by Kay Marie
I need to fuck her out of my system and soon.
11
Marley
With Rascal in Colorado for the weekend and Ruger out for the day, it’s been a relaxing weekend. It’s been chill around the clubhouse with everyone keeping to themselves. Tink and Sienna have spent all day with me. The more I get to know Sienna, the more I like her. Her Ol’ Man, Shade, is in Colorado, too. She’s staying at the clubhouse while he’s gone, so she doesn’t have to be by herself.
Some shit happened to her earlier this year, and she told me she hasn’t been a fan of staying by herself since. Turns out, she and I have some things in common.
“Why did you tell me about what happened to you when you barely know me,” I ask her.
“I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something about you that reminds me of myself. Maybe it’s a certain gleam in your eye, I don’t know. I felt like it was something you needed to know. In case you need someone you can trust to unload whatever is causing you sorrow,” she explains to me.
I give her a grateful smile. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
I text Blaze earlier today, asking him to give Rascal my tapestry I left there. He told me if I wanted anything, I had to ask Rascal. I texted him, and he didn’t even believe it was me at first. Why anyone would pretend to be me to text him is beyond me. He’s kept the conversation going as if he actually wants to talk to me, and honestly, I’m actually enjoying it.
“Why are you cheesin’ so much?” Tink grins at me.
“Have you been texting Ruger,” Sienna asks.
“What? No.” I shake my head. Ruger has been more annoying than anything this week. “It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Sienna smirks.
“Hmm, she’s probably texting Rascal,” Tink says.
“I thought she hated him?” Sienna’s eyes go from Tink’s to mine. “I thought you hated him?”
“He’s an arrogant asshole whose main purpose in life is to annoy the hell out of me. Yes, I hate him.”
“But you’re texting him,” Sienna asks.
“I didn’t say that.”
“But she is,” Tink smirks.
“I am, but only because I need him to bring me back something that I left in Colorado,” I admit. What I don’t tell them is we’ve been flirting all day. Or that I like it.
“Mhm, I’m sure that’s it.” She giggles. Her giggles stop abruptly as Hollywood walks into the main room. She averts her eyes anywhere but where he is.
“What’s the story there?” I whisper.
“Nothing,” Tink says too quickly.
I scoff. “Yeah, okay.”
“She has two gorgeous men pining after her and she constantly denies them both,” Sienna explains.
“Oh.” Then it hits me. “Oh! We talked about this. I didn’t know he was one of the two,” I whisper-shout at Tink.
Her cheeks turn pink.
“Now, I need to know who the other one is,” I tell her.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not choosing either of them,” she says.
“It’s Diesel,” Sienna whispers.
“Damn. Now that’s a pair.” I fan my face. “I’m sticking with what I said before. Choose them both.”
“Hell, fucking, yeah!” Sienna agrees.
“What if I were to suggest that and they’re disgusted by the idea? Then I’ll lose them both.” Sadness washes over her face.
“But what if they’re both on board with it?” Sienna raises her eyebrows.
“I don’t think I can take that risk,” Tink admits.
“Honestly, I can’t say I blame you. It’s a tough situation, but it looks like the three of you need to talk about it together,” I tell her.
“We should, but I don’t know if it will happen,” she says.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
From Romeo: You hanging out with your boy toy Ruger?
To Romeo: Uh, no. He is not my boy toy. And he’s not at the clubhouse right now. Thank the gods.
From Romeo: *laughing emoji* Aw, come on. He was following you around last weekend like a lost puppy. You didn’t like that?
To Romeo: Not that it’s any of your concern, no, I didn’t care for it.
From Romeo: So you’re telling me I still have a chance?
To Romeo: In your dreams, Romeo!
“That smile says a lot more than your words do.” Sienna smirks at me.
I roll my eyes, setting my phone down. “No more guy talk. Let’s go watch a funny movie or something.”
“I’m all for that,” Tink says.
“Let’s go!” Sienna hops up from the couch. “Wait, who’s room are we going to?”
“Mine,” Tink states.
“You have a room here,” I ask.
“Yup, for the nights we have club parties and I bartend,” she explains.
“That makes sense.”
Sienna and I follow Tink to her room. I check my phone one last time. His text makes me grin.
From Romeo: Oh, how you wound me, Princess.
To Romeo: It’s not life-threatening. You’ll be fine.
From Romeo: Only time will tell.
I shake my head and smile as I turn my phone on Do Not Disturb mode for the rest of the night.
“What movie are we watching first?” Sienna flops onto the bed.
“Something funny, please,” Tink says.
“What about Magic Mike XXL?” I suggest. “Hot guys, and it’s so cheesy and funny.”
“That’s perfect!” Tink climbs in bed next to Sienna, and I slide in next to her.
“I’m surprised this bed is big enough for the three of us.” Sienna laughs.
“Have you seen how big the guys in this clubhouse are? They’re huge! They gotta have beds they’ll fit in.” Tink giggles, making me giggle, too.
“That’s true,” Sienna agrees. Tink turns the movie on. I pass out at some point before the movie ends.
Sunday was uneventful. Tink had to work a shift at Rosie’s Diner while Sienna spent time with Wren. Neither one is at the clubhouse again today. Tink working at the diner again, and Sienna went to A Novel Bunch. I’m spending the day reading and ignoring the world. Rascal is going to be back today, and I need to go back to ignoring him.
I’m sitting outside at one of the picnic tables when a black SUV with a Louisiana license plate pulls up. I watch as a couple of men dressed in fancy suits climb out of the vehicle. They look like they’re part of some kind of mafia. Maybe Russian. Sunglasses cover their eyes as they walk toward me. The first one stops at the picnic table, removing his sunglasses.
“Jenny?” he says.
“Excuse me?” I close my book.
“I’m sorry, you look identical to someone I used to know.” He’s Russian, and his accent is thick. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to a Jennifer Jones, would you?”
His words cause a lump in my throat. “Uh, that was my mom’s name.”
“Was?”
“Yeah, she passed away a couple years ago.” I fight back the tears that are threatening to fall. Talking about my mom is still a sore subject, and I don’t know who the hell this guy is. He seems to be evaluating his next words carefully.
“Can I ask how old you are?”
“Twenty-five,” I tell him.
His eyebrows furrow for a few seconds before his eyes widen as if he came to a realization. “I think I’m your father.”
12
Rascal
After texting Marley for two days, her not responding is making me feel some type of way, and I don’t fucking like it. We pull up to the clubhouse, and I’ve never been more thankful to be here.
“Damn, I forget how much I hate making that run every time.” I climb out of the car, stretching my arms and popping my back.
Shade laughs. “It’s not that bad, ya pansy.”
I flip him off and walk inside. I glance around for Marley, but she’s not in here. I
turn around as Chains walks into the main room.
“Yo, where’s Marley at?”
“She’s outside, reading,” he says.
“I just came from out there. She’s not fucking there,” I tell him.
His eyes go wide. “I had to take a piss. She was out there when I came in.”
I storm down the hallway to her room, pounding on her door. I wait thirty seconds, and when there’s still no answer, I do it again.
“Marley, it’s Rascal. Open the fucking door!”
There’s movement in her room before she opens the door. She’s standing there, tears pouring down her make-upless face.
“What the hell? What’s goin’ on?”
“Nothing that concerns you, so leave me the hell alone,” she bites out, closing the door.
I stick my foot in front of it, stopping it from closing. “Uh-uh, Princess. Don’t do this. Talk to me.”
“Stop acting like you give a fuck. We both know you don’t.” She spits the words out like venom. Stung by her words, I pull my foot back, and she slams the door in my face. I stand there, staring at it for a minute. I turn around and walk toward the main room.
“Rascal.” Bull stops me. I turn to face him as Nikolay, Sovietnik of the Orlov Bratva, is walking away from him. “Let’s talk.”
I walk toward his office. “What was Niko doing here?”
I sit on the couch as he closes the door and sits at his desk.
“Niko is in town for Bratva business and decided to stop by. He’ll be around for the foreseeable future,” Bull says. “Tell me how the run was.”
“Everything went as well as planned. Got everything we ordered from Blaze, talked with Ace and the guys about becoming Riders, and Ric introduced us to some guys who want to be Menaces,” I explain to him.
“What did you think of the guys wanting to be Menaces?”
“They were cool. I think they would fit in great,” I tell him.
He mulls it over. “Have them come for a visit. We’ll have Tech vet them and see how they do with the rest of the club.”
“You got it, Prez.” I walk out of his office, coming face to face with Tink. “Hey! Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“To see Marley,” she tells me.
“Do you know what’s wrong with her?”
Tink glares at me. “Yeah, and if you want to know, talk to her yourself.”
“I tried, and she slammed the door in my face.”
“Well, then I’d say she doesn’t want to talk to you.” She smirks and walks away.
I shake my head and head to the main room. “Fucking woman.”
“Having relationship problems?” Saint snickers.
I flip him off. Flopping onto the couch, I take a long drag off my pen. Hollywood sits on the couch across from me.
“What’s got you so down in the dumps,” he asks.
“I’m not down. I have a ton of shit on my mind,” I tell him.
“Yeah, okay. Keep tellin’ yourself that,” he says. “Let me guess— you also don’t have any feelings for Marley?”
I scowl at him. “The only type of feelings I have for her are irritation and frustration.”
“Sexual frustration,” Saint adds.
“Fuck you,” I say to Saint. Hollywood laughs.
“I’ll pass. I’m not a cut bunny.” Saint grins.
“You act like there’s no sexual tension between you and a certain female associated with the club,” Hollywood says to him.
Saint snaps his eyes to Hollywood. “And who might that be?”
Hollywood laughs. “Really? You and Rivet dance around each other worse than anyone.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Saint states.
“Deny it till you’re blue in the face, but we all see it,” I tell him.
“Yeah, well, what about you and Tink?” Saint gives a sly smile. I glance at Hollywood, but his face gives nothing away.
“What about us? We’re friends, sure, but that’s all we’ll ever be,” Hollywood says.
A small gasp comes from behind me. I turn around in time to see Tink retreating down the hallway. When I turn back to Hollywood, his face is pale but still shows no emotion.
“You sure about that,” Saint asks and walks away before anyone replies.
“What was all that about?”
Hollywood shakes his head. “Nothing.”
He obviously doesn’t want to talk about whatever is going on. I don’t blame him because I don’t want to talk to anyone about the Marley situation either. Tink’s reaction to what Hollywood said spoke volumes, though. Hollywood pulls out a joint and lights it up. He takes a couple puffs before passing it to me.
We spend the rest of the night chillin’ and bullshittin’, while other brothers are hanging out playing pool. We’ve had more nights like this than party nights lately, and it’s been refreshing. Part of me hopes we keep it up. It makes the parties that much better.
13
Marley
I spend the rest of the week doing my best to avoid Rascal. I was pretty hateful toward him when he got back from Colorado, but I didn’t want him pretending to care when I know he doesn’t. Nikolay, the Sovietnik of the Orlov Bratva, knew my mother. He believes he’s my father and I’ve spent all week thinking about it. I didn’t give him the chance to explain his relationship with my mother or why he wasn’t around if he is my father. It was too much to handle.
It’s Saturday, and I’m sitting in the main room, reading my book when Minx and Sienna walk in.
“Marley! We need to go to the mall to pick up some of our things for next weekend. You wanna come,” Minx asks me.
“Sure! It’ll do me some good to get out of the clubhouse.” I smile at her.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Rascal pops in out of nowhere.
“The hell I’m not!”
“You’re not going anywhere without me, and I’m not fucking going shopping,” he says to me.
“Ugh! You’re so infuriating,” I shout at him.
“And you’re a pain in my ass,” he growls out.
“Alright, both of you knock it off,” Minx says to us. “Rascal, you’re going to let her go because Raze and Shade are coming, too. You don’t even have to come if you don’t want to.”
Rascal sighs and rolls his eyes. “Fine, we’ll go, but I’m riding my fucking bike.”
I smirk and high five Minx.
“But,” Rascal says. “if there’s anything that poses a threat to your safety, we leave.”
“Deal,” I agree.
Thirty minutes later, we’re walking around the mall. Sienna, Minx, and I are walking a couple feet in front of the guys so we can talk without their interruptions. Our first stop is to pick up all the dresses. There are eight in total, all different colors. The dresses are the only thing we’re picking up for everyone. Accessories and shoes, they have to get on their own.
Once we pick up the dresses, they’re bagged four to a bag. Thankfully the bags are grey, and the guys can’t see what the dresses look like. If they saw them, it would ruin the surprise.
“So when do we get to see these dresses,” Shade asks.
“Not until next weekend,” Sienna tells him.
“Why does it matter?” Rascal cocks an eyebrow.
“Because if y’all see them now, then they won’t have the wow effect we’re hoping for,” Minx says. “So shut up and deal with it.”
Rascal glances at Raze. “Do you hear the way your Ol’ Lady talks to me?”
Raze shrugs. “She does what she wants.”
Shock crosses Rascal’s face, and I laugh, earning myself a glare from him. We continue shopping, finding our way to a shoe store that has several rows of different types of shoes. Sienna drags me into the store, and I pull Minx in with us.
“I’ll wait out here,” Rascal says from behind us. There are mumbles from the other two as well. Glancing over my shoulder, three of them sit on a bench outside the store, watchi
ng our every move.
“Look at these!” Minx points to a pair of ankle strap heels. “It looks like they come in all the colors the dresses are in.”
“Send a picture to the others,” I suggest. “See what they think.”
“Hell, I don’t care what they think. I’m trying them on,” Sienna says. She finds her size and slips them on.
“Oh yeah, those are gorgeous,” I tell her.
“They’re pretty comfy, too,” she gushes. “I’m going to buy them.”
“I’m going to buy a pair, too,” Minx says.
“Me, too,” I add. Minx and I find the colors and sizes we need, and the three of us head to the cashier. We check out and start for the exit.
“Do y’all want to look for accessories here,” Minx asks.
“I think I’m going to order some online,” I tell them.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Sienna says.
We walk out of the store toward the guys. A guy walks by, behind them, with a familiar tattoo. I stop dead in my tracks, a tightness in my chest completely taking over. I drop my bag as I find it more difficult to breathe. Rascal shows up in front of me, his lips moving, but I don’t hear what he’s saying.
“Marley, Marley. Focus on my voice,” Rascal says. He grabs my hand, placing it on his chest, directly over his heart, and covers my hand with his. “Breathe, Princess. Take a deep breath in . . . and let it out.”
I focus on his words, doing as he says. After ten minutes or so, I finally start to calm down.
“How are you feeling,” Rascal asks.
“I think I’m okay,” I whisper.
“You’re still shaking. We should get you back to the clubhouse,” he suggests.
I nod my head. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
“Do you think you can handle riding on the back of my bike?”
“We can take your shoes in the car,” Sienna tells me.
“Yeah, it might help to keep my mind occupied,” I tell Rascal. “And thank you, Sienna. I appreciate that.”
