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“He did that too. He’s pretty good at this thing we call a punishment fuck,” I informed them, glad that I had got this shit off my chest. “But y’all don’t tell the guys, okay?” I asserted, knowing I would be the laughing stock of the clubhouse.
“Hell no,” Red said, zipping her lips.
“Not in a million,” Maddie added, shaking her head, confirming that she would keep her mouth shut. It was nice to know I could trust these two. This would be our little secret.
I didn’t think about Charlie, or the information that he had offered to share with me, for the rest of the week. I focused on work, the daily calls I got from Luke, and building my relationship with Maddie and Red. Red had explained her outburst, and her reasons for it, to me over drinks the other night. We had gone to The Country Tavern, where she ran karaoke on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
“I used to be a dancer.” Those were the words she chose to start our conversation. It took her a few minutes to elaborate, because she had to announce the next singer, leaving me time to consider her comment. I never would have guessed it, but it wasn’t too hard to believe. She definitely had the personality and build. Her arms and legs were toned and muscular, and even in her late twenties, Red had a killer body. “That’s what I was doing when I met Regg for the first time,” she continued once the singer was set up and killing me with a rendition of Bobby McGee. “I saw him come into the club a few times with Luke, but we never spoke. He was a big flirt, and quite a hit with all the girls. I was at a bad place in my life, and didn’t have time for him, or anyone else for that matter.”
“So you have known Luke for a long time?” I asked, knowing they had a history, but not sure how far it dated back.
“Oh, yeah. We grew up together. He always knew he wanted to be a biker, and me,” she paused, smiling as her mind flooded with old memories, “I wanted to be on Broadway.” I noticed the sparkle in her eyes as Red left me and went to a different place, one that she must have dreamed of for many years.
“What stopped you?” I asked, smiling at her reaction to her dreams as if they were my own.
“Cocaine.” My smile died, as Red shrugged, unaffected by her reason or my reaction. “I was an addict. I didn’t have a home growing up with two loving parents and a house full of siblings. I was property of the state and spent my entire childhood in the system. I bounced from foster home to foster home. That’s how I met Luke. I was placed with a family when I was fourteen and they were wealthy, like Luke’s family.” I watched as Red stopped our conversation to congratulate the horrible singer before playing a setlist consisting of three line-dancing songs, prompting every girl on the patio to get up and dance, leaving her and I to continue our conversation without interruption. “They sent me to the same private school Luke attended. He might have been raised rich, but that boy was hood, giving us something in common. We would meet every day after lunch, and smoke a cigarette together. He was the perfect athlete with the good looks and charm, and I was the poor little orphan girl without a real family. He never let anybody fuck with me, though. Even after I fucked up my chances with a good family and they sent me back, he stayed in touch. I would go hang with him at his Pop’s shop and watch him work on motorcycles. He shared his dreams with me and I shared mine with him. We were best friends. Life worked out for Luke, but not so much for me. He tried to save me, but I was hell-bent on destroying my life. Then, one day, I almost did.” I watched as she struggled with her emotions. Red was opening up; she was showing me a side of her I had never seen. It was hard to watch her go from the hardcore, fun-loving Red, to a broken girl who had nothing. “I was dancing at this nightclub on the coast, making damned good money, catering to high-end clients. The problem was, I was using my hard-earned money on dope when I should have been saving for college. I took too much one night and it almost cost me my life. Luke took me in, treating me to his style of rehab, and that’s when I found Regg. I pushed him away at first, but eventually I let him in. Now, he’s all I have. I mean I have the club, but Regg is what wakes me up in the morning. I go to sleep just because I know it’s his face that will fill my dreams. Once an addict, always an addict, Dallas. Just because I don’t snort cocaine or shoot up doesn’t mean I don’t get high. I’m high on Regg. I traded cocaine for a six-foot, blonde-haired, baby-faced boy with a Harley, and a smile that can light up my darkest day. So, you can see why it bothers me that Luke has something to focus on other than his brothers. I know Luke would never let anything happen to them, or he would die trying. He is a great brother, leader, and friend. It’s just easier to focus the blame on someone. And that someone just so happens to be Luke. I don’t like Regg being gone, but I would rather go back to being a drug addict, all alone with no one to care whether I am alive or dead than to ever see anything happen to the people I love. That includes you.” She leaned forward, poking her finger into my shoulder, so that there was no mistaking to whom she was referring. She smiled and let out a deep breath, fighting hard to keep her tears at bay. The conversation was over, and, although our trip down memory lane had ended, our journey toward the future, and our promising lifelong friendship, had only just begun.
