I grabbed the trash and hoisted it over my shoulder to take it out back. On my way back there, I stopped briefly by the office where I knew they had phone numbers posted and called the one person I felt like I could trust.
He picked up after the second ring. “What?” He sounded irritated, probably thinking I was a telemarketer or something. There were sounds going on in the background, but I couldn’t make out what they were.
“Sorry to bother you. I can call someone else.” Archer was clearly busy, but when I was about to hang up, he stopped me, and his gruffness faded.
“Dillon?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“What’s up, kid?”
I wasn’t sure how he would react to me calling him so late at night, but someone had to take care of Scorpio before he did something stupid. “Scorpio’s here. He’s drunk, and I’m not sure where he lives or how to get him there.”
He sighed. “Keep him there, kid. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.”
The phone clicked, signaling he hung up, so I grabbed the trash and headed toward the back door. I threw the heavy bag away and made my way back into the main room of the club. The chair that Scorpio had been occupying was empty.
“Fuck!” I cursed, frantically searching for the inebriated man, hoping he wasn’t stupid enough to drive in his current condition. When I checked the front parking lot, I found his black truck still parked there, so I knew he hadn’t left the club. I went back inside to see if he ducked into the office, but I found him coming out of the bathroom instead.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” His grumble was half-hearted at best. “Just fucking tired. I think I’m going to head home.”
“Why don’t I get you a cup of coffee first? You’re in no real condition to drive, Scorpio.”
He sighed, but agreed. I followed him to the break room and started the coffeepot, hoping the delay would be enough for Archer to get there. I was starting to get to know and understand these guys, but I still wasn’t one of them. I was their employee, just a common errand runner–nothing more.
“You won’t find what you're looking for at the bottom of the bottle, Scorpio.”
He scoffed. “And what do you think I’m looking for, kid?”
“Absolution maybe? Forgiveness possibly. You’re definitely looking for an escape, but anything you find there will only be temporary and hollow.”
“You sound like you know from experience, kid.”
I turned around and leaned against the counter. “I’ve spent countless hours trying to forget my past, but coping and dealing with my demons was a different story. I didn’t turn to alcohol or drugs, so I dealt with my demons another way. It was just as reckless, but it eased the pain.” I shrugged. “But eventually you understand that memories, regrets, and demons will haunt you until you face them head on and deal with them.”
Scorpio let out a deep breath. “What the fuck happened to you, kid?”
“Nothing worth mentioning. I just thought it might be something you needed to hear.”
I poured the cup of coffee and set it on the table in front of him. After he took a few sips, I asked him how he became a Celestial Son. He told me about his dad and Zodiac starting the club long ago, and the love and admiration he had for his father came through in the stories he told about him. A part of me was jealous that he had those kinds of memories to hold on to—good memories about the man who raised him.
“Is your mom still around here?”
“Yeah. She’s still here, but she doesn’t come around the club too much. I think she finds it too painful to be around the memories here.”
“Yo, Scorpio?” Archer’s voice rang through the empty club, echoing and bouncing off the walls.
Scorpio arched his brow and gave me a lopsided grin. “You called Archer?”
“I didn’t think you should be driving, and since I don’t technically have a license, a car, or even know where you live, so my best bet was to call someone to pick you up.”
He gave a half laugh and shook his head as he drained the rest of his coffee. He got up a little unsteadily and took his cup to the sink just as Archer walked through the door and said, “You ready to get moving, Scorp?”
“Yeah. Let me get my shit from the office.” He swayed a bit as he walked out the door and toward the office.
“Thanks for calling me, kid.”
