Charlie showed up at my apartment the following Friday night, pizza at the ready. It was becoming a ritual; she wouldcome to my place on Friday nights for takeout, movies, and gossip. From my view, she had a fascinating life.
She was open from the beginning regarding limitations when discussingMC business, as she referred to it. Even with those restrictions, she was opening my eyes up to a whole world I could never have imagined. It also explained a lot about Charlie and her conflicts. From the way she spoke about theMC Brothers, it was clear they had an extremely high regard for the women under club protections, the wives, and kids.
Charlie was one of the first girls born and raised in the club. She was treated like a princess by everyone, but as she got older, it had become stifling, almost detrimental to her growth. It also clearly caused confusion when Charlie matured and saw the Brothers’ interactions withclub girlsandtownies.
“What’s the difference? Between club girls and townies?” I asked, fascinated at all the new terms I was learning.
“Mom always explained it as townies being the women who come here looking for a walk on the wild side, and the club girls are trying to snag an Old Lady spot, but none of them will ever be more than just a warm hole to any of the Brothers.” I nodded as if I understood, when in reality, I had never experienced anything like what she was talking about, though I was endlessly curious.
“How does your mom feel about the club girls?” I followed up, since it seemed to be an open topic at their house.
“She gets it, but doesn’t like it, and she’s the one who put all the current rules in place for them. It’s the nurse in her. She makes sure they get regular doctor appointments, STD tests, all those sorts of things. She’s like a mom to most of the Brothers, so they try to keep it from her because they don’t want to disappoint her, which is fun to watch. She’s also the first one to beat down a Brother or a club girl if he’s stepping out on his Old Lady. My dad never looks at other women. He has always beencompletely devoted to my mom. Both of them take the Old Lady designation and the wearing of a property cut very seriously. They consider cheating on your Old Lady as disrespecting the entire club. My dad always said that if you can’t handle a promise to keep it in your pants, how can they trust you with their lives? Unfortunately, not all the other Brothers treat their wives with the same respect.”
“That definitely sends mixed messages, but despite all of that, it sounds like your parents were good to you guys and each other, right?” She looked at me with shock.
“They’re the best, the absolute best parents in the world, and Bash is an amazing brother. I wouldn’t change my family for the world. I know people judge us. They assume we’re drug addicts or gang members, but it’s a community, a family. I was loved and cared for. I always had everything I needed, and I got to force giant men to attend ballet recitals. I’m lucky. I know I have a great family. Doesn’t mean they don’t drive me fucking insane, though.”
“I’m glad you have them. Most people are judgmental assholes, but that says more about them than you. People love to project their own insecurities onto those around them and thrive when there’s a common enemy or topic to shit on. It’s easier that way, easier to whisper from the sidelines than to take a risk and learn something new, find out you’re wrong about something,” I replied, thinking of all the rumors and assumptions that ran rampant around the one-stoplight town I had grown up in.
How the sins of my parents were projected onto me. I was only ever looked down on with disgust and was never extended a helping hand. I learned at a very young age that I was the only person I could count on in my life. Accepting that and lowering all my expectations regarding the people around me was the only way forward.
“What about your family? You never talk about them. I’m not trying to pry, but I am curious,” she asked me eventually. I knew the questions were coming. Charlie’s family was an essential factor in her everyday life. I could only imagine how strange my lack of familial obligations seemed to her.
“I grew up in a trailer park in Idaho. I had an older brother, but he left when I was fourteen, and I never heard from him again. I was fortunate to have a guidance counselor who gave a shit about me, saw that I was trying to get out of the cycle my parents were stuck in. Ms. Mellie helped me get a scholarship atPSU. I think she realized how important it was that I get as much physical distance from my parents as possible. As soon as I graduated high school, I left. Ms. Mellie bought me that first bus ticket. I managed to fit all my belongings in one duffle, and I was off. I left that town and everyone in it. I never spoke to my parents again, not that they ever tried to find me. It took two days and three buses, but I made it to Pennsylvania. Every once in a while, I get a letter from Ms. Mellie, checking in, but that’s about it. It’s better this way,” I replied matter-of-factly.
“You just left? What did you do? How did you get by?” she asked, clearly surprised by my answer.
“I spent so much of my life as the good kid. I stayed out of trouble, I always followed the rules. But after my brother left, things changed in the house. Everything got worse. The drinking and the fighting. My parents barely remembered I was there half the time. They would pass out all over the trailer. There was one week I was so hungry, and I couldn’t wake either of them up. There was nothing in the house, so after scavenging around the whole fucking place, I found where my dad hid his money. I took a few bills that time to get me through. Once I hit high school, I knew I had to get out of there. I got a part-time job, but I was making minimum wage. The night after graduation, I took all of the money my dad had stashed. It was the only bad thing I’veever done in my life,” I replied. It was one of my biggest secrets. It was less than $500, but I never felt good about having stolen the money.
Charlie reached out to grab my hand. “Hey, listen to me, you are NOT bad. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did what you had to do to survive. You’re one of the best people I know, Fee, and all the credit goes to you. Don’t let them make you feel less than. Don’t let them bring you down to their level. That money was meant for you, to take care of you like good parents would have done. They owed you. You only took what was meant for you,” Charlie urged, and I was surprised as tears filled my eyes.
“Please don’t cry. I’m not trying to upset you. I just want to make sure you realize how brave you are. You’re so much stronger than you realize. Just look how far you’ve come,” she said. I smiled at the vehemence in Charlie’s voice.
At that moment, she was fierce, her words both genuine and urgent. She looked ready to go to war for me—or against me if I tried to speak negatively about myself.
“You’re a good person, too, Charlie, and a good friend. Thank you for listening to me. I didn’t realize how much guilt I still feel over taking that cash, even though I know if the roles were reversed, my parents wouldn’t hesitate to take from me.”
“Fuck ’em. You owe them nothing, and I’ve got half a mind to track them down and fuck them up myself. So just give me the word, and I swear, I’ll take care of them.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her vicious expression. Despite her small stature and girl-next-door looks, I was learning that Charlie could be savage and wasn’t fucking around. I was incredibly glad to have her on my side, and for the first time, I knew what it felt like to know someone had my back.
Bash
Once Charlie gave us her date’s information, he was pathetically easy to track down. Theo Landon, former fraternity brother and junior sales rep, was every bit the pathetic half-wit I expected. We cornered him outside his office and threw him into a truck, gagged and blindfolded. Once at the clubhouse, we brought him down to the paint shop—named for the fact that most people left the room with their bodies covered in black and blue.
It was the space reserved for interrogations. It provided enough room for us to get as creative as necessary to get the answers we needed. We gagged him on the ride over, and as soon as we took it out, he couldn’t stop blubbering. Before he even knew who we were or why we were after him, he was offering up his mom, firstborn, and anyone else he could think of to try to save his selfish ass.
“Please, I didn’t do anything. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just name it.” He wailed as we cuffed him to the chair and let Scythe get his gear set up.
I couldn’t help the feeling of joy that spread through me as Theo caught sight of Scythe, his eyes widening with fear. With a shaved head and tattoos that wrapped around his neck, covering almost every inch of his skin, Scythe was an intimidating sight. His eyes were dark, nearly black in color, the gauges in his ear and the scar that stretched from eyebrow to cheek only emphasized the harshness of his features.
I watched Theo for a moment, taking in the group of men surrounding him with various tools that could cause all types of harm if we were creative enough. I pulled up a chair and sat across from the guy, sizing him up.
“Do you know why you’re here, Theo?” I asked.
“No. No, sir, I don’t,” he said, shaking in his seat. He reminded me of one of those little yappy dogs. I had no idea what my sister saw in him.
“A few weeks ago, you had a date with a blonde girl at Murray’s Pub. Ringing any bells?” I asked.
Dude must have been dumb as bricks. I could literally see the gears moving in his head as he tried to figure out what I was talking about.
