Free Burning Ember by Darby Briar

realize how much weight I’d lost. My cheeks are sunken in, and my cheekbones jut out. Dark circles loom under my eyes, making me look like I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in days. Only because I haven’t. Maybe, I’m not quite junky material, but the other comments sting because they’re true.
    I’m homeless. Pretty much penniless. And it sounds like I’m a few minutes away from being Officer Davis’ entertainment for the night.
    Now it’s come down to one man, one biker, banishing me and damning me to hell.
    Maybe Mav is the prince of darkness after all.

    MAVERICK
    There’s no doubt in my mind that seeing this new girl on a daily basis will fillet my wounds wide open.
    The thought makes me desperate. Makes me crazy and outraged. So I spend the next half hour trying to convince Dozer why keeping this girl around is a bad fucking idea.
    He won’t listen though.
    Finally, I say, “Listen to me. Bitches like that turn on you on a fuckin’ dime. It’s not what we need. This’d be the perfect fuckin’ time for the Greenbacks to make a move. They wanna know which way we’re gonna sway. And this girl all of a sudden turns up out of nowhere. A virgin served up on a fuckin’ platter. What if the vote sways to a no, and they find out that we’re planning to cut ties? What do you think they’re gonna do? I’ll tell you what they’re gonna do. They’re gonna hit us where it hurts and when we’re not ready. For two more weeks, we need to lie low. Keep them in the dark and hold ’em off.”
    He nods and tension drains out of my shoulders as relief floods through me. “Agreed. But I’m not sending Pumpkin away. I don’t believe she’s a threat.”
    I grimace. “Pumpkin?”
    “Yeah.” He shrugs. “Look, I’ll make sure she’s with someone at all times. And if she leaves the clubhouse, she’s got someone on her. She won’t have access to a phone. I’ll watch her until the party. After, we can decide if she stays or goes.”
    I open my mouth but he cuts me off.
    “Told you, we’ll watch her and we will. I’m givin’ you my word. That should be enough. Otherwise, you’re tellin’ me you don’t trust me. I’ve been a member of this club since I was six fuckin’ teen. This club was supposed to be my legacy. You really think I’d let anyone fuck it over? Hurt us? Give me some fuckin’ respect. I’ve earned it, whether I’m your VP or not.”
    I sigh out, “You’re makin’ a mistake, brother.”
    “Yeah? And you need to work out your shit. You’ve been a miserable asshole since Edge got tossed in. It’s gettin’ fuckin’ old, man. I get that what Dana did, goin’ to Davis like she did, and then leavin’ tore you up and spit you out. You took a gamble on a girl and it turned to shit. But fuck, man. It’s been half a goddamn decade. Even Edge is doin’ better than you and he’s been locked in an box.”
    Pain slices through my chest. Dozer doesn’t know that every time he says her name, it’s like he’s stabbing me in the heart with a scalding poker. And bringing that girl in here, bringing this shit up, it’s killing me. Dana didn’t just steal five years. She took so much more than that. She stole my whole fucking future and destroyed the part of me that wanted something out of this life.
    He pulls in a deep breath. “It’s time, brother. Time to get the fuck over her. Time to let that shit go.”
    There is no moving on. There’s only living and I’ve been trying to do that. I sleep. I eat. I breathe. And do what the club needs me to do.
    I shake my head and sink down into my chair. Letting out a pent up breath, I say, “We don’t even know a goddamn thing about her.”
    Dozer opens the door. “What in the fuck do you need to know? We didn’t know shit about the other clubpieces, or the hang-arounds either, but Cap didn’t give a shit. And neither did you, because they weren’t homeless or redheads. Don’t fuckin’ deny it. All I’m askin’ is you give her a