Mum has decided to let loose today. She’s smiling and laughing and talking to some of the other women, the wives of the other members of the club. I feel hopeful as I watch her. The usual scowl she had started to don was gone today, and her pretty smile was bright as she laughed with the others. With any luck, maybe whatever has been bothering her has resolved itself.
“Mina!” Kate, one of Shawn’s daughter’s, comes barreling up to me and hugs me tight. She’s a year older than I am, and she’s stunning. Her hair is a soft brown, with wide-set dark eyes that have the longest lashes I’ve ever seen. She’s also got a pair of boobs that I secretly covet. At thirteen, I’ve basically got a shelving unit. Mum says that she was a late bloomer, too, and that my dance also keeps my physique more toned. Which means I’ll probably have to wait a few years until I start looking like these beautiful women that I see at the club.
Kate grabs my hand and tugs me towards the table of other girls around our age, where a tray of food is waiting. I sit with them and we eye the boys that sit at another nearby, one of them being Noah. I glance his way, but it’s his older brother, Jordan, who is watching me with a confident smirk on his face, so I quickly look away as the other girls burst into a fit of giggles. Jordan has always been a bit of a creep, while Noah was always friendly and nice to me and the other girls. I meant what I said to James about finding Noah cute. He has copper hair and these dark eyes that reminded me of melted chocolate. He is two years older than me, and starting to show signs of muscle in his arms. He has always been quiet and more respectful than the other guys, and I guess I like the change. Most sons of members who are around my age, tend to be cocky douchebags, and usually poke fun at my flatter chest and more modest style of dress. But Noah doesn’t.
“… I don’t know. I always thought Cody was pretty hot,” Kate was saying.
I snap to attention, pulling my mind out of its weird trance. “What about Cody?”
The girls all burst into a fit of giggles again and glance over to where Shay and his friends were hanging out, all lounging at a table close to the trees, swigging back some beers and looking too cool for the rest of us with their tattoos and dark clothes. I’ve known Cody for as long as I’ve known Shay. He’s been like a brother figure to me, too, always messing up my hair and teasing me as of late. I made a face. “He’s alright…” I mutter and take a large swallow of my lemonade.
“Are you kidding?” another girl, Morgan, says, flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder. “His dimples? His black hair? Swoooon!” She pretends to fan herself and casts another flirtatious look over to the older boys, who aren’t paying us even the smallest bit of attention.
“But he’s dating some girl named Olivia,” one of Kate’s friends pointed out, pouting her lip a bit at that.
Olivia? I felt my heart pick up a little in my chest at the unpleasant memory. She, at least, had been somewhat nice, if not a little cowardly. If Cody was dating any of those girls, I was glad that it was her. From what I heard after, that girl, Dana, had to drop out of school and her family disappeared from town. I have no idea what Shay did to her, and he refused to tell me.
“Damn!” Kate looked to the guys again. “Well, I call dibs on Shay, then.”
“Ew!” I laughed and scrunched up my nose at her. “My brother? Seriously?”
“What? He’s sooo hot!” she said, defensively, grinning wide. “If he wasn’t kinda scary, I would have said him first!”
“Shay’s scary?” I ask, surprised. The other girls all looked at me like I had sprouted another head. “What?”
“You aren’t scared of Shay?” Morgan asked, her brows high on her head.
“No, why would I be?”
“I would have thought, just with you living with him, that you would have seen what he gets up to… you know, for the club?”
I make a face. “What do you mean?”
Kate distracted herself with the straw in her fruit punch but murmured, “I was visiting my dad at the club a few weeks ago and Shay was losing it.”
I frowned at that. “He was probably having a bad day, or something…” I say defensively, thinking about his tantrums. He’s always been one to lash out physically, and our furniture was usually the casualty of his angry fits.
“He was in dad’s office, but I could hear him all the way out in the lounge, and the stuff he was saying…” she trailed off.
“Don’t stop now. What? What did he say?” Morgan asked. The girls were all leaning in, whispering and eager for gossip.
“He was talking about some sort of fight with a member of the Faceless Ones…” Kate’s face was burning. She squirmed in her seat like she was sitting on a pinecone or something.
“The Faceless Ones? That gang in the city?” Morgan gasped.
She nodded. “Yeah, he said something about having to knife someone… that he… gave them a smile…”
I felt sick by her words. I’d heard rumours over the years about Shay’s violent outbursts. I mean, he sometimes told me about them, but now that I think about it, he really didn’t provide too many details. He never mentioned using his knives, though I know he carried at least one around with him everywhere. Maybe his weapons were used more for intimidation than actual use. Besides, he’d always gotten into fights. Hell, the first time I’d ever met him, he had just finished beating the crap out of four other guys. I know Keenan had mentioned to me that Shay had really hurt some people, but since then, he’s been good, I think? I told myself that this was all gossip and word of mouth was unreliable when it came to accounting actual facts.
“And there are countless stories about what he’s done to members of the Spades-” Kate went on.
“That isn’t relevant,” I cut in suddenly. “He was a teenager then, and there have been no problems for years.”
“How do you know?” Kate asked, sounding doubtful.
I look down at my plate and shrug. “I just do…” I mutter. God, they need to just drop this subject. I don’t want to talk about how my stepbrother might have gotten involved in a potentially fatal fight with one of the city’s major crime groups. I’m so freaking glad we live in a border town half an hour away. It feels like we’re in our own, peaceful bubble out here. But I really don’t want to discuss the Black Spades. To keep myself from thinking about a certain golden haired, blue eyed biker, I look up, searching for a distraction when I notice Noah and his friends casually rise to their feet and start heading our way. I nod in their direction and immediately, the girls in our group start flipping their hair and straightening their summer dresses. I cringe internally at the sight of them preening themselves. They look silly. I flat-out refuse to do the same and instead take a giant bite of my burger.
“Happy birthday, Mina.” Jordan grins at me and I fight the urge to shudder. He’s a few years older, eighteen or nineteen, I think. But he’s always been kinda pervy. I’ve caught him on several occasions trying to peek down girls’ shirts, mine included. Thankfully, in my case, there’s not much to see.
I’m caught with a mouthful of food and chew quickly, feeling my cheeks flush as everyone waits for me to respond. “Thanks, Jordan.” I smile politely at him and turn back to my plate. The boys all join us, squeezing in on the benches, or leaning against the edge of the table. Jordan makes himself comfortable beside me and I instantly move over a bit so we’re not touching. Noah parks himself across from me and helps himself to some of our food. He doesn’t even bother looking my way… not when Kate’s magnificent boobs are almost spilling out of her skimpy tank top.