by Ada Stone
“Candy’s heard worse, but I’ll admit, when she told me what Belle said, it got my blood pumping.” Sniper gave him a hard look.
“I took care of it.” Michael waved a hand in the air.
“Not like I would, I bet. You probably fucked her senseless.” Sniper wiped his hands off on a rag before popping open a can of pop.
Michael laughed. He had done just that but for entirely different reasons. “The other night, Devlin showed up at the house.” He checked over his shoulder to be sure they weren’t being overheard. Prospects sometimes got the idea to get a little close when something juicy was being discussed. And the president of a rival club showing up uninvited to a captain’s house was juicy.
“What he want?” Sniper’s eyes darkened.
“Same bullshit he spewed to Craig here. But he wants me to push Craig’s hand, get the votes to go with handing over the routes.”
“We aren’t handing over those fucking routes,” Sniper snapped. “We aren’t going to roll over and play bitch for those fucking pricks.”
Michael took another drink of his water. “Yeah.” He nodded. “I know it. And I’m not saying I don’t agree, but are we ready to take on the Devil’s Nest? I mean, if we don’t do this, they will be down our necks full time.”
“Always the fucking devil’s advocate.” Sniper kicked the rag that fell from the table.
“I’m not saying I’m going that way. I’m just saying, if we don’t do it, we need to be prepared for the fallout. They’ll start going after our shipments. Our runs will become harder to get through town. And what if they start going after our growers or the docs?”
“Then we pound their skulls in.” Sniper shrugged. “I get what you’re saying. We’ll just have to see what Craig is gonna decide tomorrow night. Have you talked with him about this?”
“No. I don’t want to put more on his plate.” Michael picked up his wrench and ducked back under the hood.
“So, I’m claiming Candy,” Sniper piped up again a few minutes later.
“I figured. You said something like that the other night.”
“Tomorrow at church, right before I’m doing the introduction,” he continued on.
Michael looked up from where he was working and arched a brow. “Making her your old lady? That’s a little more than claiming her.”
“It’s right. She needs someone like me, and she’s good, you know, like, a good person.” Sniper wiped his hands again with the rag.
“You don’t have to justify it to me. She is a great girl.”
“You had your dick in her, and that burns me something fierce.” The real issue started to emerge.
“That was way before you took any interest, months ago. You’re gonna get your boxers in a bunch now?”
Sniper looked away then shook his head. “I’ll deal with it. It’s fine. I mean, fuck, more brothers than not had their cocks in her, but that stopped when I took more interest. She’s not going to be anyone’s whore anymore.”
“Well, except yours,” Michael said with a serious face. Sniper’s snapped to Michael’s and a long, tense moment passed before he cracked a smile.
“Fuck yeah, mine.” He tossed the rag onto the workbench and straighten up. “What about Belle? You gonna make her your old lady, like, official?”
“I don’t know.” He’d been thinking about that. The idea of having Belle involved in the club, full time like that, didn’t sit well with him. She was an outsider, from a different world than him.
“Thinking citizen wife?” Sniper went back to the car.
“I don’t know.” Michael said again with a little more irritation. “I have to do something. At least get her to move in with me. She’s got my baby in her belly for fuck sake. She can’t keep living on her own. But, having her here? It’s just…well...”
“I get it. This isn’t the life for everyone, especially no dental hygienist who looks more like the high school librarian than an old lady.”
Michael had to laugh at the comparison. Sniper wasn’t far off. “I’ll figure it out later. For now, let’s get this shit going.”
“Hey, boys!” Candy sauntered up to the carport where they were working. Her cutoffs accentuated the roundness of her ass and the narrowness of her waist. The painted on t-shirt didn’t do anything to cover up her perky breasts either. They simply displayed them more predominantly. Michael thought for a moment about Belle wearing something as provocative as what Candy had on, and he couldn’t help the scowl that took over at the thought. Maybe when they were alone, but in public, her ass would be covered from the wandering eyes of the pricks he surrounded himself with.
“Babe.” From the disapproving gaze of Sniper, Michael could see he had the same idea about her outfit. “What’d we talk about?” He wagged a finger over her body.
Candy looked down at her outfit and blushed, a pretty blush Michael never had the chance to see before. “I’m going shopping today, promise.” She dragged her finger over her chest, making a cross and winking. “That’s why I’m here.” She put her out her hand. “You said you’d go to the bank for me.”
“That’s right.” Sniper pulled out his wallet, counted out the cash, and laid it in her palm, leaning down to kiss her cheek after. “Why don’t you take someone with you? I think Julie is in the clubhouse.”
“Julie?” Candy’s eyes widened. “That’s okay. I’m sure she’s busy, and I just want to get this done. I have a shift tonight.” She tucked the bills into her back pocket.
“Got a job over at the house in back. Just doing the hostess work, nothing upstairs.” Candy explained to Michael.
“Yeah, well, I’ll be home at midnight, and I expect your ass to be in bed.” Sniper gave her another kiss, this one more possessive, and slapped her ass.
“Midnight. Got it.” She waved her fingers and smiled as she walked away. “Oh!” She snapped her fingers and turned back to Michael. “How is Belle? She looked upset when she left the other night.”
“She’s fine. The hormones are getting to her, I think.” Michael laughed. He took a quick look at his watch. “I think her shift ended at two this afternoon. Why don’t you see if she wants to go with you? She’s going to need some new clothes pretty soon.”
“That’s a great idea.” Candy pulled out her phone. “What’s her number?”
Michael recited it to her as she programmed her phone.
“I’ll give her a ring when I get to the car.”
“Not while you’re driving the damn car, Candy,” Sniper ground out.
“Of course not.” She gave a playful wink and skipped off across the courtyard toward the parking lot.
Michael couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t remember her being so bratty before.” He turned back to the car they were working on.
“She wasn’t. She’s getting comfortable. Do you know her father walked out when she was six? Pointed right at her and called her some awful shit, then left. He was probably drunk or high, but she’s been walking around thinking about what he said all these years. I’m telling you, if I see that son of a bitch, I’ll cut his fucking throat. And her mom too, coke-head woman leaving her kid to deal with all that shit. Candy’s been paying the rent on her mom’s trailer for the past two years. That’s why she’s been here all that time, trying to get in the graces of a member.”
“She wanted to be an old lady so she would have someone taking care of her?” Michael knew most of the women working at the clubhouse were doing the same thing, looking for a member to pick them up. It wasn’t something he found tasteful, though. He liked the idea of his woman having some independence, able to stand on her own two feet. It made it all the sweeter when he swooped her off them.
Michael picked up his phone and shot Belle a text telling her Candy would be getting a hold of her, and she was to use the credit card he gave her. She hadn’t spent a single penny of his, even though he insisted over and over again to get some clothes, buy stuff for the baby, anything she needed. He loved her ind
ependent side, but her stubborn side was starting to chafe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Belle walked through the food court of the mall, Auntie Anne’s pretzel in one hand, a shopping bag in the other. Her mother needed a new nightgown. Between the medications and the chemo, she’d lost more weight, and her old pajamas were hanging off of her. The new one would fit better, and at least give her some shape.
Michael’s text telling him that Candy was going to call her caught her as she was getting into the car. She wanted to get some groceries to make dinner for them that evening; he would be coming over after work, whatever work meant. She knew he was working in the garage. He hadn’t stopped talking about that Cadillac he was rebuilding, but he said he wouldn’t be around until eight. As far as she knew, the garage closed at six but she didn’t question. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to what he would be doing between closing and coming to her place.
Her place. It bothered him that she wouldn’t relent and move in with him, but she wasn’t ready, not yet. It was one thing to date him, to have his baby, but it was something else entirely to live with him and be his…his what? Old Lady? Wife? What would she be?
When Candy’s text or call never came, she headed to the mall. She’d get her mom the pajamas, then grab her groceries on the way home. She tried not to worry about Candy; maybe the girl still held a little hurt over what she’d said. Or she still wanted Michael and having to play friends with his girlfriend chafed. Either way, Belle had gotten along just fine without close friends for so long, she knew she’d be just fine shopping on her own.
Belle turned down the corridor, heading to the parking lot, when she spotted Candy. At first, she raised her hand to call out a greeting but stilled her actions when she recognized the man she was talking to.
Pressed into a shadowed corner of the pillars decorating the entrance to a high-end boutique was the man on the bike at Michael’s house. She recognized his beard—it was longer in the front, coming off his chin into a clean V shape, where the rest of his face was clean shaven. She couldn’t hear them and quickly moved to the side to stay out of their sight, but from his narrowed eyes and thinned lips, whatever Candy was telling him wasn’t making him happy. Why the hell was she talking to him anyway? Didn’t Michael tell her he was the president of that other bike club?
Candy threw her hands in the air and stomped off, leaving the angry biker to glare after her retreating form. Belle watched, tucked behind a “you’re here” map, until she was completely out of sight, then continued on her way to the exit. Her phone started ringing in her purse—Michael’s ring tone. Fumbling with the zipper and her pretzel, she ended up colliding into a hard object. Dropping her pretzel, she cursed and apologized at the same time.
“It’s okay, darlin’,” a familiar voice responded. She got a better look at the person she’d just run square into. Devlin. His skin wrinkled around his eyes as he smiled down at her. No friendly “nice to bump into you” smile but one full of menace. “You’re not hurt, are you?” He took a small step back and let his eyes wander over her, lingering a little longer on her chest than she was comfortable with. She hadn’t changed out of her scrubs yet, but the way he looked at her, she would have thought her clothes had fallen off somewhere along the way.
“I’m fine, thank you.” She snatched her pretzel from the ground and readjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Sorry for bumping into you.”
“No trouble at all.” He inclined his head. “Where you headed out to your car?” He looked over his shoulder at the exit behind him.
She looked at her watch and tried to think of the right thing to do. Call Michael, that was the right thing to do, but if she did that right there, she’d insult Devlin, and he didn’t look like the sort of man she wanted to insult openly.
“Yes. I was.”
“Then let me walk you out.”
“No,” she said with more heat than she intended. “No, thank you, but that’s all right. You don’t need to do that.”
“Of course I do. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you while you were making your way out to the car. Michael would have my head if I let anything happen to his old lady.”
“I’m not his old lady.” She took a few steps to the garbage can and tossed the dirty pretzel before starting to walk again to the exit. “I’ll be fine. Thank you, though.” She tried to give a smile and a nod, but he wouldn’t have it.
“Nah, I’ll walk you.” His hand grabbed a hold of her elbow. An outsider would see him as a gentleman, escorting her down the hall. In reality, his fingers bit into her arm. He held her with such a grip that twisting out of it was impossible. How did men learn how to do these things? “Even if you aren’t his old lady, he’ll cut my balls off if something were to happen to you. I mean, sometimes people get hurt. Bad things happen to good people.” He kept his voice low as he opened the glass door, letting a whoosh of fresh air hit them as they walked out. She managed to get to her keys and held them in her free hand, ready to stab him with whatever she could if she needed to.
Her heart hammered in her chest so hard, she could almost see the heartbeat through her shirt. A layer of sweat began to build on her forehead as they made their way toward the cars. “I’m over here.” She pointed toward the aisle where she’d parked. The mall was busier than usual when she had arrived and didn’t get a spot close to the entrance. Her little Audi was parked at the end of the row.
“Which car?” he asked, sounding as casual as anything, completely unaware or uncaring of the panic starting to build inside of her.
“The gray one at the end.”
“Looks a little secluded. You should park closer, where there are more people. Like I said, bad things happen. You could fall or trip.” His hand grew tighter on her arm. “Even to good girls who do silly things, like get pregnant with some biker’s baby. I mean, that wasn’t really smart, right? You know how dangerous Michael’s life is? I’d never take up with a civilian—too dangerous. Especially if he doesn’t make good choices. Because his decisions affect you and that kid inside you. He makes the wrong call, takes a bad step, who knows what might happen to you?”
She kept her eyes focused on her car, willing Michael to call back. “Here I am.” She tried to pull away from him, but he only walked her around to the driver side door. He took the keys from her closed hand and unlocked the door, opening it for her but not giving the keys back.
Belle slid into the car, putting her feet in and tucking her purse next to her. “Thanks.” She put out her hand, waiting for him to hand over the keys. He rested his left arm on the doorframe, his right on the car, and leaned in. She could see speckles of gray throughout his beard.
“Be careful now, okay? Don’t go getting a flat tire or running off the road. Think real hard about the safety of your baby.” He gave her a wink and straightened up, dropping her keys into her palm. He barely stepped away when she yanked the door shut, not caring if he heard it slam. She sat watching him in the rearview mirror as he walked away…whistling? Was he really whistling? She shook her head and tossed her bag and purse in the passenger seat and jammed the key into the ignition. She needed to get away from the mall, away from Devlin, and away from the mess she created with her own selfishness.
Driving past the grocery store, she made a right on the main road and headed to her mother’s house. She needed to see her mother.
# # #
“Devlin has made a proposal.” Craig leaned forward over the table in the great room, lacing his fingers together over the wooden mallet he laid in front of him. Church had been underway long enough to cover old business and catch up on current shit, and it was time for Craig to put the idea of letting the marijuana runs go. “The Devil’s Nest wants the Maryjane Lane.” He put a hand up in the air when grumbles started from all over the room. “Let me put the fucking deal out there before you all start shitting on it,” he growled. The room quieted down.
Michael glanced around the room and took an
other look at his cell before shoving it in his back pocket. Belle was AWOL. Other than a short text canceling dinner the night before, he hadn’t heard from her. He tried calling and texting but got no answer on either try. Candy told him she hadn’t been able to get a hold of her either, so they hadn’t gone to the mall. Whatever was eating at her, she could at least tell him. How could he fix a problem he didn’t know existed?
Craig finished explaining the options to the club, and hell broke loose for a moment before he launched himself out of his chair and glared down the chaos. Once the men settled, he slowly sank back in his chair. “Now, I get that it’s a shitty deal. I get that, and I’m not presenting it you saying I want this to happen. I’m bringing it to the table because I may lead this group of shit heads, but I’m not making this call all on my own. It affects us all, and we all get to have a say. I don’t like the idea of that shit they peddle making its way through this town so fucking easily, but it’s got to be a club call.” He pointed at Sniper to give him the floor.
