Dan gives me the next day off and I can only assume it's Miriam's doing. She messaged me this morning, acting all motherly and protective. It's not like I don't appreciate her caring about my safety. I just kinda wish I could be working today--it would help distract me. Knowing that what happened yesterday caused my current predicament, I can't stop imagining Gary pulling me into his lap, his hand drifting to places it shouldn't, his hot, revolting breath on my ear, the barely noticeable hardness--
"Can I help you, ma'am?"
I snap out of my trance and turn to look at the store clerk, shaking my head with a smile. "Nope, just looking."
She gives me a strange look before walking off but I can't blame her--I've been looking at this shelf with cereals for the past three minutes, at least. I grab a random box and toss it into my cart. Obviously, I wasn't prepared to have a day off but I didn't feel like relaxing at home. There are a few things I need to get from the grocery store so I decided to come here and waste some time. Now I've already ended up going down way more aisles than I needed and have almost half a cart full of shit I don't really need. At least I won't need to come back shopping for a while.
"Well lookie here, it's just the girl I was thinking of," a familiar voice says from behind me.
I turn around and see Jimin grinning at me. "Hi? Why the hell were you thinking about me? You in love or something?"
"Gary came to the clubhouse pissed yesterday," he replies excitedly, a child-like wonder in his eyes. "Said that some ginger freak bit his arm and probably gave him rabies. There's only one person I could think of and I'm standing in front of her. So, did you really do it?"
I nod, eliciting a giggle from the gray-haired man. "Why in the world are you so happy about this? Isn't he your leader? Shouldn't you be trying to put me in my place?"
"Gary is a world-class dick, especially around new girls who are innocent and ignorant of what's going on in this town. I can only imagine the stuff he says or the way he behaves when he's in your presence. This is literally, like, the second time a girl has stood up to him and I'm thoroughly enjoying it," Jimin explains. He bumps me aside with his hip and takes the shopping cart from me, pushing it down the aisle as I walk alongside him.
"Did he give you guys any specifics about what happened?" I ask.
"Just that you bit him. Why? Is there something he forgot to mention?"
"Uh, yeah. All the stuff that led up to that moment," I scoff scornfully.
Jimin glances over at me from the corner of his eyes, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth as his eyebrows narrow. "He didn't smack you or something, did he?" I shake my head vehemently. "Alright, so what did he do?"
"Well, we both know about what happened last time he went to the bar. He came with the intent to have me submit and made it pretty clear that if I wasn't obedient, there would be severe repercussions. So I sat on his lap like he wanted without giving him a hard time because I just wanted to get it over and done with. It shouldn't come as a surprise that it wasn't a very enjoyable experience for me. It was so...humiliating. Once he was finished tormenting me, Miriam came up to Gary and started yelling at him. They went back and forth for a bit before she grabbed at him. Gary wasn't having it so he started choking her and it didn't look like he was gonna stop so I--"
"Wait a fucking second, he choked her? He hurt Miriam?" Without waiting for an answer, Jimin throws his head back and gives a short, half-hearted laugh. "That fucker is lucky he decided to go alone. And I'm pretty sure I know the reason for why he failed to mention this very crucial detail."
Malice is emitting from the gray-haired man. His aura is so powerful it has me cowering in fright, evading his fierce gaze even though his vexation isn't directed at me. I grab a bag of chips from a shelf with trembling hands, tossing it in my cart with trepidation. My main priority now is to make it through this store as fast as possible and get the fuck away from Jimin before he can no longer contain his wrath.
"Is she okay?" he asks quietly, voice shaking slightly.
"Yuh-Yeah, she actually didn't seem too fazed afterwards. In fact, she was more concerned about me and even said my situation was worse," I reply.
"She says that but it's not like she's ever been in a near-death experience before. She was probably a hell of a lot more rattled than she let on," Jimin mutters with a roll of his eyes. "The moment I get back to the clubhouse, I'm gonna send Jordan over tonight to harass her and make sure she's actually alright."
"You're...gonna tell him about what happened?" From what I can tell, Jordan is extremely protective of Miriam. If Jimin tells him about what Gary did to her, I'm pretty sure he would end up in a fight with the gang leader. "Won't that stir shit up in your club? Not that I don't think Finger doesn't deserve to hear the truth but things won't become hard for the rest of you, right?"
"Oh, I'm well aware of what could happen. I'm not gonna give him the details about Gary choking her, despite how badly I'd love to see the dick get his ass handed to him. I'll just say it was some random guy in the bar. If Jordan found out about who actually attempted to kill Miriam, he wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in the old fucker's knee. But that'll just end up being his demise. Gary's got friends in high places and I wouldn't want Jordan's impulsiveness to get him stuffed into a body bag and thrown into a river."
"Won't he just try and hunt down the guy who 'supposedly' attacked her?" I point out, putting air quotes around supposedly.
"Fuck, probably." The gray-haired man purses his lips and stares off at nothing in particular in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'll just give him some random guy's name."
"Uh, you're gonna have some innocent person murdered?"
"He won't be innocent, I can tell you that much. I have a long list of people who've wronged me in the past and I've been waiting for the right moment to start crossing names off," Jimin answers, smirking devilishly.
With one look at his face, I can tell I really don't wanna know what these people have done to irritate the biker. I decide to drop the subject, instead focusing more on the stuff I add to my cart. It doesn't take long before we're checking out at the cashier and then unloading the groceries into the trunk of my car.
"Why in the world did you start helping me by the way?" I ask with a soft chuckle.
"What, you don't want my help?"
"It's not that. I greatly appreciate your help, actually. I was just wondering," I reply with a shrug.
"Well, since you've mentioned it. I was sort of hoping you would do something for me now, since you're in my debt and all," Jimin drawls, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
I shut the trunk door and look at the man skeptically. "Oh yeah? And what exactly is it?"
"Would you let me fuck you?"
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, sighing out in exasperation. Here I was expecting a serious request and all this guy wants is to get into my pants? What a sleazebag.
"You're not joking, are you?" I groan, only noticing pure curiosity in the man's eyes. He continues to stare at me expectantly, awaiting my answer. "Fuck no."
"I tried," he shrugs, talking mostly to himself.
"You're a real shitbag, aren't you?"
Jimin puts his hands up in defence. "Hey, I only asked what all the other guys are also wondering. But because you're friends with Miriam, they're treading carefully. We all know if we fuck with you she'll never forgive us and she means a lot to us--well, some of us."
"Aren't half of them married!?" I whisper-yell.
"Yup, just about," he affirms. "Doesn't mean they don't like having a one night stand every once in a while."
"You guys are heartless," I say with a shake of my head. How in the world did these assholes manage to get wives?
"I'm positive that Miriam must've told you about her and Kane, did she not? Why are you so disgusted by this information?"
"Yes, I know about it and I think he's a scumbag for doing what he did. But I assumed only those who were dating would do something so childish and irresponsible, not the men that are married." I cross my arms over my chest, glowering at the gray-haired man.
"What Kane did is despicable, there's no doubt about it. He knows the rules that we set in place and he was the dumbfuck that messed up his relationship. But you need to realize what kind of people we are, Nicole. It's in our nature to do stuff like that, and Miriam was well aware of it before she decided to get serious with Kane. Do you think all the old ladies who married our guys are naive and don't know what really goes on behind the scenes? They know that there's a chance when their husbands go out on the road that they'll end up spending the night in a brothel, a whore by their side in bed."
"But is there any need for you guys to behave like horny animals?" I scowl.
Jimin shrugs with one shoulder, placing a hand on his hip and shifting his weight to one leg. "This is how members of our group have conducted themselves for generations. It's not that easy for us to change the rules suddenly just because some outsiders disagree with our actions. Besides, a lot of the dudes who join our club want in because of shit like this. To be able to sleep with whomever they want? To possibly end up with a wife who is okay with letting them fuck prostitute as long as they don't find out about specifics? That's every man's dream."
"You underestimate the male population. There are some guys who wouldn't want to live like that and who are decent human beings," I admonish.
"Sure there are, kitten. However, I can assure you right now you're not gonna find your Prince Charming in Gramsby. You'd be better off moving somewhere far away from here," Jimin advises with a simper.
"What the hell happened to the Jimin I met at the bar? The one who defended my honour when some asshole acted like a piece of shit?"
"If you really can't put two and two together after everything I've just told you, I've got nothing more to say to you, sugar."
I open my mouth to argue some more but the words die in my throat when I hear the sound of a motorcycle's engine rumbling in the distance. It gets louder, indicating its approach, and it isn't long before I can feel the ground trembling beneath my feet. Jimin turns to face where the sound is coming from, a devilish smirk slowly surfacing on his face as he stretches his arms above his head. In that split second of his shirt rising, I catch a glimpse of what looks to be a gun shoved down the back of his pants, the muzzle hidden, leaving only the pistol grip visible. Terror's frozen hand grips my heart, turning my blood cold, as my breath gets caught in my chest.
"Juh-Jimin--"
The roar from the motorcycle drowns out my voice and I look up just in time to see the vehicle stopping in front of us. Jungkook turns the engine off and takes off his helmet, turning to give Jimin a waggish grin, a wicked glint in his eyes.
"What in the world are you doing here, Kook?" Jimin asks, cocking his head to the side and raising one of his defined brows in a questioning manner.
"Miss Moran awaits your return at the palace," Jungkook informs in an exaggerated posh voice, bowing his head dramatically.
I watch as the colour drains from Jimin's face, leaving him looking like he's seconds away from death. "Holy motherfucking shit and balls."
"Indeed. Precisely what my reaction would be if I were you. She's not exactly pleased you didn't tell her about your return after being gone for five days. Says if she doesn't see your ass in at least ten minutes she'll run your phone over with her car," Jungkook adds, inspecting his nails and picking at some dirt under them.
A string of curses leaves Jimin's mouth as he paces back and forth, eyes wide with panic. Jungkook seems to be thoroughly enjoying the man's turmoil, leaning back on his seat with a satisfied smirk. The gray-haired man suddenly runs up to the brunette and grabs him by the neck of his shirt.
"Give me your bike," he demands.
Jungkook slaps his hands away, face scrunched up in disgust. "Fuck off, man. Take your own bike."
"Do you really think I would be asking for yours if I had my own!?" Jimin snaps. His hands fly to his hair, pulling at the strands roughly. "Just fucking kill me. Delilah is gonna beat the shit out of me and then slit my throat--it'd be less painful if you do the job yourself."
"This is your fault for not seeing her right away, bro. She said you didn't contact her at all after you left and she's been worried sick thinking you were killed," the brunette shrugs.
Jimin is silent for a few moments and I begin to wonder if he accepted his fate. In the blink of an eye, he throws his body against Jungkook's, knocking the unsuspecting man off his bike. Jimin hops on and starts up the engine again, the motorcycle roaring to life.
"Thanks so much, Kook. I owe you one!" Jimin grins, shooting finger guns at the brunette.
"You motherfucker! Get off my bike before I blow your brains out, bastard!" Jungkook spits, pulling out a gun.
I instinctively step backwards until my back is pressed against my car, hands up in front of me as I surrender just in case. Jimin doesn't even flinch when the other gang member points the weapon at him threateningly. Instead, he gives Jungkook the middle finger before speeding away on the brunette's ride. In contrast to what I expected, Jungkook stays glued to his spot and lowers his gun. I had been prepared to watch him run after the gray-haired man but apparently he decided against it. He still looks infuriated, though.
"I'm gonna cut his cock off once I get the chance," he mutters lowly. The gun is shoved back into his pants and he finally turns his attention over to me, eyes dull and uninterested. "What?"
"Nuh-Nothing," I squeak. "I won't tell anyone, I promise!"
He arches an eyebrow. "What? About the gun? Everyone in town knows we carry these with us." He laughs quietly, just a sharp exhale through his nose. "You really need to get out more. I suppose you never saw people carrying these wherever it is you came from?" He holds the weapon between two fingers, letting it swing in the air. I shake my head and the man hums while hiding the gun again. "That's what I thought. You're in Gramsby now, though. You should get used to seeing those, especially when our club is around."
"Yeah, of course," I reply quietly, averting my gaze to look at the car door longingly. I want to get out of here.
"Y'know, I've run into you multiple times but I don't think we ever officially introduced ourselves," Jungkook notes, stepping closer to me with his hand outstretched. "Jungkook. And you are?"
"Nicole," I supply, accepting the handshake. "Nice to officially meet you, I guess."
"Likewise. Welp, guess we should get going now."
"We?"
The man lets out a soft whistle. "Shit, that's a pissed off face if I've ever seen one. Yes, princess, we. You need to drive me to the clubhouse."
I swallow nervously as the man takes a step towards me, a challenging look in his eyes. "Why am I suddenly involved?"
"Uh, because this is sort of your fault?"
"My fault? How the hell did you get that idea?" I demand, watching as the man circles around my car.
"Well, Jimin was supposed to go see Delilah because he's finally back after being out of town for five days. He clearly got distracted and somehow ended up here where he started wasting time with you. If he hadn't got caught up in your shopping spree, he probably would've remembered his very necessary and urgent appointment and wouldn't've had to steal my bike since he never would've been late in the first place," Jungkook elaborates. He grabs onto the door handle of the passenger's side, pulling on it insistently like a child. "Now, can you unlock the doors so we can get going?"
"I still don't see how that makes me accountable for anything."
Jungkook throws his head back and heaves out a sigh, looking up at the sky. When he meets my gaze again, it's with an unimpressed expression. "Just open the damn doors, will you? I'll make it up to you."