Page 3 of Stag

Lucky I hadn’t stepped into his path, or I’d have been mowed down, and that wouldn’t have done my plight any good. See, my sister was so convinced I couldn’t manage on my own, she’d even taken to tracking me when I was out, just to make sure I was safe. I’d call it stalking, except that I knew she was doing it out of love and protection, and not some predatory need.

Chapter Two

That fucker pushed her. I saw him, shoving his way past her like that so she nearly fucking fell down. Let’s see how he likes being shoved. I ran past her as she rested against the wall, making sure I didn’t trip either of us over, and I made my way around the corner that asshole had turned down.

There he was, up ahead, striding on like he was on a mission. Well, it was a mission he was about to fucking miss out on.

“Oi fucker!”

I yelled as I approached him, and he spun on his heel, noting the emptiness of the little side street, and just me glaring at him.

I could tell he was eyeing my leathers, and the cut, the helmet in my hand. If he was worried I was about to be trouble for him, he was fucking spot on.

“You get off on shoving women around?”

He frowned, glancing around us again. “What?”

“You nearly mowed her down, you asshole. Did you think it made you look like a big man?”

He was shaking his head, backing up slowly, but there was nowhere to go. Sure, there was the other end of the alley, but I was about to make him regret taking this short cut. I set the helmet down carefully by the wall, and advanced on him.

“Whoa. What are you doing, mate? I’m not… I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t want any trouble.”

They never wanted the trouble, but they invited it. He shoved my… he shoved a woman who couldn’t hear him coming. He could have injured her.

“Did you see how she nearly fell?”

His eyebrows twitched and he shrugged a shoulder.

“I did say excuse me, but the bitch wasn’t listening.”

He’d run out of time, because I was on him, shoving him down onto his back, resting a booted foot on his throat.

“Wasn’t listening? The lady is deaf, motherfucker. How’s she supposed to hear you? Now I’m gonna show you the consequences of shoving her, then I’mma add a few bruises for calling her a bitch. You know you deserve this, so shut up and take it like a man.”

He didn’t shut up, nor did he take it like a man, but a few well-placed punches, and a solid kick or two to his gut did hopefully teach him the valuable lesson I’d intended. It wasn’t difficult, right? You walk around the person in your way. Not through them.

She was gone when I came back out of the alley, but now I’d seen her here once, I was already planning to take this route more often, just in case I could set my eyes on her again.

At the clubhouse, which was approaching completion at last after months of rebuilding, I gathered with the guys around the old firepit which was being dug out and disposed of tomorrow. It was like a last night party, for a fucking pit we lit fires in, but still. It meant beers, so I was in.

“Cast any spells lately, brother?” Henley asked me as he passed beers out, and he missed my glare in response. He’d caught me trying to learn sign language the other day, but he chose being a dick over paying real attention. Story of my life.

“Spells?” Rocket piped up, and I knew the piss-taking was about to start.

“I was just flipping you off, man. You’re too sensitive.” I tapped the neck of my beer against Rocket’s as he laughed, and the attention shifted from us to Micro who was standing up to address us. There were about twenty of us here tonight with others working or away, or just being standoffish fuckers.

“Brothers, it’s been a long time and a ton of hard work, but we’re getting there!”

“Like you’d know,” Ghost muttered, grinning at us as Micro flipped him off.

“As I was saying, the end of an era, and the start of another. A club rising from the-”

“I swear to god, if the next word out of your mouth is ‘ashes’, that’s what you’ll be,” Grease snapped, tossing a bottle cap at Micro.

“It’s the whole Phoenix thing, brother. It’s literally what happened! Okay, dead. Can I say dead, you annoying fucker?”

Grease shrugged, lifting his hands, so Micro continued.