L. Ann Marie

by Tailley (MC 6)

  "Fuckin woman hit on me for a fuckin week knowing I was with you. That's bad." He's disgusted.

  I take a breath, "You're right, it's bad but Quinn is an artist at the shop. I don't socialize with her, sleep with her or spend any time talking to her. She's just a worker. I bet you have Brothers you wouldn't spend time with but they do their job. That's what Quinn is; she fills a chair making me enough to pay the bills."

  He nods adding vegetables to the wok. I get the plates on the table and a bowl ready. He drains the noodles and puts them in with the vegetables. I never did that, they don't look all cooked. He throws the chicken back in and tells me when the steam is gone it's done. Fuck, I could do that. He dumps it in the bowl and carries it to the table.

  When he sits, I dig in. "Damn! I want to learn how to do that."

  He smiles. "I took a class at the Center when I was Prospecting. Jess is a fuckin wiz in the kitchen. She taught Sam; I used to help but she did breakfasts. I learned how to do simple meals that I could make fast." He’s perfect. I smile, because he’s mine too. “About Quinn, you’re right. She’s just a worker; she doesn’t need to be your best friend. I didn’t think of it that way.”

  Yep, perfect. “What is my new tracking?”

  He smiles, “Jewelry for your piercings. Danny told me that’s how they tracked Kate when she got kidnapped. Everything she has is tracked now.”

  “I love it. That means I’m guaranteed new jewelry.”

  He laughs, leaning over to kiss me. “Yeah, baby.”

  I guess now is as good a time as any. “We never talked about kids. How would you feel about one, say, in about seven months?” I watch him.

  He smiles like he won the lottery. Thank God. He pushes his chair out and pulls me onto his lap, kissing me until I can’t breathe. “I’m going to love watching my babies grow in your stomach. Thank you, babe. Seven months.” He smiles so sweet.

  “I’m excited. We never talked about it. Amelia wanted a house full; I don’t think I cared enough one way or the other to put thought into it. Now I can’t wait.”

  He laughs. “You’ll have to wait at least seven months, my impatient woman. This is going to make you fuckin crazy, isn’t it?”

  “Probably. Once the baby is here, I’ll get back to normal. Can you handle a crazy ass, fat woman for a while?”

  He laughs. “I’ll manage. Have you been sick?”

  “No, just tired. I hope I don’t get sick, from what I heard it isn’t pleasant. I need a book or something. I’ll ask CJ tomorrow.” I think about all the things I don’t know and it scares the hell out of me.

  “Patches got a book that told every fuckin thing you can imagine about being pregnant. He said Tess didn’t have half the shit in the book and it scared the shit out of him and Rich.” He looks worried.

  I make a face, “Let’s not get that book.” He laughs, looking relieved.

  We clean up the kitchen; he’s still favoring his leg so I tell him I’m going to take a bath. He gets everything ready and climbs in with me. I knew he would. I relax against him thinking about how a baby is going to change our lives. All the women here are so easy and relaxed; I can do this. He starts washing me, which of course leads to bathtub sex and more cleaning. I love my Badass Biker Man. He puts me to bed and goes to the patio with the guys.

  Bob

  I’m so glad she found out. I almost told her last week. She’s out in minutes; I like watching her sleep. I’m like Horse with the fuckin ‘she’s the one’ pansy assed thinking. I haven’t said it to anyone but Danny, though. Tiny has never whipped a tampon at me; I’d like to keep it that way. Whenever he does, the whole fuckin Club knows about it.

  I shake my head and get dressed. I’m feeling better after the Advil and bath. My fuckin leg was throbbing all afternoon. Mitch is having the robotic delivered to Security tomorrow. She says it takes some getting used to; Trey is happy with his, that says something. I heard he was a bear before he met Mitch. She tested her first robotic leg on him and they’ve gotten better every time she comes up with something new. I’m so fuckin lucky the MC is close to them. Between the kids doing the healing thing and the Baxter’s getting me in the brace right away, I’ve had it better than anyone that ever had to deal with losing a leg.

  I have no right to complain so I don’t. I have been wondering about my kids and how they’ll react to my one leg. I bet I’ll be able to play ball before they’re old enough to notice I’m not like everyone else. Mitch and Trey don’t have any problems doing stuff with their kids. I’m at the patio and realize I made it here on auto pilot. I smile walking in. Danny looks over and throws me chin. “What’s the smile for?”

  “Mandy’s pregnant.” I’m not fuckin telling them with twins. They’d find a way to tell her.

  Tiny hits the table. “You’re like the fuckin plague for me! Your shit ain’t worth me betting on! Fuckin Brother, messing with my fuckin winning streak!” Danny laughs. I grab a beer and sit.

  “She doing ok?” Danny asks.

  “Just tired. She’s going to cut back on her hours with the ink; I think she said two days.”

  He nods, “I’ll let Ben know. Doc's new help starts this week. She got someone renting her apartment yet?” I shake my head no. “I have a woman from the shelter that doesn’t want to leave town; her ex is still threatening her. That’s a good area, with Security always around. Ask her what she wants for it. It’s the woman and one daughter, six. I’m sure they’re not a problem. Kate thinks highly of her and Tess sees the woman and girl as good.”

  I nod, “You need to get better coverage on the feeds, the back has blind spots.”

  “I’ll get the Brothers on it tomorrow. Let me know tomorrow, she’s going into the hotel the day after if we don’t find something. I told Kate I’d ask.” I throw him chin.

  “She’s a twin Danny said, right?” Tiny asks. Fuck. I nod keeping my face blank. He looks at Danny, “A grand it’s twins.” I laugh; fuckin Brothers and the betting.

  Danny surprises me. “I don’t think I’ll take that bet Brother.” I keep the blank look because he’s watching me. “Fuckin poker player isn’t giving anything away. Alright, a grand.”

  I wait until he turns to the water and smile at Tiny. He throws me chin. Cloud and Rich come in. “How’s Tess?”

  He’s not smiling. “She’s good now but she had a bad one today. It’s been good for a while, with Christian anxious and Tess upset, I’ve got FS on high again. I’ll need you to get the FS updated tomorrow. I had Sticks send a text out before I came over, night crew is aware.”

  “Do we know who we’re watching?” I need to get the tracking on Mandy and check what the kids are wearing for tracking.

  “Every fuckin kid here.” He’s got that determined look on him.

  I nod. “I’ll get LB to look at tracking tomorrow and get something else on them. Joey has an appointment this week in the City.”

  “Is it with your doctor?” I nod looking at Cloud. He nods. “He’s coming tomorrow with the robotic. See if he can see Joey, too. I’m sure if he needs to, he can use the Clinic.”

  I pull my phone and send an email to the doctor about the threat and ask if he can see Joey at Security or the Clinic. I look at Rich, “Anything else?”

  He looks resigned. “Tess, CJ and Mandy need shadows beside their normal Security.” Fuck. I nod and think about the schedule. “Pres needs a tag.” My eyes snap to his; I wait. “It’s bad. We’ll meet tomorrow but that needs to be set before anyone leaves the compound tomorrow morning.” I nod. “I have HS on the compound tonight. We have no time or date. She was too upset and Patches was nervous. I didn’t get home until the end of it; she was already out of control. He recorded but it’s hard to hear, Digs has it, trying to decipher answers for tomorrow morning. We meet at nine. That will give you enough time for the noon appointment with the doctor.” Fuck, I’d be nervous too.

  “Why didn’t he call me?” Danny asks.

  Rich looks at him for a second. “S
he was in the tub. He pulled her out when Max started barking. They were on the floor when I came in.” Danny nods.

  “I hope she doesn’t remember them like with the twins.” Tiny says. I nod. She usually bounces back pretty quick but with the twins she didn’t really remember anything. That worked to our advantage. That’s when Cloud and CJ got together, it was fuckin nuts.

  I look at Rich; He doesn’t have anymore. “I’ll go look at the schedule and let you know in the morning what the coverage is. I can pull from Security?” He nods. “I’ll mix them with FS and HS on Pres.” He nods.

  “Danny can take Pres.” Tiny says. Danny bursts out laughing.

  Rich smiles at him. “I think that’s a little too close, Brother. He’d want to fuckin kill him after one day.” Cloud laughs.

  Tiny doesn’t look happy. “Danny and Bob are your two best HS. Who the fuck are you thinking of to guard him, a fuckin Prospect?” Fuck, he’s pissed.

  Rich smiles at him. “VP.” Tiny smiles at him, throwing chin. “Those two are the only two that can stand each other in close proximity for long periods of time.” Fuckin Danny’s laughing again.

  I look at Tiny. “Can you get him to the Security meeting tomorrow? I’ll get a shadow on you before you leave.” He nods.

  “This is going to get good. Cloud, I give them a day are you in?” Danny, says looking at each one of us.

  Cloud laughs. “I’ll go two. That’s one way to relieve the stress of all this.” I look at Danny, fuckin smart son of a bitch; I hold up three fingers. He nods. I throw chin and get home to make a new schedule, email Little Ben and call in Brothers with the changes for tomorrow. I write a note about the apartment for Mandy, so I don’t forget.

  I climb in bed and she rolls onto my chest. I kiss her head thinking about the Little Brothers and Sisters. I wonder if Pres would let LB, Jessie and Darren carry on the compound. They're responsible, level headed and fuckin crack shots. They've trained with the pop ups and every fuckin one of them passed.

  I think about Mandy getting hurt again. I'll change out her studs tomorrow. I need to get more jewelry up to Geek. She changes them out and I don't want her without tracking again. Now my kids are in her, I'm on edge. This is what Rich was talking about, protecting them at all costs. I always believed it, but now I feel it. I wanted to growl at the threat to her. I have no problem doing my job, but I want to I take out any threat to my woman and kids, wiping it off the face of the earth. I close my eyes; I'm turning into a fuckin lunatic. Wipe it off the face of the earth. Who the fuck thinks like that?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Amanda

  He's dressed for work. "Don't you have PT?"

  He kisses me. I'm a mess; I rolled out of bed and came to the kitchen to make a cup of decaf. My hair must be flying wild. I take the tie from my cast and pull it back.

  He's smiling at me, "I'm done with PT. I get my robotic today."

  I lift up and kiss him. "I'm happy for you. I bet that's going to be a relief to you." He gives me a funny look. "I know you worry about the ability to be perfect. I think it's crazy; you already are but you worry anyway."

  He smiles and kisses me. "Thanks, babe. We have some things to talk about. Are you drinking coffee?"

  I laugh. "It's decaf; I might as well be drinking dishwater. It sucks." I dump it and get some juice. He pulls eggs and butter out. I get bread and some ham. Maybe he'll make me a sandwich.

  "Tess had a vision; we need to bump Security on every kid, you, Tess and CJ. There's a threat to Pres, too." Fuck, that's not good; they protect Ben like the kids. "We use the visions to keep everyone safe. As soon as we get it, we jump to erase any threat that's aimed our way." I nod. Shit, this is fuckin scary. "I need to get the jewels changed out so you're tracked. Go by Nancy's and pick some sets; you just sign for them, I'll send them to Geek to have the tracking set. The back of the shop is getting new cameras today and you'll have Security with you. We'll keep you safe, babe."

  I think about that. My ex got to me because I didn't tell him. He's done everything short of chaining me to the bed to keep me protected. "Ok. Is there something I should do to make this easier for you?"

  He looks up from the eggs with a smile. He's cute. "Just don't lose your guard, stay in the yard and close to the compound. We call this area the backyard. Anything from Main to the water has more Security; staying in it keeps you safer. Keep the tracked jewelry on so I don't lose you."

  I nod. "Shopping is out?"

  He takes the toast and puts an egg and ham on it. I smile at him. He loves me. My eyes tear up; I'm demented. "The women get an order ready, the Prospects do shopping from the list. Be specific with brand names. Paper goods are delivered monthly, get CJ to send you the link; delivery is the first." Wow, that's kind of cool.

  "Kate has a mom and daughter needing a home. Can you get with her about your apartment?" He's looking down making his sandwiches.

  I smile; fuckin guy takes care of everything. "Yeah." I put his coffee and juice on the table and sit. "Did I tell you I love you?"

  He looks at me and swallows down his bite. "I got a blanket on that shit." He smiles.

  "Still needs to be said." I lean over the table and kiss him. He flips me over and moves the plates and cups. The fuckin guy is fast. "Quickie?" He smiles and nods. I'm good with this; I sit up to pull the tee off. He moans, poor guy needs relief and I fell asleep last night. "I have no problem with you waking me up at night." He lays me down and growls. I just smile; he's fuckin cute all needy. Bending my knees almost to my damn armpits, he slams into me, making me yell. "Fuck, it's that kind of morning."

  "Stop talking, Mandy. I need to show you how much I love you. I'm going to do that by burying myself as far as I can in your tight fuckin pussy." Fuck! He marks every word rolling his hips; I'm not saying a fuckin thing. He bends, his mouth playing with my jewels. I hold his hair, moving him to give equal attention to my girls. He stands, holding the back of my knees up so they're back to my armpits and watches his dick slide in. I move my fingers to the stud and give him a better view. "Fuck, woman." He whispers. Holy shit, he's sexy as hell; he's got his teeth holding his lip and pleasure written all over his face. My other hand follows his ink up his arm. I feel my whole body tense up and yell my release. Shit, when reality floats back to me, my whole body feels like lead. My head clears and I realize he's on top of me.

  "Need air." I get out.

  He pushes up to his elbows and looks at me. "Fuckin beautiful." He kisses my lips and stands. How the fuck can he stand when I feel like silly putty? He gets a towel from the drawer, cleans me, then stands me up, kisses me and cleans the table, putting our plates and cups back on it. He sits down and finishes his breakfast. I'm just sitting watching him; at least now I can breathe. I take a drink. "I need to change your jewels, babe. Are you done?"

  I laugh. I don't even know why. It's the fuckin demented thing. "I can change them. Go to work, keep us safe. I got this."

  He smiles kissing my lips. "Thanks, babe." He walks out with his bag.

  I laugh for a full two minutes, sitting at the table all alone. It was like a hit and run fuck. I can't complain, he made it good for me but that was funny as hell. He sat down and finished his breakfast like I didn't just explode three minutes before. At least he washed the table. I clear the table and wash it with Clorox. Giggles bubble up every once in a while. Fuckin guy is cute as hell.

  After a bath and changing jewelry, I go into the office; mail is piling up, so I take care of that first. I open over the barrel because it's mostly junk. I put house bills in one pile, shop bills in another. I have a check from the art I did last month and a bulky envelope. I open it and smile.

  Sitting, I go through the pictures of Bob posed in different places around the house and on the back porch. His brace looks fuckin cool as shit. Badass; it's a fitting name. I pull the picture I made and put one of him posed beside it. This will work; the coloring is perfect, I'm excited. I draw a tattoo out and pack it together. Putting
some of the pictures around the house, I put the others back in the envelope.

  My guard is sitting on the porch. "I'm going to the shop." He nods. We go in his truck. He doesn't say a word. I run in and find Kellan sweeping the floor. "This is fuckin weird. I've never seen you touch a broom before."

  He looks embarrassed. "It's about time I picked up the slack; you've carried my ass for years."

  I can't help the shock on my face. "I'll take it. I need some ink when you have some time."

  He smiles. Fuck, this is weird. "Right now, let me see." I pull the sheet. "Fuckin nice."

  "I need to get the Prospect to bring this to the printers. Did he come in?"

  He nods, looking at my picture and the smaller one of Bob. "He's cleaning the apartment. Bob said it may be rented and he didn't want anything forgotten up there. It's empty though; Danny checked it before you got out of the hospital. These are fuckin crazy good, Amanda."

  "Thanks. A photographer did the shot." The Prospect comes in and I give him the pictures for the printer. I call over and explain what I want. They know me, so it's short and sweet.

  Kellan gets the web around my heart done in minutes and starts on my shoulder blade. When our appointments come in, we take them. Quinn takes one of his so he can do more on my back.

  CJ comes in for some shading. Kellan is on my back while I'm finishing her up. Fuckin guy is hard to stop once he gets going. CJ will send the baby book over with Joey later and she'll email the form and link for dry goods. She loves the way it works; she's not big on shopping either. When I'm done she looks at her art. "It's beautiful! You are friggin amazing, Amanda!" She has a dream catcher with Cloud caught in the web. It's in 3-D. I give her the dream catcher he made for her and a hug, shooing her away.

  Kellan finishes and covers me in cream. I take my next appointment. My guard brings me lunch. "Tailley sent it." I smile, thanking him. I swallow down lunch at three and take my last appointment.

  Bob

  Little Ben added tracking to everyone last month. They have watches, necklaces and earrings on the girls; leather wristbands with a metal clasp at the snap on the boys. He's fuckin good. I ask him about carrying on the compound. He wants to talk to his Little Brothers first; he'll get back to me.