Ropes leaned in for a quick kiss. “We’ll catch up when you’re done with Cricket. I’m gonna take a shower and get dressed, and then we can go out to eat. Sound good?”
“Sounds great,” I said before turning to Cricket. “I’m just gonna go freshen up really quickly.”
“I’ll be in Minus’s office. Just come find me whenever you’re ready,” Cricket said and disappeared down the hall.
After cleaning up and changing into a bra that fit, I stopped off in the kitchen before heading to Minus’s office. I didn’t know what Cricket wanted to talk to me about but based on the little information Ropes could share with me, and the mood around the clubhouse, it was bound to be something bad. The best I could figure, was Cricket had been set with the task of kicking me out of the Sanctuary. Minus probably gave her the job because it would be easier to hear it from another woman. I’d probably pissed Minus off or broken some cardinal rule while staying here, maybe even just me being here was a violation. Of course, it could be worse. Maybe Ropes wanted me gone and this was how you broke up with someone in club culture.
If I was walking into an ambush or a firing squad, I wanted a drink first. I raided Warthog’s infamous liquor cabinet, and the fridge until I found what I needed to make a passable Captain Blue Breeze. For just a moment, I was transported back to the boat, to a simpler time when life made just a little more sense. A time before I lived in a biker’s bedroom or was caught in the middle of a gang war. A time before I was given to fits of public masturbation or drinking before six p.m.
I finished the drink, put the glass in the sink, and made my way to the office of the Burning Saints President, where I was sure to face my demise.
I found the office door open and gave it a couple of gentle raps as I poked my head inside. “Hi, Devlin,” Cricket said cheerily, from behind Minus’s desk. “Thank you for making the time for me.”
“Of course,” I said. “Any time.”
“You’ve been the topic of several conversations between me and Minus as of late, so I thought it was time I start talking to you instead of about you.”
I swallowed and braced myself for the worst.
“Minus and I think you are amazing and would like to invest in a tattoo shop with you. Much like our deal with Sally Anne and her bar, the club would be your silent partner and you’d run the place. You’d have the benefit of the Club’s protection, and in return, our guys get an employee discount on any ink. We split the profit 80/20 with you getting the bigger piece. What do you think?”
I couldn’t believe that in a few seconds, I’d leapt so much farther ahead to realizing my biggest goal.
I burst into tears. “I have no idea what to say, I’m in shock.”
“Take all the time you need to think about it,” Cricket said.
“All the time I need is right now. Are you kidding? My answer is yes.”
“Good. I’m excited to hear that, and I know Minus will be as well. We have a lot of faith that this will be a successful business venture for both you and the club.”
“What about Ropes?”
“What do you mean?” Cricket asked.
“I guess I mean, what if he and I don’t end up being quite such a successful venture? Couldn’t that complicate things?”
“Perhaps, but we’re all adults here. Besides, if Ropes dumps you, or does anything stupid to screw up what the two of you have, I’ll personally make sure he needs more staples in his head.”
With my heart full, I hugged Cricket, then made my way back to Ropes’s room. Virtually throwing myself into his arms, I kissed him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said between kisses.
“The tattoo shop was Cricket’s idea,” he said. “But I’ll take the kisses.”
“I know you had something to do with it.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny those allegations. Either way, it really was Cricket’s idea, and I think both the idea and you are amazing.”
“Thanks babe, I’m so excited.”
“Me too.” He smiled. “Love you.”
“I love you too.”
“How about I take you out for a celebratory dinner?”
“How about you eat me out instead?”
He chuckled and began his work where I left off.
His love had been a surprise and I planned to treasure it forever.
Devlin
One year later…
I STOOD AT the altar and grinned at my New York Times Bestselling Author groom. Father Finn had just pronounced us man and wife and declared, “You may make the deal.”
Finn had gotten a quickie license in order to marry us and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Ropes shoved his hand out and I slid mine in it and squeezed as we shook on our marriage. It was how he proposed.
“A handshake is a deal that can’t be broken,” he’d said from bended knee. He’d opened a red jewelry box to reveal a ring with a two-carat pear-shaped diamond, nestled in a halo of smaller diamonds, and asked me to marry him. I’d immediately said yes, but he held his hand out to me anyway. “Make the deal.”
I took his hand and shook it, then threw myself into his arms, both of us falling onto the deck of the ship. We were on the Books and Booze Cruise again and he’d waited until everyone was on deck to propose.
Olivia and Ali opened bottles of champagne, spraying us until we were soaked, and then we partied until the wee hours of the morning.
Now they sat in the front row ready to pop more bubbly, while Darien and Cricket stood as my bridesmaids. Once we shook hands, Ropes pulled me into his arms and kissed me, dipping me low to the hoots and hollers of his club. He was careful not to crush my veil, but I held him tightly just in case he dropped me.
Breaking the kiss, he grinned down at me and put me back on my feet. “I love you.”
I smiled slowly. “I love you, too.”
“I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kimble,” Father Finn said. “Let’s party!”
And we did.
Things were still uncertain in the biker world, but in my world, things were perfect. I was in love, the tattoo shop was booming, and Ropes was getting the recognition he so greatly deserved.
We’d just closed on a gorgeous little house in Vancouver, close to a few of the Dogs of Fire crew. In fact, the Sergeant at Arms, Hatch, had a sweet hookup in the form of his brother who owned a construction company. His name was Cullen and he was going to update our house while we were on our honeymoon.
Ropes and I both had complete faith in him, but he’d promised he’d send pictures and keep us updated as things progressed.
For now, though, it was time to celebrate our wedding and as I watched my husband dance with Cricket, I felt the blessing of him deep in my soul.
I smiled as I thought of a future with him, standing side by side, growing old together. Because, after all, a deal’s a deal.
1 fluid ounce light rum
1 fluid ounce blue Curacao liqueur
1 fluid ounce of orange vodka
2 fluid ounces pineapple juice
Combine rum, blue Curacao, pineapple juice, vodka, and pour over ice.
Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry.
Unedited Excerpt © 2018 Trixie Publishing, Inc.
Coming 2019!
Sweet Pea
I WALKED INTO the Sanctuary to find it empty. Socks was on guard duty in the great hall and appeared to be the only one around.
“Hey, Socks. Where is everyone?”
“Cricket is with Minus in his office,” he replied. “Clutch and most a bunch of guys are watching the UFC fight down in the basement, and three or four others rode out with the Dogs of Fire a few hours ago. Your brother’s somewhere probably fuckin’ Devlin.”
“What the fuck about me makes you think I’d want to think of my brother’s sex life.”
Socks shrugged.
“No issues tonight?” I asked.
“Not so far.”
The streets had
been quiet since our show of force with the Spiders. Eerily quiet. I chalked some of that up to the fact tensions always went on pause over the holidays, but we were two days into the new year, so my senses were on high alert again.
I didn’t know if Wolf would back down, but at the very least, he knew the Saints and our allies weren’t fucking around. We were prepared to protect our clubs and our territories, so if wolf was smart, his answer would be peace.
“I’m gonna go watch the fight.”
I headed to the kitchen first to grab a beer and heard the roar of pipes, followed by a gunshot. The sounds were coming from just outside the compound gate.
I set the beer down and ran out in time to see Kitty take a shot at a fleeing rider.
“Who the fuck was that?” I shouted.
“I dunno,” Kitty replied. “The mother fucker rode up, threw something down in the street and fired a shot in the air before speeding off.”
“He took a shot at you?”
“No, in the air, but I wasn’t taking any fuckin’ chances. Ya know?”
Minus, Clutch, and Ropes came running followed by the rest of the club.
“Some sort of half-assed drive by or something,” Kitty yelled down to Minus.
“Could you see a patch?”
“Spiders,” Kitty replied.
“What the hell is that in the street?” Clutch asked, motioning to whatever the rider had dropped.
“I don’t know, but we’re not getting close enough to find out. Could be a bomb for all we know.”
“Fuck that,” Clutch said, and made a bee line for the mystery package.
“Clutch!” Minus yelled, but his best friend and Sergeant at Arms paid him no mind.
Clutch retuned with what looked like a pillow made of plastic wrap, and we gave him a wide birth as he walked by.
“Pussies,” Clutch said as he walked passed us and into the Sanctuary.
We followed Clutch inside and he placed the package on the kitchen counter. He pulled out his blade and carefully began to cut away at the outer layers of the curious packaging.
“Please don’t blow us all up, for fuck’s sake,” Minus said as Clutch continued his delicate surgery. We looked on in total silence as Clutch continued, curious to see what the fuck this was all about. We wouldn’t have to wait long.
Inside the tightly wrapped plastic cocoon was a Burning Saints kutte, completely covered in blood.
“Motherfuckers,” Clutch seethed.
He took his thumb and wiped the blood away to reveal a patch that read DOOZER.
“I’ll kill them all,” Clutch said.
“We don’t know that he’s actually dead, right?” Socks asked, his voice breaking up slightly. “I mean, the Spiders could just be fucking with us, right?”
Clutch opened Doozer’s kutte wide to reveal a human heart placed within it. We had Wolf’s answer and it was war.
Happy Fucking New Year.
©2014, 2018 Trixie Publishing, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Mack
MY PHONE BUZZED in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the display, smiling as Kim’s name came up on the screen. “Hey, babe.”
“Hi, Mack. Sorry I’ve been MIA,” Kim said. “I had a couple of shows.”
“Yeah? I thought maybe you were dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Right, like you’d ever let that happen,” Kim pointed out. “If you’d really been worried, I would’ve been tracked, located, and the perpetrator killed before they had a chance to get to a second location.”
“Yeah, that’s probably true.” I chuckled. “What’s up?”
I met Kimberly Church when Booker claimed her best friend Dani and subsequently married her. Kim rode fancy-ass horses and, although I knew nothing about horses or that side of her life, I knew Kim enough to know she was up to something.
“A couple of friends and I wanted to come to the club tomorrow night. Will you be there?” she asked.
I frowned. “Booker’ll lose his shit if Dani comes without him, Kimmie.”
“It’s not Dani,” Kim promised.
“Which begs the question, why are you plannin’ somethin’ without her?” I asked. “What the hell are you up to?”
Dani and Kim rarely did anything without each other. I always thought it was a little strange until I got to know Kim and her history. She’d had a rough beginning in life and Dani and her family had helped exorcise a lot of Kim’s demons. Not all of them, but enough for Kim to function.
“She’s busy.” Kim groaned. “Mack, seriously. She’s not part of this. Just a few friends getting together for a good time and if you’re there, I get to see you too. Bonus.”
I shook my head with a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, bud.”
“But no leaving with some random douchebag, yeah?”
“I can handle myself,” she argued.
I glanced out the one-way mirror window and down at the club floor unusually packed for a Thursday night. “Fuck me, Kim, you cannot. Do I need to remind you about three weeks ago?”
Kim had walked out of the club with one of their regulars, and he’d attacked her in the ally. He didn’t get far because Knight followed them and beat the shit out of the guy, but not before the asshole had ripped Kim’s dress down the front. She seemed to lose her mind when Knight was around, and I knew my brother was getting fed up with her desire to find trouble.
She sighed. “No. You didn’t tell Booker, right?”
Both Kim and I knew if I did, Booker’d tell Dani immediately and then Kim would be screwed.
“No, babe, I didn’t tell Booker, but you keep up with this stupidity, I will. Better yet, I’ll tell Dani.”
Kim let out a quiet hiss. “Logan Reed, you better not!”
“I fuckin’ will, Kim, but for now, your secret’s safe.” I turned toward my desk. “What are the names of your friends?”
“Darien and Pauley,” she said. “I think Darien might bring a friend as well.”
“You’re bringin’ guys in? Not typically your style, babe.”
“No, they’re sisters. Their dad wanted boys, it’s a long story.”
“Okay.” I didn’t admit it out loud, but I had a thing for girls with boys’ names. It was sexy as hell.
“Anyway, you’ve met Pauley. She’s the bartender at the restaurant.”
“Yeah, the hot redhead.”
Kim giggled. “Do you actually know the names of the women you meet or are they all classified by hotness and hair color?”
I chuckled. “I’m thinkin’ I’m not gonna answer that.”
“Chicken.”
“I’ll make sure you’re on the list.”
Kim sighed. “Thanks, Mack.”
“Hey,” I said, my tone softer. “I’m lookin’ out for you, yeah?”
“I don’t know why,” she grumbled.
“Need me to break it down for you?”
“No, what I need is for you to go back to being Mack the dawg instead of concerning yourself with my sex life. I know you’re watching out for me, honey. But outside of that, I’m good, okay?”
I gave a reluctant smile. She was right. I was inserting myself somewhere I didn’t belong. “Okay, babe. I’ll butt out.”
“Thanks. And thanks for the entry.”
“No problem. Talk to you later,” I said, and hung up
* * *
Darien
I slid my leg under my bottom and settled my laptop squarely in front of me. Still no email informing me I was about to be published. Even so, I thought I might attempt to write something else. However, this was the third time I’d changed positions in an effort to shake out the cobwebs in my head.
“To sex or not to sex?” I asked, hoping someone might answer me. I was alone in the apartment I shared with my sister, but I was desperate.
I stared at the blinking cursor and tapped my fingers on my keyboard. It took me about thirty-two seconds to let out a frustrated groan an
d dump the computer on the sofa cushion beside me. My fluffy, snooty Llasa Aapso, Barney, raised his head but didn’t move any other part of his body, considering he knew Mommy had at least three of these outbursts a day. I don’t really know why I bothered, no one would ever want to read anything I wrote anyway.
“Don’t judge me,” I demanded.
Barney yawned and settled his head back on his paws. Damn him and his cuteness. I needed to focus, not coo at his adorability.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you, little doggle,” I said, and rose to my feet. Maybe some water would help... or a shot of tequila.
As I grabbed a glass from the cabinet, my sister walked into the apartment and dumped her purse on the kitchen counter. Pauley was tall, well, taller than me. She stood a whopping five-foot-eight to my five-foot-six. She and I had the same hair color, a deep, Irish red, but where hers was thick and glossy, mine was curly and unmanageable. We both had gray eyes, but that’s about where the similarities ended. She was glamorous and confident, fully in touch with her sexuality and could use it to her advantage.
Me... not so much.
“Hey, Pauley,” I grumbled.
“How goes the fascinating world of old people?” she asked, and opened the fridge.
“I know more about the bombing of Pearl Harbor than I ever thought I would.” I smiled. “But Mr. Akerman gets so excited when he’s telling his stories.”
I had started working at the nursing home pretty much right out of high school. Pauley and I lost our mother four years ago and there hadn’t been money for college, so we looked for jobs right away. I was lucky enough to find a position working with the elderly which I just happened to love.
“I envy your life.” Pauley pulled out a beer and twisted off the top.
I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm, especially considering, she was deathly afraid of old people. “How was the restaurant?”
“It was good.”
Pauley waited tables five days a week and tended bar two nights a week to help fund her ‘around the world trip in style’ she’d been promising to take since she was six. With the amount she made working weekends, she probably didn’t need her day job. But that was my sister. She was sexy as hell, friendly, and made more money in a day than I made in a week.
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