Page 55 of The Stay


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“Fucking fine. I’m driving you to the MC clubhouse, where you can thank my Prez, Colt, for wasting a fortune on getting you out, and then, you can fuck off wherever you fucking want to go and do whatever the fuck you want,” Ash hissed.

Something wavered in Nix’s face for a second. For just a second. Ash saw it, he knew it, Nix was in there, hiding behind whatever had happened. And then Nix was gone.

“Fine then.”

“Well fine.”

Nix slammed on the helmet. “See, no one stays, in the end.”

Ash gritted his jaw, knowing that this experience with Nix would be staying with Ash for a very, very long time to come.

“Welcome,Nix, we’ve heard so much about you.” A tall, muscled man with his hair swept up in a top knot stepped forward, and reached out to shake Nix’s hand. Nix stood, shame and guilt eating away at his insides. People were staring at him. At his tattoos. For the first time in his life, he wanted to sink into the ground.

Nix took his hand, nodded, flicking his eyes around at all the people gathered, muttering, “Thanks, man.” Nix was wondering if he could bolt. Was it too late to say he had to go, he couldn’t stay? He was worried Ramon’s group would come and fuck up this happy little scene. This little family gathering that he wasn’t meant to be a part of.

Ash stomped through the entrance now and threw a hateful glare at Nix.

“Don’t bother welcoming him too much, he isn’t staying,” Ash spat.

“Hmm. Lovers' tiff.” Nix looked up and saw an older man, a proper stereotypical looking biker, taking a swig from a bottle.

Nix swallowed and looked around, edgily. Looked to the building, the wall around the garden. Ramon’s group were coming to kill them all. He had thought Ramon’s group might have had a sniper on him in the parking lot at the prison gates, or were poised to ram them off the road on the journey back. He’d tried to throw Ash off, push him away. Nix hated himself.

Colt frowned at Ash. “What happened? I thought you wanted to pick him up and-”

A beautiful blonde woman stepped forward then. She looked like an angel, so fucking hot Nix’s balls jumped in his pants. She was older than Nix, and quite clearly already taken. “You’re welcome to stay for however long you want or need to, Nix. But equally, there’s no obligation to stay. We helped you out because Ash is one of ours and we help our own. If you don’t want to join up, that’s okay, take your time, just… enjoy tonight, huh?”

Nix nodded, she was calming. Kind of a mother figure. Kind of a teacher figure, but not like the annoying ones from his old school. A hot older protector. She soothed him.

“Yeah, I… just got out, you know?” he said, hating how quiet and small his voice sounded.

“Yeah, I hear you,” Colt replied quietly. Nix looked up and caught Colt’s eye. This was Colt then, the Prez, who had done time and blown up the old MC and started fresh. Ash looked at him and saw understanding. A shadow passed over them both and time froze for a moment as they both stared into the horrors reflected in each other's eyes. Colt could almost see. Nix had a horrifying moment when he was sure Colt saw right through him, and his act, and his fear and his dread. Nix immediately understood why Ash followed Colt. Why Colt was running the MC. Then Colt shook himself. “Well, you’re welcome to any booze, any food you want.”

“I’m… thanks… I just-”

“I know, it’s probably a bit much. Maybe you want to stay, prospect with us, maybe you don’t, no skin off our backs. Take some time, relax, enjoy yourself.” Colt shrugged.

Nix was too wound up to relax. He thought he’d never relax again in his life. He’d always be looking over his shoulder for Ramon, always be wondering, is it today that they come for me? That they come for Ash and this MC? What was the signal he was meant to be waiting for? The rest of his stay had honestly been a blur of solitary and hospital wings. He’d had infection after virus after infection. He had the visit in the nights and something sharp pushed up against one artery or another. Threats, when he least expected them. So he could never relax. Never stop thinking about it. Imagining Ash and this MC, his family, just ripped to shreds. He pictured their bodies, covered in blood, scattered around the yard. He closed his eyes at night and heard screams. It had haunted him every minute of every day of the rest of his stay.

“You heard of MC life at all before?” the older biker asked, stepping forward jauntily.

Nix tilted his head to one side. “My uncle was a member of one, when I was a kid… you do what you like, right?”

“Right,” the older biker replied after a pause, in which he glared at Colt.

“We have certain rules, a charter to follow, basic respect for each other,” Colt glared back at the older biker. “But yeah, we basically live how we like. The girls are ours, this place is ours… this is my ol’ lady April,” Colt reached for her hand and held it tenderly, kissing it. “So don’t fucking touch her, same for this one.” Colt nodded at a younger, petite brunette, who nodded kindly to Nix.

Nix raised his eyebrows. “You’ve got two-”

“No, Sophie’s Phantom’s,” April clarified quickly. “And you don’t get on the bad side of Phantom.”

Nix looked around to a stockier guy, his long hair to his pecs, ringlets, and brown, all-seeing, all-knowing eyes. This Phantom guy just stared back. “Hmm.” Phantom did the tiniest of chin lifts in a greeting to Nix. Nix gulped. Something about Phantom commanded respect and awe. Like how you respect the power of something big and dangerous and deadly. Niagara falls or the Grand Canyon. Look but don’t look for too long, otherwise you’ll find yourself falling down to your doom.

Nix looked away.

“We’ve got a room for you upstairs… we weren’t sure if you would be staying with Ash or not…” A huge, bearded giant of a man shrugged.

“Fuck no, it’s not like that, I mean-” Nix wanted to immediately deny, his eyes darted around at the burly men wearing leather. He didn’t know what they knew, he didn’t want to stand here and declare his connections to Ash. Ramon might have a spy in their midst, Ramon’s gang might suddenly roll in and torch the place. Maybe if he denied any connection, he could save the MC, he thought wildly.

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