Bull (Dixie Reapers MC 4)

by Harley Wylde, Jessica Coulter Smith

  “You never thought to check?” Torch asked.

  Scratch shrugged. “I didn’t think I had any reason to doubt her. I’d always figured she’d try to get as much money out of me as she could. I paid child support, and even got to see Darian a few times.”

  “So you wanted me?” I asked. “You didn’t abandon me?”

  He took a step closer, but Bull growled at him, freezing the man in his tracks. “No, sweetheart. I didn’t abandon you. I have no idea how she managed to give you up without me knowing about it.”

  “I think I can answer that,” Wire said. “There’s a paper trail on Darian, and it includes a waiver from you, stating you were waiving your rights to your daughter. It’s dated the month before Darian was put into the system.”

  “I’m gonna kill that bitch,” Scratch said.

  “You’d have to bring her back from the dead first,” Wire said. “She overdosed.”

  “Good riddance,” my father muttered. He looked like he wanted to get closer to me, and I slowly released Bull’s hand and took a few steps toward Scratch.

  “I know you’re my dad, but I don’t know you.” I bit my lip. “But I’d like to.”

  He smiled a little. “I’d like that too, sweetheart.”

  “So much for the Devil’s Boneyard being all child-free bachelors,” one of the Dixie Reapers snorted.

  Darkness entered Scratch’s eyes. “People are going to try to use you against me, Darian. I can’t change that. It’s just part of this way of life. The club was into some bad shit a while back. We got rid of the rotten apples, so to speak, but there are still enemies out there who would do anything to hurt us. Including taking you.”

  “They’ll never get their hands on her,” Bull said. “She might be your daughter, but she’s part of the Dixie Reapers family too. And we take care of our own.”

  Scratch narrowed his eyes. “And how exactly did my precious daughter end up shackled to you?”

  “That’s a story that’s going to require some alcohol,” Torch said. “Why don’t you claim a table and get to know your daughter a little, then we’ll talk.”

  Scratch nodded, and I followed him to a nearby round table. I sank onto a chair, and Bull sat beside me. Scratch kept eyeing him, like he didn’t quite trust the man in my life. I remembered something that had been said once we’d learned just who my daddy was. He’d helped Bull’s daughter, Ridley.

  I nudged Bull. “Shouldn’t you thank him?”

  “For what?” Bull muttered.

  “Ridley,” I said simply.

  He sighed and nodded.

  “Ridley?” Scratch asked.

  “My daughter got into some trouble a few years ago. She stopped at your chop shop on her way here. You gave her a bike and destroyed her phone,” Bull said.

  Scratch’s eyebrow went up. “Are you telling me that sweet girl that was escaping that Benton asshole is your daughter?”

  “Yeah, that was my daughter you helped.”

  “Isn’t she older than Darian? And yet you’ve claimed my daughter as your old lady? You don’t think that’s a little fucked up?” Scratch asked.

  “He didn’t force me to be with him,” I said, wanting to defuse the situation. “Bull makes me feel safe, and I know he cares about me. I care about him too. And…”

  “And what?” Scratch asked.

  My cheeks flushed. “I could be pregnant. It’s too soon to tell yet.”

  Scratch shook his head before focusing on Bull again. “You hurt her, and I will end you. If I’d known she was still alive, you’d have never gotten your hands on her. She’s fucking Devil’s Boneyard royalty, and you don’t deserve her.”

  “I’m the one who doesn’t deserve him,” I told my father. “You have no idea what my life has been like, or what he’s saved me from. You don’t get to sit there and judge him.”

  Scratch seemed amused by my outburst. “Very well. You’re all grown up, and despite what your mother did, you seem to have turned out pretty good. If he’s what you want, I won’t stand in the way. But I’m also not going anywhere. You ever need me, I’ll be here. And I better damn sure get to see any grandkids you give me.”

  “I can agree to that,” I said.

  “I’m sure the Devil’s Boneyard has their own holiday celebrations, but you’re welcome to stay with us at Christmas. I’d imagine you’d want to spend this one with your daughter, now that you know she’s still alive,” Bull said.

  Scratch opened his mouth to respond just as the clubhouse door flew open and slammed against the wall. A petite redhead stormed inside with a Prospect hot on her heels.

  “I’m sorry, Tank. I tried to stop her,” the Prospect said as he reached for the redhead’s arm.

  “Don’t you fucking touch me!” she said, snapping her teeth at him.

  Tank groaned and met the redhead in the middle of the room. “What the fuck are you doing here, Josephine?”

  “It’s Josie,” she said. “I hate that fucking name, and you damn well know it.”

  “Fine. What the fuck are you doing here, Josie?” Tank asked.

  “Mom has gone too damn far this time. Either you do something or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

  I leaned closer to Bull and whispered, “Who’s Josie?”

  “Tank’s little sister,” he muttered. “Half-sister. She’s a little younger than you, and quite the handful.”

  Scratch chuckled as he watched his guys. “I’m thinking Jackal might like to attempt taming her. I haven’t seen him with quite that look on his face before.”

  I looked toward the man called Jackal and realized my daddy was right. There was a gleam in his eyes that said he’d love to get his hands on Josie. He wasn’t bad looking, but he was closer to Tank’s age than Josie’s, and something told me her big brother wasn’t going to like that.

  “You know your whore mother doesn’t listen to a fucking thing I say,” Tank said. “You’re nineteen, Josie. Move the fuck out.”

  “And go where?”

  Tank shrugged.

  Josie screeched and stomped her foot before marching over to the bar. The Prospect handing out drinks stared at her wide-eyed, and I couldn’t really blame him. She looked like she would be a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t think I’d ever met anyone quite like her before.

  “Whiskey,” she snapped at the Prospect.

  “You’re underage,” Tank said.

  “Since when do you obey the law?” she sneered.

  Tank tossed his hands into the air and turned away from her. “Someone else can deal with this shit.”

  Jackal moved a little closer to Josie, but the redhead seemed oblivious as she threatened the Prospect if he didn’t serve her a damn whiskey.

  “Are they always like that?” I asked.

  Bull snorted. “Pretty much.”

  “I think Jackal’s about to make a move on her,” I said.

  “He won’t hurt her,” Scratch said. “Can’t promise he won’t make her scream his name, though.”

  “Daddy!” I hadn’t meant to call him that, but it felt good. I’d always wondered what it was like to have a father, and now I found out I had one who actually wanted me.

  His gaze jerked to mine, surprise flashing in their blue depths.

  “Can you please not talk about sex in front of me? You may not be a saint, and obviously you got it on with my mom at some point, but I’d like to pretend that I was delivered by a stork. A girl should never have to think about sex and her parents,” I said.

  “I won’t talk about sex around you ever again… as long as you keep calling me daddy.”

  I smiled at him softly. “You’re not what I was expecting. I thought you’d storm in here and try to take me away from Bull. I was so scared about meeting you that I threw up this morning.”

  “If you weren’t already claimed, then I would have taken you with me.” His gaze flashed to Bull’s. “But I don’t see a property patch on her.”

  “It’s
being made,” Bull said. “She’s inked, though.”

  Scratch nodded.

  Bull pulled out his phone and frowned at it. “Isabella and Ridley are out front.”

  “They can come in, can’t they?” I asked. Now that I’d faced the fear of meeting my dad, I was ready to meet Bull’s daughter.

  “We’re still an unknown to Torch,” Scratch said. “He’s not going to want his woman in here. Not that we’d hurt any of you. Now that my baby is part of the Dixie Reapers, maybe we should talk about some sort of agreement between our two clubs.”

  Bull nodded. “I’m sure Venom and Torch would be agreeable to that. Can’t ever have too many allies.”

  “If they aren’t coming in, why are they here?” I asked, pulling Bull’s attention back to the fact his daughter was outside.

  “They want to take you somewhere, but you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Bull said.

  “Go on, sweetheart,” Scratch said. “As long as it’s okay with your old man. I’ll stick around for a day or two, and we’ll catch up.”

  Bull kissed my cheek, then helped me stand, giving me a nudge toward the clubhouse door. I glanced back once, happy to see they were getting along, and then stepped out into the sunshine. Ridley and Isabella were leaning against an SUV, both dressed similarly to me.

  “I’m so not calling you Mom,” Ridley said.

  I faltered for a moment and nearly tripped before I burst out laughing.

  She grinned and so did Isabella.

  “Where are the kids?” I asked.

  “We left them with Johnny,” Isabella said. “They adore him.”

  Ridley nodded. “Sometimes I think my kids like Johnny better than they like me.”

  “So, your dad said you wanted to take me somewhere?” I asked.

  Ridley nodded. “Get in. We’re having a girls’ day.”

  “A girls’ day?” I asked, my brow furrowed. I’d never had one of those before. What exactly did someone do on a girls’ day? Was it like in the movies with spa trips and shopping? Then again, these women were Dixie Reapers. Wouldn’t surprise me if a girls’ day for them included going to the shooting range or something.

  “Did you have breakfast?” Isabella asked.

  “Um, sort of.”

  “Sort of?” Ridley asked.

  “I ate, but then I was so stressed about meeting my dad for the first time that I threw it back up.”

  Isabella’s gaze dropped to my stomach, and I folded my arms across myself.

  “I’m not pregnant,” I said. “Or rather, I don’t know if I am. It’s way too soon to tell.”

  “Just in case, better not be doing anything that would be bad for a pregnant woman,” Isabella said.

  Ridley’s cheeks flamed and my jaw dropped. “You’re pregnant!”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t planned, and no one but Venom knows right now. I mean, Mariah is still so little and we’d hoped to wait another year or so before we talked about having a third baby.”

  Isabella snorted. “You know, just because there was a gap between Farrah and Mariah, it didn’t mean that you would have trouble getting pregnant. You should have used protection if you didn’t want another one so soon.”

  Ridley arched a brow. “Really? Does that mean you and Torch are practicing safe sex? Because I hardly see our President not doing his damnedest to knock you up again.”

  Isabella just grinned. “I’m still making him wait. When I had Lyssa, I made the doctor tell him it would be at least eight weeks before we could have sex again.”

  “You’re terrible,” Ridley said with a giggle. “Come on, Darian. We’ll go get breakfast and who knows what mischief we’ll get into after that. I’m going to enjoy my kid-free day. I love my little monsters, but good Lord, they’re exhausting.”

  We all climbed into the SUV, and as I settled in the backseat, I realized that I’d been worried for nothing. I liked these women, and maybe for once in my life, I’d have some friends. They chattered away the entire car ride, making sure to include me. After fifteen minutes, we pulled to a stop outside a cute white stucco building with a black-and-white striped awning over the red front door. It looked quaint with flower boxes spilling over with brightly colored blossoms along the front.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “It’s this little French place we discovered. They have the best breakfast,” Isabella said.

  I bit my lip, suddenly remembering I didn’t have my purse, or any money. Isabella seemed to understand my hesitance of getting out of the car and reached back to grab my hand.

  “Hey, today is my treat as a welcome to the Dixie Reapers, okay? Just make sure Bull sets up an account for you before too long. We escape for shopping trips or lunch whenever we can. Besides, you’ll feel like you have more freedom if you have your own money.”

  Would it really be mine, though, if Bull gave it to me? I’d always worked for what I had, and it seemed almost lazy to just sit around and not do anything. Not that I would presume to think that of either Isabella or Ridley. I was certain their kids kept them busy, and maybe one day I’d have a baby with Bull. It would be fun, getting all the kids together for play dates and stuff, all the things I never got to do as a kid.

  The inside of the restaurant was nice, but not so nice that I felt out of place. Comfortable. That was a good word for it. The hostess seated us on a patio out back and left menus with us before wandering off. The area was covered in more fragrant blossoms, and I thought it was probably the most charming place I’d ever seen. I wondered if I could talk Bull into coming here with me, then giggled as I thought about my big badass biker in a place like this.

  Ridley grinned. “You just pictured my dad in this place, didn’t you? We had the same reaction when we first discovered this place. Torch and Venom would be so out of place, but they’d come if we asked them to.”

  “Do either of your guys ask you to call them anything other than their club names?” I asked, wondering if that was just something Bull had asked of me.

  Isabella smiled. “I call Torch by his given name, but only when it’s just the two of us. Although, I occasionally slip. He just gives me a mock glare and swats my ass when it happens.”

  “Do you know that Venom and I were together long enough for our first daughter to be born before he even told me his name? I’ve called him Venom for so long I just keep doing it. But his legal name is on the girls’ birth certificates,” Ridley said. “I think at this point, it would feel weird to call him anything other than Venom.”

  Isabella winked at me. “Bull asked you to call him something else, didn’t he?”

  I nodded. “He asked me to call him Michael.”

  Ridley’s eyes went wide. “He actually told you his name? Hell, I spent most of my childhood thinking Bull was his real name. The man’s like a damn vault when it comes to his identity.”

  I snickered. “He seemed rather adamant that I use his given name when it’s just the two of us. He said everyone else calls him Bull, but that I’m special.”

  Ridley smiled softly. “Sounds like maybe my dad is finally going to be happy. I’m glad he found you, Darian. It’s a little weird that we’re about the same age, and if you have a baby, then my little brother or sister is going to be the same age as my kids, but I think you’re going to be good for my dad. And maybe he’ll be good for you too.”

  “Torch wouldn’t tell me how you met Bull,” Isabella said.

  “He saved me,” I said, then told them a little about how I’d ended up in Alabama and what my life had been like. I didn’t want their sympathy, but I didn’t want to feel like I was hiding things from them either.

  Isabella and Ridley shared their stories with me of how they’d come to be with the Dixie Reapers. By the time we’d finished eating and had drunk our weight in sweet tea, they’d talked me into going to a movie with them. I’d never hung out with women my age before, or hung out with anyone ever really. I was loving every minute of it, and I hoped
we’d have many more days like this in the future.

  Chapter Eight

  Bull

  Scratch rubbed a hand over his jaw. “So you took care of the assholes who were going to hurt my baby girl?”

  I nodded. “I beat the hell out of the main guy, but my brothers finished them off. There are still some out there, but we’ll get them eventually. I haven’t had a chance to speak to anyone yet, but I’m hoping those four gave up some more names before they died.”

  Torch nodded at Zipper. “Tell him what you know.”

  “Two of them sang like canaries, in hopes we’d end their lives painlessly. We have the name of every person who was at the party, and Wire is already working on tracking them down. Any financial accounts he finds along the way he’s hacked into and diverted the funds into an account for Darian. Seems only fair.”

  “Any of them still in town?” Scratch asked. “My brothers and I would love to have a chat with them.”

  Torch looked at me with raised eyebrows. Since Darian was my woman, it was up to me who dealt the justice to those assholes. I shrugged, not really caring. Leo was the main one I had wanted, and I’d let loose on him already. As long as everyone paid the price, I didn’t much care who took care of it. And as a father, I understood Scratch’s need to protect Darian, even if he hadn’t known she was still alive until today.

  “Let Devil’s Boneyard have them,” I said.

  Torch nodded. “I’ll make sure Wire hands them any info he finds. He seems familiar with Shade, so maybe the two can work together on it. Now, on to other matters.”

  “An alliance,” Scratch said. “I called Cinder before we came in here, and he’s given his permission for me to make an agreement on behalf of Devil’s Boneyard.”

  “You’re far enough away we won’t be able to work together on a regular basis, but if you need our aid, we’ll answer,” Torch said. “And I hope you’ll do the same when we require assistance.”

  “We can do that,” Scratch said. “We won’t encroach on your territory if you stay out of ours, as far as business goes. You’re welcome to visit anytime you want.”

  There was a knock on the door, making Torch frown.