Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 1: Call Me...Vengeance ~ Fury ~ Jonas

by Natasha Thomas

  Shrugging, she does the same followed by Bella rolling to her side propping herself up on an elbow.

  “Truthfully, it was equal parts of good and bad. The bad was stupid shit. Shit that at the time infuriated me, but looking back on it, I can kind of see why they did it. I’m not saying I agree with them showing up when I was out on a date, intimidating guys who were interested in me, and warning them off, but I accept it for what it is now.”

  “And what is it?”

  “Their way of showing me they cared,” she states plainly. “Dad sat me down one day and explained that it was his job, and by extension his brothers because they’re family to take care of me. They weren’t doing it to piss me off, more like make sure I was safe. That isn’t to say they didn’t take it too far occasionally because they did. More than a few times, actually. But in the grand scheme of things, once I learned to trust that they had my best interests at heart, I was less angry and more accepting of it.”

  Gathering her hair, tying it into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck, she adds,

  “Don’t get me wrong, I rebelled against it, lashed out at them, and was a general pain in the ass, but eventually I gave in and went with the flow.”

  “You’re a better woman than me then,” Bella grins evilly. “I still piss Jay off as often as humanly possible, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

  “Meh,” Avery huffs. “I do that too, with my Dad that is, but I’ve learned to concentrate my efforts on just him instead of spreading my bitchy goodness far and wide. It’s easier that way. Only one alphahole to contend with then.”

  “Alphahole,” Bella squeals. “I fucking love that, can I use it?”

  “Sure can. I haven’t copyrighted it, so have at it.”

  “Can I ask you something,” I enquire of Avery.

  “Yep, consider me an open book babe, and ask away.”

  Shifting nervously, I look between them dropping my gaze to my hand I’m wringing together in my lap.

  “Jackson said a few thing this morning that he didn’t have a chance to expand on.”

  “You mean he told you he had shit to do, and if you had any questions he’d answer them later,” Avery says.

  “Oh, fuck me. I hate it when they use that word,” Bella interjects. “Why can’t they just be honest and admit they’ve got no intention of justifying anything to us?”

  “Because that would piss us off and we’d be forced to retaliate,” Avery shrugs. “So was that about the size of it?”

  “Yep, you got in in one,” I confirm.

  “So what part of whatever he dictated are you struggling with? Break it down for us,” Bella instructs smiling broadly.

  I’m glad she finds this amusing because I don’t. In fact, I find the whole thing freaking confusing.

  “Basically, he told me that he doesn’t date, but apparently we’re together. As in, I’m his woman. I don’t even know what that means, and when I asked he told me that he wanted us to work on building something together.”

  “Ah, the caveman act. A personal favorite of mine,” Avery scoffs.

  “As informative as that answer was, do you think you can give me a little more insight than that?” I ask.

  “There really isn’t any more to it, babe. When one of these guys claims a woman, and yes, I know it sounds like they’re all Neanderthals, but it is what it is, it’s a done deal. Bikers don’t mess around when it comes to their women, and if they see something in one that calls to them, they go about making her his, immediately. Without hesitating, most of them make it known and do it publically that she’s off-limits to anyone else. I’ve seen it with my sister Dakota and her man Cody. My friend Anna and her man, Kell. Same goes for another one of my besties, Amalia, and my cousin Bryce. Although their relationship was a total clusterfuck at the start, he pulled his head out of his ass eventually and stepped up to make sure everyone knew she was his.”

  “Oh, I heard about that,” Bella chimed in. “She had planned to leave, Blackwater before he woke up, didn’t she?”

  Nodding, Avery confirms,

  “She had, yeah. It was kind of sad why too. Amalia had it rough with her Dad for a while there. She was diagnosed with ADD when she was younger and her Dad messed up big time, but they’ve worked it out now, so it’s all good. I just hope it stays that way. She deserves some happiness, and I’m glad Bryce is giving it to her,” she finishes sadly.

  Turning to me, Avery studies me silently for a minute.

  “I can only give you advice from the outside looking in, babe. I don’t have an old man, and honestly, given the choice, I don’t think it will be a biker I’ll hook my star to when I am interested in going down that path.”

  “Ah, Ree? I think there’s a sexy, brooding alphahole who’d beg to differ,” Bella challenges.

  “I don’t give the first fuck if he begs to differ or not, B, he can kiss my ass as far as I’m concerned. He had his chance, in fact, he had hundreds of them. And he blew every last one of them. No,” she says shaking her head ruefully. “No, I worded that wrong. He had hundreds of chances, and while I was busy giving him them, he was busy blowing them by letting countless women blow him. So, like I said, fuck him and his little dog too.”

  “Wow, you really are on a roll with the wicked witch metaphors today, aren’t you?” Bella quips lightly.

  Deciding now is a good time to redirect the conversation, I interrupt their banter.

  “Excuse me, ladies, while it is truly fascinating to listen to you recount all the ways in which Fury’s an asshole,” I interject making the assumption that who they’re referring to. “I was wondering whether we could get back to you explaining what the hell Jackson was on about this morning.”

  “With pleasure,” Avery sighs in relief. “Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by Little Miss Matchmaker, these guys don’t mess around when it comes to a woman they’re interested in. I won’t lie and say they’re all saints, some of them are worse than others, but when they make a commitment you’re guaranteed it’s for life. To them being in an MC is about the brotherhood, finding a family if they didn’t have one before, and having a place to belong. Money and status don’t matter here. Who your parents are, what they do for a living isn’t relevant. All that matters is loyalty, respect, and dedication to your brothers pure and simple.”

  Sucking in a breath, she continues.

  “If you understand that, then you’ll understand why they behave the way they do. A lot of the guys come from shitty homes with equally shitty parents. They were juvenile delinquents, or well on their way to becoming them. And they didn’t have a code to live by that wasn’t one they’d developed themselves. Being here, being a part of all this isn’t purely about riding, drinking, partying, and pussy, although that does factor into it. But moreover, it’s about being surrounded by a group of men who share a way of life that most aren’t cut out for. Honestly, out of all the men I’ve met, the ones who wear a cut are among the strongest and most loyal. They might not be the easiest to live with, and God knows they’re a pain in the ass more often than not, but, at least, they stand for something. And when they do, they stand together.”

  “That’s kind of poetic, Ree,” I whisper.

  “You really feel like that, Avey?” A gruff voice asks from behind us.

  Again with the freaking ninja’s. What is it with these people? This time, it isn’t the wicked witch, though, it’s Fury instead. Jumping up from her spot beside me, Avery brushes the loose grass off her jeans. Leaning down when she’s finished, she whispers,

  “Don’t focus on the future, just live for the now. That’s how they live. All you need to ask yourself is, are you a better person with him or without him? If you can answer that honestly, you’ll know all you need to.”

  Without answering, Fury, Avery turns her back on him making her way back inside leaving me with the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question; am I better with Jackson or is it in my best interests to call us quits before
we get any more invested?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ~ Boss ~

  Revelations

  “Boss, you got a minute?” Sarge calls, halting my search for Beth.

  Spending the last hour and a half in church when I’d rather have been in bed with Beth was bad enough, but if I’m going to have to listen to Sarge bitch me out for leaving him with three women I’m going to need a fucking beer.

  Stepping up to the bar, I motion for Green to hook me up. Taking a long swallow, I take a seat on my stool, saying,

  “That’s about all I’ve got, brother. Make it fast, yeah?”

  My impatience isn’t solely related to wanting to get my hands on Beth’s magnificent body again, although that does factor highly on my list of scheduled afternoon activities. The other part revolves around the shit we just went over during church. New information has been acquired about Hells Riders. Or should I say, new players have been revealed. It doesn’t matter which way you slice it, none of it’s good. In fact, it’s fucked up is what it is.

  Gage, Sly, Jump, and Fury did what was needed, and asked around to see if there was any chatter about what was going down in Hells Riders camp. With Diesel off the grid, we might be light on the ground but they pulled through.

  Speaking of Diesel, his time was coming to an end. And fast at that. He’d been hung up on Cami, obsessing over her really, for too fucking long. Until now, I’d been worried about my best friend and brother, and willing to cut him some slack when it came to the woman he’s in love with. But after what went down last night, him not showing for church today, and not answering his fucking phone any one of the fifteen times I’d called, I was more determined than ever have a word with him he wouldn’t be able to misunderstand.

  It’s one thing to make sure your woman is safe and taken care of, it’s another to desert you brothers, you club, your family when the shit is about to hit the fan. If Diesel’s concern for Cami is that fucking high, then he can do like the rest of us have and lock her down here. Not to mention, that plan has the added benefit of his ass being around when he’s needed too.

  Taking the seat beside me, Sarge groans demanding Green get him something stronger than a beer. When the bottle of whiskey and a shot glass is deposited in front of him, he pours and downs three before speaking.

  “I might be old, but if you ever do that shit to me again, I’ll kick your ass. I swear to Christ, dealing with those women was like herding feral fucking cats.”

  Sighing, I ask,

  “Which one gave you trouble, old man?”

  “Fuck you, and fuck you a second time for asking which one. The better question is who didn’t make me wanna scratch out my eyes and rip my own goddamn ears off.”

  Taking another deep pull on my beer, I don’t want to know but I’ll play along.

  “Okay, which one didn’t turn you into a whining pussy then?”

  Slapping me upside the back of my head, Sarge scowls at me. He’s lucky I’ve got nothing but love and respect for the man who stepped up to be a father figure to me, because if I didn’t, I’d lay his ass out for doing something like that. Not one other man, brother or not would get away with that shit, and he knows it too.

  “Shut your mouth boy, I’ve got every right to bitch after dealing with them. Next time, I’ll take your seat and do the easy job and you can corral those bitches. Sound good?” He prompts, with no trace of humor.

  “Spit it out, Sarge. I wanna get back to my woman, and as pretty as you are, you just don’t do it for me.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not the picture of beauty either, but you don’t hear me complaining when I’ve gotta look at your ugly mug,” he grins. Grin quickly disappearing his expression turns serious. “I don’t know what you were thinking bringing Laura here, but you’re gonna need to have a word with her.”

  Before I can interrupt, he waves me off. “I know your history with her boy. You don’t need to explain shit to me, but you might wanna tell her that’s what she is, history because right now I’m thinking she’s not altogether clear on that.”

  “What the fuck happened?” I groan, not liking where this is headed.

  “B and her got into it, and your new woman got caught up in it. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it, but Beth stood her ground and gave it back as good as she got.” Smiling widely, he adds, “In a fucking classy, less bitchy way, but it still did the job. Don’t know where Laura took off to, but she was none too happy with being put in her place by your new woman that’s for sure.”

  I won’t say it makes me happy Beth had to deal with shit from Laura, but fuck if it doesn’t make me proud she was able to handle herself. It only proves I was right about her. She’s perfect old lady material, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

  Sarge isn’t the first man who’s voiced his confusion over why Laura’s here, Fury, Sly, Cash, and Spook have too. And I’ll tell him what I told them.

  “You know I can’t leave her swinging, brother. It’s been years, sure, but word gets back to Nix she was ever a part of my life, or how much of one, she’s at just as much risk as the next woman. As much as you boys don’t like her being here, put yourself in my shoes for a minute and think about how much I fucking hate it. The last thing I want is to risk the good thing I’ve just started with Beth, but it is what it is.”

  Slapping a hand down on the bar, Sarge shifts off his seat turning to face me.

  “I’ve got your back, you know that. Always. And that’s not only because you’re my Prez. Watched you grow from a scared, unsure little kid into the man you are today, and it’s been a fucking pleasure. I’d like to think I had a hand in guiding you, and that only make me prouder of how you turned out. You’re a good man, Jackson. Loyal, strong, smart as a fucking whip, and if you say she’s gotta be here then I trust that. But I’ll warn you now, keep an eye on her. I don’t know what it is, but my gut’s telling me something’s not right about your ex. Nothing she said, other than being her typical brand of bitch. But still, better to give you the heads up.”

  Rising. I give him a one-armed hug.

  “Means a lot coming from you, old man. And don’t doubt you had plenty to do with me turning my life around, you did. Thanks for the warning, too. I’ll keep an eye on her. Keep my ears open too.”

  “All you can do,” he states before taking off for his recliner.

  I made the decision as church was winding down that I was going to take Beth back to my place tonight. I want some time just her and me. Knowing there aren’t going to be many opportunities for that soon, I decide I’ll just have to make use of the time we have right now.

  The meeting this morning heralded different result than I’d hoped for, but, at least, we’d started getting some solid intel on the player we were up against.

  Sly got hold of. Liam, a Devil’s Spawn brother whose family runs a private security and investigations company out of Dallas. Apparently, they’re able to run checks and pull information even the FBI has trouble getting their hands on, which works for us.

  According to what Brookes, Liam’s older brother could gather at short notice, Hells Riders have recently retained the services of a shady fucking lawyer who goes by the name of, Oliver Markham. Rumor has it, this prick is as good at his job as he is corrupt. He’s represented senators accused of taking bribes, elitists caught embezzling, and wealthy men charged with crimes as reprehensible as rape and aggravated assault off the hook. This begs the question, why would he be shackling himself to the likes of Nix, and an MC that won’t do anything to further his reputation?

  When I asked, Sly this he couldn’t give me a straight answer.

  “Got no idea, Boss. All I can figure is that HR’s have something on him. Not sure what that’d be seeing as he’s out of Tennessee, but whatever it is, it has to be good.”

  “How do we find out,” Cash questions.

  “I can put a call into, Brookes, but from what Liam told me anything else is gonna take tim
e. Time we don’t have. How far do you want me to get him to dig? I’m assuming you want, EyeSee on this, Boss?”

  “You guess right,” I snap. “Get him to dig deep. The deeper, the better. As far as I’m concerned, tell him to go back as far as his high school years if he has to. If we don’t have a lead on when they got involved, I don’t want to miss anything because we didn’t bother to go back far enough.”

  “Read the file Liam sent over, and it was pretty standard shit. For a crooked motherfucker, that is,” Mad adds unnecessarily.

  “Look,” I say pushing back out of my chair. “This is just something else to add to the growing list of shit Hells Riders are shoveling. Someone needs to find out what happened to their previous lawyer, and why he’s not representing them anymore. You boys know, just like I do, MC’s don’t switch that shit up unless it’s absolutely necessary. Collins is a solid guy, well-respected, decent, and liked around these parts even though he’s been dealing with those bastards for too long. I don’t see him pulling their retainer, so it had to have been them that cut him loose. And that doesn’t sit well with me.”