Know Your Place (Knights Disciples Motorcycle Club Book 2)

by Sophia Hampton

Will smiled. "We are hoping they will work things out. Don't want one of our own going to jail while we are having fun."

  "Looks like someone is going to the hospital. From the sound of it, they're killing each other. I don't like it," she said.

  Will brushed the hair from her face. "Let's go take a walk. Let's go have a beer and some munchies. We can do fancy dining next time. These guys will be out any minute."

  "I wish you would take this more seriously," Laura said with frustration.

  "It's Darren's date. She was seeing a guy for a while and decided it was so serious that she couldn't spend the weekend with Darren. And I guess the guy came here looking for her. She put Darren in the middle of it. We told him to send them both home but he wants to spend the weekend with her."

  "Does he love her?" Laura asked her.

  "He loves to fuck her," Will responded. Ordinarily the graphic talk would have excited her but the meaning turned her off. She and Will had a scorching sex life and he did call her his girlfriend, but is that how he looked at things? Was his definition of her someone he liked to fuck?

  They walked down the sunny sidewalk towards the tavern when lights and sirens did, in fact, wail, cop cars slicing through the streets to the Knights’ Disciples’ house. Someone had called the cops.

  "Should we go back?" she asked.

  Still Will was casual. "No. Darren can handle it. There are plenty of witnesses. I think the less of us, the better."

  From afar, Laura watched as the police walked Darren, his date, and his rival to the outside of the house. She saw a smiling Darren shake hands with a policeman. His date was not smiling and the other man was definitely not happy. One of the Knights’ Disciples pulled his bike round and Darren’s weekend date climbed on back. The police escorted all safely away. Will had called it correctly. She looked up at him and saw that he had been watching her, watching the scene. He was grinning.

  "So did that turn out okay for you? Can we go get something to eat?" he asked.

  She was okay but she was still bothered by his words. "So what is Darren going to do now? Find someone else to fuck for the weekend?"

  Will raised his brow. "Hey," he said. "Where did that come from?"

  "Am I just someone you love to fuck? And how do you know Darren likes to have sex with her? Do you guys talk about your sex life?" she said, the emotion rising in her voice.

  Will towered over her, crowded her a bit and said with a scold in his voice, "I will answer all of those questions but let me give you a little coaching here. There is no need for you to create a thing just to raise an issue with me. All of those questions are valid and could easily discussed over a bottle of beer. You don't have to be defensive with me. If I say something that bothers you, say so. Don't stew in it." He kissed her on the forehead. "Okay?"

  Laura was sulking. It was so frustrating because once the mood set in she had a difficult time in just snapping out of it. And she couldn't help but think that he basically just changed the subject into lecturing her.

  But he took her hand firmly in his and led her the rest of that way to Big John's. A few of the Knights’ Disciples rode ahead of them and some walked behind them. Seems like it was going to be a house party at the tavern, which was complete with pool tables. The place was positively ancient inside. Laura could practically feel the ghosts. Will got them both a couple of bottles and took them to a remote corner. "Let's get our cards on the table. I will answer all of your questions and then we can mix with everyone, have some fun."

  "Will, you don't have to babysit me. I get the gist of what you are going to say. It's okay," she said.

  He took her by the shoulders firmly, his face grinning but he was serious, she could tell. "Laura Mills, you are not a baby. But you have a tendency to act like one. Now, I obviously said the wrong thing. I know this because I am gathering hints from the jabs and slights that you are making. I haven't figured it out exactly. No matter. I did promise to discuss it with you. Is that off the table?"

  Laura felt her face become long and stiff. "I think I am going to play a couple games of pool and cool off."

  He shook his head. "Do that.” He walked away from her towards the cluster of Knights’ Disciples.

  Laura took a healthy sip of her beer. She removed a cue from the wall and racked up the balls on a table. She loved shooting pool, though it had it had been a while. The nicest thing about it all was that she was playing by herself. She could run the table and blow off some steam.

  Will stood with his back to her, and seemed to have no problem having a good time. He certainly wasn't pissed. In fact, he had forgotten her completely. From what she gathered, he and other Knights’ Disciples were reliving the whole Darren drama. The other Knights had their girlfriends.

  A woman approached the cluster and joined in. Laura craned to see if she could tell whether the woman was a new friend or an old one. She didn't know how long they had a house in town, but it was apparently long enough to build friendly contacts. Everyone liked them. Laura burned as she saw the woman smile sweetly up at Will who seemed like the center of everything. Someone said something and the group roared. Even the bartender laughed. Laura looked at her table. She was bored with her game. She busily returned the cue to the wall and brushed the balls in their pockets. Her mood was officially foul. She did not want to be there. She killed the rest of her beer and tried to discretely order another from the bartender at the end of the bar away from the group.

  Will looked over shoulder at her. His eyes were smoky, dark. His demeanor changed quickly from the jovial life of the party to brooding, dominant and somber. It wasn't a look that said he was angry with her but one that was more like he wanted to spank her. Laura waited too long to turn away. She couldn't and his penetrating gaze was drawing her in. He crooked his finger at her and beckoned her to come to him. It had most definitely become a game and now they were toying with each other.

  She dragged her feet and moved slowly towards him. When she was within distance, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her, and drew her into him. She fit perfectly into the crook of his arm. Any social discomfort dissipated because she knew her place and he basically announced it. She was still feeling cranky but that part of it was gone.

  She had had that first beer pretty fast and was now on her second. The woman who had joined them gave her what she thought was a funny look. Laura widened her eyes and mutely asked if there was something she wanted. The woman looked away. Offended. Laura quipped, "Here we go again."

  "How's that?" Will asked her.

  "Just this feels a little bit of what Darren just went through with his date," she said quietly so that only the two of them could hear. The look on his face told her she might have gone a little too far.

  "How is that?" he dared her. His face was like lead.

  "Nothing," Laura said.

  "Laura, baby," he warned her, "I think we are officially having our first fight, do you hear me? Stop now. Stop. Am I clear?" Will said.

  "Sure," said Laura. "I'm sorry. I took it too far." She craned up to kiss him on the cheek. "We can talk later if you're up for it. I'm going to step outside on the deck and just get some air." She set what remained of her beer on the counter.

  He pulled her close to him and took her chin to kiss her. "Okay," he said softly. "I'll come find you in a bit."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Spending 24/7 with each other had taken its toll and it was a good idea to take as much a breather as they could. The deck was furnished with upholstered bench seats. It was difficult to resist, since she was outside all alone, to recline on one. She was not a drinker and she had exceeded her annual intake on an empty stomach. Plus she just wanted to tune out and dream of the day when life didn't have so much drama. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. A firm hand jostled her shoulder. It was dark on the deck except for a stream of weak gold lanterns. She assumed Will was coming to find her as promised but when she sat up and her eyes focused she realized she was face to fac
e with her brother Lucas. There was no trace of love that she had raised him with in his eyes.

  “Get up, little sister,” he said. When he stood up straight, Lucas was a beanstalk that pierced the sky. He was nearly half her age but he was a half a foot taller. Though she was smaller than he was in stature, he was mocking her. “Act casually and quietly,” he ordered her. “Make a scene and I will finish you right here.”

  Laura could hardly move she was so stunned. He had just threatened her life. As she made her way down the shadowy stairs that lead to the beach, she saw another figure crouching by a deck beam. It was another Marauder. “Who is this?” he asked.

  “It’s my sister,” Lucas replied without emotion.

  “How did you find me here?” Laura asked, her voice crumpling with fear.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Lucas said, giving her a shove.

  “I thought you said you could get the dude who punched our guy. The Sergeant at Arms or whatever you called him. That’s what we came down her for. You have to do it. No more stalling. You have to earn your wings man. We have waited for this long enough,” said the other Marauder.

  Lucas tensed up. “How is it my fault they took a vacation? You’re the one who got us busted for the car shit.”

  The other marauder pressed a gun to Lucas’s face. “I should off all of you. But you are lucky we are supposed to both come back.”

  “Relax. I took her. He will come to us,” said Lucas.

  The other marauder said, “Let’s do this.”

  “Let’s.”

  Everyone whipped around to see Will Shriner standing like a giant wave behind them. “You boys have ID? I think you have to be twenty-one to go to this joint.”

  Lucas and the other Marauder cackled and slapped each other with high-fives. Lucas whistled and about ten more Marauder gang members appeared. Will looked straight at Laura. He had a funny look on his face and she didn’t know if it was one of fear or sport. He shrugged and sent a roundhouse kick to Lucas, breaking his hold on Laura.

  Laura scrambled up the stairs, but only made it so far. Another Marauder lunged for her before she could get back to the tavern.

  The racket of skirmish was familiar to the people inside the bar enough for them to know something was going on out on the beach. A mass of Knights’ Disciples filed out onto the deck. They leapt over Laura, clearing the flight of stairs and landing directly onto the Marauders. But, somehow, a gang member scurried away with Laura, weaving underneath the pilings of the deck away.

  It was the first man who had been with Lucas, who also had to prove himself to the Marauders for having gotten arrested for the car theft. He gripped her hair, dragging her by the head out and into a huge thicket of sea grass on the beach. The ocean waves crashed and roared as the guys tussled outside the bar.

  The Marauder started to talk to her. “You’re kind of cute, you know. I am going to enjoy this,” he said, before he pushed her into the sand surrounded by grass.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  As she slid down, grasping at the strands of grass poking out of the ground, she realized they were super sharp. Her fingers were bleeding. She waited until her attacked got close enough before she directed a clump of grass strands at him pricking him in the face. She had hoped to get him in the eyes. But she was out of luck. She had only made him mad. She took another shot, this time tossing sand into his face and that time she was a success. She temporarily blinded him. She tried to run away but she was disoriented and the terrain was rockier than she thought. She stumbled.

  The Marauder had her again. This time he punched her on the back of the thighs as he dragged her. He ripped her clothes. He pressed her deep into the sand, which was scratching and chafing her. The Marauder flung apart her thighs, causing her muscles to pull. The pain was excruciating. Just as he was about to enter her, he was kicked aside. Laura curled up in a ball to conceal herself as a shadowy figure beat her would-be rapist to a pulp. She rolled down a little hill away from the scene and saw from the corner of her eyes. Lucas. Lucas was fending off the man who would hurt her. He was fighting for her against a fellow gang member.

  Laura struggled to her feet, pulling together the shreds of her garments. Will ran to them as fast as she had ever seen anyone run. Though Lucas was getting the better of the Marauder, the opponent was able to find a weapon on Lucas and lift it from him. A knife. The Marauder popped the switchblade and began to laugh.

  “I don’t care how many of them there are. I throw this and my target is dead. Who will it be? You, Luke?” he looked at Lucas. “They find out you turned on me, you will be begging for death.”

  The thud of Knights’ Disciples charging them on the beach distracted the attacker. Lucas swept his feet out from under him and the knife flipped up and stabbed the Marauder. He was not dead immediately. The knife released a fountain of blood. The downed man screamed with pain. For the second time that night, police sirens filled the air. In the distance around the tavern, lights swirled on top of Paddy Wagons as Marauders were being loaded up to be taken away. Laura would later learn that only the gang members were arrested as the owner of the bar said that the Knights’ Disciples were defending the place. A few ambulances were dispatched to pick up the wounded. Will took off his vest and slipped it on Lucas so that when the three of them made their way to Big John’s, Lucas wouldn’t be arrested.

  When the cops pulled out and Lucas was still standing, he started to say thanks, but Will cut him off. “Take off that vest,” he said angrily. Laura had never heard him talk that way before. “I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with you. Don’t feel like I spared you for any other reason than so they wouldn’t kill you. I did it for your sister,” he railed.

  “I understand,” said Lucas.

  Laura sobbed softly, still clutching her clothing as the Knights’ Disciples patted her brother down. They pulled even more weapons from him. One of the Knights’ Disciples was carrying handcuffs and braced Lucas’s hands together. They crowded around him so it wouldn’t be obvious that they were escorting a handcuffed man back to their house. The owner of Big John’s, Big John – a former professional football player, worked with Will as they both helped Laura into the bar to the manager’s quarters. The place had actual rooms above the bar and they took her there so Will could have a better look at her. The owner left them in private and said he would keep watch if any more mayhem was about. Laura could hear the hum of bikes fill air. Affiliate clubs had already received word and were there on duty to protect against any more gang activity. They were safe for now.

  Though the colonial-aged tavern was modernized, the light seemed thin and weak. Laura was half in and out of reality as Will traced his fingers over her body. He made her follow his finger with her eye. He checked her pupils. “Did you jostle your head at all? I see the mark on the back of your body. How about your face or head? Did he hit you?”

  “No I don’t think so,” she said flatly. She couldn’t manage to care about anything, but she was aware that some part of her was glad he was there. She said something. She could hear herself speak but she felt no connection to her words. “Is Lucas okay?”

  Will shook his head. “You are a mother cub through and through. He is fine and he is safe.”

  “He saved my life,” she said. “In the end, he saved me.”

  Will was very grave. “Yes he did, Laura.”

  The next few days, a wicked storm blew into Charleston. There were warnings for people to move inland but Will thought they were fine and the Knights’ Disciples thought the storm would make them safer now that the Marauders knew where they were and were probably looking to come get them. For now, their Baltimore homes were safe and they would be safest where they were.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Laura was scraped from her head to toe with sand rash. It was uncomfortable but Will had a remedy for it. He had her lay naked on a soft suede blanket atop the feather mattress. After he disinfected all the spots that were rubbed raw, he rubbed
her down with a massage oil that had an analgesic quality. He was able to take the pain away instantly. He pressed into her muscles deeply, releasing all of the stress and emotional pain, at least for the moment. His kneading stirred the flow of energy throughout her body and knocked her into a dream-like realm. She drifted as his work detoxed her body. She may have been sobbing – she didn’t know. As the storm raged around their seaside dwelling, Laura was purged. It felt amazing. He heightened her massage, mixing it up with varying techniques and she continued to transition. She went from zombie-like and feeling nothing to feeling healed. Will Shriner might have been the smartest, most talented person she knew.

  Laura rose up off the mattress after resting a moment. Will got up to fix them iced tea. He looked awfully tired, but she felt positively renewed. She accepted the tea from him with thanks, completely without thought to the fact that she was oiled and completely naked. Her only focus was on him. “Your turn,” she said and began to slip off his clothing. Will accepted.