by Amy Davies
“We have trouble, boys. One of the girls from Silk was attacked last night as she was walking from her car to her flat.”
Silk is one the businesses owned by the club. We own a community centre, where we rent time slots out for whatever the community needs. Then we have Silk, which is our strip club. We own a repair shop—Rider Repairs—and we also have boys working for Graves Construction, which is actually owned by Batch.
“What the fuck?” EC growls. The room is filled with, “How the fuck did that happen?” and “Do we know who did it?”.
“Quiet down, for fucks sake, and I will explain.”
“Who was hurt?” Bull’s gruff question comes from across the table.
“Sienna,” Batch answers.
“Fuck.” The boys mutter curses around the table. Sienna is one of the nicest girls you will ever meet, sweet as fuck. She dances to help pay for her ailing father’s care home. The club offered to pay, but she refused. She’s proud as fuck.
“So, do we know who did this, and why?”
“I don’t care about the fucking why. I want to know who the hell did this,” Suede raves. “These girls don’t deserve this shit.”
“Maybe Asia; she’s a bitch on a good day.” EC cackles. We all chuckle with him, because he’s saying the truth. Asia is one mean bitch. She thinks she’s the dog’s dinner, bossing the other girls around. Bull’s old lady, Alesha, runs Silk, and she has threatened to beat the shit out of Asia a few times.
We would get rid of her but, fuck me, the girl can dance. The men love her. Her and Eva have actually come to brawls over customers. Eva is the only dancer to stand up to her.
“Sienna said three men were waiting for her. One was in a suit and told her she should come and work for him. When she refused, his two goons beat the fuck out of her. She can’t dance for a few weeks; her ribs are broken, and she has two cracking black eyes,” Batch tells us.
“The girls will cover for her. We could bring in a new girl or two. I’ve been wanting to add some for a while now. Do you lads know of anyone who will dance?”
Suede looks around the room, waiting for a reply. And the usual fuckhead speaks.
“I know a few girls who might be looking for a job. Let me have a word with them and get back to you,” EC announces. He always has his fingers in some pie or other. Or pussy or arse for that matter.
“Great, let me know.” His look turns serious and I have a feeling I know what the old goat is going to say. “Ace, the funeral all sorted?” I nod. “Okay, we’re here for you, brother. Anything you need, you let us know. The old ladies, too.”
“How’s Ana?” Bull pipes in. I swing my gaze to meet his concerned one. He cares for Ana just like the rest of the boys, but he and his old lady took a special liking to both Ana and Zarah.
“She’s fine. Quiet, but that’s the norm I would imagine. I know she’s thinking of her parents with all this shit happening. She’s still fussing over Z, like a mother hen, but that’s my girl for you. I know all your women offered to help sort the food out for the wake, but Ana needs this. She needs to be busy—she told me.”
“We’re here for her, too, and for Z. Your brother coming?”
“Yeah, he messaged yesterday.”
“Good, it will be good for him to be there with you. I think you both need this.” I nod.
“Okay. Court, pop over to Silk and see how things are over there. Batch, you find out how Sienna is. Anything else?” Suede looks around the table, no one saying anything. He bangs the gavel down and speaks. “Okay, you ugly fuckers, you’re all on cleaning duty today, except for those who I’ve given a job to do. I want this room perfect for Nancy’s send off. She was like a mother to most of you, and I know how much you all loved and respected her.” A lug-nut-sized ball of emotion clogs my throat.
All the boys nod to me when they leave the room. A few slap my back, offering their support and sympathy. My mother has well and fucking truly left her mark on the boys of the club—fuck, even some of the girls. Most of them respected my mum, but some not so much. That was because my darling mother caught me getting a blowjob from one of the girls, and she wasn’t fazed. She just muttered, “When you’re done playing with the trollop, please bleach your dick and come and help me move tables.” From that day on, a few of the girls hated my mum, but they kept their thoughts to themselves.
“Ace.” My name drags me from a past thought of my mum, and I look towards Suede and Dyson. They both stare at me with concerned faces, but they don’t need to. I’m fucking fine—well, as fine as a man can be after losing the main woman in his life.
“Huh?”
“You need anything?” Dyson asks. I shake my head.
“Brother, you look wrecked. You been sleeping?” Pres asks.
“Some,” I mutter, while walking out the room. “I need to see my woman.”
“Is she yours, brother?” Suede speaks from behind me, and I spin around to look at him. My scowl makes him smirk at me.
“You know she is.” My eyes bounce between father and son. Their smirks match each other’s, just like their eyes.
“Does she know this? Ana keeps you at a distance, brother,” Dyson tells us. But it’s something I already know.
No one knows Ana’s past, but I intend to find out. The boys never push her for more info, because one time they did, she freaked out and didn’t come into work for two days, and Zarah went all mama bear on everyone. That woman is not scared of the club. She unleashed her inner bitch on us for hurting her sister.
“She knows, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let him push her around and make demands.” Suede laughs, making Dyson laugh too.
“Fuckers. Fuck off. She will be mine.” I storm out of the clubhouse with Dyson’s words at my back.
“Let me know how that works out for you, brother.”
“PISS OFF,” I bark back, and hear them laughing at my response.
They can all fuck off. She will be mine.
I sling my leg over my bike and start her up, then make my way to my woman. The cafe is always busy this time of day, but I need to speak to her.
The ride to the cafe doesn’t take me long. I weave in and out of the cars that drive like Miss Daisy on a Sunday morning. I park my bike just down a bit from the cafe and walk the short distance. I see Tina and Clover walking towards me, dressed like they always are; like they enjoy the attention of the men in town.
“Ace, baby, I was hoping to see you at the clubhouse, but now that you're here, let's go for a ride. I could use a stress reliever.” Clover closes the gap between us and wraps her arms around my neck, and I don’t react quick enough to stop her.
A loud intake of breath catches our attention, and a smirk appears on Clover’s face as she looks over her shoulder. There, I see Ana, looking every bit hurt. She quickly spins around and walks back into the cafe, leaving the dirty cups on the outside tables.
“Fuck,” I grind out and push Clover away from me. She fake pouts but she knows what she has done.
“What the fuck? Why would you do that? No, wait, don’t bother answering that. Fuck off out of my sight before I permanently ban you from the clubhouse.” I’m fucking fuming with Clover right now. She reaches for me again, and I step back. She needs to fucking clue in; I don’t want her skanky arse.
“Oh, come on, Ace. You know I can do you better than any other woman, especially better than a fucking Disney Princess wannabe like Ana-fucking-Dawkins. You need a woman who can handle you, Ace, and I can do that, babe. You know I can.” I scoff at her words.
“You have no fucking clue what Ana can handle. You know she’s my woman, so why the fuck would you touch me? You were good for a quick lay, Clo, some place to get my dick wet until I could claim Ana. But you weren’t, and never will be, more—to me or the brothers in the club. Now fuck off before I change my mind.” I don’t stay around for her reply. I walk into the cafe in search of my woman.
The chatter from the customers fills the room as I wal
k in, then fades as I head straight out to the back because I can’t see my woman. Zarah throws daggers at me with her eyes when I walk past, but I just smirk at her, making her huff out an angry breath.
I push through the door-curtain-thing that’s supposed to help keep flies and insects out of the kitchen and find Tarina cooking away. Before I can speak, she points to the back door, which leads out to the back garden of the cafe. The building used to be a large house until the previous owner turned it into a café. Mum bought it a few years later.
I push the door open and see Ana sitting on the garden bench. She’s looking down and playing with the buttons that run down the front of her green summer dress. Her long reddish-brown hair is like a curtain around her, shielding me from seeing her beautiful face. I walk closer and take a seat next to her. She doesn’t flinch or react in any way, which makes me believe she feels me when I’m close to her, just like I feel when she’s close to me.
“Babe, it’s not what you think.” Her head snaps in my direction. I can see the fury in her eyes, and it makes my cock jerk with happiness. I fucking love riling her up.
“That's what you’re leading with? That's what you have to say when a club whore throws herself at you? God, Ace. This is why we won’t ever work. I hated seeing that. I can’t let my heart see that all the time.” She bites her lip and turns away from me.
“Baby, it won’t always be like that. Most of the girls stay away from me now. Clover thinks she has a claim on me, but I’ve put her straight more than once. When I officially claim you in the eyes of the club, and you wear my patch and my brand, no one will fuck with you. Not that they do now, because they know their balls are at stake if they even get any impure thoughts of you in their head.” She giggles and brings her gaze back to me.
“Patch and brand?” She arches a perfect brow at me, and I smirk back.
“Yep. You are mine, Ana. I’ve told you this. No more fucking waiting. After tomorrow, I’m claiming you as my old lady in the eyes of the club, and you know what that means.” I inch closer, so our lips are almost touching. Her warm breath slides over my lips and beard, making my dick jerk in my jeans again.
“What, Ace?” Her voice comes out in a breathy way, her body responding to how close mine is to hers.
“It means I can take you to bed and fuck you in ways you have never been fucked before. The whole fucking club will know that you are mine, now and for always.”
Her breath catches, and her face turns beet red. I laugh and leave her sitting there on the bench. The laugh catches me off guard. It’s the first time I’ve laughed like this in weeks—since Mum started to go downhill.
Now Ana knows where we stand, I now need to get my head around the fact I have to say my final goodbye to my mum.
Ana
Zarah and I closed up the cafe and decided to have a chinese after work. We bought a bottle of wine to share, but she can only have one glass as she’s still on painkillers for the injuries she’s still healing from.
I had beef and broccoli with rice, and Zarah had special Chow Mein and rice. We put Shadowhunters on. We can binge watch tonight as we’ve missed three or four weeks of episodes.
“I can do with a Malec sandwich right now.” We giggle as we watch a kissing scene between the characters Alec and Magnus. I take a sip of my wine and watch Jace come on the screen.
“Now that is a man I wouldn’t kick out of my bed.” I nod in the direction of the TV.
“Oh, hell yes. Have you seen his eyes?” Zarah gets a dreamy look in her eyes and I laugh at the look on my sister’s face. I snort and choke on the wine that goes up my nose, and we burst into a fit of giggles, until Zarah sucks in a big breath when her laughter makes her ribs hurt.
“Bollocks, that hurt.” I wince, and the sadness takes over again. The fear of losing Zarah a few weeks back… and then we lost Nancy. Sometimes I think I’m not destined to have absolute happiness in my life. Losing our parents was the catalyst of the fear that I will lose everyone I love.
Zarah was the only person I cared about until we moved here. Then I had Nancy and the boys. And Ace. The MC seem to have wormed their way into my heart without direct contact with it. They are sweet and kind, and fiercely loyal to the club and people who are close to them. They don’t trust many, but those they do mean a lot to the club.
“Sooooo, what’s up with you and Mr. McGowan?” My sister’s voice drags me back to the here and now. I look at her and see her wiggling her eyebrows at me, and I laugh at her. Zarah has always been the funny one of us. The one that doesn't take life too seriously unless she has to.
“You are ridiculous, sis,” I tell her. She chuckles and takes a sip of her drink.
“Maybe, but I still want the details. So come on, I need to know.” I shake my head at her and sink down into the sofa more, wishing I could get Ace out of my head for just one second. I stare at the TV, unable to look at my sister’s face when I tell her what Ace told me. Zarah as always been Team Ace; she thinks he will be good for me. That he will bring back the baby sister she once had, not the shell of a woman I am now.
“He told me that, after the funeral, he’s claiming me in front of the club. That I—”
“Hold up. Claiming you in front of the club? I thought he’d pretty much already done that; it’s why none of the boys touch you and you have the club’s protection.”
What she says is right; most people think Ace claimed me long ago but I was playing hard to get. But in true fact, no claiming was ever done. He told people I was off limits to everyone in the club, but also under the club’s protection. I was also told by Nancy that Ace hasn’t touched another woman since just after I turned up here and started working for her.
“I know. I think this claim is official as I have to wear his patch and have his brand tattooed on me.” Zarah busts out laughing again. She clutches her ribs, holding them in place while she laughs at me.
“You. Tattoo…” she pants out between breaths. “Oh my lord, that is waaaay too funny. Does he really think you will have a tattoo?” I nod.
“Yeah, he told me I had to have his brand on me. I hate needles. Plus, am I ready to be claimed by him?” I shudder at the thought of being tattooed, but also the thought of being owned by someone.
I remember going with Zarah when she had her first tattoo. I almost fainted when I saw the needle. Zarah didn’t flinch, but I was gagging and had to leave the room.
“Oh, now that will be fun. I’m so coming with you when you have it done.” I shake my head, panic setting in. I can’t have a tattoo. Nope, not happening.
“Nope,” I say, and get up from the sofa and walk into the kitchen. “I can’t have a tattoo. You know how I react to them. That’s why I had to refuse the depo shot.” My nurse had suggested I have the pill injection, and I had almost fainted when she was talking about it. Now I’m on the plain old pill—that I take without fail despite not needing them because I’m not sleeping with anyone.
Ace has let it be known he wants me to be his old lady many times, and it scares the crap out of me. However, things have changed, so maybe it is worth a shot.
Ace’s face flashes in my head—and the words he told me; the things he wants to do to me. My body flushes and I stick my head in the fridge to cool my burning face down.
“What the bloody hell are you doing?” Zarah asks with humour in her voice. I spin around and squeak.
“Nothing?” I answer.
“Is that an answer or a question, baby sis?” I shrug. I turn back to the fridge and catch sight of the two cakes I have in there ready for Nancy’s wake tomorrow. Tears fill my eyes and I lift my hand to my mouth to silence the sob threatening to break free. I’m going to miss her so bloody much. She was like a mum to Zarah and me.
Arms wrap around me from behind. I feel my sister press her face into my back, holding me together.
“You need to let it out, Ana. It isn’t good for you to suppress the grief; it will cause you more mental pain.” I shake my head and
try with everything I have to drop the tears. “Do it, Ana, or I’ll phone Ace to come here and deal with you.”
“You wouldn’t?” I snap at her and pull free. By the look on her face, I know she will.
“I bloody well will. You can’t keep holding things in.”
“Watch me. I don’t have time to sit around and cry all bloody day, Z.”
“Did I say you had to cry twenty-four-seven? No, I bloody well didn’t. All I said was you have to let your emotions out. They will eat you alive. Now come here and cry on your big sister’s shoulders; I can take it,” she jokes, but I know she means everything she’s saying.
“I love you, Z-Bug.”
“I love you, too, Smallie.” We giggle and take our fresh drinks back into the living room. “Now let’s eat our weight in ice cream and watch hot blokes on the TV.” I nod and get everything we need.
Zarah always knows how to get me out of my head and is the voice of reason sometimes, but other times I am so far buried in my head no one can get me out. It has been just us two for so long that I’ve gotten used to the idea of us growing old together with our many cats.
We sit and watch more shows on Netflix until Zarah remembers she bought the new Fifty Shades film, so we sit and watch—and drool—over Christian Grey, aka Jamie Dornan.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, so I lean forward to pick it up. I smile when I see Ace’s name on the screen, but then it fades. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now. He’s saying his final goodbye to his mother tomorrow. I know that feeling all too well. The loss never goes away. I swipe the phone open and read the text.
Ace: Hey, baby. You okay?
Me: I’m okay. You?
Ace: Chilling at Mum’s. The house feels empty.
My heart aches for him. Even after all these years, the pain of saying goodbye to my parents is still there. I don’t think it ever goes away. That’s the reason I can’t listen to the band ‘Wet Wet Wet’; they were my mum’s favourite band.
