Fighter's Claim

by D. D. Galvani

  She turned her head, fury on her face. “They made decisions for us like we were two brainless twits. I get that Aden is deranged, that we have to be careful, but we’ve been watching out for each other for a long time. I don’t like being told what to do like a little girl. I appreciate the help, I really do, but Jesus Christ, let me make some decisions of my own,” she fumed.

  I sat on the bed, folding my legs Indian style. “We’ve been friends a long time, girlfriend. I get that you just started to plan out the next few years, doing things for yourself, and that you’re loath to give that up. Then this shit goes down. But honey, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, you’ve set goals, have dreams, and that’s not going to change.

  “When my mom died, I was alone; I had no family to rely on but you. You never let me down; you were always there to make sure I had someone to talk to or cry on or just be there. But Jiji, being alone isn’t safe, and we need safety right now. Jameson and the guys want us to be protected. Every single one of them is an alpha male. Their instinct is to put themselves in the line of fire. In a lot of respects, they expect submission from their women. We have to find a middle ground with them. They started the ball rolling; now we can make decisions, do what makes us happy.”

  “Jameson make you happy, Tish? I know you’ve been crushing on him a long time.”

  My head snapped up. “What?”

  “Aww come on, did you think you could hide it from me?” she asked, staring into my eyes.

  Despite her assertion that she’d known about my feelings even before I did, I hadn’t thought she’d known about my crush. It was nearly an instant crush, and therefore happened long before my true feelings developed.

  “I know you, girl, I know what’s in here,” she said, tapping my forehead. “How was it that you just happened to be there every time I would Skype with Jameson while he was deployed?

  “When he would answer the call, I could see him looking for you in the background. When you weren’t there, our conversations just weren’t the same. I know he loves me, but he looks at you with love—there is a difference,” she said.

  “Pfft, that’s lust, not love. Any girl who looks halfway decent and has a nice rack gets that look.”

  She burst out laughing. “Damn, babe, I see the look in your eyes when you see him, especially when you think neither of us is watching. It’s the same look. It’s there, plain as the nose on your face.”

  I fanned my hand in front of me, making my hair fly around. “That man is hot, what can I say?”

  “Eww,” she replied. “That’s my bro; I don’t wanna know about his hotness or anything else having to do with, well, you know!” She threw the pair of panties she was packing at me.

  I caught them on my finger and twirled them around. “So, what about Breech?”

  Her face immediately clouded. “What about him?” she retorted. “Out of all the men in the club, he’s the one that treats me the most like a child,” she said. “God damn the man! I don’t need a keeper.” She looked up and smiled. “That’s what I have you for.”

  I slapped her with the thong she had thrown at me. “Bitch,” I griped.

  “Class A,” she quipped back.

  I burst out laughing. “You win, now pack, damn it! The boys will be back soon!”

  There was a knock on the door. “Ladies, okay to come in?” Breech called.

  Slapping my hand over Jiji’s mouth before she said something that would get her into more hot water, I replied, “Come in, please.”

  “Babe,” Jameson said to me, “ready to go?”

  I picked up the small bag from the bed, and he stepped forward to take it from me, stooping to kiss me as he did. I reached up, putting my arms behind his head and deepening the kiss.

  I heard Breech remark under his breath, “Get a room.”

  Jameson lifted his head and smirked. “This is my room,” he deadpanned.

  Breech took Jiji’s bag from her, walking out as she followed. Like the little girl she just said she wasn’t, she stuck her tongue out at him. “I got better places for you to put that tongue, Jiji. Keep it up and that ass is gonna get beat,” Breech said.

  She stopped dead in her tracks, hands on her hips. “How the hell—”

  “I got eyes in the back of my head, little one,” Breech replied. “You best be remembering that.” Jiji stomped her foot, and Breech turned around, eyeballing her. “You sure are pushing your luck, babycakes.”

  Jiji lost a bit of her swagger at that. Looking over at Jameson, she started to ask, “You wouldn’t let him—”

  Before she could get the words out, Jameson cut in. “What, spank your ass? Jiji, I told you before: I can only intervene so far.”

  Jiji’s smile fell, while Breech’s grew. Letting her off the hook, he said, “We’ll table this discussion for another time—let’s ride!”

  I pressed a little kiss on the corner of Jameson’s mouth to hide my smile at the exchange then stepped back.

  He bent down to whisper, “I wouldn’t smile if I was you, babe, spanking your ass for throwing shade will happen, mark my words.” My mouth fell open and he closed it with his fingers beneath my chin. “Cat got your tongue?” he asked, chuckling.

  Turning away from him, I laid my hand on Breech’s arm, gripping it tightly. “Thanks for letting us know what you and the club have worked out for us, Breech. We are both happy to get away from the clubhouse for a while. Don’t get me wrong, you guys have been great, but Dukes is right; Jiji and I need our own space and you’ll need to be able to do your thing without an audience,” I said.

  Breech shrugged, “No biggie, Tish, you’re always welcome here.” Looking at Jiji, he said meaningfully, “She’s talking about club business, not fucking the club girls.”

  She huffed, “I don’t care who you fuck. It’s none of my business anyway.”

  He took her chin in his palm. “Liar,” he said.

  She shook him off, saying, “You’d like me to think so, wouldn’t you, Breech? But saying isn’t doing,” she said, and walked out the door.

  Breech looked at us, started to say something, then shook his head and walked out behind Jiji.

  Jameson took my hand, tugging me towards the door. “Babe, it’s gonna work out, don’t worry. Me and the boys are on your six. Nothing is going to happen, either here or at the house.” I squeezed him, letting him know I heard as I followed him out the door.

  Outside, I unlocked the driver’s side of my little Chevy, sliding in behind the wheel.

  Jameson bent down, his arm braced on the roof. “Breech and I will be on our bikes—just follow us, babe.” He skimmed his lips over mine, tapped the roof with his fist, and then slammed the door.

  Jiji had gotten in on the other side and was watching the play-by-play between us. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  I let my hair swing forward to cover my face, helping to hide the heat in my cheeks. “Yeah, I am,” I replied.

  She squealed, rushing at me and hugging me tightly. “I am so happy for you Tish, but I’m happier for me. You could actually be my sister if this works out.” A tear trailed down her face, but she brushed it away. “These are not sad tears, Tish, they are happy ones. I’m just wishing Mom could have been here to see you two fall in love. Okay, enough sappy shit, let’s roll—I wanna see this house.” Turning on the radio, she found a country station and started bouncing to the beat, singing along to Sam Hunt.

  “Oh shit,” she said, stopping the song midsentence. “I hope I remembered the laptop Breech gave me.” She turned, scrambling over the seat while I backed out of the parking lot. I waved to Murph at the gate as we drove through, following the guys on their bikes.

  Jiji was going through her bag when her head disappeared from sight. “Girl, what the hell are you doing?” She popped bac
k up again, clutching my old cell. “I thought you ditched that phone,” I said.

  “Crap, I thought I did too, but we were in such bad shape I must have dropped it and it slid under the seat.” She climbed back into the front with me, swiping at the screen. It was dead, of course, having been laying there since we got to the compound. Not sure what to do, she plugged it in to juice it but didn’t turn it on.

  About fifteen minutes later, we stopped in front of this cute little house on 3rd Street. The guys pulled into the driveway, leaving room for me to park. Jiji rolled down the window, motioning Jameson over to the car. She unplugged and gave him my old cell. “I thought I threw both of them away when we left home, but I just found it under the seat on the way here. I didn’t turn it on but I plugged it in for juice while we drove. It’s Tish’s old phone.”

  Jameson passed it to Breech then walked us up to the front door, where he took a key out to let us in. “What’s the unlock code for the phone, Tish?” Breech called to me.

  “112012,” I replied.

  The front door led into a cute living room with a couch and loveseat combo, in front of which was a circular coffee table with a bowl of colorful marbles and pretty rocks on top. Beyond the living room was a small kitchenette with a four-seater high-top table with chairs that looked out over a deck in the backyard. The galley kitchen had all-new appliances that were spotlessly clean.

  To the right of the living room was a short hallway with three doors opening off it. Two were bedrooms, and between them was a Jack and Jill bathroom. I loved the house. It was light and airy.

  I turned to Jameson, who had followed me down the hallway. The look in his eyes turned the air sultry. My body heated up; instantly I got wet.

  He backed me into one of the bedrooms, fisting my hair. Looking down at me, he said, “I can’t get enough of you, babe. One time in that sweet little pussy and I’m addicted.” He pressed his hips against mine; I could feel the hard outline of his cock riding my belly. “You better get a bed in here soon or I’ll be fuckin’ you against this wall,” he growled into my mouth as he kissed me hard.

  He began pulling my T-shirt out of my shorts. “Ride a cowboy, babe, really? You’ll be riding my cock soon enough, but I ain’t no cowboy.” He kneaded my breast through my bra before pulling the cup down to pinch my nipple. I arched into him, pressing my throbbing flesh further into his palm. He unzipped my shorts, sliding inside and pushing my panties away so he could glide his fingers into my pussy.

  He could feel my wetness, knew I was more than ready. As I arched my back, he slid a thick finger into my heat. After a few hard thrusts, he added a second finger, rubbing my clit with his thumb. Grinding my pussy against his fingers, I latched on to his tongue in my mouth, sucking in rhythm with his questing fingers.

  My core clenched down on his digits, my climax steadily building. I knew I was going to come, my body straining to reach the peak.

  He released my mouth, pulling my head back by my hair so he could look me in the eyes. “Come for me, babe.”

  The stimulation of my clit combined with the pace of his thrusts had me riding those thick digits, writhing and wanting more than he was giving, needing his hard cock—not just his fingers.

  He pinched my nipple and my clit at the same time; I screamed as I crested the wave. He caught the sound in his mouth with a drugging kiss.

  My legs sagged; I would have fallen had he not been holding me up. He withdrew his hand from my pussy, bringing his fingers to his mouth and sucking them clean. “You are so beautiful when you come, Tish.”

  I watched, mesmerized, through heavy-lidded eyes. Dazed by the intensity of my orgasm, I shuddered in his arms, not wanting to come down from my high.

  “Shit, Fighter,” I heard from behind him.

  Peeking over his shoulder, I saw Breech standing in the doorway. Jameson yanked my shirt down, standing in front of me while I fixed my shorts.

  “WHAT?!” he yelled.

  Breech came further into the room, holding out my cell. “I’m really fucking sorry to interrupt, Fighter, but you gotta hear this, man.” His thumb moved as he passed Jameson the phone.

  Then, Aden’s voice came out of the speaker.

  “I will find you, you fucking cunt! Don’t think you can hide from me; I know you went looking for Jameson, but he can’t save your sorry ass. When I come for you, I will finish what I started. This time you won’t get away; you will take all the pain I can dish out—count on it. You’ll pay for stabbing me too, you fuckin’ slut—oh, and that little bitch with you will be next.”

  I was shaking in Jameson’s arms again, only this time for a different reason, as the message clicked off. Silent tears fell at the filth spewing from my phone.

  Jameson gave the phone back to Breech, motioned for him to leave. He soothed gently, “Shh…”

  Lifting my chin, he wiped the tears from my face. “I swear to God, babe, he will never touch you again.” I cried harder, fisting his shirt, hanging on to his strength. “Shh, babe,” he cooed, rocking me back and forth.

  It took a couple of minutes before I calmed, then, pushing free of his arms, I blew out a wobbly breath. Turning to the mirror on the dresser, I combed my fingers through my hair, piling it on top of my head in a messy bun. That small act helped to settle my nerves.

  I stiffened my spine. That asshole wasn’t going to get in my head. Jameson said he had me, and I believed him, so I told him so. “I believe you, Jameson.” Lacing our fingers together, we left the bedroom.

  Back in the living room, a tearful Jiji embraced me; she heard the message when Breech first found it. We held each other for a bit, soothing each other’s nerves, then broke apart when Breech came in the front door, thumbing his phone closed and giving a chin lift to Jameson.

  “Dukes wants us back at the club; Murph and Gears will be here with the girls. Dolly said the bedframes and mattresses are supposed to be delivered today.”

  Jameson walked over to me. “Babe, you stay with one of the boys or Jiji at all times,” he said before he kissed me softly then released me. “Let’s not go borrowing trouble ‘til we have something solid. Don’t assume anything ‘til we check it out, you hear? The prospects will be dogging you, so you won’t be alone, okay?”

  Holding my head high, I replied, “I believe that you got me, babe, and that’s what I’m going to hang on to! He won’t be making me run and hide like a scared little rabbit. Let him bring it, because I believe in you and the Devil’s Wind to protect us. Jiji and I have nothing to fear as long as you have our backs.”

  Jiji came to stand beside me, winding her arm around my waist. She looked at me, then her brother and Breech. “Ditto,” she said.

  We could hear the bikes start up and the sound fade. Squeezing Jiji, we separated and went to work on setting up a home for the two of us.

  Fifteen

  Fuckin’ pissed didn’t cover it.

  That slime had waved a red flag in front of my face, taunting me. I put my helmet on. Turning the key, my bike roared to life. I used the ride back to the club to cool off and gain some perspective; I couldn’t go off half-cocked on this one.

  The girls were too important to make mistakes.

  Parking in the lot, we dismounted, walking towards the porch and the front entrance.

  Looked like Breech had some time to think as well. “Is Jiji always so mouthy?” he asked.

  I stopped, facing him. “Sorry, man. She’s not trying to backtalk you, she just doesn’t know.”

  “Hold on, Fighter, I didn’t say I didn’t like the fire. I’m having fun stoking the flames.”

  Reaching into my cut for my smokes, I lit up and took a deep drag. “She’s my little sister, Breech.”

  He lit his own cigarette, blowing out the smoke as he replied, “She’s not a kid, Fighter; she’s a beautiful woman.
There’s something there, man. She knows it, I know it, and I want you to know that I’m rolling with it.”

  “Thanks for being up front with me brother, but I will kick your fucking ass if you hurt that girl.”

  Slapping me on the back he said, “I would expect no less, Fighter, no less.”

  He dropped his cigarette to the ground, grinding it under his heel. I flicked mine away, watching the fiery arc as it landed a few feet away before following him into the clubhouse.

  Dukes was just going into the meeting room, so we headed that way, following him inside. Sonny was already there, working on his laptop. I went to the coffee pot and poured a cup, holding it as a signal to see if Breech wanted one. He shook his head. I brought my cup back to my chair, dropping down into it.

  Dukes grunted. “Time to fill me in, boys; let’s hear it.” Breech pulled out Tish’s phone, hit a few buttons to replay the message. Dukes lips tightened, but he didn’t say anything ‘til it was over. Dragging out his pack, he lit a smoke. Leaning back in his chair, he said, “Sonny, we gotta find out what this fucker knows, what his angle is. Fighter, my gut is telling me he was just blowing smoke to make your mom toe the line.”

  “I was never home long enough to have more than a couple-word conversation with him. I didn’t like the fucker and he didn’t like me. We tolerated each other and basically stayed as far apart during those visits as we could. I have to agree, Dukes. I think he made the whole thing up to keep Mom from contacting me. I would never have told him anything about the brothers, even less about the club. He was bullshitting to get them to toe the line.

  “I have made a decision, though: I’m going to take Tish and Jiji to the Firing Line and have Opry hook them up with some weapons. By the grace of God, they got out of a bad situation, and I would feel better if they both had a way to defend themselves, should the worst happen and they wind up alone.”

  Breech cut in, “I can teach them some self-defense moves too.”