Page 1 of Barker

Prologue

Barker

Change. Change is a funny thing. It’s inevitable in life. You can’t hide from it; you can’t outrun it, even if you’re flying at ninety to nothing. Trust me, I would know, I’ve tried. It can come from every direction and in all kinds of forms. In my life, I’ve been subjected to two forms of change.

The first comes softly and quietly. It sneaks up on you and wraps around you like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night, only to surprise you when you least expect it. If you weren’t really paying attention when it showed up, then you didn’t see it coming. It’s the kind of change that reminds me of autumn when the grass slowly loses its color and begins to dry up.The leaves change from deep green to various shades of browns, yellows, and oranges before falling to the ground and leaving the trees bare. The temperature slowly drops and the days get shorter. It’s a slow change, an easy transition.

The other change comes out of nowhere and hits you head-on like a semi with a driver asleep at the wheel. You are forced to accept the change in your life, because you know there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll probably fight it in the beginning because it wasn’t soft and easy. It didn’t give you the time to adjust, but your fight is useless. It’s the kind of change that reminds me of that unexpected and sudden rainstorm on a scorching summer afternoon.

You can’t move forward in life without change, so I guess in some ways, it’s a good thing. I guess it’s also a good thing that it’s inevitable, because humans are creatures of habit, or at least that’s what I think. Most of us like the familiar and comfortable, so if it were up to us, there would be no change. No change might seem like a good thing, but when you think about it, I mean, really think about it, you’d always be stuck in the same place. You’d never learn anything new, never discover something special, always stay the same.

I didn’t used to think change was a good thing. I fought it, attempted to outrun it, hide from it; you name it, I tried it. Then something happened and made me realize just how important change is in life. Life has a way of throwing you some wicked curveballs. Having to uproot my whole life in small-town USA and relocate to Los Angeles, California was one of the things my nightmares were made of. Huge, crowded, traffic for days, and impersonal people—everything I didn’t want to be around. But when you get laid off from your job and the only company willing to hire you at the time is there… you suck it up and go.

I had no idea that Los Angeles was where I’d find the place to call home. It gave me a family in the form of a Motorcycle Club, Sons of Sin. Brothers for a kid who had no one but his grandpa growing up and had been left alone for years. Los Angeles also gave me the one thing I was convinced I’d never have… someone to share my life with. But somehow Annistyn managed to worm her way into my heart and soul.

One

Annistyn

I hear the sound of pans in the kitchen and smell the bacon in the air, causing my stomach to rumble in hunger, but there’s no way it’s that time already. I swear, I just got to sleep. I pull my comforter up over my head in an attempt to drown out the sound, my eyes still heavy with sleep. Just as I’m about to drift back off I hear, “Damn it, Annistyn!” I groan, at the sound of Talon’s voice. “Every time I come in here, I nearly die.”

“Then stay out of my room,” I mumble. He’s being dramatic, well kind of. I won’t lie, my room is a mess, a total disaster area. It seriously looks like a Tasmanian devil ran through it. It’s not my fault really.I just never have time to clean it. I can manage with it, but for Talon, who I swear has OCD, well let’s just say it drives him nuts.

“I’d love to stay out of this pig pin, but if I don’t wake you up then you’ll be late.”

“Not possible,” I whine, as I burrow farther into my pillow.

“I’m afraid so sleeping beauty,” Talon tells me, as he takes a seat on my bed. The smell of bacon and cheese sneaks through my comforter. My mouth waters. “You have class at eleven, right?”

“Yes,” I all but growl out, as I throw my comforter off me. I’m so close to being done with nursing school, literally, this is my last year, so I can’t start slacking now. It doesn’t matter how tired I am.

Talon hands me a plate with a bacon and cheese sandwich on toasted white bread with no crust and a cold Mountain Dew, my favorite. I give him a small smile because he knows me well. Then again, I guess he should since we’ve been best friends since we were kids. Back then though, it was Talon, Jerick, and me: the three amigos. We were inseparable.Then my dad got sick, Jerick went down a bad path and left me to deal with it all, but Talon stayed. I know everyone in this part of town gossips about us. They all think we have something going on, but we really don’t, he’s just my best friend. “Long night?” he asks, as his brows pull together in concern.

I shrug like it’s no big deal and take a big bite of my sandwich. He watches me, waiting for a reply, but I need the time to figure out what to say. Long night doesn’t even begin to cover it. Between nursing school, my everyday life, and my dad’s medical expenses, I have to work at Vixens, which is a strip club on the seedy side of Los Angeles, not too far from here. I’m just a waitress, but the tips are amazing and they are currently keeping me afloat. Well, those and my race winnings. “Yeah, we were busy,” I finally tell him.

I hold out my hand for the soda and that’s when I notice the handprint bruise lacing my forearm. Talon’s eyes, of course, follow mine and in an instant his calm demeanor is angry. “What the hell?”

I grab the soda and take a long drink. Apparently, I’m taking too long, because Talon yanks it back out of my hand. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“You’ve got a damn bruise the shape of a hand on your arm. I’d say that’s a pretty big deal, Annistyn!”

“Look, I had a table get a little drunk and unruly. Dillan swooped in and saved me just as I was about to knee the dude,” I tell him. It’s a lie, but he doesn’t need to know that. Truth is, Jerick showed up with some of his biker friends and started causing trouble. He made some comments which eventually got a rise out of me, along with a smartass remark, and when I turned to leave he grabbed my arm a little too hard. I can’t tell Talon the truth though, because he’ll go ballistic.

Talon stands up and begins pacing the floor while running a hand through his black hair. “I wish you would just quit that job.”

“You know I can’t. Look, it’s not my favorite place to have to work either, but I need the money. After this year, I should never have to step foot into a strip club again,” I tell him, as I finish my breakfast.

“I know, I know, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he replies, with a scowl on his face.

I climb out of bed and make my way to my closet to get ready for class. Talon heads out of the room only to return right after snapping his fingers. “I can’t believe I almost forgot!” I pop my head around the closet door and give him a questioning look. “I got some inside details about a race, if you’re interested.” Talon wags his eyebrows up and down.

“You know I am. So spill it.”

“Tonight, behind the Sons of Sin's clubhouse,” he says, like this isn’t big news when in reality it’s the biggest news. The drag races that Barker Tobin likes to host behind their clubhouse are kind of epic.

“Did someone actually tell you or did you just overhear it?” I ask. Talon started hanging around the clubhouse last year and is now a prospect to join the motorcycle club as well. Normally, I’m completely against MCs, but the Sons of Sin are different. They actually give back to the community and they seem to stay clear of any bad crimes. As far as I know, Barker’s drag races are the most illegal endeavor they are involved in.

“Barker told me. Actually, he asked me if I knew anyone to fill a spot. Apparently, John got in a car accident and can’t participate now, so it’s a last-minute deal, but it could mean big bucks for you.”

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