The Club

Chapter 4: The Club

Ryder

Luca and I cruised a while through the city. The yellow streetlights lining the roadway brightened and dimmed every time I passed by one. The streets are busy, but eerie at this time of night. Beings who look like humans but could be something else walked the sidewalks. I know they can’t be up to anything good in these back alleyways. I know these fuckers, and they aren’t good. Rapists, drug peddlers and lords, gangs, and thieves. The sight of them has me clenching my fists hard on my hand grips. They have a bad habit of giving me a menacing look as I roll by them. It’s a look that makes me want to have them bite the curb as I kick in the backs of their skulls. I try to control that side of me tonight. I’m not letting anything ruin this night for me. I enjoy every time I get to cut loose and go on a ride, but there is something about tonight in particular. It may be the fact that it has been a while since I was able to leave the mythical lands. Dad’s intense training classes have taken too much of my time, and I desperately needed this. Still, I have a feeling that something life changing could happen tonight.

I pulled behind the club and parked my bike in my usual spot, nodding to the bouncer I know as Lloyd. We have a wordless understanding. He watches my bike while he stands here at the back entrance, and I'll give him a good tip at the end of the night. They had to hire him to deter all the shit that tends to happen when you put too many drunk, sex crazed, assholes in one place. Lloyd handles it though. I have witnessed him kick ass more than once, and he’s capable. I have no reservation about leaving my bike for him to watch. I throw my left leg over the seat of my bike and step off. I take off my helmet and I hear Luca’s bike pulling up.

“Bout damn time.” I throw him a shit eating grin.

He ate my dust every chance I got to feed it to him tonight. He parked, took off his helmet, and threw it at me. I caught it, knowing he didn’t mean for it to actually hurt me.

“You can’t help yourself, can you? You have to show off and strut your stuff, even when no one's watching, don’t you? You can’t stand the thought of pretending to lose to me just to give me a little confidence boost, damn you.” I laugh out loud.

“You know me better than that, Luca. No one ever got better by getting things out of pity. I am your alpha. If I let you win just to help you feel better, then you will never really get better.”

“Your machine is way faster than mine! I haven’t got a chance in hell against you!”

“That’s irrelevant.”

I tease him knowing all too well that his bike could never get close to outrunning my R1.

“Irrelevant my ass! One day, Ryder. One day!” He spits as he goes to pull his leg over the seat of his bike and trips, landing his ass flat on the ground with a thud. “Mother fucker! This ain’t my night.” I bend over laughing so hard that I can’t breathe. “Ha, Ha! I hope that sexy ogre finds you tonight. No! I’m going to tell her you're looking for a good time, and you are waiting to get it from her.” Luca threatened.

My eyes widened. I know he is serious, and he will do it.

“You better not, you fucker! I promise… you will regret it.” Unable to come up with a good threat right off the top of my head. Now I'm a little sick to my stomach. The thought of that woman… thing getting close to me with intentions of taking me to bed makes me want to tuck my tail and run away. I know he is bound to follow through on his threat. “You piece of shit, what do you want?”

“All my drinks are on you tonight.” I grit my teeth and nod.

“Fine!” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

“And all the girls I want to talk to get whatever they want to drink as well.” He gives me a confident grin, knowing I’ll give in.

“You will eat shit for this, you know that?” I told him.

“Yeah, yeah, I know you love me.” I shake my head at him.

He may not be able to beat me in a race, but he knows how to get creative when he wants to one up me.

While walking toward the rear entrance of the club I got the strange feeling that someone was watching me. Looking to my right I noticed a shadow duck behind a dumpster. Not thinking anything of it I moved to knock on the large metal door. I already feel the bass from the loud music beating in my chest. After knocking, the door swung open, and I walked in. Luka followed behind me. Another bouncer named Mark waited on the inside. We do the man shake where we clap hands and half hug.

“Ryder, where have you been man? You know things go a lot smoother for me when you're here. I don’t have to deal with all these females who want to take me to their beds.” Luca moves in to greet Mark.

“Stop acting like you like it when Ryder takes all the attention away from you, Mark. You're a damn liar trying to preserve your pride. What man wouldn’t want these women falling all over them. It’s a good thing I am his wing man.” Mark laughs at Luca.

“Whatever makes you feel better, Luca. Try not to get crushed by Betty tonight, will ya?”

Mark was referring to the ogre who has her nipples and nose pierced. Luca shifted behind me. His size seemed to shrink in size as if he was trying to disappear.

“She’s not here, is she? Ryder, we need to get the hell out of here!”

Luca’s voice was lower than a whisper as he spoke out of one corner of his mouth and looked another way as if trying to make sure someone didn’t sneak up on us. Mark belted out a laugh as Luca’s reaction.

“No, she’s not here. Security had to hogtie her and pack her out last weekend. She got angry at an elf who told her that she needed to pluck her nose hair.” No doubt Luca’s eyes grew wider because I know mine did. “Yeah, she almost castrated him. If a healer hadn’t been here when it happened, the poor man would have been a bit lighter to say the very least.” Luca sighed in relief and stepped around me.

“Thank fuck!”

Luca was now standing back up to his full height. All I could do was laugh. He should have learned his lesson with the first two stalkers. I shook my head at the two of them. I am ready to party and let loose for a while. I turned back to mark.

“We are going to see what we can get into tonight, Mark. I’ll try not to take all the attention away from you.” I grinned at him.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate Mr. God’s gift to women of all races.”

Ignoring his attempt to rile me up, I stepped further into the club and made my way over to the bar.