by V. Theia
“You were the one who brought the librarian’s cookies.”
“Shit sounds nasty, but damn, these are some good sweets.” Tacked on the Butcher in answer to Grinder.
“What the fuck is this, a Weight Watchers meeting?” Jibed Arson with a shit-eating grin on his face. “We’re not responsible for your gut, Jenny Craig, so suck it in.”
Only Reaper sat quietly as was the norm for that guy.
This was how the beginning of any meeting started. Banter back and forth, the boys relaxing and settling in before the big business talks began.
Rider let them go on.
Two chairs were notably empty. Hawk was missing from the VP seat. Understandable, he wasn’t leaving Gia’s side anytime soon. His best friend was besotted with his new kid. He practically needed passwords at the door to let anyone in. Rider reckoned Sunny was gonna be one of those bodyguarded kids with no life, if Hawk had anything to do with it.
The other was Texas’ spot.
He was gonna make this a fast meeting.
Not only did he want to get home because his nerves were on edge being far from Zara who was resting. She’d been having slow pains for two days but nothing that indicated labor was starting.
Plus, it was his daughter’s first birthday. Both sets of grandparents were hosting a small themed party at home for her as he spoke.
Being around Mad-dog was gonna be a chore. His dad had been weird lately.
Weird as in not him-fucking-self.
He tried to engage Rider in more than one conversation leaving him … confused.
Not that he didn’t talk to his dad.
He did.
But it was mundane shit.
Mostly listening to whatever lecture of the moment on how Ajax thought the club should be run. But when he thought about it, Ajax hadn’t lectured in a good while. He’d swung by Rider’s house more than once that week to pick up Harper to give Zara a break. His dad was acting fucking odd and Rider didn’t know what to do with it.
Thirty years ago, Rider had wanted nothing more than to emulate his father. He thought the VP of the MC was god to that small boy. Ajax—or Mad-dog as he’d told Rider to call him, couldn’t do no wrong in Rider’s eyes.
Until he did.
Until he turned into a man like Rex.
So, their relationship, as it was now, was solely for his mom’s sake, for Gia’s sake and for his kid.
Instead of talking man to man, Ajax made conversations about Harper.
It was clear to see he enjoyed being a Pop-pop and Zara had told him she was sure his parents would stick around town. Maybe even move back.
He didn’t know how to feel about that.
So, he didn’t delve into it.
Get this shit done so he could take the ride home before the fucking snow piled out of the sky again.
His Icy was in heaven with it.
So was Harper, who had her first play in the snow in the yard on Christmas morning.
“Okay, ladies. Pipe your fat club talk down.”
Snake swore, shoving another cookie into his trap. Preacher followed suit by scraping the plate of cookies in front of him, he thumped Tag’s hand when he tried to reach for one, which started a ricochet effect with swearing.
These fucking men.
His men.
Friends and brothers. They’d all taken the decision about Texas hard. it wasn’t easy for any of them and that’s why he let them fool around, they needed the down time more than ever to regroup their tight knit brotherhood.
But fuck could they bitch.
He smirked and used his gavel three hard times on the table to get them all to shut their mouths.
“I got a family to get back to if you girls can shut the fuckin’ fuck up.”
“Speaking of, Prez. I gotta drive by later with the biker princess’s gifts.” Said Preacher, spraying crumbs. “Seb wrapped them, so be warned it looks like dog shit, but he’s so damn proud of himself.”
“Me too, Hermano.” Added Capone.
He’d told Zara he’d take a break for December and for the most part he had.
He’d enjoyed it too.
The break had been needed for them all. Especially after what had gone down to shake his MC to their core. They were still trying to get back on even ground, he knew some of his men were pissed about it, rightly so, but they had bigger fish to kill.
As all things tended to do, it was back to reality very soon.
The Russians were still stirring.
He’d had eyes on them ever since he’d given Grigori the friendly warning.
The underboss was still trying to ship illegals in through Rider’s docks like he assumed Rider was a dumb motherfucker and wouldn’t know every move that mafia man made.
The Russian bratva were a large global organization, and had they threatened anyone else in the same way they’d tried with Rider, they would have easily rolled over and allowed themselves to get fucked royally by the mafia.
Not Rider.
And not his club.
As much of an irritant and a distraction as the bratva were becoming, he couldn’t have it any longer.
Because you give one rat room to breathe and it gives the go ahead to others.
He had plans in place to take Grigori down along with Rider’s motherfucker of an uncle in one fell swoop.
And soon.
Rider might be eighty percent legitimate these days with the kind of crimes he was willing to put his name to, but it didn’t mean he’d forgotten a thing on how to dig into the dirt and be the outlaw he was known for.
His Icy-girl softened him. She didn’t castrate the badness out of him.
If you asked her she’d say she liked him being her bad biker man.
If anything, having his family was a reason to keep living and breathing. Striving to stay on top of the dog pile only made Rider all the more dangerous to keep what was his and not allow anyone to tread on his toes.
Because as anyone knew, a dangerous man was a smart man.
Focused.
Undeterred.
A fucking powerhouse of steel.
Power came to those who took it.
It was never given.
Always earned.
Rider had been the one to take the gavel years ago, so, he wasn’t about to let a fucking Russian aggravation get under his skin now.
And the reason being was Rider had informants everywhere.
Grigori thought himself so clever running his dirty money through Rider’s gambling dens. Either the Russian underboss was getting careless or he didn’t give a fuck that Rider knew his every move.
One pro to many cons.
Rider would take those odds.
It was a foolish man to ever underestimate him or his club or his tolerance for bullshit.
The holiday break had given him one thing, apart from the joy on his old lady’s face, which was worth more than gold itself.
And that was time to regroup.
To plan and to re-affirm who owned this city.
People like Grigori were predictable in a way. They assumed nothing could touch them, but he was just one-man part of a larger organization and all men had their weakness.
Rider knew.
It was why he guarded his own like his life depended on it.
It might drive Zara crazy at times to always have a bodyguard with her and a tail she would never notice, but he was a cautious man.
A patient one at that.
He knew how dominos fell and the noise trees made in a silent forest when they were cut down to size.
Sitting back in his chair, there was only peace in Rider’s body and mind as he idly listened to an array of different conversations. His boys discussing their varying stories of the holidays so far.
Most of it included booze, weed and a plethora of sex.
His differed somewhat to include Zara’s parents.
This room was windowless for a reason. That being it was soundproof, and anything
spoken in the church was guarded.
It didn’t mean Rider didn’t know the snow was falling in wet sheets outside or that along main street, every lamppost and street sign was still decorated in red garlands courtesy of their crooked mayor.
Life outside was going on and he was ready to get home and re-join it.
But first.
“The 2nd of January.” He announced, and every voice there suddenly hushed. “A new year means we get rid of the shit from this one and we don’t allow them to come back.”
There was an agreeing raucous knocking of knuckles on the table top.
“Tell me I get to put that smug commie in the ground.” Lawless almost begged. His enforcer was a freak of nature. Good guy, smart as a whip, generous and a total fucking lunatic.
Putting Lawless on any killing mission was like releasing the Kraken.
Rider smirked down at him. “Maybe.”
Lawless howled to the ceiling. “You heard it, boys. I got dibs on that motherfucker.”
As Rider stepped out of the club much later, snow met his skull.
He sighed and remembered to pull out his beanie hat as he trekked over to his ride.
He waved to Preacher who was probably heading home to his old lady.
He jutted his chin to Grinder who was climbing on the bike right next to his buddy.
His phone shrilled in his pocket before he even got the key in the ignition. Smiling, he answered. “Hey, Icy-baby. Missing your man?”
The smile in her voice was his reward for sitting around the oak table for too long strategizing with his team. But now he felt settled a decision was made and he had shit in place now.
It meant trusting his father. As far as that went, anyway.
Now he intended to milk the last day of the holidays with his girls before it was back to business.
“Always and forever, Rider.” She told him and then added. “You should get home though.”
“Why, something wrong?”
“Well….” He knew by the tone of her voice there wasn’t. He would have known sooner, what with Coop on duty outside of his house.
“Mom and dad have taken Harper to that winter fete at the church pastor Danny invited us to.”
Rider didn’t do churches.
Not for any reason other than he didn’t believe in anything after death and sitting in a pew listening to a sermon about damnation or whatever it was they spouted wasn’t for him.
He was a get shit done kind of a man, not listen to a lecture.
He liked the pastor. The Murphy’s were well known, and he always had a sneaky suspicion Danny Murphy still had his hand in their business. God or no God.
No one was that fucking wholesome without a little darkness behind the eyes.
“You want me to take you to church?” He asked zipping up his jacket to the chin. Nothing was keeping the cold out but at least he’d be relatively dry on the ride home.
“No, honey. My parents are out of the house,” she spoke slowly and that’s when Rider began to grin. “So, you need to get home…”
Also, his dick woke up.
An in laws free house meant they could fool around and make noise as they wanted and Rider really … fucking … wanted.
Kicking off the stand, he fired up his Harley, felt how the engine roared beneath him, the vibrations almost as good as his girl sucking on his dick until his eyes popped out.
He revved a few times and held the phone to his ear. “Gonna ride, Icy. But you know what you gotta do, yeah?”
“Rider…”
“Tell me so I know...”
“You want me ready for you.”
He smiled. Licked his dry lips. Adjusted his dick. She was so fucking perfect for him. “How do I want you ready? Whisper all those nasty details to your starving man, Icy. Make me hard as a rock to get home to you.”
“You want me to play with myself until I’m soaking wet, so when you fuck me you hit the bottom of me on one thrust.”
Holy fucking god.
“Yeah,” thickness eroded his voice, “nice and swollen wet for your man so when I push in it feels like I’m being swallowed.”
He heard her moan and it was almost game over in his compound.
Time to get down to some serious business and by business he meant sorting out his Icy until she was hoarse from screaming his damn name.
With a smirk and a grave case of hard dick, he rode off in the direction of home. He could fuck his girl all day long and he would.
He had a feeling the new year was the year she’d say yes to his proposal.
What was it Zara said about Christmas and miracles?
This wouldn’t be possible without all you amazing readers who have taken the Renegade Souls boys to your heart. Without your enthusiasm for these hard-worn, possessive and over-the-top alpha bikers I wouldn’t have penned a Christmas story at all. I love being in their world and I love showing you how mushy a hard man can be for the right partner.
There’s more to this MC series to come in the New Year, both main books and novellas and I hope you enjoyed this surprise instalment looking at our couples and how they do the holidays, as much as I enjoyed writing in their world again.
Thank you! And from my family to yours, I hope this holiday season is everything you want it to be. Happy Christmas!
More to come from those Renegade Souls boys in 2019!
Renegade Souls MC Romance Saga Series:
Dirty Salvation
Preacher Man
Tracking Luxe
Hades Novella
Filthy Love
Finally Winter
Taboo Love Duet:
It Was Love
It Was Always Love
From Manhattan Series:
Manhattan Sugar
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