by K E Osborn
Wraith reaches out, grabbing my hand while my heart thuds, then stops for a beat as the room falls silent.
Zero stares at our joined hands, and a scowl ignites over his features almost immediately. Then his face turns a bright shade of red, the vein in his neck pulsing in obvious anger. He takes a step forward, getting right into Wraith’s face.
Cherry pulls back on Zero’s arm to no avail, as I cling onto Wraith, who isn’t making any motions of rebuttal.
“What the fuck kind of game are you playing at?”
“This isn’t a game, Zero. I love her. I know I’m not the perfect guy for your sister, but I’m working on it.”
Zero brings his hands up, shoving Wraith in the chest, but he barely budges. “Working on it? Wraith, you’re a fucking maniac. I know who you are, what you’re capable of. I don’t want you anywhere near Prinie. I trusted you! I fucking trusted you while I was away to look after my club, my fucking family, not to poison her mind and make her think you’re worthy of being in a relationship with her.”
I tense up, my eyes flooding with tears as Wraith doesn’t fire up. Somehow, he stays completely calm. “I understand. My history with women is not ideal. But Prinie means so much to me… I will never hurt her.”
Zero scoffs, throwing his hands in the air and starts pacing as he walks off his rage. “This is bullshit! Prinie, tell me this is a fucking joke? Actually, I forbid you to be with him. You’re my sister, my responsibility, so you’ll do what I damn well tell you to.”
I grip onto Wraith tighter, moving to talk, but Wraith butts in. “Honestly, Zero, I respect the hell out of you as my president. I’ll say that openly in front of everyone here, but if you threaten my woman like that again, I will knock your fucking teeth out. I will not respect your opinion on this, Prinie is mine. You can’t stop this, no matter what you do. So, you can learn to deal with it or turn a blind eye when you see us together because I’m not giving her up. Not for you, not for anybody.”
Hearing Wraith stand up for me like this makes me feel invincible. I know I can stand up to my brother with him by my side. Wraith is so fucking protective of me, there’s no way I could ever see his fears of hurting me come to pass. My eyes meet Wraith’s, and I gaze at him with a loving smile.
Zero turns back to face us, his eyes shifting from Wraith to me. “You love him?”
“So much.” Every inch of me beams in pride.
Zero grumbles something under his breath. “If you ever lay a finger on her—”
“You can kill me yourself. But it’s not going to happen, Zero,” Wraith answers with so much conviction you have to believe him.
Cherry grips hold of Zero again while looking up at him. He glances down at her, his hard expression softens as he exhales. “Fine! You prove to me you’re good for her, I’ll accept this… this thing…” he waves his hands around excessively, “… but don’t make me regret this!”
As Wraith wraps his arms around me so damn tight, I smile so fucking wide. “Done. And, Zero…”
He glowers at Wraith. “Your trust wasn’t misplaced, and it still isn’t.”
Zero hums some other inaudible words. “We’ll see. Just make her happy.”
“I already am happy, Zero,” I tell him.
Zero looks at me, grunts, then moves in, gripping Wraith’s shoulder. “Let’s keep it that way. Yeah? Now I don’t know about you guys, but this is too fucking serious for me. I just got home, I need to party! Fox, I sure hope that brisket is nearly ready? I can smell it from here.”
My shoulders relax as I glance up at Wraith, and for the first time in a long time, he smiles down at me. The sight fucking glorious as he leans in pressing his forehead to mine in a tender gesture.
“You brothers, always thinking with your stomach, or your…” Fox doesn’t finish his sentence.
We all burst out laughing as we all head outside as a club united for the real party to get started.
Though from the events of today, I’m far too queasy to eat anything. I doubt I’ll be drinking too much tonight either. I had no idea how Zero’s hearing was going to go, and that was nerve-wracking enough, then when he came home the anxiety of having to tell him about Wraith and me had my stomach in all kinds of knots. I just need to relax and unwind because my body has been through so much the past few weeks. Even though my neck has had two weeks of healing time, it’s still painful to the touch. The memories of Sava’s blood all over me, haunts me in my dreams. Let alone the fact that I am having to have blood tests all the time. But it’s become a part of my new normal—at least for the next six months.
That’s another thing I am going to have to fill Zero in on.
But it can wait.
Tonight’s a happy night.
All that bullshit can come tomorrow.
WRAITH
The party is in full swing. Prinie’s off with the girls, so I’ll take this time to start phase one of my Neon and Zero plan. Zero’s sitting by the fire pit, staring into it like he’s got a million things running through his mind right now. So, I walk up to Neon, grab him harshly by his arm, and start dragging him.
“What the fuck, bro?” he calls out, spilling his beer.
“Just go with it.”
“If this is some weird three-way sex thing with you and Prinie, I’m flattered, but I think I’ll pa—”
“Shut up, fucker, before I change my mind and punch your fucking lights out.”
I drag him over to the firepit where he spots Zero sitting by himself.
Neon nods like he understands and stops fighting me as we both walk up taking a seat either side of our president.
Zero’s eyes dart from me to Neon, then back to me. “This an intervention or some shit?” Zero chuckles, then takes a long pull on his beer.
“Just checking in,” I tell him.
“Even after the grilling I gave you about Prinie?” he asks.
“I’m not angry, Zero. I understand, and as long as you do, then we’re good.”
Zero nods his head once, then takes another drink of his beer. Subject closed.
“We’re sorry it took us so long to get you out. We knew it was gonna be rough,” Neon adds.
Zero waves his hand through the air. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” He shifts, wincing a little, his hand moving to his side instinctively.
“You still in pain?” I ask.
He exhales. “Yeah. It’s not bad, more like a twinge than anything, but enough to annoy the fuck out of me.”
“You need Chills to check it out?” Neon grimaces.
“Nah, man. The doctors inside fixed me up. Had a minor surgery. Cherry doesn’t know how close it came, though. I swear if those guards hadn’t come in at the right time…” he trails off.
“We have Ethan to thank for that,” I tell him.
He jerks his head back. “What? As in Kevlar’s Ethan? ‘Straight down the line won’t help the club in any-fucking-way,’ Ethan?”
“Still not sure why. We need to bring him in, but we’ve been a little… preoccupied.”
He exhales. “Prinie’s neck?”
“Seems Damir and I go back further than I even knew.”
Zero narrows his eyes in on me. “Tell me… don’t hold back.”
“Damir, and another guy, Sava, they’re my blood brothers. My mother gave birth to them before me. She was a part of the Triglav Clan. Their father, Vlatko, who is my father, but Damir and Sava didn’t know that. Damir still doesn’t. They were told differently because by then, our mother was a whore, and bringing a whole pile of shame down on the Clan.”
Zero’s eyes widen. “So, what are you saying? You’re Serbian?”
“Only by DNA. In heart, I’m all Houston.”
“So, who came after you if Damir was inside with me?”
“Sava and Vlatko. My other brother and father. They took Prinie. Knocked Koda out cold—”
“What the fuck!”
“He’s okay… had a pretty good concussion, though.”
“They wanted to kill her in front of me. Bring me pain by killing the one thing I love because apparently, I put our mother in a coma when I strangled her, and they had to pull the plug a year later. They loved her for some fucked-up reason I am yet to understand.”
Zero grits his teeth. “They tried to slit Prinie’s throat?”
“Tried. None of us would have let that happen, but Luc was instrumental in helping. If I were still acting president, I’d be giving the fucker his patch for what he did for Prinie and me in that damn church.”
Zero studies the prospect. He might be new to Houston, but he’s not new to Defiance. He’s paid his dues both here and in Chicago. Plus, he has one hell of an incentive waiting for him once he earns his patch. We all shoot our eyes toward Ruby, the club girl hanging off Luc’s arm.
Yeah, they both deserve this.
“Okay, I’ll take it on board. I’ll have a meeting with the prospect tomorrow. See where he sits.”
“Good idea,” I relay.
“Actually, while I have you both here, I just want to thank you. Especially you, Wraith, for running this joint, even if you did run into some trouble,” Zero offers.
I raise my beer. “Thanks, brother, but honestly, it’s not me you need to be thanking.”
I direct my eyes toward Neon. “If it weren’t for him and Fin, they wouldn’t have been able to put that Baron fucker away. Neon went above and beyond for you, put himself in the line of fire… maybe not gunfire, but if that smear campaign was ever traced back to him—”
“I get it…” Zero turns to Neon, “… thanks, man. You’ve always been there for me. Even when shit between us with me and your sister got real fucking weird.”
Neon scowls. “Zero, I was your best friend. We went through school together, put up with all those high school bullies together. Fuck, brother, I thought you were gonna marry into my family. Of course, I’m gonna put my ass out on the line for you.”
Zero stands, grabbing Neon, pulling him into a full-on back-slapping bromance-style hug. “Love you, man.”
“You, too, you fucking pussy.”
I stand, gripping Zero’s shoulder. “And my work here is done!” I turn to go find Prinie when Zero reaches out grabbing my arm. I turn back, Zero’s eyes convey so much. He’s against me being with Prinie, so it’s hard for him to say, but I can tell he’s thankful I’m taking care of his sister—I always will. “I know, Zero. I’ll look after her.”
Zero exhales with a nod and a grin, then turns back to Neon. And just like that, I finally feel like I have his blessing, even if he didn’t say a single word.
That one look means more than anything he could have ever said.
However, right now, I need to go find my woman and spend some much-needed time with her. She’s standing by the grill with Bub and Fox, so I stroll over, walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her from behind. She leans back into me as I press my lips to the unharmed side of her neck.
“None of that hanky panky in front of my Old Lady, thank you, VP. You’ll give her ideas,” Fox blurts out.
Bub scoffs. “You tellin’ me you don’t want some of my famous lovin’ tonight, old man?” Bub squeezes her own breast for emphasis.
Fox groans. “Jesus, woman! See, this is what I was talking about. The second she sees any kind of loved-up couple, she starts puttin’ on a show. We’re too old for public displays, Bub.”
“I’ll never be too old to show people you’re my old man, Fox.” Bub leans in pressing her body up against his, kissing him deeply.
I spin Prinie in my arms to face me while Fox and Bub make out. Prinie’s eyes alight with humor as I grab her hands, leading her away. “C’mon, let’s ditch this place.”
Her eyes widen. “We’re leaving?”
“Not leaving, just heading upstairs.”
Her happy demeanor fades, her body slumping. “You know we can’t…”
I tighten my grip in her hand. “We don’t have to go upstairs just to fuck, Prinie.”
She tilts her head at me in curiosity. “Hmm… intriguing. Okay, let’s go.”
We race upstairs, Zero’s eyes honed in on us as we go. However, this time, I don’t feel the heat of his stare but more acceptance, which is good for a change. We make way to her room, and when we enter, I walk us over to the bed, turn Prinie around, and start to undress her. Slowly, I pull her dress down until she’s only wearing her underwear, then I edge her to lay down.
As she turns to look at me, I kick off my boots, shrug out of my cut placing it on the desk, then remove my jeans and shirt and socks, leaving me in my boxer briefs. Her dimples sink in as her soft lips stretch up, trying to reach the corner of her curiosity-filled eyes. “What are we doing?”
I lay on the bed next to her. “Scoot on in here.”
Prinie instantly pushes into my side, cuddling in. Her warmth envelops me, her fruity smell surrounds me, and it’s like no matter what our future holds, we’re in this together, and we both know it.
“Cuddling… this is your big plan?”
I chuckle. “You don’t wanna cuddle?”
Her finger traces the tattoos on my chest as she raises her head and peeks up at me. “I didn’t think you’d be into this?”
My hand comes up threading through her long wavy hair. “When it comes to you, Kharlie, I’m into it.”
She puts her head back down on my chest and exhales. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to stay down there and party.”
“I’ve spent days on end with them. I want my future to be with you.” I reach out and hold her hand in mine.
Prinie sits up suddenly, her bottom lip drawn in by her teeth. “What are you saying?”
I slowly sit, my eyes meeting hers, my hand moving out caressing her neck. A flash of my addiction sweeps through me, but she means too much, and with each day I spend with her, that thrill of my sexual addiction becomes less important to me. From the first time I wrapped my fingers around her throat to this glimmer of something I’m experiencing now, the feelings are so polar opposite.
My fingers slide up and down the silkiness of her neck.
She doesn’t flinch.
She completely trusts me.
Fuck knows why.
And that gives me all the evidence I need.
My eyes lock with hers, the air in the room changes. It feels like a vacuum has sucked all the oxygen from my lungs as I stare at her beautiful face.
She’s so fucking perfect.
So fucking right for me in every way.
And I know I’m making the right move.
“Kharlie Walker, you’re the princess of this club, but you’re the queen of my heart, and it’s taken me a long fucking time to get to this point. A lot of bickering, miscommunications, and denial on my part, but I can’t fight what I want anymore.”
Her eyes glisten. “What’s that?”
“For you to be my Old Lady.”
Her eyes widen as she gasps. Her hand runs up to her mouth as tears flow down her cheeks. “Are you sure? We don’t know what the tests are going to come back like, Wraith.”
“I don’t give a fuck what the tests say. I love you, in sickness and in health. No matter the cost, Prinie.”
She jumps into my arms making me fall back on to the bed, her lips find mine, her tongue assaulting me as she kisses me with so much passion. My world finally feels like it is on the right path. Like everything I’ve gone through in my life has led me to this point where I have my Old Lady, and I know all the other shit will work itself out eventually.
As long as we have each other.
The Next Morning
For the first time in weeks I slept like a fucking log. Having Zero back and shit starting to calm down has put my mind at ease.
The Baron’s in custody.
Damir is in jail serving his term.
Sava and Vlatko are dead.
I have an Old Lady.
And I no longer have the ful
l weight of the club on my shoulders.
Right now, everything is fucking good in my life.
As I lay on my back in bed while waiting for Prinie to come back from the bathroom, I can’t believe how fucking lucky I am to have her. How things could have worked out so differently for us, so many times over, and yet we still found our way to each other.
The door to the bathroom slowly creeps open like she’s avoiding coming out. I narrow my eyes on her as she steps out holding something.
“What you got there, princess?” I call out.
Her expression though is not upbeat like mine. In fact, she’s damn near petrified as she gingerly creeps over sitting on the edge of the bed.
I sit up trying to figure out why she looks like she’s seen a ghost in the bathroom. “Prinie?”
Her somber eyes meet mine, and I watch her bottom lip quivering. “I took this yesterday before we went to the hearing. Then with all the excitement I forgot to check it until I saw it this morning.”
“What are you talking about?”
She hands me something long and white.
I hold it in my hand, and my eyes widen as I take in the positive pregnancy test.
My eyes shoot up to hers. “Is this a joke?”
Her eyes flood with tears. “I was feeling off yesterday morning, and I’m late, so I thought I may as well check. So, I raided the emergency stash in the medical cupboard, then we were running late for the hearing, so I forgot about it, and…” she pauses needing to take a moment. Prinie lets out a long breath as I look at the test again showing two very clear pink lines.
My heart beat drums inside my chest as I try to keep my shit together. “I’m gonna be a dad?”
Tears stream down her beautiful face as my mind flashes forward.
I’m holding my newborn baby girl in my arms. She’s so tiny, her skin so soft I can hardly stand how fucking adorable she is. It fills me with warmth. All I want is to take care of our child as I drown in the perfection of my baby girl. I want to smother Prinie with the love and affection she deserves. I glance down at Prinie on the delivery table, she’s glowing she’s so perfect. There’s nothing in this fucking world that could tear us apart.
