Flock

I fumble with my reply because I don’t know exactly how to answer. And I decide I’m not going to. She smiles and does me a solid by taking the question off the table, so I do her one back, even with the lingering sting of jealousy.

“Sean is kind, considerate, smart, so smart, caring, sexy, fu

“I thought as much,” she blows out a breath, pushing her waist-length dark hair away from her shoulder. The woman has the most beautiful head of hair I’ve ever seen.

“So, you’ve got a thing for him, huh?”

I’m graced with an apologetic grin. “He used to come to Virginia a lot when I was younger. I never said a word to him, but yeah, I guess you could say I do. Hope that doesn’t piss you off.”

It does, to a degree. But she’s being honest.

“He’s also bluntly honest, like you.”

“Yeah?” She smiles.

“But, I am with him.”

She nods. “I’ll back off. I just…he’s perfect, but you know that. Dominic too. But he scares the shit out of me.”

Me too. But in the way I can’t get enough of him.

“Yeah, they’re…hard to describe.”

“So, come on, girl,” she nudges me with her elbow, “what exactly did you do to get in that car?”

Fucked them both on a float. I cringe at my vulgar thought and burst out laughing despite it.

Who in the hell am I? Alicia gives me an odd look.

“Sorry, it’s been an interesting week. I met Sean at work and we all just started hanging out.”

“If my brother wasn’t such a dick, I could too.”

“Overprotective, eh?”

“Yeah, to the point I might kill him in his sleep.”

“Have you been to many of these?”

“This is my fourth.” She rolls her eyes. “Twenty years old and I still have to ask my brother to play with him and his friends.”

“So, what is the meetup about?”

She shrugs. “It’s just a party.”

I harrumph. Third time is not the charm.

“You don’t find it odd that every one of these men has the same tattoo?”

She lifts a shoulder, her face impassive. “Not at all.”

“Please, please tell me what I’m missing.”

She frowns. “You don’t know anything?”

“No. Is this a gang?”

She squelches her laughter after gauging my expression. “No, not like that. But if they were to bust us right now, I’m sure half of these assholes would serve time.”

“For?”

“Their crimes.”

Questions and evasive answers. It’s becoming an infuriating pattern and I can see she’s sympathetic. I go at her at a different angle.

“So why do you come here?”

“Because I believe in this.”

“And this is?”

“A party.”

A

She sees my panic and does her best to study me. “You have nothing to be afraid of. This is just a meetup. It happens once or twice a month.”

“Like Masons?”

She nods sharply. “Sure. Like a club.”

“But you can’t tell me about the club? Like rule number one of Fight Club?”

“What’s that?”

“A movie,” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “Never mind, so this is a club?”

“Sure, and I guess you could say this is the clubhouse.”

“So that necklace…”

“Means I belong to someone or am with someone in the club.” She grimaces. “Right now, it’s my brother.”

“So, who is the leader?”

“There’s no leader at a party.”

“I thought this was a club?” I counter.

“A club party.”

More evasion, another thousand questions popping up that I have no doubt will go unanswered.

“This is so weird,” I mutter as an outburst of laughter sounds behind us.

“I thought so too, at first.”

“And now?”

She shrugs, pulling a joint from thin air and lighting it. “It’s a way of life.” She exhales a plume of smoke and offers it to me.

“No thanks.”

“Sure? It’s going to be a long night.”

“Yeah.”

I need to keep my wits about me. What in the hell am I doing here? The question spins in my head constantly as I survey the party. Alicia walks with me as we talk in circles and I get nowhere with answers until commotion breaks out on the other side of the fire. We both strain to search for the reason around the volcanic flames. A second later, we hear the roll of engines.

“Shit, this should be interesting. Come on,” she grabs my arm and I allow her to drag me to the other side of the circle to see Dominic’s Camaro roar to life along with two other waiting cars. “One of them belongs to one of the Miami crew, the other is Tallahassee’s ride,” she continues on. Sean appears at Dominic’s side as they exchange words and Dom gets a clap on the back from Sean before he steps away and starts his own car.

“Where are they going?”

“To play tag.”

“Like a race? On these roads?” I turn to see Sean searching the party for me behind the wheel before his eyes land on the two of us. I hear the stutter of Alicia’s breath as he looks from me to her, and I know she’s got it bad. The smile he casts in our direction lights me up, and I know I do too. And I’m not sharing him.

Even if these weird-ass men belong to a strange club held in the backwoods of Bumfuck, Nowhere.

“So, what’s going to happen?”

“They’ll race.”

“And then?”

“One will come back the wi

Catcalls and whistles sound out as they collectively pull out, engines gu

“Anyone ever died?” I ask, the blood draining from my face.

“Twice. But that was years ago before the rules changed.”

Years. I wonder how long this has been going on. Unease slithers through me as I focus on at the fading taillights.

And then I hear it, the tell-tale signs, engines roaring in the distance. They’re racing. A part of me wishes I was inside that car with Dominic. But mostly, I’m terrified. Sean’s more careful, but Dominic is fearless with his driving, dangerously so.

“Don’t worry. They’ll be back,” Alicia speaks up from beside me.

“Let me have that joint,” I say, hoping it will calm my nerves. She laughs and passes it to me, and I inhale deep.

Ten minutes later, the sound of an engine has us all craning our heads. Dominic is the first to enter and the bodies around us roar with cheers.

“He won,” Alicia lifts her beer toward him in salute.

“Of course he did.”

He’s hell on wheels and tonight he represents his name well, a king amongst the masses crowding around his car. Pride fills me as I watch him, knowing tonight was the start of something between us. I move to go to him, but the second he’s parked, he’s out of the car, pushing those congratulating him out of the way to inspect the body, a string of curses erupting from him. Miami comes idling in next, and the second the driver is stopped, Dominic flies towards him, meeting him at his door. Emerging from the car, the Miami driver smiles in a way that makes my stomach roll. A moment later Dominic wipes it off his face with his fist.

“Oh, shit,” Alicia says next to me.

Sean speeds in sideways, barely stopped before he’s flying out of his car and stalking over to where Dominic is unleashing hell. Tallahassee trails in last, the side of the car caved in as it comes into view under the firelight, wheels wobbling, smoke billowing out of the hood. The driver gets out, a crocodile smile in place as he watches Dominic beat the ever-loving shit out of the Miami driver. Everyone at the party stands by, watching, including Sean, for several punches before he moves forward, barking at Dominic to stop. I can’t help myself. I move closer to hear the exchange as Miami finally steps up in defense.