What the Outlaw Craves Read Free

Charlene said, “Things just got really out of hand and now this new guy has come into town and taken over all the old debts and he isn’t letting people off anymore… Says he wants everything paid up or he’s going to fucking kill people, Lacey.”
    “So this debt has been building up for a while?”
    “Yes, years,” Charlene took a drag on her cigarette.
    “So what about all the other money I’ve given you?”
    “It paid some of it off,” she said, “But it never fully cleared it.”
    Lacey rubbed her eyes and sat down on the curb.
    “I don’t have that kind of money Charlene,” she shook her head, “I just don’t…”
    “Oh, God, please, you’ve got to help me,” she started to cry. “I know I’ve been stupid, but this is what I need to turn my life around. I haven’t got any family Lacey. You’re the only person I can turn to.”
    Lacey’s head felt like it was going to explode. She didn’t have a solution this time.
    “Who is it? Who do you owe?” she asked again.
    “The bikers,” Charlene said as she looked nervously around. “Satan’s Riders.”
    “And what did you say about someone new?” Lacey looked up at the sun and closed her eyes. The warmth on her skin was the only thing keeping her calm.
    “The old boss has gone,” Charlene began, “And now this new guy has come in to take over and he’s really dangerous. He’s scary… He’s been imposing all these new rules and trying to turn the town around. He doesn’t want any debts or any authority involvement. He’s cutting all ties with the cops and he’s trying to go as legit as they possibly can in their line of work. No tabs, no borrowing anything. Payment up front and if you owe anything, then he’s coming after you to get it back.”
    Lacey swallowed hard and looked up at Charlene. She was shaking and tears were streaming down her face.
    “I only have a thousand,” she said finally. “There’s nothing else.”
    Charlene sat down next to her and put her head in her hands.
    “I can’t take it to him,” Charlene said. “If I go in there, they’ll kill me…”
    “And what will happen to me if I go!?” Lacey shouted angrily. “This isn’t even my goddam mess!”
    “Please!” Charlene begged holding onto Lacey’s arm. “Please just take him the thousand and beg him… It’s not your debt and he’ll know that… please help me.”
    Lacey rubbed her temples and just wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. Her good nature was her Achilles heel. This was the last thing she needed, and she wanted to shoot herself for being such an easy target and a sucker for feeling so bad for Charlene.
    But instead, she said, “Okay, I’ll take the money.”
    Charlene threw her arms around Lacey’s neck and hugged her tightly.
    “Thank you so much, Lace,” she sobbed, “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
    Lacey couldn’t bring herself to speak. The last of her money was about to be swallowed up by Charlene’s debt… and she was going to have to go into a bike gang’s clubhouse to settle the score. 
     
    After she had finished work at the bar that evening, she stood outside and drank the rest of the vodka she had taken out of her tips. She was so nervous, she had been drinking all afternoon, and when her boss, Ray, had come in, she pretended that she had been accepting drinks from the customers to get them to spend more money. On her lunch break she decided to go home and collect the cash. She wanted to get the whole thing over as soon as possible and leaving it even one day could potentially make her lose her nerve.
    She swayed on the spot and reached into her bag and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that Charlene had scrawled the address on. It was across town and she would have to walk. Even though it was dark and late at night, the air was still dense with heat and she wiped her brow with the back of her hand.
    “I’m not walking,” she said aloud before she reaching for her cell phone