I felt a thousand times better now that I'd showered, brushed my teeth and wore my own clothes. I'd tied my hair into space buns only leaving a two strands at the front to curl up and frame my face. I'd decided to wear my short dungarees with a white tee beneath it and matched them with my high top converse. I was just tying up my laces when my brother walked in through the door.
"You heading out with the prospect?" He asked. I finished the bow on my shoe before rising to my feet. He stood in the doorway both of his hands on the archway and I was jealous of his height, he'd gotten that from dad where as I was short as possible. Something I'd gotten from my mother.
"Yeah, we're gonna grab some breakfast and stuff." I told him as I passed him in the doorway. He shut the door behind him and followed me down the corridor. Cain was leant against the bar when we'd entered the room he seemed to be having an intense discussion with Gunner, Diesel and Ace. He was nodding while the other stood with their arms crossed and a typical frown upon their faces.
"Ay prospect!" My brother shouted gaining all of their attention. "You look after my sister today, other wise you'll be dead before sundown."
I shook my head as the boys laughed and Diesel playfully shoved an fear stricken looking Cain. "He's joking right?" Cain asked Gunner.
"Nope." Gunner told him, popping the 'P' with a massive smirk upon his face. "I'll help him."
Cain audibly gulped before looking at Ace nervously. "I don't wanna do it." He rushed out and I felt offended that he'd let a few boys scare him from me.
"You got no choice boy." Ace told him sternly. "Remember back before we get back, we'll only be a few hours."
Cain nodded and told him a quick 'yes sir' before smiling at me. "You ready?" He asked swinging a set of keys around his finger as the boys walked away together, Ace still ignoring my existence.
"Let's roll boys!" I heard Ace call and a few of the nearby members that were sat at the bar jumped up following the others out of the building. Axel and Cain were the only ones left remaining. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the sight of my brother still stood beside me.
"Haven't you got to go?" I prodded, pointing at the door that everyone had just walked out of.
"Yes." He told me before kissing me on top of my head and pointing at Cain. "Remember what I said prospect. Look after her or your a deadman walking." He pulled his outstretched thumb across his neck for extra measure and I nearly laughed at Cains terrified expression.
"Let's go." I chuckled following my brother out of the building. I squinted against the bright sun as all of the club members bike come to life. Ace was looking at me and he scowled once he realised I'd noticed. I rolled my eyes putting my hands on my hips as the gang left, Ace leading them out of the complex.
"So where's your bike?" I asked him, removing my hands to look less threatening. I wouldn't want to scare him anymore.
"I thought we could take my truck." He told me. "I know your not used to all this bike shit so thought it'd be a better option for you."
I smiled at him and thanked him. "That's real thoughtful."
"What can I say? I'm just such a nice guy." I laughed at him his he pretended to act like an angel who was shining his halo. "Let's goooo!" He hollered racing towards a rusty red four by four truck, completely catching me off guard.
"Last one to the truck pays for breakfast!" He sang at the top of his lungs and I grumbled that he was cheating before laughing and chasing after him. Obviously I'd won because he'd tripped over his own feet and I wasn't about to give up my win to help him.
"Well that was rude." He huffed as unlocked the truck and jumped in it, throwing my door open for me on the inside.
"I'm not a loser."
"Still could of helped me, I was a man down." He grumbled but couldn't remain serious for too long as he began to snicker. I tried to imagine that boy with a gun and just couldn't, god knows what he was doing in a club like this.
He was immature but I liked it, it wasn't an annoying kind of immature like most boys plus I thought a place like this could do with a bit of fun like him to break up all the seriousness. He pressed a button on the dashboard and cheered at the sound that sounded through the speakers.
"Hey Kids!" He shouted. "Do I have your attention? I know the way you've been living. Life's so reckless, tragedy endless, welcome to the family!" He was singing into his left hand while he reversed with the other. He glanced into the rear view mirror before looking at me and handed me his hand as if it were an actual microphone.
"Not long ago you find the answers were so Crystal clear!" I belted out, taking him by surprise as he broke out into a massive grin. "Within a day you find yourself living in constant fear!"
"Didn't take you for an Avenged Sevenfold fan." He commented before putting both of his hands on the steering wheel, his thumbs drumming along to the song against it.
"Can't give too much away." I joked, rolling down the window. It was surprising how much I actually missed being on the back of a bike, something I hadn't done until recently. I missed the wind blowing in my face and having the window open just wasn't cutting it.
"Well where ya wanna eat then kid?" I pulled a weird face. Kid? I'm sure we were near enough the same age.
"Kid?" I asked in disgust.
He chuckled, grinning over at me. "I'm nearly twenty three and Axel told me you haven't even turned twenty two yet. So you're a kid to me."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I'm basically twenty two." I told him, watching as a Harley pulled up beside my window at a red light. "My birthdays in a few days so I may aswell just be twenty two."
"But that's not how it works is it Ava?" He asked sarcastically, his eyes flickering nervously from his rear view mirror to his window. I noticed that there was a Harley beside him too and I recognised their leather jackets. That wasn't an Inferno King Jacket.
"Cain." I warned.
"I know, I know. Don't make it obvious." He whispered, keeping his eyes focused on the cars that were crossing in front of us. "Is your seatbelt on Ava?"
"No."
"Well get it on and hold on." He pre warned me and as soon as he'd heard my seatbelt click into place he'd slammed his foot down onto the accelerator. I screamed as cars honked their horns at us after skipping a red light and swerving through oncoming traffic.
"Are you fucking crazy?" I screamed, not caring that I'd swore at him. He laughed manically, an evil grin spreading across his face as he glanced at me.
"Maybe a little." He joked before turning the corner sharply. "But for real though could you ring somebody?"
I watched him in horror, Ace had really sent me out with an absolute psychopath. A gun shot rang out and I heard a clang from the back of the truck. "Now!" He shouted, his tone becoming deadly serious as he threw his phone into my lap.
I scrolled through his contacts coming across the first club member in his phone and pressing call. It rang for a few seconds and I was about to give up when they finally answered. "What?" An angry voice spoke through the other end and I screamed as another bullet sounded against the metal.
"Ava? Is that you? What's going on?"
"Help!" I cried.
"I need you to take the wheel." Cain instructed while he leant down to grab something in the footwell. I yelped before dropping the phone, Ace on the other end shouting, and I grabbed onto the steering wheel. "Now I need you to swap seats with me."
I looked at him incredulously, silently hoping that he was playing a joke and wasn't actually being serious. "Now!" He shouted forcing me to slide beneath him as he jumped over me, proving that he was in fact dead serious. I sat in the drivers, my foot on the accelerator as I swerved in and out of cars.
Cain had leant out the window holding a gun as he shot back at the Rebels. I needed to learn how to use one of those things I thought. I seen an empty parking lot and decided I'd help Cain if I pulled over and helped him fight. Where the fuck were the police? This was the second time that there were gunshots and not one police officer in sight.
The tyres screeched as I quickly braked inside the car park. "What the fuck are you doing?" Cain shouted, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Give me that!" I snarled, pulling the gun from his hands and jumping out of the truck. The bikers were already getting off their bikes and I took my chance. One of them was just throwing their legs from their bike when I fired. I yelped as it jolted my arm backwards but nearly cheered in victory when I realised I'd landed a shot.
I'd shot him in the shin but I'd still got him. He was rolling in the ground, holding his leg. Cain shot across the seats and latched onto my arm before I could shoot again, pulling me into the truck. "Have you got a death wish?" He shouted.
"I dunno, probably." I breathed excitedly, feeling a sudden rush. He snatched the gun away from me before jumping from the truck and fired a shot. I screamed as I realised it wasn't him who had fired the shot but that the shot had been fired at him. He sank to the ground, clutching his stomach and dropping his gun.
I looked in the rear view mirror to see that the Rebel who'd shot Cain was walking towards the truck. Heading straight for the passenger side. I rummaged through the back quickly and found a baseball bat. Oh Cain you fucking legend I thought as I realised it was in fact a metal baseball bat.
I lowered myself into the footwell listening as his footsteps had gotten closer, placing my hand on the door handle. "What the fuck? I swear there was two." He muttered to himself before I kicked the door open onto him, he flew back in onto the concrete and I jumped out. As he tried to sit up I swung the baseball bat, it clanking against his face as blood spluttered out of his mouth.
I brought the bat over my head again straight onto his face and I didn't stop until I knew he wasn't going to get back up. I dropped the bat running to Cain who was groaning on the floor, he'd rolled onto his side but thankfully I couldn't see any blood. "Are you hurt?" I asked as I fell to my knees beside him.
"I just got shot!" He shouted, sounding extremely well for someone who's just been shot. "Of course I'm hurt!"
"Where are you bleeding?"
"Bleeding?" He asked, sitting up and revealing a hole in his shirt but no blood. I frowned at him, I was stumped. I'd seen him get shot. "Bulletproof vest."
I widened my eyes before hitting him in the chest. "I thought you was hurt!" I shouted before getting pack to my feet and wiping the stray bits of gravel from my knees.
"You not gonna help me up then?" He asked, lying back down onto the pavement and I shook my head at him.
"No. Get your own ass up." I snapped, walking back to the truck where I could hear Cains phone ringing. I picked it up reading Aces name and turned around handing it to Cain who was now stood up, no injury in sight.
"Yeah?" He asked and I could hear Ace shouting from here which is exactly why I hadn't answered it myself.
"No it's dealt with, although I think there's one still alive." He commented before looking round the truck to see the man still writhing around in pain on the ground. The realisation of what I'd just done finally began to sink as the adrenaline wore off.
I'd not only just shot a man but also beat one, I was a student studying criminal justice and I'd done enough to get me locked up for a good amount of time. Fuck. What had I done? I vaguely remember hearing Cain tell Ace our location before hanging up.
"You okay?" He asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You look a little pale."
I closed my eyes as stars danced across my vision and I grabbed onto Cain as I a wave of dizziness hit me. "Whoa." He shouted before catching me before I hit the ground, he pulled me over to sit me down on the truck. "Breathe Ava." He told me and I listened.
After a few breaths I finally managed to regain my composure and after reassuring Cain that I was fine just in shock. He watched me warily before looking up at the sound of a group of Harleys. "Fucking bastard!" I heard my brother roar as I rose from outside of the truck.
Diesel and Gunner raced round the truck their eyes wide at the sight of the bloodied man lay on the ground. "You do this?" Gunner asked, directing his question at their prospect.
"Nope." He told them, glancing at me unsurely.
"I did." I told them, my voice shaking. Their eyes widened in disbelief before Gunner broke out into a massive grin.
"Wow kid. Nice job," he complimented. "Didn't know you had it in ya." He patted my back and I couldn't believe the reaction I'd received. I thought they'd of told me a woman's place was to sit in the front and be quiet.
"You shoot that guy too?" Diesel asked and I nodded, the two boys looked at me in awe. Cain however looked unimpressed.
"Yeah well I'm the one who took a bullet!" He interrupted while crossing his arms and huffing like a jealous child.
"Did you wear your vest like we told you to?"
"Yes."
"Did you bleed?"
"No."
"Are you dead?"
"No."
"Then shut the fuck up." Diesel snapped, he wore an irritated expression before leaning over the truck to call my brother and Ace yet when they rounded the truck they was with the club member from the diner.
He was older than all of the men and had a big bushy brown beard with flecks of grey. He wore a bandana that had the clubs branding on.
"Whoa." He remarked looking down at the bloodied man and I cringed away from the look that Gunner was giving me. He looked proud. Proud that I'd beaten a man with a bat.
"Nice job prospect!" My brother congratulated until the boys faces become grim. "What?"
"I didn't do that." Cain told him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Your sister did and she shot that other guy too!"
Axel looked in me in horror and I shrank against Cain, silently praying that the ground would just swallow me hole to put my out of my misery. "You?" He asked in disbelief, his face drawn into a snarl. "What the fuck Ava?"
"It was self defence." Ace defended, glaring at Axel.
"I don't give a fuck if the guy had a gun in her mouth, she's acting like a club member." My brother retorted, his face scrunched up furiously. "She ain't a club member Ace!"
"That's enough." He snapped. "Axel I ain't bout to argue with you bout this again. We got things to do."
Axel clenched his jaw but didn't say another word but still glared at me nonetheless. "Now prospect your with Axel and Gunner, you take that motherfucker to one of our warehouses and tie him up. I'll meet you there later. Diesel, Jimmy you're gonna dispose of this dead boy and go get Avas inhaler then you're gonna meet me back at the clubhouse."
The men nodded before dispersing, I went to reach for Axel but he flinched away from my touch. "I don't wanna talk to you, I don't even know who you are anymore." He muttered and I felt tears sting at the back of my eyes, a lump forming in my throat.
I couldn't even speak before he'd stormed over to help the boys tie up the remaining rebel. "Ava you're with me." Ace called, pulling me towards his bike and holding me steady as I stumbled over my own feet.
I peered over at my brother who had his back to me while he was lifting the gentlemen that still groaned in pain. "Don't worry Ava, he'll snap out of it soon." He told me yet his words didn't nothing but irritate me.
"And how long until I kill somebody Ace? He's right. Who even am I?" I asked angrily, frustrated tears springing to my eyes.
"You've already killed someone Ava. That man you beat with the bat is long dead." My tears fell from my eyes but these tears were sad tears. I'd taken somebody's father, someone's son. Axel really was right, I didn't know who I was anymore either. "Own that shit Ava, you're definitely apart of this club, now get on the damn bike. You're going home."
I swatted my tears away angrily before storming over to his bike and kicking it. "Fuck you!" I shouted before running out of the car park like a child. I disappeared down a side street and hid behind a bush when I watched his bike zoom straight past me. I waited there until the whole gang had passed and once I was sure I wouldn't be found I slid down the wall.
I thought about what I'd done today, what had happened the day before and I cried. I let my tears fall as I hung my head in shame.