Page 2 of Jinx
Consciousness returns slowly as I stare at a very familiar ceiling. Images of a tall, dark stranger hit my numbed brain as memories come rushing back. He took me. He managed to get me by myself and he took me away…so why am I waking up in my room at the Club? And why am I naked?
What the hell is going on? I sit up tenderly and take a look around. Nothing is out of place, nothing is askew, nothing that would tell me someone had been in here with me. I scoot to the edge and wait for my head to stop swimming. I take the time to think about what I should do next. I have so many questions and no way to find the answers.
I finally get up and make my way to my laptop sitting on my desk. It doesn’t take very long for me to open what I’m looking for. Nothing. There’s no message explaining any of this. No message telling me sorry for so many things. Nothing but a blank screen and a blinking cursor waiting for me to type something.
A knock on my door has me grabbing for the robe I have slung over the back of my chair and cautiously opening the door to…my brother.
“Jinx, we’re headed over to the hospital to visit Lori. You want a ride?”
Like nothing even happened. He’s acting like nothing happened.
“Sure, um, give me just a second and I’ll meet you out front.”
I rush through a shower and throw clothes on without even thinking about what they look like. Nori will come with us, so Pyro won’t be taking his bike which means I don’t have to worry about wearing a dress. I grab my bag and head for the front of the clubhouse. On the way to the hospital Pyro and Nori talk about everything and nothing at all but then a name floats back to me making my heart stutter.
“Can you believe Fury was there?”
My brother is acquainted with Fury. He’s not talking about him like this is someone he doesn’t know about.
“Who is he?”
Yes, Nori. Who is he indeed?
“He’s a fucking myth, a legend. He’s like a fucking boogieman that’s only whispered about in the ring of people we hang around.”
“Why was he there?”
My heart picks up and starts thumping so loudly I don’t know how they can’t hear it over the sound of the wind blowing through the rolled-down windows of the car.
“My guess is for the same reason everyone else was…the bounty.”
Wait a minute! What?
Said heart stutters and slows until I wonder if it’s going to stop altogether.
“He’s good too. Whatever he wants, he takes.”
And Pyro drives the knife in and twists. My heart breaks and I'm hollow inside. Pyro’s words repeat over and over in my head. He takes what he wants. It leaves no doubt about what happened to me.
I was left behind because I was found wanting. So many things make sense to me now. Why I was naked? He wanted to take a good look at what he would be getting if he did choose to take me. Why he left me where he did. A statement that I wasn’t worth going to war for against a whole motorcycle club, not worth the hassle that would come if he did take me.
“Jinx, honey?” I snap back and turn to find Nori staring at me like she’s been saying my name for a long time.
“Sorry.” It’s the only thing I can push out with what little breath I have left.
“You okay, sweetie? You look a little pale.”
I nod and quickly turn away. But the sour feeling in my stomach doesn’t go away or get better. I fake a smile for Nori and bide my time but the feeling doesn’t stop. It never stops. It just sits there and festers. Until I can’t take it anymore.
This sick feeling is going to kill me if I don’t do something to stop it, to quieten it down. I start making plans. And I wait. I try to keep the hurt hidden but some of it leaks out. Some of it manifests in me being a little bitchy, a little prickly, around the other happy couples.
The next entertainment night rolls around and I’m sent to my room but this time fate is smiling on me because not only will my brother be busy entertaining Nori but my mom and dad are also here tonight. I gladly go to the room I stay in at the club and wait. Then when everyone is good and busy, I sneak out and make my way to the ride I called for at the end of the road the club is on. No ride is going to come all the way up to the gate, let alone pull straight up to the club, so I hoof it to the end and hop in.
By the time anyone finds out what I have planned it will be too late to stop me. I give him my mom and dad’s address. Everyone who is a higher-up in the Sons has a room at the club but most everyone has a place somewhere else also. Mom and Dad are no exception. They bought a cute little two-story house with a big yard and a tree out front that I used to have a tire swing in.
I use my key and let myself in and make my way upstairs. The house is so familiar and comforting. I know my way, even in the dark. My room hasn’t been changed since I was twelve so everything is purple and covered in lace. You would never think that it was my room.
I stare at my face in the mirror over the dresser. I gave up lace and hearts a long time ago…well, lace anyway. The hearts stopped when I woke up in my room after being taken by a lying, cheating asshat. I reach into my closet, way in the back, and pull out something I have never worn, something I probably never would wear if not for the sick feeling I’ve been left with because of Fury.