Page 13 of Painless
“I swear, president,” the prospect answered solemnly.
“Will you obey orders from me, your VP, and any of your senior officers, to the fullest extent and without question?”
“I will, president.”
The questions continued for another minute, before Reaper turned to me with a nod. I drew in a deep breath as I ascended the stage, my heart pounding with nerves and excitement for Stephan.
“Then with my full authority as president,” Reaper said. “I declare you, from this day forward, a fully patched member of the SDMC.” He nodded at me again, and I couldn’t help but beam as I held out Stephan’s cut.
The young man never looked so happy as he turned his back to me, arms extended behind him. I slid the leather over one arm and then the other before tugging it in place over his shoulders. He turned back to me as cheers and applause erupted from the club, his brothers, and I couldn’t stop myself from planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Congratulations,” I told him, a grin splitting my face.
“Thank you, Mari—ma’am.” He turned beet red, much to the amusement of everyone watching.
I stepped back to stand at Reaper’s side, while Jandro came up to throw an arm around Stephan’s shoulders.
“Stephan the prospect is no more.” Jandro slapped a hand on the young man’s chest, right over his new name patch. “You’re a Demon now, and your road name is Slick.”
“Hm,” Reaper mused quietly at my side.
“Before you all get any ideas,” Jandro raised an index finger to the crowd, “like he’s slick with the ladies or some shit, let me set the record straight. Here’s how I came up with his name.”
Stephan groaned and brought a palm to his face, but that just riled everyone up and earned an affectionate ruffling of his hair from Jandro.
“The first day this kid started working in my shop,” Jandro declared. “I told him to hand me a tool that was in a box across the bay. This young fucker walks over there, gets it, but on his way back to me…” He could barely get the words out from trying so hard to contain his laughter. “This motherfucker…slips on an oil slick and eats shit!”
The laughter rippling through the crowd was contagious. Even Shadow appeared to crack a smile.
“Oh my God, that’s awful.” I covered my mouth to hold in my own giggles, but some escaped anyway.
“It’s pretty fuckin’ funny.” Reaper chuckled, hooking an arm around my waist as he brushed a kiss along my forehead. “He’s a good sport, though. And it fits him.”
It was true. Stephan’s joy was uncontrolled, like a kid on Christmas. Reaper and I stood watching him like proud parents, Jandro messing with him like a little brother. The happiness and feelings of celebration were intense now, but everyone seemed to understand it would be short-lived.
It dawned on me right then, why Reaper was so protective of his club, why the Steel Demons found every possible excuse to party and have a good time. This kind of life gave so few opportunities to laugh, smile, and feel good, so they took those moments and lived them to the fullest.
Especially with enemies still lurking.
Six
SHADOW
Five.
Five tries was how many it took before I worked up the nerve to actually step into Mariposa's office. The first time, I made it to the end of my street before the anxiety overtook me. The third time, I got inside the clubhouse door.
I had to. There was no more getting out of this. I had talked myself out of going to her office every day for the past two weeks. But this morning, I woke up on the floor with my face covered in blood from a cut on my head. My mattress had been flipped up and leaned against the wall. My ribs were fucking sore and I was tired of this. I needed some help.
Now on my fifth and final attempt, she looked up from the counter with surprise. Those greenish-brown eyes and her smile wiped my memory of what I was doing here.
"Shadow! I didn't expect to see you here. How are you today?"
"Fine," I mumbled, my heart feeling like it was going to crash out of my chest. "And you?"
"Good, thanks." She turned on her wheeled stool to face me. Her smile accentuated the apples of her cheeks, flushing a delicate pink. "What can I do for you?"
"I, uh..."
