“I really don’t know what to say. Personally, your dad is acting out of character. How does one of the most accepting men of all time judge a girl who was cut apart by her own father and brother? She has scars all over her body because of them. I can’t fathom why he would think she has any loyalty to them.”
“Me either. It makes no sense. All her father did her entire life was torment her, and her brother joined in on it later. Why would he think she’d be faithful to them?”
“He’s preparing for the worst, I think. Imagine if the roles were reversed. You’d be leery of the woman your son brought to the club as well. Knowing Grizzly and his antics, he could view this as some sort of elaborate scheme to set us all up.”
“She isn’t her father’s pawn,” I argue, trying to keep my voice down. I want to scream it from the rooftop so that everyone hears me, tired of having to repeat myself over and over again.
“I know that and so do you. Now make sure your dad does, and if he doesn’t, make sure he knows how you feel about all this shit. Look, I know you had your reservations in telling everyone and you were right to, but you need to lay down the law, Kade.”
Kat is right. I don’t want to say it out loud and give her an unneeded ego boost. Lord knows that she doesn’t need it. “You have a point. Thanks, Kat. I have to get going.”
“Alright, well don’t be a stranger and make sure to stay in touch.”
“I will. Do me a favor and let Hawk know that girl Raven said hi to him.”
“Damn, the one he ogles from afar? I swear I’ve seen him Instagram stalking the shit out of her. He always mutters about how she has that dick of a boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” I correct her.
She chuckles, “Oh, I’ll be sure to pass that along. Talk to you later.” Kat ends the call with a click.
I slide my phone into my back pocket and head down the hallway to where we hold church. Instead of knocking, I open the fucking door like I own the damn place because I’m over this shit. I refuse to have Ivy feeling like she lives in a place where she’s hated and unwelcome. Everyone will get with the program or I’ll fuckin’ go to Vegas.
My father looks up from his phone, glaring at me with all his might. “Since when have you ever come in here without announcing yourself?”
“Since I’m done with this fucking shit!” I roar out, slamming the door behind me.
My father starts to speak, but I cut him off. “No. Don’t you dare say a fucking word if it pertains to anything about Ivy not being welcome here.” He raises a brow, not saying a word. Ugh, just as I thought. He wants to grill into me more about my girlfriend.
“Now, listen up ‘cause I won’t be repeating myself anymore. I am tired of all the countless bullshit you keep putting not only Ivy but myself through as well. I understand your reservations more than anyone else ever will. Grizzly has put our entire family through hell, and you’re right to wonder what a person’s intentions are. What you’re wrong about is her. We’re not the only ones who have gone through a world full of hurt, Dad. So has she, in worse ways than we ever have.
“At least when we wake up every morning and go to bed every night, we don’t have to stare down at the nasty words written into our flesh by people who are supposed to love us beyond measure. Could you imagine if she was Ashley or Kat? You wouldn’t be treating either of them the way you act toward Ivy. And, I’m done with it. I’m done with all of this fucking shit! Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to make sure that everyone understands she is as much part of the club as I am, or I’m going to haul ass to Vegas with her and start over. Those are your options. Choose wisely and let me know what you decide.”
I turn on my heel and open the door to church, walking out into the hallway and slam it behind me. Anger runs through my entire body, boiling my blood. There’s only one thing I can do to calm me down right now. So, I head outside and go for a ride, needing the cool wind to take away my outrage. I’ve given him options, and now it’s his turn to decide.
3
Give her the best words you can but give her actions that make the words seem modest.
~JM Storm
Ivy
It’s been two days since Halloween and for the most part, I’ve been working and keeping to myself when I’m at the club. I overheard the brothers whispering about how Kade and Fist got into a nasty fight. Kade said he was going to handle the situation, so of course, they argued.
I tried asking him what happened when he got back later that day, but he didn’t want to get into it. I can’t blame him for that. It must feel like either his relationship is tearing his family apart, or the opposite. I, for one, feel like I am alone, even though I’m constantly around people. Isn’t that funny? To be surrounded by various people and yet feel more detached than I ever have.
I walk around the side of the bar and use a barstool to stand up and grab the orange and black Halloween decorations. Raven and I weren’t in the mood to take them down yet, but upper management gave us shit a couple of hours ago that they needed to be down today. So, here we are, the two of us putting away every mechanical hand, candy bowl, spider confetti, and banner.
“Sucks your boss wants you to take that shit down,” Marty comments from the bar. I’m pleasantly surprised he’s only had one beer and a cheeseburger so far today. Being that it’s almost seven in the evening, this is a win in my book.
Raven huffs, throwing her hands up in the air from a few feet away from me. She’s grabbing the small plastic spiders that she taped to the wood beams. “Are you kidding me, Mart? CJ is the biggest douche on the planet. You should see the asshole around Christmas. He’s worse than the fuckin’ Grinch, I tell ya!”
Marty bursts out laughing, “I’ll be sure to pass along that message the next time I see him.”
“Go ahead. He knows how I feel about him.”
I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around what really happened between those two. I know CJ’s a dick, in fact, anyone who’s met him can tell. I have my theories about what their relationship was like. On the other hand, I saw the bruise on her neck the day after she got into a fight with him outside in the parking lot out back. I questioned her on it, and she told me it was a hickey she forgot to cover up. I could see through her lie and I still do.
The door to the bar opens with a thud, slamming against the back wall. I’m peeling away the tape that’s holding up the banner and don’t bother looking in the direction of the noise.
Raven is quick to chastise whoever is coming in, though. “Whoa, buddy. Chill out, will ya? You don’t get to be slamming doors and shit when you aren’t the one who owns the place.”
“I’ll walk in here however I damn well please.” The voice is young, rough, and rugged. As soon as he speaks, I can immediately identify him and nerve-wracking feelings course through my entire body. I haven’t seen him since that night. Turning my body towards the door, I come face to face with one of the men who found pleasure out of torturing me.
Connor looks a bit different after the last few weeks. Stress lines cross his forehead, and he suddenly has facial hair. Never before has he went for that look, always claiming it was too much maintenance and easier to just shave. His hair is combed over onto the left side of his head, making him look like some sort of dapper gentleman when he’s anything but.
A smirk spreads across his face, the kind that makes me think he came straight from the depths of hell. “Hey, sis. How you doing?” His eyes scan over my body as he purses his lips out in disapproval. “Why all the long-sleeved clothes, kid? Don’t you wanna show off your body art?”
I want nothing more than to wrap my hands around his throat, tightening my grip over time until he can’t fucking breathe. I have nothing to lose by doing it, but I see the Glock he has in his holster. Knowing Connor, he doesn’t care who he hurts. He’ll shoot Marty and Raven just to send a message to me.
“Uh, everything okay here?” Raven asks, shifting her eyes between Connor a
nd me.
I nod, waving my hand in her direction. A silent plea asking her to get away from here. She raises a brow, trying to figure out what is really going on but doesn’t move. Instead, she stands planted on the floor as if her feet are nailed in place. “Everything is fine, just some playful banter between a brother and sister.”
Rolling her eyes, she mumbles under her breath. “Bullshit. Doesn’t look like playful banter to me.” I don’t believe Connor hears her, and I’m hoping he didn’t. He’s the type who would grab her by the tongue and cut it out.
“Who’s your friend here, Ivy? She’s awfully cute. Think she’d make a great sweet butt. Don’t you?” Anger boils through my blood at his suggestion. I know what the Bears do to their clubwhores, and it isn’t pretty.
“Fuck you. Go choke on a dick, and while you’re at it, get the fuck out of here. You’re not wanted,” I seethe, knowing very well that I’m escalating things. Now, I’m feeling pretty dumb about doing it when Kade and Bull aren’t even here. When Kade can’t be here, Bull sometimes sits around and watches over us. Honestly, I think Bull is one of the only people at the club who can stand me. He and Kade are pretty good friends, so he’s always been nice.
In an instant, I feel like I’m watching a movie before my very eyes. Everything is in slow motion. Connor moves his hand toward his holster, unsnapping the top and points the gun in my direction. Wetness wells behind my eyes, knowing this isn’t good, and I’ll likely get shot dead. Quickly, I turn my head toward Raven and scream, “Get out!”
Marty jumps off his barstool and rushes in front of my brother, grabbing the gun just as he’s about to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, Raven runs over to me, grabs my forearm so tight that it feels like a tourniquet, and drags me along with her behind the bar. As she does so, I can’t help but look back at Marty and Connor fighting over the gun.
Raven yanks me through the double doors of the kitchen and screams to our chef, Frank. “Get the fuck out of here. That asshole has a gun!”
Frank’s eyes go wide and he comes out with us, grabbing the shotgun that sits pretty on top of the doorframe. Glancing around as we all rush through the back door, Raven’s tiny little Mazda is in the corner of the parking lot. Just as we’re going down the steps, the unmistakable sound of a bullet being fired goes off. The three of us look at one another in disbelief, running together toward her car. It all happens so quickly, hands going on doors, opening them, and getting inside the safety of the vehicle.
I whip my head back and see Connor standing outside the back door of the bar. He raises his gun and I scream with all my might, “Step on it, Raven!”
Something dings against the metal just as Raven floors it. “What the fuck just happened?!” Frank’s voice changes into another tone that I haven’t heard before. He sounds very . . . feminine.
“Uh, her brother must be fucking bonkers!” Raven screams, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. She looks at me in the rear view mirror, “What in the fuck is wrong with him? We could’ve died!”
I sigh, taking my hand and putting it over my face. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think he would come here or figure out where I worked. I’m so sorry that I put both of you in danger.” The tears I was able to keep back just a few minutes ago now come rushing out of my eyelids.
“I’m takin’ you to the fuckin’ Reapers. You just need to tell me the way since I don’t know where the clubhouse is,” Raven speaks up, not acknowledging what I’ve just said.
The car ride is quiet for a few minutes while I give her directions on how to get to the club. Meanwhile, Frank is sitting in the passenger side going, “Jesus Christ,” every minute or so.
“I knew you had family issues and trust me, I get that. What I can’t understand is what the fuck your brother must be on to be actin’ that crazy. My brother is no saint, but he isn’t that fuckin’ crazy. What’s your excuse?”
“He doesn’t have one, Raven. Connor is fucked up. There’s nothing else I can say about it.” I take my hand away from my face and look at her in the mirror, and I realize I’ve torn my shirt. From my chest to my shoulder is exposed with the word ‘traitor’ and from the expression on her face . . . she saw it.
Instead of more questions, I only get a sympathetic look. Our eyes lock in the mirror while neither one of us speaks. Not until she gathers the courage, “Did he do that to you?”
I nod once, not wanting to get into the gritty details.
“Holy fuck. I had no idea.” At her words, Frank turns back and gives me a similar look. It shows compassion and sympathy, but I don’t want their pity ‘cause I don’t need it.
“Seems like two of us in this car have been hidin’ things, sweetheart,” Frank mutters, eyes not wavering from my own. The tears continue to slide down my cheeks in a strong current as he still speaks. “Looks like you have just as much a crazy family as I do. I can’t even tell my parents I’m gay without rolling the dice and seein’ if they’ll put me out of my misery like a sick dog. That’s what my dad said he’d do if I ever told him, so I hide part of who I am to appease them, but also to keep me safe. Now, what’s your story?”
“My story isn’t as simple as yours, Frank.” What Frank is obviously going through is awful, but I can’t relate on the same level.
“Alright, then tell us what’s going on with you.”
“I don’t know if I can simplify it, but I will. I ran away to Billings because it’s out of my father’s territory. I came here because I thought he wouldn’t find me and I’d be safe. Instead, I met Kade and started to fall hard for him. By the time we knew who one another was . . . it was too late. Basically, we’re a real life Romeo & Juliet. His dad is the Prez of the Reapers, and my dad is the Prez of the Bears. They’ve been fighting for Montana for as long as I can remember.”
“As long as anyone can remember, sweetheart,” He corrects me, and he isn’t wrong. “What’s with the word, traitor? You do that yourself?”
I shake my head from side to side. “No, my father and brother did.”
Raven gasps loudly, clearly from shock. I continue on, “Turn right down this road.” She does as I say, continuing to floor it, busting past the gates and not even slowing down when we get here. I take in a deep breath, knowing that it’ll make everyone go on high alert.
She comes to a screeching halt right outside the clubhouse and just as I expected, brothers come pouring out with guns raised.
Well, this is going to be fun.
4
“You know you’ve mastered a soul lesson when the circumstance has not changed, but the way you respond has.”
@TheFemaleHustlers
Kade
“Have you thought any more about what I said to you the other day?” I ask him the question I’ve been holding back on, hoping by some magical power my dad has decided to not be an ass.
He glances up from his newspaper and looks at me, sitting where he usually does in the kitchen of our family home. “I haven’t really thought about it too much to be honest with you.” While I appreciate his honesty, I’d love for him to have respect for not only myself but my relationship. He picks up his coffee, of which he’s notorious for drinking twenty-four-seven, and takes a sip.
“Really?” I ask, flabbergasted. “I straight up told you that if you didn’t get your shit together, I’d go down to fuckin’ Vegas. You want me to leave, don’t you?”
He slams his coffee down on the table, spilling it everywhere. “Why in the hell would you think I want you to leave? I’m pretty sure it’s evident I don’t want you to. What I want is for her to leave, and stop puttin’ you at risk, hell, our entire club at risk.”
Has he lost his god damned mind? “How in the actual fuck is she putting our club in risk? Huh? Tell me!”
“She’s a Bear, Kade. I shouldn’t have to explain this shit to you. She will show loyalty to her blood, as all animals do.”
“You really think Ivy is gonna show loyalty to the people who carved her up like turkey? Are you fu
ckin’ delusional?”
He rises from his seat, pushing the table back in his fit. “I’m not the delusional one, son, you are. Have you lost your damn mind dating the Bears princess? She is every bit our enemy that her father is. She could be a spy for all we know. It’s not like it’s the first time that’s ever happened.
“Fuck, I got off the phone with Reed a short while ago and he told me about what happened at his sister-in-law’s wedding. One of their own who went Nomad raped a girl in their club, beat her to a bloody pulp. You never know who to trust these days, son. And I, for one, sure as hell don’t trust her.”
Throwing my hands up in the air, I roar at my father like I never have before. “You don’t have to trust her. You have to trust me. Trust in the fact I’m a good judge of character and can make my own fuckin’ decisions, but obviously, you don’t. Instead, you must think I’m some naïve little boy. What the fuck is this shit?”
The storm door swings open with a loud creak and in comes Zane, looking at our dad and I like we’ve lost our minds. “Are you two done with this shit yet? For fuck's sake. Dad, Kade is dating Ivy and you just need to accept that no matter what you do, he won’t break up with her. If they do, it’ll be between the two of them and not anything to do with us. Kade, when did you become such a brown noser? Stop tryin’ to kiss dad’s ass and make him like your girlfriend. She’ll grow on him like black mold like she’s growin’ on everyone else. Shit, I even like her. She’s not that bad.”
“Did you really just compare Ivy to black mold?” I ask, making a disgusted face.
“I might have. I’m not really sure. Everything came out so quickly,” he confesses, chuckling at the end.
“Dumb piece of shit.” Our dad rolls his eyes, taking a seat back down on the chair. He looks back to me, “If she was any other girl then I wouldn’t have a problem with her. I think you know that deep down, but she’s not any other girl. She’s Grizzly’s daughter and if there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, Kade — don’t underestimate a Bear. There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, that he won’t do to try to get a one up on us.”
Kade Page 3
