“Why the fuck is the Shadow Wraiths MC disrupting the funeral of our brother?”
What? Didn’t Maniac tell him we would be here? What was going on?
“Because Reid is our brother and we’re takin’ him home to his family.” Dive ground out through clenched teeth.
“His name is Army and he is with his family.” Hawk snarled at Dive.
I felt my brother tense even more under my hands as he angrily growled deep in his chest.
“His fuckin’ name is Reid Lawrence Jordan. You might be his club family but I’m his blood and I’m here to ensure he comes home to our mother and father.” Dive snarled at him.
Hawk walked over to us, reached over and turned the mic off keeping his back to the people in the benches. His voice was low and aimed at us so it wouldn’t carry further.
“Play along, brother. Let’s not discuss this here where we have ears that do not need to hear our business. Let’s bury our brother. We are having a party to celebrate his life at our clubhouse and you’re welcome to attend. We can discuss this in my office without anyone listening in.”
I didn’t give Dive a chance to say a word.
“You will put him in a hole in the ground over my dead fucking body.” I hissed viciously as I snatched my arms from around Dive’s waist and took a step towards the bastard.
Arms grabbed me from behind, encircling me and drawing me tight against a wide chest. Lure.
“Leo, calm down, baby girl. You need to be calm now, okay?” He whispered against my ear.
I sagged in his arms and gave a short nod.
Dive bent down and looked into my eyes, he just looked at me silently and I read his message loud and clear. He had my back and he had Reid’s back. Our brother would not be going into a hole in the ground. Not while we had something to say about it.
Standing quietly in Lure’s arms I listened as Dive explained shit to Hawk in a low voice. The Iron Dogz president frowned heavily, glanced at me then looked back at Dive and nodded. Stepping up to the lectern he turned the mic back on and looked out over the people who had gathered to mourn my brother.
“It seems that our brother’s family arrived just in time to stop us from making a very big mistake. Our brother left instructions with his family that in the event of his death he wants to be cremated and we will be honouring his wishes. His body will be returned to the funeral home today. There will be an honour guard riding along with him, the rest of you are welcome to head straight to the clubhouse where we will be celebrating our brother’s life. The eulogy for our brother will be delivered then.” He turned and nodded at the pastor. “Pastor Radebe will close the proceedings before we accompany our brother on this ride.”
He stepped back and indicated that we take the seats right in front of the dais.
A big bald headed guy with skin the colour of chocolate and deep sorrow in his dark eyes suddenly stood and walked up onto the dais. He held a hand out to me and I glanced at Dive who nodded. Silently I took his hand and allowed him to lead me to the empty bench. Once he had me seated he took my hand in both of his and squeezed softly before he let go and silently returned to his seat.
When we were all settled down I looked over to see what the bitch was doing. She and the men who had surrounded her were gone.
Shit. I had wanted a piece of her, so badly.
Wolf
Dragging the bitch out of the church had been easier than they had thought it would be. She accompanied them silently until they were outside, which was when she tried to walk away from them and found to her fucking surprise that she wasn’t going anywhere.
At least not anywhere she would want to go.
The two prospects stood ready to transport her back to the clubhouse where she was to be put in the cells until Hawk had time to sort shit out. Wolf handed the bitch over to the prospects and made certain they had her restrained in the back of the SUV before he, Spook and Boots slipped back into the church through the side entrance.
Wolf sat down next to Bullet as the Pastor closed down with a short prayer.
“Will the pall bearers come forward please?”
There was some confusion when the Shadow Wraiths all tried to step forward right along with the Iron Dogz but Hawk quickly settled it.
From the Shadow Wraiths, Dive, Lure and Breaker stepped up. His prez had selected Bullet, Dizzy and Wolf because they had been Army’s friends.
Standing in place next to the black coffin holding their brother Wolf refused to look down at first until he saw Bullet’s eyes riveted on something on top of the coffin. Glancing down everything inside him went solid.
Fuck. A kid. Their brother had had a kid and he had never said a fucking word.
A small photo lay between the roses on top of the coffin. A photo of the stunningly beautiful woman who had touched his cold heart as she mourned her man. She was smiling brilliantly while holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
Glancing at Bullet he saw the determination in his eyes and knew his brother would be stepping up for the kid and her mother. It would be his way of honouring his best friend and brother. It might be a problem though because they lived in the US and after this shit he suspected once she left they would never see her or her kid again.
What had him totally confused though was the kutte she wore. It proclaimed her the property of the Shadow Wraiths MC in Savannah, Georgia. What did that mean?
He wasn’t given any time to ponder the reason for the kutte as the Shadow Wraiths along with the Devil’s Spawn formed up ahead of the coffin with the woman in their midst. As the small group moved away from the dais and slowly made their way up the aisle they lifted the coffin of their brother up onto their shoulders and followed them out. A heavy silence hung in the air until they came to the last bench on their right. It was filled with sobbing club girls and Wolf felt his stomach tighten. He hoped like hell they kept their distance from Army’s woman because she didn’t need that shit around her today. If they didn’t there was going to be shit flying, he just knew it.
The beautiful woman stood right next to the hearse waiting as they lowered the coffin then slowly slid it inside. The brother called Dive reached out and plucked the photo from the top of the coffin, looked at it then turned to the woman, shock very clear on his face as he showed it to his brothers.
“What the fuck does this mean, Leo?”
Hearing her name Wolf gave a quick glance at his brothers who were as stunned as he was. They had all been under the impression that Leo was a guy.
The woman glanced at Dive then at the men who were now crowding around her. Wolf didn’t like it and he and Bullet moved closer to have her back. She didn’t move an inch as she glared up at the men.
“She’s his.” She said, lifting her chin proudly. “He knew about her, but he stupidly thought he wasn’t good enough to be a father.”
“Did you tell Mama and Dad? Or have they always known and kept it a secret?”
She sighed. “No, they didn’t know but I’m sure Ren and Sherri have told them by now.”
Dive shook his head, closed his eyes and sighed. “We get a moment today you’re gonna tell me everything. And I mean every-fuckin’-thing, none of your usual evasive answers, not this time, Leo. You got me?”
She nodded then stepped into him and hid her face in his chest, her arms around his waist.
He didn’t look down at the woman in his arms. His eyes were on Wolf and Bullet as they stood silently at her back. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at them then a shit-eating smirk appeared.
“It seems I’m not the only one who’s gonna want an explanation, baby girl.” He said more but Wolf couldn’t hear what it was because the bastard had dropped his head and voice.
When she turned her head the tinkling of tiny bells sounded and Wolf glanced down at her hair.
She had fucking tiny silver bells tied into her hair along with beads and feathers and charms and shit.
And then everything around him, his brothers
, the hearse, the fucking world, disappeared as he met a pair of large black lashed almost violet-blue eyes glittering with tears and filled with sorrow. He fell into her eyes and couldn’t look away, at least not until Bullet shoved a painful elbow into his side. Blinking he slowly dragged his eyes away, focussing on his prez, who was walking towards them instead.
Fuck, what the hell was that? That shit could not happen, not at all.
“Wolf, Bullet let’s get the ride organised and on the road. We will go with the way we planned only now with a different final destination. Ziggy informed the funeral home of the new arrangements and they are expecting us. The clubs who came out in support are all riding directly to the clubhouse while we escort our brother. The Road Warriors will be standing in for us and taking care of welcoming those going to the party.”
Wolf gave his prez a chin lift and after a quick glance at the woman left to do his job.
The ride was without incident. The only incident was what happened inside his fucking chest when he saw her riding out on her own bike. This woman was no delicate fucking flower. She was strong and had most probably been raised in the club just like DC. As they rode it kept playing over and over in his head.
Who the hell was she? Was she more than just his brother’s baby mama?
And why were the men so protective of her?
Was she more than a club girl, and if she was, what was her function in the club?
The most important question as far as he was concerned was the following, was she a threat to his club?
He had more questions than answers but he would get those answers before the night was out. Somehow she had caught his attention and he couldn’t shake it loose. Something that has never happened to him. He didn’t fucking like it at all.
Women weren’t an important part of his life and never would be if he had anything to say about it. He was dedicated to his club and didn’t have time for the shit his brothers had gone through as they claimed their women. And why the fuck was he thinking about that shit? Giving a short shake of his head he got his head back to where it should have been from the start.
Firmly on the ride back to the clubhouse and the meeting they would be having soon.
He hoped like fuck he would be called in to attend because he had questions about Army that needed answers. And the club needed answers regarding the shit Army had stashed in his storage unit.
Why the fuck did his brother have a fucking arsenal in a storage unit? Was he preparing for the attack they were all expecting to come from the Harrison Syndicate?
And how weird was it that they were now no longer referring to the bastards as the Maingarde Organisation but as the Harrison Syndicate.
Leaving Army at the funeral home felt wrong in so many ways he couldn’t even explain it to himself. His family was insisting on taking his body home and his prez had compromised with a meeting to discuss their options. Army had been a brother and therefore deserved the honour of being buried in the section of the cemetery reserved for everyone who had been a member or a family member of the club. What would it say about their club if they didn’t honour him the way they had every other member who had taken their final ride?
Wolf followed his Prez and DC into the compound with their visitors coming in behind them. As he parked his bike he glanced over to where the Wraiths and the Devils were walking their bikes back to park. She was right there with them and parked with practiced ease.
There was no hesitation whatsoever and by the way she handled her bike he knew she had years of experience riding big heavy bikes. She looked tiny on top of the brute of a machine but as it was a Softail Low Rider her feet touched the ground easily. Sitting on her bike she unstrapped her helmet, pulled it off and hung it on the handlebars then stripped her thin riding gloves from her hands. Folding them into a neat ball she tucked them into her helmet before swinging a leg over and getting off the bike. He watched like a fucking lecherous fucker as she pulled her thick braid out of the back of her jacket and untied it.
It fell thick and straight to the top of her ass, the silver charms and beads glinting in the sun. It was fucking long, even longer than River’s hair and that chick had long fucking hair.
However much he wanted to he couldn’t look away as he pulled his helmet off and balanced it on his tank. Ripping the Velcro open he pulled off his fingerless gloves and did the same she had done, only less neatly, and tucked his gloves inside his helmet before he hung it on his handlebars. Pulling his bandanna down to hang around his neck he hoped like fuck his glasses were dark enough to disguise the interest he had in the woman.
She was tiny, like Tori, but not thin like her. This woman had fucking curves to die for. Plenty of tits and a curvy ass and hips that he wanted to feel beneath his fingers as he sank his bare cock inside her warm slippery depths.
Huh? What the fuck? Where had that thought come from?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Never, in all the time he had been fucking bitches, had this ever happened to him.
An instant and burning attraction had robbed him of breath and all his fucking good sense at first glance.
This was wrong in so many fucking ways. He was fucking perving over a woman on the day of his brother’s funeral. And not just any fucking woman.
His dead brothers’ old lady. He had to remember that and cut this shit out.
She was never going to be his. She belonged to his brother. Even if he wasn’t alive anymore she was still his.
How he wished she was just another bitch. But she wasn’t.
She was the mother of his dead brother’s child.
A woman it seemed his brother had abandoned when he came to South Africa and joined their club. Why?
Why had his brother walked away from her and his kid?
So many fucking questions that needed answers.
CHAPTER NINE
Leo
Holding on to Dive I hid my face in his chest as he digested the news that Lori was Reid’s. I felt his muscles harden under my cheek and loosened my arms to let go but he didn’t let me go, he stroked my hair and patted my back.
“It seems I’m not the only one who’s gonna want an explanation, baby girl.” He dropped his head and whispered against the side of my face. “His brothers saw that photo but I think they got the wrong fuckin’ idea about it.”
The rumble of his voice under my ear drew my attention away from him and as I turned I met the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen. They were two different colours. One a brilliant bright blue the other a mossy green with a thin streak of blue in the green above the pupil. I couldn’t look away and stood breathlessly locked in place until those intense eyes left me, only then could I breathe freely again.
His attention was no longer on me but on his approaching president.
“Now that’s fuckin’ interesting.” Dive muttered as he let me go. “It seems their lieutenant has his eyes on our Leo.”
I didn’t know if he was speaking to me or the others but I didn’t have to wonder long. He had been speaking to the others who were now staring daggers at the poor guy.
Well, not poor guy really. He was big, big enough to take on anything my brother and his boys could throw at him. I drank him in with my eyes but only because he was no longer looking at me. Damn, he was fine, really, really fine. Broad shoulders were encased in a black tee and his leather kutte covered a wide chest over which he had crossed his big tattooed arms. The tee was stretched tight over large biceps that led down to heavy forearms with those yummy protruding veins that sent little shivers down my spine. Sliding my eyes down over his black cotton and leather covered abdomen to where his jeans hung low on narrow hips I found my favourite part of a man’s body. No not that part, though I have to admit a very strong fondness for that particular part. My favourite part on a man’s body though was big heavily muscled thighs. And his were incredible. But it was the area at the junction of those thighs that drew my eyes away from my favourite part and once the
y got there they were stuck on a very large and very prominent package.
Jeeezuz! I dropped my eyes to his feet and Evie’s little bit of sex wisdom ran through my head.
If he has big feet and big hands it usually follows that he has a big dick.
This man definitely had a big dick. And looking at the way he filled out his pants I felt sure he would give Horse back home a run for his money in the size department. Wowza!
A nasty cold shiver ran through me when I realised just what the hell I was doing. I was ogling a guy’s package while standing next to the hearse holding the body of my beloved brother.
It was so wrong.
Snapping my eyes closed I turned away from him. Shutting my attraction down I shoved it back into a dark little corner where I wouldn’t have to see it ever again, hopefully. I silently listened to my brother laying out their plans for the rest of the day.
We were going to ride along with the hearse and at the funeral home Dive and I would make temporary arrangements with the director. He didn’t want to make any permanent arrangements at least not until he has spoken with the president of the Iron Dogz and with Dad and Mama.
The ride to the funeral home was taken at a sedate pace and eyes followed us as we made our way there. I didn’t think the Iron Dogz would wait for us while we concluded our business with the funeral director, but they did. I found it hard to breathe as we left our brother behind but I silently promised him we would be back and that he wouldn’t have to stay in that cold dark place for very long. We rode with the Iron Dogz to their compound and I followed Dive’s lead, parking my bike between his and Lure’s.
I felt his eyes on me as I took off my helmet and untied my braid. They burned into me and a shiver slithered down my spine. I forced myself to ignore it, to not return his look.
I knew the minute he no longer had his eyes on me. So weird.
Staying silent as Dive led us into their clubhouse was difficult, especially when I wasn’t invited to the damned meeting. Opening my mouth to give them my opinion I shut it just as quick when my brother gave me a tap on the back. Shit. This was club business and I would have to sit it out.
Vengeance Of A Black Knight (Iron Dogz MC, #4) Page 10
