Maybe I do miss him calling me fairy, although I like babe too.
He can call me anything he wants, as long as he keeps loving me like this. Dex tracking me down and bringing me back to his clubhouse was the best thing that ever happened to me.
FOUR
Faye
I SLIDE Arrow the glass of Scotch and watch as he takes a sip. “How’s everything?”
“Good,” he replies, nodding his head. He’s about to say something further, when Irish walks in and sits down next to him. I pour him a glass too.
“What the fuck are we going to do about this?” Irish asks me, his accent more pronounced than usual, meaning he’s seriously worried.
“What do you mean ‘we’?” I ask him with a raised brow. “I think you should tell Tina the truth. Do you know how much it would hurt to find out that everyone knew except her?”
“Trust me, brother,” Arrow says, grimacing. “Tell her the fuckin’ truth before she hears it from someone else.”
Irish runs a hand through his dark hair in frustration. “She’s gonna be so fuckin’ pissed I lied to her. Why can’t she just let it go?”
“Because she’s a woman.” I grin, putting the cap back on the bottle of Scotch. “Just tell her, Irish. She’ll be pissed, yes, and you’ll need to do some explaining and some apologizing, but she’ll get over it. Just let her rage first.”
“Rage?” he asks, eyes going wide. “I’m gonna lock her ass up so she can’t run off.”
I roll my eyes at him, but honestly, I think that’s probably a good idea. Bad shit happens every time one of the women gets angry and runs off. Take Anna for example. She got angry at Arrow once and left the clubhouse, only to be kidnapped by Talon. Though we didn’t know him at the time.
“Just explain you were trying to protect her and admit that you should have told her.” I pause, then add, “And that you regret it, and that you’re sorry.”
His tightened lips tell me he doesn’t like that, but too damn bad.
“Let go of your pride, Irish, if you want to keep your woman.”
That seems to sober him up.
Ronan then walks into the kitchen and joins us at the table. “I need advice on what to do with Steph. She’s pulling back but I don’t fuckin’ know why. Why are women such pains in the ass? We need to bring back the old days when we could just club them over the head and bring them home as ours.”
“You can still do that,” Arrow says, keeping a straight face. “It’s just a little frowned upon.”
“A little?” I ask, eyes going wide as saucers. “Assault and kidnapping?”
“Faye, concentrate,” Ronan groans, drinking straight from the bottle of Scotch.
“Were you raised in a barn?” I ask, grabbing the bottle back from him and wiping the top off.
Tracker storms in then, looking good, his man bun on point. “I have a huge problem. Faye, I need you, like, now.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Irish—tell Tina the truth. Ronan—speak to Steph and ask her what’s going on in her head. Arrow—let’s talk just us two at some point today, because I know something is on your mind. And, Tracker . . .” I stand up and approach him. “What do you need?”
“A female bodyguard.”
He doesn’t explain any further, and I don’t ask. He can enlighten me in the car on the way. “Let’s go.”
I honestly don’t know how I became the person everyone comes to for advice and help. Me. I wing it and make light of everything, and have no clue how to navigate through life, but at least I never give up.
Maybe that’s why they come to me.
“This isn’t what I had in mind,” I admit, as I glance around Lana’s book signing. “You brought me here to protect you from fangirls? You need to get over yourself, Tracker.”
“They all fuckin’ rush at me and touch my abs,” he complains, looking down at me. “I need a woman to protect me. Lana is busy signing, and you’re badass enough to take on all these women.”
“I’m not going to hurt Lana’s readers,” I say, amusement filling me. “You never should have posed for the cover of that damn book, then none of this would be an issue.”
“I’d still come to support Lana,” he says. “So they’d still be all over me.”
He clearly has no issues with his ego.
“Stop pretending you don’t love it.”
“Don’t love the ones who try to grab my dick,” he grumbles, shoulders hunching. “It’s a very awkward situation.”
I bark out a laugh. “They grab your dick? Don’t lie. As if any woman would do that. You’re exaggerating. Come on, I want to see what they do to you.”
“You want to see random women swarm me? You’re supposed to be here to protect me.”
“You’ll be fine. Soak up the attention, Tracker. Put those pretty-boy looks to good use. Help promote your woman and break the stereotype that most bikers are old, with beer bellies.”
I spot an author I really like signing near Lana, selling books. “I’m going to get some books signed.”
I walk away, leaving Tracker standing behind me, jaw dropped. Surely he can manage alone for a few minutes. I end up chatting with a few amazing readers, and a few authors too. When I look over an hour later and see about ten women around him, I realize that, no, he probably can’t manage alone. Lana waves when she sees me pass her table, so I walk over to her. She’s been busy since I arrived, but now things are starting to die down a little.
“I didn’t know you were coming today,” she beams, pushing her glasses up on her nose.
“Wish I could say I just came to support you, but the truth is, your man brought me,” I tell her, pointing at Tracker. “I’m protecting his virtue.”
“Looks like you’re doing a great job,” she says dryly as we see a woman lift his shirt up to get a peek at his abs.
“If that was Dex, that bitch would be on the floor,” I comment, but Lana just laughs.
“Wow, they actually really like him. Do you think because he’s my friend I don’t realize how good-looking he really is? Because all I see now is . . . Tracker,” I say, wide-eyed.
After all, I’ve seen him lick beer off the kitchen table.
Then again, when I first saw him I did think he was pretty amazing. Don’t think Lana would appreciate hearing that though. I remember him catching me in their fridge the first time I met him, smelling the water to make sure it wasn’t vodka. He thought I was weird. And cute. It feels like a lifetime ago now.
“He’s delicious,” Lana says, glancing at him from head to toe. “He could be a model full-time if he wanted to.”
I smirk as I see him posing for photos, smiling away with the women. “I need to record this shit to show everyone. It’s so hilarious. He’s loving life but pretending he doesn’t like the attention. The men are going to give him so much shit.”
I pull out my phone and press RECORD as I walk closer to him, just in time to hear a woman ask him when he’s going to be on another cover.
“Okay, ladies, show is over,” I say, grabbing Tracker’s arm. “Our model needs a break.”
I drag him back to Lana’s table. “Tag, Lana, you’re it. I’m going home to my son, then I have to go and pick up my daughter.” I pause. “And I need to eat. I’m hungry and I want a burrito. Chicken, white rice, and chipotle sauce. All the veggies, jalapenos included.”
Lana pats the seat next to her, and Tracker fills it, not looking happy.
“You’ll be fine,” I tell him. “Just tell them some jokes—that will scare them away.”
I know he secretly enjoys it; no one made him come here today. I’m onto you, Tracker.
I’m about to walk away, when Tracker stands up and grabs my upper arm. “I know I’ll be fine.”
I turn and face him, tilting my head to the side. “Then why did
you want me to come here under the guise of protecting you?”
He removes his hand from my arm and looks down, a sheepish look on his face. “We never get to spend any quality time together anymore. Back in the day, all we used to do was hang out. I don’t know, I guess I was just wanting some Faye time.”
“Oh,” I reply, expression softening. “We can make some time to hang out, Tracker.”
With everything going on in my life right now—being a mother, work, and the club—I guess even I’ve forgotten how all of us just used to hang out 24-7. Back then, we didn’t have kids though, and most of the men were single and had nothing better to do than harass me. I make a mental note to plan some bonding time for us. Maybe we could go shooting or something.
“Good,” he replies, vulnerable moment over. He kisses the top of my head, then returns to his seat.
I say good-bye to both of them, then take Tracker’s four-wheel drive back to my house. Dex is at home with Asher, but now he’ll go to Rift and do whatever other stuff he has to do, while I’m with the kids, cooking dinner, bathing them, and getting them into bed. When he gets home, we have our alone time, time that I really look forward to. This is what my days consist of, and it’s more normal than anyone would think. I’m not doing badass things all the time; for the most part, it’s mom and wife stuff.
“Hey,” I say, giving him a kiss when I spot him going through some paperwork on the kitchen table, Asher asleep against his chest.
“Hey, how was your day?” he asks, smiling back. “Did you get the charity run sorted out?”
“Not really,” I admit, taking Asher from him and holding him against my chest. “Kind of got distracted.”
In fact, I forgot why I had gone to the clubhouse in the first place, because everyone bombarded me with their drama the second I got there. I kiss the top of Asher’s head, breathing in deeply, loving the baby smell of him. “I missed you, little guy.”
“Do you want me to get Clover?” Dex asks, standing up and wrapping his arms around the two of us.
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll get her; you go take care of whatever you need to. Tomorrow I have to go to the law firm, so you’ll have to get her then.”
“All right,” he says, kissing me once more, then grabbing his keys and heading out. I sit down and just enjoy having Asher in my arms. After being around so many people, it’s kind of nice to have a little peace and quiet.
It’s the best of both worlds.
FIVE
Faye
THE next day, it seems Irish took my advice and told Tina the truth about her ex-boyfriend, because I can hear the yelling the second I walk into the clubhouse.
Did he bring her here to tell her, hoping he’d have backup? I find them outside, Tina throwing things at him, her face red in fury. I sit down and open my can of soda, ready to watch the show. She’s probably going to be mad at me too, and at everyone, because we all went along with Irish’s story. She has a right to be mad. She probably feels alone right now, like no one is on her side. We all went against her.
It’s not as black and white as that though. She’s Irish’s old lady, and he decides how to handle her, not us. We support him no matter what. I’ve known Irish longer than I’ve known Tina; he’s family. And while women stick together, it’s not really my place to get involved in this shit. I usually step in when the men need to hear something, like when Vinnie was being stupid when Shayla was pregnant, but for the most part I really do try to keep my mouth shut. Try being the key word. It’s hard when everyone comes to me for advice.
“You lying bastard! I can’t believe you made me think that I saved the day, that our plan worked!” she yells, pointing at him. “When really you just killed him to solve the problem!”
I cringe. Why doesn’t she scream that just a little louder, so everyone can hear? I’m sure the police who sometimes drive past the clubhouse would love to hear it. Irish spots me and flashes a look that’s clearly asking for help. With a sigh, I put my drink down and walk over to them, just as Tina turns her back to Irish, her shoulders shaking as she starts to cry.
“Let me try and talk to her,” I tell him. He nods, but doesn’t move from his spot, just watches her helplessly. “Irish, give us a few minutes.”
He reluctantly takes a few steps back, but apparently that’s all the room he’s going to give us. I touch her shoulder, pushing aside her beautiful curly red hair. “Come on, let’s have some girl talk.”
I wait for her to throw it in my face, the fact that I knew and didn’t tell her. Why would she want to talk with me right now? But she doesn’t, so I guess she must be a better person than me. I lead her to the kids’ swings and get her to sit on one while I take the other.
“Men underestimate us as women,” I start with, swinging slowly. “Irish wanted to protect you. Yes, he lied. Yes, you have a right to be angry. But at the end of the day, you have a man who is willing to murder someone for you, cover it up, then lie about it so you don’t have to feel any guilt, so your hands remain clean while his only get dirtier. I’m not saying what he did was right—he probably should have just let him rot in prison. But that’s not what happened, and in his mind, he probably thought he was doing what’s safest for you in the long run. Darren can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t threaten you. He can’t stalk you. And now you can heal. I know it seems like what he did was selfish, killing him when you didn’t want that to happen, but he honestly did what he thought was the right thing to protect you. Do you know how many women would give anything to have that type of devotion? Look at the bigger picture here, Tina.” I stand up, offering her a small smile. “And I’m sorry that I had to lie and go along with it, but right now why don’t you surprise Irish and show him that you are the right woman for him? And that this burden isn’t too big to bear, because you’re strong enough, aren’t you, Tina?”
She listens to my words but says nothing, so I don’t know if I’ve reached her or not. Hey, I tried. I walk back inside, touching Irish’s arm as I pass.
When I turn back and see them hugging, I smile.
“Well, this is slightly awkward,” I say when I spot Talon in the clubhouse kitchen, wearing a WDMC cut. “Rocking our colors now, hey?”
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a man in the clubhouse who wasn’t like family to me. It’s not every day you see a new face around here, unless the men are bringing in their women.
Are Talon and Ranger going to respect me on sight? Or are we going to have to prove to one another who we are, show one another where we stand? I know they won’t disrespect me openly, because Dex would rip their hearts out, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically respect me either. Coming into this MC doesn’t automatically come with close bonds and ties—you need to make them and then work to keep them. There’s a reason the Wild Men aren’t like us; it takes a certain type of person to thrive in this environment, and you need to be here for the right reasons.
Talon glances down at his cut and grins. “What, you don’t think it suits me?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” I say, tapping my index finger on my cheek. I decide to change the subject. “Any updates on the mole?”
His expression darkens, his jaw going tight. “Oh, I’ll get the bastard. He can’t hide forever. It’s only a matter of time until he pays for everything he’s done.”
“Ahhh the quest for vengeance. Always enlightening.”
“It’s never boring, that’s for sure,” he fires back.
“Is your old club going to want to kill you?”
“They can try, but no. Slice understands.”
“That badass, are you?”
“Yep,” he replies, grinning. “I know them. They don’t have it in them to come after me, Faye. Without me and Ranger, their MC is just an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.”
I burst out laughing at that. “Holy crap, the new
guy has jokes.”
“The new guy? Is that how I’ll be referred to from now on?” he asks, studying me.
“Nah, Talon is a nice name. It would be a shame to waste it. It means claw, right?”
He nods and murmurs, “Yeah. A little creepy that you know that.”
I shrug. “I’m creepy for other reasons, but not that one. I have babies. I look up names and meanings. No big deal.”
He pauses, then laughs. “Fuck, you say the most random shit.”
“You have no idea. Where’s Ranger?”
“Around here somewhere. Why?”
“I want to welcome him to the family.”
“Hopefully it’s a nicer way than you’re welcoming me,” he says, arching a brow.
“This is me playing nice,” I say, batting my eyelashes. “This is us bonding, Talon.”
“Bonding? I feel like there should be alcohol involved.”
“Why, do you want to get me drunk?” I ask, focusing my gaze on him. “Do you think clouding my judgment is going to make me like you more?”
“Do you not like me now?”
“I don’t not not like you,” I reply, threading my fingers together. “I don’t really know you.”
“Everyone else loves me.”
“Bold comment considering I can name a few who don’t just off the top of my head.”
“Yet the vote was unanimous.”
“Which intrigues me,” I admit. I’m so surprised about Arrow’s and Rake’s votes. Talon must really be a badass if they want him here, when they used to all but hate him.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before,” Talon says, narrowing his eyes a little. “So light and yet so dark at the same time.”
“I’m a Gemini,” I say, shrugging my shoulders, like that explains everything. “I have two sides. One everyone likes; and the other . . . not so much.”
Talon nods, pushing off the counter, stepping toward me. “I don’t know you Faye, but all the people I care about do, and they fuckin’ adore you. You don’t need to test me. I will prove my loyalty to the Wind Dragons.”
Last Ride Page 3
