by Jordan Marie
“We’ll figure this out. I promise we will,” I’m saying it, but even I’m not sure I mean it. I need to tell Dragon, but I won’t betray Dani. She’s had enough of that in her life. If I betray her, she’ll completely withdraw. I’ll lose her forever.
I feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place here. I really don’t know what to do. So, for now, I hold Dani close and let her shed more tears over a monster who doesn’t deserve them. The only thing he deserves is death.
3
Dragon
I’m going to be a fucking married man in two weeks. How is that shit possible? How did I get here? When I look back on the wild ride that Nicole and I have shared, I can barely believe it. I look over at her and Dani. They’re huddled up in the corner, thick as thieves. Normally, this would make me worry—especially with Dani involved, but I figure it is okay for now. Probably more damn wedding talk. I never knew women could go off the deep end over this shit. Damn woman had me sitting for two fucking hours picking out a cake, which seems ridiculous since she ended up picking chocolate. I mean hell, why did I try a thousand other flavors I had no idea existed, just to end up on chocolate?
“That looks like trouble,” Crush says sitting down beside me and angling his chair so he can watch Nicole and Dani’s huddle.
“Probably making sure they have the right damn shade of pink for napkins,” I say, only half joking.
“Fuck me, pink? Prez man, it’s bad enough you’re asking us to put on monkey suits, I’ll be damned if I will sit at a table surrounded by pink frilly shit.”
“I was thinking of making sure your new cut was pink,” I respond, taking a swig of beer.
Crusher throws up his middle finger after choking on his beer, and I can’t help but grin. I smile a lot more these days.
“Heard from Dance?” Crush asks, his eyes still glued to the women.
“Yeah, he and Red will be back in town this weekend. They’re staying with Mary for a few more days.”
“He seems better.”
“Yeah, having Red in his corner seems to have helped.”
“It’s tearing Bull up, brother.”
“He’ll be alright.”
“Maybe, but he’s pretty messed up over Carrie.”
“Jesus, Crush. When did you become such a meddling busybody?”
“Fuck you, just making observations.”
“Yeah, well, I’m making some of my own.”
Crush turns and looks at me; it’s the first time since he sat down here, that I have his attention.
“What’s that?” he asks taking another drink of his beer. He tries to appear at ease, but his body is tight, and I can tell he’s tense as hell.
“Don’t go there. Crush, that woman is nothing but trouble, bro.” It’s honest advice, I don’t figure he’ll take it, but I’m going to give it. You’d have to be a fucking moron not to notice the way he’s panting after Nic’s girl.
“Have no idea what you are talking about, Drag.”
“Like hell. You want to stick your dick in Dani, but fuck man. A woman like that? You get your dick in her, it might feel good for a minute or two, but definitely not worth the shit-storm that will follow.”
“I’m thinking I could make it feel a lot better than just good and definitely longer than a minute or two.”
“Whatever man. With a woman like that you’re liable to draw back a stub. That woman has issues.”
“What woman doesn’t?” he asks, and I can’t help but follow Crush’s lead and look over at the women still huddled in deep discussion.
“Nic, she gives me calm not drama. That’s the kind of woman you need, brother.”
“They don’t look calm right now,” Crush says.
“As long as Nicole’s drama is over what fucking shade of white the cake frosting should be? I’m cool,” I respond.
“There are shades of white?”
“Who the fuck knew, right? I swear this whole wedding thing may be the death of me.”
I sit there in silence for a little while, my eyes still watching my woman. I glance at Crush and notice he is doing much the same with Dani. This doesn’t exactly fill me with warm, fuzzy feelings. Nic hasn’t shared a lot about Dani, other than to stress how important she is to her. I was pissed as hell after the bitch put Nic in danger—hell she put herself in danger as well. Still, Nic told me Dani had a life I didn’t know anything about, that had left some deep scars. I know all about trying to survive a past that scarred you. Fuck, every member of the Savage Brothers does. So, I promised as long as the bitch didn’t cause more problems, I’d be cool. I mean it, but if Crush starts something up with her and she fucks with my brother’s head…
I trail off in my thoughts as I notice Torch coming in from the back office. Torch is a new face around here. Striker and Gunner decided to re-up with Uncle Sam. It wasn’t a big surprise, both men have wanderlust in them. I personally think they’d make better nomads than patched in members. The lure of the open road always called to them more than the rest of us. So, we slowly moved Hawk up the ranks more and patched in Frog. Nailer and Six are still prospects, though we are going to have to remedy that soon. Both men have proven their loyalty to the club in spades, especially during everything with Dancer. Still, the mess with Dancer and how an enemy managed to catch us with our pants down, pisses me the hell off. I don’t care if the man did have the power to disappear for months on end without a trace. It doesn’t matter if he had a degree in electronics and connections in the underground. I will not fucking let my men be caught unaware again. So, I did something I thought I would never do. I talked to Skull about it.
Skull and I have shit in common, even if I don’t want to admit it. Plus, being a President of a MC is not a fucking walk in the park. You carry a heavy weight on your shoulders. You make decisions that mean life and death to men and women you care about—your family. So, despite the motherfucker’s preoccupation with my woman, he and I have struck up a strange kind of truce.
Torch isn’t a member of the Savage crew. He’s actually a patched in member of Skull’s crew. He is a fucking genius at making state of the art security systems. It helped that he and Freak seemed to just immediately gel. So, I asked him to come in and help beef up our defenses. I can handle a lot of shit. I have no problem when it comes to guns, ammo, and man power. Yet, this new age shit, and the computers and high tech gadgetry are beyond me. Savage MC is a club that needs all its bases covered. I will not allow one more fucking person to take me or my men by the balls.
It’s essential that I make a statement. I need to be sure I have men around me that understand that and are willing to make some big ass moves towards becoming the major power, not only in my town, but in the state. So, with the alliance between Savage MC and Devil’s Blaze solid, Torch, Gavel, and some hulk called Beast have all become regular fixtures at my damn club. Sadly, even Skull is here more often than not—which is okay as long as he doesn’t speak to my woman.
“Yo! Dragon. We got problems, man. Freak and I need to see you in the back.”
My easy going mood vanishes immediately. Damn it, we’ve barely recovered from the drama with Dance and motherfucking Francis. I need quiet. I do not need more fucking drama. I get up and walk towards Torch, making note that Crusher falls in step behind me with a muttered curse.
I find myself hoping my day isn’t about to be shot all to hell.
4
Nicole
Fear grabs me when I hear Torch’s words. Has Michael done something else? I see the color bleed out of Dani’s face, and I know she fears the same thing. I grab hold of her hand and try to reassure her. Dani comes off all badass and attitude, but she’s very delicate since Michael. He changed her. If I have enjoyed anything about the heartbreaking journey she’s taken over the last few years, it has been watching her stretch her wings again. I might not agree with the things she does and the choices she makes, but I know she makes them because she needs to prove she doesn’t answer to anyone. In
some small way, it helped her gain independence. You had to see how broken and empty she was at one point to clearly understand.
“You bitches about ready to head out?” Lips asks, as her and Nikki walk over. We are so deep in thought over Michael, neither of us notice them. Both of us jump in reaction. Luckily, neither woman seems to notice it—or at least they don’t bring it up.
“Go?” I ask, and I know my voice is squeaky and strained.
“Yeah bitch, it’s our last fitting? Those damn pink dresses you’re making us squeeze our asses into?” Nikki complains.
Oh shit, I completely forgot about it.
“Yeah, give me a minute to tell Dragon bye, and we’ll head out.” I try to smile reassuringly at Dani and walk down the hall to Dragon’s office.
I don’t knock on the door immediately, I stand outside and try to listen. Is that not messed up? Trying to listen to what my man is saying? I hate the feeling it gives me. I hate Michael all over again. I thought we were done with him. What kind of mad man doesn’t give up after years… hell, almost five fucking years? Oh yeah, a lunatic, that’s who!
I can’t hear a damn thing through the heavy door. My hand goes to the doorknob. What would happen if I open it slightly, just to hear? Would Dragon notice? I start to do it, when the door opens and Dragon is standing in front of me. My heart beats in triple time. Does he know what I’m thinking? Does he know what is happening?
“Nicole? What’s going on, Mama?”
Fear, intense and real, and I haven’t even done anything yet! Still, that’s the feeling that swamps me. I try to swallow it down.
“I…I wanted to say goodbye to you. We’re headed out to the fitting.” Does he notice how I’m not looking him in the eye? I can’t do this. I’m going to talk to Dani. I can’t keep things from Dragon. Besides, Michael is dangerous. Dragon needs to know, to be prepared.
His finger reaches under my chin and pulls my face up so that our eyes meet.
“You okay, Mama? Camera showed you were out here for a while. You’re not sick, are you? Do you need me?”
“I…I’m good,” I say swallowing down the guilt, as I take in the concern on his face. “I love you, Dragon.”
He smiles, and like always, his smile and the way it makes those deep brown eyes of his light up, warms me. God, this man is beautiful.
“What do you say I make you late for your fitting?” he asks, his fingers gently stroking the side of my face.
“How late?” I whisper, not really caring.
He grabs the cheeks of my ass and pulls me up on his body. Because of my pregnancy, it takes some work, but I semi-wrap my legs around him and lock my arms around his neck. I bury my face into the side of his neck and just breathe him in. Dragon is home. The only home I’ve ever known or wanted.
“We’ll send your girls on, and they can do it without you.”
It’s so tempting, and I really want to, but I feel guilty. I should stick close to Dani. Dragon’s kissing along the side of my neck. He bites the lobe of my ear, flicks his tongue over it, and I lose focus. We walk back through the front room of the club. The club members instantly start their hollering and ribbing. You would think they would get accustomed to Dragon and me by now. I can’t even count how many times he’s run people out of the room so he could bend me over the bar. Apparently, today, he’d rather take me back to our room. I’m totally okay with that.
“Woman! We’re going to be late!” I hear Lips yell in the background.
“I need you riding my cock, Mama. I can’t wait to feel that greedy pussy of yours sinking down on me,” Dragon whispers in my ear to distract me. I love that my man has such a filthy mouth. Sometimes, I think I can come from his words alone.
“Give me ten minutes!” I holler back in the direction of my girls. I’m wishing my stomach was just a little smaller, because I can’t bend down and torture his nipples like I want. I miss the days when I was more flexible, especially when it comes to our lovemaking.
Dragon’s hands bite into the cheeks of my ass.
“Fuck, Mama, I’m going to need more than ten minutes.”
“Make that thirty minutes,” I call back and somehow, I can hear Dragon’s soft laugh over the hard beating of my heart and the yelling by the club members.
“Mama, thirty minutes will barely get us started.”
I smile against his throat and then lean to whisper in his ear. “I think you can do it if you try really hard.”
“I get much harder and you won’t be able to walk when we’re done.”
“Promises, promises.”
“Nicole, you’re always busting my ass,” he says, laughing as we cross the threshold to our room; he uses his body and foot to close the door to our room.
He lays me on the bed, and for just this one minute, I forget all about Dani and the problems coming our way. I just enjoy being with my man—my soon-to-be-husband.
“Have I told you today how much I love you, Dragon?”
He stands over me, his eyes on mine, and I know in that moment, there has never been a time when I have loved him more.
“Are you okay, Mama?” he asks.
“When I’m with you, I’m perfect,” I answer truthfully.
“This pregnancy is making my woman emotional,” he says, using his thumb to wipe away a tear that falls from my eye.
I can’t help the tears. I should be telling Dragon everything that’s going on, and I really shouldn’t be hiding things from him. I really shouldn’t be spying on him. If he knew, it would hurt him…destroy him. Just the thought brings another tear. I’ll tell Dani this evening. I have to let Dragon know, I can’t keep secrets from him.
“Make love to me, Dragon,” I beg, needing his touch to wipe the rest of the world away—at least for now.
5
Dragon
I watch as my woman piles into the SUV that Crusher is driving. She’s riding in the back with Dani and Nikki. Lips is riding up front. Something is off, and I’m not sure what it is. It’s weighing my woman down heavily, and I don’t like it. I couldn’t get her to talk to me about it, but I haven’t given up; I’ll get it out of her eventually. It’s probably just wedding stuff. Lord knows it’s stressing me out, and I don’t even give a fuck about it. Hell, long as my ring ends up on Nicole’s finger, I’m good.
“Yo! Boss, we got that information you asked for,” Torch calls, claiming my attention. With one last glance at my woman, I turn around.
I have this damn feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can’t explain what it is, but it feels like I’m a bundle of nerves and my skin is crawling, like I’m being watched. It’s instinct. A skill honed in blood and death when I served overseas. It’s never let me down, so I know there is shit about to hit the fan. It fucking pisses me off. Ever since Irish’s betrayal, it’s been one thing after another—like the motherfucker put a damned curse on the club. It’s made worse, because I miss the fucking traitor. Every-fucking-day, I miss him. What kind of screwed up shit is that? I’ve never admitted that to anyone, not even Nicole. What man leads others and misses a traitor, like he was still a brother? It wars in my brain. There are days I want to shed tears for the fucker. His screams haunt me, and then there are other days I want him back here, so I can fucking kill him again.
I look around at the sour faces in my office, and hell, I know my day is only going to get worse. Earlier, the boys had found footage of a stranger prowling around the outside of the fence surrounding the club. The man seemed to be taking pictures. He stayed in the shadows and used a zoom lens, so he never got close enough for us to get a good picture of him. I was hoping when Torch told me he had information for me, we had somehow managed to find out who the fucker was. From the look on the faces around me, I’m thinking that’s not happening.
“Spill it.”
Frog, Freak, Torch, and Hawk are sitting around the table and not a damned one of them looks happy. Again, I feel sadness. None of my brothers I bled and fought with are here. Bull is back
from the rehab, but he’s not the same. Hell, he’s not even here at the meeting. No one has seen him today. He leaves early and doesn’t get back until late in the night. When he is here, he talks to no one. I’m going to have to deal with it soon. I can’t allow it to get to the point it did with Dance…
“Well, one of you motherfuckers start talking. I got shit to do,” I growl, more because I can’t seem to shut my brain down these days.
“Yeah, like finding a monkey suit,” Freak returns.
“Screw you, I didn’t hear you telling Nikki no.”
“Woman sucked my dick like a Hoover, didn’t have the brains left to say no,” Freak jokes.
I slap him on the back of the head, not arguing, because that’s pretty much how Nicole gets her way.
“So, what the fuck is going on?”
“Someone was prowling around the Den last night. First, we thought it was just a drunk wandering around in the parking lot, but not many drunks in this area that we don’t know.”
“True.”
“Sure aren’t any drunks around here who wear expensive suits,” Freak adds, punching some buttons on his keyboard, and the screen zooms in on an older man, maybe in his late forties, with a suit and hat on. His steps are sure, not drunk at all, and everything about him screams that he is on alert. He keeps glancing over his back to see if he is being followed. His head is tucked close and aimed at an angle that’s next to impossible to get a good view of his face. Shit.
“Can you get a look at his face at all?” I ask, watching as he walks toward Nicole’s old Mercedes that Dani drives now.
I made Nicole switch to one of the club’s Tahoes. The safety rating is better, and it has more room for the baby; plus, it’s four-wheel drive. She bitched and moaned, but gave in eventually.
“There’s a sketchy picture of his face, as he walks back to the club. This camera is on the outside light overlooking employee parking,” Freak answers.
