Dragon's Lair

by Chantal Fernando

  “Why don’t I just leave then and get out of your way?” I snap, walking out of the door before he can. I ignore his presence behind me as I grab my bag and my uni folder and walk to my car.

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he growls, taking me by the arm.

  “I’m going to study at the library,” I tell him. “I don’t like explaining myself to you either. Who are you to me? Some asshole who had me once and got me pregnant. You don’t own me Dex.”

  I pull out of his hold and storm to my car. I hear him calling for Vinnie, probably to babysit me.

  Poor Vinnie.

  I drive off, out the fence—which was luckily open— and away from the confines of a man I want but can never have.

  Chapter Eleven

  I walk out of the library and come face to face with Vinnie. I grimace, the poor guy must have been waiting out front for the last few hours.

  “Sorry Vin,” I say when I see him looking bored out of his mind, standing next to his bike.

  He doesn’t even try to smile at me. Instead he sucks on a lollipop and says, “Where to next?”

  “Want to ride with me? We can get your bike on the way back.”

  He shakes his head.

  “Let’s go get some gelato,” I decide. Vinnie looks less than thrilled at my decision but doesn’t complain. He must really want to get patched in.

  When we arrive at my favourite gelato place, my phone beeps with a message.

  Dex: Ice cream again? Really?

  I huff. This is his way of letting me know he knows exactly where I am and what I’m doing. Controlling asshole.

  Me: Hoping to get Vinnie to lick it off me.

  Immature, I know. But I’m moody and hormonal.

  Hormonal—now there’s a good excuse if I’d ever heard one.

  I grin at the thought as Vinnie sits on the stool opposite me enjoying his chocolate ice cream.

  “It’s good, isn’t it,” I say with a wink.

  He rolls his eyes. “Fine, it’s good.”

  “Want to go and see a movie next?” I ask him, enjoying the freedom and the company.

  He stops mid-lick, moving his mouth away from the ice cream. “You don’t wanna go back yet?”

  “Do I have to?” I whine.

  “Yes, you do,” he says, chuckling at me. “It’s not so bad there, is it?”

  I shrug. “It’s not bad there, no. But I feel like I have nothing to do but sit there, like an incubator, while everyone goes on living their lives.”

  He laughs, loudly. “An incubator?”

  “Come on Vin. I can’t even go get ice cream without it turning into a spectacle.”

  That comment stops the humor on his face. “He just wants you safe.”

  “Yeah, but he doesn’t own me, and he can’t control me like that,” I say quietly, looking away.

  A warm hand cups my jaw, lifting my head up. “You’re a strong girl, you know that?”

  My cheeks heat. “I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to prove that yet.”

  “You will,” he says, standing up. “Now let’s go. Last thing I need is Sin getting pissed off at me.”

  I wince when I think of the message I sent Dex without considering the impact of my actions. I hope he doesn’t take it out on Vinnie.

  “Race you there?” I call out, grinning.

  He looks down at my tummy. “Maybe in a few months.”

  I giggle. “Deal.”

  *****

  Dex isn’t home when I get there. I grab all my snacks and head straight for my room, not planning on sharing any of my goods. When I walk past the living room I see Arrow sitting there with a woman on his lap. A woman who isn’t Mary. He looks up when he sees me, my hands full of chocolates, lollies, and baked goods and grins.

  “Need some help with those little girl?” he calls out to me, a dry chuckle escaping his cheating lips.

  I step into the room. “I think I have it under control, thanks. Where’s Mary?”

  His eyes narrow. “Do I need to call Sin?”

  His face turns mean, and I get kind of scared. I step away as the woman on his lap throws me a haughty look.

  “So… when’s the last time you had an STD check?” I ask her in a mock casual tone.

  Arrow growls and I wince, taking another step backwards. “Well, I’ll just be going now…”

  “Looks like it’s you that needs to use protection,” she sneers, staring at my stomach. At least she knows I’m pregnant, not just fat. “Do you even know who the father is?”

  Annoyed, I look to Arrow. As if knowing what I’m thinking, he shakes his head.

  “Arrow is the father,” I say, pretending to start crying. Then I run to my room, unable to stop laughing.

  I’m halfway through a packet of Oreos when Dex walks in, looking extremely unhappy.

  “Babe,” he says on a sigh, rubbing a hand down his face.

  “What?”

  “You couldn’t make things easy on me, could you?” he says dryly, lying down on the bed next to me.

  “I like Mary,” I say.

  “What does this have to do with Mary?” he asks, sitting up. Oh shit, I guess Arrow didn’t snitch on me.

  “I saw Arrow with someone who isn’t Mary,” I say in a quiet voice. Dex goes stiff next to me, then pulls me closer to him.

  “That’s not our business, yeah?”

  “If someone knew things about me, things that would hurt me, but looked in my face every day and pretended to be my friend, I’d be hurt. And pissed off. And feel betrayed,” I tell him.

  Silence.

  “It’s not you hurting Mary. It’s their business, and you shouldn’t judge them. Has anyone here ever judged you?” he says.

  I think on it. “I guess not.”

  “We have a don’t ask, don’t tell policy here babe,” he says, leaning back once more. “And that goes for you too. Just mind your own business and everything will be fine.”

  I gulp, wondering what Arrow was going to do to me.

  “Okay, you’re right; it’s none of my business. If it was me—I’d want someone to tell me though.”

  “Is this about Eric?” he asks in a gruff voice.

  I scoot closer to him and look him in the eye. “I guess so. I was with him forever, you know? I realize now it’s just what we were used to. I just wish he’d broken up with me before sleeping around.”

  “He doesn’t deserve you Faye. He never did.”

  “He’s been calling non-stop,” I say, tracing the tattoos on his knuckles.

  “I’ll get you a new sim card tomorrow,” he says instantly.

  “Okay. Are we still going out somewhere tonight?” I ask, fighting a yawn.

  “Are you tired? We could just order something in,” he replies.

  “Sounds good,” I say, smiling.

  “What am I going to do with you Faye?” he says, leaning forward and kissing me on my nose.

  “I could think of a few things,” I say dryly, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

  He pulls back, his expression going blank. “There are some things I need to sort out before we even think of going there babe.”

  “What things?” I ask. I move closer, close enough that I can smell a hint of his cologne.

  “Nothing, babe, nothing,” he says, brushing it off and rolling away from me.

  I groan in frustration.

  What the hell is he hiding?

  *****

  When I wake up in the middle of the night, Dex isn’t in bed. Feeling thirsty and a little curious, I tip toe into the kitchen to get some milk then look around for him. I hear voices outside so I move the blinds to the side to take a peek. I can’t hear, but I can see Dex’s lips move as he talks to a man I’ve never seen before. His hand is around his neck, squeezing.

  I gulp.

  Would Dex kill him?

  Finally, he shoves the man to the floor and then points to the gate. Next, Dex turns to Arrow, says something to him, and then
punches him in the stomach.

  What the fuck?

  I get back to bed before they can notice me.

  An hour later, Dex slides back into the sheets and pulls me into his arms, hugging me. He even kisses the top of my head.

  Which Dex is the real Dex?

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day, after a morning of studying, I exit my room and walk straight into Mary.

  “Oh sorry honey,” she says in her sweet voice, her arm going to my waist.

  “Sorry,” I mumble, giving her a small smile. She is looking beautiful today in high waisted shorts and a singlet top with a picture of a pin up girl on it. She’s so hot! How could Arrow cheat on her… with that!

  “I was just coming to get you actually,” she says. “You’ve been cooped up in your room all morning; do you want something to eat?”

  Could she get any nicer?

  “Sounds good,” I say. “How have you been?”

  “Good, busy with work,” she says as we walk side by side into the kitchen. I look down at what I’m wearing, track pants and a singlet top with a chocolate stain on it. I look like shit compared to her.

  “Where do you work again?” I ask her, sitting at the table.

  “I’m a vet,” she says, opening the fridge and pulling out a large container.

  “Wow,” I say, impressed. “Beauty and brains.”

  Except for dating Arrow.

  She laughs. “You’re sweet. Here, Sin told me to make this for you and make sure you eat it.”

  She puts the container in front of me, a healthy looking chicken salad. “Thanks.”

  “I’ve never seen him care for someone so much,” she says, staring at the salad.

  I smile but decide to ignore that comment. “Where’s Arrow?”

  She loses her smile. “Club business. Listen he told me about what happened yesterday.”

  My jaw drops open. “He did?”

  She laughs at my expression. “Yes, he did. We aren’t exclusive, him and I. But thanks for standing up for me all the same.”

  “I don’t get this club,” I admit.

  “You don’t have to honey. Love the man love the club, that’s just how it goes. Dex was pissed at Arrow for letting you see what you did.”

  I choke on a piece of lettuce. “Love?”

  Is that why Dex hit Arrow? Because he had to deal with my reaction to seeing Arrow cheat?

  “Oh I’ve seen how the two of you look at each other,” she says, flashing me a knowing look.

  “Do you need glasses?” I ask her keeping a straight face. I turn as Tracker, Irish, and Allie walk in.

  “Hey you,” I say to Tracker, giving him a warm smile.

  He walks straight to me, leaning down and kissing me on the head. “I’m hungry, cook me some food.”

  I gasp. “You have hands, use them.”

  “He was using them pretty creatively just before,” Allie purrs. What? Does she just sleep with anyone?

  “Get the fuck out Allie,” Tracker growls.

  I stand. “Thanks for the food Mary.”

  Heading back to my room Tracker stops me in the hallway. “What’s wrong?”

  I sigh and turn to face him. “I guess I thought you were my only friend in this place and now you’re fucking the enemy. I don’t know. I guess I’m just hormonal.”

  Yes! Saving me once again.

  “And you kissed me!” I blurt out. “I guess that wouldn’t mean anything to you though, considering…”

  “The fuck,” comes a heated growl. I turn and look into angry blue eyes.

  Shit. Fuck. Shit.

  “Umm...” I mumble.

  Yeah I have nothing.

  “You kissed her?” he says to Tracker, who stares him straight in the eye and nods. “Outside,” he snaps, then walks off.

  Tracker turns to me, eyes piercing into mine. “Sorry, but you’re his.”

  With that, he walks off. I go to follow them but I hear Dex call out to Arrow to keep me in my room. Shit, he couldn’t call anyone else?

  “Hello little girl,” he says, grinning. He points to my room door. I put my hands on my hips and stand my ground.

  “Aren’t you going to stop them?” I ask him, my voice raising. In answer, he herds me into the bedroom.

  “Now about the other day,” he starts, pretending as if there weren’t two men out there doing god knows what to each other.

  I laugh nervously. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “What are you sorry about?”

  I frown. “My pregnancy stunt didn’t cock block you?”

  He laughs now, holding his stomach. “Fuck no, as if these bitches care.”

  Lovely. “I just really like Mary, okay. Don’t worry, Dex gave me a warning.”

  His face softens lightly. “Yeah, Mary is a good girl.”

  I roll my eyes. “She’s a catch! Someone needs to wife her!”

  His lips curve. “Now don’t be saying things you can’t take back.”

  I blink. He blinks. Then we both laugh. When our laughter subsides, Arrow looks at me intently. “Need to ask you something.”

  “Go ahead,” I say.

  “You realize Sin is going to take over the club someday…”

  “As President?” I ask. I’d never really thought about that before. What does that mean for me and our child?

  “Yeah. Being the old lady of a president isn’t just for anyone,” he says, playing with his beard. “You need to learn when to keep that mouth of yours shut.”

  I open my mouth and then snap it closed.

  “Good, you’re learning,” he comments, looking amused. “We like you so we let you get away with shit, but not all bikers are like that you know. You can’t go running your mouth in front of others.”

  “I’ve already been told this. And Sin doesn’t even want me,” I say, unable to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

  Arrow grins. “He fuckin’ wants you; trust me on that, little girl.”

  “No he doesn’t want me. And he doesn’t want me being with anyone else either,” I huff, staring at the door. Before Arrow can grab me, I run to the door and through the house. When I walk outside, I see all the bikers and women standing around Dex and Tracker, who are both beating the shit out of each other. Tracker has blood streaming down his face, while Dex just has a cut lip.

  “Stop it!” I yell at the top of my lungs.

  Dex doesn’t even turn my way, instead he calls out one word. “Irish!!”

  Irish walks to me, lifts me in his arms, and carries me away as I squirm and scream. “Why aren’t you stopping them?” I yell, pushing myself away from his body. He carries me like a bride instead of over his shoulder, obviously being careful about my stomach. As we enter my room, Arrow is still sitting there, looking bored.

  “Why the fuck did you let her out?” Irish growls unhappily. “You’re gonna get your ass kicked.”

  Arrow shrugs. “She doesn’t think Sin wants her, thought it’d do her good to see him fighting over her.”

  That’s where he was wrong.

  He wasn’t fighting over me, Faye Connor.

  He was fighting over his possession.

  The difference in those two things is astronomical.

  “I suck at life,” I mutter under my breath. I mean, I don’t really know Dex do I? Sure I knew him as a kid, but he was much older than me so it wasn’t like we hung out. I always thought he was gorgeous.

  He is gorgeous.

  But it’s more than that.

  “What did Tracker do anyway?” Arrow asks, leaning on his elbow.

  “Nothing,” I lie, not wanting them to know what went on.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Hey, I was told I’m not allowed to mention anything I see in this club,” I say, grinning impishly at the two men.

  They both laugh. “You’re a million times better than Renee,” Irish adds.

  Arrow punches him in the arm.

  “Who is Renee?” I ask, trying to sound c
asual, but curiosity laces my tone.

  “No one,” Arrow says, giving Irish a look I can clearly decipher. Shut up—it says.

  I throw my hands up. “No one tells me shit around here!”

  “Would you rather be back home?” Arrow asks, raising an eyebrow. I picture myself back home. My parents breathing up my neck every two seconds.

  Faye, did you study?

  Faye, I don’t think you should wear that. Cover up more.

  Faye you already have a boyfriend at your age. The whole town is talking about you.

  “No, I wouldn’t,” I reply with total honestly. “But this place is boring too.”

  Irish huffs. “Only ‘cuz Sin is keeping you locked up here like a fuckin’ princess. If you were allowed out to play, you’d have a good time.”

  Interesting.

  “Oh and if you weren’t knocked up,” Arrow adds gruffly, eying my belly like it’s contagious.

  I run my hands over my stomach. “This is true.”

  The door slams open and Dex stands there, adrenalin and fury radiating from him. The air gets sucked from the room as we stare at each other.

  “Out,” he growls to Arrow and Irish. Arrow flashes me a sympathetic look before he leaves. One I don’t appreciate.

  Dex starts to pace, and I sit and wait for him to explode. I can feel it coming.

  Feel it pulsing throughout the room.

  “My kid in you, and you’re kissing another man?” he yells, punching the door twice. I flinch with each hit, then stare at the crack in the door.

  “It was just a kiss! And I saw you with that skank in the hallway!” I yell, losing my temper.

  “So what? It was going to be another revenge fuck? You seem to like those don’t you,” he sneers, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Don’t twist my words! It was one kiss, and he’s a nice guy,” I tell him, looking away.

  He laughs but without humor. “None of these guys are nice guys Faye, they are just being that way to you because they know you’re under my protection.”

  I open my mouth to reply but he cuts me off.

  “Tracker, the man you think is a ‘nice guy’ killed someone last week,” he says in a tone I’ve never heard from him before. “And do you know why he did it? Because I gave him the orders to.”