Without giving her a chance to change her mind or defend herself, he left her, not bothering to look back as he closed the door.
Chapter 16
Two days later, Johnnie stood outside the clubhouse with Christopher and the rest of the officers, along with regular rank-and-file brothers, enjoying the clear, breezy day and decompressing from the bullshit.
Well, the club bullshit. Girls? A different fucking story.
Some of the wannabes and hangers-on were performing tricks on their bikes, attempting to impress club members.
Owning a Harley was a requirement for membership. Hand standing didn’t factor into consideration since the Death Dwellers was not a fucking stunt club. Earlier, before this, he’d accompanied Christopher, Val, and Mortician to target practice.
Johnnie exalted in the knowledge that none of them threw a knife with his skill and precision. He had a perfect, sure aim and hit his target every goddamn time. It was a tossup between him, Val and Mortician on who was the better shot. Christopher forfeited a place because he aimed for the head. End of story. At close range or far away, the man didn’t bullshit. If he pulled his nine—or any gun—with the intentions of pulling the trigger, someone’s head was getting fucked up. No warning shots in the leg or arm or knee.
The door opened and Arrow walked out, a cigar hanging from his mouth. He held the door open and, a moment later, Megan and Bailey ducked past him. Christopher did a double-take, but his wife turned her heart-stopping smile on him and he scowled at her, tipping back his bottle of beer and thumping Mortician’s shoulder.
Pretending disinterest, Mortician’s jaw clenched and he reached into his cut, pulling out a cigarette. Since the noise of the mufflers prevented conversation, Megan pulled Bailey in the direction of the pathway. Christopher’s hand flexed near his nine, the attention Megan garnered from the other brothers not sitting well with him. She and Bailey were dressed almost identical—in high tops, jeans, and long-sleeved Tee shirts, with the only differences being Megan’s very noticeable baby bump and her billowing golden hair. Bailey had pig tails of all fucking things, and Johnnie wouldn’t even consider how gorgeous and innocent the style made her look. He wanted to laugh like a maniac at Mortician’s poorly hidden jealousy.
Val nodded to Johnnie, then thrust his chin toward Mortician, high-fiving with Digger.
Wondering at Kendall’s whereabouts, Johnnie looked over his shoulder at the door. Arrow had allowed it to close but he stood just in front of it, blowing smoke rings, unconcerned he might have contributed to a mutiny by letting those two out if Christopher or Mort lost their shit.
A moment later, the noise died down and shouts and cheers went up, although Johnnie had lost the last few minutes of the performances. Arrow roamed next to him, his cigar clutched between two fingers and poised mid-air.
“Where’s Kendall?” Johnnie asked before he thought better. As promised, he’d backed away from her, although he hadn’t brought himself to look for an apartment for her yet.
“With Dinah and Little Man.”
That was news, although not much. “Any particular reason why?”
Arrow puffed on his cigar and shrugged. “Meggie asked her to come outside with her and Bailey when I agreed to let them out for fresh air. She refused.” He smiled and his eyes crinkled, detecting Johnnie’s displeasure. “Why don’t you go in and check on her?”
Because he was still irritated with her and he felt like a mean bastard.
“Meggie got her an appointment with her OB.”
“Did she?”
“Uh-huh. They’re working on warming up to one another, but we need to give them ‘A’ for effort.”
Yes. Some old ladies never got along, always competing with one another. Johnnie had seen it several times and never thought his club would have such a problem. But life was fucking strange.
“Hey, fuckhead,” Christopher yelled, drawing Johnnie’s attention. Christopher wasn’t barking at him, though. He was talking to a younger man who’d gone to Megan and Bailey.
Mortician shifted and pretended he didn’t give a fuck they were laughing at the stranger’s conversation. Even if they patched things up, Johnnie swore he’d never get so out-of-his head jealous over Kendall he’d stalk towards a man—like Christopher—with the intent to murder—again, like Christopher—just for talking to her.
“Boy’s got it bad for her,” Arrow commented in a lazy drawl as a yelp pitched through the air.
Johnnie frowned at Christopher, who’d punched Dumb Doefuck and was now dragging Megan back toward the clubhouse. “Megan likes to provoke him.”
“Don’t think so. He’s had her inside for two solid days, resting. She’s going stir crazy.”
“So you fucking decided to let her and Bailey out, right, Arrow?” Mortician words confirmed Johnnie’s suspicions that he wasn’t as immune to Bailey as he wanted to pretend.
Arrow lifted a brow at Mortician, who scowled.
“Fuck off,” he growled, although the man hadn’t said a thing.
Stretch was staring at the prone man as if he wanted to rush to him, but knew he couldn’t.
“Prez,” Mortician called sourly when Christopher approached them. He gripped Megan’s hand while she glared daggers at his back. “Why you fucking left Bailey?”
“Ain’t my fuckin’ woman,” Christopher snapped.
“She ain’t mine either,” Mortician retorted.
“Then shouldn’t be a fuckin’ problem, assfuck.”
“Would you let me go, Christopher?” Megan asked with a sniff.
“When I get you inside and back the fuck in bed. I put you on fuckin’ bed rest. Remember, Megan?”
“You’re right here. What can happen?”
Before he responded, the door opened and Kendall peeped out. She remained still for a moment and Johnnie smiled at her, a silent encouragement for her to join them. Panic entered her eyes and she ducked back inside.
Kendall stood in the center of the main room, drawing in deep drafts of air. She’d laid Little Man down for his nap, made sure Dinah remained asleep, and then decided to take Meggie up on her offer to go outside, never expecting so many new faces.
The small bit of confidence she’d managed to gain by serving behind the bar had withered a little more after Johnnie’s desertion. He’d just given up on her…on them. She’d heard all the commotion this morning and found Bailey with Little Man while Meggie showered. She’d intended to leave when the little blonde walked out. Instead, Meggie hadn’t blinked an eye, greeting her with a cordiality bordering on friendly. She looked much better than she had for the past few days. Kendall supposed she followed her husband’s dictates.
By the time Meggie summoned Arrow and begged him to walk outside with her, she’d even gotten Kendall an appointment with her obstetrician, a woman whom Meggie swore by. Bailey had intended to sit with Little Man and Dinah, so Kendall could join Meggie, but Kendall didn’t feel up to it.
Then, her charges had fallen asleep and Kendall found herself bored and hungry. She’d forced herself to eat, trying to calculate the calories in her head, but knowing she had to feed Baby Biker. Afterwards, she’d decided to join Meggie and Bailey, a part of her still not believing they’d accept her so easily.
Sunlight glimmered into the room as the door opened, dimness descending with its closing.
“Kendall?”
Her arms tightened around her waist at the concern in Meggie’s voice. “I’m fine.”
“You should go back out there,” she offered. “Johnnie isn’t quite as unreasonable as my husband.”
“You accept his unreasonableness,” Kendall retorted, still not able to pull herself out of that place where she accepted—or believed—continued overtures of kindness.
“And he accepts mine,” Meggie replied with a trace of amusement. “It’s a give and take situation.”
Shut up, Kendall. They’d made peace and she wanted to cement that into a friendship. She just didn’t know how. It
was easier to push everyone away rather than leave herself vulnerable to ridicule and hurt.
“You’re nineteen. What do you know about relationships?”
“More than you do. My husband’s in my bed. Your man is sleeping wherever.”
Kendall gasped and turned around, but Meggie didn’t flinch. Instead, she stepped forward.
“I’m rested. I still have the godforsaken morning sickness that makes me want to kill Christopher. But I’m feeling better, all in all.”
And? “Your point?” she asked with a haughty sniff, furious. Meggie knew where Johnnie slept. She wanted to know, too, although she couldn’t bear to hear he shared another woman’s bed.
“You’re hurting,” she said simply, softly. Without judgment. “Johnnie has been sleeping in an empty room down the other hallway. Alone.”
“Do you think that matters to me?”
“Yes,” she responded without hesitating. She tossed her hair over her shoulders. “You’re jealous of me and I’m jealous of you. We’re even, so let’s work through it and get along.”
“Jealous of me? You?” Kendall blurted, so surprised she forgot her derision. “What do you have to be jealous of me over?”
“You have a career. You’re established and can bring something of value to your relationship. Your own money. Your own car.”
“You can have those things, too,” Kendall said slowly.
Meggie cocked her head to the side and smiled. “Would it confuse you if I told you I don’t…I’m happy being Christopher’s wife and the mother of his children? Being the facilitator of the women here?”
“Facilitator of women?” Kendall chuckled. “I’ve never heard that term.”
“I made it up,” she informed her with a giggle.
“In answer to your question, it does confuse me. How can you be jealous of me if you’re happy with who you are?”
Something Kendall had never been.
“It’s the idea of it, wondering what it would be like to have the ability to bring justice to-to all those girls Logan and Spoon—“
“You know about them? But Outlaw said—“
“Call him Christopher. Let his boys call him Outlaw.”
Kendall’s heart pounded at the olive branch Meggie extended. She bit down on her lip to keep from lashing out in disbelief.
“And I didn’t know. But he told me the other night after the confrontation about my daddy.”
“Did he really kill—“
Meggie lowered her lashes and nodded. “Yes.”
“How can you be with him?”
“I love him, Kendall.” She walked closer and sat in a seat, inviting Kendall to do the same. “And, God forgive me for saying this, but my father was no better than Logan.” She rubbed her temples and her eyes watered. “I loved the man that he was, though. I sought him out for protection. My stepfather molested me, raped my mother, and beat us both all the time.”
Kendall gasped, not wanting to hear Meggie’s story from the girl’s own mouth. The only girl who’d confided in Kendall had been her little sister. Most of the time, Kendall either dismissed Caroline’s words as childish or didn’t know how to respond.
“I wanted Daddy’s help for me and Momma and I ran away from my house, a month before my eighteenth birthday. I met Christopher on my birthday when a club member brought me here after I stole five dollars from him to buy myself…” Her voice trailed off.
“To buy yourself?” Kendall asked in a choked voice, in spite of herself. “Five dollars wouldn’t buy much.”
Meggie shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It got me here. Without that happening, I never would’ve met Christopher or had my son.”
“Then you’re where you belong, Megan. You wouldn’t be here if…”
Meggie lifted a brow, a wordless agreement of Kendall’s words, a silent encouragement for Kendall to heed them.
“If what?” she prodded.
Kendall swallowed. “You didn’t belong here.”
“Neither you or I have the answer to life’s greatest mysteries. I can’t tell you why your mother and sister killed themselves. I can’t explain why my stepfather hated me enough to almost stab me to death or why he got off on hurting my mother. We really only have power over what we do, but we hand over our control to others when we give into our pain and fear.” She frowned and bowed her head. “That’s what my daddy always said, anyway. And, yet, he did it, didn’t he? He gave in to drugs and the inclination to exploit little girls. Or, maybe, he meant them, yes?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
Meggie looked at her through the sweep of her lashes. “May I offer you some advice?”
As if she hadn’t been offering her advice for the past half hour. “Yes.”
“Johnnie’s Christopher’s brother,” she began, lowering her lashes and missing Kendall’s returning glower, “so he’s stubborn and it isn’t easy for him to accept love.”
Sure she’d misheard, Kendall blinked, since Megan’s revelations didn’t differ from what Mortician had already told her.
“Neither of them enjoyed healthy relationships growing up. What Johnnie accepted as love from Logan was more like a sick obsession. It takes…you have be able to put up with a lot. But it’s worth it because they’re worth it.”
“You really do love Out…Christopher, don’t you?” she asked, admiring and envying at once.
A shudder went through Meggie and she closed her eyes, but nodded. “He’s my entire life. I love him with my heart and my soul. I don’t know what I’ll do if anything ever happens to him.”
Kendall didn’t want to think of that, either, because then she’d have to think of something happening to Johnnie. “That’s your advice?”
“No. My advice to you is to make Johnnie fight for you. He needs a good shaking up to realize what you mean to him.”
“Yes, of course,” Kendall admitted with sarcasm, “because you know everything there is to know about Johnnie.”
“I never said I do,” she said evenly.
“Johnnie and I have been in each other’s presence on a regular basis for several weeks,” Kendall said heatedly. “He isn’t the type of man to fall in love so quickly. I’m a grown woman. I don’t have to resort to games to get him.”
Meggie winced, but the opening of the door prevented her from responding.
“Stay the fuck in here, Bailey,” Mortician growled, jerking her to Meggie’s table and sitting her down.
“What? Am I a prisoner now, you humongous ass?” Bailey yelled.
Mortician glanced at Meggie who rolled her eyes and shrugged.
“Talk to her, girl,” he ordered.
Meggie frowned. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t fucking know, Megan,” he shouted.
“Let Christopher hear you screaming at Meggie,” Bailey said with a sniff, “then he’d kill you and I’d be free.”
“You fucking free now, you annoying little fucking pest.”
“You asked me to come back with you!”
“Because I’m a stupid motherfucker, Bailey. But, I fucking swear to you I’m leaving your young pussy alone.” He crossed himself, then jabbed a finger at his groin. “Get fucking thee behind me. This officially a young pussy free zone. Feel me?”
“Go to hell.”
“Tonight,” he went on as if Bailey hadn’t spoken, “a party going on. The Bobs gonna be here. I’m having my dick sucked by as many of them bitches as possible. Motherfuckers think I’m taking your pussy. Ain’t about to pay no fucking twenty Gs.”
“You’d do that to me?” Bailey asked in a strangled voice. “Cheat?”
His chest rose and fell in angry pants, but he rubbed a hand over his face, regret flashing in his eyes.
“I’m your wife!”
Kendall started, although Meggie didn’t flinch. As a matter of fact, Mortician looked to her as if seeking guidance. She threw him an evil look but kept silent.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I
told you don’t say that shit out loud.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I should’ve followed my first mind and got the fucking annulment.”
“Our marriage was already consummated.”
Mortician glared at Bailey and Kendall’s heart sank. Where was the kindness and consideration he’d always shown to her? He looked so angry. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d do something to Bailey when he got her alone.
“Blame my fucking dick! I tried to talk the motherfucker out of fucking you. He just wouldn’t listen.”
Bailey’s appalled look wavered when Meggie’s shoulder shook with laughter. Bewildered, Kendall could only study the unfolding scene, like she’d been studying all of them since she’d met them. By watching them, she was finding herself again.
“This shit not funny, you two,” Mortician bellowed, his affronted look making Kendall smile, too. “Go ahead, Red. Join these two cackling witches. I know you think this funny, too.”
She did, so she allowed a bit of laughter to escape.
“What asylum did you escape from, Lucas?” Bailey asked, shaking her head. “Who talks to their, um, you know?”
“Don’t worry about what I do anymore, Bailey,” he ordered. “I mean it, this time. We’re through.”
Bailey’s amusement died and she heaved in a breath, hurt darkening her green-brown eyes.
“I can’t fucking take this, Bailey,” Mortician went on, his voice softening. “Acting with you like fucking Prez do over Meggie. I’m not a jealous motherfucker.”
Kendall snorted and Mortician scowled at her.
He pulled at his dreads and gritted his teeth. “By the fucking way, Aunt Flo show up yet?”
“Is that Arrow’s wife?” Kendall asked into the sudden silence.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 105
