by Harley Wylde
I wasn’t too proud of the part I’d played that day either. She’d come to us for help, and I’d treated her like she was auditioning to be a club whore. We all had. There’d been a reason for it, but that didn’t mean I felt good about it. She’d been scared. Abused. And I’d been just another asshole trying to use her.
The other two Prospects who’d joined when Beau did had been patched in a month ago. Simon now went by Romeo and Henry was Ripper. Wouldn’t be long before we needed to patch in a few more. Couldn’t leave them hanging forever. Although, the more we patched in, the more new Prospects we’d need. Unless Badger decided we had more than enough brothers. The club had grown a lot over the years. Sooner or later, we’d run out of room around here. Not to mention, with more of us settling down, the Devil’s Fury were quickly becoming more family-oriented. Or as much as men like us could be.
Beau cleared his throat, reminding me he was still standing there. I stared him down, waiting on him to get the balls to speak his mind, or ask whatever the fuck he wanted to know. He was a good kid, for the most part, but there were times he was a little too timid in my opinion. Not that we needed a bunch of sadistic bastards like Demon running around this place. Balance was a good thing.
“What the fuck is it, Prospect?”
“I heard something. About Shella.” His gaze darted around the room and he lowered his voice. “Heard some whispers that she was a webcam girl. A few of your brothers saw her show. Either it’s still up on that site, or they caught it before it was removed. They don’t think she told you the truth about being raped, saying a victim wouldn’t turn into a whore like that.”
I squeezed the beer bottle so hard it broke in my hand, bits of glass digging into my palm. Beau backed up and paled a little. I wouldn’t shoot the messenger, but I did want to know who exactly had seen that show and been running their fucking mouths. Then I’d make sure they learned a lesson. A harsh one.
“Who?” I demanded.
Beau licked his lips. “I don’t want to be a rat. If I ever want to patch in…”
Yeah, yeah. I got it. If he told me who’d said what, when it came time to vote him in, there was a chance some of the brothers wouldn’t want him in the club. If there was one thing we didn’t like, it was a rat. Still, I needed to know who was saying shit about my woman.
“Trisha was sitting with them,” Beau said.
Now there was an in if ever I heard one. A club whore had heard it all? The club might not want to take her word against our brothers, however, I damn sure would in this instance. I scanned the room and saw her in the back corner with Gina. I motioned for Beau to give me another beer and he handed over a bottle, along with two shots of tequila.
“They’ve only had a few drinks. Figured another might loosen their tongues,” Beau said.
It was early in the day for club whores to be hanging out. Then again, unless the Pres declared the clubhouse off-limits, there were usually one or two lurking in case a brother needed to blow off some steam. Most of the girls had lives outside the club, but some were so hopeful they’d land a brother they stuck around as much as possible. And these two were favorites. Not that I’d ever sampled either one. They’d only been here about four months, which meant they came here after I’d stopped using the club whores.
I set the shots down on their table, kicked out a chair, and sat to face them. Their eyes went wide. Yeah, it wasn’t common for me to seek any of them out. Which meant they knew I likely wanted something, seeing as how I’d made it no secret I had a wife now. Some clubs might not offer fidelity to their old ladies and wives, but I sure the fuck did and so did the other brothers here who’d found their other halves.
“Anything either of you want to tell me?” I asked after they downed their shots.
Trisha shared a look with Gina, which told me she’d likely said something to the other woman. I knew the girls gossiped. In this case, it might be beneficial.
“We know what happens when we cause trouble,” Gina said, eyeing me. “Heard about Demon branding a club whore.”
Well, fuck my life. I’d known it would come back to bite us in the ass at some point. Demon had wanted to put the fear of God into the women, keep them from causing issues. They’d put our women in danger one time too many. I couldn’t blame him. If one of these bitches had caused Shella to get hurt, I’d want their blood, even if they were women. They were on our turf, in our clubhouse, and the rules were different here. Wouldn’t matter. Right now, I needed them to be more afraid of me than Demon. I had to know what my brothers had said about Shella.
“A little birdy told me you might know something,” I said, looking at Trisha. “Something that was said about my wife. I take any threat to her seriously, even if it comes from a brother.”
The women stared at one another, seeming to communicate silently. After a moment, Gina shook her head and Trisha shrugged, chewing her bottom lip. It was clear they were conflicted. Or rather Trisha was. I had a feeling she wanted to confess what she’s heard, but Gina worried it would be dangerous for them.
“I won’t let Demon hurt either of you,” I said. “Or anyone else. They touch you, they’ll answer to me. I need to know if my woman is in danger.”
Trisha opened and shut her mouth a few times. “They were drunk. I’m sure they didn’t mean anything.”
So there was something. I needed to know who had said it and what exactly they’d said. I could understand Beau not wanting to speak up. Not if he ever wanted to patch into the club. He was right to be cautious. And the fact he’d warned me would go a long way to me voting yes when it was his time.
“It was Hot Shot and Cobra,” Gina said.
“Thought it wasn’t safe to talk,” Trisha mumbled.
“He’s right. If his wife is in danger, he needs to know. I think it’s sweet he wants to protect her. Wish I had a guy watching out for me sometimes,” Gina said.
Trisha blew out a breath and nodded. “So, they were both drunk. Like seriously almost falling-down drunk. Hot Shot saw your wife when she was a webcam girl. Or said it looked just like her. Then he started running his mouth about how a rape victim would never do something like that. Called her a whore and…”
“He said she’d probably asked for it in high school,” Gina said, her voice lowering.
“It made me uncomfortable,” Trisha said. “I didn’t stick around much longer, but Hot Shot was trying to convince Cobra to get Shella to confess to everything. The way he made it sound… it wasn’t good. I know you guys typically don’t hurt women, which is why I love hanging out here, but they seemed really pissed you’d married her and wanted to accept her back into the club.”
Jesus. What the fuck was wrong with those two? I ran a hand through my hair and tried to think of how best to approach this. I could confront them straight on, except they’d want to know where I heard it. Then I’d have to either throw Beau under the bus or the girls.
“I’m going to talk to the Pres and see how he wants this handled. He might ask to speak to both of you. Hear firsthand what you heard.”
They nodded, but I saw the fear lurking in their eyes. Badger was unpredictable at best, and with Adalia pregnant again, the man would lop off heads first and ask questions later. They had every right to be scared.
I finished my beer and left the clubhouse, knowing I’d find Badger at home. Last time Adalia had been pregnant, he’d hardly left her side. It had driven her crazy, but she was his entire world and if anything happened to her, I didn’t know if he’d survive. Much like Griz had loved Mae, Adalia was Badger’s one and only. He’d gone to prison for her, and I damn well knew he’d die for her.
I rode my bike to his house, parking in the driveway. Both his bike and Adalia’s car were under the carport, so I knew they were home. I knocked on the door, trying not to be too loud in case Gunner was napping. Badger answered, a scowl on his face.
“We need to talk,” I said.
He tipped his head and stepped back, waiting for
me to enter. I saw Adalia on their living room couch, and she gave me a little wave. I didn’t see Gunner and figured he must be in his room. Following Badger into the kitchen, I took a seat and waited while he got two sodas from the fridge. I smiled as I popped the top on mine and wondered if I’d soon be stocking soda instead of beer. He’d cut back on how often he drank at home since Gunner had been born.
“What’s so important you had to come here to talk?” Badger asked.
“Heard that Hot Shot and Cobra were talking about Shella,” I said, getting right to the point. “She was a webcam girl for a short time, and they found her show online. Said she couldn’t have been raped like she claimed since she’d been such a whore.”
Badger snarled. Yeah, I’d forgotten for a moment she was his sister-in-law. He wouldn’t take too kindly to someone calling Shella a whore. Or a liar. Even if he didn’t like the way she’d acted before, Adalia loved her so that made her important to Badger.
“Trisha said they were talking about forcing her to tell the truth. I don’t know if they’ll hurt her or not, but Pres, she did tell the truth. Just ask Steel. He saw her reaction to seeing two of the guys who raped her. I have Wolf looking into it.”
Badger swore and got up, pacing the room. “What the fuck are those two idiots thinking? I swear to Christ if they touch one hair on her head, I’ll lose my shit. Adalia doesn’t need this kind of stress, and Shella is her sister.”
“I haven’t confronted them,” I said. “After I heard what Trisha had to say, I came here. She’s scared, Pres, worried this will blow back on her. And as much as I hate to admit this, Beau heard them talking too. He didn’t want to come forward and jeopardize any votes when it’s time for him to patch in, but he couldn’t stand back and do nothing either. He’s the one who told me to talk to Trisha.”
Badger nodded. “Beau is more than making up for what he did, and I’m sure Meiling would agree. Won’t be long before he’s patched into the club. But for now… I need to figure out the best way to handle this shit. I expected better of Cobra. And Hot Shot, well, he’s hotheaded at the best of times. Probably just running off at the mouth.”
“She said they were falling-down drunk,” I said. “Maybe nothing will come of it, but I don’t like the thought of my brothers calling my wife a liar, or possibly hurting her because they don’t believe her story.”
“For now, if you leave your house, send Shella over here. Even if I’m not home, no one would dare try anything with Adalia around. They know I’ll bust their fucking heads if they upset her. Safest place for Shella. No one would dare start shit.”
I nodded. He had a point. Anything happened to Adalia, and Badger would kill the person responsible. It meant everyone in the club walked on eggshells around her. So yeah, if Shella came here, no one would try anything if Adalia was present. Perfect plan. I just had to get Shella to agree.
“When I find out everything I need to know about her rapists, I’m handling it,” I said. “I want those fuckers to suffer.”
“Do what you need to do. Whatever it takes to make her feel safe and give her some peace,” Badger said. He gazed off toward the living room. “I’d go to prison all over again for killing the bastard who raped Adalia. I only wished I’d gotten there before he’d hurt her.”
I understood. Knowing Shella had been hurt and I hadn’t been there to save her ate at me. None of us had bothered to ask why she’d suddenly started acting out. Maybe we could have resolved the issue sooner and things would have turned out different. If we’d known then what we knew now, would she have still left? Or would she have stayed?
“What about Hot Shot and Cobra?” I asked.
“I’ll handle it. They don’t have to know who said something. For all those fuckers know, I have the entire clubhouse wired and can hear everything.”
I stared at him a moment, wondering if he really did have cameras and mics hidden around the clubhouse. Wouldn’t surprise me. Badger didn’t like to take chances with his family. He was the sort to do what was necessary and didn’t give a fuck if people didn’t like the way he handled things. Since he was now the club’s President, his word was law. The rest of us just fell in line or paid the consequences.
“What about Grizzly?” I asked. “You going to tell him?”
“No. He feels bad enough about what happened. Knowing the club was trying to start shit would just make it worse. I’ll handle it. Besides, he’s got enough on his plate with those three girls in his house. I don’t think I could handle all that drama.”
I smirked. “You know damn well if you had three girls, you’d be just as happy as you are now. You’d love those girls and threaten to kill anyone who looked their way.”
“You aren’t wrong.” He grinned. “Adalia wants to be surprised with this one. Honestly, as long as both baby and momma are healthy, I don’t give a shit about anything else. Girl. Boy. Doesn’t matter.”
I lowered my voice so Adalia wouldn’t hear me. “I thought y’all were being careful since the doctor said she shouldn’t have more kids.”
He sighed and cracked his neck. “We were. I don’t know how the fuck it happened, and now I’m scared shitless I’ll lose both of them.”
“And after this one?”
“The second we found out she was pregnant I had a vasectomy. I’m not taking any more chances. Adalia fucking cried because she wants a big family, but I’m not risking her life to have a houseful of kids.”
“Why didn’t you adopt one or two of the kids we rescued from Miss Humes?” I asked.
“Thought about it. Probably should have, but I wasn’t sure Adalia was ready. But there’s plenty of kids out there who need a home, right? Never too late to adopt. Once we get through this pregnancy, and the baby is a little older, we can talk about adding to our family.”
“Shella’s pregnant,” I said. “We aren’t telling anyone right now. She hasn’t been to the doctor yet, but she’s sick in the mornings and she’s late. I think Adalia’s miscarriages have her worried she won’t carry to term. She wants to wait a bit before we tell everyone, but Lilian found out so I’m sure Dragon knows. It might spread and I didn’t want y’all to find out last. Not sure how Adalia will handle it.”
“Fuck,” he muttered. “She’s not exactly a weak woman, but when she’s pregnant her emotions are all over the place. And stress isn’t good for her or the baby. I’ll wait until the time is right and talk to her about it. I’ll make sure she knows you want to keep it quiet, and I’ll have a talk with Dragon. Make sure he knows that shit stays in the family.”
Chapter Nine
Shella
I hated that the boys from my past could still make me scared to leave my house. Granted, they weren’t boys anymore. They were adult men, and even scarier than before. Seeing two of them at the diner had given me nightmares the last four nights and brought back every second of that horrible day. Knowing they were still in town, I hadn’t wanted to leave the compound. I knew I couldn’t hide forever, but I wasn’t ready to face them. If two were here, what if the others were too? If all of them found me at the same time, I knew I’d never be able to fight them off. Just like last time.
I eyed my car keys on the counter. I’d pulled them out of my purse, even managed to shower and dress, but now I’d lost my nerve. I knew if I said I wanted to go somewhere, Slash would either come with me or send a bodyguard. It would just mean pulling them away from whatever they were doing right now for the club. I hated being needy. Weak. Pathetic. I was sure they had plenty of ways to describe me around here. The last thing I wanted was to give them another reason to dislike me.
Even though I hadn’t been to the doctor yet, I knew I was pregnant. Even if the little stick hadn’t told me as much before I’d run into Slash again, it had been long enough I should have at least started feeling cramps. I hadn’t had so much as a twinge. Lilian had mentioned prenatal vitamins and I’d looked online. I just wasn’t sure which ones were the best out of what I could get over the co
unter. Instead of having it delivered to the house, I thought it would be better to go the store and talk to the pharmacist. Now I was second-guessing myself.
I scrolled through the app on my phone and decided to just order some online and take my chances. At this rate, I’d never leave the compound. Or the house. I didn’t like venturing out where everyone could stare at me. Slash assured me the club accepted me, but I had this unsettled feeling when I left the house. It was safer in here. Badger had apparently decreed that I was to stay with Adalia at their home whenever Slash left. I’d gotten out of it today because she hadn’t been feeling well.
Now I was alone. Although, there was probably someone outside keeping watch. I doubted Slash would go off without making sure I was safe. Something was going on, but he wouldn’t talk to me about it. He seemed more tense than usual. I didn’t know if it was club business or something to do with me.
I placed my order on my phone and decided to browse baby items. I’d need to buy stuff sooner or later. Slash had given me access to his accounts, since I wasn’t working, but I didn’t want to spend a fortune either. Not knowing if I was having a girl or boy limited my options. I didn’t want a bunch of white, yellow, or green stuff. If I had a girl, I wanted to dress her in cute frilly things. Although, some of the boy outfits were downright adorable too.
I rubbed my stomach, wondering how much longer before I could find out what I was having. I really didn’t know anything about being pregnant. Well, except morning sickness. I’d heard about it and experienced it. The rest was a mystery. I closed out the app and pulled up a web browser so I could do a little research.
It wasn’t that I thought I’d learn everything about pregnancy on my phone. I knew not all websites were accurate. I just figured knowing at least something about this pregnancy was better than the big fat nothing I knew right now. I still needed to schedule a doctor’s appointment. Slash had already said he wanted to go with me so I was waiting to see when would be a good time for him. As the VP of the club, I knew he was busy with stuff that didn’t pertain to me. I loved spending time with him. But I knew it wasn’t realistic to think he could spend every waking moment with me. Honestly, I wouldn’t want him to.
