Page 55 of Has-Been
He reached out and caught my arm as I lifted my helmet.
“Brother, I’m just messing with ya. I know, okay? I get it, and for the record, I was always rooting for you guys. She couldn’t ask for a better fucking man. Stitch will see that eventually, when he stops trying to be her protector, and realises that’s your job now.”
My shoulders dropped, and I lowered the helmet again.
“Do you think so? I feel like at some point he’s just gonna drag me off and kill me, and I guess I can’t really blame him. The one thing he wanted was for all of us to stay away from his sister. I can’t undo what I did, and I’d never want to, but he’s my VP. This could be the end for me.”
Ryder shook his head, grabbing his own helmet and fastening it on.
“Fuck that. He’ll get it eventually, or he’ll lose both of you. Maybe even more of us, because he’s not the only one we love, yeah? Even Ice seems to quite like you now, which I never thought I’d ever fucking live to see.”
Yeah, I was still surprised that we’d finally, somehow, resolved our shit after all these years. It was definitely easier being on the same side as him, especially as he’d had my back through all of this too.
“Yeah, he’s okay. Kinda bitchy at times.” I started my bike, and we headed back to the clubhouse, where I could only hope to see my fucking girl as soon as possible. I needed her in my arms like I couldn’t believe.
It was only because I was so distracted by my thoughts of her, that I didn’t see that there was even a problem with Ryder’s bike until he dropped it on a bend, and I nearly went straight into it. He was lying on the road a few feet away, and he wasn’t moving, and it was only as I tried to pull over to check on him, that I realised my brakes weren’t working.Fuck!
Elise
Lissaactuallythoughtitwas sweet that I was feeling so territorial about Has, and his unwilling porn videos.
“I’ve only seen them because I’m in the tech room with Ice sometimes, when we… uh… when I bring him snacks, and keep him company. He gets pissed if they come up and I see them, but it can’t be helped. The program he uses to track them flashes them up on the screen for him to remove.”
I realised I could really talk to her because she knew everything now, right?
“I liked seeing the things he did in those videos, and I want to feel them for myself. I just didn’t expect to suddenly hate the sight of them now he’s mine. Like now I want to gut every bitch he’s ever fucked, because he’s mine.”
Lissa looked taken aback.
“Okay… you’re definitely feistier than any of us realised. From what I’ve seen though, Has only has eyes for you, oh wow, that’s getting confusing, isn’t it? He couldn’t have had an easier name? I mean, the name makes perfect sense, but still-”
“Oh my god, how can you say that!? He’s not a ‘has-been’, he’s… he’s… I don’t know what the opposite of that is right now, but he’s not.”
Lissa lifted her mug, and sighed at the fact that she’d run out.
“I’ll make us another. So, he never told you the reason for his name?”
The reason for it? I couldn’t believe I’d never wondered where it came from, just that it seemed so inappropriate for a man like him. I followed her to the kitchen, and rummaged for some biscuits to go with our coffee.
“We’ve never really talked about that stuff. Do you know why he’s called that?”
Lissa fussed with our mugs for a moment.
“I’m not sure if it’s my place to tell you. It refers to who he was before he joined the club though. He was better known by his real name, and I guess this is his rebirth. His attempt to rebuild himself, and get over all of the horrors of his past.”
“Oh my god, you can’t just say that, and not tell me more. That’s like waving the answer in front of me, and then burning it!”
Lissa giggled, and then both of our phones buzzed in sync with each other, and we frowned. Who would message both of us at the exact same time?
Lissa dug out her phone as I ran for mine.
CallToArms:STAY OFF YOUR BIKES. Return to clubhouse urgently by other means.
I had no idea who the hell this ‘CallToArms’ was, but Lissa clearly knew something I didn’t. She looked panicked, lifting her phone to her ear as I dimly heard it ringing in the background.
“Ice, what’s going on? I’ve never received the call to arms before.”
He muttered something and she told him where she was. Mere moments later, he was banging on the door, so we let him in, and he looked panicked.
