Gypsy's Lady

by MariaLisa deMora

  Kelsey twisted so she could look up into his face. “That’s a bit of American slang I haven’t heard. What does it mean?”

  Mela snorted, and the sound pulled Kelsey’s attention back to her. “He means I’m unique. You’ve an amazing accent. Are you from Australia?” Kelsey nodded. “Cool.”

  Hurley grinned. “You have an accent, too.” He curled one arm around Mela’s shoulders and gave her a shake. “Got some sexy Mexi goin’ on. Does it for me, every time.”

  Mela jabbed his side with her elbow. “Jesus, you’re a horndog. Admit it, anything does it for you.”

  “I’m wounded. You heard her, Gypsy, she wounded my heart with that stab.” Hurley smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His attention was on Mela, but he continually watched the crowd around them, too. “Mortal wound.”

  Mela rolled her eyes, head shaking back and forth. “Liar.” Smiling at Kelsey, she said, “It takes a lot to keep these big lugs in line, doesn’t it?”

  “Ha-how are you unique?” Kelsey flinched when she stuttered, and Gypsy gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  “Oh, that.” Mela rolled her eyes again and Hurley’s arm tightened around her neck, pulling her closer. “My father is head of a Mexican club, but I was pseudo-adopted by Watcher, which made me part of his club, the Southern Soldiers. Then he merged with the Rebels, and I found Hurley to be not too terrible to look at, so that put me here at his side. Most men are only ever in one club, unless they’re patch hoppers.” She snorted, telling them all what she thought about the practice. “And here I am, a lowly woman, and I’ve been part of three.” She grinned. “A unicorn. I probably have forgotten more about club protocol than anyone in here except maybe Tug.” She leaned forwards, Hurley’s hand trailing on her shoulder to cup the back of her neck. “Don’t ya just love him? I’m so glad he’s found Maggie. He was alone for a long time.”

  “He said he was married before. Or,” Kelsey tensed as she tried to backtrack, clearly afraid of giving offense from using what might be the wrong term, “had an old lady before?”

  “Yeah,” Hurley grimaced. “A long time ago he lived out here, after he got out of the military. I guess he was part of the Outriders at that point. Moby told me his Aunt Jilly died and Tug left the club.” He shrugged. “Made his way to Chicago and hooked his star to Mason. Their loss, our gain.”

  Mela smiled. “He’s always reminded me of Spider, Papa Watcher’s friend. Lost something so precious he never thought he could find it again. I’m glad he found Maggie.”

  Blue Line signaled from across the room and Gypsy nodded. He looked for Tug and found him and Maggie standing near the bar. Gypsy realized Maggie had on a vest with an RWMC PO patch. Fuck. He hadn’t thought to request one for Kelsey. “Kels, you want to hang here with Mela? I need to go talk to Blue Line for a few minutes.” She stared up at him. “I won’t be too long, I hope. You’ll be safe with her.” She flinched, the movement so slight he nearly missed it. Bending close, he put his mouth to her ear, whispering, “You’re safe here anyway. Safe because you’re mine and I protect what’s mine. Every man in here knows you’re off limits, Kels, but she’ll be a good friend, if you let her.”

  Pulling back, he waited until Kelsey lifted her eyes to meet his. She stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I-I-I—.” Clamping her mouth closed, she rolled her lips and bit them hard, the flesh going white from the pressure of her teeth. Composure regained, she tried again. “I-I’ll be okay.” Shoving her shoulders back, she lifted her chin higher. “I’ll be just here when you’re done, right?”

  “Right as rain.” He cupped the edge of her jaw in his palm, tracing across her cheek with the pad of his thumb. The urge to lean down and kiss her was overwhelming, and he placated his need by pressing his thumb to her lips, waiting until she pursed her lips, giving it a soft kiss. Kiss by proxy. Not enough. Closing his eyes against the desire rolling through him, Gypsy bent and placed a kiss on her forehead, then slid his mouth back to near her ear. “I’ll be back for you. I’ll always come back for you.”

  Without saying anything else, not that he could with his throat clamped tight against salty tears, he turned on his heel and stalked across the room. Men moved, stepping out of his way and he slowed his pace, not wanting to bring more attention than his height and demeanor already would. A stranger in this environment, he was undoubtedly under scrutiny. His words to Kelsey were a hundred percent truth, because he knew every man in the room had marked the woman he’d come in with. Noting his possessive moves, they would understand she was his, and if they didn’t and tried something…Gypsy grit his teeth. They would understand the consequences.

  Blue Line reached out a hand and Gypsy met it with his own, knowing this welcome was for show. It would settle his place in the mind of every one of Blue Line’s men, and from this moment, he would begin building whatever position he wanted in this world. He let Blue Line tug him forwards, shoulders meeting, arms wrapping around as they thumped each other’s back. Louder than he had to, making yet another statement to everyone looking on, Blue Line greeted him, “Brother.”

  Gypsy returned the title, smiling as he accepted the weight of responsibility that comes with calling a man family. “Brother, it’s good to see you.”

  “It’s good to be seen.” Lips tipping up at one corner, Blue Line grinned wryly. “Been a while since you were in these parts. Did you ever come back after you went back to the other side of the line?”

  Shaking his head, Gypsy told him something he already knew. “Nope. I left SoCal and headed back to Chicago. Worked there for a while before I moved to Indiana. Had been there a few years when I gave up the ghost and talked the Rebels into taking a chance on me.” He stepped closer. “You remember any of what I complained about before? The political infighting and corruption?” Blue Line grimaced and nodded. “I got back, and it was worse than ever. My Cap had retired and the new guy in charge was a brownnoser with a great deal of practice. I had one too many cases go bad, decided for my own sanity I needed to be away from all that shit. Found the same shit in Indiana, and was tired of it, man. Just fuckin’ tired of it.” What Blue Line wouldn’t get in a public forum like this was the real story of how Gypsy had made the leap. That would be a need-to-know and looking around at the faces turned their direction, ears soaking up every word passing between them, he decided damn few people in the room needed to know.

  “Been a minute since you patched in. Malcontents are friendly with Rebels. How is it I didn’t know you were flyin’ the skull until a few weeks ago?” In the space of a breath, Blue Line’s face had hardened, his stare becoming unfriendly and cold. Gypsy frowned at the transformation in his friend, wondering what had triggered it. “Was that an intentional slight to me and mine?”

  Shaking his head, Gypsy explained. “Last time I saw you, the Malcontents patch rode uneasily on your back, and you carried a different name. I spent years away from the life, slogging through the pits, brother. I hooked up to an RC and made friends with the primary.” He twisted and pointed at Hurley across the room. “His daddy ran the garage the club used. That man over there was a boy back then, scarcely in junior high. Sure, it’s been a while since I put on the prospect patch for the Rebels, but it’s been a multiple of years since I was on the West coast. If that boy changed enough and grew to be the man standing in your clubhouse, how the fuck was I supposed to know Hound magically farted fairy dust and actually turned into Blue Line?” He chuffed a soft laugh. “It does suit you better, though, I’ll give you that.”

  “I never was a hound.” Blue Line studied him a moment, and then tipped his hand with the next question, telling Gypsy without saying the words what he wanted more than anything. “It’s been a long fuckin’ slog to get where we are, and I missed you at my six, brother. Coulda used a man like you.” He reached out suddenly, and Gypsy barely got his hands up in time to grip Blue Line’s wrist in a clasp of brotherhood. “Missed the fuck out of you, man. I walked away that day and fuck me if it’s
not true, I’ve regretted it every single day.”

  “I’m here now, man.” From the light in Blue Line’s eyes Gypsy knew he’d taken the statement the wrong way and hurried to do damage control, trying to set expectations. “RWMC is my home, and I live and bleed for my club. But as you said, we’re friendly compadres. Long as you’re cool with it, I can visit here for a time.”

  “Oh, I’m cool with it. Hell yeah, I’m cool with it.” Blue Line snorted a laugh, tension easing from his frame. “Welcome home, brother.”

  ***

  “How’s your old lady doin’?” The crowd around them had thinned considerably, groups of men and women heading outside to the back of the building where the food had been set up. “When you called, you made things sound dire, but she looks okay.”

  Gypsy’s eyes instinctively turned to where Kelsey stood, still talking to Mela. They’d been joined by a striking brunette and Kelsey seemed to be hanging on every word the woman said. “She’s better now, but it’s been a tough patch.”

  “What happened to her, brother? She’s troubled.” Blue Line lifted a beer someone had brought him, taking a long drink. “She’s pretty, but fragile as eggshells.”

  “She spent time as a slave to an Australian flesh trafficker. He kept her for himself, held her back from the auctions.” Blue Line dropped the beer to the floor, cursing as he bent to pick it up. “Yeah.” Gypsy swallowed against the knot that had formed in his throat, “It hits me like that, too.”

  “Jesus, Doug. How the hell did she wind up with you?”

  “I was point man on the breaking of the ring that was holding her. The girl we went in to rescue begged me to save her friend. That friend was Kelsey. I busted through a locked door to find one of the men raping her. Hell, from what she said about the months they held her, it was a common occurrence, but doesn’t change the violation she was suffering right there in front of me.” He pulled in a slow breath, trying to bleed off the anger coursing through him at the memory of Kelsey’s face, a pale circle over the man’s shoulder as he adjusted his clothing. “She was so fucking broken, brother. Months they’d held her. You can’t get past something like that in a day. I thank God every day that she sees me as her safety, and not something associated with what happened to her.”

  “You saved her.” Blue Line paused and Gypsy nodded. “What’d you do to the fucker who was on her?”

  “Killed him before he tucked his dick away.” Gypsy didn’t even think of holding back the information, needing Blue Line to understand exactly how things were with him. “Right in front of her, and she didn’t flinch.”

  “Fuck.” Blue Line gestured at a man across the room and lifted the empty beer bottle, raising two fingers. “And she’s still not afraid of you?”

  “Nope. From the moment I found her in that room at the compound, she’s come to me when she’s afraid. Always me. She let me be her rock, you know? Hawks were focused on their girl, as they needed to be, and me? I was focused on my Kelsey. After a few weeks, I knew I’d have to leave Australia and come home, but I couldn’t see my way clear to leave her behind. So, I brought her with.” Gypsy reached out and accepted the cold beer from the Malcontents prospect, waiting until the man had retreated to the bar before he continued. “Better every day, but things happen and she gets a setback. Expected, but painful to watch.”

  “How the fuck can she still function? You’re married to her, right? On the phone you said wife, so I expected to meet your partner as in old lady.”

  “We deal with things day by day. Yeah, the paperwork shows us to be married, and she doesn’t know different.” He smiled tightly. “Calls herself my missus.”

  “Oh, brother. The words ‘paperwork’ and ‘doesn’t know’ make it sound like this isn’t what it seems. You love her, right? I’m seeing the signs, but it’s clearly a special case.” Blue Line lifted the beer but when he lowered it, Gypsy noticed the level hadn’t changed. He was clever to continue the use of UC tactics. Sobriety would give a leader an advantage in any situation, but they had to appear to be partying with the masses.

  “We share a bed every night, but I won’t take advantage of her like that, man. Not after what she went through. Maybe we’ll get there one day, but if not? If my only satisfaction is knowing I did the right thing? Worth it.” Gypsy lifted and lowered his own beer, snorting in amusement when Blue Line glanced at his bottle with a grin. “You use bottles so you can keep track of who’s drinking and who’s hiding an agenda?”

  “Hell, yeah. Every advantage is mine, motherfucker.” Blue Line laughed and took a real drink, his throat working as he swallowed. “Tough situation, Doug. Knowing you, I’ve every confidence you’ll find your way to the right thing. You’re a good man.”

  “So are you, Joel.” He grinned and clapped Blue Line on the shoulder. “Now, it’s story time from your side of things. Bring me up to speed. We’ve only had a couple of chats through the years. It’s time to tell me how it all went down after I hauled that piece of shit off to jail.”

  As he and Blue Line talked through the evening, Gypsy kept a close watch on Kelsey, tracking as she first moved towards the couches along one long wall of the room. Settled with Mela, she seemed surprised when the brunette appeared beside them again, plates of food in hand. It seemed the women had decided Kelsey didn’t need to try and brave the crowd outside, bringing in supper instead.

  Later the group migrated to the pool table area, along with Hurley, and Gypsy was displeased to see Moby had joined them. He watched as Kelsey ducked her head, laughing as she shifted to the cue stand, trailing her fingers along several wooden shafts before selecting one and pulling it out. Moby moved to stand close, angling his head and shoulders towards her. Gypsy heard her low laughter streak across the room, whatever the man had said must have struck a chord because she glanced up before walking away. She walked away, asshole. Now you leave her alone. As if he’d heard Gypsy’s thoughts, Moby looked up and glanced towards where he sat with Blue Line, lifting a finger to his brow in a mocking salute. Not just an asshole, dude’s a fucking asshole.

  “Then we blew up a national monument, just to see what the C4 would do in an open space.”

  Gypsy whipped his head to the side and regarded Blue Line with shock. “What the fuck?”

  “Wondered when you were coming back to me, brother. Got your head stuck in your ass for a minute there?” Blue Line was grinning, white teeth shining in a broad smile. “You know Seabass isn’t going to do anything, right?” Gypsy glanced back to where the small group stood around the pool table, just in time to see Kelsey bending over, her rounded ass hiked in the air as she struggled for position to take a difficult shot. She was balanced on one foot, the other angled out behind her, tiny ankle visible as her pants rode up. Her shirt had rucked up in the back, too, and a sliver of honeyed skin showed above her waistband. She took the shot and then stood, high-fiving Mela as they traded places.

  “Nope, I don’t have that first clue, brother. But, I know she wouldn’t encourage him, and if he lays one fucking hand on her, I don’t give a shit what he is to you or this club, he’ll lose the appendage. I wouldn’t miss a lick of sleep about it, either.” The brunette approached Moby, rolling up on her toes to get near enough to speak quietly to him. “Fuckin’ kill the man who touches my Kelsey.”

  “See the pretty gal with dark hair?” Blue Line lifted a hand and pointed one finger, directing the motion to the brunette. “That’s mine.” Gypsy glanced at him in time to see an appreciative leer cross Blue Line’s features. When he looked at the group again, the brunette was posing for her man, pretending to throw air kisses in his direction. “She’ll keep Kelsey safe. Belle won’t take any shit from anyone, and trust me—” He grinned, tipping his head to the side to glance at Gypsy. “—she’s gotten herself into enough hot water over the years that I know my words are true. Don’t matter who you are or what position you hold, if she doesn’t approve of what you’re doing, she’ll let you know.”

  �
�Belle? Been with her long?”

  “A while.” Blue Line shrugged. “She could tell you exactly. Tells me the day we met was her lucky day. She was hooked with an Outrider when I first saw her. Not by choice, if you get me.” He paused and sucked in a breath. “Woman’s different now than then. Been a blessing to watch her blossom without him around to beat her back down. He’s in the pen, and she’s in my bed. Worked out in my favor all around.”

  He watched as Belle leaned against the wall behind Kelsey, her pose a study in relaxation he knew was a lie. Her head was on a swivel and she looked poised to leap into action at the least provocation. “She knows about Kels?”

  Blue Line shook his head. “Nope. That’s just my Blue Belle finding a chick to mother hen. Your woman can’t go wrong with my woman at her back.”

  Gypsy glanced around at the men in the room, seeing the space bordering where he and Blue Line sat had grown as the novelty of having an ex-cop and current Rebel member wore off. The chairs they occupied were angled away from the main area, creating a feeling of privacy he realized he liked. Without giving himself too much time to think about it, Gypsy asked, “You saved her, then? Your Belle?”

  Blue Line lifted his chin. “Yeah. Woman needed saving. When I got to her, the asshole’d fractured bones in her face and broken her arm. She climbed right on the fucking bike behind me to ride away. I wanted to call a bus, but she wouldn’t have any of it.” He cleared his throat. “I still have connections, you know?” Gypsy nodded. He had the same, lines of communication back to the cops who wanted to make a difference. “I’d heard about this bad batch of heroin that was causing havoc in the nightclub scene. Tracked down the supplier who happened to be a brother to an Outrider. Me and my boys, we watched for a while, checking the shipments going in and out of the warehouse they were using, and I saw Belle when they trucked in a bunch of girls.” He made a sound that was almost a growl. “Literally trucked them in. She was standing in the back of an open-bed truck, holding tight to the side. The door had hardly closed behind them before the screams started.”