Joker by Andi Rhodes
Chapter Five
If there’s one person who can see through the bullshit storyline I’m letting these people believe, it’s this man.
Riley
Iwake to the sound of laughter. It’s feminine, but loud, and the voice that follows it isn’t Widow’s.
I slide my hand down my face and roll onto my stomach, smashing a pillow over my head to try and drown out the noise.
And to think, I came here hoping to ease my restless nights.
The door to my room opens, and I groan when someone’s weight shifts the bed. A firm hand pats my leg, and I yank the pillow off my head and raise onto my forearm, glaring at the brunette woman about my age with a coffee mug in her hand.
“Rise and shine,” she says, handing the mug to me.
I glance at the mug, then back at her, my glare never letting up. Widow appears in the doorway, an amused grin plastered on her face.
“I was up late,” I say, trying to keep my tone even. “I don’t do well without sleep, so if you don’t mind…”
The woman sets the mug on the nightstand and yanks the covers off me. I don’t see it coming, so I go to grab at them too late and the comforter winds up on the floor. I’m left in my panties and tank top, and a chill spreads over my legs.
“What the hell?” I grind my teeth and stop myself from lunging at the woman.
She lifts a stack of folded clothes I didn’t notice sitting on the edge of the bed and shoves them at me. “You’re Riley, right?” she asks, her head tilting to the side.
I only respond with a glare. Her lips lift into a slight smile, almost imperceptibly.
“I’m Charlie, Fender’s ol’ lady. You’ll meet him later.”
“And?”
“And, if you’re gonna hang around here, you have to pitch in. That’s the way it works. Get a shower, get dressed, and meet us out back. Bathroom’s down the hall.”
Just like that, the woman rises from the bed and walks out of the room, Widow snickering and shutting the door behind them. I shake my head and pour some of the coffee down my throat. It’s good, I’ll give the hardass that. Are all the women this… I don’t even know what to call it. I’ve never had any girlfriends, so I guess I don’t know what to expect. In school, I was too busy rough housing with the boys to notice what the girls were doing, and outside of school, most women were either my opponents or some random girls training at the same gym. Leah is the only girl I semi-regularly talk to.
Somehow, I still don’t think these women would be considered normal, even for the strange town I’ve landed myself in.
I pull on my jeans and carry the clothes Charlie brought close to my chest as I leave the room in search of the bathroom. I expect to see unconscious bodies strung out over the floor of this place like they were last night, but no one seems to be here, and the place is spotless. Good to know the no-sleeping-in rule doesn’t just apply to me.
I find the bathroom and take my time with the shower, relishing the fact that I don’t feel any fear as I do. For weeks, I’ve been showering quickly with the curtain open, my gun balancing on the side of the tub.
Shit, my gun. I left it in the room. Less than twenty-four hours and I’m already letting my guard slip. But I guess that’s the point.
I finish rinsing the conditioner out of my dark hair and shut off the tap. I dry off with a big plush towel hanging on a rack beside the shower, and I twist my hair into a braid. I frown as I wipe away the condensation and catch a look at myself in the mirror. I finger the braid, the style I use when I fight, and a heavy sigh brushes over my lips. I miss it. The fights. My friends. My home. Normalcy.
Shaking my head, I get dressed then make my way to the sliding glass door that leads to a back deck. I can see Charlie and Widow leaning against the railing, and as I slide the door open, both their heads turn my way.
“Well, that took long enough,” Charlie says, her eyebrow raising.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I join them on the deck and study them. They’re both sporting the odd attire I’d imagine biker chicks would wear. Willow’s got that same leather jacket on as she did last night, despite it being a warm morning, and Charlie’s got on knee-high leather boots. I ditched the pants she gave me and am wearing my jeans and a black tank-top with a Soulless Kings’ logo on the chest. It’s a little small for me, so my cleavage nearly spills from it, so I’ve got my hoodie on as well. Hopefully it won’t warm up too much later.
“Be nice,” Widow elbows Charlie in the side, harder than a friendly nudge judging by the way Charlie’s mouth drops open.
Widow wraps her arm around me. “How’d you sleep, hon?”
Charlie recovers and shoots Widow a glare before her face relaxes back to blank and she turns to me to wait for my answer.
“Umm, not great to be honest. Not all of you are so… hospitable.”
Widow chuckles. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Char?”
Charlie’s lips tilt up and she laughs. I’m a bit surprised by it, but then I remember hearing that same laugh while I was trying to sleep. Maybe she’s not all hardass after all.
“Mmm maybe a bit.” Charlie turns to me. “Just wait until you meet Joker.”
“Already done.” Widow interjects, taking the first step off the deck. She smiles back at us over her shoulder and we follow. “And boy, is he great at giving warm welcomes.”
I can feel my cheeks heat, and I’m thankful I’m behind both of them while we walk to a golf cart parked a little ways from the deck. Joker. That was the man from last night. The one who kissed me.
My nose wrinkles as I recall the exchange, and I hope beyond hope that isn’t the usual behavior of the men here. I consider asking, but I don’t want to admit what happened. Not even to myself. The guy was hot as Hell, but way too arrogant.
“I don’t know. Piston is the one who shot me with a stun gun and slapped me across the face when I arrived, so maybe Joker is the better of the two.” Charlie’s talking to Widow, and Widow just laughs.
What the fuck did I get myself into?
“Umm what?” I ask, climbing onto the back of the cart. Charlie hops in the driver’s seat and turns the key. She glances back at me.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I was much more hated when I arrived here.” Her face droops, and she bites her lip like she’s embarrassed when her eyes find my bruises, seemingly for the first time. “The stuff with me is a really long story.”
“A novel’s worth,” Widow pipes in.
Charlie gives me a kind, but slightly awkward smile. “You’re safe here.”
I nod and turn to watch out the back of the cart. It takes off with a jerk, and I grip a metal bar to keep from falling off. My muscles tense, and my fight instincts start to kick in like they always do when I sense danger, but I resist acting on it.
I’ve never ridden in a golf cart before, and at first it feels unsteady. The bumps in the little dirt road send my body rocking, and my grip on the bar tightening. But once I get used to the ride, I begin to notice things. Like the way the wind feels on my ears and the loose hairs that blow in my face. The fresh air smell that fills my nostrils and the gentle lull of the cart.
I loosen my grip and allow a smile to break over my face. Something Charlie said grounds me, and I feel a weight lift off of my shoulders.
Safe. I’m safe here. I have to believe that’s true.
We drive for what feels like a while, and then the dirt path seemingly disappears and Charlie is weaving through trees. I want to ask where we’re going, but the two women are practically yelling just to carry on their own conversation, and I don’t want to interrupt.
When we do stop, I turn around and raise a brow, uncertain what I’m looking at. It’s a field of flowers of some sort. I follow Charlie and Widow’s lead when they hop off the cart and walk to the edge of the field with them.
Charlie carries on into the field, while Widow and I hang back and watch, me not quite sure what it is Charlie’s searching for in the little flowers.
And then it hits me.
“Holy shit, this is a poppy field, isn’t it?”
Widow snorts and turns to look at me. “First time you’ve ever seen one this beautiful, hm?”
My eyebrows raise high and my eyes widen. I’m pretty sure that’s what she laughs at next.
“Don’t forget what I told you about being discrete, hon. All hell would break loose if anyone thought you were telling Soulless Kings’ business to any outsiders.”
“Why the hell am I even here if you don’t want me to know about this?”
Widow doesn’t answer, so I turn to meet her gaze. She has a sad look on her face, and I’m not sure why.
“Can I ask you somethin’?”
I pause a moment, and then nod.
“When’s the last time you felt safe?”
I open my mouth to respond, but then close it. I do know the answer to that. Before the stalker. Before my dad died. Before I found out muscles and quick jabs don’t equate to immortality. But I can’t tell Widow that. I can’t tell her anything about my past. She’s already decided what my past is.
She sighs and shakes her head. “I remember being just like you. So lost, afraid. Looking for a place in this world.” She glances out at the field, where Charlie is. “She was that way too once. Always running. Only she was running from her past instead of an abusive bastard… You both have a lot more in common than you think.”
Except, you don’t even know me.
“Really?” I say, too much sarcasm in my tone.
Widow smiles mischievously when she turns back to me. “The girl’s got resting bitch face like you’d never believe, but she’s kind and far more inviting than she looks. Us girls need each other, Riley. We have to stick together. And part of that is not having any secrets.”
She waves her hand out toward the field, and finally, I get her purpose in telling me this. She’s answering my question about why she’d show me the field.
I swallow and nod in understanding. “I’m not ready to share my secrets yet,” I say, telling the truth. I have more than one reason for it. The first being that I don’t want them to kick me out knowing there’s a dangerous man unafraid to harm the people who help me. And the second… I’m tired of people knowing my fear for this man, this unknown in my life. Damian saw me as weak for it. I see me as weak for it. I don’t need these people to see me that way too.
“I understand, hon,” Widow says, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. “Charlie meant it when she said you’re safe here. Take all the time you need.”
I nod and watch Charlie inspect a plant in the middle of the field.
“Thanks, Widow,” I say, letting out a breath.
I think I will.
* * *
“Shit, Riley, slow down!”
Charlie grips my arm while she braces herself on the dash with her other hand.
I turn the cart along the path and laugh as I glance over at her nervous expression. I push on the accelerator a little harder, and throw dirt into the air with another turn.
Widow hollers in the back with glee and is holding on tight to the seat. That makes two of us having a blast.
“Riley, I swear to God.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, feigning concern as I glance her way. “Scared?”
Charlie’s face goes red, and she glares at me before taking hold of one of the bars and remaining quiet the rest of the drive while I smile, dirt covering my teeth, and Widow laughs like a crazy person in the back.
We checked on four fields today. These bikers aren’t fuckin’ around, and they aren’t paying for their cabins and expensive bikes with honest labor. I don’t know what to make of that, but right now I don’t really care.
I slow the cart as the building they call the clubhouse appears up ahead, and I notice people hanging around the deck. I spot Joker first, and my stomach drops when his gaze shifts my way, like he can feel me before hearing or seeing the cart.
If there’s one person who can see through the bullshit storyline I’m letting these people believe, it’s this man. He doesn’t bother to hide his glare as we unload from the cart and start up the steps of the deck.
Charlie throws her hands around one man I haven’t seen yet, and I look away when they immediately start making out like they’re about to put on a show right here in front of everyone. Jesus, these people are… expressive.
“Did you take her out to the fucking fields?” Joker barks at Widow.
Charlie and what’s-his-face stop making out, and she turns to Joker and sneers. “Yes, we did, and where Riley goes is none of your concern.”
Joker looks to the guy Charlie is hanging on for support, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. He extends his hand to me and flashes a smile. “You must be Riley. I’m Fender.”
I nod and take his hand, ignoring Joker along with everyone else. “Nice to meet you.”
“Widow has told me a lot about you, and I want you to know, you’re free to stay as long as you like.” He gestures to Joker and gives me a wink. “Joker here takes some time to warm up to company, so don’t mind him.”
“Thank you,” I say, real gratitude in my voice. I shift my gaze between him and Joker and narrow my eyes at Joker as he’s doing to me. “It’s so kind of you to welcome me like this.”
“Yeah, well, any friend of Charlie’s is a friend of mine.”
I glance toward Charlie and see her staring up at Fender like she’s admiring him. It’s kind of cute. Odd considering Charlie hasn’t exactly seemed like she thinks of me as much of a ‘friend’, but at least she’s backing me up in front of the brutes.
“Whatever,” Joker mutters, turning to the door. “I’ve got some work to do before I head to Wenatchee to get that part.”
Charlie perks up at that and is finally able to move her gaze from Fender. “Joker, wait!”
He turns back around, looking annoyed as hell, and points his stare at her. “That’s a long drive, and you don’t need to be making it yourself at night.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom, but I—”
“Joker,” Fender growls, warning in his tone.
“I was just thinking,” she says, turning to me with a wicked grin. “Maybe you could take Riley with you to split the drive. She’s fabulous behind the wheel.”
My jaw drops and I ball my hands into fists at my sides. So much for friendly.
Widow snorts and whispers in my ear, “Payback’s a bitch.” I turn to her when she pulls away, and she gives me a wink.
“You know what,” Joker says, coming to stand in front of me. “That’s a damn good idea. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other.”
He looks me up and down, and there’s no confusion about what he means, and it isn’t so we can get acquainted. It’s so he can figure me out. See through the bullshit facade he can sense so clearly.
Fuck.
I glare at Charlie, but she only looks amused. She doesn’t know about last night, after everyone went to bed. She couldn’t know how poor of a setup this is. But still, I fucking hate this girl right now.
Joker clears his throat, and it brings my attention back to him.
He has an eyebrow raised like he’s studying me, and then he turns and starts walking away again. He glances over his shoulder at me. “We’ll leave at five. Be ready.”
I grind my teeth and watch him go, knowing I’ll never be ready for any amount of time alone with him again. The kiss from last night enters my mind and I wonder if he’ll be brave enough to pull that shit again.
A shudder runs down my spine, and I’m surprised when it registers that it isn’t all from foreboding.
It’s from excitement too.
