“Don’t know why I’m even asking your fucking advice. I look pretty inoffensive? Perfect. Thanks a fucking bunch.”
“Have fun!” I called cheerily after him as he left, but once he’d left, and I was alone, the emptiness set back in. Alone. Story of my fucking life these days. Back at the old chapter, I’d have hung out with Has-Been or one of the others, at least until they all found old ladies, and spent their time with them instead.
I hadn’t really bonded with any of the new club yet, and after so bloody long here, why the fuck was I holding back? What was I trying to avoid, by keeping to myself, and only really associating with Harley or Stag?
Why did I mess with Harley like that when I could have just been nice? It wasn’t jealousy, and it wasn’t because I didn’t like the guy. It was just that hiding behind this asshole exterior was the easiest way to make sure nobody saw what a fucking mess I was beneath it.
I closed up the shop with a few minutes to go, because nobody was even on the street outside, so with my own ride back from Harley at last, after the engine dropped a valve and fucked itself recently, I started off on my journey home. Home was the clubhouse, even though it was mostly a shithole compared to the other chapter. Beggars can’t be choosers though, right?
The streets were dark, and the air cool and crisp, perfect for late March. Fuck me, we were almost into Spring, and there were still twinkly lights up all over the place.
I was waiting at the fucking traffic lights heading into the busy town centre, eyeing the rush hour traffic with a grimace. To avoid the glare from one house that looked like the fuckingGriswoldswould want it back, I turned my head to the side, and that’s when I saw it. What the fuck just happened? Did a guy just attack someone?
I left my ride parked at the side of the road, keeping my helmet on, but the visor up, and I strode into the alley, ready to beat on some fucker if he’d just hurt someone. There was definitely whimpering going on, and I heard a guy mutter ‘worthless piece of shit’ as a yelp followed, and then he turned and froze when he saw me. He looked fairly well dressed, aka too well dressed to be beating on someone in an alley, but the sad whimpering that filled the air was my focus. It was breaking my heart.
As I reached him, I wrapped a hand around his throat and slammed him against the wall.
“The fuck did you just do? You just hit someone?”
I effortlessly held the smaller guy against the wall as I glanced into the dark alcove behind a large metal skip. There wasn’t a person there at all. There was a tiny fucking creature. A dog? I turned to glare the fucker right in the eye, tightening my fingers around his throat.
“Did you just kick that fucking dog?”
The man snorted. “It’s just a fucking runty little shit. I’m not wasting money on it.”
What the fuck did he even mean? I glanced over my shoulder again, seeing the dark shape moving slightly on what looked like a fucking supermarket carrier bag.
My blood started to boil in my veins, as I turned to look at him again.
“Was it in that bag?”
He glared right back at me, defiance probably the only thing keeping him from pissing his pants in fear.
“I said, was the dog in that fucking bag? Did you just throw a fucking dog away like trash?”
He tried to shrug, so I choked off anything he was about to say, driving my other fist into his stomach, not giving him anywhere to go as he gasped and choked in a breath.
“Did. You. Hurt. The. Fucking. Dog?”
He started shuddering in my grip. “Rest of the litter’s good. That one’s worthless.”
“So you threw it out? It’s a living fucking animal.”
“Not for long. It’d freeze out here tonight. I’m doing it a favour really.”
Asshole.
“Let me do you a favour instead.” I kept his throat in my hand as I punched him in the face, once, then again, then threw him to the ground, and slammed a boot into his stomach a few times for good measure.
“You’re the piece of fucking shit. You should be the one dying in this fucking alley. I ever see you again, you die. Got it? You speak of me or that little creature there, and I’ll find you. I’ll make you eat your own fucking organs.”
The guy gagged, spitting blood on the ground as he curled into a ball.
“Oi. Look at me,” I waited until he did, and pointed to the patch on my cut, “see this? There’s a whole fucking bunch of us, and we’ll destroy you and everything you care about. You feeling me?”
“I promise! I swear! Wasn’t here. Don’t want… any trouble…”
Good. I spat on him, then turned and crouched by the little puppy. It really was fucking tiny too. It was lighter brown than I’d realised because of the shadows, with little blotchy patches of grey and white on its face and feet. The legs were short and dumpy, and the ears were adorable. One quirked at a different angle to the other. Big brown eyes blinked at me, as a teeny tiny growl issued from his small form.
