The swishing of the swinging door brought Greta halfway out of her seat, ready to grab her bags and leave. Sometimes, she hated her mother. Seriously. Hated. Her. She was shoving the chair back with a screech when Tack, Trucker’s nephew, sauntered in.
Seeing her, he swept her into a bear hug. “Hey, how’s my favorite girl doin’?”
Swallowed up in his bulging arms, Greta dug her nails into his wide chest, unshed tears leaving her eyelids aflame. She sucked in a breath and the scent of leather and motor oil coiled in her nostrils. His warmth soothed her. She grabbed the man bun knotted at the crown of his head and shook it. “Just because you happen to be Trucker’s nephew, does not make you family. Now that your dad retired and made you president, you’re getting too big for your britches.”
His guffaw riffled through her hair. “My pops is Trucker’s brother and Trucker’s married to your moms so I’d say we are, little cousin.”
“Hmph. Don’t get fooled by a marriage certified by some two-bit clerk in a two-bit town.”
He tossed back his head with an unfettered laugh, and she trembled at the reminder of another man who laughed so freely. Holding her by the waist, Tack pulled out a chair and sat her down over his thighs. The long metal keychain hanging off his jeans chimed against the leg of the chair.
Patting his cut, she relented and asked, “How’s it going? How are you? How’s the shop?”
“It’s going. Can’t complain. Winter’s the slowest season, spring was better, and with summer comes more business. Shit’s lookin’ up, woman.”
“Mom told me there’s a new batch of old ladies. Were you behind that little development? I know how sneaky you are beneath all that biker gear you wear.”
“Nope, I ain’t that smart. But I will tell you that my men are happier. One went through a bad accident and he met his girl in a rehab center. Came back a whole new man with a bride in tow.”
Brushing back wisps of hair from her brow, he inquired, “How’s your man?”
“Meh.”
“Ya know, if you weren’t family, you’d have stolen my heart.” She laughed as she shoved him. He broke into another easy grin and went on, “Smiling looks good on you. You hate dirty bikers like me, so I’ve got no chance with you, Ms. Thang.”
Squeezing him tightly, she replied, “No, I don’t, Tack.”
“Sure, you do. I’m okay with it, little cousin, but it’s not good for you. Hatin’ on your own people.”
Her voice came out strangled, “I love you. I love the brothers. How could you doubt me?”
He pulled her against his chest and clucked, “Don’t worry, babe. You have your reasons. It’s too bad is all, ’cause love it or hate it, we’re family. We love you no matter what you do, and we don’t need you lovin’ us back. That ain’t how love works.”
Greta’s nose stung and began to run. Sniffling, she uttered, “I don’t hate you, Tack.”
Pain was tearing at her heart, ripping off pieces like a cannibal gnashing into thick slabs of flesh. Loving Cutter, leaving him, running to her mom, and then getting this undeserved love from a Green Mountain Boy was more than she could handle.
Rocking her, he reassured her, “Try your damnedest, but you don’t have that much hate in you. You’re hurting is all. My bets are on you, babe, because Scorpion couldn’t break you.”
She threw her hands up to hide her face and broke into sobs.
“Hush there, what happened to my strong girl?”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t stop crying. His body tensed under her. Pulling her hands away, he lifted her chin up until they were eye to eye. “He hurt you?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then why do you look like it’s the end of the world?”
“I fell for him, and he’s a biker!”
He eased her head back down and nestled it against his beating heart. “Yep…I know, that’s the end of the world to you.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cutter’s nose tickled from the dust motes spinning in the air as he sauntered into Prez’s old office. Although back from chemo and radiation, Prez was too tired most days to move off the couch in the main area. That was his new office. However, privacy was needed for the next step in his plan. Hey, if he couldn’t get his shit together with Greta, at least he could fix his club. Time to get to the bottom of the Loki situation. Figure out where his head was and lock him down. His gaze moved to Loki, who hung back against the wall like a caged wild animal.
Kingdom came in behind him, eyes hard and mouth tight.
As they took positions around the room, Prez locked the door and pocketed the key. No one was leaving until he said so. The tension in the room was as deafening as a jackhammer on a construction site. Prez sauntered behind the desk and, bending forward, placed his knuckles on the top of it. Cutter braced himself on the edge of Prez’s desk, crossed his legs at his ankles, and began, “The four of us will make or break this club. We care too damn much and worked too damn hard to let it go to hell. We want to know, where do you stand, Loki?”
“Worked too damn hard? Hell, since when have you worked for shit?” muttered Loki. Cutter ground down on his molars. He held his hands behind his back, gripping his left wrist, and argued, “I’m workin’ for it now.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got what it takes to bring this club together. Brothers aren’t gonna follow you just ’cause you want it to be so. Didn’t know you had ambitions, yo, but you’re not using me as a guinea pig to show Prez you’ve got what it takes.”
“I get that you’re defensive, but this meeting ain’t about me.” Cutter forced a smile and fought to contain his frustration and not curse Loki out.
“The fuck it isn’t. Don’t know where you get the right to drag me here. You want a kumbaya moment between me and Kingdom, but you don’t have what it takes to get anything serious done for the Squad.”
Cutter dropped his smile. Fuckin’ Loki, being a pain in his ass. Kingdom and Prez remained silent, curiosity gleaming in their eyes as they studied him.
“Fair enough. I haven’t worked hard for the club until recently.”
“Fuckin’ understatement of the year,” he rumbled.
“Give me a fuckin break, Loki.”
“There isn’t a break to give you. Prez is out, and we gotta drag our heads out of our asses. You wanna man up, but your track record is shit, unless you count the number of bitches you’ve tapped.”
Cutter clenched the wrist of his fist tightly behind his back. “I’m in this till I die. We’ll crash if we don’t strengthen our alliances, and I can’t abide by that.”
“You talk a good game, but you haven’t proven yourself.”
That was a fuckin’ lie. He’d committed himself to Greta, but he couldn’t bring that up to Loki.
“‘What ifs’ aren’t helping. The past is dead. Move the fuck on, ’cause I have. And the biggest barrier to our future is you, not me.” Loki bared his teeth. Christ, the brother was as prickly as Greta. “You and Kingdom, that is. I showed initiative setting up this meeting. What do you bring to the table?”
The question hung in the air, whirling above them like a buzzing drone. Sitting, Prez tapped a pen on his desk, and said, “Fair’s fucking fair, Loki. What do you have to say?”
“You questioning my loyalty?”
Prez clucked his tongue. “Stop shootin’ from the hip, son. You’re smarter than that.”
Loki took them in, one by one, his gaze sharp and suspicious. “I’m loyal.”
Cutter gave a snort. “If by loyal you mean you’re not squeezing Kingdom by the throat, then, yeah, it’s an improvement. But, you gotta do better.”
A growl boomed from Loki’s chest. Cutter harrumphed. Prez slashed his hand to shut him up. Locking in on Loki, he asked, “What’s gonna make this right?”
“Nothing can change the fact that Kingdom failed in his duty to protect Chopper.”
Kingdom hissed. Fuck, not this again. Loki was dragging
up the past by blaming Kingdom for Chopper’s suicide. It had taken Kingdom a year of hell, and falling for Sage, to dig himself out of guilt and grief.
“Chopper had PTSD. No one could’ve saved him,” stated Prez. “Thought the last fight you had with Kingdom settled that shit.”
“It squashed enough to breathe the same air as him,” clarified Loki.
“But not enough to show up for the Squad completely,” finished Cutter. “Christ, you say I don’t have what it takes, but look at you. Callin’ the kettle black, much? You’ve got to lance the boil of poison destroying you, brother. The Squad aside, you can’t continue like this.”
Mutiny weighed down the corners of Loki’s lips. “You think you can fuckin’ fix me with an exorcism?” he barked, eyes crackling like a blitz.
“It’s about Sage, too,” Kingdom stated. Loki shifted on the balls of his feet, like a kid about to piss his pants. Cutter’s head snapped up and he fixed an incredulous stare on Loki.
“Hot damn. Is it still about Sage?” Loki had hit on Sage a while back, but everyone assumed his reason was to get to Kingdom. What in the actual fuck? Was Loki legit jealous? Bitches, man, the bane of a man’s existence.
“Like hell it is,” Loki denied, vehemently. He reared back as if he was about to spring on Kingdom, when Prez, with surprising alacrity, stepped into his path and bumped chests with him.
“Settle down. It don’t mean you’re in love with Sage.”
“But, you were,” Cutter pushed. Prez gave him a scathing look, but he wasn’t gonna back down. “This shit has to be dealt with. He’ll continue to resent Kingdom, and it will destroy us.”
“I will resent him till my dying breath,” Loki confessed.
Cutter threw up his hands. “We’re at an impasse, then.” His gaze flicked to Prez. “Do we gotta choose between them?”
Loki made a move toward the door but Prez planted a hand on his chest. “No. Loki ain’t going anywhere. I wouldn’t have him here unless I believed in him. Loki, what do you say?”
Eyes lifting and locking on Kingdom, Loki said, “We have a long history, you and me. Last time we had it out, I gave you my word I wouldn’t hurt you or your woman, and I haven’t. I’m not a fuckin’ animal, for Christ’s sake.”
“True,” Kingdom confirmed.
Prez scrutinized them both, and then asked, “We good, then?”
Cutter waved his hand in front of Prez, as if he were blind. Normally he didn’t show any disrespect but there was no way a “we good” was satisfying enough. “No, we ain’t good.”
“For fuck’s sake,” snapped Prez. “Will you stop trying to wring blood out of a stone? Loki’s not going to change, and if he does, it sure won’t be because of us. What do you want, a group hug? Want us to swap tampons while we’re at it?”
“I’m not gonna let his envy come back to bite us in the ass,” Cutter fired back. He squinted at Loki, searching for a sign that he wasn’t on the up-and-up, but as usual, the bastard was stoic as fuck. “Kingdom, back me up on this.”
Kingdom scrubbed his chin. Loki stiffened further but maintained his gaze. They stared at each other in a way they hadn’t done in a long time. Finally, Kingdom said, “He belongs with us.”
Cutter spoke cautiously, “You sure? Because Prez kept the peace, but once you’re on top, there won’t be a buffer.”
“You said you could handle anything, Peacemaker,” Loki said drolly. “Won’t you keep the peace between us?”
“Not funny,” Cutter snapped.
“Loki’s one of us,” Kingdom cut in. “He’s a man of his word and he hasn’t strayed once.”
Personally, he’d kill any man who touched Greta, but who was he to contradict Kingdom? The brother was no fool; he’d worked through every angle before making his final decision. Loki hadn’t been with a bitch since Chopper died. Lived like a monk, and Cutter didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
Prez grabbed Loki’s hand and placed it on top of Kingdom’s, holding them both in his large fist.
“This is a blood pact. The sacrificial blood being mine ’cause I ain’t long for this world. At least I’ll leave knowing I took care of the Squad’s future, but if you fuck up, I will rise from my grave, hunt you down, and kill you fuckers with my bare hands.” Grinning like a madman, he clapped them both on the shoulders and said convivially, “Let’s go. Time to get drunk.”
The men walked out. Halfway down the corridor, Loki slowed his step and seized Cutter’s arm, holding him back. “You’re gonna be vice president.”
“The hell I am,” Cutter sputtered.
“That’s my condition.”
Cutter bit back a slew of curses. Loki had the upper hand, and they both knew it. “Back there, didn’t sound like you had faith in my abilities. Why me?”
“’Cause, I said so. I’ll protect him with my life but I’m not babysitting his ass.”
“Babysitting him? He’s the most capable brother I know.”
“He’s not going to have time to fight every fight. I’ll keep him alive. Sage will keep him human. You keep him free to take care of the big picture.”
Cutter groaned. Just the thought of overseeing the nitty-gritty details of the club, day in and day-fucking-out, was a close second to having his fingernails yanked off one by one. “Changing your tune, huh? You want Sage to support Kingdom, but last year you were running her down.”
“I’m leaving her alone for the good of the club. We’ll be crushed with responsibilities and I’m not letting you off the hook, brother.”
“You’re a miserable cocksucker.”
“I don’t give two fucks what you think about me. You’re the one wanting us to play nice together, so it’s on you to ensure it sticks.”
Cutter’s hands flew up and shoved Loki against the wall of the corridor. Hearing a loud thud, Prez and Kingdom glanced over their shoulders.
“Playing nice, boys?” asked Kingdom with a smirk.
“Fuckin’ hell,” he gritted through his teeth. Loki straightened up, swept Cutter’s hands off his cut and flashed his teeth. “No backsliding or slacking. Otherwise, I’ll gut him myself.”
The glint in his eyes revealed how much he was enjoying himself. Making a point in that asshole way of his. Cutter would figure out a way to get out of it. Loki’s smug expression set his teeth on edge.
“Message received, you extorting motherfucker,” he snapped, “but don’t make a habit of threatening me.”
“Don’t make me have to,” Loki shot back.
Loki bumped his shoulder as he moved past him. Cutter’s hands twitched at his sides, itching to handle a leash. Greta’s leash to be exact. He could almost feel the smooth leather in the palm of his hand, almost hear the clink clink clink of the swinging chain. A shot of yearning struck his solar plexus. If he had Greta, he’d be speed-dialing her. Ordering her to go home, strip, and play with herself until her cunt was primed and ready for him. Torturing her clit for hours would’ve been a perfect outlet. He’d take his teeth to it and bring her to the edge of climax a dozen times before pushing her over.
Eyeing the erection straining against his jeans, he fell back on the wall, the sound of plaster cracking behind him. Of all the fucking days to miss her, this had to be the worst.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cutter swallowed the black and tan, the dark malt slid down his throat with smooth thickness. He lightly squeezed Angie’s hip. A faint whistle called to him, from behind the bar. Semi, who was tending bar, slanted his head toward the clubhouse door, and Cutter swiveled around to get a better view. His fingers stiffened around his frosted pint glass.
Greta stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes shadowed. Her defiant stance both challenged and aroused him in turn. A faint smile played on his lips. She was upset because he was with another woman. Fuck yeah, she deserved it.
Angie had noticed Greta but didn’t question him. Didn’t even sneak a peek his way, unlike the woman who was casting him the evil eye from across the
room. He nudged Angie off his lap, and took his sweet old time sauntering over to her. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck from side to side.
Easy. Cool. Control.
He clicked into dominant mode. Outwardly, he was cool, but inside, his nerves crackled like a wildfire. As he got closer to her, he sucked in a quick breath. She was stunning. Her damp raven locks were tousled from the wet wind outside. Her pupils were dilated, dancing with emerald flames. Her lips were moist and red, as if she’d just bitten them. And the sweet scent wafting off her…Christ fucking hell. Fucking mouthwatering memories of going down on her pelted him like hail.
As she clutched her arms, the sleeves of her raincoat fell and revealed the oxblood leather bracelet with buckles that he’d given her. She wasn’t aware, but that choice signaled that she was his. Fuck, his dick was blowing up in his jeans.
Leaning against the door jamb in a lazy pose, he inquired, “Whatup?”
Her mulish expression didn’t change, although the pulse along her delicate neck buzzed away like a coil tattoo machine. As sexy as she was, she was trippin’ if she thought she could show up whenever she felt like it, just to give him grief. Arrest or not, he’d trusted her, and she’d failed him.
“What’s up?” she ground out. “You’re asking me what’s up? You haven’t responded to my texts and I come here to find a bitch on your lap.”
Sure, he’d gotten the texts, the ones about having a talk. His answer to that was a silent hell motherfucking no. She ran out on him, torqueing his heart and grinding it into the dirt. Pulling a cigarette from behind his ear, he tapped it against the heel of his palm. A cocky smile appeared on his lips, and he ruefully shook his head.
“You’re smiling. You think this is funny?”
His smirk vanished. “Watch the salt in your tone.”
“I came here alone, and believe me that wasn’t easy, because I was terrified that something happened to you. Look, Cutter, I got spooked and needed time to work through my feelings. See,” she poked him in the chest, “this is the reason we broke up.”
Cutter's Claim: A Bad Boy Biker Romance (The Demon Squad MC Book 2) Page 17
