The Reckoning

Smoke haze hung over the pool tables in the back of the bar and the faint sound of glasses clinking could be heard beneath the continuous hum of voices. The bartender glanced at the group of bikies spread out over various parts of the room and shook his head slightly.

The group was unusually quiet and restrained with three Lieutenants present and the Leader absent.

An angry murmur rose from one corner and the three Lieutenants stopped their conversation and looked towards the group, after a few moments one of them got to his feet and made his way over to the table.

"Is there a problem?" Claxton asked in his rough voice.

"Yeah! Why the hell should we give any territory to those bastards?" Dominic demanded as he got to his feet with a drunken wobble.

"The Burg said we were going to share territory with 'em, not give it to them," Claxton said in a firm tone.

"I don't like the idea of them slimy bastards lookin' at the skirts on our territory," Dominic shot back angrily.

"Maybe they'll be bringing some fresh meat along with them," Claxton pointed out.

"There a problem Clax?" Tiger Lily asked as she walked over from where she had been sitting with Claxton and Emery.

"Dominic here is worried that all of our skirts are gonna get stolen," Claxton said dryly.

"Is that right Dominic?" Tiger asked as she stopped beside him and leant against his chair as she looked up at him.

Dominic frowned for a moment, he wasn't too bright at the best of times and the addition of excessive alcohol hadn't helped any.

"Yeah, something like that ..." Dominic said slowly.

Tiger smiled up at him and ran her tongue slowly over her bottom lip, "You think I'm gonna let skanks come into my territory?" she asked softly.

Dominic swayed towards her slightly as he took a deep breath; all thoughts had been driven from his head at the sight of her tongue.

"How about you buy me a drink?" Tiger said as she dropped her eyes to his chest before slowly lowering them to his belt buckle. When she raised her eyes to his once more he was breathing heavily as he stared at the swell of her breasts where her leather vest was unbuttoned low.

"A drink?" Dominic mumbled as he stared at her breasts almost hypnotised.

"Yes Dominic ... I'd like ... a drink," Tiger said softly in a breathless tone.

Dominic turned away and headed for the bar, every few steps he glanced back at Tiger with a hungry leer.

"I'll keep an eye on things," Claxton said quietly.

"I can handle Dominic," Tiger said in a voice so quiet only Claxton heard.

Dominic returned quickly with two glasses of beer that he sloshed over as he walked, he grinned at Tiger then frowned at Claxton who shrugged and headed back towards his table.

"Leaving Tiger to Dominic's tender mercies are you?" Emery asked with a grin as Claxton sat down.

"Tiger claims she can handle him," Claxton said with a shrug but his eyes strayed to the table where Dominic sat with Tiger on his lap.

"Looks more like Dominic is 'handling' Tiger to me," Emery said with a soft laugh as he watched Dominic groping Tiger's breasts through her leather vest.

Claxton turned his head and watched as Dominic groped at Tiger's breasts as he held her on his lap. Claxton felt a wave of anger rise and turned his attention back to his beer, it was none of his business if Tiger wished to find herself a man from the lower ranked members.

Unable to help himself he glanced towards the other table again and looked away quickly at the sight of Tiger's black hair hiding her face as she bent over Dominic as he buried his face in her opened vest.

Claxton gave a sigh of relief as Burg walked into the bar closely followed by his second in command and bodyguard Josh.

Burg headed for the table where Emery and Claxton sat while Josh headed for the bar.

"Where's Tiger?" Burg asked as he sat down.

"Dominic is drunk and trying to stir up trouble about our new alliance with The Storm Riders," Emery said evenly.

Burg glanced around and spotted Tiger where she sat on Dominic' lap as they both drank from large bottles of beer. He noted the dark stain where she was letting the beer run from the corner of her mouth and down onto her shoulder, the result was every few swallows Dominic would stop drinking and turn his attention to her beer wet breasts.

Tiger would then offer him her bottle and he would take several deep swallows before pushing it aside to kiss her mouth hungrily.

"He'll be passed out soon," Burg commented.

"You want Tiger over here?" Josh asked as he placed a can of rum and cola in front of Burg.

"Yeah, I aint having Dominic think he can take her anytime he wants." Burg said with a possessive glance towards Tiger.

All the other men knew he was referring to the fact that several times in the last few weeks Dominic had lured Tiger into sharing his bed for the entire night.

Josh placed his can on the table before heading to where Dominic now had Tiger half sprawled on her back on the table in front of him as he finished unfastening her vest.

"What the fuck!" Burg roared angrily. He could see that Tiger was trying to stop Dominic but he was too strong for her.

"Josh! Get my bitch over here now!" Burg ordered seething with fury.

"You're in trouble now," Josh snapped as he grabbed Tiger by her wrists and pulled her across the table.

"Fuck off! I aint finished with the bitch yet!" Dominic roared no longer pretending to be drunk as he caught hold of the waist of her jeans and hauled her towards him.

"Get off me both of you!" Tiger demanded but Josh jerked on her wrists hard and pulled her from Dominic' grasp.

Josh stepped back as he finished pulling Tiger across the table and let her fall on the floor near him, he moved clear of her and stepped forward to meet Dominic as he came around the table swinging his fists wildly.

Tiger rolled away from the fight and got to her feet hurriedly as one of Dominic's mates got up to help his friend. She grabbed a pool cue and lifted it threateningly as she moved between Dominic's mate and the two combatants.

"Back off!" Tiger ordered even though she was aware of the other two lieutenants rushing towards the trouble.

"Yeah, back off," Emery said as he stopped one side of Tiger as Claxton halted on her other side.

Tiger stayed poised with the wooden cue held over her shoulder ready to take a swing at the guy in front of her.

"Right fine bitch you are not backing your man," he spat as he backed off several steps.

"She's Burg's woman not Dominic's," Claxton said in a dangerously soft tone.

Josh stepped away from Dominic where he was sprawled on the floor nearly unconscious and glanced at Dominic's friend. "What do you want done with 'em Burg?"

"They can pack their gear and get the hell out of my territory," Burg said angrily before looking at Tiger, "And you, are you going to sneak off one night and join the bastard? Cause if you are pack your shit and go now!"

Tiger blinked stunned for a moment then shook her head, "I want to stay here with you Boss,"

"We'll talk about that later then. Get back to the club house," Burg ordered.

Tiger glanced his way wanting to protest for a moment but saw the angry set to his mouth and decided against it, she tossed the pool cue aside then headed for the front door with her head held high and her back straight.

Outside she walked to her bike uncomfortably aware of those who watched her from the bar. She was sitting astride her bike pulling her riding gloves on when Dominic and his friend walked from the bar.

"Want to throw your things together and come with us?" Dominic asked loudly believing he had a chance of luring her from the gang to ride with him.

Tiger gave him a disgusted glare, kicked her bike to life and took off in a cloud of smoke as her back tyre spun violently.

Inside the bar Burg, Josh, Emery and Claxton watched silently before returning to their drinks.

"I don't think Tiger will be there when we get back to the house," Emery said evenly.

"Don't sell her short, she's loyal to the club if nothing else." Burg said tightly.

"I sure hope she's still with us. If you want her punished ..." Josh let his words trail off as Burg looked at him.

* * * * *

Josh heard the loud banging and yelling inside the house as he walked onto the veranda and to the front door. It wasn't until he stepped inside he could make out what was being said.

"Come on! Open the goddamned door! You think that bastard wants you around? Stupid bitch!" Dominic yelled angrily, his words interspersed with loud thumps against a wooden surface.

"Fuck off Dominic! This is Burg's room! Come in here and he's gonna kick your arse!" Tiger yelled over the thumping.

"Open the goddamned door you stupid bitch!" Dominic yelled at her as he grabbed the door handle and rattled it noisily.

"Oi!" Josh raised his voice enough to be heard over the noise Dominic was making as he walked up the hallway towards the other man.

Dominic stopped his assault on the heavy door and turned to face the larger man. Josh was a large power house of muscles and well known for his fighting abilities.

"Burg said to get your shit together and fuck off," Josh reminded him in a hard voice.

Dominic glanced towards the locked door nervously then back at Josh, he paled slightly as Burg, Emery and Claxton filled the hallway behind Josh.

"I'm going, I'm going ..." Dominic said before hurrying away.

Burg waited until he heard the back door shut behind the receding boot steps and moved aside as Emery and Claxton moved past him to check that Dominic and his friends left.

"Tiger open the door!" Burg snapped annoyed.

There was the sound of a key turning in the lock and then the door swung open, Tiger stood in the doorway looking defensive.

"What the fucking hell are you doing in my room?" Burg demanded as he stalked towards her.

Tiger backed several steps into the room before she could stop herself and tensed as Burg stepped closer.

"I wasn't letting him force me to leave with him. In here was the only place I could keep him out of," Tiger said defensively.

"What the fuck are you doing in MY room?" Burg demanded again.

Tiger glanced at him nervously then looked away without replying, she figured he wasn't finished with dealing with her about having sex with Dominic.

"WELL?"

"Dominic was trying to make me ..." Tiger started to try to explain.

"Make you! From what I saw he wasn't MAKING you do anything you didn't want to!" Burg yelled outraged.

"He wanted me to leave with him," Tiger said softly in the face of his anger.

"Why didn't you?" Burg demanded.

"I want to stay here with the gang," Tiger answered levelly.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" Burg growled.

"Dominic was trying to make me ..." Tiger started to explain.

"Cut the bullshit! What were you doing in MY room?" Burg yelled aggressively and saw Tiger flinch away from him slightly. He forced down the sympathy he felt for her and refused to soften his stance, if he went soft on her it would look bad for him with the gang members.

"It was protection for me?" Tiger offered uncertainly.

"Why would I want to protect YOU?" Burg demanded.

"I'm your woman?" Tiger said nervously.

"My woman? I DON"T THINK SO! You been fucking Dominic and god only knows who else!" Burg yelled furiously.

"You fucked Todd's little blonde bimbo! Right here in our bed!" Tiger shot back angrily.

"WHO'S BED? This is my room! Get the fuck out you little bitch!" Burg roared.

"I'll get my stuff and gladly get out!" Tiger snapped back at him.

Burg grabbed her by the front of her vest and slammed her back against the wall; he lowered his head so his mouth was a hairs breadth from her ear. "I said get the fuck out of my room,"

His voice was whisper quiet and Tiger inched to the side carefully, once clear of him she hesitated a moment as she glanced at the wardrobe that held her belongings.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!" Burg roared and slammed a fist into the wall beside her.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Tiger demanded.

"If you want Boss I can get her out of your hair and teach her what happens when she disrespects you," Josh said with a grin.

Tiger shot a nervous glance at Josh; she never knew what he would do. She moved out of the room and turned to face Burg once again.

"What do you want me to do Burg?" She asked quietly.

Burg shot her an angry glare, hurt mingled unseen with the anger that seethed just below the surface. He had enjoyed the time he spent with her and had been hoping it would be a permanent arrangement but clearly she intended to fuck around.

"You think long and hard about whether you want to remain a part of this group. I won't stand around for any bitch fucking around causing trouble among the men either," Burg growled.

Tiger turned her face away as she bit back an angry retort about walking in to see him fucking the young girlfriend of one of the men. To throw that at him would only cause unpleasant repercussions for her.

"I understand," she said evenly in a strained voice.

"You want me to teach her not to disrespect you Boss," Josh asked as he watched her closely.

Tiger pulled her lips back from her teeth in a snarl of self-defence as she glared at Josh before glancing at Burg nervously.

"I made a stupid mistake 'cause I thought you were finished with me," Tiger said quietly.

"Well I'm finished with you now! Get the fuck out of my sight!" Burg ordered and turned away to begin throwing her belongings out into the hallway.

Tiger Lily hesitated long enough to grab her bike helmet and riding gloves as they were thrown out the door of the bedroom before she hurried away towards the front veranda.

"Who's gonna keep the sheilas in line now?" Josh asked as he picked up a bra off the floor and looked at it with interest.

"I don't know!" Burg snapped irritated as he glanced at Josh, "I don't even know if Tiger is leaving,"

"She just went out to her bike," Claxton said softly from the doorway.

"Those bastards take anything that's not theirs?" Burg demanded angrily.

"Doesn't look like it," Emery said calmly.

"Tiger with 'em?" Burg asked coldly.

"Nah, they already left. I aint heard her bike start yet," Claxton answered.

"Keep a discreet eye on her and let me know if she follows them," Burg ordered in a strained voice.

"Boss, please don't leave her out in the cold. She's made a big mistake in what she's done but she is a big asset keeping the peace and order with the sheilas," Claxton appealed.

"You fuck her too?" Burg demanded coldly.

"No Boss. I know my place," Claxton said quietly.

"It's her choice, either she stays here or leaves with Dominic," Burg said savagely.

"Boss," Claxton paused when Burg turned cold eyes on him once again, " You chucked her out of your room. She doesn't really have a place to walk back into the house to,"

"I got half a bed to spare," Josh said and licked his lips with anticipation.

"You want her go get her but if she fucks around on you and causes trouble in my gang then I'm going to belt the crap out of her and kick her out," Burg said coldly.

"I'll keep her in line Boss," Josh said levelly without any sign of emotion.

Claxton frowned but didn't say anything; he knew Tiger had always been wary of Josh because of his size and strength.

There was silence while Burg threw the rest of her belongings out into the hall.

"Emery, Clax, go tell her I said to come in and move her stuff. It's a mess and I don't like messes," Josh said when Burg headed for the kitchen, he paused a moment to glance at both men then followed Burg from the room.

In the kitchen Burg grabbed a beer out of the fridge and opened so he could drink deeply, nearly emptying the can in one go.

"Has Claxton been chasing Tiger behind my back?" Burg demanded of Josh as the younger and larger man calmly helped himself to a can of beer.

"Not that I'm aware of Boss. But you got to remember he was the one who bought her to the gang and initiated her. If I remember rightly, he also broke her in that night," Josh said quietly.

Burg frowned thoughtfully as he remembered the night Claxton had turned up at an all night party with a young Tiger Lily in tow. As Burg remembered it Claxton had claimed she was something special and had asked that she not be initiated in the usual way, only the gang officers be able to fuck her.

Josh glanced out the window over the sink and saw Emery and Claxton talking to Tiger; she had her riding gloves on and seemed about to put her helmet on.

"Dominic is a bastard, this has really fucked things up!" Burg swore softly as he reached for another beer from the fridge.

"Tiger Lily will stay, as you said she's loyal to the gang," Josh said quietly.

"I don't doubt that but this will cause trouble with the sheilas, there'll be arguments for sure," Burg said darkly.

"Tiger will earn her keep then," Josh said with a half smile.

"If she can still walk after you have your fun with her tonight. The sheilas you fuck generally are bow legged the next day or worse," Burg said with an answering grin.

Josh merely grunted a noncommittal answer and took a big mouthful of beer.

"Looks like everyone has decided to come back here from the pub early," Emery said as he came into the room.

Josh glanced past him but no one else was behind him. "Where's Claxton?"

"Outside directing traffic. There are a few members who usually bunk else where turning up. Guess they've heard about Dominic," Emery said with a frown.

"And Tiger?" Josh asked as if in after thought.

"Claxton told her you said come inside ... she's still out there. She doesn't want to leave but she doesn't want to come in here to you," Emery said uneasily.

"Where she at?" Burg asked.

"By her bike last I saw her," Emery replied.

"Stay here with Burg would you," Josh ordered and headed outside.

It was dark outside but Josh had no trouble finding his way to where Tiger had her bike parked. He saw her start slightly and turn to face him as she recognised who he was.

"Either you ride away now or you come back inside. You can go back inside the hard way or the easy way," Josh said quietly as he came to a halt beside her and looked at the numerous bikers who where milling around near Claxton.

Tiger Lily was silent as she watched Claxton. Josh shifted slightly beside her and she jumped nervously.

"Coming inside or do I have to carry you inside?" Josh asked after a few minutes of silence.

Tiger straightened her back and pulled her shoulders back before heading inside silently.

Josh followed behind her glad he hadn't had to force her to go inside; trouble would start soon enough when he demanded she obey his orders.

* * * * *

Tiger sipped her can of rum and coke as she circulated within the house. The extra gang members meant there where extra bikie chicks there and several fights had almost started among the outsiders and those who normally lived in the house.

"I tell you Dominic was fucking Burg's bitch, that's the real reason he was kicked out of the gang. His having a go at Josh is only an excuse,"

Tiger heard the whisper from behind her but ignored it as she had numerous others over the last few hours. She knew Burg would make an example of her for sure once he heard the rumours or they were relayed to him by either Emery, Claxton or Josh.

Emery and Claxton looked her way as she entered the main room and with a glance between them Claxton made his way over to her.

"You heard the whispers going around?" Claxton asked quietly.

"Yeah. And as more alcohol gets drank the whispers are getting louder," Tiger said tightly.