But if she was mine, I could imagine her under me, on top of me, bending over my bike.
I stand, abruptly, willing my cock to behave before I get a hard on in front of a teenager due to having inappropriate thoughts about his sister.
As expected, Drew starts to perk up, especially as he’s now got food in his ever-hungry teenage stomach. This time I don’t stop as I pass the Navajo Nation sign, just point it out to Drew. He immediately starts looking around eagerly as though he’s going to spot Indians riding horses in full battle gear. As time passes, and all we see are a few produce stands, he closes his eyes and drifts off.
The Rez is exactly the same as when I left it a few days ago, but something inside me has changed. Instead of bringing me peace, it now does nothing to stop the thoughts churning in my head. The anger that rises at the thought of white men determining who has the right to live in this country that they all came to as immigrants in the first place. I wonder what the country would be like if my people had been successful in driving them out when they started their first colonies.
Would Natives have been better leaders? Nah, probably not. Tribes couldn’t even band together to fight the white men. At the bottom of it, we’re all human with the same frailties. Allwith the same strange desires—we each feel we were born to try to rule the world rather than just live in it.
That’s why I joined the Satan’s Devils. We live to a code, it’s our own, not anyone else’s. But anyone who steps on our toes, or tries to take anything from us, better watch out and be prepared for a whole load of pain. I suppose I’m not so far removed from either side of my ancestry when you get right down to it.
I park outside the hogan. Drew gets out, stretches and yawns, then reaches over the seat for his backpack of clothes, and I drag out his other box of belongings. He stands, his eyes taking in the hexagonal building built of logs in front of him. I’m half expecting him to turn around, put his pack back into the car, and demand to be taken back to Tucson. But the lad’s made of stronger stuff.
“You know? The saguaro around Tucson always made me think of the old westerns. Now I’m going to be living in a tepee. With… Native Americans.”
I smirk, realising he went PC at the last moment. “Hogan,” I correct him, pointing at the structure he’ll be calling home for the next few weeks. “Navajo don’t live in tepees.”
“Tse!”
I turn around still grinning, putting my arm around my mother. “This is Drew,” I tell her, and to him I say, “And this is Lina, my mother.”
She turns and looks at Drew who politely holds out his hand. After a quick glance at me she tells him, “Tse here was raised as an American, down in Tucson. He tell you that?” When Drew shakes his head, she continues. “He came here at sixteen, had his life turned on its head. Guess I know a thing or two about boys adapting to our way of life.” When Drew grins as he’s meant to, she grows serious. “I’ve heard about your sister, and that for the moment, you’re all on your own. While you’re here,Drew, you’re one of us. You need something explained? You just come and see me.”
Drummer’s been blowing up my phone, and I’ve got to return one of his calls soon. I’m eager to be off. I’d already explained to the kid I couldn’t hang around. But something tells me he’s more excited than uncertain. Part of my anxiety about him settling in fades. I check, though. “You okay with Mom, Drew?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take him up to the school, get him registered for while he’s here.”
“I’d like that.” Drew nods. He would. Mariana’s impressed upon him the importance of education. Never known a teenager so adamant on insisting on doing his homework on time.
“I’ll be back next week to take you to see Mariana,” I promise. A final hug for my mother. A back slap for Drew, and then, if only for a short while, I head back to resume my real life.
Not a moment too soon. My phone rings as I slide into the driver’s seat.
“Drummer.”
“Things are heatin’ up here, Mouse. Need you back.”
“I’m on my way. Just leavin’ the Rez now.”
“Good. See you in a few hours.”
It’s late evening when I arrive. A party’s in full swing in the clubroom, but brothers with old ladies have already left. I ignore the bodies in various stages of their own porn shows, and without anyone taking any notice of me, go into my office. One by one I switch on the monitors, watching the screens all light up. Opening the drawer, I take out what I need to roll myself a joint then hold the flame of the lighter to the tip, leaning back in my black leather chair as I wait for everything to boot up. Thefamiliar whirring of the fans in the computers providing the comforting music of home. I close my eyes, as I take my first real drag of my drug of choice I’ve not sampled for the past few weeks.
I expect to feel settled, but I don’t. I take out my phone and check there’s been no calls, half expecting Drew to want me to rescue him. Half hoping to hear from Mariana’s lawyer with good news. Suddenly I feel like I’ve abandoned them both.I’m doing my best. Can’t do much more.
Chaos Riders.I pull a piece of paper in front of me. Yeah, Chaos Riders. That’s what Drummer wants me to investigate. I start tapping on the keys, and soon lose myself in the trail of names and faces.
After a tap on the door, my office door opens. “Mouse?”
“Prez.” I thought he’d gone to bed.
Drummer steps in and takes one of the chairs opposite my desk. I start hoping he’s not going to get into something detailed, after the day I’ve had. I’m drained. Seeing Mariana like that, a long drive, well, it’s all caught up with me now. “What can I do for you, Prez?” My hands rub at my tired eyes.
“Want to know whether you got your head straightened out.”
What can I tell him? That I’m engaged to be married without having brought it up to the club? To a girl I’ve not touched, yet alone kissed, and an illegal immigrant at that. Or that I’m now responsible for her brother?He’d probably tell me to leave it alone, it’s none of my business, no reason for me to be involved. Probably the reason I’m not coming clean, there’s no clear motive for anything that I’ve done.Maybe I’m not telling him as I could be swayed by such advice.Mariana and Drew don’t need someone else to abandon them.
