by Nicola Jane
CHAPTER TEN
Ace
“Why the fuck would I know where there’s a bucket?” I snap. Scar has been rustling around behind the bar for the last five minutes. “Why do you want a bucket anyway?”
“Piper is sick. Too much wine.” He stands, shaking his head. “I bet she’s done it all over the damn floor now. I hate cleaning up puke.”
“Jesus,” I groan. “Go check the kitchen and make it quick.”
“I did, Bernie keeps that place spotless. I can’t find anything.”
“Piper didn’t look too bad when she walked outside,” says Angel, running her hand across my chest. She hasn’t stopped touching me since we left my office. I sigh, the thought of us fucking just hours ago passes through my mind and I wince. Being mad about Mae led to me making a stupid mistake with Angel, again. It’s almost like me and Mae never happened. “You sure they weren’t playing you, Scar?” she adds.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Well, they were dressed to kill. Are they breaking out?” Before she’s finished her sentence, me and Scar are rushing for the door. I rip it open and run into the parking lot. “Mae, Piper!” No answer. I do a 360 and see no sign of them.
“FUCK!” yells Scar, realizing he’s been had.
“Get on the phone to Anton. I want them found. Then get out of my sight, you stupid fuck.” He has one damn job to do.
“On it, Pres,” says Scar, pulling out his cell.
I head back inside; Hulk shakes his head with disappointment. “Scar should have known better. Piper is the master at escaping.”
“I’m gonna kill em.” I’m so pissed. I stomp straight past Angel and slam my office door for the second time today. Pulling out my cell, I call Mae. It rings out and then her voicemail clicks in. “What the fuck are you playing at, Mae? Since when do you behave like a spoiled little brat? Get yourself back to this club right now or I’m coming to find you and when I do, you’ll regret this.” I disconnect and then instantly call back. On the fourth try, she answers.
There’s music pumping loudly. “What?” she yells to be heard.
“Where are you?” The music gets quieter and I realize she’s stepping out. “Mae, I swear to god! Get back here right now. I don’t know what the hell you were thinking. Do you know the danger you’re putting yourself in, not to mention Piper? You’re supposed to be the sensible one. And now I have to send men to come and find you!”
“Then don’t send anyone. I can make my own way back when I’m done here.”
“And what am I supposed to tell your mom when you get yourself into trouble? I have to come and get you, Mae, you’re my responsibility.”
“Stop pretending like you give a fuck!” I hate that she sounds so upset and bitter.
I take a deep breath and try to appeal to her better nature. “Mae, this isn’t like you. You don’t do shit like this.”
“I’ve met a man.” She giggles and my body tenses. “He’s hot. And not old.” My fist curls, even though I know she’s just trying to get a rise out of me. “I saw you leave the office with Angel. You fucked her?” It’s a question and I don’t want to lie but if I tell her the truth, it’ll push her into the arms of another man and she could be in danger right now.
“Tell me where you are, Mae, I’ll come and talk to you. Let’s straighten everything out.”
“No, we’re done talking. Just be honest. Did you fuck her? You can be honest with me. It’s the least you owe me.”
“What does it matter? You said we weren’t a thing.”
“So, you did. That’s great, it’s fine. She’s really pretty, just your type. If you like thin and pouty. She’ll make you happy.” Mae’s rushing the words out and I detect the hurt in her voice. “It’s better that I find out now, your true colors. I knew you couldn’t be faithful. I’ve heard all the stories, but I just thought…” She trails off and sighs heavily, “Never mind. I’m drunk. I have to go, erm, I don’t remember his name but he’s coming this way, so I really have to go. We’ll be back later. Don’t worry about us.” The line goes dead and I’m even more mad now than when they first disappeared.
“Pres, we know where they are. Do you want Anton to go fetch them?” asks Scar through the closed door. “He said he’s free right now.”
“Get the address and tell him to meet us there. Maybe with us both there, they’ll see how serious a lockdown is.” Mae isn’t going to know what’s hit her.
Mae
I giggle. I’m not usually a giggler but this guy is hot and brings out the flirty side in me. His eyes are so green and his skin so tanned. His dark facial hair makes all of the above stand out. I try to recall his name; Alex, Antony, whatever, who needs a name? He moves towards me and butterflies take flight in my stomach. I feel the heat of his body as he steps closer and leans in for a kiss. “Mae, Mae!” I turn to the frantic voice and spot Piper. She’s waving her cell phone at me, a look of terror on her face. “We have to go.”
“Why?” I glare at her, hoping she’ll take the hint and let me get to the good part.
“Because I’ve just had a call from Lucy. Anton is on his way here!”
“Anton wouldn’t come here, Pip. He’s too important, why would he come here?”
“Because…” She pauses, looking uncomfortable. “Look, trust me on this. He’s coming, and we need to go before he gets here.”
I sigh and turn back to my handsome new guy. “Sorry, slight complication. I have to go.”
“Number?” he asks, cocking his eyebrow and smirking to reveal a dimple. I almost swoon and pull out my cell, but Piper grabs my wrist and tugs me away.
“Didn’t you hear me? Anton’s on his way!” she hisses.
“You’re overreacting, what are they gonna-” We’re stepping out of the club, but my words freeze when Piper stops walking and I run into the back of her, causing her to stumble forward another step. “What the hell, Piper!” I huff. Looking over her shoulder, I see the reason she’s stopped. There’s a large black truck parked out front with Anton and his rather large bodyguard leaning against it and staring at us. Anton folds his arms over his large chest and a smirk plays on his smug face.
“Surprise, baby. Is this brave enough for you?” he asks.
“What are you doing here?” hisses Piper.
“I’m coming to the rescue, isn’t that what you wanted?”
“No! You know it isn’t,” she almost growls, and I make a metal note to quiz her about this odd exchange as soon as we are sober and alone.
“Well, at least it isn’t Ace,” I whisper into her ear. The rumbling of motorcycles shuts me down and I groan when Ace and Scar come to a stop behind the truck.
“Now, it gets interesting,” grins Anton. We remain glued to the spot while the guys greet each other with a handshake. My heart thumps in my chest and I suddenly feel sober. When Ace finally turns his face to me, his expression is murderous.
“Told you I was coming,” he growls. His tone causes me to shiver. “That’s four of us standing right here because of your stupidity, all of us in danger because of you pair.”
I feel like a scalded school girl; it’s the first time he’s made me feel younger than him, and our age difference is so obvious. “I told you not to come,” I mutter.
“You don’t tell me what to do, Mae. You’re part of my club, I had no choice!” He yells so loud that passing partygoers stop and stare. “I expect it from her,” he snarls, pointing to Piper. “But you, you disappoint me.” His words cut me like a knife. I don’t like anyone to be disappointed in me, especially not Ace. “Take them back in the truck, I can’t have her on my bike when I’m this pissed off,” adds Ace to Anton. “We’ll follow the truck.” I watch with tears in my eyes as he turns without looking at me again and heads back towards his bike.
“Ouch,” mumbles Piper. “Talk about overreacting.”
By the time we get back to the club, I feel so on edge that I have to stop and throw up outside. Piper holds my hair bac
k, but I feel the weight of Ace and Anton’s stare as they pass us and head inside. “Finish that and get in my office,” Ace throws over his shoulder.
“Shit, I’m not going into his office, he's mad as hell,” says Piper with wide eyes.
“Why prolong it? It’ll be worse if we don’t go.” I sigh, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.
“Fuck this shit, we’re grown women. If we want to go out, then why shouldn’t we?” she snaps. I wish I had her fire.
Inside, I nervously step forward. Piper stays behind me, and I knock on the office door and grip her hand tightly. “Come,” he shouts. We step inside. “Not her, just you.” I glance back at Piper, but she just shrugs her shoulders and then moves away from me. I glare at her and mouth the word ‘traitor’. “Shut the door behind you,” he adds.
When I hesitate, he laughs coldly. “Don’t worry, you’re quite safe. Nothing will happen between us like that ever again.”
I push the door closed after Piper leaves, pretending that his words don’t cut me. I lean against it. I don’t want to be too close to him. He’s mad and his words are brutal. I fold my arms over my chest, trying to put a barrier between us. “Ace, I’m really sorry we went out tonight,” I begin. He leans back in his oversized chair and gives me a cocky arched brow, waiting for me to continue. “But I am a grown adult. I can leave this club anytime I want.” Ace looks surprised but waits patiently like he’s daring me to continue. “And I can make my own decisions. You aren’t my keeper.”
Ace suddenly stands, placing his hands on his desk, he leans forward. His face is red. I think I’ve made him angrier. “You’re right Mae. You’re an adult. You are free to come and go and if that’s what you want to do, then you can leave and make your own decisions. So, pack your shit and get the fuck out of my club.”
My mouth falls open; his tone is so venomous that it takes me by surprise and catches me off guard. “You want me to leave?”
“If you can’t follow my rules. Rules that I put in place to keep you safe, to keep us all safe. Then it’s for the best.”
“But I don’t want to leave. It’s my home.”
“Clearly, you felt like a prisoner tonight. I don’t want you to feel that way, Mae. I want you to feel safe. Everything I do is for the good of this club. If I put us on lockdown, it’s for a reason. Tonight, you acted selfishly, immaturely and like a jealous wife. This behavior,” he snaps. “Is the reason I don’t have relationships. I like real women and I hate playing games. It proves what I always thought.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, biting down on my inner cheek to stop myself from crying in front of him.
“That I am too old for you. I don’t know what I was thinking to even go there. Sleep on what I’ve said. If you want to leave this club, then I won’t be stopping you.” Ace sits back down and opens his laptop. “You can go now.”
I feel around behind me until I find the door handle. Pulling it open, I stumble back out of the office. My heart and dignity are in tatters. Before I can leave, I take a deep breath and turn to face him. “I’m glad I saw you for what you really are. I don’t deserve to be spoken to like that and from now on, I’ll keep well out of your way. But there is no way I will ever leave my mom or this club because it is my home. I won’t go just to make your life easier, so unless you pack my shit up and drag me out of here, I’m staying!” I turn on my heel and leave, slamming his office door hard as I go.
I don’t bother to find Piper. Instead, I run up to my room, fall onto my bed, and cry into my pillow. Tomorrow, I’ll be stronger. I’ll treat him like someone I once knew. But for tonight only, I’ll allow my heart to hurt.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ace
I pace the room. I’ve called church and invited Anton and Tag so we can get an update on Tag’s father. I still have a club on lockdown and people are restless, as the girls proved last week when they snuck out.
“There’s nothing. No sign. No whispers. He has to be up to something big,” says Tag. Anton doesn’t seem to agree. Instead, he shakes his head and sighs heavily. He’s just as annoyed about this whole thing as me. None of us want to risk our families.
“Maybe he saw what he was up against and he scuttled back off to the dark hole he came from?” suggests Scar hopefully.
“He won’t give up. He wants something, maybe his status back or to be notorious for killing the head of the Corello family,” explains Anton. “He won’t just disappear. When he is quiet, he is plotting. I just don’t know if he’s the key behind all of this or if it’s something bigger. Something way bigger than him.”
“Well, I can’t keep this club on lockdown for much longer. What’s the threat level?”
“Take the club off lockdown, but keep a high alert. Have men posted on the gates at all times and keep a close eye on the women that are most important,” says Anton. I want to tell him that I know how to run my club and I don’t need the Mafia giving me instructions. But instead, I nod and bang the gavel on the table to end the meeting. Anton is not someone I want to make an enemy of, not when he’s useful to my club.
Keeping important women safe would be easy if the one I wanted to protect more than anything was actually talking to me. It’s been a week since I pulled Mae into my office and told her to leave. When those words left my mouth, I wanted to slit my own throat for even thinking about them. I was calling her bluff, I guess, but the thought of her calling mine and leaving this club would have killed me. Luckily for me, she hasn’t gone anywhere but she is completely blanking me. If we’re in the same room, she avoids any conversation and will turn her back whenever I pass. It’s for the best. I know it is and it makes things easier on me. But the guilt I feel is weighing me down and if I’m totally honest with myself, I miss her.
I go to search for Dodge. I missed his walk first thing and he was grumpy with me. That dog is more hormonal than any woman I ever knew. I whistle as I walk through the club. His head shoots up from one of the couches and I spot Mae curled up next to him asleep. Dodge jumps down and rushes over to me, which wakes Mae up. She stretches out and her eyes land on me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I was gonna walk him,” I explain.
“I already did it,” she yawns. Of course, she did. Dodge is a traitor and a sucker for Mae and her long walks.
“I hope someone went with you,” I say firmly.
“Of course. Scar came.” Since he learned that I stepped away from Mae, he always seems to be around her.
“You and Scar a thing these days?” I ask, trying to sound casual. Mae doesn’t answer; instead, she stands and heads for the stairs. I snatch her wrist up in my hand. It’s a snap decision on my part that shocks us both. I instantly drop her wrist like she burned me and we both stare at her arm. I swallow hard and then shrug my shoulders. I try to ignore the sparks that lit me up when we touched. “Well, are you?”
“Why do you care?”
“’Cause I wanna know if you’re fucking your way around this club?” I snap. I know she isn’t. I don’t know why I can’t just be nice to her. It’s like I miss her, pine for her and the second I see her, I turn into this asshole that insults and upsets her.
“When you start announcing who you’re fucking. I’ll start telling you who I’m fucking.”
“Okay.” I place my hands on my hips and stare her down. “I’m fucking Angel. Now, your turn.”
“Asshole,” she mumbles and rushes off towards the stairs. I sigh heavily. Even Dodge looks disappointed in me.
“Looks like you’re always upsetting that girl just lately.” It’s Bernie. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she has a stern look on her face. It’s a look that all mothers seem to inherit the minute they give birth.
“We’re not getting on so good these days, Bern,” I admit.
“Let’s walk the dog and we can talk about it,” she says firmly, leaving no room for arguments.
We set off towards the park. It’s the only rural area we have nearby and when I say park, I�
��m being generous. It’s an unkempt area where the local kids hang out. It has one slide and a beat up, rusty old climbing frame. The grassed area hasn’t seen a good cut in a long time, but Dodge loves bounding through it. “I once said to Queenie, many years ago, that I thought you and Mae would marry,” announces Bernie unexpectedly.
I suck in a surprised breath. It was the last thing I thought she’d say, given the age difference. I’d be more suited to her over her daughter. “I know, I know, it’s shocking. Queenie went bat shit. She said it would be fucked up, but yah know what Pres-” She laughs. “-it didn’t seem fucked up. You two always had a connection, since she hit her late teens. That friendship you formed just seemed tight.”
“I’m way too old for Mae, Bern.”
“Are you?”
“You don’t think I am?”
Bernie shrugs her shoulders. “I think that if you love someone then age doesn’t really come into it.”
I pause and laugh. “Whoa, who said anything about love?”
“She’s a good girl, Pres. She needs someone good in her life. Every mother wants her daughter to be taken care of.”
“I’m not that guy,” I mutter.
“You’ve been that guy to her already. What happened?”
I glance at her and she gives me a knowing smile. “I know my daughter and I know you. I’ve seen the way you’ve been around each other lately.”
“And you’re not mad?”
Bernie shakes her head. “Mae is a grown woman. She makes her own choices and if she’s happy, then I’m happy. I saw that you made her happy, even though it was for the briefest time.”
“She isn’t happy right now,” I sigh.
“Then make her happy!” she says.
