Boss escorts me into her club and we stop in the main area. I haven’t been here since I was a child but not much has changed. Not even the décor. She has me sit down on the level where the bar is and we stay tucked away in a booth against the wall, away from most of her members. Although I don’t miss the fact she has a mixture of both men and women here.
“You keep staring. Is everything alright?” She questions.
I nod before she’s even finished speaking. “Yeah, I’m just loving how you have women in your club. That they’re not solely clubwhores.”
“How could I be the Prez of a club that only has women for sex? It doesn’t make any sense. Not to mention, I’d be a hypocrite,” Boss stops speaking all of a sudden and reaches out to grab the woman’s arm who’s passing by. The first thing I notice about her is the rose gold tone of her hair. “Gold, could you fetch Gamble and I a drink? Wait, are you hungry?”
Normally I’d decline, but I’m starved. “Actually, yes. Anything you have is fine. Except chicken, the thought of it makes me nauseous.”
“What do you want, Prez?” Gold asks.
“Is any of the shepherd’s pie you made done? If so, I think that would be great.”
Gold nods. “Sure is. I’ll be back in a few.”
For a second I think about not asking Tala this question, but I have to know. All my life I wondered why my father’s allies didn’t come to our aid or look for me. When she admitted she thought I was dead it opened my eyes, or at least I think I might see part of the full picture now. “Why did you think I was dead?”
“Rancid had taken photos of you doused in blood. Your entire family. He sent them out to us, and every other club that had ever been allies with your father. From the photos it looked like we were too late and couldn’t have done anything . . .,”
I think back to that day and one of the things I’ve never been able to get out of my mind is when he slammed the end of his gun against my forehead and everything went black. Rancid did that after he killed every member of my family. When I awoke, I was covered in blood. At first I thought it was my own but I soon realized it wasn’t. He must’ve taken a photo of me when I was knocked out.
“I’m so sorry,” Tala says, it’s so odd for me to see her road name ‘Boss’ on her cut. I’ll always know her as Tala.
“What’re you even apologizing for?”
“I should’ve known he would’ve tricked us. I should’ve demanded proof of your death.”
“Please don’t do that, don’t feel guilty for not acting in another way. It’s said and done. All of it is in the past and at least we can move forward now.”
Gold comes back over to the table with two bowls with spoons in them and a blonde woman stands behind her and sits two glasses of ice water on the table in front of us. As soon as Gold gives us the food I’m digging in, ignoring the fact steam is coming from it. We left in such a rush from Baltimore I didn’t have time to grab any snacks.
Tala digs in too and we both sit across from each other silently eating our food until I take a moment to let it settle. “So, who’s the lucky man? Is he excited?” I ask. Even as kids I never really saw Tala as the settling down type.
She peers up at me through her thick black lashes and doesn’t speak for a moment. “I, um. He doesn’t know I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I don’t mean to sound so judgmental, but shouldn’t he know? Oh . . . I suppose I can’t be that person. I wasn’t going to tell Rancid, so.
“Gamble, he’s a great guy but he’s older. He already has a kid who’s grown and I’m not going to add this on his plate. We weren’t in a relationship or anything close to it. I thought about it for a long time and there’s really no point in me telling him. He’ll only feel like he has to help me or pressured to do something. I don’t want that. I’m friends with my little girl’s father and . . . I won’t do that to him.”
“You’re even more commendable than I thought you’d ever be, Tala . . . but I don’t know that you should keep this secret. At some point all of them come out and usually they don’t unleash in the best way.”
“Gamble, worry about you. I’ll be fine. I always am. Enough about me though, what about you? Who’s baby is in there? Is it the guy from earlier?”
I don’t want to tell Boss, so I won’t. My club knows the truth and even though she’s my friend . . . I don’t want this child to ever know who his or her father is. I know what Tala went through as a kid knowing her father was Rage from the Demons of Hell MC. He was the closest thing to Satan himself, but I somehow feel that Rancid is worse. “I’m gonna pull the same card you have and keep my mouth shut. I noticed you said it was a girl. You thought of names yet?”
“Yeah, I narrowed it down to a couple but I think I’m going with Destiny. Never thought I’d ever be a mom, so her name seems fitting.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” I murmur, enjoying catching up with my long-time friend.
“Thanks. I sent a couple of text messages out to some friends and I think I know the crew who stole your friend’s sister. I’m forwarding the screenshots over to Ricochet so he can lead your boys in the right direction,” Tala states and I for one hope she’s right. More than that, I hope they get to Hart’s sister before it’s too late. There’s already been enough bloodshed. No need for anymore.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one
~Unknown
Hart
That guy Ricochet pulls his bike over to the side of the highway, pulls out his phone and scrolls. Now is not the time to be checking Facebook or handling any dumb shit. “What the fuck are you doing?” I seethe, glaring at the fucker.
“Boss texted me with the guy she thinks took your lil sis. You want me to read through everything or shall we get back on the road, waste some time and arrive when she’s a corpse? If you want her to be breathin’ I suggest you shut your fuckin’ mouth and let me see what we have.”
I start to get off my bike but Mammoth places a hand on my shoulder, signaling me to stop. He’s right. We don’t need to waste time right now by me getting in a fight when Gianna needs me now more than ever.
“Keep talking.”
“There’s a group of Latino men in the Bronx who target underage girls. They have fun with them and then turn them into prostitutes. Rancid obviously wants to hurt your family so our bet is on the fact she’s there. Plus, she’s a little Italian chick, yeah?”
“Yeah, my grandfather came from Sicily.”
“Alright, then we got her. Follow my group and make sure you’re packed and ready. We’re gonna get your sis before anything happens to her, brother.” Now I don’t know this guy, but I appreciate how we just went from wanting to tear each other’s throats out to being respectful and unified.
Ricochet practically flies as he gets back onto the highway with Chuckles and the two fearless looking women who tagged along with Mammoth, Ravage and I. We’re weaving in and out of the city streets.
This feels like the longest ride I’ve ever taken in my life when I know we couldn’t have been on I-95 for more than fifteen minutes. We’re going 90 miles per hour and take an exit to get off in the West Bronx. Ricochet makes a sudden left and we all follow him as he pulls up to an old auto store. He turns off his bike, dismounts and is quick to pull his gun out. So we all follow suit, taking his lead.
Some bald man comes out the front speaking to us in Spanish, Portuguese or something similar. “Bring the girl out here before I walk in and shoot up every one of you. Don’t believe me, friend, and I’ll bring my buddies in there.”
The man draws his brows together and stares at Ricochet like he’s debating what to do in this moment. His eyes venture across all of us, looking to see how much heat we’re packing so I pull out the gun I keep holstered under my cut. Fucker needs to know we’re here for business. We won’t be leaving without Gianna, and if he tries something funny I don’t have any problem in shooting everyone inside down.
<
br /> The man keeps his eyes on the group of us and shouts something out. Someone else responds before the door opens and by God . . . I see Gianna. Her wrists are bound with duct tape and her face is reddened from crying.
“Gianni?” She cries my name as she runs over to me and I immediately pull out my knife, cutting the tape from her wrists. She folds into my chest, needing comfort after whatever the hell she went through with these bastards.
Mammoth stands beside me and I move Gianna toward him. “You take her home, right now. I have things to settle with these fuckers here, brother.”
Mammoth nods, “Sure thing. She can tell me where to go and I’ll meet you there.”
“Thank you.” I reply.
Gianna looks at me with worry, “Don’t be scared, little one. Mammoth is a friend and will protect you with his life. He’ll take you home and I’ll be there within the hour. I promise.” I pull her against me once more and kiss her on the forehead.
“I love you, Gianni. Thank you.”
“I love you too,” I say, letting her go so Mammoth can get her out of here before shit goes awry. The second Mammoth gets back on the road with my sister I unleash hell on these fuckers. No one touches a member of my family and gets away with it.
I can tell Ricochet is caught off guard by my actions but he follows suit, as does Chuckles, Ravage and the girls. We’re fully prepared to destroy their ranks along with the set up they have going.
The first guy falls to the ground pretty easily, so we push our way in through the front door and gun down any man we see. Women and girls are scattered across the place, looking just as scared as Gianna did. Fuck, this boils my blood.
I stop where I am and go up to the girls, telling them to go back home, that they’re safe to do so and they run out the front door, hopefully heading home. I don’t have a hero complex. I know I can’t save everyone. Some just don’t wish to be saved.
Chuckles comes in from the back of the auto place, “They’re all dead and I told the ladies to get their asses outta here.”
“Great, let’s roll out before the cops show up. We don’t need any more heat from them,” Ricochet says and we all flood out the front door, get on our bikes and head back to the Iron Vex MC. There’s one thing I need to do before I go back to my family home.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
No relationship is all sunshine. But two people can share the umbrella and survive the storm together.
~Unknown
Hart
“Are you sure about this?” Gamble asks from behind me. Her hands are still wrapped around my waist and the both of us look up the small hill to my childhood home.
“I’m starting to think you’re nervous,” I tease.
“I . . . I’m surprised you asked me to come here with you. I thought you’d want to do this alone.” She murmurs, keeping her eyes trained on the home as if it’s a mountain she’s yet to climb.
I stand up and dismount my bike, making sure I’m facing her. “I want my family to meet the woman that isn’t my type, who I shouldn’t really like in the first place and yet captured me.”
“Uh, thanks, I guess?” Gamble appears to be offended, but I meant it as a compliment.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Alright.”
“Do you have any idea how angered I became when Rancid made his threats against you. I wanted to reach through the phone and wrap my hands around his neck until I could hear his spinal cord snap.”
“Whoa, that’s a bit vivid.” She giggles lowly.
I place my palm against her cheek and stare into those eyes that’ve experienced far too much cruelty our world has to offer. “Gamble, I feel the need to defend you more than I’ve felt anything else in my life. Honest to God, I feel more drawn to you than I ever did with Vanessa. I’m too old to ignore shit like this, especially when we’re constantly surrounded by danger. If any of this has taught me anything it’s how I’m not going to live life with more regrets. And fuck me for speaking on your behalf, but I don’t think you keep wanting Rancid to rule over your life.”
Gamble’s eyes dart back and forth over mine and out of nowhere she smiles, “Hart, everyone that gets close to me dies.”
“I won’t,”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I’m not promising. I’m guaranteeing it. Let the fucker try to come and fuck me up. I’ll put him down the way someone should’ve long ago.” I dip my face closer to her lips, look into her soft blue eyes and as I speak my lips touch her own. “If you tell me you don’t want me I’ll leave you alone. If you say you don’t want to experience what we might be together and I mean fully together baby, I will let you go. But I don’t think you will tell me to fuck off.”
Gamble places her hands on the front of my cut and balls her fists, looking up to me with needy eyes. Instead of giving me a verbal answer she sweetly presses her lips against mine, kissing me softly, like it’s the very first time. I know how to go rough, hard and primal with women, but damn if I can’t give them the intimacy they deserve too.
We stay here for a few minutes, lips on one another’s, hands venturing across the opposite’s body until a loud whistling sound breaks us up. Gamble tears her lips from mine and looks to the left. “Is that a yes?”
She nods while I hear the most lighthearted laugh spill past her lips. “Yes, Hart. I will be your girlfriend.”
I plant another kiss on this mesmerizing woman when I’m smacked in the back of the head with something. Turning, I see my mother in her pink bathrobe, pins in her hair, smoking a cigarette with a newspaper in her hand. “What’s wrong with you?! You come here when I call you delirious? God! What have I done to deserve such an ungrateful child?!” She screams to the sky.
I hated this shit when I was a kid, but damn if I haven’t missed it. My ma is still looking to God for an answer when I wrap my arms around her and hold the woman as close as I can. “Man, how I’ve missed you Ma. I’m so sorry for staying away all these years.”
“As you should be, Gianni. As you should.” Ma is the woman who hardly ever cries, but her voice chokes a bit through her words. She holds onto me for a minute until she takes a step back and looks to Gamble, and then her eyes go down to her stomach.
“Oh my God! You’ve brought me a grandchild,” She smacks me again with the newspaper and runs up to Gamble. “You beautiful woman, welcome to the family. Tell me your name sweet child, tell me everything. I want to know all there is about you!”
My ma can be a little bit overboard sometimes, but I won’t tell her that child isn’t biologically mine. If I have anything to do with it Gamble will be part of my family for years to come, and that baby deserves a good family. While mine might be crazy, they’ll love it more than anything else. “Hi, I’m Gamble and . . .” I can tell Gamble’s about to kill the dream my ma sees right in front of her eyes, but I kill it. As far as my family needs to know, this kid is mine, and it’ll be loved like it is.
“She’s the mother of my child. She’s obviously part of the club life, but Ma . . . I really like this woman.”
Ma looks to me for a moment but smiles brightly at Gamble, “Come, darling. You must come inside and have some of my nonna’s ravioli. It’s a family recipe, one that I will teach you! Oh, and do you know this nice man, Mammoth? He is so sweet. I want to adopt him at this rate. The boy looks like he needs some meat on his bones!”
Ma has her hand wrapped around Gamble and walks up the driveway alongside her. I haven’t seen the woman this happy in a long time.
Fuck. I think I finally got this figured out. Without a doubt Gamble and I have something. While it wasn’t instantaneous, it’s slowly been igniting before our very eyes. We’re just a small flicker right now, but I’ll be damned if we don’t grow our blaze into an inferno.
But I’ll worry about that later. Right now, I need to introduce her to my crazy Sicilian family and pray she doesn’t run for the hills.
The End
Wondering
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Bet On Me: Royal Bastards MC: Baltimore #1 Page 12
