“You should know me better than that. Of course, I do” The other man cackles in response, and my uncle breaks into a bout of laughter with him.
“How did Amara take it?”
“Exactly how I thought she would. She is excited, thrilled actually and I couldn’t be prouder. I know she’ll a damn good job and keep the bastards in line.”
“They’ve never had a female Prez before. How do you know they’ll accept her?”
“She’s not only my daughter, which tells them that they’d better accept her. Amara is a strong woman in her own right, her strength doesn’t compare to anyone else. Quinn isn’t even as ruthless as Amara is. She may have her mother’s good looks, but does she have my strong hand or what?”
Yep, this is Damon’s father. The way he talks of Amara is proof of that. Female Prez….where on earth is she going to be?
“You might as well pull up a seat, Kat. Your eavesdropping is obvious,” Uncle Fists says to me, causing me to jump in my seat. Camila giggles softly across from me and I feel my embarrassment coming over me. I thought I was always good at it, but maybe not. Maybe I always sucked, or maybe Rage just never paid any attention to what I was doing.
“He’s always been a bloodhound with that crap,” Ashley mutters lowly.
I hear the rumbling of bikes coming our way before getting louder and louder, ultimately stopping. This is nothing out of the ordinary, brothers constantly coming and going through the club. I don’t know why I decide to turn my head back and look at the door, but the second I see the man who walks through, I can’t help but smile like a kid on Christmas morning.
I jump off my barstool and rush straight into his arms. Fuck, I’ve missed him so damn much. As I look over his features, assessing any damage – and there is none, tears well in my eyes. When I look at this man, I don’t see the pain that haunts both of our pasts, or how the past seemed to repeat itself with both myself and my mother.
I look at Damon and all I see is one thing.
My future.
Chapter 35
Being positive in a negative situation is not naïve. It’s leadership. -Anonymous
Damon
“There some kinda meeting going on here or some shit?” I ask, looking over to my father who sits across from Fist with a devious smirk plastered across his face.
“Just discussing business. The future of both our clubs, to be exact.” Mhm, business my ass. Tex, Dracus and Bolt all pile in through the door behind me, offering a quick hug and kisses on the cheek to Kat before they walk back through the door, looking for Roxy and their other daughters no doubt.
“Care to elaborate?”
“You know that Roman wanted a few of his men to stay behind at the old Demons clubhouse, and that he was sending a few additional brothers to the same spot. What you don’t know is why,” Fist muses, giving a few moments of silence for good measure. “We have discussed having a joint charter and decided that Las Vegas would be the perfect location for the Reapers and the Brotherhood to expand. The thing is, we do not have the numbers to send our best men, and we sure as hell are not going to man a charter with fresh meat. So, we came together and figured out that if we send a few from the Brotherhood and a few from the Reapers we’d have the perfect mixture.”
I nod, awaiting more information, but when it doesn’t come I am forced to ask the question.
“I was told you wanted me back in Vegas,” I say to Fist.
“That would be correct,” Fist confirms. “I need someone to represent the Reapers who understands the Brotherhood and the best interests for the Reapers. You were in Vegas for a few years and have the knowledge of what is going on around that way. I know a bit, but not enough. Vegas is your neck of the woods, Damon. I need you to represent me, by being a charter Prez for the Reapers clubhouse.”
What the fuck.
This can’t be happening.
“What…?” Kat whispers, looking quickly from Fist and back to me.
“You won’t be the only Prez at this clubhouse though, Damon, and you need to understand that. Your father has also chosen a Prez for his MC, one he knows very well.”
“Ashton,” I say, completely confident in his choice. My brother is a great man and will be a knowledgeable leader.
“No, me silly!” Amara chimes up, appearing out of thin air. She’s always been so good at doing that. I still don’t know how she does it, I laugh to myself wondering if she’s transformed from being a fly on the wall into a human. It would explain why she pesters everyone.
“You chose Amara?” I laugh harshly, looking to my father.
He doesn’t say a damn thing, but concretely glares at me.
“You chose a pregnant girl to be the Prez,” I state, noticing how my father’s eyes grow wide.
“Whoa. One, that is very sexist of you. Two, I am not pregnant,” Amara snaps. She walks over to me, grabbing me by the ear and pulls me towards her. “I don’t know what he told you, but he knows nothing. Forget whatever it is he said. I doubt he’s very reliable in the first place.” There’s something in her voice. I can’t put my finger on whether it’s pain, hurt or disappointment. Considering who she’s dating, it might be all three.
“I don’t want to live in that clubhouse. Not again,” Kat says, looking to Fist and then to my father.
“It’d be a little hard to do that, baby. One of your Dad’s blew the clubhouse to bits. The only building that still stands is the butcher shed.” I tell her. Kat surprises me with a small smile.
“Where will we live, then?”
“Roman and I have already arranged for some trailers to be dropped off on the property. They should be arriving over the next couple days. Each Prez will have a trailer to themselves and there will be four more that the brothers will have to split rooms between. Once your charters accept prospects, we’ll get your housing situation a little more solid,” Fist comments.
“Does anyone want to fill us in on what happened?” Roman asks.
“Bolt blew up the clubhouse. With the help of Zeus we offed many of the Demons. I’m sure that a few got away, but I’m betting that they’ll find a hole to go crawl into. Rage is dead, but it didn’t happen quick. We all took our time with him and just before we left, Chaz slit his throat.” I summarize the events, only wanting to get into bed with my girl and hold her close against me. Being away from her is torture, and I don’t ever want to do it again.
“Good work,” Fist mutters, “Now go and rest. You need to head back to Vegas in a couple of days.”
I nod, taking Kat’s hand in my own and lead her to our room in the basement of Fist’s house. Neither of us uttered a word as we walked, both too caught up in being in one another’s company after days apart. It just made me realize how I don’t ever want to be apart from her again, and I won’t.
“Kat,” I say, turning towards her as we approach Fist’s house. The grass is tall, and the sun is beginning to set, giving us an orange-purple haze over the land before us.
“Yeah?”
“I want you.”
“Good, cause you’re stuck with me,” she replies, that soft smirk drawn across her face.
“No. You’re not understanding me,” I inform her, trying to think of the ways to say what I’m feeling right now, right in this damned moment. I’ve never been one for words though. I take her by the neck, cupping my hands around her face, looking into the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my entire life. “I want to spend every day I have left on this shitty planet with you. I don’t want to ever spend a night without you. I want you in my bed, on my lap and beside me. Fuck. I want everything with you. I want the dog. I want the two point five kids. I want you to be my ol’ lady, and I don’t want you to say no.”
“Okay. On one condition?” She says, tears spilling from her eyelids.
“Anything for you baby, anything.”
“I’m more of a cat person, and I’m allergic to dogs.”
I laugh, slamming my lips down onto hers and bri
ng her into my arms. Yes. This is the woman I am going to marry, the one who will give me my children, and the one that I’m going to buy a fucking kitten for.
Damn straight.
She’s my entire world.
Epilogue
You’re afraid to let yourself be happy because you know that it never lasts.
-J. B.
Boss
“Your Dad’s here,” I laugh to myself as soon as Chuckles tells me. This has to be a joke. He decides after years to suddenly come visit me in New York. All my father has ever been is a sperm donor, a one-night stand that my Mom had way back when, resulting in me. My grandfather used to say I was the only good thing that happened in his life. When my mother disappointed him, I somehow made up for that. In my grandfather’s mind, my mother became a club whore the moment she slept with my father.
I guess it’s a good thing my grandfather died before I started fucking around. If my mother was a club whore…who knows what he would’ve called me.
I make my way out of the small room I call an office, it’s the only area that I can find an ounce of peace in this chaotic place. Half the time I just sit and spend my days in here when nothing detrimental is going on around the club. It’s relaxing, and I manage to pass the time.
I see brother and sister scattered across the club, every barstool and couch are filled. There are even a few on the ground with women in their laps. Laughter, moans and jabs are what fill my ears. We may be a tad fucked up, but we’ve always been a family. Even when tragedy struck, we still somehow managed to keep ourselves glued together.
It was hard, especially when Veronica killed herself. Chuckles didn’t want to believe she did it, and instead blamed one of our old brothers – Slash. It wasn’t his fault, and the man even blamed himself. I’m sure he still does to this day, but he isn’t our problem anymore. He’s with the Skulls Renegade; or was. I haven’t cared enough to keep tabs the last few months. I’ve had my own shit going on up here. After all, we’re smack dab in the middle of Queens. We’re bound to have our fair share of trouble.
“Where the fuck is he?” I call out to Chuckles, scanning the clubhouse looking for him. Fuck. I can’t find the old bastard now. With how big the fucker is you’d think that I couldn’t lose him, but nope, he’s very good at disappearing when he feels like it.
I go through the club, opening door after door, thinking that eventually I’ll find my Dad. I sigh after going through the entire clubhouse and coming up empty handed. That’s when I decide to go out into the garage, and there he is, standing at the opening smoking a cigarette.
“You look like shit,” I tell him, taking my own cigarette from the back of my jeans.
“I could say the same about you, but you’re my kid and it’s probably a shit thing to do,” he comments, looking out onto the street.
“You excel at doing shit things,” I remind him. “Plus, I never look like shit. Thankfully I look like Mom.”
“Yeah, Pilipino don’t crack,” he chuckles.
“No, Dad. Its Black don’t crack.” I shake my head, biting the corner of my lip so he doesn’t see that he almost made me laugh. “I am surprised you said it right, though.”
“Of course, I’m gonna say it right. I’m not gonna insult my family.”
“….Yeah you are. You fucking love to do that”
He chuckles in response, and I really take a good look over at him.
“Why did you come here. Why now?” I have to know. It’s not like him to call, text, and least of all to just show up in New York. Not when he lives so far away.
“Karma started to come after me, kid. All the bad things I did have finally started to catch up with me.” I could say something smart in response but kicking a horse when he’s down isn’t really my style. “They don’t call me Rage for no reason.”
I stand there in silence, bringing my cigarette to my lips and take a drag. He’s half answering me, but I should have expected that from him.
“Your uncle is dead.”
“Who killed him?”
“Reapers and Brotherhood. It looks like the Sons had a hand in it too,” he comments, and I stare at him. He knows so much more than he’s letting on.
“They wanted you, didn’t they?”
He turns his face towards me and gives me a blank stare. That’s my answer. They were trying to kill my Dad and got my uncle instead.
“He wouldn’t have told them who he was. You and I both know that,” I mutter. “Knowing you, you’re going to strike back. Take your time before you do it. They all think you’re dead right now. You should be using that to your advantage. Don’t be an idiot and actually get yourself killed.”
“Keep saying shit like that to me and I’m gonna think you actually give a damn.”
“Maybe I do. Guess I’m just gonna have to leave ya wondering”
He mumbles something lowly before speaking up. “Mind if I crash here in the meantime?”
“My home is your home. I’ve always told you that.” It’s true. I had. No matter what kind of Devil he is, or Demon in this case, he is still my father. He’s still the only living family I have left, and I’ll be here for him if I can.
Booger
Reapers MC Book 3
P L A Y L I S T
So Am I | Ava Max
Ridin’ Roads | Dustin Lynch
Solo | Clean Bandit ft. Demi Lovato
Lost in the Middle of Nowhere | Kane Brown & Becky G
(Spanish Remix)
Hustle | P!nk
On My Way | Alan Walker & Sabrina Carpenter
R. I. P. | Rita Ora, Sofia Reyes & Anitta
25 Wexford St. | Chase Rice
GIRL | Maren Morris
Prologue
NORMALITY IS A PAVED ROAD: IT’S COMFORTABLE TO WALK, BUT NO FLOWERS GROW.
– VINCENT VAN GOGH
Camila
In the last few years I’ve learned that I should always expect change. Nothing will ever stay the same and I should know that. If life wasn’t so cruel, then maybe I would still be in my childhood home with my sister, mother and father. Maybe I would still be in Jimenez, my home town. Actually, no. We wouldn’t even be there right now. We would be in Cancun, at our family beach house. It’s funny how things slip from your mind as time passes.
I take in a deep breath, needing to accept the change that I overheard just a few hours ago. My mind wanders back and forth, trying to wrap my head around it but it’s no use. I must simply accept it for what it is. There’s nothing I can do to stop it anyways, no matter how much I might try. When Fist makes up his mind, it’s done. There is no changing it. I’m not a silly girl though. I know why he is sending Booger to Vegas – to get him away from me.
Yet again, it will mean that I am alone. I’m not really alone, but I have no familia here. The Reapers are my family, but not my familia. It is so different. I have a connection with each and every member here, but the way I am pulled to Booger is something else entirely. I hate that Fist is trying to keep us apart, especially since Boog has only done nice things for me. I can’t hide the fact that I’m attracted to him. Why would I? It’s not like there is any other man here that I have a bit of interest in, and the only man I do have an interest in is about to be carted half way across the United States.
“What’s got you concentrating so hard?” Speaking of the devil, he approaches me on the picnic table I sit at outside the front of the clubhouse. I pull my knees to my chin and stare up at him.
“You do. Fist is sending you off, away from me. Guess he’s going to get you to leave me alone one way or another, hmm.” I mumble, looking off into the distance. I don’t want to look at him, to see the disappointment in his eyes. I’m doing a damn good job at keeping my anger pent up inside me, tucking it just below the surface so no one will be able to tell that it’s there.
“He doesn’t have to get what he wants” Booger comments, and at that I glance up to him, not understanding where he’s going with what he says.
/> “I don’t understand.”
“If you put up a fight, I’m sure Fist will let you come with me.” I want to laugh, but I don’t. I have never gotten to do anything that I want here. Fist makes all the rules for me, like I am some girl seeking asylum, or as if he is my parole officer.
“Fist only does what Fist wants to do.” I murmur, knowing there is no point in trying.
“Never really took you for the girl who likes to give up, but maybe I was wrong.”
I clench my jaw, taking in a deep breath. “I don’t ever give up.”
“Then prove it, Princess.” I’m not sure if he realizes what he’s just done. I’ve never been the type of girl to just give up on something, and now I see that I almost did. I was so close to giving up on the potential of what I might have with him that I didn’t even give it a shot. He wants me to prove it, and I might just have to.
Chapter 1
I READ THE RULES BEFORE I BREAK THEM.
-ANONYMOUS
Booger
I left Camila tonight thinking about how badly I want her. Now, I’m thinking about what it is that I’m pushing her to do. In all my time here with the Reapers, I’ve never once disobeyed Fist. There’s just something about this girl that wants me to break the rules. Over the years, I’ve been with a lot of bitches, but none of them are anything compared to her. She’s captivating in that way that makes you want to discover everything there is underneath that mask she wears. While at the same time is also scaring the livin’ hell outta you, cause she might be some freaky sci-fi accident.
There’s no hidin’ the fact that he’s transferring me down to Vegas because he wants to get rid of me. Hoping that by sending me down south, it’ll keep me away from her.
Havoc- Reapers MC Boxset Page 47
