Rivals 🌈 ✔

39 - Worth It

Raine decided to park his Harley away from the others. He wasn't sure if he was afraid that they would take it as a sign of disrespect or that he felt the need for a distinction from them himself. He waited until Juice had climbed off his bike before Raine did the same and headed to the clubhouse. 

Juice didn't say a word. Raine could feel how much he hated being here now, but Raine believed this needed to happen. This shit needed to end before it even started. He opened the front door and was met by smoke and loud music. Young guys — hang-arounds who hoped to be part of the club one day — were gathered around the pool tables. The Sons were divided in two groups; some of them were sitting at the bar and others talking at the couches, each of them with a chick on their lap. 

Conversations fell silent as they saw who entered the clubhouse. Juice went to walk beside him. His shoulders back, although Raine knew he was feigning confidence. He felt the urge to stroke his back as a sign of support, but he didn't do it. He rather let his boyfriend believe that he was looking confident and that Raine was drawing strength from him. 

Raine's eyes shot through the room until they found the president. He was sitting on the couch, raising his eyebrows as he saw them. Raine looked him briefly in the eye. Without slowing down, he headed to the sitting area. The bald man sitting next to him sat up straight and his shoulders tensed. 

There was a stab in his stomach as he recognized the man; it was the guy who had shot him. The tattooed snake on his scalp seemed to smirk at him. With his dark eyes the Son stared at him, as if he wanted to judge how much of a risk Raine was to his president. Even though his eyes didn't leave Raine's face, he didn't speak a word. 

Raine tore his glance away from the man and turned to the grey-haired president. "I heard you had some questions for me."

The man clenched his jaw and gave Juice an accusing stare. "What's he doing here? When I told you to suck my dick when you needed one, it wasn't an offer to that plaything of yours."

Anger flared up. That asshole had said what to Juice? Clenching his fists, he took a step forward to lash out. Juice however grabbed his arm. As he looked over his shoulder, his brown eyes begged him to tone it down. Raine gritted his teeth. It wasn't in his nature to tolerate insults like this, but his boyfriend was right. They needed to rise above this. That asshole was only trying to hit a sore spot. 

"I like 'em a bit tanner," he mockingly said, "and not as wrinkled as a prune. Anyway, if you're done with your infantile humor, I rather hear what you wanted Juice to pry out of me."

With a cold look in his eyes, Clay stared at him before he turned to Juice. "Seriously? Gathering intel is your job as Intelligence Officer and you do it in such an obvious way that your boyfriend comes here to complain?"

Raine believed his own president had treated him harshly, but there was something about Clay's attitude that appalled him even more. Alvarez had punished him, but that was over now. But Clay... He had a feeling he would keep looking for ways to punish Juice, but in such a sneaky way that no one would consider it a punishment. In one movement, Raine tore the bandages off his arm and showed the Son the mark. "This is how happy my brothers are with my relationship with Juice," he said. The skin was glowing, with a little bit of imagination he could still smell his burnt flesh. "A reminder to my loyalty to them. If I ever betray them, they will melt all my flesh of my bones." He stared into the older man's pale eyes. "I don't know if you have a wife but I assume you don't want her to be filleted, just like Juice doesn't want such a fate for me. If you got questions you can ask them. Juice and I don't talk about our clubs."

Clay didn't say anything. He didn't even look at him; instead he stared at Juice who shuffled his feet awkwardly. This felt like another lack of respect and Raine shook his head in anger. He looked around, searching for the blond VP. He looked much more reasonable. The man stood a few steps away from them, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Yet, he nodded slightly. At least he did acknowledge Raine's presence.