by Erin Trejo
“You don’t know who you’re talking to right now.” Her smile fades, her hands clenching at her sides.
“I’d say the same to you.” I turn toward her and square off my shoulders.
“We can handle this outside,” she snaps.
“Gladly.” Oh shit. I’m going to have to beat this bitch’s ass right here in front of everyone.
Chapter 29
Declan
I found us some food and drinks, but when I went back to the spot I left Brooke, she wasn’t there.
“Hey, Mayhem. You seen, Brooke?” I call out to him. He shakes his head when I spot Cherry.
“Cherry Bear!” I call out to her. She turns on her heel and comes straight toward me.
“What’s up, Declan?” she asks with a smile.
“Have you seen Brooke? I went to get food, and she was gone when I came back,” I tell her. My nerves are firing off. She isn’t claimed, which means she fair game to anyone here. The thought of someone coming near her pisses me off royally. I don’t want to fight a brother, but for her, I will. The thought alone shakes me up.
“No. I’ll go look though.” Cherry sees the concern in my eyes. Or the rage. Either way, she hurries the hell off to look for her.
I can hear the guys cheering and shit. They must have already started the fights out back. Maybe she went to watch. I head toward the door when Cherry comes rushing back in it.
“Found her!” she says with a giant ass grin on her face.
“Where?” I set the food down but keep my beer in hand. Cherry nods toward the ring, and that’s when I see her. My butterfly is standing there in a tank top and her short jean shorts. Her hands are clenched, her focus is on point. I’ve never seen her like this before - so poised and ready. I shove my way to the front of the crowd and take her in.
“You know the new girl?” Dusty, one of the local brothers, ask. I look over at him and nod.
“Yeah, that’s my girl,” I say with pride. I turn back to the ring and watch as she throws jab after jab.
“Who is that?” I ask Dusty, nodding toward the other girl.
“Kelp’s old lady. He’s a local brother. Not sure you’ve met him yet. She’s a scrapper.”
I chuckle under my breath because I know Brooke can handle herself. The fists fly, and I stand here in awe of her. She looks like she’s in her element. The way she moves with such precision and skill, I fucking love it.
The guys are going insane over the fight. I can’t say that I blame them either. Two hot bitches in the ring is a sight to behold.
“Fuck yeah, baby!” I scream when the other chick hits the mat. A few of the guys move in and check her, but it’s Brooke who surprises me. She’s at the girl’s side on the mat next to her, whispering in her ear. The girl nods and gives her a thumbs up and a smile. They pick Kelp’s old lady up and stand her on her feet as the crowd surrounding the ring goes insane.
Brooke glances around anxiously until her eyes lock with mine. She looks nervous and unsure of herself. I smile and give her a little nod, and I can see her visibly relax. Pride surges through me as I hold out my arms to her. Brooke wastes no time climbing out of the ring and leaping her sweaty body into them. I spin her around as I hold her tightly.
“That was fuckin’ amazin’, darlin’. I’ve never seen you like that,” I tell her, pride evident in my voice. She pulls her head from my shoulder and gazes up at me. In this fucking second, I know everything is changing. I knew it was but this - this is different.
“You mean a lot to me, Declan,” she says softly. Her truth shines brightly from her eyes. Her words and her eyes create a world where there’s no one else but us; it’s like the rest of the crowd just disappears. She holds me captive. She sucks the air from my lungs. She makes me feel whole. I lean my head down and kiss her roughly, letting her know what she means to me, too.
Our moment is broken when I hear who I assume to be Kelp bitching behind us. I set Brooke on her feet before I spin around to face him. I push Brooke instinctively behind me.
“What’s the problem?” I ask. Kelp is looking mighty pissed off at the moment. It’s almost laughable that he’d be pissed about his woman getting her ass handed to her by mine.
“She ain’t an old lady! That shit was uncalled for and needs to be handled!” he roars as he points at Brooke. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
“You mad your girl got her ass handed to her? Don’t take that shit out on her.” I nod over my shoulder at Brooke.
“You know the rules, Declan!” he snaps. I do know the rules, but that means shit to me at the moment.
“So, what the fuck you wanna do here, Kelp?” I asked, straightening my back. He knows I’ll take his ass on. They all know it.
“She ain’t a old lady, and she put her hands on somethin’ that belongs to the club!” he roars louder. Kelp is such a goddamn prick. He couldn’t just take that shit and walk.
“What’s your plan on this, Declan?” I glance over at Blu wondering where the hell he came from.
“She’s mine,” I snap.
His eyes find mine before he says, “You claimin’ her?”
I look over my shoulder at the wide eyes of Brooke. I bring my gaze back to Blu’s and say, “You’re goddamn right I am.”
Chapter 30
Brooke
Declan drug my ass out of that party as soon as he finished talking to Blu. I was shocked, too. I was actually having a good time with the fight and all. He hasn’t said a word since we got back to the hotel. It makes me uneasy, nervous.
I sent a quick text to Ash and Angel to make sure they were doing ok. Losing my uncle has brought into perspective the importance of family. I never thought about it the way I am right now. Ash and Angel are all I have left, and I find that I am holding them closer than ever before.
Watching Dec sit out on the patio with his head in his hands is bothering me more than I thought it would. He looks so lost, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. It’s not a look I’m used to seeing on him. My heart roars in my ears as I walk out the door behind him. He doesn’t look up. He doesn’t move. I rest my hands on his shoulders, and I can feel him relax into my touch.
“Are you ok? I didn’t mean to start any trouble,” I say softly. I truly didn’t. She mentioned fighting, and I went with it. I had no idea it was against some kind of rules they had.
“Wasn’t your fault. She knew the rules,” he says, but he still won’t look up at me.
“If I messed up, Declan, I’m sorry.” I start to pull my hands away from him when his reaches up and covers mine. His warmth is soothing in ways I never knew I wanted or needed to be soothed.
“You didn’t; I did. I shouldn’t have walked away from you.” He pulls my hands, so I move to stand in front of him.
“Then what’s wrong?” I ask, seeing the torn look in his eyes.
“I made things more complicated, Brooke. If I didn’t, hell would have been rained down on you.”
He shakes his head at his words, maybe his thoughts, but I’m still confused. I don’t understand what has caused him to be like this. Pulling my hands from his, I grip his face and lift his face up to me. He finally looks up at me, and I hate the look I see.
“What do you mean? This is all new to me, Dec. Tell me.”
Declan sighs before pulling me into his lap. I snuggle in close as he starts to talk.
“You know when Blu asked me if I was claimin’ you?” he asks, his voice stuttering a little.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know what that means?”
“No. I don’t know what any of that means, Dec.” I try to move, but he doesn’t let me. He holds me tighter.
“It means you’re mine now. You’re club property. You’re my property.” The way he says it sends a chill up my spine. His property? What the hell does that even mean?
“What does that mean?” I ask mostly to myself.
Declan pushes me gently off his lap before he stands, runni
ng his hand through his hair. He’s frustrated. I can see it in his face, his body – hell, I can feel it.
“Declan?” I say before he looks over at me, a new heat building in his eyes.
“It means that you’re mine! Mine to take care of. Mine to protect. Mine to have. Mine to love!” He roars with each word that comes out of his mouth. My heart thunders in my chest as I let that sink in.
“You do that anyway,” I say softly, my eyes never leaving his. His reality isn’t that bad. It’s what he does now. He takes care of me. He protects me.
“You don’t get it. It also makes you a goddamn target for any other club that wants a war! You are a goddamn walkin’ target now because of me!” He slams his fist into the brick wall, tearing apart his skin. I watch as the blood flows down his hand. Declan doesn’t seem to notice it, though. He’s lost in a world that he didn’t want me to be a part of.
“So, tell them to forget it! You don’t want me, that’s fine! Tell them I’m nothing to you!” I yell.
He doesn’t look up at me. He stands there, his breathing coming rapidly. His anger rolls off him in waves.
“Go tell them you don’t want me!” I scream once more. I turn to head back inside with tears prickling my eyes. I don’t cry. I won’t, and I sure as fuck won’t let him see how he is affecting me.
“I can’t fuckin’ do that!” he roars.
Getting a grip on my emotions, I turn back to see him watching me.
“Why not? It’s just a few words. Tell them you weren’t thinking when you said it.” I reason it out with him. He’s having an internal war, and I hate to see him like this. It kills a piece of me inside to watch that look om his face.
“I can’t do that,” he growls.
“Why not!”
“Because I want you, Brooke! Goddamn it! I want you! I want you to be my old lady! I want to protect you and take care of you! I. Want. You.” he says pronouncing each word slowly but firmly.
His eyes dance with danger. He’s dangerous. I know that much, but the thought of being his? That settles something deep inside of me. A craving, a need. A need to feel that I belong to someone. To something. Declan has always made me feel special. This is no different. The time that we’ve spent together have been the most amazing times of my life.
“You said I was a walking target now. What’s that mean?” I ask, needing some kind of answers.
Declan runs his hand through his hair before he sighs. “Rival clubs. Anyone who wants to come after us, after me. They will use you to get to me. I never wanted that for you. You deserve better than that!” he thunders.
“I can handle myself, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long before you showed up, Declan. This isn’t any different.” I snap. I walk back inside, and I’m surprised when Declan didn’t follow me. God, how I wanted him to follow me.
When I realize he doesn’t, I change into my bikini and text Cherry. I storm from the room and head outside. I want some time to just enjoy being here. I need a break, some time to not worry about the club, the past - nothing.
“You ok?” Cherry asks when she walks up next to me. Jesus, that girl is hot as fuck in a bikini. Plus, she’s sweet as pie, too. Cherry pie. I’m too funny. My inner dialogue brings a smile to my face.
“Just life. Come on. Play in the water with me.” I nudge her shoulder. Cherry smiles before running toward the shore. She leaps into the water, screaming and laughing. It pulls at everything inside of me. I want to be that carefree. I want to be that open and happy. Doing as best as I can in the moment, I wade out into the water and sidle up next to her.
“You got a peeper.” She pulls me into her arms, hugging me while she whispers in my ear.
I turn my head slightly and look up to see the shadow of Declan on the patio with a cigarette hanging from his lips. I’d love to get inside his head. I’d love to know why he thinks the way he does.
“Are we supposed to be swimming at night?” I wonder out loud. Cherry’s laughter pulls my attention back to her.
“Who gives a shit!”
Chapter 31
Declan
“How’d the drive go?” Tic asks as I take down another shot of vodka.
“Good. Guys will be down in a few days.” I’m being short with him, but I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about shit right now. My head’s a goddamn mess. I’ve made a huge fucking mess of this shit with Brooke, and I have no idea how to clear it up.
“Good to hear. Heard about what happened with your girl. Glad to know she can hold her own.”
I glance over and the thought of punching him in the face hits me hard. I growl, letting him know that I’m done talking about this shit.
“Dec! Get in here,” Blu hollers over the music.
I shove off the stool and head into the office before dropping into the chair across from his desk.
“Do you know why you’re my VP?” he asks me.
I look up at him like he’s a goddamn puzzle. What the fuck kind of question is that?
“‘Cause my dad was the Prez once?” I ask with a sarcastic tone.
“Fuck you, Declan. You’re the goddamn VP ‘cause we all know you can do it. This ain’t got anything to do with your dad, and you know it,” he snaps at me.
“What’s this about, Blu?” I ask. I’m tired of hearing shit already.
“We have an issue. I just got word that the assholes who roughed Brooke up a little while back at the club were Dragon MC.”
My eyes shoot to his and hold there. No fucking way. They don’t make any moves this far west.
“They’re out of Alabama. What the fuck are they doin’ around here?” I ask him, my anger beginning to make my blood boil.
“You ain’t gonna like this,” he says before blowing out a breath. “Your dad had a run in with them when he was Prez. Things got shitty, but that’s not the reason they’re around. Seems Brooke’s daddy was a dirty cop.”
What the fuck?
I shoot out of my chair. My hands land on my hips as I let that sink in. What in the fuck! How didn’t I know her dad was a cop?! Of all the fucking girls in the goddamn world, mine would be the daughter of a cop! I can’t even wrap my brain around it.
“I know you got questions, but I don’t have all the answers just yet. I got Mystic on it now. So far all we can tell is that Devon had some kind of run-in with them. Not sure where that leaves the club.”
A fucking cop!
Those words are burned into my mind. They are there and will never leave. Her dad was a fucking cop. Why didn’t she ever tell me that? Why did she keep that part of her life a secret?
“Calm the fuck down, brother. She had her reasons, I’m sure.”
I cut my eyes to Blu’s. “A cop, Blu! That means she knows more fuckin’ cops!” I roar.
“It doesn’t mean shit. Her daddy was killed when she was little. Devon wasn’t a part of the force, and he’s the one who raised her,” he says, trying to be the voice of reason when the fucking situation has none.
I shake my head. That doesn’t mean shit. That means nothing at all. Cops are a lot like MCs; they have a brotherhood that they honor and protect. If her dad was really a cop, she knows more of them.
“You know how fucked this whole situation just got?” I ask him, tugging at my hair.
“No. I don’t. If it’s fucked, you’re the one fuckin’ it. I don’t see an issue with Brooke. She’s never brought shit to our doorstep. From what Mystic can dig up, she has nothin’ to do with the force either,” Blu snaps.
This is bullshit. She should have told me! I’m getting more pissed by the second. I run my hand down my face when Blu interrupts my inner rant.
“Why don’t you ask her, Dec. You ain’t never backed down before. You care about that girl. Don’t let your stubborn ass fuck up somethin’ good.” He stands up, points at me, and proceeds to stomp past me and out of the office.
My stomach feels like I ate a load of lead. My chest is tight. How didn’t I know this? How didn�
��t I know that she was the daughter of a fucking cop? I head out of the office and out the front door. Like Blu said, I need to talk to her about it. I walk down the block completely lost in my own thoughts. I don’t know why it should matter to me. She cares about me. I care about her. That’s all that should matter, but in my world, that’s just not enough. It puts me, the club, and our way of life at risk.
***
I knock on the door and wait. Ashley opens it with a smile.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the biker who stole my girl’s heart.” She says. My heart swells hearing those words. I want Brooke’s, heart. I want all of her.
“She here?” I ask. Ashley shakes her head.
“She’s not at home?” she asks me. Home? What the fuck? I thought this was her home?
“She don’t live here?” I ask, getting annoyed. This was where I fucked her with the gun!
“No. I do. She lives across the street, and by the looks of the curtain, she isn’t there.” Ashley looks around me. I follow her gaze, but I don’t get the curtain thing.
“What the fuck does the curtain mean?” I ask. Ashley looks like she doesn’t want to tell me at first, but then she softens.
“Ever since she was little, Brooke would leave me a sign. The blue curtain in the living room. When it’s open, she isn’t home. When it’s closed, she is, and if it’s half way, there’s something wrong,” she finally tells me.
I open my mouth, but I don’t have anything to say. What the hell do you say to that?
“She was afraid that someone would come after her and her sister after her dad was killed. They never found out who it was, and it bothered her. That house was her dad’s. He left it all to her, and once she turned eighteen, she moved back into it. She and Angel lived with Devon when they were younger,” she explains.
“And she still does the curtain thing?” I ask.
“Yeah. It’s our little way of making sure she’s ok. She puts up a good front, but I know things still bother her,” Ashley adds.
