and her uniquely coloured hair, the last thing I expected was such a down-to-earth, honest conversation.
Before I can reply, she continues, “You, on the other hand, look like you haven’t figured out yet that you’re in love. The pain in your eyes can only be put there by a woman, and I’d bet the five grand I’ve just made from your friend, on you being too big of an idiot to realize that she’s the only one who can take it away for you. So, here’s a hot tip from someone who’s been there and come out the other side—tell her how you feel, do whatever it takes to make it up to her—”
Andi pauses, her mouth widening into a cheeky smile that takes some of the sting out of her previous words. “And stop hitting on random women in jewelry stores. Especially ones who could kick your ass. We women need to stick together so I’ve got your girl’s back, even if she doesn’t know it.”
The buzzer at the entrance sings its song, letting me know that Timber’s returned. He strides over to us. Thankfully, the ill-humour that was clouding his expression when he left is gone, and his usual amiable air has returned.
“All right. Let’s do this.”
He hands Andi a thick wad of fifty-dollar notes. She’s smart enough to take him at face value and not count it in front of him.
“Casper,” she calls out loudly.
He pokes his head into the display area, his face falling when he sees that we’re still here.
“Yes, Andi?”
“Bring me the four-carat, purple pear-cut diamond engagement ring with the smaller baguette diamonds.”
“Didn’t that sell this morning?” he questions, suspicion growing in his gaze.
“Yes, it did. This is the gentleman who phoned to purchase it,” Andi snaps. Her abrupt tone is a stark contrast to the purr we’ve heard from her since our arrival, and it makes me and Timber smile. It confirms my original thought that she has more backbone than her innocent-looking face forecasts.
Casper turns and practically runs to do her bidding. Chicken shit.
Andi uses experienced hands to sort the notes in front of her and pockets what looks like her five-grand cut down the front of her top and into her bra. She winks at me, and I give her one in return.
Bored out of my brains as I listen to Timber ask questions about resizing and some other shit, I zone out. Andi’s words about my feelings for Lacey and my need to fix what I fucked up race around my mind, and for the first time in my life, I try to examine my emotions instead of running from them. My stomach churns and nausea threatens when I think about the dozens of times that Lacey’s made it known in her quiet way that she’s falling for me. I swallow—hard—when I remember how I dismissed her with flippant comments about being fuck buddies.
I’m a cunt. An A-grade, fair-dinkum douchelord.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s not a surprise judgement I’m casting on myself. The shit I’ve pulled in my life hasn’t been covered in glitter and fairy-dust. I’ve been responsible for some asshole moves on the people who care about me the most.
A squeal of laughter tinged with fear startles me.
Timber has picked Andi up from her position behind the counter and lifted her over it. He swings her around in the air before planting a kiss on her cheek. Depositing her back on the ground, he pats her on the top of the head. She swats him away from her and fixes her hair.
“Even though you robbed me, I’m still fucking thankful that you helped me out.”
Reaching past her, he jots something down on the notepad next to the cash register. Tearing the page free, he hands it to her.
“That’s my number. If you ever need anything, give me a call. Use it wisely, it’s good for one favour. That’s it.”
Her mouth forms a wide ‘O’ and her eyes turn glassy.
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing,” he replies. Grabbing the small bag with the ring in it that’s sitting on the counter, he nods at her in farewell and walks to the exit.
“I’ll see you around,” I say as I turn to follow him. Dragging in a deep breath, I stop for a second. “And thanks for the advice.”
She beams up at me. Fuck, she really is much tinier than her personality leads you to believe. “If it sinks into your thick male head, then you’re welcome.”
As much as it kills me, I bite my tongue and choke on my smartass comeback. Fluffing her hair, like Timber did earlier, I chuckle when I hear her cursing me as the exit doors swing shut behind us.
